Monday, June 22, 2009

REALIZATION via VISUALIZATION and CONSIDERATION

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For the remainder of the month, there are twenty-seven excerpts from a book written by Floyd Henderson; those are followed by twenty-seven considerations, three per day. Please scroll down each day to find the readings and considerations for any given day through June. [All of the entries are extracted from the ADVAITA MEDITATION GUIDES]

Reading 1#: These readings and considerations are level-appropriate for beginners as well as "advanced seekers" that still enjoy the Advaita dance. After studying the pointers offered by Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, a vision revealed the Me the Seven Degrees of Separation that hinder knowing one’s True Self. To know one’s True Self is to be freed of all illusions, all ego, and therefore all pain, fear and worry. The two thieves of joy called “The Past” and “The Future” dissolve and one enjoys the perfect peace of “Living Within the Moment,” of “Living in the Eternal Now.” So vital is the understanding for seekers that would stabilize in the peace that you are invited to spend the next few days considering the content of the vision and the understanding that one can gain via the seven levels. You have arrived at the place of opportunity to know Your True Self.
Consideration 1: Look at your thoughts over recent days. Were they about something that happened in the past? Were they focused on some concern about the future? How did either of those make you feel? Do you see that if you could truly live in the moment that you would avoid whatever you felt by focusing on the past or the future? Would it be worth the effort to try to grasp what is coming up in the readings in order to gain that ability? Please enter the silence of contemplation.

Reading #2: [Kirk saw…] …a series of natural, sandstone steps descending to a granite arch twice the height of a man. From the arch shone a pure white light. An illumination this bright should have easily blinded Kirk, but instead it soothed him. (p. 96, The Twice-Stolen Necklace Murders)
Consideration 2: Enlightenment involves the casting of enough light on any ideas, emotions or beliefs that one can no longer avoid evaluating them, can see that they are not one’s own, and can allow one to examine them critically and objectively and cast aside any that are not really benefiting that individual. Are you ready for the light to be thrown on your ideas and beliefs, or more accurately, their ideas and their beliefs? Please enter the silence of contemplation.

Reading #3: It seemed to spotlight the steps, and as he moved down the stones, first his feet and then his legs and then his torso became bathed in the glow. Eventually, by the time he reached the dead-flat area at the bottom of the natural walkway, he stood before the arch, and the luxuriance of the light bathed him fully in its warmth. The clear spring waters from the branch flowed through the archway, and he followed. (p. 96, The Twice-Stolen Necklace Murders)
Consideration 3: Our many readings to this point have had one goal in mind: to prepare you for the truth of the vision that we’ll be discussing during the coming days. Are you ready? Has your mind been opened enough to question all your past concepts and to consider something totally new? Are you ready for a completely new understanding? If not, are you willing to prepare yourself for that? Please enter the silence of contemplation.

THE READINGS AND CONSIDERATIONS FOR 23 JUNE 2009

Reading # 4: Stepping inside, he looked over his shoulder to see that his physical body had remained outside the arch. (p. 96, The Twice-Stolen Necklace Murders)
Consideration 4: First, you are invited to place yourself in the character. As he “steps inside,” you “step inside.” Become the character so that you can have your own first-hand experience. Do not read about him. As of now, read about you…entering the arch, looking over your shoulder, etc. Next, if the vision is going to be the journey to the Real You, what do you think the symbolic message of the action described above might be? What could it mean for You to move forward and to leave your body behind? We are seeking your Real Identity. What must be cast away to find the Real Identity? Please enter the silence of contemplation.

Reading #5: Trees lined either side of the stream, and he began walking through them toward the sounds of the water crashing below. Astonished, he noticed that he was literally walking through the trees. (p. 96, The Twice-Stolen Necklace Murders)
Consideration 5: If one leaves the body behind as happens here, what is walking through the trees? Wouldn’t that really be something that you could only do mentally, imagining that? Is it possible that if you are not your body, you could also be something other than your mind as well? Could the mind and its trapping just be imaginings? Recall the session on images and how much of what we see is not the real? Remember the snake in the rope? What are you realizing now? Please enter the silence of contemplation.

Reading #6: As he progressed, fauna of several species joined him: a black bear rubbed against his leg in the manner of a docile housecat; a cougar did the same on the opposite side, and each playfully swatted at the other as if to proclaim dominion over both legs; a lamb skipped along ahead of the threesome, and a heron brought up the rear. He walked as if on stilts, taking more time than needed, looking rather judgmentally, it seemed, at the wasting of energy by his peers. (p. 96, The Twice-Stolen Necklace Murders)
Consideration 6: Have you been for a walk in the woods lately, alone? Just You? When we are seeking to live naturally, where better could one begin the practice? Are you beginning to see how natural living is a prerequisite for being ready to see the false and being ready to see the Real? In the vision, continue becoming the lead character. Experience the shifts and changes and separation from false identities. Are you willing to participate in order to have a chance at finding out Who You Really Are? Please enter the silence of contemplation.

THE READINGS AND CONSIDERATIONS FOR 24 JUNE 2009

Reading #7: He saw that a pond was overflowing, part of its waters cascading down the cliff side and pooling in another flat below. That same pattern repeated itself until the waters reached a level valley. He watched the falling waters eventually form a river that wound its way across the desert basin. Along the river had sprung up a variety of shade trees. All else appeared brown and dry. Then in the far distance, hills grew into mountains. In the forefront arose huge columns of stone, cathedral-like, forming spires of varying shapes and heights. The colors vibrated with life, offering images of the blues and oranges and browns and beiges like those of Venetian palazzos when reflected in the waters of the Grand Canal. In the far distance to the left stood even grander mountain ranges. Puffy clouds floated slowly across the sky. (p. 97, The Twice-Stolen Necklace Murders)
Consideration 7: The ancients spoke of a Medicine Place, a place where true healing can begin. All have a vision of that Medicine Place, and one need not travel the world to find its duplicate. It is within, and the journey to the Medicine Place can be experienced there. That place is a natural setting; it is near water, it offers natural sounds but no human or fabricated sounds; it is a place of peace. Once you come to know it, you can go there at any time. Would you try going there now? Please enter the silence of contemplation.

Reading #8: Kirk extended his arms and, with the sides of his hands touching and his palms up, he formed a landing area for the fowl. A raven, the bird of death as most people know, now slowed as it approached even nearer. Why had he not made that association between death and this bird? It swooped upward to curb its flight and, with only a slight, backwards fluttering of wings, settled gently into Kirk’s outstretched hands. (p. 97, The Twice-Stolen Necklace Murders)
Consideration 8: If the raven is the bird of death, what other false identity must die in order for us to shift away from false identities and find the True Self? Do you see that the conditioned, programmed, thinking mind is as little a true identity of Who You Are as is the limiting body identification? Please enter the silence of contemplation.

Reading #9: The bird stared at Kirk, and Kirk at the bird. Kirk sensed the bird drawing something forth, flowing out via Kirk’s eyes and directly into the eyes of the bird. Kirk watched as the bird left, but he felt that he had left and that his mind had stayed behind. A second degree of separation he seemed to detect. (p. 97, The Twice-Stolen Necklace Murders)
Consideration 9: Many who detach from a body identity or a mind identity shift into a spiritual mode and assume a spiritual identity. In the vision, the essence beyond the body and mind leaves your false image behind. Another level of freedom manifests. You are moving closer to identifying Your Real Self. Are you sensing something different in terms of Who You Are versus what you are not? Please enter the silence of contemplation.

THE READINGS AND CONSIDERATIONS FOR 25 JUNE 2009

Reading # 10: The raven soared over the valley, flying high, then flying low, and then flying high again. Soon, it made a direct course for the mountains. Kirk no longer watched from the cliff but saw everything below through the eyes of the raven. (p. 97, The Twice-Stolen Necklace Murders)
Consideration 10: People often soar for a time when they take on a religious or spiritual identity. So be it. But that is merely another stage that must be transitioned. It is a false identity, an ego-state. How do we know that? Because we have learned that if one is emotionally intoxicated, he is in an ego-state, assuming and protecting a false image that he thinks is being hurt, threatened, or interfered with. He still does not know Who He Really Is. We are almost halfway there though. Are you willing to continue? Please enter the silence of contemplation.

Reading # 11: After crossing the mountains, the raven began a fast descent toward an ocean which had come into view just after topping the peak. The raven began to dive lower and lower and lower yet. Suddenly, the spiritual exuberance of the high-flying raven seemed to be unraveling into an eminent and deadly crash against the ocean’s surface. Following a huge impact—one that Kirk took to be the end of him—the waters first splashed upwards from the collision and then fell back into the ocean. Ultimately, the waves settled, and the sea surface smoothed out to a mirror finish. Suddenly, a bird’s head forcefully broke the surface, but it was not the head of a raven. Instead, the head of a gull—the bird of ignorance—came forth, gasping for air. Kirk found that he was no longer observing the gull, but had transitioned into the gull. A third degree of separation from what Kirk had left outside the arch had manifested. (p. 98, The Twice-Stolen Necklace Murders)
Consideration 11: The spiritual identity thinks it knows all, thinks it has all the answers, and thus often becomes a place where people fixate. Never transitioning beyond that stage, one is yet far removed for knowing That Which Is Real. The gull is the bird of ignorance. To progress any further, one must return to the state of the gull, to the state of Child Ignorance. That is the purest state of the manifested consciousness for it has not yet been programmed and conditioned and fed full of superstitions and lies and half-truths and non-truths. Can you imagine what your life would be like if you could enjoy the non-attachment and the freedom from beliefs and concepts that you had as a child? At that age, you knew no worries and had no cares. The consciousness worked with natural instincts to sense danger, but it had no artificial fears or emotions because it had no ideas. Are you getting a glimpse of what true freedom looks like and feels like? Please enter the silence of contemplation.

Reading # 12: The gull surfaced further and then began flapping its wings. Leaving behind the cleansing, baptismal waters, it flew and played and darted. Kirk felt like a child again, flying high, until suddenly crashing into an eagle. More truthfully, the gull felt itself merged into—maybe even dissolved into—the eagle. (p. 98, The Twice-Stolen Necklace Murders)
Consideration 12: Among things living, nothing can witness like an eagle. Gliding from a mile up, able for see something the size of a mouse from miles away, an eagle can see all kinds of actions taking place even though totally removed from them. Can you imagine the peace that could manifest if you lived as the eagle, if you just witnessed and observed without reacting, if you stayed far away from all the chaotic action? Can you imagine the peace that could manifest if you were able to see the insanity of this world but be far removed from this world? Does "free as a bird" suddenly have greater meaning to you than ever before? Could you apply that style of living and make it actually work for you every day? What would that feel like? Please enter the silence of contemplation.

THE READINGS AND CONSIDERATIONS FOR 26 JUNE 2009

Reading # 13: For a time, the eagle soared, glided, and mainly just witnessed. He felt the remnants of the gull; he sensed the remains of a raven; he looked at Kirk seated at a fire and saw only a mental image; he looked through the arch and saw a figment of a body imagined. Another degree of separation. (p. 98, The Twice-Stolen Necklace Murders)
Consideration 13: If you have reached the eagle stage, can you now look back over your life and witness all the roles you played? Can you now see from the distance all of the ego-states you were cast into…via programming? Can you witness all of the false identities that you assumed in order to try to define who you were? Can you separate from the body identity, the mind identity, and any religious or spiritual roles? Can you give up all your learned knowledge, which in many ways has failed you if your case if typical, and then see clearly all of the things you are not? You were told early on that it is enough in the beginning simply to see the false. Actually, you could stay the witness until you die, seeing all the false roles and abandoning them. You could be free of the fear, worry and lack of peace that all false roles bring. But should you want The Truth as well, then you can turn. You can turn away from all in this world and get a glimpse of your Real Self. And from that state, you can see That. Remember “I Am” and “I Am That”? The body and mind and spiritual roles—and even the witness—are all part of the I Am, the manifestation of That. Now, you are within striking distance of seeing That. Do you have the courage to move on if it requires casting aside all your mind stuff, all your/their ideas, all your/their emotionalism, all your/their beliefs, all your/their attitudes and especially all of your/their conditioning? How free do you want to be? Please enter the silence of contemplation.

Consideration # 14: But now Kirk the Eagle had no time to contemplate, for he felt himself being pulled deeper into the universe through a clear-walled tunnel in the remotest part of the heavens. He felt himself accelerating at the speed of light. In fact, at the end of the tunnel, he could see nothing other than light. (p. 98, The Twice-Stolen Necklace Murders)
Consideration 14: What did Einstein say happens to mass times the speed of light squared? What does it equal? So what is it really? In Aramaic, Christ the Advaitic Teacher did not said, “I Am the Light.” In the original, he said, “I Am Light.” He said, "When you speak of me, speak of me as I Am.” He said, “Before Abraham was, I Am.” He said that no one shall ever observe heaven for it is within. The pope at the time of this writing has said that heaven and hell are not geographic places but are states of mind. He said that “you are in one or the other right now.” Christ said “Gehanna,” not “Hell.” Are you willing to see the true depth of the message that was being offered as opposed to the watered-down version that most hear on Sabbaths or Sundays or whatever other days men decide to call “holy”? How much truth do you really want? Enough to find out what some key teachers like Christ were really talking about? Are you ready to have all the light cast on all that can be considered so that You can find the Truth of Who/What You Really Are? Please enter the silence of contemplation.

Reading #15: His speed now nearly doubled, and just as he reached that point of mach two, with the deafening sounds of the winds racing by his ears, he crashed through a veil of sorts and found himself in a mostly dark, crystal cave. (p. 98, The Twice-Stolen Necklace Murders)
Consideration 15: You are approaching the True Self. Are you willing to sit in the quiet and see how far you’ve come in only a few days? Do you literally feel yourself being pulled away from false states and false identities? Do you feel yourself separating from all the lies of humankind? If you are feeling uncomfortable, it is because you are being torn. You are being torn away from the false identities that you took to be you but that were not You. Your ego will do all within its power to encourage you to fight for the continued existence of the false, imagined identities, to fight for the continuing existence of ego-states in your programmed notion about who you are. But the identities are false and the ego is false. We are now looking for Truth, so are you willing to let the false go? Aren’t you really experiencing how much was false that has been passed down from preachers and priests and teachers and politicians and Medicine Men and killers of virgins and all those involved with such manipulative nonsense over the ages? Aren’t You finally ready to get free of all that stuff they put into your head? Hasn’t your journey moved you farther along than all the rest of your life combined? Don’t you feel how close to the Truth You Are? Please enter the silence of contemplation.

THE READINGS AND CONSIDERATIONS FOR 27 JUNE 2009

Reading # 16: He was stopped abruptly and then was swooped into an upright position, floating near the ceiling of the cave. He felt at that moment as if he were exactly between nowhere and . . . nowhere. (p. 98, The Twice-Stolen Necklace Murders)
Consideration 16: Ah. The peace of the Void. There, one can rest. There, one is in a place of peace, squarely between the nowhere and the nothing that you were before manifestation and the nowhere and nothing that You Will Be after manifestation. Living in the moment, you can enjoy the benefits…Now. Today, would You be willing to go all day and just enjoy the peace? Please enter the silence of contemplation.

Reading #17: Never had he known such peace. Sensing himself in the vestige of a human-like form again, he drifted toward a lake below that covered most of the bottom of this huge cavern. Kirk experienced a fifth degree of separation—as if estranged from all illusionary roles, as if removed from a phony world left behind, as if moving closer to a degree of connection with the Real. (p. 98, The Twice-Stolen Necklace Murders)
Consideration 17: What about You? Have you ever known before such a degree of peace as where the revelations of these recent days have taken You? You Are so far removed from the false images. The snake is gone and you see the rope for what it is. That is the end of fear. That is the end of worry. That is the start of peace. Are you feeling it? See what a Real Feeling is like? See how different this is from emotional intoxication or spiritual intoxication? Please enter the silence of contemplation.

Reading 18: To his left and to his right drifted millions of forms, and on closer inspection, Kirk saw that they were . . . Kirks! Each looked to be a clone—maybe a transparent clone but a clone nevertheless—of him! (pp. 98-99, The Twice-Stolen Necklace Murders)
Consideration 18: Are You now relating totally to Kirk, the symbol of Your True Self? Can’t you sense the One that he’s feeling? The state of True Atonement had been attained. He is in a state of At-One-Ment with All. He knows that He is All of Them and that They Are He. Do You think for a micro-second that in that state He could even consider harming another? Do You think for a micro-second that in that state He could even consider harming himself? How much harm have you done to yourself in this life? Could you have possibly done it from this state of awareness, from this state of consciousness? Become Kirk. Become One. See that You Are All and that All Is You. Can You feel it? Please enter the silence of contemplation.

THE READINGS AND CONSIDERATIONS FOR 28 JUNE 2009

Reading #19: Sinking shoulder-deep into the water, he felt his feet rise. His entire body stiffened momentarily, his feet rose, he floated onto his back, and then bobbed on the surface of the water. Now relaxed, he began to be moved along, gently propelled toward the opposite side of the cave. His movement just happened, no effort on his part required. The music of the organ—ethereal and heavenly—sounded softly, beautifully; the waters were now calm and warm. (p. 99, The Twice-Stolen Necklace Murders)
Consideration 19: Is it possible that when You live in the Understanding of Who You Really Are that You become so free of the ego-states, the body identification, the mental games and all the other roles being played that You just seem to move along through life effortlessly, as if floating? Remember from an earlier reading the observation, “The leaf moving along the stream decides nothing. It merely goes with the flow.” Are you getting a sense that You could really pull this off and live that way? So many have, I suspect that You can, too. What are You feeling? Please enter the silence of contemplation.

Reading #20: He began to ascend the steps, leaving the water behind. He and millions, walking in exactly the same fashion, moved toward the narrowing peak that led to the door of the dome. He wondered, How could so many be entering the dome? … As each neared the door, each seemed to dissolve into a form of light being drawn inside. As Kirk approached, he felt the last remnants—remnants of whatever he had formerly thought himself to be—gradually fading away. The dissolving seemed to be occurring in slow motion, and he felt ecstatic. (p. 99, The Twice-Stolen Necklace Murders)
Consideration 20: So there is something even beyond the recognition of the True Self? The first two states of body and mind were of “that” world. The second three were shifting away from attachment to that world as the birds—the raven, the gull, the eagle—broke free of the bonds of body-mind identification and even transcended spirituality, programming and witnessing. Then the True Self is Realized, but something yet remains. Are You sensing That? Could the 30,000 to 40,000-year-old teachings, repeated by Christ, be true? Could the I Am existence of body-mind be the states of I-Amness that Christ spoke of in his "I Am" talks? Could You be spoken of as the I Am while manifested on earth, while wrapped up in body-mind identities? Could all the “spiritual or improvement work” that people do fail to free them from the body-mind trap and leave them like the birds, still in “that world” and far from knowing the True Self and Who We Really Are beyond? Are you sensing That which is beyond? Please enter the silence of contemplation.

Reading 21: Finally, he merged with all, into the light, and it seemed . . . it seemed over. It seemed as if everything was over, was finished, was very near complete. Then some degree of consciousness seemed to linger after this sixth degree of separation. (p. 99, The Twice-Stolen Necklace Murders)
Consideration 21: Vestiges of the subtle body remain even after the True Self begins to return to the Absolute, that region or “Field of Awareness” that is the repository of potentialities which are not manifest. Call it the Unmanifested, if You like. You are not going there; instead, You Are That. I Am That. And for now I Am, and for now You Are, too. I Am That; I Am. Same applies to You. Now we are in the I Am state, but truly…You Are That. For now, speak of me as I Am. For now, speak of You as I Am. But even before Abraham was, I Am. And even before Abraham was, You Are. Ultimately, I Am That. You Are That. We Are That; thus, we Are and always have been, One. Only That is Real, whether manifest or unmanifest. Are You understanding You? Do You now know the answer to the statement “I do not even know who I am”? Can you now say, “I Know”? Please enter the silence of contemplation.

THE READINGS AND CONSIDERATIONS FOR 29 JUNE 2009

Reading 22: Even without a physical body or an earthly mind or a spiritual body, he detected a series of chambers, leading to other universes. (p. 99, The Twice-Stolen Necklace Murders)
Consideration 22: The subtle body is losing consciousness, just as the physical body lost consciousness. Yet enough of the subtle body remains to see the final vestiges of the final stage. That seeing allows the Knowing. I ask You again: do You now Know? Please enter the silence of contemplation.

Reading 23: All then faded into light. He sensed that nothing represented in the vision was the Real. He understood that only by peeling back all the layers of false identities—including the body, the mind, the spiritual identity, the child ignorance, the witness, even the True Self—could he ever know what he Really Is. (p. 99, The Twice-Stolen Necklace Murders)
Consideration 23: “I Am Light.” You Are Light. You are the Energy-Consciousness. Energy cannot be created nor destroyed. Even before Abraham was, You Are. Get it? Please enter the silence of contemplation.

Reading 24: He understood that what he Really Is is That, that which is often removed from awareness through seven degrees of separation. (p. 99, The Twice-Stolen Necklace Murders)
Consideration 24: You are getting it, aren’t You? What is “it”? “It” is The Understanding of all that you are not and All of That Which You Are. It may come to You and it may go, but deep inside You always knew, and never again will the truth be inaccessible. Consciousness senses its own presence. Truth is inaccessible when living in body-mind identification, in the trap of all their programming and conditioning and, dare I say, their lies? Maybe their “misunderstandings” would be more accurate. Liars know they are lying, usually. Those who told us the non-truths actually believed them. Are you seeing that the only way by which peace can come is by escaping the “misunderstandings” and attaining this Understanding? You can get this. Sense the dissolving of the false. Will you try that now? Please enter the silence of contemplation.

THE READINGS AND CONSIDERATIONS FOR 30 JUNE 2009

Reading 25: He came to know that He Is that common building block of all in this universe, in all universes. (pp. 99-100, The Twice-Stolen Necklace Murders)
Consideration 25: You Are That? Do You understand? Please enter the silence of contemplation.

Reading 26: No wonder some can say, “I don’t even know who I am.” He finally realized how far removed most are from the knowledge of the original unicity as a result of conditioning, programming, and dogma. (p. 100, The Twice-Stolen Necklace Murders)
Consideration 26: You get that now, don’t You? Do you see why one must use this guide as a progression? Do you see why someone starting at this point could not benefit in the least? All the preparation was to open the mind to all the false in order to see this singular Truth. You see it, don’t You? Please enter the silence of contemplation.

Reading #27: The vision’s ending and his awakening marked as well the beginning of a restored sense of peace. (p. 100, The Twice-Stolen Necklace Murders)
Consideration 27: Now, You too can awaken from the vision and live Your daily life in the Understanding. You won’t be the same. You will be living AS IF, AS IF any of this is important or real, but knowing it is not. You’ll live without fear, without being trapped in their concepts. You’ll finally be able to cast aside all of their ideas, emotions, and beliefs. Those prison bars are actually already gone, gone with the false images, gone with the snake-in-the-rope illusion. Gone. Do You feel lighter, having given up all that? You can spend all of Your remaining days now, flowing with the fantastic lightness of just being. Enjoy. Please enter the silence of contemplation.

Tuesday, June 09, 2009

THE NECTAR OF IMMORTALITY

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Today's Considerations
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An Advaita Vedanta philosophy site, focusing on Realisation, (Realization), enlightenment, nisarga yoga, non-duality, Real Love, peace, freedom, Your original nature, the natural state, and Maharaj.

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NOTE: A seeker who plans to attend an Advaita retreat this August is seeking someone to share the costs. If you are interested, you may use the Contact link and arrangements can be made. With this opportunity, you will be able to attend at about 50% of the regular price. For details of the retreats offered, please visit the retreat information site.

[The embedded links are only for those seeking a thorough explanation of pointers offered]

FROM A SITE VISITOR: thanx for explaining the ultimate medicine. What about the nectar of immortality now? Edvard

F.: So, Edvard, have you read the books you are referencing or are you just looking over a list of Advaita book titles? Ha. Whatever the case, no problem at all. The concepts regarding a God-given food or a God-given drink that could provide immortality had been included in the myths of most cultures for as long as such tales have been told or written.

Those stories are akin to tales of “a fountain of youth” and magic elixirs. They are related to the ancient rites during which crowds drank blood to be “closer to a rain god.” The drinking of blood to commune with the god they believe in is practiced regularly by two billion Christians to this day.

As with the content of all myths—be they Greek or Roman or Indian or otherwise in origin—their subject matter usually finds its way into religions or spiritual groups and are adopted as “holy truths.”

The nectar Maharaj alluded to in some of his metaphors (which were never to be taken literally) is called amrita. The reference to a nectar that can be taken internally and that can provide immortality is a metaphor offered to those traveling along the early steps of the “path.”

The point is that if seekers “consume” the Advaita teachings (the nectar) and tap into the Truth that can be accessed internally via the inner guru—if guided by a Realized teacher—then they will understand the difference in that which is eternal and that which is not.

In the early going, a seeker that is addressing the “Who Am I?” question will usually be pointed in the direction of the consciousness. The mantra assigned might be “I Am.” The suggestion is to stay with the I AM without putting any adjective or noun after it.

That training exercise can help break the habit—the relative practice—of accepting conditions or labels as identities.

Seekers during the early stages are not ready to understand that which is beyond the consciousness. That understanding comes only at the end of the “journey” to Realization, and beyond.

To discard body identity at the first step on the "path" is to discard belief in the concept of “birth.” Discarding belief in the concept of “birth” immediately cancels out belief in the concept of ”death.”...of "mortality."

By casting aside the belief in the concept of “death” the belief in personal mortality ends, making way for a consideration of that which is eternal or “immortal.” It is only after a seeker reaches the end of the the seven-step journey to Reality that the Awareness beyond Consciousness is understood. Later, a few will also understand that which is beyond Self-Realization…that which involves the Void, the Nothingness.

So the nectar metaphor is relevant primarily for beginners who have never considered anything beyond the aged, the limited, and the finite. To consume the nectar—the teachings offered to those seekers that are just beginning the “journey” to Realization—is to open the way for a consideration of that which is ageless, is limitless, is eternal. Please enter the silence of contemplation.

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Certain bargains are currently available for international flights as well

4. 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 note that the postings and responses are offered without charge, as is access to the library of 1,300 Advaitin essays archived on the site.

That said, any donation will be appreciated. Thank you.

Monday, June 08, 2009

NISARGA (“NATURAL”) LIVING, Part Two

Table of Contents

Today's Considerations
Recent Posts and Archives
Tools for Realization
Author's eBooks
Author's Paperback Books
Free eBooks
An Advaita Vedanta philosophy site, focusing on Realisation, (Realization), enlightenment, nisarga yoga, non-duality, Real Love, peace, freedom, Your original nature, the natural state, and Maharaj.

Following the post, details on the 50% off sale of the remaining Non-Duality paperback books in the store

NOTE: A seeker who plans to attend an Advaita retreat this August is seeking someone to share the costs. If you are interested, you may use the Contact link and arrangements can be made. With this opportunity, you will be able to attend at about 50% of the regular price. For details of the retreats offered, please visit the retreat information site.

Greetings to those who visited the site last week from Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Botswana, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, France, Gambia, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, India, Iran, Ireland, Isle of Man, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Malaysia, Mauritius, Malta, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Panama, Poland, Romania, Senegal, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, United Kingdom, and United States. Welcome.

[The embedded links are only for those seeking a thorough explanation of pointers offered]

NATURAL LIVING
F.: (Continued from yesterday) The pointer was offered that there can be no sane existence that can happen in a "partly this style" and "partly that style." That would be “dualistic living,” and after he was taught the Advaitin understanding, Christ reportedly offered the pointer that “a dual-minded person is unstable in all ways.”

Of course that does not mean that persons don’t attempt to live in a “combo” fashion. It just means that their existence will not be natural or sane. For example, it is natural (i.e., it happens in nature) that the female of any species prefers the strongest of all of the males that might be vying for her attention (or more accurately, vying for the right to copulate).

Rams butt heads to establish rank and satisfy the natural urge of a ewe to “breed only with the best”…that is, in a manner that will assure the greatest chance for continuation of the species (and a continuation that involves the healthiest, strongest progeny possible).

What is unnatural is for males to appear on the stage of “The Jerry Springer Show” and fight for the survival of the false identities that they think define who they are: “The Lover,” “The Spouse,” “The Homeowner,” etc.

When the vying moves beyond natural urges and involves the added unnatural assumption of ego-states, then unnatural violence happens among members of the human species that does not mark the natural-functioning style of other species. As noted during other discussions, 59% of all women killed in the U.S. annually (and 41% of all men) are killed during a breakup.

If the ewe leaves with another male, the ranking male does not kill her. There might be another male-on-male fight, but the ewe will not be murdered because a ram has assumed a set of false identities.

What is also unnatural is when a female of the human species was programmed and conditioned during her early years in a way that leaves her with such low esteem levels that she picks the weakest mate for cohabitation and copulation and reproduction.

What is also unnatural in many human relationships is the case where one is being abused but stays and tolerates the abuse as a result of (A) unnatural desires for a better lifestyle and a larger house and a finer automobile—desires that are rooted in ego-states;

or as a result of (B) an effort to live supernaturally and to stay in an abusive relationship because a person “told god” (“took a vow”) that she/he would stay with the mate forever, "for better or worse"…worse often involving regular physical beatings or mental abuse or emotional abuse or verbal abuse, etc.

“Dating” is also natural (i.e., it is modeled in nature). Mentioned before on the site were the cardinals that court in the back yard of this house. During mating season, the male “takes the female out to dinner,” so to speak; that is, he gathers seeds for her and feeds her directly from his mouth to hers.

That is a part of the mating ritual; however, for a human male to believe that a female’s acceptance of an invitation to dinner (and to believe that a $20 meal should be his ticket to her bed) is unnatural.

While a male that is enjoying a visit and the conversation with a woman can accept a “thank you” for the meal, “The Arrogant, Entitled Lover” will never be able to accept that thank you which he would consider to be an offense…a “brush off from an ungrateful woman.” Such is the emotional intoxication that can be generated by the unnatural assumption of false identities.

What is rooted in nature becomes unnatural when personas are assumed which, in turn, drive thoughts and words and actions which would normally happen in a natural fashion were it not for personality’s input.

Also, what is rooted in nature becomes non-natural when supernatural roles are assumed (be they religious or spiritual) that drive thoughts and words and deeds that result when one is programmed to believe in invisible super beings that live in the sky.

Peace and freedom come when the Realized know that what some take to be “the supreme state” is really just the natural state, but that understanding can only come from beyond “the mind.” Maharaj said, “Just live your life as it comes, but alertly, watchfully, allowing everything to happen as it happens, doing the natural things the natural way….”

If that were to happen, then Real Love would happen. It would be understood that, if Reality were to be overlaid on the relative, then Love ItSelf would simultaneously be the Lover and the Beloved (and neither of those as used here refers to a role or an identity).

Then pure and natural beingness, free of body and mind states, would happen from the platform of abidance as the original, natural state, and the “sickness” discussed in recent posts would dissolve—the ultimate medicine having done its job.

If a nisarga, natural fashion of living were to happen, then the remainder of the beingness would happen effortlessly. Of course employment could continue, but it would happen effortlessly;

of course “relationships” could continue, but they would happen effortlessly; and of course all that is required to nurture the beingness for the remainder of the manifestation would also happen, but it would happen effortlessly.

And Love, which few will ever understand but which most seek, would also happen quite effortlessly and most blissfully. Please enter into the silence of contemplation. (To be continued)
TABLE OF CONTENTS BELOW:
1. REALIZATION AIDS
2. ADVAITA BOOK SETS-50% off
3. ARRANGE FOR FLOYD TO SPEAK TO YOUR GROUP
4. DONATIONS

1. REALIZATION AIDS
The Advanced Seekers’ Book Set
From the I to the Absolute
Consciousness / Awareness
From the Absolute to the Nothingness
Purchase one or all at The Official Website of Floyd Henderson

2. ADVAITA / NON-DUALITY BOOK SET
THE FOLLOWING BOOKS ARE IN THE STORE IN LIMITED SUPPLY AND WILL BE OFFERED AT 50% OFF WHEN BOUGHT AS A PACKAGE:

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)
Meditation Guide (Advanced Volume)
There's No Such Thing as ''Peace of Mind''
Ending Financial Problems by Understanding Your Personality
The Essence of the Teachings
$79.00 for all eight books + free S&H in the U.S.
Most titles are also available as eBooks
Visit
The Official Website of Floyd Henderson

3. ARRANGE FOR FLOYD TO TRAVEL TO YOUR LOCATION AND SPEAK TO YOUR GROUP
Here’s a recent example:
Travel costs of the drive to Austin and back: $200.00
Friday and Saturday hotel room: $140.00
½ day Friday, Saturday and ½ day Sunday fees: $600.00
16 participants: $59.00 each for the retreat
Certain bargains are currently available for international flights as well

4. 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 note that the postings and responses are offered without charge, as is access to the library of 1,300 Advaitin essays archived on the site.

That said, any donation will be appreciated. Thank you.

Sunday, June 07, 2009

NISARGA (“NATURAL”) LIVING, Part One

Table of Contents

Today's Considerations
Recent Posts and Archives
Tools for Realization
Author's eBooks
Author's Paperback Books
Free eBooks
An Advaita Vedanta philosophy site, focusing on Realisation, (Realization), enlightenment, nisarga yoga, non-duality, Real Love, peace, freedom, Your original nature, the natural state, and Maharaj.

Following the post, details on the 50% off sale of the remaining Non-Duality paperback books in the store

NOTE: A seeker who plans to attend an Advaita retreat this August is seeking someone to share the costs. If you are interested, you may use the Contact link and arrangements can be made. With this opportunity, you will be able to attend at about 50% of the regular price. For details of the retreats offered, please visit the retreat information site.

[The embedded links are only for those seeking a thorough explanation of pointers offered]

F.: The relative existence will unfold in one of three ways: either in a (Nisarga) natural manner; in a (super) natural manner; or in a most (un) natural manner. Just as oil and water cannot mix, there can be no sane existence that can happen in a "partly this style" and "partly that style."

For example, there can be no sane existence that can happen in a partly unnatural and partly natural manner; furthermore, there can be no sane existence that can involve living in any combination of styles because that will preempt abidance as the unicity and will support the illusion of duality. Some trying to live in all three styles are lost in triplicity and are trapped in the misery of the multiple personality disorder.

(SUPER) NATURAL LIVING
Supernatural living preempts natural living. To believe that one is living in a supernatural fashion is to believe that one is accessing a superpower. Supernatural beliefs are supported by magical thinking, and all magical, erroneous thinking is supported by the concepts and falsehoods that are stored in what is called "the mind."

The basic, supernatural belief is that the natural existence cannot happen effectively without being in a close relationship with an other-world power who lives not in close proximity but who lives in a place that is very far away in a location that is always "up there" (no matter where on the globe such a believer might be standing while pointing upward).

(NOTE: For many, the belief is that there is not a single, other-world power but that there are multiple gods assuming hundreds of forms, a belief that is no different at all from the beliefs held by ancient Greeks and Romans who thought that their myth-based stories were true).

However, for most of the 14.5 million years that humans or human-like beings walked the planet, they lived in a natural, non-supernatural manner because there was no language by which they could be taught that myths and superstitions are true.

Written language developed a little more than 5000 years ago, at which time the dreamed-up tales of gods began to be recorded in texts that would someday be considered "holy." So out of the 14.5 million years that humans have walked the planet, all but the last few thousand years were lived quite naturally and quite successfully without any holy texts discussing supernatural beings and teaching supernatural concepts.

Additionally, all 14.5 million years were lived (with the possible exception of the last 100,000 years of that span) without any oral tales being told and circulated about supernatural concepts and supernatural beings. How can that be known? Science proves without a doubt that it was only about 100,000 years ago that, anatomically, humans developed hominid vocal tracts that were of a shape that would permit a range of speech sounds.

Even then, it would have required thousands of years for the development of vocabulary and thousands more to develop supernatural concepts that could be verbalized. So natural living prevailed for millions of years whereas the human effort to try to live supernaturally is a recent phenomenon in terms of the overall human experience;

moreover, the relative existence was a fairly simple existence prior to efforts by controlling men and women to overlay supernatural concepts onto the previously all-natural existence. That complicating factor and the roots of distortion and delusion were discussed last year in this passage:

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 does not rain, it does not rain; when it is hot, it is hot; and when it is cold, it is cold.

After that god was dreamed up, note how complicated things became during the relative: parents had to offer up a daughter to have sex with a medicine man claiming to be "god's representative on earth"; 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 with sex and sacrifice.

Those early “worshipers” who engaged in the first communion services began to define morality and then inventoried what is “good” behavior and what is “bad” behavior so as not to anger the rain god any further; 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 behave in the natural ways that humans engaged in for millions of years, other complicating concepts are added to the mix from the storehouse of supernatural beliefs: guilt, shame, rejection, disgrace, and fear, including the fear of not being rewarded now, the fear of not earning an eternal reward but of suffering eternal punishment instead, and the fear that if they don't give money or gifts and hours of “service,” they will not get rewards both now and forevermore.

So the notion of trying to live supernaturally likely took a foothold 5000 or so years ago and certainly not more than 100,000 years ago. Compared to the natural way that humans lived for the other 14.4 million years, supernatural living is “the new kid on the block” in terms of the way that some humans try to live. It is not natural.

(UN) NATURAL LIVING
Next, unnatural living is an even "newer kid on the block." Unnatural living began when persons developed a section of the brain that is capable of storing and retrieving facts. The storage part is commonly referred to as "the mind."

Again, the “thinking part” of the brain did not start processing ideas and concepts and beliefs until language developed. Nor did personality or personalities develop; therefore, the assumption of personas as identities did not happen except at the very end of the total human experience that has gone on for 14.5 million years.

Unnatural living only resulted after languages developed and after cultures developed and after those cultures began teaching their false concepts about multiple "identities." The subsequent unnatural way of living began when persons became so fooled that they (a) began to think that they are what they are not and (b) eventually ended up not having even the slightest clue about Who/What They Truly Are.

As a result, if persons today do not complete the seven-step journey to Reality, then they will never know Who/What They Truly Are. What hampers most seekers is not a lack of willingness to seek but their inability to find a teacher who can say, “You are right here on the 'path.' The next step is specifically this and then your final steps after that are these, specifically.” Please enter into the silence of contemplation. (To be continued)

TABLE OF CONTENTS BELOW:
1. REALIZATION AIDS
2. ADVAITA BOOK SETS-50% off
3. ARRANGE FOR FLOYD TO SPEAK TO YOUR GROUP
4. DONATIONS

1. REALIZATION AIDS
The Advanced Seekers’ Book Set
From the I to the Absolute
Consciousness / Awareness
From the Absolute to the Nothingness
Purchase one or all at The Official Website of Floyd Henderson

2. ADVAITA / NON-DUALITY BOOK SET
THE FOLLOWING BOOKS ARE IN THE STORE IN LIMITED SUPPLY AND WILL BE OFFERED AT 50% OFF WHEN BOUGHT AS A PACKAGE:

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)
Meditation Guide (Advanced Volume)
There's No Such Thing as ''Peace of Mind''
Ending Financial Problems by Understanding Your Personality
The Essence of the Teachings
$79.00 for all eight books + free S&H in the U.S.

Most titles are also available as eBooks
Visit
The Official Website of Floyd Henderson

3. ARRANGE FOR FLOYD TO TRAVEL TO YOUR LOCATION AND SPEAK TO YOUR GROUP

Here’s a recent example:
Travel costs of the drive to Austin and back: $200.00
Friday and Saturday hotel room: $140.00
½ day Friday, Saturday and ½ day Sunday fees: $600.00
16 participants: $59.00 each for the retreat

Certain bargains are currently available for international flights as well

4. 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 note that the postings and responses are offered without charge, as is access to the library of 1,300+ Advaitin essays archived on the site.

That said, any donation will be appreciated. Thank you.

Saturday, June 06, 2009

THE ULTIMATE MEDICINE per Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, Part Two, The Conclusion

Table of Contents

Today's Considerations
Recent Posts and Archives
Tools for Realization
Author's eBooks
Author's Paperback Books
Free eBooks
An Advaita Vedanta philosophy site, focusing on Realisation, (Realization), enlightenment, nisarga yoga, non-duality, Real Love, peace, freedom, Your original nature, the natural state, and Maharaj.

Following the post, details on the 50% off sale of the remaining Non-Duality paperback books in the store

NOTE: A seeker who plans to attend an Advaita retreat this August is seeking someone to share the costs. If you are interested, you may use the Contact link and arrangements can be made. With this opportunity, you will be able to attend at about 50% of the regular price. For details of the retreats offered, please visit the retreat information site.

FROM A SITE VISITOR: Maharaj said THE ULTIMATE MEDICINE. What is the reference, please. Also, not to criticize but he discussed mind - you say mind must end. Seems opposite. Can you explain discrepancy? PS Please understand no offense. ALSO PS Thanx for this site! Edvard

THE ULTIMATE MEDICINE (Continued)
F.:
Some are dissuaded from taking the medicine they need because of a misunderstanding of what they think will be the “side effects” of the first doses of “the ultimate medicine,” namely, abandonment of identification with the body and the mind and the personality/personalities. "Can pleasures still be enjoyed after taking the medicine”? some have asked. Of course, but this has been noted in that regard:

That which is a source of pleasure can easily evolve into a source of pain or misery, and that which is a source of the greatest pleasure can easily evolve into a source of the greatest pain or greatest misery.

For example:

“I thought getting married to my spouse would be a source of life-long joy, but it is turning out to be the source of my greatest misery ever.”

"Booze treated my symptoms for a long time, but then it turned on me."

“I thought having sex with that person would be the greatest pleasure ever, but now the fatal disease I contracted is anything but.”

“The day my child was born was the happiest day of my life; the day I got word he was killed in Iraq was the most miserable day of my life, and every day now is of equal misery.”

Pleasure/pain and pain/pleasure as well as pleasure/misery and misery/pleasure are the trademarks of the ultimate sickness: the I-Am-ness.

The point is, the ultimate sickness can end via Full Realization or it will end when the consciousness is no longer manifested. Why not be free of the fluctuations now? Next, to explain what Maharaj had to say about the mind and to show there is no disparity (either in his messages or between Maharaj and Floyd when discussing the "mind") the following is offered:

THE “MIND”
It was noted yesterday that Maharaj “was not contradicting his own message but was customizing his message.” The three terms used before on this site to identity the varying levels of readiness among seekers include (1) the “wet charcoal stage” (referring to those who will likely never get hot enough for their “fever” to burn away the ultimate sickness);

Those at (2) the "dry charcoal stage" (who might get the necessary flames going that can eventually burn away the concepts which are trapping them in delusion); and those at (3) the “gunpowder stage.” Whatever pointers are offered will be "customized" by the teacher who can hear a few words from a seeker and then know that seeker's exact level and that seeker's exact point on the "path."

Those seekers at the third level of readiness have studied energetically the pointers offered by their teachers; as a result, those seekers will need only the spark from a few more key pointers that will explode away all of the concepts that have entrapped them and that will allow them to move to a state of Full Realization.

Yes, Maharaj did speak of the “mind,” sharing with some at the “wet or dry charcoal stage” references to “the purified mind”; “the perfection of the mind”; “the variable mind”; “the superficial mind”; “the imperfect mind”; and “the private mind.”

But note these two comments that were offered by Maharaj to those seekers at the “gunpowder stage” that put an end to the notion that the “mind” is real or beneficial or should be clung to and used throughout the manifestation:

“There is no such thing as mind” and “I have no mind….”

The “mind”/no “mind” discussion in not contradictory but results when the teacher recognizes the level of the seeker; then, the consciousness speaks to the seeker at that level in order to eventually move the seeker to the next level, to the next step on the seven-step journey to Reality.

There might be seeming contradictions which are really just ironies or paradoxes such as those which evolve during discussion of the "not-two-ness" of the AM/THAT and during the discussion of the relative and Reality and overlaying the latter onto the former.

When a woman arrives tomorrow in an effort to deal with her "relative issues," the discussion will begin with that which ages, with that which is timed, with that which is finite. If she truly wants to be free, then the dialogue will move to what is usually discussed here: that which is ageless, that which is timeless, that which is eternal.

The ultimate medicine is the only cure for the ultimate sickness, and the ultimate medicine will bring to an end the sources of the dis-ease that mark the relative sickness. The medicine will find its way to body identification and eliminate that which disables persons and prevents even the slightest movement along the “path”;

it will find its way to the seat of the illness (the “mind”) and will dissolve it; and in the dissolving of the “mind” the medicine will also end the way that the affliction of assumed personalities drives persons through the relative existence in a blind, unconscious manner that denies them the ability to choose anything in spite of their false beliefs that they are doing so.

Best regards, to Advard and to all who would be free of the effects of the ultimate sickness by taking a full dose of the ultimate medicine. Please enter into the silence of contemplation.

TABLE OF CONTENTS BELOW:
1. REALIZATION AIDS
2. ADVAITA BOOK SETS-50% off
3. ARRANGE FOR FLOYD TO SPEAK TO YOUR GROUP
4. DONATIONS

1. REALIZATION AIDS
The Advanced Seekers’ Book Set
From the I to the Absolute
Consciousness / Awareness
From the Absolute to the Nothingness
Purchase one or all at The Official Website of Floyd Henderson

2. ADVAITA / NON-DUALITY BOOK SET
THE FOLLOWING BOOKS ARE IN THE STORE IN LIMITED SUPPLY AND WILL BE OFFERED AT 50% OFF WHEN BOUGHT AS A PACKAGE:

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)
Meditation Guide (Advanced Volume)
There's No Such Thing as ''Peace of Mind''
Ending Financial Problems by Understanding Your Personality
The Essence of the Teachings
$79.00 for all eight books + free S&H in the U.S.
Most titles are also available as eBooks
Visit
The Official Website of Floyd Henderson

3. ARRANGE FOR FLOYD TO TRAVEL TO YOUR LOCATION AND SPEAK TO YOUR GROUP
Here’s a recent example:
Travel costs of the drive to Austin and back: $200.00
Friday and Saturday hotel room: $140.00
½ day Friday, Saturday and ½ day Sunday fees: $600.00
16 participants: $59.00 each for the retreat
Certain bargains are currently available for international flights as well

4. 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 note that the postings and responses are offered without charge, as is access to the library of 1,300 Advaitin essays archived on the site.

That said, any donation will be appreciated. Thank you.

Friday, June 05, 2009

THE ULTIMATE MEDICINE per Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, Part One

Table of Contents

Today's Considerations
Recent Posts and Archives
Tools for Realization
Author's eBooks
Author's Paperback Books
Free eBooks
An Advaita Vedanta philosophy site, focusing on Realisation, (Realization), enlightenment, nisarga yoga, non-duality, Real Love, peace, freedom, Your original nature, the natural state, and Maharaj.

Following the post, details on the 50% off sale of the remaining Non-Duality paperback books in the store

NOTE: A seeker who plans to attend an Advaita retreat this August is seeking someone to share the costs. If you are interested, you may use the Contact link and arrangements can be made. With this opportunity, you will be able to attend at about 50% of the regular price. For details of the retreats offered, please visit the retreat information site.

FROM A SITE VISITOR: Maharaj said THE ULTIMATE MEDICINE. What is the reference, please. Also, not to criticize but he discussed mind - you say mind must end. Seems opposite. Can you explain why the discrepancy is? PS Please understand no offense. ALSO PS Thanx for this site! Edvard

[The embedded links are only for those seeking a thorough explanation of pointers offered]

F.: Hello, Advard. Welcome. First, there is no one here that can take offense. Next, if you read the response to follow in its entirety, you’ll see that Maharaj offered no mixed signals; that he was not contradicting his own message but was customizing his message;

that there is no contradiction between what the speck called “maharaj” and the speck called “floyd” offer; and that Your “mind” question will be dealt with after addressing “the ultimate medicine” question:

THE ULTIMATE MEDICINE
To understand “the ultimate medicine” offered by Maharaj, “the ultimate sickness” must first be understood. Consider certain pointers that were offered in the 3 June 2009 post:

“So many Advaitin seekers overvalue the consciousness, missing out on the bliss of pure awareness and ignoring the fact that the consciousness will be ever-in-motion as long as it is manifested.”

Even “the unblocked consciousness…cannot be the actual basis of peace and freedom from chaos.”

You are invited to understand that even the unconditioned "mind" is a facet of consciousness, but the bliss of pure awareness is far beyond that.

“…not a thing associated with the relative existence nor anything associated with the manifested consciousness will provide access to the stability and peace and freedom that all seek.”

After reading those pointers, are you beginning to find the answer to your question on your own…on Your own? Are You seeing that it is the Am-ness itself that is the sickness…the illness of “The Knower,” the disability associated with the known, the infirmity of the knowingness which has been accumulated in most cases as a result of having been exposed to ignorance and having learned that ignorance?

Consider also: if you were to ask the people on the planet to list “their problems,” that cataloguing could take years to complete and no human could live long enough to read all of the problems that would be listed. Yet prior to consciousness—prior to the manifestation—what problems did they have? None. Not one.

Post-manifestation, what problems will those “persons” have? None. Not one. It is only during the interim period—during the period of manifestation…during the period of the Is-ness…during this period of beingness—that problems appear.

To emphasize the point, Maharaj used the awakened state and the sleep state. When asleep, no problems appear. Then, when the awakened state manifests, problems appear. When a person is asleep again, the problems disappear.

Similarly, the following was shared on this site more than a year ago which also explains the awake and sleep states and which can help clarify what the sickness is and when it began and when it (1) can or (2) will end:

Before the doctors began resetting all of the bones that were broken during a motorcycle accident, the body was subjected to general anesthesia. If fully awake and conscious, the pain of their incisions and the insertion of metal rods and plates and screws would have been unbearable.

However, as a result of the level of consciousness having been manipulated chemically, that was not the case (at least until regaining consciousness during the surgical procedure, feeling the pain, but not being able to let anyone know).

Manipulate the level of consciousness and a surgeon can cut open a chest and handle the body’s heart or remove it and replace it with a substitute. Since the events are not being registered via the full consciousness, it is not aware of those happenings, so pain that would typically be considered horrendous is tolerated.

Since the body registers none of the pain signals when under the influence of general anesthesia, it can be seen that experiencing pain involves not the breath and not the body as much as the level of consciousness and the play of "the mind." Such is the case not only with physical pain but with mental-emotional misery and suffering as well.

So again, problems appear to be problems if awake but not if asleep. Prior to consciousness (as if asleep) there was no sickness...no pain...no suffering. Post-consciousness (as if asleep) there will be no sickness...no pain...no suffering.

During the manifestation of consciousness, pain (an aspect of the body) will be known, and during the manifestation of consciousness, misery and suffering will be known (both aspects of the “mind” and the personality and the emotions).

That Is-ness, the very beingness itself, is the “sickness” that requires “the ultimate medicine.” As alluded to above, the sickness can end now, via the ultimate medicine of Full Realization or it will end at some point when the manifestation of consciousness ends.

Extend the analogy of "the ultimate medicine" to understand all that it implies:

The "medicine" is a compound medicine, not unlike those made by early pharmacists who used their mortars and pestles. The Advaita teachings are the ingredients that are placed into the mortars (into the consciousness of seekers attending satsang or Advaita retreats or seekers reading non-duality writings).

Then, those ingredients are worked into a compound medicine as if through the use of pharmaceutical-like pestles (the tools in the analogy representing quiet meditation and consideration and contemplation among Advaitin seekers).

By use of the ingredients and by use of the tools that can take all of the components and make them into one medicine—into the Medicine of One—then persons can be freed of that which results in the sickness of this beingness, even as the beingness continues. Please enter into the silence of contemplation. (To be continued)

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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 note that the postings and responses are offered without charge, as is access to the library of 1,300 Advaitin essays archived on the site.

That said, any donation will be appreciated. Thank you.

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Five Free eBooks

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I.
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In “PART TWO” of this book, it will be seen why many criticized Maharaj for “changing his message in his later talks.” It will be seen that the changes were not about changing the message per se as much as about changing his methodology as he experimented with one version of the Ultimate Medicine after another in order to try to find an effective means for addressing the Ultimate Sickness.

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