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 VIEWER OF THE RETREAT DVD'S: I bought the DVD set of one of your retreats and there were so many things you said that I disagreed with--but watching them later..many times..that changed. But one thing you say on occasion is still nagging me. I was raised in a church home and was told to find the reason God put me on earth and that I could never be happy unless I found "His plan for me" and then spent my life doing whatever that was. I bought into that "raison d'etre" theory, tried to let that be the driving force in my life for years, came across your website, and started getting free of all of that. I thought I was, but whenever you talk about what some of the "big names' write about--you know meaning and purpose and all--I flash back and then the nagging starts again and I hear someone say A LIFE WITHOUT MEANING IS WORTHLESS. Will I ever be able to let go of that? How can anyone be free of the ideas of meaning and purpose and still feel fulfilled?
F.: For the full treatment of this subject, you might visit the archives (January 2006) and read the series that was entitled: "WHO Wants Meaning and Purpose?" Understand one of the key errors in your faulty logic if you would strike at the actual root of that "nagging" discontentment and be free:
THE DISCONTENTMENT OF "THE QUEST":
Early on, you were sent on a quest, a quest that can never be satisfied and that can never end unless You realize fully. Why? Because there is no god that sent you here, because there is no force that assigned to you a special purpose, and because just living is as close to any "life's purpose" as there is, to paraphrase Maharaj.
"The Quest" historically has been a concept that has been endorsed in almost every culture during almost every era. Grandmother's Cherokee tribe spoke of "the quest" or "the vision quest," the quest's beginnings going back to her original roots in the Far East.
The problem with humans and their concepts is their tendency to over-do, to inflate, to exaggerate, to overstress, or to magnify as a result of humanity's tendency toward obsessive-compulsive behaviors, as a result of humanity's desire to escape, and as a result of humanity's addictive tendencies (estimates being that 99.7% of the people on the planet are addicted to something); thus, more and more of everything is always required.
A glass of wine is good? Then five glasses would be better, ten glasses, best. One quest good? Then longer quests better, a life-long quest, best.
So if a thousand years ago a guru suggested to seekers that they go into the quiet and consider pointers offered in order to reach the understanding that allows Realization and freedom and peace to manifest - and then be done with any and all doingness and searching and seeking - how have humans with their obsessive and compulsive and addictive personalities distorted that?
Simply by making everything into a quest. They bastardize the suggestion and it soon becomes, "You must meditate every day." "You must reach the samadhi state and enjoy the respite that affords." "You must find time throughout the day to meditate and be quiet, and maybe toss a hum or two into the mix as well." All most unnatural; all most "supernatural."
Rather than reaching the state that exists here (where there is no longer any going into or coming out of the samadhi state) there develops instead a monomania - a quest - where the focus is on one thing and nothing else.
The problem nowadays with that is, humans cannot maintain focus, so they jump from one quest to another, one plan to another, one author's approach to another, one speaker's program to another. The most obsessive persons, of course, find one quest and pursue it to the end.
In the case of "quiet consideration," that which was a temporary tool (that was to be used only as long as required to facilitate the Realization process so that eventually no tools would be required and so that natural living could happen) becomes distorted into a longer quest...a quest for longer and longer periods of induced quiet and the subsequent nagging sensation that what is being sought on the quest is not happening as consistently as desired.
That brings the discussion to the second point:
PERSONALITY: The Generator of All Misery and Suffering Because of Each Personality's Particular Fears and Desires
See how the extended quest is a setup for desires to never be met, blocking any chance for the sense of fulfillment you mentioned to manifest and guaranteeing that the "nagging" sensation will follow you to the end of the manifestation.
Historically, the quest was a finite, short-term assignment. As a "rite of passage," a guru or an elder provided instruction, then the youth was sent into the wilderness for quiet contemplation to receive the full understanding of the teachings.
The quest was an opportunity to find the full understanding, to become enlightened and readied for Full Realization (enlightenment and Realization being two different stages).
So what happened when magically-thinking, obsessive, compulsive, addictive persons got their hands on the concept? Why, a single quest would no longer do. There must be more and more. And tapping into the inner guru or the inner resource for the understanding, and then being done with it, is never enough. [One sign of the manifestation of the readiness is when someone is heard to shout, sincerely and with conviction, "Enough!"]
Once persons distort the structure and purpose of the quest by adding their personal drivers and desires, then the quest will most assuredly be over-done, inflated, exaggerated, overstressed, and, magnified so that it is warped into seeking guidance from "the spirit world" and having "a spiritual experience" and attaining the false and temporary high that comes with that, generating a need for more and more searching in an effort to repeat the initial high with a lifetime series of highs.
The stage is set for the quest to never be completed; the stage is set for the seeking to never end; the stage is set to block Full Realization; the stage is set in a way that forever prevents the final understanding from manifesting because the very purpose of the quest has been distorted via the over-doing, inflating, exaggerating, overstressing, and, magnifying.
Want to be miserable and want to suffer forever? Pick a quest and go on it, be the quest to find your purpose or your meaning or, as in the case of the writer above, not to find one's purpose but to find the more nebulous God's purpose.
Start the quest and stick to it and your fate will be the same as that of the Man of La Mancha: you'll be seeking forever; you'll become delusional and believe that windmills are enemies with which you must joust and tilt, driven insane in the same fashion as Quixote;
you'll seek an impossible dream (be that world reform or making people better or saving the species that the masses are hell-bent on destroying or saving souls or accumulating millions of dollars, rupees, euros, rands, francs, ad infinitum). Maharaj said, "I am beyond all dreams."
[Interestingly, post-Realization, whatever happens can still happen, but without personal attachment and, therefore, without generating disharmony, but the more salient point here is from Maharaj: "What business have you with saving the world, when all the world needs is to be saved from you?"]
Pick your quest and you will have picked the source of endless misery. Quests as a part of the earliest teaching processes were conducted for a finite period: fifteen minutes of contemplation; three moons' time; seven days in the wilderness; forty days in the desert, eventually distorted into an entire "forest dwelling stage"...whatever any given culture's "magic number" was thought to be.
When you pick your quest nowadays, (or, more accurately, succumb to the influence of the early dysfunctionalism to which you were exposed and which has inspired your "quest"), it will usually be for a lifetime, blocking any chance for natural living and thereby blocking any chance for freedom and peace to manifest. Living, not eternally seeking and not forever being on a quest, is as close to a purpose as there is to what is called "life."
Please enter the silence of contemplation. (To be continued)
F.: For the full treatment of this subject, you might visit the archives (January 2006) and read the series that was entitled: "WHO Wants Meaning and Purpose?" Understand one of the key errors in your faulty logic if you would strike at the actual root of that "nagging" discontentment and be free:
THE DISCONTENTMENT OF "THE QUEST":
Early on, you were sent on a quest, a quest that can never be satisfied and that can never end unless You realize fully. Why? Because there is no god that sent you here, because there is no force that assigned to you a special purpose, and because just living is as close to any "life's purpose" as there is, to paraphrase Maharaj.
"The Quest" historically has been a concept that has been endorsed in almost every culture during almost every era. Grandmother's Cherokee tribe spoke of "the quest" or "the vision quest," the quest's beginnings going back to her original roots in the Far East.
The problem with humans and their concepts is their tendency to over-do, to inflate, to exaggerate, to overstress, or to magnify as a result of humanity's tendency toward obsessive-compulsive behaviors, as a result of humanity's desire to escape, and as a result of humanity's addictive tendencies (estimates being that 99.7% of the people on the planet are addicted to something); thus, more and more of everything is always required.
A glass of wine is good? Then five glasses would be better, ten glasses, best. One quest good? Then longer quests better, a life-long quest, best.
So if a thousand years ago a guru suggested to seekers that they go into the quiet and consider pointers offered in order to reach the understanding that allows Realization and freedom and peace to manifest - and then be done with any and all doingness and searching and seeking - how have humans with their obsessive and compulsive and addictive personalities distorted that?
Simply by making everything into a quest. They bastardize the suggestion and it soon becomes, "You must meditate every day." "You must reach the samadhi state and enjoy the respite that affords." "You must find time throughout the day to meditate and be quiet, and maybe toss a hum or two into the mix as well." All most unnatural; all most "supernatural."
Rather than reaching the state that exists here (where there is no longer any going into or coming out of the samadhi state) there develops instead a monomania - a quest - where the focus is on one thing and nothing else.
The problem nowadays with that is, humans cannot maintain focus, so they jump from one quest to another, one plan to another, one author's approach to another, one speaker's program to another. The most obsessive persons, of course, find one quest and pursue it to the end.
In the case of "quiet consideration," that which was a temporary tool (that was to be used only as long as required to facilitate the Realization process so that eventually no tools would be required and so that natural living could happen) becomes distorted into a longer quest...a quest for longer and longer periods of induced quiet and the subsequent nagging sensation that what is being sought on the quest is not happening as consistently as desired.
That brings the discussion to the second point:
PERSONALITY: The Generator of All Misery and Suffering Because of Each Personality's Particular Fears and Desires
See how the extended quest is a setup for desires to never be met, blocking any chance for the sense of fulfillment you mentioned to manifest and guaranteeing that the "nagging" sensation will follow you to the end of the manifestation.
Historically, the quest was a finite, short-term assignment. As a "rite of passage," a guru or an elder provided instruction, then the youth was sent into the wilderness for quiet contemplation to receive the full understanding of the teachings.
The quest was an opportunity to find the full understanding, to become enlightened and readied for Full Realization (enlightenment and Realization being two different stages).
So what happened when magically-thinking, obsessive, compulsive, addictive persons got their hands on the concept? Why, a single quest would no longer do. There must be more and more. And tapping into the inner guru or the inner resource for the understanding, and then being done with it, is never enough. [One sign of the manifestation of the readiness is when someone is heard to shout, sincerely and with conviction, "Enough!"]
Once persons distort the structure and purpose of the quest by adding their personal drivers and desires, then the quest will most assuredly be over-done, inflated, exaggerated, overstressed, and, magnified so that it is warped into seeking guidance from "the spirit world" and having "a spiritual experience" and attaining the false and temporary high that comes with that, generating a need for more and more searching in an effort to repeat the initial high with a lifetime series of highs.
The stage is set for the quest to never be completed; the stage is set for the seeking to never end; the stage is set to block Full Realization; the stage is set in a way that forever prevents the final understanding from manifesting because the very purpose of the quest has been distorted via the over-doing, inflating, exaggerating, overstressing, and, magnifying.
Want to be miserable and want to suffer forever? Pick a quest and go on it, be the quest to find your purpose or your meaning or, as in the case of the writer above, not to find one's purpose but to find the more nebulous God's purpose.
Start the quest and stick to it and your fate will be the same as that of the Man of La Mancha: you'll be seeking forever; you'll become delusional and believe that windmills are enemies with which you must joust and tilt, driven insane in the same fashion as Quixote;
you'll seek an impossible dream (be that world reform or making people better or saving the species that the masses are hell-bent on destroying or saving souls or accumulating millions of dollars, rupees, euros, rands, francs, ad infinitum). Maharaj said, "I am beyond all dreams."
[Interestingly, post-Realization, whatever happens can still happen, but without personal attachment and, therefore, without generating disharmony, but the more salient point here is from Maharaj: "What business have you with saving the world, when all the world needs is to be saved from you?"]
Pick your quest and you will have picked the source of endless misery. Quests as a part of the earliest teaching processes were conducted for a finite period: fifteen minutes of contemplation; three moons' time; seven days in the wilderness; forty days in the desert, eventually distorted into an entire "forest dwelling stage"...whatever any given culture's "magic number" was thought to be.
When you pick your quest nowadays, (or, more accurately, succumb to the influence of the early dysfunctionalism to which you were exposed and which has inspired your "quest"), it will usually be for a lifetime, blocking any chance for natural living and thereby blocking any chance for freedom and peace to manifest. Living, not eternally seeking and not forever being on a quest, is as close to a purpose as there is to what is called "life."
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:
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.
The Twice-Stolen Necklace Murders offers the non-duality message by way of a mystery-adventure novel, discussing the movement from pain to healing to awakening to peace.
From Dr. R.F. Maley, Ph.D, Professor Emeritus and former Head of the Department of Psychology, University of Houston: "Floyd Henderson's book, The Twice-Stolen Necklace Murders, is a fun read and an interesting mystery, but perhaps more importantly it serves as a vehicle for blending Eastern Philosophy and Native American Spirituality to make an intellectually challenging novel. The book's insights into both relationships and authoritarian conditioning of people in our society make it a must read, tracing the roots of narcissistic, sociopathic and psychopathic behaviors to the very core of the culture. This truly witty and politically-incorrect study of the aggressive nature of 'the American character' offers not only a diagnosis but also a treatment plan, making the book an excellent supplemental reading in courses such as psychology, anthropology, philosophy, sociology and counseling."
You may purchase your copy of the ebook version of THE TWICE-STOLEN NECKLACE MURDERS then start reading within minutes:
The Sequel to The Twice-Stolen Necklace Murders:
THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF WARS
For a paperback or eBook version of the book, click:
[THE YOUTUBE ADVAITA VEDANTA VIDEOS ARE AVAILABLE IN LARGER FORMATS BELOW WHICH MIGHT PROVIDE MORE COMFORTABLE VIEWING FOR SOME SITE VISITORS]
[RE: The "Subscribe To" feature: In some cases, all of the month's postings might be sent the first time after subscribing; after that, you should receive only one day's posting at a time.]
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.
