F.: The next question posed in the 12 May set of questions that can guide one to Realization was, “Who told you that religious or spiritual roles were “the ultimate”? For those persons who would travel the “path” to Full Realization, one or both of those roles are necessary stops along the way. If one never transitions beyond body-mind identification alone, then the understanding of the functioning of the totality can never happen. Why? The focus is only on the limited and the restricted, not on the infinite and the boundless. That which is not focused upon cannot be seen. Yet those two supernatural roles that would free persons of their personas actually reinforce new ego-states and result in more unnatural living if not transitioned. Further advancement on the “journey” will not happen for persons who believe that they have arrived at the pinnacle.
So who told you that those roles are the ultimate? Is it possible that no one ever verbalized that for you but that certain of your own ego-states convinced you of that belief? Who are those who accept that self-important characterization of religious and/or spiritual ego-states as being "the ultimate"?
1. Is it possible that those roles are considered the ultimate by persons who are absorbed in “doingness” rather than in beingness and by those absorbed in accumulation rather than de-accumulation? Even those spiritualists who talk about reaching a state of beingness recommend practices that must be done in order to attain. Is not the gathering of more religious or spiritual knowledge (also know as “learned ignorance”) an act of accumulation? Are not the “practices” and “disciplines” merely more accumulations? Isn’t the collection of accoutrements and concepts and “holy” books and “holy” stuff also accumulation?
2. Might religious or spiritual roles be the ultimate for persons who have caused great harm to humans in this relative existence? The “relief” experienced by many persons has been witnessed as they were told that “all can be forgotten if you become a member here and ask for forgiveness.” To hear, “We’ll give you a fresh start and you’ll be as pure as the new-fallen snow” sounds far better to most persons than to hear, “You have to give back everything that you have taken from people during your life.” Escapism can include escaping from responsibility by “turning it over” to some external power or entity that has been dreamed up by controlling men.
3. Is it possible that those roles can be considered the ultimate by persons who become emotionally-intoxicated with their new belief systems, beliefs which they consider “lofty” and which therefore separate them from those "others"?
4. Is it possible that those roles can be mistaken for the ultimate by those who want to gather knowledge of the content of “holy” books and then show others how much they know?
5. Is it possible that those roles can be considered the ultimate by those who also love playing the role of “The Answer Man” or “The Answer Woman”…by those who enjoy the ego-building status that comes when persons believe that those role-players are the "experts"?
6. Is it possible that those roles are considered to be the ultimate by those persons who feel “better” (or who feel “better than” others who aren’t as religious or as spiritual as they)?
7. Is it possible that those roles are taken to be the ultimate by those who want to tell others how to live?
8. Is it possible that those roles are believed to be the ultimate by those who do not encourage others to (a) find all the lies and then the understanding on their own but who (b) want persons to believe what they believe and act the way they want them to act?
9. Is it possible that those roles are assumed to be the ultimate by those trapped in the ego-states of “Super Religious Person” or “Spiritual Giant”?
10. Is it possible that those roles are considered to be the ultimate by those who want to control others by talk of an “eternal reward” (or by threats of “eternal punishment” if persons do not live as they live, believe what they believe, think as they think, and behave as they behave)?
11. Is it possible that those roles are taken to be the ultimate by persons who are dual-minded (even though many religious and spiritual persons have taught that “dual-minded persons are unstable in all ways”)? Wouldn't religious and spiritual role-players have to be dual-minded with their concepts of “good vs. bad,” “better than vs. worse than,” “moral vs. immoral,” and “right vs. wrong”?
Religious or spiritual roles must be played in order to reach the third stage of separation from Reality; however, if those roles are transitioned, then persons move beyond the Seven Degrees of Separation from Reality. At the point of transitioning those roles, the pace of the “journey” quickens as the remaining steps are steps that move one closer to Realization, closer to the Original Understanding, closer to freedom from all concepts (including the ones used on this site and by Advaitan teachers). Then, and only then, can freedom manifest NOW. Please enter the silence of contemplation.
So who told you that those roles are the ultimate? Is it possible that no one ever verbalized that for you but that certain of your own ego-states convinced you of that belief? Who are those who accept that self-important characterization of religious and/or spiritual ego-states as being "the ultimate"?
1. Is it possible that those roles are considered the ultimate by persons who are absorbed in “doingness” rather than in beingness and by those absorbed in accumulation rather than de-accumulation? Even those spiritualists who talk about reaching a state of beingness recommend practices that must be done in order to attain. Is not the gathering of more religious or spiritual knowledge (also know as “learned ignorance”) an act of accumulation? Are not the “practices” and “disciplines” merely more accumulations? Isn’t the collection of accoutrements and concepts and “holy” books and “holy” stuff also accumulation?
2. Might religious or spiritual roles be the ultimate for persons who have caused great harm to humans in this relative existence? The “relief” experienced by many persons has been witnessed as they were told that “all can be forgotten if you become a member here and ask for forgiveness.” To hear, “We’ll give you a fresh start and you’ll be as pure as the new-fallen snow” sounds far better to most persons than to hear, “You have to give back everything that you have taken from people during your life.” Escapism can include escaping from responsibility by “turning it over” to some external power or entity that has been dreamed up by controlling men.
3. Is it possible that those roles can be considered the ultimate by persons who become emotionally-intoxicated with their new belief systems, beliefs which they consider “lofty” and which therefore separate them from those "others"?
4. Is it possible that those roles can be mistaken for the ultimate by those who want to gather knowledge of the content of “holy” books and then show others how much they know?
5. Is it possible that those roles can be considered the ultimate by those who also love playing the role of “The Answer Man” or “The Answer Woman”…by those who enjoy the ego-building status that comes when persons believe that those role-players are the "experts"?
6. Is it possible that those roles are considered to be the ultimate by those persons who feel “better” (or who feel “better than” others who aren’t as religious or as spiritual as they)?
7. Is it possible that those roles are taken to be the ultimate by those who want to tell others how to live?
8. Is it possible that those roles are believed to be the ultimate by those who do not encourage others to (a) find all the lies and then the understanding on their own but who (b) want persons to believe what they believe and act the way they want them to act?
9. Is it possible that those roles are assumed to be the ultimate by those trapped in the ego-states of “Super Religious Person” or “Spiritual Giant”?
10. Is it possible that those roles are considered to be the ultimate by those who want to control others by talk of an “eternal reward” (or by threats of “eternal punishment” if persons do not live as they live, believe what they believe, think as they think, and behave as they behave)?
11. Is it possible that those roles are taken to be the ultimate by persons who are dual-minded (even though many religious and spiritual persons have taught that “dual-minded persons are unstable in all ways”)? Wouldn't religious and spiritual role-players have to be dual-minded with their concepts of “good vs. bad,” “better than vs. worse than,” “moral vs. immoral,” and “right vs. wrong”?
Religious or spiritual roles must be played in order to reach the third stage of separation from Reality; however, if those roles are transitioned, then persons move beyond the Seven Degrees of Separation from Reality. At the point of transitioning those roles, the pace of the “journey” quickens as the remaining steps are steps that move one closer to Realization, closer to the Original Understanding, closer to freedom from all concepts (including the ones used on this site and by Advaitan teachers). Then, and only then, can freedom manifest NOW. Please enter the silence of contemplation.
