F.: [See the 20 November 2008 post to read the entire e-mail being answered here from a visitor trying to understand how to “keep it simple”] Yesterday, you were invited to “see how the simplicity was lost after complicated and contradictory concepts were taught and were stored in what you call ‘your mind’.”
If you do not understand how events unfolded that transformed a simple existence into the very complicated one that you wrote to complain about, how can you possibly “go back” to the originally simple mode of living?
Understand that the complicating concepts have become a part of the “collective mind” of the planet and how that collective mind now reinforces planet-wide the beliefs that
(1) began as myths and superstitions among the ignorant persons of the planet, which
(2) produced magical thinking among the masses, which
(3) led to the formation of the three dominant sky cults today, which
(4) has complicated the relative existence with thousands of years of religious wars that have reached global proportions nowadays, and which
(5) drives the widespread, unquestioned acceptance of the tenets of religious and spiritual movements.
Thus, when Cassandra in St. Louis wrote to say, “Floyd, god does exist—millions of people can’t be wrong,” the reply was that she was correct, that it is not millions of people who have been wrong…it is trillions upon trillions that have been wrong.
Nothing has complicated the relative existence of humanity more than belief in duality, and belief in duality is rooted in, and maintained today, by those religious and spiritual movements mentioned earlier that have contributed more than any other single factors to “life” becoming complicated.
What is more complicated today than the toll of wars on persons and the toll on nations’ economies that have resulted from the fact that billions of Christians want to spread their message “to the four corners of the earth and baptize everyone in the name of Jesus Christ” while 1.5 billion Muslims are bent on killing anyone who is “a Christian infidel” and who does not accept their religious beliefs alone?
Members of both of those two warring factions want every person on the planet to believe exactly what they believe. Do you see that, without beliefs, there would be no basis for their wars that have gone on for 1300 years?
The teachings of both are rooted in lies that were disseminated by persons who dreamed up the notion that there are other-world powers that control everything in this world, so all of their teachings today are lies as well. And where are those lies stored? In the “mind.”
So again, review the literature of the program in which you hold membership: “the main problem centers in the mind.” See the source of the complications. See how your life became complicated when all those dualistic beliefs were used during your upbringing to determine when you were supposedly “good” and had earned rewards and when you were “bad” and had supposedly called down punishment upon yourself.
See how dualistic beliefs have been at the root of all of the complications and misery and suffering that you wrote about. See where those dualistic beliefs are being reinforced in your culture. Then, if you would be free, stay away from the sources and reinforcers of dualistic beliefs and be rid of the “mind” that now stores the beliefs that "they" have already taught you. That is the only chance for a return to simplicity to happen.
Understand the primary sources of complications so you can discount them and be rid of their influence. The complications began millions of years ago when the human brain expanded to include sections that can store and recall “memories.” The problem became exacerbated when persons dreamed up lies, stored them, taught them to other persons who stored them and taught them to others, etc.
Note the loss of simplicity when the first medicine man dreamed up not just a rain god but an angry rain god. Before that point, humankind would have witnessed and accepted the fact that when it rains it rains; when it doesn't rain, it doesn't rain; when it’s hot it’s hot; and when it’s cold it’s cold.
After that god was dreamed up, note how complicated things became: parents had to offer a daughter to have sex with the medicine man; to be killed; to have her heart cut out; and to participate as all passed the heart about and ate the body and drank the blood in a service that provided the chance to commune with the rain god and please him by sacrifice.
Those early “worshippers” began to define morality and then inventoried what is “good” behavior and what is “bad” behavior; they codified their beliefs in “holy” books; they began to engage in preemptive strikes, sacrificing in advance rather than after the rain had stopped.
Now, when humans simply behave in the natural ways that humans behave and engage in very natural acts, then other complicating concepts are added to the mix: guilt, shame, rejection, disgrace, fear of not being rewarded now, fear of not earning an eternal reward but of suffering eternal punishment instead, giving hours of “service” in order to get rewards, ad infinitum.
Very complicated, n’est-ce pas? So, how to un-do the mess? You will never put an end to the primary sources of duality. Religious or spiritual movements will continue in the same unchecked fashion that they have over the last 5000 years. What you can do is to complete the “journey” that will free you of the duality that they dreamed up and that they are continuing to teach today.
Nowadays, nearly 6.5 billion persons across the planet dutifully engage in their laborious activities (a.k.a., “religious practices” and “spiritual exercises”). They face financial crises but continue to give 10% of their money to avoid problems and to reap the benefit of getting back “seven times more than they give.”
Some complicate their lives by attending services on Saturday or on Sunday morning and Sunday evening and Wednesday evening; others stop five times per day to do their prayers (with no women allowed, of course); some attend meetings every day, realizing they have been made insane and being told that god will restore them to sanity.
But it does not happen, so they keep going back. That is the phase you reached and fixated in, is it not? See how much effort is required throughout an entire manifestation for one who thinks he/she must work their way into the graces of a god in order to earn an eternal reward or to be sane or to be happy or to be at peace.
Do you not see that you are still trapped in that original parent-child mode that first set you up to be driven by dualities? Please enter the silence of contemplation. (To be continued)
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON TODAY’S POST:
TWO OTHER OFFERINGS ARE AVAILABLE:
More and more seekers are requesting an understanding of how a personality formed in childhood is still determining and controlling everything that is thought or said or done in adulthood. Others have inquired about an opportunity to speak one-on-one about the seven-step “path” to Realization.
Thus, two opportunities are being offered from now until Dec 15th at 50% off:
PERSONALITY TYPING:
Here’s what is included in the package that is available for the next two months (the service available to international visitors but these price being only for the Continental U.S.):
A copy of the personality test (B) Priority mailing of the test (C) Analysis of the test results (D) a one-hour telephone session to discuss the results (E) the cost of the telephone conference. Cost is US$95.
ONE-ON-ONE SATSANG VIA TELE-CONFERENCE
For the next two months, a tele-conference to discuss any aspects of the Advaita teachings one-on-one will be offered. [Rich from the
To arrange either package, >Click ARRANGE PACKAGES provide all of the information requested, and in the message box at the bottom, indicate that you want to make arrangements for the PERSONALITY TYPING or for the ONE-ON-ONE ADVAITA SESSION or both.
