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.
FROM A SITE VISITOR: G,day Floyd: I have been considering writings about hope including Victor Frankel's book and how hope, faith and meaning help people survive. I recall the first time I started to gain information on non-duality and Maharaj's work, I lost hope and felt like lying down under a tree and dying as I had lost inspiration.
F.: Hello, Mate. First, if the task had been to squeeze as many concepts as possible into sixty words or less, you would have scored 99 out of 100 on the assignment with "hope," "faith," "meaning," "help," "survive," "gain," "loss," "dying," and "inspiration."
Next, if your circumstances were ever to even remotely approach those of persons who were incarcerated in a Nazi concentration camp, there might be some willingness here to discuss some ways for you to survive such imprisonment. That not being the case, however, look more to the prison that you have been in, that you likely remain in, and that you may always be in if you do not grasp the non-duality understanding.
Maharaj discussed the only prison you will ever likely need to consider:
"....you have projected onto yourself a world of your own imagination - based on memories, on desires (hopes) and fears - and that you have imprisoned yourself in it. Break the spell and be free."
Note how different is his pointer (that desire / hope leads to imprisonment) in contrast to your belief system (that hope is the only means of surviving imprisonment).
But if you want a response to Frankel's suggestion that faith and hope are required in order to negotiate one's way through imprisonment and misery and suffering, let it begin with a look at his words:
The prisoner who had lost faith in the future - his future - was doomed. With his loss of belief in the future, he also lost his spiritual hold.... Usually this happened quite suddenly, in the form of a crisis.... If this crisis was brought about by an illness, he refused to be taken to the sick-bay or to do anything to help himself. He simply gave up. There he remained..., and nothing bothered him anymore.
First, no non-dual teachings can shake the average persons' grip on any beliefs they have that align with those expressed in the e-mail above, but for those that seek a different perspective, let it be noted:
The prisoner who had lost faith in the future - his future - was doomed.
The non-dual consideration: nothing among the Realized can ever be taken again on faith. As Maharaj noted, science would one day prove all of the teachings. To accept as fact that which has no factual basis, and that which cannot be proved factually, Maharaj would call "ignorance."
As for "the future," the non-duality understanding ends all belief in the future and in the past. There is NOW, but even as "now" is stated, that "now" is gone, a part of the past (which is nothing more than a set of misconstrued images in the misconstruing memory.)
Thus, the Realized Advaitin would ask, "What is this 'future' that you speak of?" and "Who is 'The Prisoner'?" And who can make the suppositional claim that only the prisoners with hope "survived" and state that as if it were a fact, as if all of the survivors had been polled? To the contrary, many Holocaust camp survivors have stated that they find the concepts in Frankel's book to be claptrap.
Maharaj said, "In your fevered state, you project a past and a future and take them to be real. In fact, you know only your present moment. Why not investigate what is now, instead of questioning the imaginary past and future? Your present state is neither beginningless nor endless. If is over in a flash. Watch carefully from where it comes and where it goes. You will soon discover the timeless reality behind it."
Having known Miep Gies (see the 15 June 2009 post) for the last 25 years of that manifestation and having spent much time with her in groups where Jewish people who survived the Holocaust discussed their experiences, it was heard often that many of them had levels of anger that far exceeded their levels of hope.
Some "hung in there" to avenge their avengers, and when the Allies freed the camps, some acts of (understandable) savagery committed by the freed Jews against their captors and persecutors came close to the acts of savagery to which they had been subjected.
The concept of "hope" had nothing to do with their being alive at the time of a camp's liberation, and many in those groups over the years that I spent with Miep discussed their hopelessness; yet the absence of hope never affected the natural inclination of the consciousness toward continuity.
When I walk through the woods and birds fly away, they do so naturally, not as a result of having hope or as a result of hoping that they can survive another day. It is merely an example of the natural functioning of consciousness when it has not been warped by programming.
In most cases, then or now, the consciousness desires to extend itself no matter what the state of the body or mind, the 130 people who (understandably) sought out Dr. Kevorkian notwithstanding.
On the other hand, who would claim that those in physical pain on a 24/7 basis should hope that they can survive anyway and continue to suffer? A study of the debate surrounding the rights of Kevorkian's patients to determine their own fate reveals exactly who thought they had the right to dictate to others and tell them what they could and could not do with their own bodies: it was those who were inspired by dogma to talk of "the sanctity of life" and to try to control others who intervened in private affairs where they were neither invited nor welcomed.
Additionally, there are no hopes here about "a future"; here, now is enjoyed, without qualification and without any influence at all from the awareness that "the future, as far as 'floyd' is concerned, shall someday most assuredly not be."
Next, With his loss of belief in the future, he also lost his spiritual hold....
The non-dual consideration: Spot on. Forfeit the belief in "the future" and forfeit the spiritual hold. Only then can the next four steps of the "journey" from belief in the false "I" to the Absolute be completed. Consider also:
Questioner: In what way do I disturb peace?
Maharaj: By being a slave to your desires and fears.
Usually this happened quite suddenly, in the form of a crisis....
The non-dual consideration: Here, the crisis was precipitated by all of the fear and desire associated with the adoption of religious and spiritual personas that had agendas that were rooted in the dualistic fiction regarding reward and punishment, regarding heaven and hell. It was being freed from the spiritual hold that allowed the remaining steps to be taken that would eventually bring about an end to any perceived "crises."
He simply gave up. There he remained..., and nothing bothered him anymore.
The non-dual consideration: If you revisit the last series and find what happened when the lad "gave up" on his multi-hour, unsuccessful quest to catch a butterfly, you will see that it is not with fighting that peace comes but with surrender.
When that fact is finally realized, then in that state of peace and stability the Realized can remain without bother, and that happens with no dualistic regard to either the concept of "hope" or the concept of "hopelessness."
F.: Hello, Mate. First, if the task had been to squeeze as many concepts as possible into sixty words or less, you would have scored 99 out of 100 on the assignment with "hope," "faith," "meaning," "help," "survive," "gain," "loss," "dying," and "inspiration."
Next, if your circumstances were ever to even remotely approach those of persons who were incarcerated in a Nazi concentration camp, there might be some willingness here to discuss some ways for you to survive such imprisonment. That not being the case, however, look more to the prison that you have been in, that you likely remain in, and that you may always be in if you do not grasp the non-duality understanding.
Maharaj discussed the only prison you will ever likely need to consider:
"....you have projected onto yourself a world of your own imagination - based on memories, on desires (hopes) and fears - and that you have imprisoned yourself in it. Break the spell and be free."
Note how different is his pointer (that desire / hope leads to imprisonment) in contrast to your belief system (that hope is the only means of surviving imprisonment).
But if you want a response to Frankel's suggestion that faith and hope are required in order to negotiate one's way through imprisonment and misery and suffering, let it begin with a look at his words:
The prisoner who had lost faith in the future - his future - was doomed. With his loss of belief in the future, he also lost his spiritual hold.... Usually this happened quite suddenly, in the form of a crisis.... If this crisis was brought about by an illness, he refused to be taken to the sick-bay or to do anything to help himself. He simply gave up. There he remained..., and nothing bothered him anymore.
First, no non-dual teachings can shake the average persons' grip on any beliefs they have that align with those expressed in the e-mail above, but for those that seek a different perspective, let it be noted:
The prisoner who had lost faith in the future - his future - was doomed.
The non-dual consideration: nothing among the Realized can ever be taken again on faith. As Maharaj noted, science would one day prove all of the teachings. To accept as fact that which has no factual basis, and that which cannot be proved factually, Maharaj would call "ignorance."
As for "the future," the non-duality understanding ends all belief in the future and in the past. There is NOW, but even as "now" is stated, that "now" is gone, a part of the past (which is nothing more than a set of misconstrued images in the misconstruing memory.)
Thus, the Realized Advaitin would ask, "What is this 'future' that you speak of?" and "Who is 'The Prisoner'?" And who can make the suppositional claim that only the prisoners with hope "survived" and state that as if it were a fact, as if all of the survivors had been polled? To the contrary, many Holocaust camp survivors have stated that they find the concepts in Frankel's book to be claptrap.
Maharaj said, "In your fevered state, you project a past and a future and take them to be real. In fact, you know only your present moment. Why not investigate what is now, instead of questioning the imaginary past and future? Your present state is neither beginningless nor endless. If is over in a flash. Watch carefully from where it comes and where it goes. You will soon discover the timeless reality behind it."
Having known Miep Gies (see the 15 June 2009 post) for the last 25 years of that manifestation and having spent much time with her in groups where Jewish people who survived the Holocaust discussed their experiences, it was heard often that many of them had levels of anger that far exceeded their levels of hope.
Some "hung in there" to avenge their avengers, and when the Allies freed the camps, some acts of (understandable) savagery committed by the freed Jews against their captors and persecutors came close to the acts of savagery to which they had been subjected.
The concept of "hope" had nothing to do with their being alive at the time of a camp's liberation, and many in those groups over the years that I spent with Miep discussed their hopelessness; yet the absence of hope never affected the natural inclination of the consciousness toward continuity.
When I walk through the woods and birds fly away, they do so naturally, not as a result of having hope or as a result of hoping that they can survive another day. It is merely an example of the natural functioning of consciousness when it has not been warped by programming.
In most cases, then or now, the consciousness desires to extend itself no matter what the state of the body or mind, the 130 people who (understandably) sought out Dr. Kevorkian notwithstanding.
On the other hand, who would claim that those in physical pain on a 24/7 basis should hope that they can survive anyway and continue to suffer? A study of the debate surrounding the rights of Kevorkian's patients to determine their own fate reveals exactly who thought they had the right to dictate to others and tell them what they could and could not do with their own bodies: it was those who were inspired by dogma to talk of "the sanctity of life" and to try to control others who intervened in private affairs where they were neither invited nor welcomed.
Additionally, there are no hopes here about "a future"; here, now is enjoyed, without qualification and without any influence at all from the awareness that "the future, as far as 'floyd' is concerned, shall someday most assuredly not be."
Next, With his loss of belief in the future, he also lost his spiritual hold....
The non-dual consideration: Spot on. Forfeit the belief in "the future" and forfeit the spiritual hold. Only then can the next four steps of the "journey" from belief in the false "I" to the Absolute be completed. Consider also:
Questioner: In what way do I disturb peace?
Maharaj: By being a slave to your desires and fears.
Usually this happened quite suddenly, in the form of a crisis....
The non-dual consideration: Here, the crisis was precipitated by all of the fear and desire associated with the adoption of religious and spiritual personas that had agendas that were rooted in the dualistic fiction regarding reward and punishment, regarding heaven and hell. It was being freed from the spiritual hold that allowed the remaining steps to be taken that would eventually bring about an end to any perceived "crises."
He simply gave up. There he remained..., and nothing bothered him anymore.
The non-dual consideration: If you revisit the last series and find what happened when the lad "gave up" on his multi-hour, unsuccessful quest to catch a butterfly, you will see that it is not with fighting that peace comes but with surrender.
When that fact is finally realized, then in that state of peace and stability the Realized can remain without bother, and that happens with no dualistic regard to either the concept of "hope" or the concept of "hopelessness."
Please enter the silence of contemplation. (To be continued)
Much of what Louise has shared has resonated with many site visitors. to that end, some have inquired recently if Louise offers the online Advaita Internet Course. The answer is, "Yes."
Whether taking the course with Louise or Floyd, the price of the course includes all 11 of the Advaita eBooks, questions sent after completion of the assigned readings, replies to your answers, and follow-up as required.
With either teacher, you will be guided through all seven of the steps, in order, that lead from identification with the false "I" to the Absolute (and beyond). For more specific information and details about the course, you may click on the link to the right.
Purchase at Discount the Advaita Internet Course with Louise
by
Clicking the Buy Now Button below:
Purchase at Discount the Advaita Internet Course with Floyd
by
Clicking the Buy Now Button below:
Whether taking the course with Louise or Floyd, the price of the course includes all 11 of the Advaita eBooks, questions sent after completion of the assigned readings, replies to your answers, and follow-up as required.
With either teacher, you will be guided through all seven of the steps, in order, that lead from identification with the false "I" to the Absolute (and beyond). For more specific information and details about the course, you may click on the link to the right.
Purchase at Discount the Advaita Internet Course with Louise
by
Clicking the Buy Now Button below:
Purchase at Discount the Advaita Internet Course with Floyd
by
Clicking the Buy Now Button below:
[THE YOUTUBE ADVAITA VEDANTA VIDEOS ARE AVAILABLE IN LARGER FORMATS BELOW WHICH MIGHT PROVIDE MORE COMFORTABLE VIEWING FOR SOME SITE VISITORS]
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.
TRANSLATED ADVAITA EBOOKS AVAILABLE
Beginning today, the 11 Advaita eBooks listed at the end of this post are available in twenty-two non-English languages. If you are interested in purchasing an eBook in another language, click Contact Floyd to see if the language you prefer is available. Again, the quality of the translation cannot be guaranteed but it might make some pointers available to seekers that might not otherwise receive them. If you want to send a translated eBook to someone as a gift, that can also be arranged via the contact link above.
(Charges will include the regular price of the eBook + a US$10.00 translating fee.)
TO PAY FOR A TRANSLATION - US$10.00 - CLICK THE BUY BUTTON BELOW
(Contact Floyd before paying to be certain the language you prefer is available)
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.
TRANSLATED ADVAITA EBOOKS AVAILABLE
Beginning today, the 11 Advaita eBooks listed at the end of this post are available in twenty-two non-English languages. If you are interested in purchasing an eBook in another language, click Contact Floyd to see if the language you prefer is available. Again, the quality of the translation cannot be guaranteed but it might make some pointers available to seekers that might not otherwise receive them. If you want to send a translated eBook to someone as a gift, that can also be arranged via the contact link above.
(Charges will include the regular price of the eBook + a US$10.00 translating fee.)
TO PAY FOR A TRANSLATION - US$10.00 - CLICK THE BUY BUTTON BELOW
(Contact Floyd before paying to be certain the language you prefer is available)
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.
YOUTUBE ADVAITA VEDANTA YOGA VIDEOS
Click on the arrow below to start Video One:
Click on the arrow below to start Video Two:
Click on the arrow below to start Video Three:
Click on the arrow below to start Video Four:
Click on the arrow below to start Video Five:
Please enter the silence of contemplation.
