An Advaita forum focusing on Realisation / Realization, enlightenment, non-duality, Real Love, peace, freedom, Your original nature, natural abidance, the nothingness, and Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj.
[At the end of this posting there are five videos that discuss thirty-three Advaitin topics]
F.: Because of the content of this series and the one prior to Michael’s recounting of his visits to the loft, a flood of e-mail continues. The content of most deal with subject matter that is to be dealt with in the series anyway, so the mail will continue to be answered today:
FROM SITE “REGULAR” SIM: Floyd, I know that you know that seeking is not a means to an end for many of those writing you. It IS the end/goal; it is their activity; it is their meaning in life. They are like the dog that really doesn’t want to "catch the car." They want to keep seeking the "answer" that perfectly matches what they want to believe yet, so frustrating to them is that, the answer they seek will always remain out of reach and or will keep changing. I guess what they truly embrace is the notion that "a man's reach should always exceed his grasp."
F.: Indeed. So few seek, but then among the few that do seek, many adopt “The Seeker” / “The Super Seeker” as another in a long chain of roles that they refuse to abandon. Add that persona to “The Religious One” and “The Spiritual Giant” and you may have the last three false identities that must be discarded in order to move to the next step on “the path.”
FROM ANOTHER SITE VISITOR: Will you please explain your implication that seekers will be wasting time if they try to “reconcile” pointers offered in I AM THAT and talks that M. offered later on. Jarod
F.: Thx for the e-mail, jarod. Consider this comment from another visitor: "Valid point that while most of us want to reconcile writings/thoughts/info, sometimes there simply can be no reconciliation. Imagine reconciling the statements and writings of the Floyd who was leading a church congregation with the speck we all know and love today."
[Yes, as has been noted, the religious and / or spiritual roles must be assumed and played along the "path." That is one of the seven steps, and that speck called "floyd" played both with greater vigor than many. The roles were abandoned when the beliefs on which they were based were seen to be total fabrications dreamed up over a 5000-year period by persons who would control or who would have their nonsense accepted as truth or the way to truth.]
What that observation above is really pointing to is this: the “wisdom” which might seem to come to those called “elders” or “older people” is merely the result of more and more blockages and “consciousness-contaminants” falling away. Neither Realization of Truth nor the dissolution of all blockages that impede the functioning of the pure consciousness will necessarily coincide with Realization of Self; thus, it might appear that consciousness is ascending to “higher levels” but that is not the case at all.
As far as considering “the age factor” in the search for a teacher/guide along the “path,” that Cherokee healer called Grandmother never had to be told to seek counsel from the elders rather than from the six-year-old braves. Knowing which teachers to seek counsel from was obvious.
Today, it is not so obvious since "the star-making media" work with the ego and egotism of those who are appealing to the masses and distorting persons’ ability to differentiate true from false and to know that the terms “well-known” or “famous” or “big” are not synonymous with “able to teach the ancient method to Realization.”
The fact that Maharaj was warning visitors to the loft about the very same circumstance then shows that the problems which seekers face in finding a legitimate and competent teacher are not problems unique to the present.
FROM ANOTHER SITE VISITOR: Yea, Floyd, people change, and, yet, we try to reconcile what writers write over a life time. What I wonder, though, is does that mean we should not waste our time reading the early writings of authors?
F.: It is not that people change. The change is either in the degrees of blockage or the levels of contamination. The suggestion is not to ignore the early writings. Much wisdom and many relevant pointers are offered in I AM THAT. The suggestion is to read the entire body of work in order to understand fully.
Those seekers who read only the first set of transcripts will never know the freedom offered by later pointers that are less a blending of his understanding along with the precepts of religion and “holy texts” and are more a set of unadulterated pointers to the Truth of non-duality and the Nothingness.
In the case of Maharaj, the consciousness was speaking far more purely at “the end,” but the transcripts of early satsangs contain pointers that some seekers might require. Again, therefore, the recommendation is that if a seeker is going to read some of the words, then that seeker should read all of the words instead.
FROM ANOTHER SITE VISITOR: Maharaj warned against big teachers, but haven’t there been some cases where people have been helped by them?
There is no one to be helped. There is but a “path” to be followed to be free. The recommendation is that you stop looking for “others” to help you, that you find a competent Advaitin teacher who can guide you through all of the steps that will lead to Full Realization, that you find that which is even beyond Realization, and then only will you be free. If free, only then can happiness manifest.
Again, Maharaj understood what you are being invited here to understand. If you were to see that when the big names work in conjunction with the big networks and the big media outlets to come up with more talks and more televised programs and more book material, would it not then be obvious why ego-states will be reinforced, why egotism will flourish, and why they must constantly put a spin on the original message and reduce it to the level that the non-Realized masses will buy?
By contrast, understand that there is no “new message” that is required. The process of moving from identification with the false “I” to Full Realization is a very old message that need not be updated, modified, or revised, yet that is exactly what has happened.
In fact, what has happened is less about updating, modifying and revising than it is about simply warping or twisting the original message to such a degree that Maharaj would recognize very little of what is being offered as non-duality today.
Read any and all of the words of the “big names” if you like, but know that the legitimate teachings of non-duality strip away concepts…they do not add new concepts that are being dreamed up and offered to the masses who are attached to learned ignorance—and more and more learned ignorance—as well as to their endless stream of ideas and concepts and beliefs.
These teachings are about de-accumulation, not about accumulation. Read hundreds or thousands of modern books, and accumulate more and more ideas and concepts and beliefs, but the fact is that you will be engaging in a process that will prevent Realization rather than one that is designed to strip away concepts and make way for seekers to move to the end of the “path.” Please enter into the silence of contemplation. (To be continued)
FROM SITE “REGULAR” SIM: Floyd, I know that you know that seeking is not a means to an end for many of those writing you. It IS the end/goal; it is their activity; it is their meaning in life. They are like the dog that really doesn’t want to "catch the car." They want to keep seeking the "answer" that perfectly matches what they want to believe yet, so frustrating to them is that, the answer they seek will always remain out of reach and or will keep changing. I guess what they truly embrace is the notion that "a man's reach should always exceed his grasp."
F.: Indeed. So few seek, but then among the few that do seek, many adopt “The Seeker” / “The Super Seeker” as another in a long chain of roles that they refuse to abandon. Add that persona to “The Religious One” and “The Spiritual Giant” and you may have the last three false identities that must be discarded in order to move to the next step on “the path.”
FROM ANOTHER SITE VISITOR: Will you please explain your implication that seekers will be wasting time if they try to “reconcile” pointers offered in I AM THAT and talks that M. offered later on. Jarod
F.: Thx for the e-mail, jarod. Consider this comment from another visitor: "Valid point that while most of us want to reconcile writings/thoughts/info, sometimes there simply can be no reconciliation. Imagine reconciling the statements and writings of the Floyd who was leading a church congregation with the speck we all know and love today."
[Yes, as has been noted, the religious and / or spiritual roles must be assumed and played along the "path." That is one of the seven steps, and that speck called "floyd" played both with greater vigor than many. The roles were abandoned when the beliefs on which they were based were seen to be total fabrications dreamed up over a 5000-year period by persons who would control or who would have their nonsense accepted as truth or the way to truth.]
What that observation above is really pointing to is this: the “wisdom” which might seem to come to those called “elders” or “older people” is merely the result of more and more blockages and “consciousness-contaminants” falling away. Neither Realization of Truth nor the dissolution of all blockages that impede the functioning of the pure consciousness will necessarily coincide with Realization of Self; thus, it might appear that consciousness is ascending to “higher levels” but that is not the case at all.
As far as considering “the age factor” in the search for a teacher/guide along the “path,” that Cherokee healer called Grandmother never had to be told to seek counsel from the elders rather than from the six-year-old braves. Knowing which teachers to seek counsel from was obvious.
Today, it is not so obvious since "the star-making media" work with the ego and egotism of those who are appealing to the masses and distorting persons’ ability to differentiate true from false and to know that the terms “well-known” or “famous” or “big” are not synonymous with “able to teach the ancient method to Realization.”
The fact that Maharaj was warning visitors to the loft about the very same circumstance then shows that the problems which seekers face in finding a legitimate and competent teacher are not problems unique to the present.
FROM ANOTHER SITE VISITOR: Yea, Floyd, people change, and, yet, we try to reconcile what writers write over a life time. What I wonder, though, is does that mean we should not waste our time reading the early writings of authors?
F.: It is not that people change. The change is either in the degrees of blockage or the levels of contamination. The suggestion is not to ignore the early writings. Much wisdom and many relevant pointers are offered in I AM THAT. The suggestion is to read the entire body of work in order to understand fully.
Those seekers who read only the first set of transcripts will never know the freedom offered by later pointers that are less a blending of his understanding along with the precepts of religion and “holy texts” and are more a set of unadulterated pointers to the Truth of non-duality and the Nothingness.
In the case of Maharaj, the consciousness was speaking far more purely at “the end,” but the transcripts of early satsangs contain pointers that some seekers might require. Again, therefore, the recommendation is that if a seeker is going to read some of the words, then that seeker should read all of the words instead.
FROM ANOTHER SITE VISITOR: Maharaj warned against big teachers, but haven’t there been some cases where people have been helped by them?
There is no one to be helped. There is but a “path” to be followed to be free. The recommendation is that you stop looking for “others” to help you, that you find a competent Advaitin teacher who can guide you through all of the steps that will lead to Full Realization, that you find that which is even beyond Realization, and then only will you be free. If free, only then can happiness manifest.
Again, Maharaj understood what you are being invited here to understand. If you were to see that when the big names work in conjunction with the big networks and the big media outlets to come up with more talks and more televised programs and more book material, would it not then be obvious why ego-states will be reinforced, why egotism will flourish, and why they must constantly put a spin on the original message and reduce it to the level that the non-Realized masses will buy?
By contrast, understand that there is no “new message” that is required. The process of moving from identification with the false “I” to Full Realization is a very old message that need not be updated, modified, or revised, yet that is exactly what has happened.
In fact, what has happened is less about updating, modifying and revising than it is about simply warping or twisting the original message to such a degree that Maharaj would recognize very little of what is being offered as non-duality today.
Read any and all of the words of the “big names” if you like, but know that the legitimate teachings of non-duality strip away concepts…they do not add new concepts that are being dreamed up and offered to the masses who are attached to learned ignorance—and more and more learned ignorance—as well as to their endless stream of ideas and concepts and beliefs.
These teachings are about de-accumulation, not about accumulation. Read hundreds or thousands of modern books, and accumulate more and more ideas and concepts and beliefs, but the fact is that you will be engaging in a process that will prevent Realization rather than one that is designed to strip away concepts and make way for seekers to move to the end of the “path.” Please enter into the silence of contemplation. (To be continued)
Schedule a one-hour satsang session with floyd
by telephone and the call (either international or in the U.S.) will be free.
[Details below]
For details of the retreats offered, please visit the retreat information site.
TABLE OF CONTENTS BELOW:
1. SATSANG BY TELEPHONE
2. REALIZATION AIDS
3. ARRANGE FOR FLOYD TO SPEAK TO YOUR GROUP
4. SUBMITTING ADVAITA VEDANTA POETRY FOR PUBLICATIONS
5. DONATIONS
6. YOUTUBE VIDEOS DISCUSSING A VARIETY OF ADVAITA TOPICS
1. SATSANG BY TELEPHONE:
A. FREE CALLS INSIDE THE U.S.
B. FREE INTERNATIONAL CALLS ALSO (via Skype)
If you do not already have a Skype account, you need only search “Skype” and, download the free program and take a few minutes to set up your account; then Floyd will call you and you will pay no telephone charges for your session.
Use the Contact link for details or for information on making arrangements for a session
2. REALIZATION AIDS
The Advanced Seekers’ Three-eBook Set
From the I to the Absolute
Consciousness / Awareness
From the Absolute to the Nothingness
(ORDER NOW ANY OF THE FOURTEEN NON-DUALITY BOOKS WRITTEN BY FLOYD
and
YOU WILL HAVE THEM AVAILABLE FOR READING IN A FEW MINUTES FROM NOW)
Order the “Advanced Seeker’s Set” or any of the other books by visiting
The Official Website of Floyd Henderson
3. ARRANGE FOR FLOYD TO TRAVEL TO YOUR LOCATION AND SPEAK TO YOUR GROUP
Use the contact link above to arrange a session in your city either in the U.S. or internationally.
4. SUBMITTING ADVAITA VEDANTA POETRY FOR PUBLICATION
Visit
Submitting Advaita Vedanta Poetry for Publication
5. 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 1,350+ Advaitin essays archived on the site.
That said, any donation will be appreciated. Thank you.
by telephone and the call (either international or in the U.S.) will be free.
[Details below]
For details of the retreats offered, please visit the retreat information site.
TABLE OF CONTENTS BELOW:
1. SATSANG BY TELEPHONE
2. REALIZATION AIDS
3. ARRANGE FOR FLOYD TO SPEAK TO YOUR GROUP
4. SUBMITTING ADVAITA VEDANTA POETRY FOR PUBLICATIONS
5. DONATIONS
6. YOUTUBE VIDEOS DISCUSSING A VARIETY OF ADVAITA TOPICS
1. SATSANG BY TELEPHONE:
A. FREE CALLS INSIDE THE U.S.
B. FREE INTERNATIONAL CALLS ALSO (via Skype)
If you do not already have a Skype account, you need only search “Skype” and, download the free program and take a few minutes to set up your account; then Floyd will call you and you will pay no telephone charges for your session.
Use the Contact link for details or for information on making arrangements for a session
2. REALIZATION AIDS
The Advanced Seekers’ Three-eBook Set
From the I to the Absolute
Consciousness / Awareness
From the Absolute to the Nothingness
(ORDER NOW ANY OF THE FOURTEEN NON-DUALITY BOOKS WRITTEN BY FLOYD
and
YOU WILL HAVE THEM AVAILABLE FOR READING IN A FEW MINUTES FROM NOW)
Order the “Advanced Seeker’s Set” or any of the other books by visiting
The Official Website of Floyd Henderson
3. ARRANGE FOR FLOYD TO TRAVEL TO YOUR LOCATION AND SPEAK TO YOUR GROUP
Use the contact link above to arrange a session in your city either in the U.S. or internationally.
4. SUBMITTING ADVAITA VEDANTA POETRY FOR PUBLICATION
Visit
Submitting Advaita Vedanta Poetry for Publication
5. 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 1,350+ Advaitin essays archived on the site.
That said, any donation will be appreciated. Thank you.
6. ADVAITA VIDEOS ON YOUTUBE
If you want to share the five Advaita videos on your own site, you are invited to do so without charge. Click on the links above and to the right under “Links and Resources.” You’ll be transferred to the video sites and there you will find the embedding codes that you can copy and paste onto your html pages.
Below are five lists containing thirty-three Advaitin subjects that are discussed on the YouTube videos that follow each of the lists.
(The numeric counter information is provided so that you can move to the exact location in the videos to find any particular discussion that might be of interest)
Advaita Topics 1-9:
1. Defining Advaita Vedanta (Counter 28-55)
2. Methods of Teaching (Counter 55-144)
3. Unicity / Nonduality (Counter 144-239)
4. I AM THAT; I AM (Counter 239-331)
5. Learn vs. Unlearn (Counter 331-413)
6. Unlearn What? (Counter 413-444)
7. Person vs. Realized (444-525)
8. The Triad (Counter 525-745)
9. Before Conception (Counter 745-901)
Click on the arrow below to start Video One and topics 1-9:
Advaita Topics 10-16:
10. No Body Continuity / “ME” (Counter 1-56)
11. Not Born / No Creation / Cannot Die (Counter 56-200)
12. No Peace of “mind” / My “mind” / “Their “mind” (Counter 200-333)
13. Brain vs. “mind” vs. Consciousness (Counter 333-500)
14. Not in the World (Counter 500-603)
15. Inner Guru (Counter 603-715)
16. Personality-Suffering Connection / Upgrading Illusions (Counter 715-840)
Click on the arrow below to start Video Two and topics 10-16:
Advaita Topics 18-24:
18. The Role-Playing + Co-dependency + Suicide Link (Counter 1-205)
19. Upgrading / Downgrading Illusions (Counter 205-300)
20. Emotions vs. Feelings (Counter 300-422)
21. Religion and Spirituality (Counter 422-547)
22. Question All (Counter 547-713)
23. Natural vs. Unnatural vs. Supernatural Living (Counter 713-833)
24. When Trillions Are Wrong (Counter 833-920)
Click on the arrow below to start Video Three and topics 18-24:
Advaita Topics 25-31:
25. Christ the Advaitin (Counter 1-150)
26. Child Ignorance / The Pre-”mind” State (Counter 150-340)
27. Child Ignorance vs. Learned Ignorance (Counter 340-439)
28. Two Levels of Witnessing (Counter 439-554)
29. Desires and Fears (Counter 554-641)
30. Consciousness vs. Awareness (Counter 641-720)
31. Real Love vs. false love (Counter 720-846)
Click on the arrow below to start Video Four and topics 25-31:
Advaita Topics 32-33:
32. Zero Concepts (Counter 1-120)
33. The Nothingness (Counter 120-250)
Click on the arrow below to start Video Five and topics 32-33:
