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

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.: This morning on Lake Conroe, one wave of storms has passed and another is on its way. What to do?

Do you see the insanity of even asking that question? Do you see the insanity of persons facing a desperate storm and concluding that they must "do" something desperate, must go into desperation-and-emotion-or-feeling-driven motion, must take desperate action, must try to take charge, must work or manipulate to take control?

Here, the darkness and the sounds and the chill of the storms this morning are being witnessed just as the light and quiet and warmth of the sunny day yesterday was witnessed.

The storms will come; the storms will go. The sunlight will only appear to come; the sunlight will only appear to go. Yet the light is what is always there, just as You are always there. If blocked off from the light by storms, you will not see the source of the light; if blocked off from The Light, you will not see You ... will not see the Self ... will not see the Real ... will mistake the rope for a snake ... will mistake the snake for a rope.

From the state of self-ness and self-ish-ness, you will see the false and mistake it for the Real: the false person; the false solution; the false light; the false rescue rope that is mis-perceived and which is actually a snake.

To remember the Self is to allow the Witnessing only to happen, and by standing still at the window of Reality and viewing all that just appears to be happening outside the window - with no desperation-or-delusion-or-emotion-driven actions being inspired - the storms will be seen to do what they do.

From that stance, there can be no insane notion that I must jump into the middle of the storm in order to do myself some good, that is, in order to do my "self" - some "false self" - some "good."

The bliss need not be interrupted by the relative storms if the message behind the words of Maharaj are clear: " ... as with the sun comes light, so with the sense of Self comes bliss."

Conversely, he could have said, "With the absence of light and entrapment in the darkness, so with a sense of self (or 'self-ness' or 'self-ish-ness') comes misery and suffering and even pain."

The fact is that the masses are indeed trapped in the darkness of self, of personality. Look at the basic, primary types that manifest before scores of other personas are imposed by, or assumed within, the planet's cultures; then, try what the Realized poet John Lennon suggested and imagine:

Imagine if the hidden agendas and drives and fears and desires of "The Perfectionist" false self were abandoned and only the sense of Self remained?

Imagine if the hidden agendas and drives and fears and desires of "The Rescuer / The 'Love' Seeker" false self were abandoned and only the sense of Self remained?

Imagine if the hidden agendas and drives and fears and desires of "The Image Maker / Performer" false self were abandoned and only the sense of Self remained?

Imagine if the hidden agendas and drives and fears and desires of "The Individualist" false self were abandoned and only the sense of Self remained?

Imagine if the hidden agendas and drives and fears and desires of "The Knowledge Seeker" false self were abandoned and only the sense of Self remained?

Imagine if the hidden agendas and drives and fears and desires of "The Fearful / Dependent" false self were abandoned and only the sense of Self remained?

Imagine if the hidden agendas and drives and fears and desires of "The Enthusiast" false self were abandoned and only the sense of Self remained?

Imagine if the hidden agendas and drives and fears and desires of "The Controller" false self were abandoned and only the sense of Self remained?

Imagine if the hidden agendas and drives and fears and desires of "The Avoider" false self were abandoned and only the sense of Self remained?

In the darkness, whichever of those types are motivating thoughts and words and deeds will join with the other forces of darkness - the other ego-states assumed as true identities - and will drive away even the slightest chance for Self-Remembering to continue:

Maharaj: "There is no darkness in the midst of light. Self-forgetfulness is the darkness. When we are absorbed in other things, in the not-self , we forget the Self."

In the ignorance of darkness, a desire for attachment or attachments will manifest. Independence will no longer be given any value and dependence will be assumed to be the solution for any problem. Then, ignorance and harm and misery will eventually prevail:

Maharaj: "Why forget the Self through excess of attachment? Wisdom lies in never forgetting the Self."

See that never forgetting the Self means never slipping into any personality and allowing fears and desires to drive you. Once a fear is triggered as a result of having assumed a persona - such as, "The Homeowner Who Is About to Lose Her / His Home" or "The One Who Deserves So Much More Than Has Been Given" - then the Self is forgotten.

With the Self, there is always enough; with the not-selves, there is never enough, triggering want and fear and desire and, yes, even depression and anger over not having more.

When that happens, all that has been understood is forgotten; all sense is forfeited; sanity is cast aside and then risky, reckless behavior and attachment can follow. "Self-forgetfulness is the darkness. When we are absorbed in other things, in the not-self, we forget the Self."

It is the "not-selves" which Maharaj mentioned that will take You out of awareness of That Which You Truly Are, which will cast you into darkness, which will take away the lightness and replace it with the heaviness instead, and which will eventually take you to ruin and injury and "harm of self and harm of others" (relatively speaking):

Maharaj: "Forgetting your Self is the greatest injury; all the calamities flow from it. Take care of the most important; the lesser will take care of itself. You do not tidy up a dark room. You open the windows first. Letting in the light makes everything easy."

The challenge: dealing with the relative and with the non-Realized who are in darkness. The most seasoned of those manipulators know exactly which cords to pluck to make the music - that sweet-sounding but disaster-bringing music - that can pull you away from Self and entice your not-Self to move the True Ship That You Are onto a course that will take you to the rocks from which all such sirens, both male and female, call.

Emotional intoxication, always rooted in the agenda of one or more personalities, will call you into motion. Racing about, you will mis-perceive the most destructive actions as being the most constructive actions. When a siren calls, then an inner captain (an inner resource) should be heard as it "Blows the Still":

Maharaj: "When you stand motionless, only watching, you discover your Self as the light behind the watcher."

Then, you will be placed back in touch with You - the pure awareness via consciousness - that provides the light and The Light:

Maharaj: "At the root of my being is pure awareness, a speck of intense light."

It is that intense light that must first shine if lightness is ever to come, and it is that light which must continue to shine if the continuation of lightness is to manifest.

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

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

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The Myth Of Death

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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

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Casting Light on the Dark Side of Relationships

Finding REAL LOVE in an Unreal World

The Path to Freedom vs. The Path to Misery

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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)

SPIRITUAL SOBRIETY (Recovering What Religions Lost)

Jesus Christ the Advaitin

William Shakespeare the Advaitin

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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."

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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
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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 Sequel to The Twice-Stolen Necklace Murders:
THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF WARS

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The Board of Directors of Wars

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