An Advaita forum focusing on Realisation, enlightenment, non-duality, Real Love, peace, freedom, Your original nature, abiding naturally, the Oneness, the Nothingness, and Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj.
Here, there is nothing that is believed, so there is no one here who wants you to believe anything, either. Here, the invitation is to be free of all that you have been programmed, conditioned, acculturated, and domesticated to believe so that you can be free, period.
This is the first joint posting and came about spontaneously. More may happen spontaneously…or not. You are invited to visit next week when Louise will be posting.
“Liberation is of the self from its false and self-imposed ideas....”
Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
F.: Awakening is not liberation, and liberation is not enlightenment, and enlightenment is not Self-Realization, and Self-Realization is not Full Realization, and Full Realization is not an end in itself.
Liberation is totally about being liberated from belief in the person, the personality, the false identity; therefore, the “sequence” is as follows:
When one is totally asleep and an awakening begins, that implies neither immediate awakeness nor immediate liberation from the effects of deep sleep nor an immediate welcoming of the light nor an instant realization of where one is or even who one is.
The condition of the masses is, in fact, that they are asleep; that few of them are even close to beginning to awaken; that most will never be liberated from the belief that their false identities / personalities are real; that they will continue to prefer the darkness over the Light;
that they haven't a clue about where they are because they are walking about in their sleep; and that they haven't the slightest clue about Who / What They Really Are because they are convinced they are all of the things / roles / personas / personalities that they are not.
At some point, if persons follow the "path" as explicated by a Realized Teacher, then they can become fully awake, but that does not happen instantly. In many cases, one must be shaken to be awakened, and who likes that?
Louise: In the early days of visiting this blog, “louise” sometimes reacted to postings that appeared sharp, hard, cutting. This was a reaction at the level of entrenched self-identity to the surgeon at work. (Here, “floyd’s” style is similar to “maharaj” – surgical and incisive; the “ego-slayer” at work.) Now, when these same postings are read, there is simply the recognition of LOVE whispering. It is instantly clear which step or false identity is being targeted by the surgeon for removal.
F.: “Ego-slayer” indeed. As the words of a seeker reveal to the teacher exactly “where” on the “path” a seeker is, the teacher will function variously—without actually assuming any identity—as a “body-slayer,” as a “mind-slayer” and (with those trapped in personality) as an “ego-slayer.”
If the seeker is released from the bondage of personality / ego / ego-state assumption, and if the seeker is relieved of identification with the roles assumed at the third step on the seven-step “path” ("The Religious One," “The Spiritual One,” and even “The Enthusiastic Seeker”) then the teacher has only then functioned effectively as a “liberator”:
L.: On reflection, “louise” probably spent years attempting to find stability in the fluffy white clouds – a hopeless and thankless exercise. This erroneous view was systematically pointed out by Floyd via a blog series. (If interested, this series is entitled Shifting between the States of Happiness and Unhappiness: November 22 2007 and can be accessed via the buttons on the right hand side of this site.) As a seeker identified with the “positive spiritual experiences” within duality, the sky was not yet visible.
F.: The process of ending the playing of the “good” roles that have been assumed to replace former “bad” roles is no less challenging than the process required initially to move one beyond the playing of those “bad” roles.
Recently, a dentist had to subject the body of “floyd” to considerable pain in order for a chipped tooth to once again be made whole. Yet the readiness and willingness were there to accept whatever the doctor determined was required for a restoration to wholeness to happen. Was the pain welcomed? No. Was it accepted? Yes.
To avoid pain is natural; to seek pain is unnatural; and to avoid misery and suffering is natural; however, any supposed suffering associated with the loss of a mirage (a false persona, or many false personalities) is actually based in imagination and delusion.
In many cases, persons actually accept pain if it can supposedly help them avoid a sense of misery or suffering. (See "hangover" for evidence.) The fact is, though, that there is no real suffering involved when a mirage disappears. It is all based in the lie of memory:
a role was assumed as an identity and when it is pointed out that the identity is false, any anger or denial or misery surrounding the “loss” of a persona, the imagined loss of a mirage, is also “of the mind” as well—totally imagined; however, that pointer seldom makes the ultimate medicine taste any better to the person fighting to try to maintain a false image / role / persona:
L.: It must be pointed out that the “medicine” offered by “floyd” in the series was hard to take. The spiritual ego identified with the bliss states does not like to be told that this is a temporary and fluctuating condition – no different than feeling good on a holiday and feeling bad on a working day. This is why trust in the teacher’s authenticity and ability to guide You home is vital. Remember – the teacher does not want you to get lost. “He” or “she” will not leave you in a cul-de-sac just because it temporarily “feels good”. He /she will guide you to the Final Understanding – where You will take up permanent residence in the natural state – regardless of the fluctuations of days and weather. (Of course, when the teacher is finished, there will be no you and no teacher – these are fictional labels used until no longer required.)
F.: Again, in some cases, one must be shaken to be awakened, and who likes that? Next, if one does begin to awaken to how silly it has been to believe that What One Actually Is is just a temporary body and a fiction-filled mind, then the teacher can begin to function as the “ego-slayer” and can begin removing belief in the notion that one is any role that is being played out according to the dictates of a culture or the culture’s programming and conditioning.
L.: There is the appearance of spontaneous choice and action, yet every movement in predetermined by the programming set in place during early childhood.
F.: For seekers to attain the understanding that leads to freedom from personality, therefore, requires a teacher to explain the intricacies that drive persons unconsciously, an insight that is not an option if seekers…
(1) ever hope to understand why all Realized teachers recommend seeing personality and its effects;
(2) ever hope to see the effects of personality / personalities and appreciate why it must be discarded and transitioned;
(3) ever hope to be able to function for the remainder of the manifestation from a state of being fully free or personality; and
(4) ever hope to abide in a persona-free state that will allow the seeker to function spontaneously in a manner that is marked by being fully awake, aware, and conscious.
Only then can the freedom of the ability to choose manifest.
Often it has been noted here that assuming a persona (that is, adopting an ego-state as an identity or being driven by personality) is accompanied by:
1. an upgrading of all illusory roles that are assumed, amounting to a self-promotion that always follows closely on the heels of the assumption of an ego-state as an identity (e.g., “The Spouse” soon becomes “The Super Spouse”); and
2. ignorance, believing that one understands the thinking and speaking and behavior of others; and then
3. judgmentalism, which always follows the egotism and arrogance that manifest once the upgrading or self-promotion happens; and then
4. a sense of separation when one expects others to think and speak and behave in “the right way” (which always amounts to the way that arrogant, ignorant, judging persons think and talk and behave).
Louise (continuing with her earlier pointer): Again, entranced at the level of personality, in each moment, the person perceives neutrality through the filter of personal desires and fears, creating a unique world that matches this perception. Since this appears to the person as objective reality, the next movement is to react to what is perceived. This is why personality-driven action is always selfish and often results in chaos and drama. With realization, there is the dropping away of desire and fear; all that is perceived is seen directly for what it is without the mind-based projection. The autumn leaf falls to the ground. The dog barks. The fingers type. The narrator or spin doctor of the individual life story disappears.
Maharaj:
Liberation is from the personal
and
Liberation is never of the person...it is always from the person.
Liberation is from the personal
and
Liberation is never of the person...it is always from the person.
Liberation is totally about being liberated from belief in the person, the personality, the false identity; therefore, the “sequence” is as follows:
When one is totally asleep and an awakening begins, that implies neither immediate awakeness nor immediate liberation from the effects of deep sleep nor an immediate welcoming of the light nor an instant realization of where one is or even who one is.
The condition of the masses is, in fact, that they are asleep; that few of them are even close to beginning to awaken; that most will never be liberated from the belief that their false identities / personalities are real; that they will continue to prefer the darkness over the Light;
that they haven't a clue about where they are because they are walking about in their sleep; and that they haven't the slightest clue about Who / What They Really Are because they are convinced they are all of the things / roles / personas / personalities that they are not.
At some point, if persons follow the "path" as explicated by a Realized Teacher, then they can become fully awake, but that does not happen instantly. In many cases, one must be shaken to be awakened, and who likes that?
Louise: In the early days of visiting this blog, “louise” sometimes reacted to postings that appeared sharp, hard, cutting. This was a reaction at the level of entrenched self-identity to the surgeon at work. (Here, “floyd’s” style is similar to “maharaj” – surgical and incisive; the “ego-slayer” at work.) Now, when these same postings are read, there is simply the recognition of LOVE whispering. It is instantly clear which step or false identity is being targeted by the surgeon for removal.
F.: “Ego-slayer” indeed. As the words of a seeker reveal to the teacher exactly “where” on the “path” a seeker is, the teacher will function variously—without actually assuming any identity—as a “body-slayer,” as a “mind-slayer” and (with those trapped in personality) as an “ego-slayer.”
If the seeker is released from the bondage of personality / ego / ego-state assumption, and if the seeker is relieved of identification with the roles assumed at the third step on the seven-step “path” ("The Religious One," “The Spiritual One,” and even “The Enthusiastic Seeker”) then the teacher has only then functioned effectively as a “liberator”:
L.: On reflection, “louise” probably spent years attempting to find stability in the fluffy white clouds – a hopeless and thankless exercise. This erroneous view was systematically pointed out by Floyd via a blog series. (If interested, this series is entitled Shifting between the States of Happiness and Unhappiness: November 22 2007 and can be accessed via the buttons on the right hand side of this site.) As a seeker identified with the “positive spiritual experiences” within duality, the sky was not yet visible.
F.: The process of ending the playing of the “good” roles that have been assumed to replace former “bad” roles is no less challenging than the process required initially to move one beyond the playing of those “bad” roles.
Recently, a dentist had to subject the body of “floyd” to considerable pain in order for a chipped tooth to once again be made whole. Yet the readiness and willingness were there to accept whatever the doctor determined was required for a restoration to wholeness to happen. Was the pain welcomed? No. Was it accepted? Yes.
To avoid pain is natural; to seek pain is unnatural; and to avoid misery and suffering is natural; however, any supposed suffering associated with the loss of a mirage (a false persona, or many false personalities) is actually based in imagination and delusion.
In many cases, persons actually accept pain if it can supposedly help them avoid a sense of misery or suffering. (See "hangover" for evidence.) The fact is, though, that there is no real suffering involved when a mirage disappears. It is all based in the lie of memory:
a role was assumed as an identity and when it is pointed out that the identity is false, any anger or denial or misery surrounding the “loss” of a persona, the imagined loss of a mirage, is also “of the mind” as well—totally imagined; however, that pointer seldom makes the ultimate medicine taste any better to the person fighting to try to maintain a false image / role / persona:
L.: It must be pointed out that the “medicine” offered by “floyd” in the series was hard to take. The spiritual ego identified with the bliss states does not like to be told that this is a temporary and fluctuating condition – no different than feeling good on a holiday and feeling bad on a working day. This is why trust in the teacher’s authenticity and ability to guide You home is vital. Remember – the teacher does not want you to get lost. “He” or “she” will not leave you in a cul-de-sac just because it temporarily “feels good”. He /she will guide you to the Final Understanding – where You will take up permanent residence in the natural state – regardless of the fluctuations of days and weather. (Of course, when the teacher is finished, there will be no you and no teacher – these are fictional labels used until no longer required.)
F.: Again, in some cases, one must be shaken to be awakened, and who likes that? Next, if one does begin to awaken to how silly it has been to believe that What One Actually Is is just a temporary body and a fiction-filled mind, then the teacher can begin to function as the “ego-slayer” and can begin removing belief in the notion that one is any role that is being played out according to the dictates of a culture or the culture’s programming and conditioning.
L.: There is the appearance of spontaneous choice and action, yet every movement in predetermined by the programming set in place during early childhood.
F.: For seekers to attain the understanding that leads to freedom from personality, therefore, requires a teacher to explain the intricacies that drive persons unconsciously, an insight that is not an option if seekers…
(1) ever hope to understand why all Realized teachers recommend seeing personality and its effects;
(2) ever hope to see the effects of personality / personalities and appreciate why it must be discarded and transitioned;
(3) ever hope to be able to function for the remainder of the manifestation from a state of being fully free or personality; and
(4) ever hope to abide in a persona-free state that will allow the seeker to function spontaneously in a manner that is marked by being fully awake, aware, and conscious.
Only then can the freedom of the ability to choose manifest.
Often it has been noted here that assuming a persona (that is, adopting an ego-state as an identity or being driven by personality) is accompanied by:
1. an upgrading of all illusory roles that are assumed, amounting to a self-promotion that always follows closely on the heels of the assumption of an ego-state as an identity (e.g., “The Spouse” soon becomes “The Super Spouse”); and
2. ignorance, believing that one understands the thinking and speaking and behavior of others; and then
3. judgmentalism, which always follows the egotism and arrogance that manifest once the upgrading or self-promotion happens; and then
4. a sense of separation when one expects others to think and speak and behave in “the right way” (which always amounts to the way that arrogant, ignorant, judging persons think and talk and behave).
Louise (continuing with her earlier pointer): Again, entranced at the level of personality, in each moment, the person perceives neutrality through the filter of personal desires and fears, creating a unique world that matches this perception. Since this appears to the person as objective reality, the next movement is to react to what is perceived. This is why personality-driven action is always selfish and often results in chaos and drama. With realization, there is the dropping away of desire and fear; all that is perceived is seen directly for what it is without the mind-based projection. The autumn leaf falls to the ground. The dog barks. The fingers type. The narrator or spin doctor of the individual life story disappears.
Please enter the silence of contemplation. (To be continued)
Now 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:
DVD or Downloadable computer file versions of the Four-Day Advaita Retreat
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.)
For more information or to order, click:
DVD or Downloadable computer file versions of the Four-Day Advaita Retreat
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.)
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.
