[Please note: The “journey” to Realization has seven, clear-cut steps that must be taken in an exact order. The third step requires that persons first play a religious role or a spiritual role. Both must be transcended to continue, but either (or both) can serve as a step; however, it is far easier to move beyond a spiritual persona than a religious persona.]
Another pause to respond to a query from a site visitor: “Why attack religion if your focus is on the Absolute?”
F.: First, religion is not being attacked, but Advaitans are aware that if one would finally know the truth, then one must first see all that is false and then discard belief in all that is false. Religion just happens to be one of the more prolific sources of magical thinking, distorted reasoning and false concepts. If religious roles are not abandoned, then the “journey” to Realization stops at Step Three of Seven; thus, if Realization is to happen, then religious roles must be abandoned and religion must be transcended. If religious roles are to be abandoned, then the beliefs and behaviors that result from religious programming and conditioning must be abandoned. And those beliefs and behaviors will not be abandoned unless all of the insanity and all of the inconsistencies and all of the false concepts associated with religious personas are exposed. Secondly, a comment submitted by a visitor is being addressed. The discussion could have just as easily focused on the false concepts perpetuated by philosophies, ideologies, political movements, or big business. It just so happens that the site visitor raised this issue. Third, those focused on the concepts contained in dogma cannot focus on the Real—on the Absolute—until they stop focusing on the illusions of their religions. Fourth, as mentioned yesterday, neither persons nor personas are being attacked; they are merely being exposed for the false roles that they are. All personas and concepts block the “path” to Realization, so all much go (whether the false identity being assumed is that of a religious persona, a spiritual persona, or any other persona). Yet no religious persona or spiritual persona is being attacked. Can a mirage be attacked? Of course not.
In the book From the I to the Absolute (A Seven-Step Journey to Reality), “The Seven Degrees of Separation from Reality” are discussed. Note the shift in the fourth chapter heading:
1. THE FIRST DEGREE OF SEPARATION FROM REALITY: Body Identification
2. THE SECOND DEGREE OF SEPARATION FROM REALITY: Mind Identification
3. THE THIRD DEGREE OF SEPARATION FROM REALITY: Religious and/or Spiritual Identifications
4. THE FOURTH DEGREE OF MOVEMENT TOWARD REALITY: Child Ignorance
It is only after discarding the body and mind identifications as well as the religious and spiritual roles that the “separation from reality” gives way to “movement toward reality.” Pointing out that belief in “body identities” actually separates persons from reality and is therefore insane generates little anger or reaction. Pointing out that belief in “mind identities” actually separates persons from reality and is therefore insane usually generates more defensiveness, anger and reaction. Pointing out that belief in religious and spiritual identities (and belief in the magical thinking that comes along with those ego-states) actually separates persons from reality and is therefore insane almost always generates tremendous anger, emotional intoxication, and hostile reactions. Why?
Religions claim to be uniquely autonomous, above reproach and above accountability to anyone or any entity. The U.S. Government had known for decades that priests were molesting children and that the Catholic Church was paying out huge sums of hush money from Vatican Bank accounts, but since organized religion gets a free ride, no action was taken to enforce the laws that are intended to protect children from adult abusers. Is it not becoming obvious why the “journey” to Realization is stopped dead in its tracks at the third level if religious and spiritual roles are not transcended? If that transcendence happens, then the shift occurs: at the fourth level—after leaving those false roles behind—the “movement” is towards reality. So religion and spiritual roles are not being “attacked” any more than body roles and other mind roles are being attacked. The lie of all those false identifications is being pointed out. Body roles are mirages and "mind" roles are mirages, and among the latter are the mirages of religious and spiritual roles.
No mirage is being “attacked,” but can one suffer harm in the relative existence is he takes a mirage to be real, swerves his car to avoid it, and sails off a cliff? Of course. When “floyd” took his religious role to be real, he accepted as “the truth” religion’s offer to absolve him of theft without returning money that belonged to others. Did the guilt generate dis-ease for “floyd” in the relative, trapped as he was in the false roles he was playing? Of course. The duality of playing the role of a “good Christian” while hiding the role of “bad thief” from fellow congregants took a toll. As predicted by the Advaita teacher Christ, “A dual-minded person is unstable in all ways.” Was suffering and misery also caused for those whose money was stolen? Relatively speaking, of course. Did the use of religion to justify keeping stolen property prolong the attachment to religion and to the religious persona? Yes. Religious leaders endorsed keeping the stolen funds. Did that impede Realization? Of course. Money is meaningless when the re-purified consciousness is absorbed fully into the Absolute. Economic fears and economic desires are totally of the relative existence, totally involved with ego-states. If that belief system around religion had not been abandoned, could Realization have happened, or would the self-serving attachment to the religious persona that was justifying thievery have continued? Returning the stolen money happened only after the fears and desires of false identities that were absorbed in the relative existence gave way to the peace (that is, the absence of fears and desires) that accompanies Realization. The Realized "zen out"--get rid of. Accumulation ends and de-accumulation begins only after the belief in false roles and their imagined "needs" and assumed "rights and entitlements" ends. Please enter the silence of contemplation. [To be continued]
F.: First, religion is not being attacked, but Advaitans are aware that if one would finally know the truth, then one must first see all that is false and then discard belief in all that is false. Religion just happens to be one of the more prolific sources of magical thinking, distorted reasoning and false concepts. If religious roles are not abandoned, then the “journey” to Realization stops at Step Three of Seven; thus, if Realization is to happen, then religious roles must be abandoned and religion must be transcended. If religious roles are to be abandoned, then the beliefs and behaviors that result from religious programming and conditioning must be abandoned. And those beliefs and behaviors will not be abandoned unless all of the insanity and all of the inconsistencies and all of the false concepts associated with religious personas are exposed. Secondly, a comment submitted by a visitor is being addressed. The discussion could have just as easily focused on the false concepts perpetuated by philosophies, ideologies, political movements, or big business. It just so happens that the site visitor raised this issue. Third, those focused on the concepts contained in dogma cannot focus on the Real—on the Absolute—until they stop focusing on the illusions of their religions. Fourth, as mentioned yesterday, neither persons nor personas are being attacked; they are merely being exposed for the false roles that they are. All personas and concepts block the “path” to Realization, so all much go (whether the false identity being assumed is that of a religious persona, a spiritual persona, or any other persona). Yet no religious persona or spiritual persona is being attacked. Can a mirage be attacked? Of course not.
In the book From the I to the Absolute (A Seven-Step Journey to Reality), “The Seven Degrees of Separation from Reality” are discussed. Note the shift in the fourth chapter heading:
1. THE FIRST DEGREE OF SEPARATION FROM REALITY: Body Identification
2. THE SECOND DEGREE OF SEPARATION FROM REALITY: Mind Identification
3. THE THIRD DEGREE OF SEPARATION FROM REALITY: Religious and/or Spiritual Identifications
4. THE FOURTH DEGREE OF MOVEMENT TOWARD REALITY: Child Ignorance
It is only after discarding the body and mind identifications as well as the religious and spiritual roles that the “separation from reality” gives way to “movement toward reality.” Pointing out that belief in “body identities” actually separates persons from reality and is therefore insane generates little anger or reaction. Pointing out that belief in “mind identities” actually separates persons from reality and is therefore insane usually generates more defensiveness, anger and reaction. Pointing out that belief in religious and spiritual identities (and belief in the magical thinking that comes along with those ego-states) actually separates persons from reality and is therefore insane almost always generates tremendous anger, emotional intoxication, and hostile reactions. Why?
Religions claim to be uniquely autonomous, above reproach and above accountability to anyone or any entity. The U.S. Government had known for decades that priests were molesting children and that the Catholic Church was paying out huge sums of hush money from Vatican Bank accounts, but since organized religion gets a free ride, no action was taken to enforce the laws that are intended to protect children from adult abusers. Is it not becoming obvious why the “journey” to Realization is stopped dead in its tracks at the third level if religious and spiritual roles are not transcended? If that transcendence happens, then the shift occurs: at the fourth level—after leaving those false roles behind—the “movement” is towards reality. So religion and spiritual roles are not being “attacked” any more than body roles and other mind roles are being attacked. The lie of all those false identifications is being pointed out. Body roles are mirages and "mind" roles are mirages, and among the latter are the mirages of religious and spiritual roles.
No mirage is being “attacked,” but can one suffer harm in the relative existence is he takes a mirage to be real, swerves his car to avoid it, and sails off a cliff? Of course. When “floyd” took his religious role to be real, he accepted as “the truth” religion’s offer to absolve him of theft without returning money that belonged to others. Did the guilt generate dis-ease for “floyd” in the relative, trapped as he was in the false roles he was playing? Of course. The duality of playing the role of a “good Christian” while hiding the role of “bad thief” from fellow congregants took a toll. As predicted by the Advaita teacher Christ, “A dual-minded person is unstable in all ways.” Was suffering and misery also caused for those whose money was stolen? Relatively speaking, of course. Did the use of religion to justify keeping stolen property prolong the attachment to religion and to the religious persona? Yes. Religious leaders endorsed keeping the stolen funds. Did that impede Realization? Of course. Money is meaningless when the re-purified consciousness is absorbed fully into the Absolute. Economic fears and economic desires are totally of the relative existence, totally involved with ego-states. If that belief system around religion had not been abandoned, could Realization have happened, or would the self-serving attachment to the religious persona that was justifying thievery have continued? Returning the stolen money happened only after the fears and desires of false identities that were absorbed in the relative existence gave way to the peace (that is, the absence of fears and desires) that accompanies Realization. The Realized "zen out"--get rid of. Accumulation ends and de-accumulation begins only after the belief in false roles and their imagined "needs" and assumed "rights and entitlements" ends. Please enter the silence of contemplation. [To be continued]
