From a site visitor: “Hi Floyd, I have a few questions I thought you could help me with.
a) What would you say are the essential or first steps for the mind to understand non-duality in order to move forward?
b) Does the mind need to understand or pass through certain gates of logic to proceed?
c) When looking for me, I find that all there is are thoughts or feelings but these walls (mostly a feeling) seem to satisfy me as to who I am. Where do I go from here?
d) If there is no "me," then who is the person thinking, doing, feeling, etc?
e) Attraction or want...who is wanting? That‘s all for now. Thanks, Ben”
a) What would you say are the essential or first steps for the mind to understand non-duality in order to move forward?
b) Does the mind need to understand or pass through certain gates of logic to proceed?
c) When looking for me, I find that all there is are thoughts or feelings but these walls (mostly a feeling) seem to satisfy me as to who I am. Where do I go from here?
d) If there is no "me," then who is the person thinking, doing, feeling, etc?
e) Attraction or want...who is wanting? That‘s all for now. Thanks, Ben”
F.: Hello, Ben. Thanks for the e-mail and for the other information supplied separately that made clearer your current location on the path of “The Seven-Step Journey to Reality.” Today’s posting will be the longest ever on the site because your inquiries afford the opportunity to address many e-mails that have been received lately, all of which indicate a need for some basic understandings that have not been discussed in detail up to this point. Anyone sharing the Advaita teachings must first know where the particular seeker being addressed is currently “located” on the “path” as well as the route followed so far. [Usually, a few questions by the teacher or a few comments by the protégé will reveal that location; sometimes, an Advaitan sharing pointers will suspect there’s more, as happened in your case. You’ll see later why both “location” and “route followed so far” are necessary for an appropriate response.]
First, a pointer about seekers and non-seekers: there are non-seekers who shall never find; there are seekers who shall never find but will continue to work diligently in the search but will wander because they don’t have a clearly-marked map; there are seekers who might find pieces but not the entire understanding; and there are only a few seekers who shall truly find. What seekers should recognize about seekers, however, is this: anyone seeking is either (a) sensing on some level that something is missing, and therefore the seeker is not as happy as claimed or (b) the seeker is a knowledge accumulator and, in that case, a persona with an agenda is driving a desire. When that which is being sought is truly found, then all seeking ends and the AS IF living begins to happen. [At the top of this page, those interested may search the blog for “as if.”]
Based on the separate e-mail in which you answered the inquiries sent to you, you reveal that you have been a seeker most of your life. Many site visitors, my former “self” included, would relate to your experiences: exposure to religious indoctrination from an early age or later as an adult; the rejection of the messages offered because you saw through the contradictions and recognized the implausibility of their dogma; years of metaphysical or spiritual seeking that evolved into spiritual workaholism; and the accumulation of more and more knowledge and more and more concepts as you sought answers from more and more of “the big hitters” making their rounds on the spiritual circuit. [Note: That workaholism is not being judged nor disparaged since, after years of sharing with Advaitan seekers, it has been found that the most receptive protégés are those who are tired…really tired…from all the work and effort and disciplines and searching. Exhaustion as a result of spiritual over-exercising is often prepatory.]
Next, based on the questions you asked, it is obvious that your “journey” has followed the circuitous route taken by most seekers, through no fault of your own. You mentioned that you’re not seeking clarity as much as you’re seeking a realization. Yes, and no. Realization is to be sought, yes, but clarity about the exact steps required (and the exact order in which those steps must be taken) is needed. Few seekers will ever have clarity around this fact: in each case, there were seven very specific steps which transpired from the point at which the pure consciousness manifested to the point where the consciousness had been completely bastardized, leaving persons (personas) identified with the “I” and thus suffering from the “Seven Degrees of Separation from Reality.” Therefore, there are seven very specific steps that must be followed in “reverse” in order to un-do the “damage” to the consciousness and allow the shift from the I to the Absolute [see http://www.floydhenderson.com/iamabsolute.htm ] that will allow You to get back in touch with Who You Truly Are…that is, to return to being fully in touch with reality. [That reveals why “the journey” and the “path” are italicized by Advaitans: there is really nowhere to go and no path to follow. There is only the task of finding That which You have never left but which you have forgotten; there is only the task of finding That which You have been “separated” from awareness of because of programming, conditioning, and enculturation.] Each of the seven steps must be transitioned if Realization is to happen; furthermore, no steps can be skipped and the exact order cannot be deviated from at all on the “journey.”
When you listed all the books you’ve read and have created a library with, you list among the authors and teachers many who have one or two pieces of the total Advaita message. You also mentioned some jnanis who had the understanding but did not delineate a simple, clear-cut and direct route to the full understanding that protégés (especially Westerners) could follow. [That is not disparaging, either, since ultimately it is the readiness of the protégé that is the key anyway.] Too, in describing your journey, it is seen that—as with many who tried so much and finally found the Advaita teachings—you’ve moved along the path to the mid-range of the seven stages but have skipped the first, basic steps. Thus, you have transitioned beyond any religious ego-state (which must happen) and you’ve become spiritual (which is also a step along the way) and you may have some insight into steps four to seven. Your comments and questions, however, reveal that you did not take the first two steps completely. [Now the necessity of the inquiries about “where you are” and “the paths you’ve taken so far” should be clearer.] Without mastery of the teachings dealing with those first two steps, seekers who are wondering and wandering can come across “higher” stepping stones on the “path,” but they’ll never be able to complete the “journey” in its entirety. As with Maslow’s Hierarchy, if the basic needs are not met first, then those needs that he lists on the higher levels can never be fully attained.
E-mails received this week from site visitors in Romania, Canada, the U.K. and the U.S. reveal a similarity in content which suggests that many will be able to relate to the questions you’ve ask, so space on the site shall be devoted to your questions in order that all who are interested may share in the answers. The task for now, before moving on any further, is to find those steps that have been missed…those steps that must be taken before arriving at any religious or spiritual point on the “path” and then transitioning beyond those to the full understanding. That brings us to your first question:
First, a pointer about seekers and non-seekers: there are non-seekers who shall never find; there are seekers who shall never find but will continue to work diligently in the search but will wander because they don’t have a clearly-marked map; there are seekers who might find pieces but not the entire understanding; and there are only a few seekers who shall truly find. What seekers should recognize about seekers, however, is this: anyone seeking is either (a) sensing on some level that something is missing, and therefore the seeker is not as happy as claimed or (b) the seeker is a knowledge accumulator and, in that case, a persona with an agenda is driving a desire. When that which is being sought is truly found, then all seeking ends and the AS IF living begins to happen. [At the top of this page, those interested may search the blog for “as if.”]
Based on the separate e-mail in which you answered the inquiries sent to you, you reveal that you have been a seeker most of your life. Many site visitors, my former “self” included, would relate to your experiences: exposure to religious indoctrination from an early age or later as an adult; the rejection of the messages offered because you saw through the contradictions and recognized the implausibility of their dogma; years of metaphysical or spiritual seeking that evolved into spiritual workaholism; and the accumulation of more and more knowledge and more and more concepts as you sought answers from more and more of “the big hitters” making their rounds on the spiritual circuit. [Note: That workaholism is not being judged nor disparaged since, after years of sharing with Advaitan seekers, it has been found that the most receptive protégés are those who are tired…really tired…from all the work and effort and disciplines and searching. Exhaustion as a result of spiritual over-exercising is often prepatory.]
Next, based on the questions you asked, it is obvious that your “journey” has followed the circuitous route taken by most seekers, through no fault of your own. You mentioned that you’re not seeking clarity as much as you’re seeking a realization. Yes, and no. Realization is to be sought, yes, but clarity about the exact steps required (and the exact order in which those steps must be taken) is needed. Few seekers will ever have clarity around this fact: in each case, there were seven very specific steps which transpired from the point at which the pure consciousness manifested to the point where the consciousness had been completely bastardized, leaving persons (personas) identified with the “I” and thus suffering from the “Seven Degrees of Separation from Reality.” Therefore, there are seven very specific steps that must be followed in “reverse” in order to un-do the “damage” to the consciousness and allow the shift from the I to the Absolute [see http://www.floydhenderson.com/iamabsolute.htm ] that will allow You to get back in touch with Who You Truly Are…that is, to return to being fully in touch with reality. [That reveals why “the journey” and the “path” are italicized by Advaitans: there is really nowhere to go and no path to follow. There is only the task of finding That which You have never left but which you have forgotten; there is only the task of finding That which You have been “separated” from awareness of because of programming, conditioning, and enculturation.] Each of the seven steps must be transitioned if Realization is to happen; furthermore, no steps can be skipped and the exact order cannot be deviated from at all on the “journey.”
When you listed all the books you’ve read and have created a library with, you list among the authors and teachers many who have one or two pieces of the total Advaita message. You also mentioned some jnanis who had the understanding but did not delineate a simple, clear-cut and direct route to the full understanding that protégés (especially Westerners) could follow. [That is not disparaging, either, since ultimately it is the readiness of the protégé that is the key anyway.] Too, in describing your journey, it is seen that—as with many who tried so much and finally found the Advaita teachings—you’ve moved along the path to the mid-range of the seven stages but have skipped the first, basic steps. Thus, you have transitioned beyond any religious ego-state (which must happen) and you’ve become spiritual (which is also a step along the way) and you may have some insight into steps four to seven. Your comments and questions, however, reveal that you did not take the first two steps completely. [Now the necessity of the inquiries about “where you are” and “the paths you’ve taken so far” should be clearer.] Without mastery of the teachings dealing with those first two steps, seekers who are wondering and wandering can come across “higher” stepping stones on the “path,” but they’ll never be able to complete the “journey” in its entirety. As with Maslow’s Hierarchy, if the basic needs are not met first, then those needs that he lists on the higher levels can never be fully attained.
E-mails received this week from site visitors in Romania, Canada, the U.K. and the U.S. reveal a similarity in content which suggests that many will be able to relate to the questions you’ve ask, so space on the site shall be devoted to your questions in order that all who are interested may share in the answers. The task for now, before moving on any further, is to find those steps that have been missed…those steps that must be taken before arriving at any religious or spiritual point on the “path” and then transitioning beyond those to the full understanding. That brings us to your first question:
a) What would you say are the essential or first steps for the mind to understand non-duality in order to move forward?
The very fact that you asked that question illustrates the earlier point: no matter how much spiritual work you’ve done (and you’ve done a lot) and no matter how many spiritual books you’ve read (and you’ve read a lot) and no matter how much meditation you’ve tried (and you’ve tried a lot) and no matter how much spiritual knowledge you’ve accumulated along the way (and you’ve accumulated a lot), it is necessary to find what you call “the essential or first steps,” and they are about none of the above. Shocking to many when they first begin to travel this “path” is seeing that that the work done, the books read and the knowledge accumulated will not be useful on the journey at all and must be discarded if the load is to be lightened enough to be able to travel the entire path. Many exit stage left at this point since certain ego-states are unable to stand the heat of the light being cast upon those personas; others leave because they are unable to tolerate any challenge to the value of their accumulated knowledge. But the main point for now is this: if the understanding around those first two steps is not mastered, then all additional effort will be for naught. Therefore, today’s suggestion for you and all protégés is this: focus on the second part of your question and see if you might find the answer to the point implied in the following question: Why is it that “the mind” you mentioned can never “understand non-duality in order to move forward” along the seven-step path? Please enter the silence of contemplation. [To be continued]
The very fact that you asked that question illustrates the earlier point: no matter how much spiritual work you’ve done (and you’ve done a lot) and no matter how many spiritual books you’ve read (and you’ve read a lot) and no matter how much meditation you’ve tried (and you’ve tried a lot) and no matter how much spiritual knowledge you’ve accumulated along the way (and you’ve accumulated a lot), it is necessary to find what you call “the essential or first steps,” and they are about none of the above. Shocking to many when they first begin to travel this “path” is seeing that that the work done, the books read and the knowledge accumulated will not be useful on the journey at all and must be discarded if the load is to be lightened enough to be able to travel the entire path. Many exit stage left at this point since certain ego-states are unable to stand the heat of the light being cast upon those personas; others leave because they are unable to tolerate any challenge to the value of their accumulated knowledge. But the main point for now is this: if the understanding around those first two steps is not mastered, then all additional effort will be for naught. Therefore, today’s suggestion for you and all protégés is this: focus on the second part of your question and see if you might find the answer to the point implied in the following question: Why is it that “the mind” you mentioned can never “understand non-duality in order to move forward” along the seven-step path? Please enter the silence of contemplation. [To be continued]
