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.
FROM A SITE VISITOR: If I have no desires and others have no desires then the human race would soon come to an end, and it also seems there are things I should fear to protect myself.
F.: You have not understood the teachings that are at the core of the nisarga yoga. The questions to consider are these: is natural, spontaneous living happening, or is there thought to be some person with an identity that is being driven by the illusions of body-mind-personality identification?
DESIRE / PROPAGATION
Consider the naturally-living deer: a buck can naturally and spontaneously engage in a sex act with a doe. Nothing more is involved in that happening than an action that is rooted in one of the basic drives (those drives including the thirst drive, the hunger drive, and, in this example, the sex drive).
Yet your e-mail speaks of an “I” and “desires,” and therein lies the delusion that the yoga would eliminate. Once an imaginary “I” becomes involved in the desire, then co-dependency is triggered:
“The Lover” must have a counterpart “lover” to exist, and not only does a co-dependency manifest but duality manifests as well: “A” needs "B" to exist just as “The Spouse” needs “A Spouse” to exist. When a false “I” is driven by desires, let the games begin.
Unlike the sex act between a buck and a doe, when a “self” or “selves” are involved, all sorts of silly (but often relatively consequential) game-playing follows. Sex among humans lost in false identities and driven by personality brings along all sorts of conscious and unconscious motivators that can only manifest in the presence of an assumed personal identity—that is, in the presence of delusion and selfish motives.
Thus, the human sex act in those cases can become quite complicated and can involve reinforcement of an ego-state; finding temporary escape from worry or preoccupation; manipulating in order to acquire and / or maintain a certain lifestyle; exacting revenge; a desperate attempt to feel accepted or “loved”; a desire to control another; spousal beatings; murder, ad infinitum.
Animals and birds and fish propagate, but none engage is the self-centered game-playing or in the "mind" games or in the destructive behavior that personality generates. All of that is confined to the human species and always involves a false “self” or multiple false identities / multiple false "selves" and therefore always involves delusion. Is it any wonder that the top three reasons for divorce include sex? Of the pointer offered above, Maharaj said…
“…selfishness is always destructive. Between desire and fear anger arises, with anger hatred, with hatred passion for destruction. War is hatred in action, organised and equipped with all the instruments of death.”
Consider how many “relationship” problems are rooted in the desire and the self-centeredness that Maharaj mentioned. The self-centered “desire for respect” is at the core of all of the fighting that takes place on a “personal” level, on a national level, on international levels, on all levels.
Urges or instinctual drives are natural; desires are the stuff of personas and always lead to as much misery as pleasure; to anger; to “separation”; to the assumption of false identities; to co-dependency vs. freedom and independence; to fighting; to murder; to war, and to unnatural living.
PROTECTING YOURSELF
As for fear being an asset to the degree that it can inspire you to “protect yourself,” your words again reveal the misunderstanding. Of course the deer that graze or lounge about in the yard at this house will move away if they are approached too closely by humans. That is natural.
What is unnatural are all of the fears that are generated by assumed personas that instill fear. Furthermore, fear among persons is driven more by what is imagined than by anything that is real, relatively speaking. Understand that there is no self that needs protecting, but imaginary selves do seem to need many things to exist.
Maharaj said, “Desire and fear, both are self-centered states,” meaning that among persons, fears are about protecting the false "self" or “selves.” Among all but humans, it is the instinctive drive for continuation of the manifestation of the consciousness that automatically and spontaneously causes a bird to fly away or the deer to walk or run away if approached by humans.
But among personas, it is most often the imaginary fears which accompany the assumption of ego-states as identities that drive unnatural living (as well as efforts to live supernaturally so that some “reward” will not be missed now and will not be missed eternally…so that certain personas might "live forever").
Therefore, the deer living in the nisarga fashion are not driven by desires or fears but function via the inner resource and the instincts in a most-natural fashion. Persons, however, are driven by selfishness and by ego-based, false-self-generated delusions to behave in a most unnatural (and often supernatural) manner.
Compare how seamlessly and smoothly the deer form “partnerships” or move to new “partnerships” with the way those same events transpire among humans and you might then understand (a) the point that Advaitins are making about desires and fears and (b) why those points are being offered. Please enter the silence of contemplation.
DESIRE / PROPAGATION
Consider the naturally-living deer: a buck can naturally and spontaneously engage in a sex act with a doe. Nothing more is involved in that happening than an action that is rooted in one of the basic drives (those drives including the thirst drive, the hunger drive, and, in this example, the sex drive).
Yet your e-mail speaks of an “I” and “desires,” and therein lies the delusion that the yoga would eliminate. Once an imaginary “I” becomes involved in the desire, then co-dependency is triggered:
“The Lover” must have a counterpart “lover” to exist, and not only does a co-dependency manifest but duality manifests as well: “A” needs "B" to exist just as “The Spouse” needs “A Spouse” to exist. When a false “I” is driven by desires, let the games begin.
Unlike the sex act between a buck and a doe, when a “self” or “selves” are involved, all sorts of silly (but often relatively consequential) game-playing follows. Sex among humans lost in false identities and driven by personality brings along all sorts of conscious and unconscious motivators that can only manifest in the presence of an assumed personal identity—that is, in the presence of delusion and selfish motives.
Thus, the human sex act in those cases can become quite complicated and can involve reinforcement of an ego-state; finding temporary escape from worry or preoccupation; manipulating in order to acquire and / or maintain a certain lifestyle; exacting revenge; a desperate attempt to feel accepted or “loved”; a desire to control another; spousal beatings; murder, ad infinitum.
Animals and birds and fish propagate, but none engage is the self-centered game-playing or in the "mind" games or in the destructive behavior that personality generates. All of that is confined to the human species and always involves a false “self” or multiple false identities / multiple false "selves" and therefore always involves delusion. Is it any wonder that the top three reasons for divorce include sex? Of the pointer offered above, Maharaj said…
“…selfishness is always destructive. Between desire and fear anger arises, with anger hatred, with hatred passion for destruction. War is hatred in action, organised and equipped with all the instruments of death.”
Consider how many “relationship” problems are rooted in the desire and the self-centeredness that Maharaj mentioned. The self-centered “desire for respect” is at the core of all of the fighting that takes place on a “personal” level, on a national level, on international levels, on all levels.
Urges or instinctual drives are natural; desires are the stuff of personas and always lead to as much misery as pleasure; to anger; to “separation”; to the assumption of false identities; to co-dependency vs. freedom and independence; to fighting; to murder; to war, and to unnatural living.
PROTECTING YOURSELF
As for fear being an asset to the degree that it can inspire you to “protect yourself,” your words again reveal the misunderstanding. Of course the deer that graze or lounge about in the yard at this house will move away if they are approached too closely by humans. That is natural.
What is unnatural are all of the fears that are generated by assumed personas that instill fear. Furthermore, fear among persons is driven more by what is imagined than by anything that is real, relatively speaking. Understand that there is no self that needs protecting, but imaginary selves do seem to need many things to exist.
Maharaj said, “Desire and fear, both are self-centered states,” meaning that among persons, fears are about protecting the false "self" or “selves.” Among all but humans, it is the instinctive drive for continuation of the manifestation of the consciousness that automatically and spontaneously causes a bird to fly away or the deer to walk or run away if approached by humans.
But among personas, it is most often the imaginary fears which accompany the assumption of ego-states as identities that drive unnatural living (as well as efforts to live supernaturally so that some “reward” will not be missed now and will not be missed eternally…so that certain personas might "live forever").
Therefore, the deer living in the nisarga fashion are not driven by desires or fears but function via the inner resource and the instincts in a most-natural fashion. Persons, however, are driven by selfishness and by ego-based, false-self-generated delusions to behave in a most unnatural (and often supernatural) manner.
Compare how seamlessly and smoothly the deer form “partnerships” or move to new “partnerships” with the way those same events transpire among humans and you might then understand (a) the point that Advaitins are making about desires and fears and (b) why those points are being offered. Please enter the silence of contemplation.
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 recommend 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 recommend 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.
SUBMITTING ADVAITA VEDANTA POETRY FOR PUBLICATION
Visit
Submitting Advaita Vedanta Poetry for Publication
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.
SUBMITTING ADVAITA VEDANTA POETRY FOR PUBLICATION
Visit
Submitting Advaita Vedanta Poetry for Publication
