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.
[Upcoming discussions: "FINDING AN ADVAITIN TEACHER" and "THE ULTIMATE SICKNESS, THE ULTIMATE MEDICINE: The Stages and Steps to Realization"]
F.: It was mentioned yesterday that some seek a softer or faster way along "the road to Realization." It was also mentioned that one should notice if the words of a teacher trigger the inner guru to resonate and, if that happens, follow the teacher's directions.
Mararaj addressed both:
Questioner: "Please tell me which road to self-realisation is the shortest."
Maharaj: "No way is short or long, but some people are more in earnest and some are less. I can tell you about myself. I was a simple man, but I trusted my Guru. What he told me to do, I did. He told me to concentrate on 'I am' - I did. He told me that I am beyond all perceivables and conceivables - I believed. I gave him my heart and soul, my entire attention and the whole of my spare time (I had to work to keep my family alive). As a result of faith and earnest application, I realised my self (swarupa) within three years."
Here, the invitation is to move onto the road; when a fork in the road appears, allow the teacher to point the way; and then (as Maharaj said) "...trust the road to take you to your destination." Expose yourself fully to the wind of change and allow the miasma that presently blocks the consciousness from seeing clearly to be blown away.
To clarify another pointer from yesterday, understand that there is no "success" or "failure" involved with this "journey." Today, I rose at a later-than-usual hour; yesterday, I awoke at the usual time. Did I fail to wake up today? No, I just took a little longer. Did I succeed at waking up yesterday but not today? No. In the end, the result was all the same.
For some, an alarm clock with a soft sound might not bring about the awakening. Some might try many different means to awaken: soft music, loud music, a gentle tone, a hard, abrasive sound. In the end, though, most find that one specific method most effectively led to the awakening.
Of that Maharaj said, "Theoretically - all approaches are good. In practice, and at a given moment, you proceed by one road only. Sooner or later you are bound to discover that if you really want to find, you must dig at one place only - within."
Maharaj said: "On the road each step helps you reach your destination, and each is as crucial as the other, for each step must be made, you cannot skip it. If you refuse to make it, you are stuck!"
and
“…You should go back, reverse, to the source.”
and
“Follow the same path by which you came.”
What persons that do not understand the seven-step "path" in from
(a) the Absolute to
(b) erroneously believing that the false "I" is one's actual identity
can possibly "go back," can possibly "reverse," can possibly follow that same path out "by which they came"? None.
What persons who have only reached the third (religious and / or spiritual) step and are sure that they have heard the entire story and are convinced that there is no "rest of the story" to be understood can possibly complete the entire seven-step “journey”? None.
This pointer has been offered in the past: "While religion and spirituality are not to be avoided, they are to be transitioned. They are but one step along a 'path' to the freedom that happens when the understanding of 'natural' displaces unnatural and supernatural thinking."
If you complete this "journey," you are going to see exactly, step-by-step, how you arrived from (a) the Absolute state to (b) the false belief that you are a body. And you are going to see how to shift from believing (1) that you are a body to (2) Realization of the Absolute (and in some cases, that which is even beyond That).
And seeing that complete cycle, then you are going to understand all of the cycles (including how the "cycling in" happens and how the "cycling out" happens). You will understand each step of the "way in" from the Absolute to body identification; then you will understand why the way to Realizing (and abiding as) the Absolute happens only when each of those steps is taken again, in reverse order.
Dennis Waite put it this way: "All levels of identification must be transcended and this should be done in a controlled and stepwise manner that has been validated through millennia of teaching. Attractive though it might seem, it is not possible to jump straight to the end."
In February of 2009, this was shared: "For many seekers, the road has been long…far too long." That will always be the case if persons think they can find their way along an unfamiliar route without a map or guide.
It would be not unlike this: Suppose you enter the U.S. Library of Congress for the first time, ready to search for that which you would find. Inside are over 33 million books in 470 languages, along with 62 million manuscripts;
over one million government publications; over one million issues of newspapers; a million or more microfilm reels; nearly five million maps; sheet music; sound recordings, and more.
All of the content of the library has been entered into the Library of Congress Classification System to facilitate locating that which one seeks, but even that system you would not know how to use in the early going. Next, imagine that Maharaj was correct and that you must "dig in one place" to find that which you seek.
Then, the questions become,
"Would you decide that you could navigate all of the content of that library on your own and find the one exact place where you should dig for whatever it is that you are seeking?"
"Would you not approach the librarian that is familiar with the contents and seek guidance?"
"Would you not take advantage of the method which has been used, and which has been validated effective for centuries, to guide you to that which you seek?"
Certainly, you might speak to a novice at the front desk and find that something inside you is telling you that the novice really does not know the way to assist you. Something inside might be telling you that you need another guide that is more familiar with the library.
Then move on, but do not abandon the search because of that. Find a guide, step on the "path," follow the directions offered by one that has traveled the road less traveled...the road that you would travel, and then enjoy the bliss that awaits at the end of your seeking...at the end of the "journey."
Mararaj addressed both:
Questioner: "Please tell me which road to self-realisation is the shortest."
Maharaj: "No way is short or long, but some people are more in earnest and some are less. I can tell you about myself. I was a simple man, but I trusted my Guru. What he told me to do, I did. He told me to concentrate on 'I am' - I did. He told me that I am beyond all perceivables and conceivables - I believed. I gave him my heart and soul, my entire attention and the whole of my spare time (I had to work to keep my family alive). As a result of faith and earnest application, I realised my self (swarupa) within three years."
Here, the invitation is to move onto the road; when a fork in the road appears, allow the teacher to point the way; and then (as Maharaj said) "...trust the road to take you to your destination." Expose yourself fully to the wind of change and allow the miasma that presently blocks the consciousness from seeing clearly to be blown away.
To clarify another pointer from yesterday, understand that there is no "success" or "failure" involved with this "journey." Today, I rose at a later-than-usual hour; yesterday, I awoke at the usual time. Did I fail to wake up today? No, I just took a little longer. Did I succeed at waking up yesterday but not today? No. In the end, the result was all the same.
For some, an alarm clock with a soft sound might not bring about the awakening. Some might try many different means to awaken: soft music, loud music, a gentle tone, a hard, abrasive sound. In the end, though, most find that one specific method most effectively led to the awakening.
Of that Maharaj said, "Theoretically - all approaches are good. In practice, and at a given moment, you proceed by one road only. Sooner or later you are bound to discover that if you really want to find, you must dig at one place only - within."
Maharaj said: "On the road each step helps you reach your destination, and each is as crucial as the other, for each step must be made, you cannot skip it. If you refuse to make it, you are stuck!"
and
“…You should go back, reverse, to the source.”
and
“Follow the same path by which you came.”
What persons that do not understand the seven-step "path" in from
(a) the Absolute to
(b) erroneously believing that the false "I" is one's actual identity
can possibly "go back," can possibly "reverse," can possibly follow that same path out "by which they came"? None.
What persons who have only reached the third (religious and / or spiritual) step and are sure that they have heard the entire story and are convinced that there is no "rest of the story" to be understood can possibly complete the entire seven-step “journey”? None.
This pointer has been offered in the past: "While religion and spirituality are not to be avoided, they are to be transitioned. They are but one step along a 'path' to the freedom that happens when the understanding of 'natural' displaces unnatural and supernatural thinking."
If you complete this "journey," you are going to see exactly, step-by-step, how you arrived from (a) the Absolute state to (b) the false belief that you are a body. And you are going to see how to shift from believing (1) that you are a body to (2) Realization of the Absolute (and in some cases, that which is even beyond That).
And seeing that complete cycle, then you are going to understand all of the cycles (including how the "cycling in" happens and how the "cycling out" happens). You will understand each step of the "way in" from the Absolute to body identification; then you will understand why the way to Realizing (and abiding as) the Absolute happens only when each of those steps is taken again, in reverse order.
Dennis Waite put it this way: "All levels of identification must be transcended and this should be done in a controlled and stepwise manner that has been validated through millennia of teaching. Attractive though it might seem, it is not possible to jump straight to the end."
In February of 2009, this was shared: "For many seekers, the road has been long…far too long." That will always be the case if persons think they can find their way along an unfamiliar route without a map or guide.
It would be not unlike this: Suppose you enter the U.S. Library of Congress for the first time, ready to search for that which you would find. Inside are over 33 million books in 470 languages, along with 62 million manuscripts;
over one million government publications; over one million issues of newspapers; a million or more microfilm reels; nearly five million maps; sheet music; sound recordings, and more.
All of the content of the library has been entered into the Library of Congress Classification System to facilitate locating that which one seeks, but even that system you would not know how to use in the early going. Next, imagine that Maharaj was correct and that you must "dig in one place" to find that which you seek.
Then, the questions become,
"Would you decide that you could navigate all of the content of that library on your own and find the one exact place where you should dig for whatever it is that you are seeking?"
"Would you not approach the librarian that is familiar with the contents and seek guidance?"
"Would you not take advantage of the method which has been used, and which has been validated effective for centuries, to guide you to that which you seek?"
Certainly, you might speak to a novice at the front desk and find that something inside you is telling you that the novice really does not know the way to assist you. Something inside might be telling you that you need another guide that is more familiar with the library.
Then move on, but do not abandon the search because of that. Find a guide, step on the "path," follow the directions offered by one that has traveled the road less traveled...the road that you would travel, and then enjoy the bliss that awaits at the end of your seeking...at the end of the "journey."
Please enter the silence of contemplation.
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.
