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.
Because of the generosity and financial contributions of Andy Gugar, Jr., you can receive for $40 a downloadable computer file version of the same 7-hour satsang that seekers receive when they visit for the Advaita Retreat with Floyd. You will be guided through the seven steps from identification with the false "I" to the Absolute (and beyond).
For more information or to order, click:
For more information or to order, click:
F.: A consideration offered in yesterday’s post noted that…
…the non-Realized in self-help groups can talk their talk; and persons working on developing “positive thinking” and “making the word a better place” can try what they try; and those engaged fully in the activities of a temple or church or mosque or in a “spiritual group” designed to address personality defects can do all of the daily and weekly activities they do;
and all of those can speak of their allegiance to a god or gods; and all of them can claim that their lives are now being guided by a "Higher Power"; and they can claim that they are godly and are "better for following the dogma or precepts of a religious or spiritual group";
but the evidence shows that—for all their efforts and dedication to god and claims of being religious or spiritual—their thoughts and words and deeds are ultimately determined far more by personality than by their god(s).
Lip service notwithstanding and “putting up a front” notwithstanding and fostering a false image notwithstanding, their masks which cover their actuality will always fall away—even if for brief periods of time—and the power of personality will be seen to be the prevailing force in their lives.
The evidence shows that—in spite of all their efforts to find the right way to live and in spite of their efforts to try to live that way and to be good and to please their god(s)—in actuality it is the power of personality that is far more influential in their lives than the power of their "Supreme Being."
Consider how powerful personality is (even as fictitious as it is) when it is seen that it can influence the thoughts and words and actions of religious and spiritual persons even more than their god(s) can...even more than the god(s) which they claim to worship and try to please and honor and obey. What did my teacher have to say about this bane of the relative existence called “personality”?
“…the personality is only an obstacle” and the personality is "obtuse" and "perverted." He warned, “As long as you are enmeshed in the tribulations of a particular personality, you can see nothing beyond it,” so he advised, “Allot enough time daily for sitting quietly and trying, just trying, to go beyond the personality, with its addictions and obsessions.”
It might seem prejudicial for a teacher that has transcended personality and that has abandoned the playing of any roles, including “The Religious One” or “The Spiritual Giant,” to suggest that personality drives religious and / or spiritual persons more than "the will of their god."
(And it might still appear to be prejudicial even as "floyd" will readily admit that when he was at that third step of the "journey" and assuming both religious and spiritual roles, that his personas drove his thoughts and words and deeds far more than his supposed allegiance to a god.)
Thus, the words of a Christian writer shall be shared to allow one who is currently assuming the role of "The Christian Who Understands the Ways of God and the World" and "The Religious One" to prove the point.
The following is posted on the internet under the title “The Good News” by that Christian writer (and if you did not read yesterday’s post on the way that the non-Realized can put a positive spin on their duplicity, you might read that first). His words are in italics with the "bolds" added here:
Sin is never God's will under any circumstances. Indeed, sin is the very antithesis of the will of God. Jesus Christ took care of all sin through the Redemption. In His Redemption is provision for every possible act of sin, condition of sin, as well as the sin nature itself. Jesus won full forgiveness, victory, and finality over all of these. Now ask: Do we sin? Yep. No matter how much we believe and try to obey, we sin. That's because despite the fact that the victory over sin is complete in Christ, we are still in the process of both discovering and experiencing that victory. We are incased [sic] in a fleshly body, prone to the corruption of this dead creation. And many times, either consciously or unconsciously, we yield ourselves to it. We sin. How is it that Christians sin? How is this possible if Jesus died for sin? And if we sin, then what? What happens when Christians sin? No Condemnation.
God cannot, in a moment, wipe away the possibility of sin. To do that, He would have to wipe away our wills. He would have to make it impossible for us to choose wrong. Not only would that reduce us to being mere robots, but if God wiped away the possibility of sin, He would also have to wipe away the possibility of good. Afterall, [sic] if we cannot choose wrong, then we cannot choose right. And if we cannot choose right, then there is no such thing as [a] righteous character. All "character," in that case, would be imposed. Thus -- Christians MUST have the power to sin. We must. And the fact is, we DO sin. A lot.
Note that even when dualistic thinking and irrational arguments and personality trump god and “god’s will,” persons can “spin” the reasons why their personality’s desires trump god’s will (even as they have no clue at all about the way that their personality / personas are driving thoughts and words and actions far more than the god that they claim to love and adore and glorify and exalt and worship and obey).
The seven-step journey along the “path” from identification with the false ‘I’ to abiding as the Absolute (or beyond) is a journey to nowhere. There is no “path” and there is no excursion being taken.
Instead of a journey, there is actually a filtering or purification process whereby contaminants (a.k.a., "the contents of the mind") are removed. The contaminants that must be removed in the Advaita process are all illustrated in the two paragraphs quoted above, namely, distortions, delusions, twisted reasoning, illogical thoughts, nonsensical beliefs, and normalization and minimization of the unnatural and the abnormal;
also, denial, dissociation, the assumption of false identities, and the use of ego-defense mechanisms to protect and serve phony ego-states, including projection, egotism, egocentrism, justification, blame, and rationalization;
and also the use of reasoning fallacies, including affirming the consequent, demand for special consideration, forestalling disagreement, impossible condition, inconsistency, lip service, non-exhaustive classification, non-exclusive classification, post hoc, and errors with conditionals and alternatives.
Some might think it impossible to cram all of those contaminants into two, short paragraphs, but the Christian writer above accomplished exactly that. The astute visitor to this site that studies the evidence will likely see (a) how personality is at the root of all of the distortions presented in those two paragraphs; and
(b) how clearly it is that “God’s will” is discounted by the writer trapped in his body identification and his many personas; and (c) how limited—rather than omnipotent—God is shown to be in that self-proclaimed Christian’s life; and (d) how clearly personality trumps god, god’s will, and god’s (obviously) finite power and restricted authority.
At least that is the case according to the persona of the “The All-Knowing Christian Authority” whose piece describes an (obviously) not-all-powerful god who cannot exert “his will,” who cannot stop sin, and whose will and power is trumped by the desires of personality and the desires of “the fleshly body.”
Why is personality the bane of the relative existence? Because even though it is imaginary, even the greatest (also imaginary) Power in the universe cannot control its impact. All misery and suffering are rooted in personality, and every persona has its own specific fear and its own specific desire, and those desires, it is shown above, shall not bend even to what some take to be "The Supreme Power in the Universe."
Why? Because even those who worship that Power (and who give lip service to it being "The Highest Power") have even greater personal power because even though "Sin is never God's will," those persons "MUST have the power to sin." The power of personality, therefore, trumps the power of god(s)...not always in theory, but always in practice.
Please enter into the silence of contemplation. (To be continued)
…the non-Realized in self-help groups can talk their talk; and persons working on developing “positive thinking” and “making the word a better place” can try what they try; and those engaged fully in the activities of a temple or church or mosque or in a “spiritual group” designed to address personality defects can do all of the daily and weekly activities they do;
and all of those can speak of their allegiance to a god or gods; and all of them can claim that their lives are now being guided by a "Higher Power"; and they can claim that they are godly and are "better for following the dogma or precepts of a religious or spiritual group";
but the evidence shows that—for all their efforts and dedication to god and claims of being religious or spiritual—their thoughts and words and deeds are ultimately determined far more by personality than by their god(s).
Lip service notwithstanding and “putting up a front” notwithstanding and fostering a false image notwithstanding, their masks which cover their actuality will always fall away—even if for brief periods of time—and the power of personality will be seen to be the prevailing force in their lives.
The evidence shows that—in spite of all their efforts to find the right way to live and in spite of their efforts to try to live that way and to be good and to please their god(s)—in actuality it is the power of personality that is far more influential in their lives than the power of their "Supreme Being."
Consider how powerful personality is (even as fictitious as it is) when it is seen that it can influence the thoughts and words and actions of religious and spiritual persons even more than their god(s) can...even more than the god(s) which they claim to worship and try to please and honor and obey. What did my teacher have to say about this bane of the relative existence called “personality”?
“…the personality is only an obstacle” and the personality is "obtuse" and "perverted." He warned, “As long as you are enmeshed in the tribulations of a particular personality, you can see nothing beyond it,” so he advised, “Allot enough time daily for sitting quietly and trying, just trying, to go beyond the personality, with its addictions and obsessions.”
It might seem prejudicial for a teacher that has transcended personality and that has abandoned the playing of any roles, including “The Religious One” or “The Spiritual Giant,” to suggest that personality drives religious and / or spiritual persons more than "the will of their god."
(And it might still appear to be prejudicial even as "floyd" will readily admit that when he was at that third step of the "journey" and assuming both religious and spiritual roles, that his personas drove his thoughts and words and deeds far more than his supposed allegiance to a god.)
Thus, the words of a Christian writer shall be shared to allow one who is currently assuming the role of "The Christian Who Understands the Ways of God and the World" and "The Religious One" to prove the point.
The following is posted on the internet under the title “The Good News” by that Christian writer (and if you did not read yesterday’s post on the way that the non-Realized can put a positive spin on their duplicity, you might read that first). His words are in italics with the "bolds" added here:
Sin is never God's will under any circumstances. Indeed, sin is the very antithesis of the will of God. Jesus Christ took care of all sin through the Redemption. In His Redemption is provision for every possible act of sin, condition of sin, as well as the sin nature itself. Jesus won full forgiveness, victory, and finality over all of these. Now ask: Do we sin? Yep. No matter how much we believe and try to obey, we sin. That's because despite the fact that the victory over sin is complete in Christ, we are still in the process of both discovering and experiencing that victory. We are incased [sic] in a fleshly body, prone to the corruption of this dead creation. And many times, either consciously or unconsciously, we yield ourselves to it. We sin. How is it that Christians sin? How is this possible if Jesus died for sin? And if we sin, then what? What happens when Christians sin? No Condemnation.
God cannot, in a moment, wipe away the possibility of sin. To do that, He would have to wipe away our wills. He would have to make it impossible for us to choose wrong. Not only would that reduce us to being mere robots, but if God wiped away the possibility of sin, He would also have to wipe away the possibility of good. Afterall, [sic] if we cannot choose wrong, then we cannot choose right. And if we cannot choose right, then there is no such thing as [a] righteous character. All "character," in that case, would be imposed. Thus -- Christians MUST have the power to sin. We must. And the fact is, we DO sin. A lot.
Note that even when dualistic thinking and irrational arguments and personality trump god and “god’s will,” persons can “spin” the reasons why their personality’s desires trump god’s will (even as they have no clue at all about the way that their personality / personas are driving thoughts and words and actions far more than the god that they claim to love and adore and glorify and exalt and worship and obey).
The seven-step journey along the “path” from identification with the false ‘I’ to abiding as the Absolute (or beyond) is a journey to nowhere. There is no “path” and there is no excursion being taken.
Instead of a journey, there is actually a filtering or purification process whereby contaminants (a.k.a., "the contents of the mind") are removed. The contaminants that must be removed in the Advaita process are all illustrated in the two paragraphs quoted above, namely, distortions, delusions, twisted reasoning, illogical thoughts, nonsensical beliefs, and normalization and minimization of the unnatural and the abnormal;
also, denial, dissociation, the assumption of false identities, and the use of ego-defense mechanisms to protect and serve phony ego-states, including projection, egotism, egocentrism, justification, blame, and rationalization;
and also the use of reasoning fallacies, including affirming the consequent, demand for special consideration, forestalling disagreement, impossible condition, inconsistency, lip service, non-exhaustive classification, non-exclusive classification, post hoc, and errors with conditionals and alternatives.
Some might think it impossible to cram all of those contaminants into two, short paragraphs, but the Christian writer above accomplished exactly that. The astute visitor to this site that studies the evidence will likely see (a) how personality is at the root of all of the distortions presented in those two paragraphs; and
(b) how clearly it is that “God’s will” is discounted by the writer trapped in his body identification and his many personas; and (c) how limited—rather than omnipotent—God is shown to be in that self-proclaimed Christian’s life; and (d) how clearly personality trumps god, god’s will, and god’s (obviously) finite power and restricted authority.
At least that is the case according to the persona of the “The All-Knowing Christian Authority” whose piece describes an (obviously) not-all-powerful god who cannot exert “his will,” who cannot stop sin, and whose will and power is trumped by the desires of personality and the desires of “the fleshly body.”
Why is personality the bane of the relative existence? Because even though it is imaginary, even the greatest (also imaginary) Power in the universe cannot control its impact. All misery and suffering are rooted in personality, and every persona has its own specific fear and its own specific desire, and those desires, it is shown above, shall not bend even to what some take to be "The Supreme Power in the Universe."
Why? Because even those who worship that Power (and who give lip service to it being "The Highest Power") have even greater personal power because even though "Sin is never God's will," those persons "MUST have the power to sin." The power of personality, therefore, trumps the power of god(s)...not always in theory, but always in practice.
Please enter into the silence of contemplation. (To be continued)
Upcoming Series:
** THE ULTIMATE REALIZATION THAT CAN FREE YOU TO LIVE IN THE NISARGA WAY WITHOUT FLUCTUATION
** THE DELUSION REGARDING “POSITIVE THOUGHTS INSTEAD OF NEGATIVE THOUGHTS”
** THE ULTIMATE REALIZATION THAT CAN FREE YOU TO LIVE IN THE NISARGA WAY WITHOUT FLUCTUATION
** THE DELUSION REGARDING “POSITIVE THOUGHTS INSTEAD OF NEGATIVE THOUGHTS”
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.
