Advaita Vedanta: SRI NISARGADATTA MAHARAJ AND SOME FOLLOWERS' "NEW BIBLE"

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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.

F.: Not surprisingly, some who have taken the book I AM THAT to be their "New Bible" (and who are carrying it about with them everywhere they go) are finding some of the content of this book

to be rather disquieting.

The fact that there was

1. a major change in Maharaj's later talks from his earlier talks as shared in I AM THAT and that there was

2. a major change in his take on religion and spirituality and "the Self"

was not dreamed up here but is a fact revealed in these words which he spoke during the last years of his teaching career:

Maharaj: "That book and whatever was expounded at that time was only relevant for that period. I am speaking differently today."

He said that his last talks - which were rooted more in Nisarga Yoga than were the Guru-Bhakti Yoga, the Bhakti Yoga and the Jnana Yoga talks offered in I AM THAT - were the talks which, according to him, "should also have been recorded and published" as they are "in greater detail and ... emphasizing different aspects."

Here is what is shared about the content of the book SRI NISARGADATTA MAHARAJ and HIS EVOLUTION on Amazon.com:

This book was written:

1. To address some of the confusion about pointers by Maharaj which seemed to be contradictory but were not;

2. To explain why Maharaj's "early" message and focus differed from that of "the middle years" and "the last years";

3. To show why those who only read the transcripts of his early talks will only receive a small part of the total message he offered (Maharaj saying at the end of his teaching days that the content of I AM THAT was "only relevant for that period");

4. To address why criticisms of some of his protégés are based in the critics' misunderstandings or prejudices;

and

5. As a means by which those who are considering a visit to this author can be pre-qualified so that they will know in advance which "version" of Maharaj's various teachings are offered (namely, the final teachings) and so they can thereby be spared any surprise.

First, the book shows how (a) that speck of consciousness called "Maharaj" and (b) the varied teachings he offered over the years were much like the elephant in the story of "The Blind Men and an Elephant."

In that story, several blind men are touching an elephant in order to learn what an elephant is like. Because each man touches a different part, and because each man only touches one part rather than all of the parts, then the conclusions that they draw about what an elephant is like are all in error.

They learn when they share their finding that they are in complete disagreement, and their disagreements actually generate conflict and even violence.

The misunderstandings about Maharaj's methods and the evolution of his focus have also generated conflict and criticism of both Maharaj and some of his disciples, even as others hold him in such high esteem that they seem to worship him and his words. (All of that he would call nonsense.)

The book will share some of the criticisms and preferences in regards to "which version of Maharaj's teaching are the right ones or the best ones" and will address those claims and charges.

The fact is, though, that some of the critics have touched only the tusk of the "Elephant called 'Maharaj'." Some only touched the trunk. Some touched a leg only; some felt nothing but the tail.

To touch only one part of Maharaj's message is to draw false conclusions, to fail to see the big picture and the total picture, to fail to understand his pointers completely in some cases, to be driven to levy baseless charges, and, in some cases, to simply misrepresent what he did and did not say and what he meant by what he said.

It is true that the focus of the message changed and evolved, as did the type of yoga that was emphasized. The progression is identified and discussed in the book as well.

Ultimately, though, the message did not become more "complicated" as one person claims but actually became far simpler, far more direct and concise. As far as the charge that Marahaj's teaching "declined" after the talks in I AM THAT, that charge more likely comes from an ego-state.

It might be rooted in a false identity such as "The Spiritual Giant" who found that the "more religious and spiritual" words in "I AM THAT" supported his false identity while certain other pointers which have guided some seekers away from their religious and / or spiritual pre-occupations and obsessions may well have threatened that spiritual ego-state now criticizing Maharaj.

This book is most certainly not for everyone. It is for those that are willing to consider the entirety of Maharaj's teachings - including those talks that point to realities that lie beyond religion and spirituality and Selfness - rather than only to the talks included in what has been called a "modern spiritual classic."

For those attached to I AM THAT only, consider what Maharaj said of the book during his final years: "That book and whatever was expounded at that time was only relevant for that period. I am speaking differently today." The differences are explained in this book.

Just as Christians do not want to hear that Jesus pushed a boy off the roof of a house and caused the boy to suffer a broken leg or that Jesus was likely having sex with Mary Magdelene;

and just as 12-Steppers do not want to hear about Bill W. speaking to AA'ers while under the influence of LSD or about his misappropriating funds from the New York office for his own gain;

so some "Nisargans" or "Advaitins" or "Spiritual Giants" think it is a sacrilege to hear that Maharaj abandoned the I AM THAT focus (with messages based in Bhakti and Jnana Yoga and religion and spirituality) and that he later urged seekers to move beyond all religious and spiritual role-playing and complete the entire "journey" to Full Realization and then to abide naturally instead of supernaturally / spiritually. So it is.

Meanwhile, the only uncertainty about how Maharaj would have reacted if visitors had said that I AM THAT was their "New Bible" would be in trying to decide if he would have laughed hysterically or would kicked them out of the loft. So it is.

Please enter the silence of contemplation.

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

Freedom From Shifting Between States of Happiness and Unhappiness

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Why You Must Be Empty If You Would Be Full

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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

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Casting Light on the Dark Side of Relationships

Finding REAL LOVE in an Unreal World

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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)

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Jesus Christ the Advaitin

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IT'S ALL BULLSHIT (And Why Knowing It Sets You Free)
SPIRITUAL SOBRIETY (Recovering What Religions Lost)
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THE MEDITATION GUIDES
[Provide a broad overview of the understanding]
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN I DIE?
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THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS "PEACE OF MIND" (There Is Only Peace if You're Out of Your Mind)
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LIBERATION
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THE ESSENCE OF THE TEACHINGS
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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
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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."

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THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF WARS

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The Board of Directors of Wars

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