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.: Consider the insanity of the statement, "I'm going to take that which literally means 'not two' and combine that with one or more things," whether the things include AA or any of the other twelve-step groups' teachings or be those things some organized religion or Native American spirituality or Far Eastern Spirituality or therapy or other philosophy...whatever.
In the end, Advaita is not even compatible with Advaita, much less anything else; that is, in the end, even the use of Advaitin pointers will end. Meanwhile, consider some of the comments by those who are suggesting that Advaita / Non-Duality can be - and should be - combined with religions, spiritual movements, philosophies, or ideologies:
ADVAITA / NON-DUALITY PLUS AA
A man said recently that he was going to weather the current storm in his life "by using a combination of non-duality and AA." The reply was that he might as well proceed with AA only because any effort to reconcile the teachings of non-duality with the duality-based teaching of AA would be fruitless and insane.
He then suggested that two big name teachers of non-duality (names withheld here) "said that non-duality and AA are compatible." The reply: "Then go to them, but understand that if they really did say that, then they have no more of a clue about what non-duality truly involves than you."
Any attempt to combine non-duality with AA (which follows a Christian model of meetings with an opening prayer, a "spiritual message," passing a basket to collect a monetary offering, finishing the message, and closing with a Christian prayer) will fixate any seeker at the third step of a seven-step "journey."
If fixation is avoided and the limited message of any twelve-step program or any religion is transitioned, then Full Realization might happen, yet in most cases, those influenced by religion - or, in this case, one of its stepchildren - will become mired in the quicksand of dogma (even if it is wrapped in a "spiritual cloak").
The result of trying to combine non-duality and any set of religion-based teachings is that (1) seekers will attempt to add the process of "learning more" to Advaita's un-learning process; is that (2) seekers will try to add more teachings to that which is, ultimately, about non-teachings;
and is that (3) seekers will ignore Advaita's invitation to reach a state of zero concepts (including the elimination of concepts about "power" or "Power") and will instead add more concepts about "power" and "Power" and even the totally-dualistic concept of a "Higher Power." So much for "no hierarchies, no separation."
Such persons trying to combine non-duality and AA must ignore the pointer offered in the back of their "official book" which says that most of the founders considered the "higher power" to be "an inner resource" - the inner guru - rather than an outer, other-world source with male appendages.
Does the seven-step, non-dual "path" to Realization allow for a temporary sojourn while assuming a religious ego-state and / or a spiritual ego-state and then playing a religious role and / or spiritual role for a time? Yes.
Is it a place for a stopover? It can be. Is it a place to stay permanently for the entirety of the remainder of the manifestation? No, not if Full Realization and full independence and freedom and continuous happiness are to happen. Consider a few other instances in which persons are now attempting to add to Advaita...to add to that which subtracts all until nothing remains:
NON-DUALITY PLUS RELIGION
As for the comment that "I believe you should discuss on your website the wonderful thing that can happen via 'Christian Advaita'," all of the above applies because both share a common source, namely, dualistic dogma. See below for further examples.
NON-DUALITY PLUS NATIVE AMERICAN SPIRITUALITY
A new level of foppery and affectation has manifested is the U.S. among non-Realized persons who think they have transcended religion (and even think they are beyond "the more common levels of spirituality") and now claim in great numbers that they are "practicing Native American Spirituality."
[It has been noted previously that the claim "I am now practicing Native American Spirituality" actually means in most cases that the claimant owns two Carlos Nakai CD’s and two amulets, the proper locations of which have been inadvertently reversed so that their Dream Catcher swings from the mirror of a vehicle and their Medicine Wheel hangs over the head of a bed. The Dream Catchers hanging inside so many automobiles nowadays might be quite appropriate, however, since most persons here really are driving in their sleep.]
Another effort to combine non-duality with spirituality and / or religion is happening near the Alabama-Coushatta Reservation in eastern Polk County, Texas. Located there are three Christian churches that claim to be an "Indian Presbyterian Church," a "Native American Assembly of God Church" and a "Native American Baptist Church" (complete with a sign in front that displays both a teepee and a cross - a physical and symbolic representation of the insanity of trying to combine spirituality or non-duality with a set of duality-based teachings).
Consider the irony: Euro-Christians invaded territories, killed 98% of the indigenous peoples there, confiscated 99% of their land, "reserved" the remaining 1% of the land for the original inhabitants, and forced the surviving indigenous people to live on those parcels, basically imprisoning them there without benefit of the services that are provided to most communities in the U.S.
Then, Christian missionaries arrived on the reservations and convinced the native peoples to abandon or modify their spiritual beliefs (which were consider "heathen") and to try to combine the non-dualistic teachings of the natives with the all-dualistic dogma of Christianity.
[Currently, there are still 310 "Indian reservations" in the U.S., amounting to little more than legalized gulags of isolation, separation, discrimination, neglect, and deprivation. Deprivation? Yes. Research from a few years ago showed that the typical indigenous male will die before reaching the age of 50 in a nation where the average white male will live to the age of 78. The process of trying to combine (a) teachings that promote "two-ness" and beliefs about multiplicities with (b) teachings that offer a message of non-duality simply and unequivocally cannot "work."]
To attempt to combine the not-two / Advaitin teachings of non-duality with the dualistic ideas and concepts and beliefs being promoted by any other religion, spiritual movement, philosophy or ideology is like trying to combine oil and water in an effort to come up with some new and improved solution.
The delusional belief that such combining is even remotely possible is tantamount to claiming you can combine base metals with chemicals and thereby transform the base metals into gold. The attempt is not only impossible; it is utterly senseless at its core.
Why are all of these "Advaita Plus" notions evolving? Because among persons, there is never believed to be "enough"; there is a constant desire among the non-Realized to accumulate more; there are the core beliefs among persons that "I am not enough" and "I will never have enough."
So the tendency among persons is to seek more and more and more: more books, more knowledge, more exercises, more meetings and gatherings, more methods of seeking, more approaches, ad infinitum.
So driven are they that they cannot see the insanity of trying to apply their principle of more-ness to the Advaitin teachings of less-ness, of de-accumulation, of seeking less and less until eventually there is nothing left.
And it is the pointer that "nothing will be left" that drives those who are even faintly attracted to certain Advaitin pointers to conclude that Advaita is not enough since it does not lead to something but, instead, leads to nothing.
Desire, desire, desire. Gain, gain, gain. Too little, too little, too little. Such is the trap of personality that will prevent most from ever abandoning the search for more and then Realizing Fully.
Please enter the silence of contemplation. (To be continued)
In the end, Advaita is not even compatible with Advaita, much less anything else; that is, in the end, even the use of Advaitin pointers will end. Meanwhile, consider some of the comments by those who are suggesting that Advaita / Non-Duality can be - and should be - combined with religions, spiritual movements, philosophies, or ideologies:
ADVAITA / NON-DUALITY PLUS AA
A man said recently that he was going to weather the current storm in his life "by using a combination of non-duality and AA." The reply was that he might as well proceed with AA only because any effort to reconcile the teachings of non-duality with the duality-based teaching of AA would be fruitless and insane.
He then suggested that two big name teachers of non-duality (names withheld here) "said that non-duality and AA are compatible." The reply: "Then go to them, but understand that if they really did say that, then they have no more of a clue about what non-duality truly involves than you."
Any attempt to combine non-duality with AA (which follows a Christian model of meetings with an opening prayer, a "spiritual message," passing a basket to collect a monetary offering, finishing the message, and closing with a Christian prayer) will fixate any seeker at the third step of a seven-step "journey."
If fixation is avoided and the limited message of any twelve-step program or any religion is transitioned, then Full Realization might happen, yet in most cases, those influenced by religion - or, in this case, one of its stepchildren - will become mired in the quicksand of dogma (even if it is wrapped in a "spiritual cloak").
The result of trying to combine non-duality and any set of religion-based teachings is that (1) seekers will attempt to add the process of "learning more" to Advaita's un-learning process; is that (2) seekers will try to add more teachings to that which is, ultimately, about non-teachings;
and is that (3) seekers will ignore Advaita's invitation to reach a state of zero concepts (including the elimination of concepts about "power" or "Power") and will instead add more concepts about "power" and "Power" and even the totally-dualistic concept of a "Higher Power." So much for "no hierarchies, no separation."
Such persons trying to combine non-duality and AA must ignore the pointer offered in the back of their "official book" which says that most of the founders considered the "higher power" to be "an inner resource" - the inner guru - rather than an outer, other-world source with male appendages.
Does the seven-step, non-dual "path" to Realization allow for a temporary sojourn while assuming a religious ego-state and / or a spiritual ego-state and then playing a religious role and / or spiritual role for a time? Yes.
Is it a place for a stopover? It can be. Is it a place to stay permanently for the entirety of the remainder of the manifestation? No, not if Full Realization and full independence and freedom and continuous happiness are to happen. Consider a few other instances in which persons are now attempting to add to Advaita...to add to that which subtracts all until nothing remains:
NON-DUALITY PLUS RELIGION
As for the comment that "I believe you should discuss on your website the wonderful thing that can happen via 'Christian Advaita'," all of the above applies because both share a common source, namely, dualistic dogma. See below for further examples.
NON-DUALITY PLUS NATIVE AMERICAN SPIRITUALITY
A new level of foppery and affectation has manifested is the U.S. among non-Realized persons who think they have transcended religion (and even think they are beyond "the more common levels of spirituality") and now claim in great numbers that they are "practicing Native American Spirituality."
[It has been noted previously that the claim "I am now practicing Native American Spirituality" actually means in most cases that the claimant owns two Carlos Nakai CD’s and two amulets, the proper locations of which have been inadvertently reversed so that their Dream Catcher swings from the mirror of a vehicle and their Medicine Wheel hangs over the head of a bed. The Dream Catchers hanging inside so many automobiles nowadays might be quite appropriate, however, since most persons here really are driving in their sleep.]
Another effort to combine non-duality with spirituality and / or religion is happening near the Alabama-Coushatta Reservation in eastern Polk County, Texas. Located there are three Christian churches that claim to be an "Indian Presbyterian Church," a "Native American Assembly of God Church" and a "Native American Baptist Church" (complete with a sign in front that displays both a teepee and a cross - a physical and symbolic representation of the insanity of trying to combine spirituality or non-duality with a set of duality-based teachings).
Consider the irony: Euro-Christians invaded territories, killed 98% of the indigenous peoples there, confiscated 99% of their land, "reserved" the remaining 1% of the land for the original inhabitants, and forced the surviving indigenous people to live on those parcels, basically imprisoning them there without benefit of the services that are provided to most communities in the U.S.
Then, Christian missionaries arrived on the reservations and convinced the native peoples to abandon or modify their spiritual beliefs (which were consider "heathen") and to try to combine the non-dualistic teachings of the natives with the all-dualistic dogma of Christianity.
[Currently, there are still 310 "Indian reservations" in the U.S., amounting to little more than legalized gulags of isolation, separation, discrimination, neglect, and deprivation. Deprivation? Yes. Research from a few years ago showed that the typical indigenous male will die before reaching the age of 50 in a nation where the average white male will live to the age of 78. The process of trying to combine (a) teachings that promote "two-ness" and beliefs about multiplicities with (b) teachings that offer a message of non-duality simply and unequivocally cannot "work."]
To attempt to combine the not-two / Advaitin teachings of non-duality with the dualistic ideas and concepts and beliefs being promoted by any other religion, spiritual movement, philosophy or ideology is like trying to combine oil and water in an effort to come up with some new and improved solution.
The delusional belief that such combining is even remotely possible is tantamount to claiming you can combine base metals with chemicals and thereby transform the base metals into gold. The attempt is not only impossible; it is utterly senseless at its core.
Why are all of these "Advaita Plus" notions evolving? Because among persons, there is never believed to be "enough"; there is a constant desire among the non-Realized to accumulate more; there are the core beliefs among persons that "I am not enough" and "I will never have enough."
So the tendency among persons is to seek more and more and more: more books, more knowledge, more exercises, more meetings and gatherings, more methods of seeking, more approaches, ad infinitum.
So driven are they that they cannot see the insanity of trying to apply their principle of more-ness to the Advaitin teachings of less-ness, of de-accumulation, of seeking less and less until eventually there is nothing left.
And it is the pointer that "nothing will be left" that drives those who are even faintly attracted to certain Advaitin pointers to conclude that Advaita is not enough since it does not lead to something but, instead, leads to nothing.
Desire, desire, desire. Gain, gain, gain. Too little, too little, too little. Such is the trap of personality that will prevent most from ever abandoning the search for more and then Realizing Fully.
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
Received 19 August 2010 from one that just completed the entire course:
I would like to extend deepest appreciation towards you for these teachings that you have offered. It has been most valuable towards what may not have been revealed throughout this manifestation labeled "anthony." Understanding Truth and finding words for gratitude are one as is all. Thank you again for pointing "me" to THAT and the understanding that came as well. Hopeful for future "contact"! Sincerely, Anthony M. W.
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
Received 19 August 2010 from one that just completed the entire course:
I would like to extend deepest appreciation towards you for these teachings that you have offered. It has been most valuable towards what may not have been revealed throughout this manifestation labeled "anthony." Understanding Truth and finding words for gratitude are one as is all. Thank you again for pointing "me" to THAT and the understanding that came as well. Hopeful for future "contact"! Sincerely, Anthony M. W.
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:
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Please enter the silence of contemplation.
