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FROM A SITE VISITOR: First off, thanks for your blog. I thought about some things you write about when I went to see the movie Doubt. I thought about how doubt had to come before I was willing to question anything. Before that, I never had any doubt at all that everything I was told by my preist and my parents was completely true. But I still have a few concepts lurking around back there that need to go. And just when I think they’re all gone, one will show up. Any advice? Please keep up your blogging. Chris
F.: Yesterday, the consideration was offered for you to re-examine the connection between (a) lurking concepts and (b) the degree to which you have (or have not) actually discarded the teaching of what you referred to as “my priest and my parents.” You seem to minimize what you are really up against by referring to “a few” concepts.
How many would that "few" actually be, Chris? Every concept and idea and belief that remains is a thorn that will guarantee mental and emotional and personal discomfort during the relative existence. Here, the task is to offer thorns that can be used to remove all thorns—especially those implanted by priests (or preachers or rabbis or imams) and by parents.
Consider therefore what you were up against as you began to try to accept the notion of “equality” and then transcend that dualistic concept and understand the unicity or Oneness as discussed by Advaitins.
If you have been able to totally discard those early teachings about different from and better than, that would be a rare occurrence. If any vestige of those notions remains, then you cannot be at peace.
As long as belief in any concept remains, happenings during the relative will not occur spontaneously but will be driven by whatever lurking concepts remain as a result of the fact that your parents presented you regularly to a priest for conditioning and programming.
You have sought peace and you were told that religion can provide that, but do the facts back up that claim? Yesterday, the pointer was offered that those attached to dogma will seldom question what they are told but will willingly take on those who do challenge their beliefs. Consider a recent example that might provide some objective insight and enough cause for you to doubt the assertion that religion can be your source of peace:
Years ago in
Eventually, the Jewish community petitioned to set up a menorah next to the Christians’ display, and the believers’ lip service given to the promotion of peace loss some of its credibility. The peace would end completely when a court order allowed a group of non-believers to also set up a display in December of 2008.
Next to the Christmas tree and the menorah, a group of atheists set up a sign that stated, “At this season of the Winter Solstice, may reason prevail. There are no gods, no devils, no angels, no heaven or hell. There is only our natural world. Religion is but myth and superstition that hardens hearts and enslaves minds.”
The protesters were interviewed and the tapes were picked up by certain members of the national media whose penchant is to foment righteous indignation and emotional intoxication among the members of their audiences; millions of Christians across the nation became outraged.
Sermons discussing the event (this much ado about nothing) were delivered and further protests sprang up. So much for talk about "tolerance" and "peace."
So much for love thy neighbor, so much for loving all, so much for equality, so much for the lip service paid to tolerance, and so much for being a source of peace. Do you see, Chris, that such conditioning typically drives thoughts and words and behavior from a subconscious level?
Do you see that conditioning is what you were up against when you began to doubt, as you questioned, as you tried to reach a new understanding? Is it possible that you are still up against the belief in some lingering concepts taught by a priest and by parents?
It is guaranteed that those lurking concepts are dualistic and that they are linked in some fashion to early conditioning and programming and current personas that have been adopted as well as to the subconscious personality types that developed early on but that you are not even aware of.
Doubting alone will not free you of the thorns. Questioning alone will not free you of thorns. Yes, Maharaj taught that doubting was essential at some point, but seekers must also see that doubting itself can become an obstacle when it delays movement along the “path.”
Because those programmed to have faith face far more obstacles to being in touch with Reality, Maharaj invited persons to doubt their faith. That same invitation is extended here. Does that mean that the consciousness speaking via this site can also be doubted? Definitely.
The invitation is ultimately to tap into that inner resource, that inner guru, and find the truth that cannot be stated but that can be known. Has a teacher always been required to provide guidance along the “path”? No. There was a time prior to the present situation in which learned ignorance is so widespread that one could tap into that inner resource and know.
Now, the obstacles of programming and conditioning and dogma and thinking are so prevalent that their removal usually requires guidance via the consciousness that speaks and that is known as “an Advaitin teacher.” Please enter the silence of contemplation. (To be continued)
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RETREATS OR SATSANG w/ floyd ONE-ON-ONE, by TELEPHONE, by INTERNET CHAT ROOM, and via THE ADVAITA COURSE BY INTERNET (see link to right)
For details click ADVAITA VEDANTA RETREATS & SATSANG
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