An Advaita Vedanta philosophy site, focusing on Realization, enlightenment, nisarga yoga, non-duality (nonduality), your original nature, dwelling as your natural state, and the teachings of Maharaj.
Announcing the closing of the Non-Duality Bookstore as the focus in the future will be on providing books electronically. See at the end of this post an offer to receive at lower-than-eBook prices the last of the paper books remaining in stock at 50% off with free shipping in the U.S. and half-price shipping internationally.
Also, see details below for starting your own “Advaita Study Home Group”
FROM A SITE VISITOR: I think I understand where ‘heavy metal person’ was coming from. Like, how do we know we aren’t just mimicking what our concept of a realized person is? Like, OK, I can let go of all the programmed stuff I knew was BS anyway. And I can 'train myself' to live in the moment, and not grasp, or reflect, or obsess, etc. But how do I know that’s not my mind conforming to a new pattern? There must be some way to gauge it, right? So he/she wants a list. This is what a realized person looks like: A, B, C. And if I comply with A, B, C, then I must be on the right track. And if I don’t comply, I want to know why I can’t substitute D for C. Give me a formula, and I’ll apply it. I think that's why religion is so addictive: they give you the parameters, and if you stay within them-you win! Follow the yellow brick road, and you'll get to see the wizard! For me, I want to be realized, but then maybe I won’t know I’m realized. The ego is still involved, isn’t it? It’s kind of like, how do you know when you’re dead? Well, if you’re dead, you don’t know it. If I’m realized, will I know it, and does wanting to know it mean I’m not realized yet? Help! Ashley S.
F.: [Continued from yesterday with a discussion of the four stages that seekers must pass through with the guidance of a Realized teacher]
Stage 1. This is the stage where persons know not and know not that they know not (which includes almost all among the masses and, as you have accurately stated, especially the billions playing within the parameters defined by religions. Add “spiritual groups” to the list as well.)
Stage 2. Next is the stage where seekers know not but suddenly know that they know not. (Trapped as they are in their ego-states and the accompanying egotism, most persons will never even reach this stage. People who take themselves to be "The Religious Person" or "The Spiritual Person" are sure they know. To hear an Advaitin teacher say that the teacher knows nothing [and nothingness, and that there is nothing to learn] sounds insane, and to suggest to persons playing either a religious role or a spiritual role or both that what they think they know is merely learned ignorance is taken by the non-Realized to be "fighting words.")
Stage 3. Third is the stage where seekers know but know not that they know. (Why? Because the truth is already within, but it is not yet known consciously. Here, the teacher-as-guide necessity should be clear.)
Stage 4. And the final stage is when Realization manifests…when You know and You know that You know. All of the blockages have been removed by this point, the blockages that prevented the consciousness from knowing ItSelf and from knowing the Truth that it has known all along but that it could not “pull forth” into awareness.
[Note: Regarding “If I’m realized, will I know it?” do you see the relevance to "Stage Three"? See that in the very asking is the answer. You are already Realized, but you do not know it, so the answer for almost all seekers would be, “No.” A teacher is required in order for a final, accurate determination to be reached.]
The non-Realized (that is, those specks of consciousness that have been blocked from seeing...that have been blindfolded) cannot possibly see what must be seen to move through the four stages.
A guide is required if one is blind or blindfolded. That, as you pointed out, can only happen during the manifestation, the "dead" not knowing they are "dead," the unmanifested consciousness incapable of knowing anything. If it is to happen, awareness of Truth must happen NOW. Best regards, Peace and Light.
Pointers offered in response to e-mails received in the last two days:
1. Back to the perfect model of natural living: in the final analysis/understanding, it can be seen that the deer really has neither a preference for the quiet nor a lack of tolerance for noise. It just automatically moves to the quiet. The Realized move toward peace, the sane automatically move toward the sane, and the insane gravitate to the insane. In the end, there is no "one" to be moved or to be attracted to or to be not attracted to. The analogy of the deer's position of neutrality as the body goes here or goes there is most revealing.
2. To think that maybe you are being “intolerant” if you are no longer attracted to BS is merely a misunderstanding. What has happened is that you have reached the point of sanity and the point of abiding naturally, which has nothing whatsoever to do with "intolerance." Maharaj was not being "intolerant" when persons were invited to leave the loft. He was cutting short the potentiality of BS, the infusion of nonsense into a discussion, a display of arrogance, and/or the potential of providing a platform for the advocacy of the unnatural or the supernatural.
3. Those seeking to foster a “lofty” image can talk of having found “tolerance and acceptance” as their noble keys to happiness, but you likely know persons who have developed a tolerance for huge amounts of alcohol, yet they are neither “lofty” nor “noble” in their acceptance of that condition of "tolerance."
4. What does the mindless deer do—automatically and spontaneously—when noise occurs? This is so simple if you care at all about understanding what is natural and what is not. The seeker of the nisarga understanding does—the non-Realized don't. So it is.
Is it becoming clearer why it is a fallacy to believe that what happens naturally—such as the movement toward peace and quiet among the Realized—actually involves certain “personas” or “personal” preferences? That is a completely erroneous belief.
In the end, the shift to the peace and quiet has nothing to do with any “personal” preference, the spontaneous shift only happening in the absence of all persons/personas. Such is the manner of abidance in the post-Realization state.
Now, if there is a preference for noise, that most certainly does involve a “personal” preference—a preference typical among persons, among the non-Realized. Exercise your preferences all you like, but understand that belief in, and attachment to, anything personal is evidence of the fact that Realization has not happened. Please enter the silence of contemplation. (To be continued)
F.: [Continued from yesterday with a discussion of the four stages that seekers must pass through with the guidance of a Realized teacher]
Stage 1. This is the stage where persons know not and know not that they know not (which includes almost all among the masses and, as you have accurately stated, especially the billions playing within the parameters defined by religions. Add “spiritual groups” to the list as well.)
Stage 2. Next is the stage where seekers know not but suddenly know that they know not. (Trapped as they are in their ego-states and the accompanying egotism, most persons will never even reach this stage. People who take themselves to be "The Religious Person" or "The Spiritual Person" are sure they know. To hear an Advaitin teacher say that the teacher knows nothing [and nothingness, and that there is nothing to learn] sounds insane, and to suggest to persons playing either a religious role or a spiritual role or both that what they think they know is merely learned ignorance is taken by the non-Realized to be "fighting words.")
Stage 3. Third is the stage where seekers know but know not that they know. (Why? Because the truth is already within, but it is not yet known consciously. Here, the teacher-as-guide necessity should be clear.)
Stage 4. And the final stage is when Realization manifests…when You know and You know that You know. All of the blockages have been removed by this point, the blockages that prevented the consciousness from knowing ItSelf and from knowing the Truth that it has known all along but that it could not “pull forth” into awareness.
[Note: Regarding “If I’m realized, will I know it?” do you see the relevance to "Stage Three"? See that in the very asking is the answer. You are already Realized, but you do not know it, so the answer for almost all seekers would be, “No.” A teacher is required in order for a final, accurate determination to be reached.]
The non-Realized (that is, those specks of consciousness that have been blocked from seeing...that have been blindfolded) cannot possibly see what must be seen to move through the four stages.
A guide is required if one is blind or blindfolded. That, as you pointed out, can only happen during the manifestation, the "dead" not knowing they are "dead," the unmanifested consciousness incapable of knowing anything. If it is to happen, awareness of Truth must happen NOW. Best regards, Peace and Light.
Pointers offered in response to e-mails received in the last two days:
1. Back to the perfect model of natural living: in the final analysis/understanding, it can be seen that the deer really has neither a preference for the quiet nor a lack of tolerance for noise. It just automatically moves to the quiet. The Realized move toward peace, the sane automatically move toward the sane, and the insane gravitate to the insane. In the end, there is no "one" to be moved or to be attracted to or to be not attracted to. The analogy of the deer's position of neutrality as the body goes here or goes there is most revealing.
2. To think that maybe you are being “intolerant” if you are no longer attracted to BS is merely a misunderstanding. What has happened is that you have reached the point of sanity and the point of abiding naturally, which has nothing whatsoever to do with "intolerance." Maharaj was not being "intolerant" when persons were invited to leave the loft. He was cutting short the potentiality of BS, the infusion of nonsense into a discussion, a display of arrogance, and/or the potential of providing a platform for the advocacy of the unnatural or the supernatural.
3. Those seeking to foster a “lofty” image can talk of having found “tolerance and acceptance” as their noble keys to happiness, but you likely know persons who have developed a tolerance for huge amounts of alcohol, yet they are neither “lofty” nor “noble” in their acceptance of that condition of "tolerance."
4. What does the mindless deer do—automatically and spontaneously—when noise occurs? This is so simple if you care at all about understanding what is natural and what is not. The seeker of the nisarga understanding does—the non-Realized don't. So it is.
Is it becoming clearer why it is a fallacy to believe that what happens naturally—such as the movement toward peace and quiet among the Realized—actually involves certain “personas” or “personal” preferences? That is a completely erroneous belief.
In the end, the shift to the peace and quiet has nothing to do with any “personal” preference, the spontaneous shift only happening in the absence of all persons/personas. Such is the manner of abidance in the post-Realization state.
Now, if there is a preference for noise, that most certainly does involve a “personal” preference—a preference typical among persons, among the non-Realized. Exercise your preferences all you like, but understand that belief in, and attachment to, anything personal is evidence of the fact that Realization has not happened. Please enter the silence of contemplation. (To be continued)
The Advanced Seekers’ Book Set
The following three books make up
“The Advanced Seekers’ Book Set”
and should be read in the order below.
(Click the pictures for more information on each)
BOOK ONE
BOOK TWO
BOOK THREE
SIX WAYS TO PAY:
THE FOLLOWING NON-DUALITY BOOKS ARE IN THE STORE IN LIMITED SUPPLY AND WILL BE OFFERED AT 50% OFF WHEN BOUGHT AS A PACKAGE:
While quantities last, the following package deal is being offered: Receive all nine (9) of the paperback books listed below for $88 total with free shipping in the U.S. and ½ price shipping internationally.
NOTE: Only one full set remaining. The offer will become an eight-book set after the next order.
NON-DUALITY BOOK SET:
From the Absolute to the Nothingness
Consciousness/Awareness
From the I to the Absolute (A Seven-Step Journey to Reality)
It's All Bullshit (and Why Knowing it Sets You Free)
Self-Transformation Meditation Guide I
Self-Transformation Meditation Guide II
There's No Such Thing as ''Peace of Mind''
Spiritual Sobriety (Recovering What Religions Lost)
The Essence of the Teachings
To order, click
Non-Duality Book Set
then add the package to the shopping cart and follow the checkout procedure to the secure pay site.
SIX WAYS TO PAY:
Or, OPTION TWO:
THE “ADVAITA STUDY GROUP” PACKAGE
Host an Advaita Study Group in your home.
Enough paperback copies of
“The Advanced Seekers’ Package”
remain in stock to provide the following for you and three other seekers:
4 copies-From the I to the Absolute (A Seven-Step Journey to Reality)
4 copies-Consciousness / Awareness
4 copies-From the Absolute to the Nothingness
Take turns reading passages and then discussing the pointers.
All 12 books for $120.00 ($30 each for the four participants) + free S&H in the U.S.
To order this set, you must use
the Contact link to make arrangements for payment—VISA or MC only—and to provide the address for free U.S. shipping.
ONLY ONE SET OF THESE TWELVE BOOKS IS LEFT IN THE STORE
most titles are also available as eBooks
Visit
The Official Website of Floyd Henderson
DONATIONS
FROM SIM IN KENTUCKY, U.S.A.: How about a donate button? I give monthly to a blog about locations and reviews of a particular type of restaurant we like. I’d sure donate to this blog.
FROM “ANONYMOUS”: Almost every visitor brought Maharaj food or flowers. I’d like to treat you to a meal if you tell me how to do so with my credit card!
FROM LOUISE, SOUTH AFRICA: [Consider the case of an acquaintance who] added a donate button to his site. Regular blog readers were happy to support the site in this way.
F.: Okay—so it’s done, but it should be noted that these postings and responses to all questions submitted to the site are offered without charge. The 1,300 Advaitin essays and teacher-seeker exchanges available on the site, compiled over a four-year period, are also all available to everyone without any fee or charge. Know too that via this site, all contacts are answered one-on-one and/or on the site.Finally, please know that there should never be an assumption that there is any obligation on your part to donate; additionally, donors will not receive anything that is not also available to non-donors. That said, any donation will be appreciated. Thank you.
The following three books make up
“The Advanced Seekers’ Book Set”
and should be read in the order below.
(Click the pictures for more information on each)
BOOK ONE
BOOK TWO
BOOK THREE
SIX WAYS TO PAY:
 |
THE FOLLOWING NON-DUALITY BOOKS ARE IN THE STORE IN LIMITED SUPPLY AND WILL BE OFFERED AT 50% OFF WHEN BOUGHT AS A PACKAGE:
While quantities last, the following package deal is being offered: Receive all nine (9) of the paperback books listed below for $88 total with free shipping in the U.S. and ½ price shipping internationally.
NOTE: Only one full set remaining. The offer will become an eight-book set after the next order.
NON-DUALITY BOOK SET:
From the Absolute to the Nothingness
Consciousness/Awareness
From the I to the Absolute (A Seven-Step Journey to Reality)
It's All Bullshit (and Why Knowing it Sets You Free)
Self-Transformation Meditation Guide I
Self-Transformation Meditation Guide II
There's No Such Thing as ''Peace of Mind''
Spiritual Sobriety (Recovering What Religions Lost)
The Essence of the Teachings
To order, click
Non-Duality Book Set
then add the package to the shopping cart and follow the checkout procedure to the secure pay site.
SIX WAYS TO PAY:
|
Or, OPTION TWO:
THE “ADVAITA STUDY GROUP” PACKAGE
Host an Advaita Study Group in your home.
Enough paperback copies of
“The Advanced Seekers’ Package”
remain in stock to provide the following for you and three other seekers:
4 copies-From the I to the Absolute (A Seven-Step Journey to Reality)
4 copies-Consciousness / Awareness
4 copies-From the Absolute to the Nothingness
Take turns reading passages and then discussing the pointers.
All 12 books for $120.00 ($30 each for the four participants) + free S&H in the U.S.
To order this set, you must use
the Contact link to make arrangements for payment—VISA or MC only—and to provide the address for free U.S. shipping.
ONLY ONE SET OF THESE TWELVE BOOKS IS LEFT IN THE STORE
most titles are also available as eBooks
Visit
The Official Website of Floyd Henderson
DONATIONS
FROM SIM IN KENTUCKY, U.S.A.: How about a donate button? I give monthly to a blog about locations and reviews of a particular type of restaurant we like. I’d sure donate to this blog.
FROM “ANONYMOUS”: Almost every visitor brought Maharaj food or flowers. I’d like to treat you to a meal if you tell me how to do so with my credit card!
FROM LOUISE, SOUTH AFRICA: [Consider the case of an acquaintance who] added a donate button to his site. Regular blog readers were happy to support the site in this way.
F.: Okay—so it’s done, but it should be noted that these postings and responses to all questions submitted to the site are offered without charge. The 1,300 Advaitin essays and teacher-seeker exchanges available on the site, compiled over a four-year period, are also all available to everyone without any fee or charge. Know too that via this site, all contacts are answered one-on-one and/or on the site.Finally, please know that there should never be an assumption that there is any obligation on your part to donate; additionally, donors will not receive anything that is not also available to non-donors. That said, any donation will be appreciated. Thank you.
