Advaita Vedanta: THE LIGHT MUST PRECEDE THE LIGHTNESS, Part One

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.

Also, you will find here very few of the teachings offered by Maharaj in his earlier talks and far more of the message that he offered in his ultimate talks. Why? During his last years, he said of I AM THAT: "That book and whatever was expounded at that time was only relevant for that period. I am speaking differently today" and am "emphasizing different aspects." His final understanding, which was completely different from what he offered early on, is the basis of pointers here. Maharaj made clear at the end that the pointers in I AM THAT will take you to the midpoint of "the race"; only the pointers in his final talks point the way to "the finish line."

F.: The Realized perceive what is called "the world" - as well as all happenings that happen during the relative existence - by way of the luminosity of pure understanding; the non-Realized see only what is reflected in a dim and flickering light.

Because the non-Realized must, regretfully, suffer the slings and arrows of the ever-changing, unstable existence which they take to be the real, they can become attached to the relief and exhilaration of seeing "The Long-Awaited White Knight" arriving in his shining armor, perched high on his white horse and promising to put to an end the loneliness of being single or promising to bring to an end the vicissitudes of single parenting, only to eventually open the visor and see that it is "The Dark Knight of Unimaginable Suffering" underneath, thus forcing "The Rescued One" to experience the misery brought on as a result of finding out that another deception has been played out in consciousness;

or they can become attached to the happiness of paying off a car note, only to see the mortgage note increase on the house and then attach to that disappointment; or they can become attached to the happiness of seeing a partner's medical condition cured, only to learn that their child has an incurable disease and attaching to that misery;

or they can attach to the joy of a couple working for decades and finally retiring but then shortly afterwards discovering that greedy and extremely wealthy people have stolen 50% of the assets in their retirement fund, forcing both to begin seeking employment again.

Tossed into that mix are the yearly or monthly (and, eventually, daily) fluctuations of relationships as discussed last week, shifting from perfect at one point to just okay at another to finally being perceived as a total disaster.

Maharaj: "The mind that projects the world colours it its own way. When you meet a man, he is a stranger. When you marry him, he becomes your own self. When you quarrel, he becomes your enemy. It is your mind's attitude that determines what he is to you."

Of course his point was that the scenario above has nothing to do with Real Love. He said:

Maharaj: "Love is not selective; desire is selective. In Love, there are no strangers."

It is those fluctuations of the "mind" which shift one's view of another from "perfect" to "just okay" to "disastrous," the type of fluctuations that were adumbrated in the sequence that Maharaj used to describe the typical movement in relationships, the movement going from stranger to acquaintance to friend to lover to fiancé / fiancée to spouse to wonderful spouse to not so wonderful spouse to horrible spouse to enemy to mortal enemy.

And all of that is nothing more than a movement in consciousness, all involving misperceptions and labeling and ego-states being assigned and assumed.

The options offered by various forms of Advaita to address all of that, and to replace the heaviness of fluctuations with the incredible lightness of being, include:

1. Stopping the "journey" at the True Self step. Many try that approach;

2. "Moving" to the Absolute only, claiming to be THAT alone, rejecting the AM-ness totally. Yet THAT is still an identity, often assumed alongside the "Supreme Self." If the AM-ness is not totally rejected, then there can be the simultaneous assumption of the "Supreme Self" and "The Spiritual Giant," some taking that to be the I AM THAT and the Superior I AM. Close, but no cigar;

or,

3. Overlaying the Reality on the relative. Maharaj said that even with him, there is always a lingering speck of the original, primary personality type (in his case, the Type Four that is involved with the search for the Authentic Self).

When that happens, there is no total detachment from the AM-ness, but there is no ever-present attachment to the AM-ness, either. There is that position of neutrality that allows feeling to rise, be felt, and fall away without suffering the insanity of emotional intoxication.

The deer in this neighborhood that abide naturally are free of the machinations of the mind that plague humanity; however, the deer are not free of the feelings that relative events can bring. To clarify, recall an event shared previously when the normalcy and naturalness of feeling short-term "situational depression" was being discussed:

Some depression might be situational and in such cases is natural. For example, during the years spent in the forest, various animals were seen to be “grieving” as they inspected the fallen remains of a companion. Here's an example:

One spring, a buck and doe were observed while grazing in one of their regular feeding spots. Later in the fall, they were seen on several occasions while mating; then, at the beginning of the following summer, it was seen that a fawn had joined in their grazing sessions.

In late August or early September, gunshots rang out near a creek. After following one of the trails that led toward the water, the following was witnessed: the fawn had been shot and had run some distance from the creek before falling. The doe and the buck both seemed to be smelling it and nudging it, trying to encourage it to rise and run, but they eventually realized it was not going to happen. They stood still and witnessed.

Both spent some time there involved in what was clearly an instance of situational depression. Their demeanor left no doubt that feelings were arising. Suddenly, two boys—hunting out of season—began making a great deal of noise as they approached.

It was seen that the feeling of grief being experienced by the deer was being replaced by a feeling of fear. They were torn, moving away from the fallen animal for a moment, then returning for a few moments in a final effort to check on the fawn.

On another occasion, there was a recounting of an event that happened just feet away, right outside the window of this office. A fawn was still-born. The doe tried nudging the body to inspire the fawn to stand. The buck walked over and touched the body with its nose. That went on for many minutes.

Then, the doe and the buck began walking away, only to be driven to return and try again and again to test their offspring for signs of life. It was a long, heart-wrenching process, watching those two deer that were obviously so sad over this turn of events. There was the fluctuation between the earlier joy and pleasure of copulation and this sadness over the demise of their offspring.

So it is among some of the Realized that, in spite of being Realized, are nevertheless attuned to the ever-changing aspects of the relative but able to move beyond permanent attachment to things not permanent.

That allows the Realized to avoid emoting but to forever be able to feel. Often the feelings are more powerful than at other times, but never is there an uncontrollable and uncontrolled urge to become emotionally-intoxicated and generate harm.

Remember when Maharaj was asked "if he cared" and he replied, "More than you will ever know." Does that sound like there were no feelings being felt? Does that sound like Maharaj had shifted to a state where he was void of feeling anything even though he was abiding as The Void rather than as anything identified or identifiable?

To the contrary, the case is this: in the quiet witnessing, understanding can come, and it is via that process that, again, the Realized are able to perceive what is called "the world" - as well as everything that happens throughout the relative existence - by way of the luminosity of pure understanding; the non-Realized see only what is reflected in a dim and flickering light.

In the luminosity of pure understanding, how could there ever be a manifestation of judgment which always generates a sense of separation and better-than-ment? There can be no judging of anyone if the driving forces behind thoughts and words and deeds are understood completely.

In the light of Reality and Truth, all can be felt. An entire gamut of feelings can happen. But they can happen without shifting into personality-driven thoughts and words and deeds that blindly drive persons into acts that anyone not emotionally intoxicated could see are going to generate tremendous suffering as a result of the consequences.

For those seeking the lightness of being, however, the light must precede the lightness; the lightness can never come before the light. More on that tomorrow.

Please enter the silence of contemplation. (To be continued)

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The following titles and series are available:

THE "ADVANCED SEEKERS' SET"

FROM THE I TO THE ABSOLUTE (A Seven-Step Journey to Reality)

CONSCIOUSNESS / AWARENESS

FROM THE ABSOLUTE TO THE NOTHINGNESS

THE FINAL UNDERSTANDING

THE SEVEN STEPS TO REALIZATION ESSAY SERIES

A Series of Essays Discussing THE FIRST STEP on the Seven-Step Path to Realization

A Series of Essays Discussing THE SECOND STEP on the Seven-Step Path to Realization

A Series of Essays Discussing THE THIRD STEP on the Seven-Step Path to Realization

A Series of Essays Discussing THE FOURTH STEP on the Seven-Step Path to Realization

A Series of Essays Discussing THE FIFTH STEP on the Seven-Step Path to Realization

A Series of Essays Discussing THE SIXTH STEP on the Seven-Step Path to Realization

A Series of Essays Discussing THE SEVENTH STEP on the Seven-Step Path to Realization

THE "NO-DEATH" SERIES

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN I DIE?

The Myth Of Death

THE "BLISSFUL ABIDANCE" BOOKS

The Ultimate Sickness, The Ultimate Medicine

I AM THAT (vs. "This Is Who I Think I Am")

Freedom From Shifting Between States of Happiness and Unhappiness

LIBERATION

Why You Must Be Empty If You Would Be Full

What BLISS Is and What BLISS Is Not

When Reality Is Overlaid Upon the Relative

There Is Nothing That Is Personal (Including You and Including God)

Overcoming the Fear of Being Totally Independent

The Essence of the Teachings

SELF-Transformation Meditation Guide, Volume One

SELF-Transformation Meditation Guide, Volume Two

THE "RELATIONSHIP" SERIES

Casting Light on the Dark Side of Relationships

Finding REAL LOVE in an Unreal World

The Path to Freedom vs. The Path to Misery

THE "FREEDOM FROM DELUSION" SERIES

THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS "PEACE OF MIND" (There Is Only Peace If You're Out of Your Mind)

THERE IS NOTHING THAT IS PERSONAL (Including You and Including God)

SRI NISARGADATTA MAHARAJ and HIS EVOLUTION

IT'S ALL BULLSHIT (And Why Knowing It Sets You Free)

SPIRITUAL SOBRIETY (Recovering What Religions Lost)

Jesus Christ the Advaitin

William Shakespeare the Advaitin

THE "FINANCIAL SANITY" SERIES

LIVING WITHIN YOUR MEANS

Ending Financial Problems by Understanding Your Personality

ADVENTURE / MYSTERY FICTION
(WITH A BLEND OF NON-DUALITY POINTERS)

The Twice-Stolen Necklace Murders [E-BOOK]

The Board of Directors of Wars [PAPERBACK]

RECOVERY

A Twelve-Step Journey to SELF-Transformation [E-BOOK]

A Twelve-Step Journey to SELF-Transformation [PAPERBACK]

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.

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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).
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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.
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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]
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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.

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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 Board of Directors of Wars

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YOUTUBE ADVAITA VEDANTA YOGA VIDEOS

Click on the arrow below to start Video One: