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.
F.: Maharaj's estimate of just how few on planet earth are Realized at any given time was modest...a very small number indeed. Most persons will never seek at all, trudging along whatever road they were born on and never leaving it, convinced erroneously that they have arrived at their destination.
They might come upon a fork on occasion (if perchance they hear the consciousness speaking and pointing toward Truth from a "path" nearby), but most will continue to stumble along the road which they and their parents and grandparents and great-grandparents have always traveled, never so much as considering another possible route.
The majority among the masses will never even travel at all, sitting unconsciously wherever they are, sure that there is nowhere else to travel, sure that there is nothing else to understand. If the winds of change are to have any chance at all of blowing away the fog, then one must step out of the dark woods and into the light of "the road" that leads to Realization. They must expose themselves directly to the winds of change.
Not only were summer days and nights spent in the deep woods that surrounded Grandmother's house (woods so thick and isolated that they assured her place would always be a remote spot of solitude) but also the fall and winter holidays were passed there as well. When the winds of fall and winter blew in north by northwest, one could step off a path or road and hunker down within the thickets of the forest and find shelter there.
Only stepping back onto the road, however, allowed those piercing winds to strike with their full might and clear the air. Similarly, no fog can remain on "the road to Realization" when those winds blow along the road. Such is the case along "the direct path": at some point you have to stop hunkering down;
you have to step out of the shelter of the dark forest; you have to leave the thickets behind; and you have to step out onto the open road and accept what comes via the winds of change, winds which only blow along the solitary road to Enlightenment and beyond.
A speech offered in Cape Town, S.A. was referenced yesterday. Louise wrote of that: "I know the winds of change speech well, of course; so moving to hear it applied to the Advaitin dissolution 'journey'".
She also noted the effects of personality that set up the requirement to step into the winds that blow along "the road to Realization": "Yes – personality and its influence are unseen and have been the puppet master since 6 or earlier, so this filter or layer of fog is not seen. Rather it is assumed that this is the way life looks for everyone; that the 'personal' experience is a shared objective and collective reality."
And that becomes another obstacle to Realization: the normalization of the abnormal by the masses, and such normalization of the abnormal is why so few will even consider taking another road if a fork is approached.
That is why so few ever take the (Advaitin) road less traveled or ever see the results of the road not taken; few see the results of taking the road that is most traveled by the masses. An exception was the poet Robert Frost:
They might come upon a fork on occasion (if perchance they hear the consciousness speaking and pointing toward Truth from a "path" nearby), but most will continue to stumble along the road which they and their parents and grandparents and great-grandparents have always traveled, never so much as considering another possible route.
The majority among the masses will never even travel at all, sitting unconsciously wherever they are, sure that there is nowhere else to travel, sure that there is nothing else to understand. If the winds of change are to have any chance at all of blowing away the fog, then one must step out of the dark woods and into the light of "the road" that leads to Realization. They must expose themselves directly to the winds of change.
Not only were summer days and nights spent in the deep woods that surrounded Grandmother's house (woods so thick and isolated that they assured her place would always be a remote spot of solitude) but also the fall and winter holidays were passed there as well. When the winds of fall and winter blew in north by northwest, one could step off a path or road and hunker down within the thickets of the forest and find shelter there.
Only stepping back onto the road, however, allowed those piercing winds to strike with their full might and clear the air. Similarly, no fog can remain on "the road to Realization" when those winds blow along the road. Such is the case along "the direct path": at some point you have to stop hunkering down;
you have to step out of the shelter of the dark forest; you have to leave the thickets behind; and you have to step out onto the open road and accept what comes via the winds of change, winds which only blow along the solitary road to Enlightenment and beyond.
A speech offered in Cape Town, S.A. was referenced yesterday. Louise wrote of that: "I know the winds of change speech well, of course; so moving to hear it applied to the Advaitin dissolution 'journey'".
She also noted the effects of personality that set up the requirement to step into the winds that blow along "the road to Realization": "Yes – personality and its influence are unseen and have been the puppet master since 6 or earlier, so this filter or layer of fog is not seen. Rather it is assumed that this is the way life looks for everyone; that the 'personal' experience is a shared objective and collective reality."
And that becomes another obstacle to Realization: the normalization of the abnormal by the masses, and such normalization of the abnormal is why so few will even consider taking another road if a fork is approached.
That is why so few ever take the (Advaitin) road less traveled or ever see the results of the road not taken; few see the results of taking the road that is most traveled by the masses. An exception was the poet Robert Frost:
from "The Road Not Taken"
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear....
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear....
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
Another who took the road less traveled was featured in a film viewed recently entitled Invictus, namely, Nelson Mandela. The "Wind of Change" speech mentioned yesterday triggered a series of decades-long events that eventually led to Mandela's tenure as president of South Africa. The movie Invictus offered several instances where his Advaita-like understandings were revealed.
During his tenure, he spoke of an "Africa which is in peace with itself." That is a part of the Advaitin message: how can "peace among" possibly manifest if "peace within" has not manifested?
In the way of the Advaitin teacher, he spoke of "the realization of unity"; he noted, as has been pointed out on this site, that “there is no such thing as 'part freedom'”; and he invited his listeners to "break out of the vicious cycle of dependence...," a subject discussed here in the series that was offered just prior to Louise's most recent postings.
How did Mandela explain the means by which he "realized unity, attained total freedom, and broke free of the cycle of dependence"? He said, "I ... walked that long road to freedom." There they are: the wind of change and the road to freedom.
He stepped onto "the road," which can sometimes leave a seeker with a sense of vulnerability, just like stepping out of an East Texas thicket in the forest on a cold day and exposing one's self to the direct force of the wind as one takes "the direct path."
Yet most persons will only wander about in the dark forest and never find "the actual path" of light, fear often hindering the movement away from the familiar insanity to the unfamiliar sanity. That sense of vulnerability which can manifest when one steps onto "the direct path" was touched on in an email received yesterday:
FROM A SITE VISITOR: Hello Floyd, read the post today on your blog. The wind of change doesn't seem so inaccessible as it did about three years ago. I have started fresh, reading I to the Absolute. I will in no way rush through the book and considerations. I will spend as much time as need be to "get it." I must be honest, part of me has fear and doubt but a bigger part of me doesn't care and seems to want this more than before. Gerard
Why this fear regarding the direct path? Because seekers are usually forewarned that the method is unique to this degree: The Full Advaitin Understanding will give nothing but will take all away. The Nisargan Understanding will strip away all that is unnatural (which has been the illusory crutch) and all that is supernatural (which has been the illusory super-powerful crutch).
The Advaitin teacher's invitation is to throw away your crutches and to walk on your own, and that can seem to be a scary proposition for those who have used crutches for the entirety of their relative existence.
Furthermore, having been programmed, especially in the West, to accumulate rather than to de-accumulate, the "journey" along a "path" that leads to the total abandonment of identities and beliefs seems to be a path that leads to the edge of a cliff where the Realized teacher awaits to give each seeker a final push over the edge of the precipice and into an abyss. As usual, how far from the Truth are their imaginings.
Seekers trapped in their imaginings can, nevertheless, consider the "nothing-to-gain, everything-to-be-cast-aside" battle plan that has been drawn up against the ego to be quite threatening if they are identified with the false selves that will be targeted in this process.
They see the teachings as being a company of commandos that seem to be able to drop in from out of nowhere and demolish everything that has been previously valued, missing the fact completely that what is being cast away is all illusory anyway.
Thus, most will never consider walking along this path less traveled. Others think that they can navigate their way along the direct, seven-step path all alone. They cannot. Not understanding the seven steps in, they cannot possibly understand the seven steps out. Because those exact steps must be taken in an exact order, there are opportunities to lose your way at every turn.
Some look for shortcuts; some look for a comfortable place to rest and never complete the "journey" at all; but a few who have been stumbling about might happen to hear the consciousness speak from another nearby road. It is the road not taken, usually; it is the road less traveled.
Yet if a seeker is willing to heed the call coming from that "path," and if a seeker is willing to heed the admonition of the Realized poet Shakespeare (to "screw your courage to the sticking-place") then the poet affirms that the seeker will "not fail."
How to find the one to point the way? Read or listen to the words. If the teacher's words resonate and strike the cord of the internal guru - the inner resource - then screw your courage to that sticking-place and follow directions exactly.
Do not be so arrogant as the ask the teacher to complete your "Teacher Checklist" of questions. If not Realized, you have no clue at all about what to look for, anyway. Just watch for the resonance. Do not be so arrogant as to demand some sort of "Realization Résumé." Just watch for the resonance. And do not be so demanding as to seek some kind of "money-back guarantee" if you fail to understand.
Why? The teacher's understanding is fixed and does not waver. See that the "teacher's course" is based in tried and proven methods. Then understand that the variable in this Realization equation is not the teacher's credentials or game plan. The variable is your degree of readiness. That shall be the deciding factor. Listen and then be on the alert for that inner resonance. If the inner guru resonates and begins to awaken, grab hold of the sticking-post. If not, search on.
Please enter the silence of contemplation. (To be continued)During his tenure, he spoke of an "Africa which is in peace with itself." That is a part of the Advaitin message: how can "peace among" possibly manifest if "peace within" has not manifested?
In the way of the Advaitin teacher, he spoke of "the realization of unity"; he noted, as has been pointed out on this site, that “there is no such thing as 'part freedom'”; and he invited his listeners to "break out of the vicious cycle of dependence...," a subject discussed here in the series that was offered just prior to Louise's most recent postings.
How did Mandela explain the means by which he "realized unity, attained total freedom, and broke free of the cycle of dependence"? He said, "I ... walked that long road to freedom." There they are: the wind of change and the road to freedom.
He stepped onto "the road," which can sometimes leave a seeker with a sense of vulnerability, just like stepping out of an East Texas thicket in the forest on a cold day and exposing one's self to the direct force of the wind as one takes "the direct path."
Yet most persons will only wander about in the dark forest and never find "the actual path" of light, fear often hindering the movement away from the familiar insanity to the unfamiliar sanity. That sense of vulnerability which can manifest when one steps onto "the direct path" was touched on in an email received yesterday:
FROM A SITE VISITOR: Hello Floyd, read the post today on your blog. The wind of change doesn't seem so inaccessible as it did about three years ago. I have started fresh, reading I to the Absolute. I will in no way rush through the book and considerations. I will spend as much time as need be to "get it." I must be honest, part of me has fear and doubt but a bigger part of me doesn't care and seems to want this more than before. Gerard
Why this fear regarding the direct path? Because seekers are usually forewarned that the method is unique to this degree: The Full Advaitin Understanding will give nothing but will take all away. The Nisargan Understanding will strip away all that is unnatural (which has been the illusory crutch) and all that is supernatural (which has been the illusory super-powerful crutch).
The Advaitin teacher's invitation is to throw away your crutches and to walk on your own, and that can seem to be a scary proposition for those who have used crutches for the entirety of their relative existence.
Furthermore, having been programmed, especially in the West, to accumulate rather than to de-accumulate, the "journey" along a "path" that leads to the total abandonment of identities and beliefs seems to be a path that leads to the edge of a cliff where the Realized teacher awaits to give each seeker a final push over the edge of the precipice and into an abyss. As usual, how far from the Truth are their imaginings.
Seekers trapped in their imaginings can, nevertheless, consider the "nothing-to-gain, everything-to-be-cast-aside" battle plan that has been drawn up against the ego to be quite threatening if they are identified with the false selves that will be targeted in this process.
They see the teachings as being a company of commandos that seem to be able to drop in from out of nowhere and demolish everything that has been previously valued, missing the fact completely that what is being cast away is all illusory anyway.
Thus, most will never consider walking along this path less traveled. Others think that they can navigate their way along the direct, seven-step path all alone. They cannot. Not understanding the seven steps in, they cannot possibly understand the seven steps out. Because those exact steps must be taken in an exact order, there are opportunities to lose your way at every turn.
Some look for shortcuts; some look for a comfortable place to rest and never complete the "journey" at all; but a few who have been stumbling about might happen to hear the consciousness speak from another nearby road. It is the road not taken, usually; it is the road less traveled.
Yet if a seeker is willing to heed the call coming from that "path," and if a seeker is willing to heed the admonition of the Realized poet Shakespeare (to "screw your courage to the sticking-place") then the poet affirms that the seeker will "not fail."
How to find the one to point the way? Read or listen to the words. If the teacher's words resonate and strike the cord of the internal guru - the inner resource - then screw your courage to that sticking-place and follow directions exactly.
Do not be so arrogant as the ask the teacher to complete your "Teacher Checklist" of questions. If not Realized, you have no clue at all about what to look for, anyway. Just watch for the resonance. Do not be so arrogant as to demand some sort of "Realization Résumé." Just watch for the resonance. And do not be so demanding as to seek some kind of "money-back guarantee" if you fail to understand.
Why? The teacher's understanding is fixed and does not waver. See that the "teacher's course" is based in tried and proven methods. Then understand that the variable in this Realization equation is not the teacher's credentials or game plan. The variable is your degree of readiness. That shall be the deciding factor. Listen and then be on the alert for that inner resonance. If the inner guru resonates and begins to awaken, grab hold of the sticking-post. If not, search on.
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.
