Today's Considerations
17. Last Wednesday, forty-five years ago to the day, the U.S. Government enacted a law which banned from television all tobacco smoking advertisements. Prior to that time, some organizations were running PSA's ("Public Service Announcements") warning against the dangers of tobacco use.
One such ad showed a dad sitting on the ground and leaning back against a tree in a park with his son seated next to him and also leaning back against the same tree. The father was seen to pick up a pack of cigarettes, shake one out, put it in his mouth, light it, inhale its smoke deeply, and then blow out the smoke from his lungs through his mouth as the child observed - staring at his dad . . . watching his every move intently.
Then, the child was seen to pick up a pack of candy cigarettes (yes, stores sold candy cigarettes to children in packs which contained candy that was shaped exactly like real cigarettes). The child then modeled his dad's behavior exactly: he shook a candy cigarette from his pack, put it in his mouth, pretended to light it, pretended to inhale the pretend smoke, and then pretended to blow out the pretend smoke from his lungs through his mouth.
The message to adults: "Your children will model everything you do. What you say is meaningless when compared to the long-term effects of what you do. You are continuously modeling for your children what they will then copy and mimic and then likely model throughout their entire lives.
"If you spew ignorance, they will spew ignorance. Talk racist talk. They will become racists and will talk racist talk. Talk English. They will talk English. Talk French. They will talk French. Talk Marathi. They will talk Marathi. Talk Christianity. They will talk Christianity. Talk Judaism. They will talk Judaism. Talk Islam. They will talk Islam. Talk Hinduism. They will talk Hinduism. Talk hatred. They will talk hatred. Behave in a self-destructive fashion. They will behave in a self-destructive fashion.
"Model addictive behavior. They are far more likely to become addicted to something (or to many things) in adulthood. Model abuse by abusing them and they will become abusers. Model hatred and intolerance and they will become hateful and intolerant. Model a sense of different-from-ment and better-than-ment and they will believe that they are different from and better than others."
While egotism inspires most persons to defend their parents and to even applaud them ("They must have done something right - I think I turned out pretty damn good") there are also plenty who recognize the major flaws in their parents' child-rearing methods and have said, "I will never be like my parents." Nevertheless, in both cases, they almost all end up being exactly like their parents.
Maharaj understood that model-mimic paradigm, so when he began to invite people into his loft, he modeled dancing; he modeled singing bhajans; and he modeled a blending of non-dual pointers with Hindi dogma and worship practices. The "positive" result of what he was modeling, once he began observing honestly and objectively, he came to see was . . . nil.
[Ninety-seven percent of all persons all around the globe claim an affiliation with one organized religion or another. Dogma is modeled for them day and night, vast stores of hypocrisy notwithstanding. In spite of that, how are human affairs going around the planet, relatively speaking, after thousands of years of religious modeling? Destructively. Insanely. Pathetically.]
Maharaj came to see this: almost all persons have been exposed to decades of religion, but the effect is nil, so he had to admit that the first approach he used in his effort to try to treat the Ultimate Sickness was having no lasting effect.
What did he model next, especially as Westerners began showing up who were not interested in Hinduism but were interested in "being spiritual" instead? He modeled a compounded version of the Ultimate Medicine, one part non-duality combined with many parts spirituality. The effects of that approach which he came to see? Nil. [Thus he would eventually advise seekers to stop reading the "spiritual classic" entitled I AM THAT and to listen instead to his later advice to "give up spirituality" and then just abide naturally.]
That said, the question which all seekers are invited to answer honestly after careful consideration is, "Who were your models when you were growing up? (And don't just focus on 'the one person whom you claim changed your life for the better.' Consider all of the persons whom you modeled and find the combined effects they had on you.) What did they model? What traits and behavioral patterns of theirs have you picked up along the way which - if you were to throw them down, starting right now - would almost guarantee a saner and wiser and more peaceful relative existence? What personality defects do you have now that they modeled back then? Why are your thoughts and words and actions being determined subconsciously by their thoughts and words and actions instead of being determined by yourself . . . by Your Self?"
To that end, Maharaj came to see that there is only one thing which can be modeled which will, in turn, assure freedom from the ignorance that you were taught and learned, freedom from the personality disorders which were imposed upon you, and freedom from the insanity which has resulted. What was that one thing which he finally began inviting all seekers to model? Your Original Nature.
[Thus he advised richard to find that which is beyond both the beingness and the non-beingness . . . that which was prior to richard's beingness and that which will remain after richard is no longer being.]
An understanding of that Original Nature can reveal exactly what You were originally, exactly what You were like originally, and exactly what You were like prior to manifestation and prior to having a mind formed and filled and warped by the perverse programming, conditioning, domestication, acculturation, brainwashing, and indoctrination processes to which every child is now exposed.
The last time when most persons were free of the symptoms of the Ultimate Sickness (which Maharaj identified as "ignorance, stupidity, and insanity") was in that Original State, and the next time when most persons will again be free of the effects of those symptoms of the Ultimate Sickness will only be when they take mahasamadhi (or, to use the term popular among the masses, when they "die").
For those who realize that what has happened to them throughout their relative existence is a direct result of what was modeled for them, and for those who are sick and tired of being sick and tired, then Maharaj finally offered something other than "Super Religious Persons" and "Spiritual Giants" to model. [He told visitors that he was a "spiritual pygmy" compared to what they took themselves to be.] So why, in the end, did he switch to modeling something different from the religious and spiritual "stuff" which he had modeled during the first two stages of his "teaching days"?
Because he came to see that "Super Religious Persons" and "Spiritual Giants" are just persons . . . are just personas . . . are just humans trapped in identities which are false (no matter how "good" those identities are deemed to be); because belief in false identities is insane; and because freedom can only come to such role-players when they give up their role-playing and find that which is Real and Authentic and True.
So to continue with the description of the way that things were when You were yet in that Original State which Maharaj invited all to model - the state prior to manifestation and the state prior to consciousness and the state prior to having had the consciousness blocked by programming, conditioning, etc.
[From the eBook below entitled Your Original Nature]
"As Your Original Nature, You did not value hierarchies and You did not think that You were at the top of any dreamed up rankings. You did not suffer from - and did not subject others around You to - false pride, over-confidence, superciliousness, self-importance, condescension, vanity, smugness, snobbery, self-absorption, airs, hollowness, shallowness, and being separated from both reality and Reality.
"You were not misled, misinformed, misdirected, deceived, hoodwinked or fooled. You were not enamored by big name teachers or big name persons or big name writers, and you were not enamored with big houses and big estates and big cars and all sorts of big things.
"Being unconcerned, You were not concerned in the least with any excesses, including excessive ambition. Being mind-less and therefore thought-less, You were not interested in trying to change either 'your thoughts' or 'your life,' much less 'your thought-life' (which is one of the most amazingly-delusional concepts of all).
"You were not concerned with any 'ultimate calling' or 'being incredible' or 'being applauded' or 'being inspired' (a.k.a., 'emotionally intoxicated') or 'finding the secrets to success.' You were not concerned with earthly or heavenly or supernatural power, and You were not concerned with finding 'power now' or with finding 'a Power for now and for later and for all eternity.'
"That is, You were not concerned with any of the concepts dreamed up by (and presently being sold by) big name teachers, so You were also not concerned with 'the benefits of ambition' and You had no 'intentions.' You were not concerned with 'advancing your spirit' or with searching for either an 'infinite self' or an 'Infinite Self'."
You were just being. Simply . . . being.
To be continued.
One such ad showed a dad sitting on the ground and leaning back against a tree in a park with his son seated next to him and also leaning back against the same tree. The father was seen to pick up a pack of cigarettes, shake one out, put it in his mouth, light it, inhale its smoke deeply, and then blow out the smoke from his lungs through his mouth as the child observed - staring at his dad . . . watching his every move intently.
Then, the child was seen to pick up a pack of candy cigarettes (yes, stores sold candy cigarettes to children in packs which contained candy that was shaped exactly like real cigarettes). The child then modeled his dad's behavior exactly: he shook a candy cigarette from his pack, put it in his mouth, pretended to light it, pretended to inhale the pretend smoke, and then pretended to blow out the pretend smoke from his lungs through his mouth.
The message to adults: "Your children will model everything you do. What you say is meaningless when compared to the long-term effects of what you do. You are continuously modeling for your children what they will then copy and mimic and then likely model throughout their entire lives.
"If you spew ignorance, they will spew ignorance. Talk racist talk. They will become racists and will talk racist talk. Talk English. They will talk English. Talk French. They will talk French. Talk Marathi. They will talk Marathi. Talk Christianity. They will talk Christianity. Talk Judaism. They will talk Judaism. Talk Islam. They will talk Islam. Talk Hinduism. They will talk Hinduism. Talk hatred. They will talk hatred. Behave in a self-destructive fashion. They will behave in a self-destructive fashion.
"Model addictive behavior. They are far more likely to become addicted to something (or to many things) in adulthood. Model abuse by abusing them and they will become abusers. Model hatred and intolerance and they will become hateful and intolerant. Model a sense of different-from-ment and better-than-ment and they will believe that they are different from and better than others."
While egotism inspires most persons to defend their parents and to even applaud them ("They must have done something right - I think I turned out pretty damn good") there are also plenty who recognize the major flaws in their parents' child-rearing methods and have said, "I will never be like my parents." Nevertheless, in both cases, they almost all end up being exactly like their parents.
Maharaj understood that model-mimic paradigm, so when he began to invite people into his loft, he modeled dancing; he modeled singing bhajans; and he modeled a blending of non-dual pointers with Hindi dogma and worship practices. The "positive" result of what he was modeling, once he began observing honestly and objectively, he came to see was . . . nil.
[Ninety-seven percent of all persons all around the globe claim an affiliation with one organized religion or another. Dogma is modeled for them day and night, vast stores of hypocrisy notwithstanding. In spite of that, how are human affairs going around the planet, relatively speaking, after thousands of years of religious modeling? Destructively. Insanely. Pathetically.]
Maharaj came to see this: almost all persons have been exposed to decades of religion, but the effect is nil, so he had to admit that the first approach he used in his effort to try to treat the Ultimate Sickness was having no lasting effect.
What did he model next, especially as Westerners began showing up who were not interested in Hinduism but were interested in "being spiritual" instead? He modeled a compounded version of the Ultimate Medicine, one part non-duality combined with many parts spirituality. The effects of that approach which he came to see? Nil. [Thus he would eventually advise seekers to stop reading the "spiritual classic" entitled I AM THAT and to listen instead to his later advice to "give up spirituality" and then just abide naturally.]
That said, the question which all seekers are invited to answer honestly after careful consideration is, "Who were your models when you were growing up? (And don't just focus on 'the one person whom you claim changed your life for the better.' Consider all of the persons whom you modeled and find the combined effects they had on you.) What did they model? What traits and behavioral patterns of theirs have you picked up along the way which - if you were to throw them down, starting right now - would almost guarantee a saner and wiser and more peaceful relative existence? What personality defects do you have now that they modeled back then? Why are your thoughts and words and actions being determined subconsciously by their thoughts and words and actions instead of being determined by yourself . . . by Your Self?"
To that end, Maharaj came to see that there is only one thing which can be modeled which will, in turn, assure freedom from the ignorance that you were taught and learned, freedom from the personality disorders which were imposed upon you, and freedom from the insanity which has resulted. What was that one thing which he finally began inviting all seekers to model? Your Original Nature.
[Thus he advised richard to find that which is beyond both the beingness and the non-beingness . . . that which was prior to richard's beingness and that which will remain after richard is no longer being.]
An understanding of that Original Nature can reveal exactly what You were originally, exactly what You were like originally, and exactly what You were like prior to manifestation and prior to having a mind formed and filled and warped by the perverse programming, conditioning, domestication, acculturation, brainwashing, and indoctrination processes to which every child is now exposed.
The last time when most persons were free of the symptoms of the Ultimate Sickness (which Maharaj identified as "ignorance, stupidity, and insanity") was in that Original State, and the next time when most persons will again be free of the effects of those symptoms of the Ultimate Sickness will only be when they take mahasamadhi (or, to use the term popular among the masses, when they "die").
For those who realize that what has happened to them throughout their relative existence is a direct result of what was modeled for them, and for those who are sick and tired of being sick and tired, then Maharaj finally offered something other than "Super Religious Persons" and "Spiritual Giants" to model. [He told visitors that he was a "spiritual pygmy" compared to what they took themselves to be.] So why, in the end, did he switch to modeling something different from the religious and spiritual "stuff" which he had modeled during the first two stages of his "teaching days"?
Because he came to see that "Super Religious Persons" and "Spiritual Giants" are just persons . . . are just personas . . . are just humans trapped in identities which are false (no matter how "good" those identities are deemed to be); because belief in false identities is insane; and because freedom can only come to such role-players when they give up their role-playing and find that which is Real and Authentic and True.
So to continue with the description of the way that things were when You were yet in that Original State which Maharaj invited all to model - the state prior to manifestation and the state prior to consciousness and the state prior to having had the consciousness blocked by programming, conditioning, etc.
[From the eBook below entitled Your Original Nature]
"As Your Original Nature, You did not value hierarchies and You did not think that You were at the top of any dreamed up rankings. You did not suffer from - and did not subject others around You to - false pride, over-confidence, superciliousness, self-importance, condescension, vanity, smugness, snobbery, self-absorption, airs, hollowness, shallowness, and being separated from both reality and Reality.
"You were not misled, misinformed, misdirected, deceived, hoodwinked or fooled. You were not enamored by big name teachers or big name persons or big name writers, and you were not enamored with big houses and big estates and big cars and all sorts of big things.
"Being unconcerned, You were not concerned in the least with any excesses, including excessive ambition. Being mind-less and therefore thought-less, You were not interested in trying to change either 'your thoughts' or 'your life,' much less 'your thought-life' (which is one of the most amazingly-delusional concepts of all).
"You were not concerned with any 'ultimate calling' or 'being incredible' or 'being applauded' or 'being inspired' (a.k.a., 'emotionally intoxicated') or 'finding the secrets to success.' You were not concerned with earthly or heavenly or supernatural power, and You were not concerned with finding 'power now' or with finding 'a Power for now and for later and for all eternity.'
"That is, You were not concerned with any of the concepts dreamed up by (and presently being sold by) big name teachers, so You were also not concerned with 'the benefits of ambition' and You had no 'intentions.' You were not concerned with 'advancing your spirit' or with searching for either an 'infinite self' or an 'Infinite Self'."
You were just being. Simply . . . being.
To be continued.
Please enter the silence of contemplation.
