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.
As for Maharaj, you will find here some of his early pointers for beginners but some of his later pointers that are for seekers father along the "path." 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." What he offered later differed considerably from his earlier talks, making clear that the pointers in I AM THAT will take you to the midpoint of "the race" but that his final talks point the way to "the finish line."
F.: During the first week of June, this four-book anthology,
which is available for pre-ordering now, will ship. (You may click the picture for more details.) In anticipation, certain excerpts from the four books in the paperback collection will be offered.
The following is from the book FROM THE I TO THE ABSOLUTE (A Seven-Step Journey to Reality) - which is included in the anthology - and is an excerpt from a transcribed satsang session:
Floyd: “During this session, we begin discussion of what I call ‘The Second Degree of Separation from Reality'; however, please recall a comment I offered during the last session: There is no actual journey to make since there is no one to take that journey. There are no real degrees of separation. All aids only point to that knowingness which already is. Seek 'within,' not without. That said, let’s continue. Here’s an overview of what I am calling a ‘journey’ (in a symbolic sense for the sake of discussion only) in order to help some of you visualize the 'return' to pure consciousness as you become free of the negative effects of consciousness corrupted by adopting 'their' beliefs and ideas as your own. At the beginning is the false “I”; at the end is THE ABSOLUTE. On our fictional journey, in between the “I” and THE ABSOLUTE—which are not two and which are not separate at all—are seven stages that must be transitioned in order for the I AMNESS to know all that it is not and then Realize THE ABSOLUTE. We saw that the first of the seven ‘obstacles’ standing in the way of Full Realization is body identification. The second obstacle is mind identification. The content of your ‘mind’—which includes all the lies and programming added to your originally pure consciousness—blocks your realization of Reality and thus prevents the bliss of being-without-desire."
Questioner: "Why? It seems the mind should be a tool for helping me find that bliss."
F.: "The thinking mind will completely prevent your ever 'finding' bliss. When the thinking mind goes, the natural intuitions and instincts engage. Humans suffer from the rattlings of the thinking mind; the deer relaxes by living naturally under the guidance of what some teachers call the ‘working mind’—the natural, internal guidance system. I hesitate to give the term ‘mind’ any credibility. Humans are self-destructive because of their thinking minds; deer are self-constructive because of their natural mode of living. The words I offer are pointers to guide you away from the unnatural thinking mind and toward the bliss of natural living."
Q.: (Nods)
F.: "How could bliss possibly manifest alongside the frustrations of a mind's imaginings of unmet needs and unfulfilled desires? All needs and desires are figments of the corrupted mind. Joy begins where desire ends. The mind may be referred to as ‘the variable mind,’ ‘the superficial mind,’ ‘the imperfect mind,’ ‘the thinking mind,’ ‘the private mind,’ ‘the programmed mind,’ ‘the personal mind,’ or ‘the conditioned mind.’ Ultimately, though, your mind is—at this stage of the game—a repository of all the falsehoods not yet known to be false. For the not-yet-realized, all of the ideas or beliefs or emotions or attitudes or pieces of dogma accepted as ‘fact’ and ‘truth’ now form the various bars of the prison called ‘your mind.’ To reach Full Realization, the thinking mind must dissolve. To reach Full Realization, the source of mental illusions must be known and transcended at this stage. Once the thinking mind dies, learned ignorance—and its resulting insanity—die as well.”
Q.: “But Floyd, the way I feel is not illusion. I am miserable. I am not happy.”
F.: “If the goal is to experience the freedom of Non-Duality, why begin by calling Me ‘floyd’? And why place ‘miserable’ and ‘happy’ after ‘I am’? Mark well your words. A thought-life of endless dualities leaves one mentally unstable. How can one know ‘the great Reality’ if out of touch with reality?"
Q.: "Good question."
F.: "Thank you. [Laughter] One comes to know Reality by following the pointers that point away from lies and toward the truth. The lies must first be seen to be lies before one can ever hope to know Truth. The false selves must be seen to be false before one can ever begin to glimpse the True Self. Why reinforce the illusion of duality by speaking to the consciousness as a body with a name? Why promote an illusion of ‘miserable-happy’ duality? I don’t believe in ‘floyd.’ I only believe in Me. Come to know What You Are, then the instability of dual-mindedness ends when the light of Reality strikes. Follow the pointers and your false beliefs will dissolve as Truth explodes into awareness.”
Q.: “But I’m sure I’ve seen you happy at times and miserable or angry at times.”
F.: “All of that which you feel sure of at this point is precisely what will prevent Realization of the True Self. Your ideas and beliefs prevent your seeing Reality. On some occasion, anger might have been witnessed as it rose and fell. On another occasion, joy might have been witnessed when it rose and fell. Whatever was thought to have been seen by you was in fact merely happening and merely being witnessed.”
Q.: “No … I have seen both the anger and the happiness, specifically.”
F.: “So have I. I was like the eagle, soaring above it all and merely watching.”
Please enter the silence of contemplation. (To be continued)
The following is from the book FROM THE I TO THE ABSOLUTE (A Seven-Step Journey to Reality) - which is included in the anthology - and is an excerpt from a transcribed satsang session:
Floyd: “During this session, we begin discussion of what I call ‘The Second Degree of Separation from Reality'; however, please recall a comment I offered during the last session: There is no actual journey to make since there is no one to take that journey. There are no real degrees of separation. All aids only point to that knowingness which already is. Seek 'within,' not without. That said, let’s continue. Here’s an overview of what I am calling a ‘journey’ (in a symbolic sense for the sake of discussion only) in order to help some of you visualize the 'return' to pure consciousness as you become free of the negative effects of consciousness corrupted by adopting 'their' beliefs and ideas as your own. At the beginning is the false “I”; at the end is THE ABSOLUTE. On our fictional journey, in between the “I” and THE ABSOLUTE—which are not two and which are not separate at all—are seven stages that must be transitioned in order for the I AMNESS to know all that it is not and then Realize THE ABSOLUTE. We saw that the first of the seven ‘obstacles’ standing in the way of Full Realization is body identification. The second obstacle is mind identification. The content of your ‘mind’—which includes all the lies and programming added to your originally pure consciousness—blocks your realization of Reality and thus prevents the bliss of being-without-desire."
Questioner: "Why? It seems the mind should be a tool for helping me find that bliss."
F.: "The thinking mind will completely prevent your ever 'finding' bliss. When the thinking mind goes, the natural intuitions and instincts engage. Humans suffer from the rattlings of the thinking mind; the deer relaxes by living naturally under the guidance of what some teachers call the ‘working mind’—the natural, internal guidance system. I hesitate to give the term ‘mind’ any credibility. Humans are self-destructive because of their thinking minds; deer are self-constructive because of their natural mode of living. The words I offer are pointers to guide you away from the unnatural thinking mind and toward the bliss of natural living."
Q.: (Nods)
F.: "How could bliss possibly manifest alongside the frustrations of a mind's imaginings of unmet needs and unfulfilled desires? All needs and desires are figments of the corrupted mind. Joy begins where desire ends. The mind may be referred to as ‘the variable mind,’ ‘the superficial mind,’ ‘the imperfect mind,’ ‘the thinking mind,’ ‘the private mind,’ ‘the programmed mind,’ ‘the personal mind,’ or ‘the conditioned mind.’ Ultimately, though, your mind is—at this stage of the game—a repository of all the falsehoods not yet known to be false. For the not-yet-realized, all of the ideas or beliefs or emotions or attitudes or pieces of dogma accepted as ‘fact’ and ‘truth’ now form the various bars of the prison called ‘your mind.’ To reach Full Realization, the thinking mind must dissolve. To reach Full Realization, the source of mental illusions must be known and transcended at this stage. Once the thinking mind dies, learned ignorance—and its resulting insanity—die as well.”
Q.: “But Floyd, the way I feel is not illusion. I am miserable. I am not happy.”
F.: “If the goal is to experience the freedom of Non-Duality, why begin by calling Me ‘floyd’? And why place ‘miserable’ and ‘happy’ after ‘I am’? Mark well your words. A thought-life of endless dualities leaves one mentally unstable. How can one know ‘the great Reality’ if out of touch with reality?"
Q.: "Good question."
F.: "Thank you. [Laughter] One comes to know Reality by following the pointers that point away from lies and toward the truth. The lies must first be seen to be lies before one can ever hope to know Truth. The false selves must be seen to be false before one can ever begin to glimpse the True Self. Why reinforce the illusion of duality by speaking to the consciousness as a body with a name? Why promote an illusion of ‘miserable-happy’ duality? I don’t believe in ‘floyd.’ I only believe in Me. Come to know What You Are, then the instability of dual-mindedness ends when the light of Reality strikes. Follow the pointers and your false beliefs will dissolve as Truth explodes into awareness.”
Q.: “But I’m sure I’ve seen you happy at times and miserable or angry at times.”
F.: “All of that which you feel sure of at this point is precisely what will prevent Realization of the True Self. Your ideas and beliefs prevent your seeing Reality. On some occasion, anger might have been witnessed as it rose and fell. On another occasion, joy might have been witnessed when it rose and fell. Whatever was thought to have been seen by you was in fact merely happening and merely being witnessed.”
Q.: “No … I have seen both the anger and the happiness, specifically.”
F.: “So have I. I was like the eagle, soaring above it all and merely watching.”
Please enter the silence of contemplation. (To be continued)
