An Advaita forum focusing on Realisation, enlightenment, non-duality, Real Love, peace, freedom, Your original nature, abiding naturally, the Oneness, the Noneness, and Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj.
Now available on DVD or downloadable computer file:
seven hours of satsang with floyd guiding seekers through all seven steps (in their exact order) to Realization. See details at the end of this post.
seven hours of satsang with floyd guiding seekers through all seven steps (in their exact order) to Realization. See details at the end of this post.
Widespread consensus among the masses regarding any teaching is not substantiation of its validity but is evidence of its lack of validity instead.
F.: The contrarians will be discussed tomorrow in order to respond to various e-mails received after yesterday’s post. The volume once again indicates the arduous task that so many seekers are facing as they sense what one called "a yearning to be free" but are not finding what Maharaj referred to as "a true teacher."
First, please review this pointer from Thursday’s entry: That which is knowable by all (but known by only a few) is the only true wisdom. It has been said that "nothing is hidden that will not be made known; nothing is secret that will not come to light."
Now, though, it is apparent that what is knowable but not yet known will come to light for the few, not for the many. Thus, this site…offering to cast light onto what is not really a secret…onto what is knowable to all…but onto what has been hidden by obstacles.
Those obstacles include the obstacles that result from programming, conditioning, acculturation, and domestication, obstacles which now block the knowable from being known on any widespread basis and which set the stage for ignorance to take root on a widespread basis instead.
Those obstacles assure that it is widespread ignorance, rather than widespread wisdom, that drives the thoughts and words and deeds of the masses. Again, what is that learned ignorance?
FEEDBACK and FOLLOWUPS FROM VISITORS
As shared during an e-mailed exchange yesterday in regards to learned ignorance:
F.: Learned ignorance = “a” + “b”, that is, learned ignorance = (a) that which is intuitively known + (b) the distorting interpretation overlaid upon it by use of the “mind.”
As for that distorting process, it was suggested yesterday that
L.S.: “Surely the religious mystics intuited the same thing – they just used the conceptual label ‘God’ to describe what was intuited.”
F.: Yes…the evidence is clear that many of their pointers which were at the core of their earliest teachings pointed to the same Truth that the Advaita Teachings point to, but the ignorance of other religious leaders and their followers has prevented the understanding of those pointers and led to the total warping of what was initially intuited.
For example, in NT verses, words and phrases such as “riddles” and “hidden wisdom” are used, as well as verses that make clear that the teachings therein are written on two levels with two meanings for readers with two sharply different levels of intelligence, speaking of “Milk for babies and meat for men” (that is, "our messages are offered with double meanings, given in one way for the infantile and in a different way for the mature").
When reading such teachings, the infantile see only what is in black, but the wise understand what is in white…between the black lines of text. The Advaitin seeker that will eventually Realize can understand not only that which can be seen in black but also that which can be intuited in the white.
Consider how a pointer offered on a mature level by Advaitins was warped by an infantile desire for continuity by the religious. Take the pointer, “You Are eternal,” meaning, “You Are a speck of energy, and energy can neither be created nor destroyed.”
What happened with that pointer? The three sky cults of Abraham that followed took that earlier teaching and dualistically warped it into “The body-mind-personality will be forever, and the body can feel pain or pleasure forever, so be good…not bad.”
L.S.: I meant with the mystics, “God” is used interchangeably with labels like “Tao”, “THAT”, “Ineffable” etc – all seen clearly as labels pointing to what cannot be expressed. So there is no personal God, no literal interpretations. The stories of “evil” or “hell” are seen by the mystics as metaphors for the suffering mind-identified state of those who are trapped in separation / duality. Admittedly this view is rare, but does exist among a few. How is this different from the Advaitan understanding?
F.: It is spot on; however, if one follows Maharaj's directions and stays with the I AM only, then even I AM THAT must go, yes? Quite the radical, Maharaj was. With seekers wanting an answer to "Who am I?" the nisarga approach can prove quite unfulfilling, especially to those full of self with their newly-adopted "good personas" of “The Religious One” or “The Spiritual One” or “The Supreme Self” and even “Ye are Gods and I am God.”
As for...
The stories of “evil” or “hell” are seen by the mystics as metaphors for the suffering mind-identified state of those who are trapped in separation / duality. Admittedly this view is rare, but does exist among a few...
Agreed. Even Pope John Paul II said that the geography of Gehanna needs to be understood correctly and pointed out that Christ never spoke of a literal heaven or a literal hell. That pope said that each person is presently in hell (if in the mind-identified state of those who are trapped in separation / duality) or in heaven (if functioning naturally in a mindless state that is free of belief in duality).
[Interestingly, the "infallible" one was quietly labeled "fallible" or "senile" by most Catholic authoritarians.]
[The "good personas" and the "Ye are gods" and the "I Am the Supreme Self" concepts will be discussed in further detail in the next series entitled, “THE ULTIMATE REALIZATION THAT CAN FREE YOU TO LIVE IN THE NISARGA WAY WITHOUT FLUCTUATION”]
Another visitor emphasized again that just as important as finding the true teacher is the readiness of the seeker:
G.B.: Dearest f, This observation is not the scope of the blog but readiness because of a great yearning to be free "led" me to this site years ago and "animated stardust" that I Am has been enjoying the wonder ever since. Can't say why the desire left except that when "I" followed the self back beyond conception it just all made sense...still does. "Happening" on the site occurred because the truth exposed on the site is the real deal...and That is what was sought.
F.: The resonance happened, evidently, when before there was (as in f's case as well) only emotional and / or spiritual intoxication which was mistaken for a sensing of "truth." As for the readiness, the questions must be asked of some other visitors to the site:
**Are you ready to realize that widespread consensus among the masses regarding any teaching is not substantiation of its validity but is evidence of its lack of validity instead?
**Are you ready to move beyond the watered-down milk that is being offered out there and consider the message of the (figurative) meat that is available?
**Are you ready to set aside everything you think you know about religion, Advaita, spirituality, and all so-called "good" and "bad" personas and find the Truth of the Absolute and that which is even beyond?
Please enter the silence of contemplation. (To be continued)
First, please review this pointer from Thursday’s entry: That which is knowable by all (but known by only a few) is the only true wisdom. It has been said that "nothing is hidden that will not be made known; nothing is secret that will not come to light."
Now, though, it is apparent that what is knowable but not yet known will come to light for the few, not for the many. Thus, this site…offering to cast light onto what is not really a secret…onto what is knowable to all…but onto what has been hidden by obstacles.
Those obstacles include the obstacles that result from programming, conditioning, acculturation, and domestication, obstacles which now block the knowable from being known on any widespread basis and which set the stage for ignorance to take root on a widespread basis instead.
Those obstacles assure that it is widespread ignorance, rather than widespread wisdom, that drives the thoughts and words and deeds of the masses. Again, what is that learned ignorance?
FEEDBACK and FOLLOWUPS FROM VISITORS
As shared during an e-mailed exchange yesterday in regards to learned ignorance:
F.: Learned ignorance = “a” + “b”, that is, learned ignorance = (a) that which is intuitively known + (b) the distorting interpretation overlaid upon it by use of the “mind.”
As for that distorting process, it was suggested yesterday that
L.S.: “Surely the religious mystics intuited the same thing – they just used the conceptual label ‘God’ to describe what was intuited.”
F.: Yes…the evidence is clear that many of their pointers which were at the core of their earliest teachings pointed to the same Truth that the Advaita Teachings point to, but the ignorance of other religious leaders and their followers has prevented the understanding of those pointers and led to the total warping of what was initially intuited.
For example, in NT verses, words and phrases such as “riddles” and “hidden wisdom” are used, as well as verses that make clear that the teachings therein are written on two levels with two meanings for readers with two sharply different levels of intelligence, speaking of “Milk for babies and meat for men” (that is, "our messages are offered with double meanings, given in one way for the infantile and in a different way for the mature").
When reading such teachings, the infantile see only what is in black, but the wise understand what is in white…between the black lines of text. The Advaitin seeker that will eventually Realize can understand not only that which can be seen in black but also that which can be intuited in the white.
Consider how a pointer offered on a mature level by Advaitins was warped by an infantile desire for continuity by the religious. Take the pointer, “You Are eternal,” meaning, “You Are a speck of energy, and energy can neither be created nor destroyed.”
What happened with that pointer? The three sky cults of Abraham that followed took that earlier teaching and dualistically warped it into “The body-mind-personality will be forever, and the body can feel pain or pleasure forever, so be good…not bad.”
L.S.: I meant with the mystics, “God” is used interchangeably with labels like “Tao”, “THAT”, “Ineffable” etc – all seen clearly as labels pointing to what cannot be expressed. So there is no personal God, no literal interpretations. The stories of “evil” or “hell” are seen by the mystics as metaphors for the suffering mind-identified state of those who are trapped in separation / duality. Admittedly this view is rare, but does exist among a few. How is this different from the Advaitan understanding?
F.: It is spot on; however, if one follows Maharaj's directions and stays with the I AM only, then even I AM THAT must go, yes? Quite the radical, Maharaj was. With seekers wanting an answer to "Who am I?" the nisarga approach can prove quite unfulfilling, especially to those full of self with their newly-adopted "good personas" of “The Religious One” or “The Spiritual One” or “The Supreme Self” and even “Ye are Gods and I am God.”
As for...
The stories of “evil” or “hell” are seen by the mystics as metaphors for the suffering mind-identified state of those who are trapped in separation / duality. Admittedly this view is rare, but does exist among a few...
Agreed. Even Pope John Paul II said that the geography of Gehanna needs to be understood correctly and pointed out that Christ never spoke of a literal heaven or a literal hell. That pope said that each person is presently in hell (if in the mind-identified state of those who are trapped in separation / duality) or in heaven (if functioning naturally in a mindless state that is free of belief in duality).
[Interestingly, the "infallible" one was quietly labeled "fallible" or "senile" by most Catholic authoritarians.]
[The "good personas" and the "Ye are gods" and the "I Am the Supreme Self" concepts will be discussed in further detail in the next series entitled, “THE ULTIMATE REALIZATION THAT CAN FREE YOU TO LIVE IN THE NISARGA WAY WITHOUT FLUCTUATION”]
Another visitor emphasized again that just as important as finding the true teacher is the readiness of the seeker:
G.B.: Dearest f, This observation is not the scope of the blog but readiness because of a great yearning to be free "led" me to this site years ago and "animated stardust" that I Am has been enjoying the wonder ever since. Can't say why the desire left except that when "I" followed the self back beyond conception it just all made sense...still does. "Happening" on the site occurred because the truth exposed on the site is the real deal...and That is what was sought.
F.: The resonance happened, evidently, when before there was (as in f's case as well) only emotional and / or spiritual intoxication which was mistaken for a sensing of "truth." As for the readiness, the questions must be asked of some other visitors to the site:
**Are you ready to realize that widespread consensus among the masses regarding any teaching is not substantiation of its validity but is evidence of its lack of validity instead?
**Are you ready to move beyond the watered-down milk that is being offered out there and consider the message of the (figurative) meat that is available?
**Are you ready to set aside everything you think you know about religion, Advaita, spirituality, and all so-called "good" and "bad" personas and find the Truth of the Absolute and that which is even beyond?
Please enter the silence of contemplation. (To be continued)
SIX WAYS THAT SEEKERS HAVE REALIZED:
1. BY WATCHING the 4-Disk Video (DVD) Set, or the same retreat available as a downloadable file. Either will provide an entire seven-hour retreat / series of satsang sessions showing three seekers being guided through all seven steps by Floyd and can provide viewers with an “experiential,” step-by-step series of satsang meetings that will move the viewers from identification with the I to abidance as the Absolute and then to abidance as That Which Is beyond
Some seekers are already using the computer file version and the DVD sets for meetings in groups in homes, playing the retreat, pausing for discussion, etc.
To find out more or to purchase the DVD set or the downloadable computer file version of the retreat, click:
DVD or Downloadable computer file versions of the Four-Day Advaita Retreat
Option “A” is for the downloadable file version, Option “B” is used to order the DVD set for delivery inside the U.S., Option “C” for international orders.
For the download, Paypal will send me a notice that payment has been received and then I will send by e-mail the downloading instruction, password, etc.
[It is recommended that you watch the video with pen and paper in hand. Write whatever you need clarified. You'll see that there are constant reviews and you might find an answer later in the seven-hour presentation. Then, after you watch it all, there will be a common ground for discussion. Purchase of the DVD’s or the file will include the right to clarifications and answers to your specific questions via e-mail.]
2. BY READING these books in this exact order:
IT'S ALL BULLSHIT (And Why Knowing It Sets You Free)
SPIRITUAL SOBRIETY (Recovering What Religions Lost)
[Those two prepare the seeker to question it all]
THE MEDITATION GUIDES
[Provide a broad overview of the understanding]
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN I DIE?
[Begins to free the seeker of body identification and the desire for body continuity]
THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS "PEACE OF MIND" (There Is Only Peace if You're Out of Your Mind)
[Shows the seeker how to be free of the subconscious motivators of the false content of the “mind”]
LIBERATION
[Shows the seeker how to be free of the subconscious motivators of personas]
THE ESSENCE OF THE TEACHINGS
[Provides the final preparation for the seeker to be directed along the “path”]
FROM THE I TO THE ABSOLUTE (A Seven-Step Journey to Reality)
[Directs the seeker along the “path”]
CONSCIOUSNESS/AWARENESS: The Nature of Reality Beyond Self-Realization (Peace Every Day When Abiding as The Absolute)
[Allows the seeker to understand the functioning of the totality, the manifestation, and what is involved with the un-manifestation]
FROM THE ABSOLUTE TO THE NOTHINGNESS
[Provides the seeker the wisdom to understand the Noneness as well as the Oneness]
Purchase an e-Book now and begin reading it in minutes (except with e-checks that can take 7-10 days). Trusting our clients as we do, all e-Books are provided to you in printable form.
SAVE IF YOU BUY ALL ELEVEN AT ONCE:
(You may order the books one at a time or you may use the following link to acquire the entire 11-e-Book set on sale for $99 if ordered at one time with the “Buy Now” button below. For this option, there will be no download links provided; once the near-instant notice of payment is received from PayPal, your e-Books will be sent to you as e-mail attachments. All are printable for your convenience.)
1. BY WATCHING the 4-Disk Video (DVD) Set, or the same retreat available as a downloadable file. Either will provide an entire seven-hour retreat / series of satsang sessions showing three seekers being guided through all seven steps by Floyd and can provide viewers with an “experiential,” step-by-step series of satsang meetings that will move the viewers from identification with the I to abidance as the Absolute and then to abidance as That Which Is beyond
Some seekers are already using the computer file version and the DVD sets for meetings in groups in homes, playing the retreat, pausing for discussion, etc.
To find out more or to purchase the DVD set or the downloadable computer file version of the retreat, click:
DVD or Downloadable computer file versions of the Four-Day Advaita Retreat
Option “A” is for the downloadable file version, Option “B” is used to order the DVD set for delivery inside the U.S., Option “C” for international orders.
For the download, Paypal will send me a notice that payment has been received and then I will send by e-mail the downloading instruction, password, etc.
[It is recommended that you watch the video with pen and paper in hand. Write whatever you need clarified. You'll see that there are constant reviews and you might find an answer later in the seven-hour presentation. Then, after you watch it all, there will be a common ground for discussion. Purchase of the DVD’s or the file will include the right to clarifications and answers to your specific questions via e-mail.]
2. BY READING these books in this exact order:
IT'S ALL BULLSHIT (And Why Knowing It Sets You Free)
SPIRITUAL SOBRIETY (Recovering What Religions Lost)
[Those two prepare the seeker to question it all]
THE MEDITATION GUIDES
[Provide a broad overview of the understanding]
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN I DIE?
[Begins to free the seeker of body identification and the desire for body continuity]
THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS "PEACE OF MIND" (There Is Only Peace if You're Out of Your Mind)
[Shows the seeker how to be free of the subconscious motivators of the false content of the “mind”]
LIBERATION
[Shows the seeker how to be free of the subconscious motivators of personas]
THE ESSENCE OF THE TEACHINGS
[Provides the final preparation for the seeker to be directed along the “path”]
FROM THE I TO THE ABSOLUTE (A Seven-Step Journey to Reality)
[Directs the seeker along the “path”]
CONSCIOUSNESS/AWARENESS: The Nature of Reality Beyond Self-Realization (Peace Every Day When Abiding as The Absolute)
[Allows the seeker to understand the functioning of the totality, the manifestation, and what is involved with the un-manifestation]
FROM THE ABSOLUTE TO THE NOTHINGNESS
[Provides the seeker the wisdom to understand the Noneness as well as the Oneness]
Purchase an e-Book now and begin reading it in minutes (except with e-checks that can take 7-10 days). Trusting our clients as we do, all e-Books are provided to you in printable form.
SAVE IF YOU BUY ALL ELEVEN AT ONCE:
(You may order the books one at a time or you may use the following link to acquire the entire 11-e-Book set on sale for $99 if ordered at one time with the “Buy Now” button below. For this option, there will be no download links provided; once the near-instant notice of payment is received from PayPal, your e-Books will be sent to you as e-mail attachments. All are printable for your convenience.)
You may visit The Official Website of Floyd Henderson for information on each book.
3. BY ENROLLING in the Online Advaita Classes
For information, visit Information on the Advaita Classes on the Internet
To enroll visit Enroll in the Advaita Internet Course
4. BY ATTENDING an Advaitin retreat for satsang with floyd and being guided through all seven steps. For details of the retreats offered, please visit the retreat information site.
5. BY ARRANGING satsang by telephone in the U.S. or by Skype internationally:
Use the Contact link for details or for information on making arrangements for a session
6. BY ARRANGING for floyd to travel to your location and meet with you or your group. Use the contact link above to discuss details.
3. BY ENROLLING in the Online Advaita Classes
For information, visit Information on the Advaita Classes on the Internet
To enroll visit Enroll in the Advaita Internet Course
4. BY ATTENDING an Advaitin retreat for satsang with floyd and being guided through all seven steps. For details of the retreats offered, please visit the retreat information site.
5. BY ARRANGING satsang by telephone in the U.S. or by Skype internationally:
Use the Contact link for details or for information on making arrangements for a session
6. BY ARRANGING for floyd to travel to your location and meet with you or your group. Use the contact link above to discuss details.
