A non-duality forum offering Direct Path and Nisargan considerations in simple language in order to address the actual roots of the Ultimate Sickness and to allow for natural abidance thereafter
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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.
Furthermore, for those who have developed a preference for any non-nisargan yoga or who prefer Traditional Advaita Vedanta, Neo-Advaita, Neo-Vedanta, or Pseudo Advaita: here you will only find the use of the Direct Path Method of teaching along with the Nisarga (Natural) Yoga, all shared in simple, everyday English.
(Please note: The Annual Fall / Winter Season Book Sale is now under way. Most Non-Duality eBooks at floydhenderson.com are on sale at 30-50% off regular price.)
Note: In South Africa, the ostrich egg is a popular tourist curio. Emptied of all contents (albumen and yolk), the interior of the egg is cleaned thoroughly so that no residue remains before it is sold.
Reflect on the hollow ostrich egg that has been emptied of its contents.
Perceived with the view of conditioning, the egg is simply "emptiness" with a veneer of shell. In other words, the egg appears to contain “emptiness” in its interior that is separate from the “emptiness” that surrounds it on the exterior. What creates this appearance of inside and outside? The shell -which in the case of the ostrich egg, is surprisingly tough consisting of several millimetres of calcium carbonate. If the egg shell is shattered, what remains? Simply some fragments of shell and “emptiness” with no inner and outer.
Perceived with the view of pure understanding, there is simply this “emptiness” in which the ostrich egg temporarily appears. The ostrich egg is not permanent. The shell itself is composed of elements. Temporarily they have combined to create the egg; sooner or later they will un-combine.
See if you can perceive this empty space, the combining of elements that "create" the temporary appearance of "ostrich egg", and then the un-combining of elements which cause the ostrich egg to "disappear", leaving simply this background of "emptiness".
What is the nature of the “emptiness” in which the ostrich egg appears? The description “emptiness” is a misnomer, a label used to describe what is indescribable, unperceivable, unknowable, unconditioned, a vacancy that contains everything.
Replace the ostrich egg now with the human body. Perceived with the view of conditioning, that body appears separate from its environment. There is an appearance of solidity to the body that delineates it from the “emptiness” around it. From the perception of the body-identified person, there is a sense of “in here” and “out there”. Again, if the body perishes and is cremated or buried, what remains? A handful of ashes, a few bones, and “emptiness” with no inner and outer.
Perceived with the view of pure understanding, there is simply “emptiness” in which the human body appears. In this way, the human body is not different from any other object perceived. It too is simply made of elements. These elements are mainly just space or “emptiness”? (Read any biology textbook for the science supporting this view).
Trace the physical body from foetus to old age. Can you see that elements temporarily combine and then un-combine? Can you see that the “emptiness” in here and the “emptiness” out there are not separate? There is simply “emptiness” – with just the temporary appearance of a human body?
Reflect on this scenario in silence until you “get” it. There is no birth and death of an entity – there is simply this clustering of elements temporarily gathered together for a time.
What remains? Who are you prior to the formation of the foetus, prior to fertilization of sperm and egg, prior to conception? Who are you after the physical body is dead and gone?
Let’s return now to our ostrich egg analogy. Imagine that the ostrich egg is not empty. Imagine instead that it is filled with false concepts. Imagine that those false concepts generate personas or false selves. Imagine that the personas churn out emotions – happy and sad; euphoric and tragic, ad nauseum, based on the fulfilment or non-fulfilment of endless desires and fears.
The “emptiness” within the ostrich egg cannot be easily discerned when this apparent “emptiness” is adulterated with a steaming mess of thoughts, emotions, false selves and false concepts. When the “emptiness” within and the “emptiness” without cannot be seen as identical, it is virtually impossible for the understanding of the non-separated state to dawn.
This is a metaphor for the conditioned mind as it functions in humans. The human animal itself is natural and functions effortlessly. The “mind” on the other hand is effectively insane. It is self-centred and clusters false concepts around a fictional idea of self-hood.
Examples of corrupting thoughts were offered by “floyd” yesterday.
I do not want to give up my ability to look at a beautiful sunset and weep.
I'll take the bad in order to have the good.
To be able to relish the beauty, I will tolerate whatever ugliness comes along.
The Nisarga Yoga offered here, invites you to “empty” the conditioned mind of ALL concepts. In the absence of attachment to concepts, the machinery of the mind ceases to entrap you. Thoughts may arise, but they are not clung onto and linked together to create a false persona with its myriad of desires and fears.
Observe the thoughts as you observe a flock of birds fly across the sky. There is only an appearance of a “flock”. Each bird is separate, but when grouped together creates an appearance of a solid entity. The self-centred thoughts are like that. Do not be fooled because there is an appearance of continuity and connection.
Today's Considerations
Recent Posts and Archives
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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.
Furthermore, for those who have developed a preference for any non-nisargan yoga or who prefer Traditional Advaita Vedanta, Neo-Advaita, Neo-Vedanta, or Pseudo Advaita: here you will only find the use of the Direct Path Method of teaching along with the Nisarga (Natural) Yoga, all shared in simple, everyday English.
(Please note: The Annual Fall / Winter Season Book Sale is now under way. Most Non-Duality eBooks at floydhenderson.com are on sale at 30-50% off regular price.)
NOTE: Louise will be posting tomorrow and Monday
F.: Recently, during two different Skype sessions with two women in Australia, the results of their enneagram tests were discussed to show the way that the hidden agendas and desires and fears of their various personas were pulling them in such diametrically opposite directions that they had to admit that, indeed, they had spent much of their lives feeling "torn" and "pulled."
Both intelligent women, they understood how the truly self-destructive actions that had brought about such suffering and misery throughout most of the relative existence had been driven by hidden motivators rather than by choice (the ability to choose having been removed by the combined forces of a variety of personalities).
In both cases, though, when they asked how they were to be free of such subconscious forces that had admittedly driven them to behave in ways that ran counter to logic and reason and their own relative interests, a bewildered - even mystified - look settled across the face of each after hearing the answer.
Both drew the conclusion that so many do when they are first introduced to the means by which their existence can be purged of fluctuations and instability and insanity and, yes, even chaos: it seemed to both that the result of abandonment of personality would be a boring, robotic existence.
One said, "I do not disagree that there are four personalities that have inspired me to be overly-emotional, overly-dramatic, and even histrionic at times; but I do not want to give up my ability to look at a beautiful sunset and weep.
"I do not want to give up the ability to be so moved by such scenes that I am inspired to take up brush and enjoy the creative juices that flow as I capture the beauty on canvas."
F.: "Yet you do admit that emotional intoxication has regularly driven the car called "your life" into the ditch time and again, year after year?"
She: "Yes, but I'll take the bad in order to have the good; to be able to relish the beauty, I will tolerate whatever ugliness comes along."
F.: "So your belief is that an existence with beauty cannot existence without the dualistic counterpart of ugliness? Then what of the words that were sent to me today by a fully Realized woman, words I shall paraphrase for you: 'There is such a sense of presence today, allowing me to enjoy dancing in that energetic river with everything - without words - which of course by their nature limit what is really this limitless freedom.' Does it sounds as if Realization has turned her into a robotic, un-feeling entity?"
She:"No, but ...."
F.: "But you have ridden so long on the roller coaster with its really high highs and its really low lows that the offer to enjoy a smooth, straight ride on a railroad train has no appeal?"
She:"Exactly!"
F.: "So are you trying to convince me to believe that you can better observe and enjoy a sunset when being tossed about on a roller coaster ride than when sitting in a steadily moving train?"
She:"Hummm."
F.: "Yes, 'hummm' indeed. And are you going to try to convince me that you could best capture a beautiful sunset on canvas while being bounced about on a jumpy and rough and erratic roller coaster ride rather than while moving along railroad tracks on a smooth and steady and stable and composed journey? Is it possible that you could still feel feelings without being jerked about in a state of emotional intoxication as has happened most of your life?"
She: [Pausing, and then] "Maybe ... yes, maybe so."
After the difference in emotions and feelings was explained, both women suddenly realized that they were not being invited to be free of the ability to feel but were being invited to be free of a relative existence that has been marked and marred by chaos that was rooted in emotional intoxication.
[For the emotions vs. feelings explanation, see "Video Three" to the right. You can fast-forward to the emotions vs. feeling discussion which begins at the 3:00 counter mark and continues to the 4:22 mark; or you may visit the archives and read the 13 August 2005 posting or the 11 May 2006 posting or the 3 September 2006 posting or the 1 March 2008 posting for a discussion of the topic.]
In the end, they came to understand that freedom from emotional intoxication does not limit the ability to feel but enhances it; they came to understand that freedom from chaos does not equal boredom.
Please enter the silence of contemplation.
[PLEASE NOTE: If you are receiving this post via an RSS feed, it is recommended that you view the actual article because the content is often modified or added to after the initial posting.]
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:
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.
NOTE: When you order this package, you receive three additional ebooks free: CASTING LIGHT ON THE DARK SIDE OF RELATIONSHIPS, FINDING REAL LOVE IN AN UNREAL WORLD and THE TWICE-STOLEN NECKLACE MURDERS (offering the Advaita teachings in a fictional novel format)
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.
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. Presently, Skype sessions are being conducted with parties in Australia; The Netherlands; New Jersey, U.S.A.; London, England; Italy; and India. 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.]
Today's Considerations
Recent Posts and Archives
Tools for Realization
Author's eBooks
Author's Paperback Books
Free eBooks
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.
Furthermore, for those who have developed a preference for any non-nisargan yoga or who prefer Traditional Advaita Vedanta, Neo-Advaita, Neo-Vedanta, or Pseudo Advaita: here you will only find the use of the Direct Path Method of teaching along with the Nisarga (Natural) Yoga, all shared in simple, everyday English.
(Please note: The Annual Fall / Winter Season Book Sale is now under way. Most Non-Duality eBooks at floydhenderson.com are on sale at 30-50% off regular price.)
NOTE: Louise will be posting Sunday and Monday
F.: The need for the Ultimate Medicine is indicated by the symptoms associated with the Ultimate Sickness. The symptoms of the Ultimate Sickness include:
** ignorance (and, associated with that, a failure to understand that body and mind and personality are underlying symptoms of ignorance)
** unhappiness
** a stress-filled existence
** persona-based fears
** persona-based desires
** believing you know what you do not know
** fluctuation, instability, chaos
** arrogance, egotism, narcissism
** separation
** suffering and misery
** attachments
** love of knowledge (a.k.a., "learned ignorance")
** thinking (especially, magical thinking)
** misperceiving
** insanity (including ... not even knowing who you are)
** violent behavior (including that directed at oneself)
** excessive tolerance of the intolerable (often tolerated for imaginary "gains" such as a nice house; an elevated lifestyle; the ability to continue playing false roles; entitlements - such as monetary gifts and clothing and shelter along with the paying of all of one's bills by another - entitlements that are believed to be deserved as a result of physical appearance or charms [or wiles?] or sexual favors, ad infinitum)
** the willingness to accept beliefs and ideas and concepts as true based on nothing more than "faith" and the words of persons "in authority"
** Relatedly, a refusal to question authority and a refusal to revisit and question all of one's beliefs and attitudes
** a refusal to live naturally
** normalization of the unnatural
** a desire to try to live supernaturally (a.k.a., religiously, spiritually, magically)
** a willingness to assume false identities that require other persons to play the counter-roles - the counterparts - that are required for the false identities to be considered real, generating an entire series of co-dependencies
** establishing dependencies and co-dependencies without seeing how they rob persons of independence
** a failure to understand the distinctions involving "mahadakash," "chidakash," and "paramakash"
[Maharaj:Mahadakash is nature, the ocean of existences, the physical space with all that can be contacted through the senses.
Chidakash is the expanse of awareness, the mental space of time, perception and cognition.
Paramakash is the timeless and spaceless reality, mindless, undifferentiated, the infinite potentiality, the source and origin, the substance and the essence, both matter and consciousness - yet beyond both. It cannot be perceived, but can be experienced as ever witnessing the witness, perceiving the perceiver, the origin and the end of all manifestation, the root of time and space, the prime cause in every chain of causation.]
** an inability to differentiate between (a) false subject-object "love" and (b) true Real Love
** believing in multiplicity as opposed to the unicity
** being driven by passion while knowing nothing of compassion
** accepting the popularized versions of the ancient teachings as truth though they are the products of now-famous persons who have bastardized the original teachings in order to make them appealing to the masses and in order to generate wealth
** believing that one has reached the end of a path when even the midpoint has not been reached
If any of those symptoms are evidenced, then you might be a candidate for the Ultimate Medicine. If there is presently just enough wisdom to see the symptoms, and if there is only enough wisdom to know that there are teachers who dispense the Ultimate Medicine, then you are wise enough to move along the "path" to healing.
All that is required to be made whole - to be made well - beyond those minor degrees of wisdom is the readiness to listen, to hear, to contemplate and consider, to be "un-taught," to "unlearn," and to then be free.
Please enter the silence of contemplation.
[PLEASE NOTE: If you are receiving this post via an RSS feed, it is recommended that you view the actual article because the content is often modified or added to after the initial posting.]
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:
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.
NOTE: When you order this package, you receive three additional ebooks free: CASTING LIGHT ON THE DARK SIDE OF RELATIONSHIPS, FINDING REAL LOVE IN AN UNREAL WORLD and THE TWICE-STOLEN NECKLACE MURDERS (offering the Advaita teachings in a fictional novel format)
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.
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. Presently, Skype sessions are being conducted with parties in Australia; The Netherlands; New Jersey, U.S.A.; London, England; Italy; and India. 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.]
Today's Considerations
Recent Posts and Archives
Tools for Realization
Author's eBooks
Author's Paperback Books
Free eBooks
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.
Furthermore, for those who have developed a preference for any non-nisargan yoga or who prefer Traditional Advaita Vedanta, Neo-Advaita, Neo-Vedanta, or Pseudo Advaita: here you will only find the use of the Direct Path Method of teaching along with the Nisarga (Natural) Yoga, all shared in simple, everyday English.
(Please note: The Annual Fall / Winter Season Book Sale is now under way. Most Non-Duality eBooks at floydhenderson.com are on sale at 30-50% off regular price.)
Louise will be posting Sunday and Monday
FROM A SITE VISITOR:So are you NOT at one with mrcuteblackie?
F.: No, I am not. I (a temporarily manifested speck of conscious-energy) could be said at the elementary level to be "at one with" all specks of temporarily manifested conscious-energy, yet even that comment is level-appropriate and offered only to seekers that are at the earliest stages on the "path." Why? Because those farther along the "path" understand that "at one with" also implies duality.
There is but one pool of consciousness. It is all the same, unified if manifest. The consciousness is only consciousness if manifested, but the awareness with the potentiality to manifest as consciousness is also one ... one pool of energy which - in that case - is awareness with no aware of-ness.
Here, the illusory triad of body-mind-personality is not recognized. What is recognized is the "triad" of elements-air-consciousness. The elements are one - one universal pool of elements; the breath is one - one universal pool of air; and the consciousness is one - one pool of conscious-energy when manifested. And all of that is one.
So even "at one with" cannot apply within the Advaita ("not two") understanding. Pointers used in discussions are like thorns used to remove thorns, and - as with thorns that are no longer required to remove thorns - are cast aside.
To think that a person can be "at one with another person" is to believe that a mirage can be at one with another mirage, and that again would imply duality ... "A" being at one with "B."
In the end, speak not of "being at one with" - speak of the Oneness, of the unicity beyond the perceived but illusory multiplicity, of atonement (that is, "at-one-ment").
Once Realized, there will be no sense of "with-ness"; there will be the awareness of One - the awareness of a Singularity - but with no sense of "plus-ness" or "inclusion" or "joining together with persons."
Persons (the non-Realized) are merely ghosts, merely apparitions, merely phantoms, merely images. Humans, on the other hand, are elemental plant food bodies - not unlike fish and fowl, not unlike fauna and flora - none of which are what they appear to be or what they are taken to be by the non-Realized.
So no, I am not "at one with" mrcuteblackie and I am not at one with anyone taking on identities such as "mister" and labeling the phenomenal "self" with descriptors such as "cute" and "black" or "ugly" and "white" or any other nouns or adjectives that so often follow the phrase "I am."
Neti-neti. I Am, but I am not "this" and not "that," and the same applies to all temporarily manifested specks.
Please enter the silence of contemplation. (To be continued)
[PLEASE NOTE: If you are receiving this post via an RSS feed, it is recommended that you view the actual article because the content is often modified or added to after the initial posting.]
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:
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.
NOTE: When you order this package, you receive three additional ebooks free: CASTING LIGHT ON THE DARK SIDE OF RELATIONSHIPS, FINDING REAL LOVE IN AN UNREAL WORLD and THE TWICE-STOLEN NECKLACE MURDERS (offering the Advaita teachings in a fictional novel format)
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.
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. Presently, Skype sessions are being conducted with parties in Australia; The Netherlands; New Jersey, U.S.A.; London, England; Italy; and India. 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.]
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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.
Furthermore, for those who have developed a preference for any non-nisargan yoga or who prefer Traditional Advaita Vedanta, Neo-Advaita, Neo-Vedanta, or Pseudo Advaita: here you will only find the use of the Direct Path Method of teaching along with the Nisarga (Natural) Yoga, all shared in simple, everyday English.
(Please note: The Annual Fall / Winter Season Book Sale is now under way. Most Non-Duality eBooks at floydhenderson.com are on sale at 30-50% off regular price.)
FROM A VISITOR TO THE YOUTUBE SITE, calling himself "mrcuteblackie": "This is not true spiritual awakening. Why do these advaita [sic] awaken only to the physical, [sic] and to the sense of sight? There are many reals [sic], angelic realms, healing, etc, [sic] why do they not also perceive this in the oneness? Their own oneness is the dry one with no compassion. Yes, they still have to meditate and work topward [sic] compassion, just in the same way as they work and sell books and organize satsangs."
F.: First, let this "mea culpa," shared originally in April of 2006, be repeated before offering the answer to "mrcuteblackie":
"...Let the point be made that when the space called 'floyd' was absorbed in Level Three—initially playing a religious role for years and then playing the Spiritual Giant role for many more years—there are few who were stuck there more firmly, who have defended those two false ego-states more vigorously, or who were as rigid in the dualistic beliefs of 'rightness' and 'wrongness.' By reaching the Witness Step, a person can look back objectively and see, and by reaching the Pure Witness Stage the consciousness can look back and see clearly. Then the movement along the "path" toward Full Realization can continue. Until then, 'a little learning can be a dangerous thing,' relatively speaking."
That said, the following was offered to the one exposing his self-image, taking himself to be "cute" and taking himself to be "spirituality awakened":
F.: Spiritual awakening is the third of seven steps to Realization, so your talk shows you think you are being bathed in the full light of the noonday sun but are really standing only in the light of early dawn. (That might explain the "blackie" part, being in the darkness?) You criticize nisarga yoga pointers - which you do not understand - that invite seekers to live naturally without all of the trappings of their newly-assumed personas of "The Religious One" or "The Spiritual Giant." The naturally abiding deer do not meditate on angels but just live.
As for the charge that "these advaita" are awake only to the physical and to that which can be seen, that deserves no comment. As for "angelic realms" and "dry" (vs. "wet"?) compassion and "still meditating," "The Cute One" reveals that he is just like the blind men feeling an elephant, grasping only a small part of the total picture and thus having no understanding at all of the functioning of the totality.
Yet the type of message sent by "mrcuteblackie" is common nowadays. Those attached to one of the other Advaita Vedanta teaching methods or some other yoga can hear Direct Path and Nisargan pointers and dismiss them as nonsense because such pointers are beyond that which the critics have been exposed to in their limited search. So it is.
Time and again it has been noted here that there are no opinions or beliefs or criticisms about the various methods used to offer non-duality pointers, but the methods are quite varied. Some persons exposed to only one method of teaching Advaita believe - as a result of their limited exposure - that all other methods that do not mirror their own must be wrong.
They are no different from those who generate chaos and calamity in "relationships" because their partners are not mirror images of them (which is all they can "love" because of the egotism that supports their false-self-image of better-than-ness). In the end, there is never any Real Love there.
For too many heterosexuals, the only persons they believe are "lovable" are opposite-sex versions of themselves; for non-heterosexuals, the only persons they believe are "lovable" are same-sex versions of themselves. And those trapped in such egotism must have someone who is as "cute" as they are.
As for compassion, compassion is here, but it is for anyone presently dealing with persons who take themselves to be so "cute" and so right and so spiritual that no one will be "good enough" for them except those who are as "cute" and as right and as spiritual as the cute, right, spiritual persons think they are.
In fact, rather than being driven by compassion, they are driven by "passion" ... by their passion for their way of thinking, their way of talking, and their way of behaving. And the end result of passion is not compassion, for passion does not generate compassion;
instead, passion generates ignorance because it preempts logic and reason, leaving persons in an unteachable state, and - more significantly - blocks them from unlearning the nonsense they believe to be the unassailable truth that they think can be spoken and that they think they are speaking.
So it is, therefore, that Alexander Pope's observation that "a little learning can be a dangerous thing" has some validity; also valid is the point that a lot of learning can be an even more dangerous thing.
Here, there is no claim that Truth is being spoken, for it cannot be; here, there is no claim that the Direct Path Method and the Nisarga Yoga are the sole means to Realization;
here, though, there is a suggestion that - as long as there is a body-cum-consciousness - it is wiser to keep the feet of that body fixed firmly on the ground rather than trying to float about in a "higher realm" (which is also dualistic talk).
To think that there are lower realms and higher realms, that there are baser realms and angelic realms, is to be lost in the magical thinking and the dualistic thinking that is generated when super-religious or super-spiritual roles (which are false, ego-based, egotism-supported identities) are assumed. And as one Advaita teacher noted 2000 years ago, "a dual-minded man is unstable in all ways."
Please enter the silence of contemplation.
[PLEASE NOTE: If you are receiving this post via an RSS feed, it is recommended that you view the actual article because the content is often modified or added to after the initial posting.]
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:
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.
NOTE: When you order this package, you receive three additional ebooks free: CASTING LIGHT ON THE DARK SIDE OF RELATIONSHIPS, FINDING REAL LOVE IN AN UNREAL WORLD and THE TWICE-STOLEN NECKLACE MURDERS (offering the Advaita teachings in a fictional novel format)
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.
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. Presently, Skype sessions are being conducted with parties in Australia; The Netherlands; New Jersey, U.S.A.; London, England; Italy; and India. 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.]
