Today's Considerations
The “alternative Medicine” which Maharaj eventually
prescribed after he abandoned the use of a religion / non-duality combination that
did not work; after he abandoned the use of a spiritual / non-duality
combination that did not work; and after he told seekers to “give up spirituality”;
and after he told them that finding out who they are not is enough (that is,
finding all of the “not-you’s" which can be uncovered by conducting a “self” inventory) would be
enough rather than being bogged down in years of “SELF”-Inquiry.”
Yes, some seekers are more than happy to let their
fanaticism run wild and send a thousand examples of cases where Maharaj offered religious pointers,
spiritual pointers, and pointers about the “Self.” Yet he abandoned all of those by
the end, and that is why he told seekers to stop reading the book I AM THAT - called
“a spiritual classic” – and to listen to his final talks only.
So what of the something / Something vs. nothing duality?
One person said, “Floyd, nothing is real.” That is not the
teaching. The teaching is that everything is real (being energy / matter) but
that nothing in this realm is as it appears. Appearance is mistaken for the real / Real. Look at any object via the use of
an electron microscope and the object if viewed through the use of that instrument looks
nothing like what it appears to be to the naked eye.
Rather than seeing yourself as Something (and Something Special
and Some Supreme Self or even concluding that “I Am God"), Maharaj recommended seeing
“yourself” simply as . . . “nothing”:
"Love says 'I am everything'. Wisdom says 'I
am nothing'."
and
"There is nothing but the Absolute."
And what is the Absolute? Simply a field of energy in which there
is no awareness of anything and no one to be aware of anything and which has
the potential to manifest as conscious-energy and – if “Realized” – can then be
aware of itself, of the Absolute. Then only can awareness be aware of awareness.
He said: “The hearsay goes . . . ‘I am’. ‘I am’ means the flow of
the mind has started. Now whatever you say with that ‘I AM-ness’ through the
mind about ‘you’, you have represented as yourself. But that is not so.”
Once he switched to the use of a psychological / non-dual
version of the Ultimate Medicine, he made clear that the mind must end; that he
had become mindless instead of mindful; that seekers should give up all ideas about identity
and Identity; that seekers should reach a state of “zero concepts” by purging
the mind of all of concept / beliefs; and that they should thereafter simply enjoy
being free and abiding naturally in the awareness of the nothingness.
A seeker once asked, “So, Floyd, which is the real focus? Concentrating
on the message in ‘From the I to the Absolute (A Seven-Step Journey to Reality)’
or the message in ‘From the Absolute to the Nothingness’?”
The reply: “Both, and in that order. The messages in the
first four books on the author’s website provide a progression in messages,
each level-appropriate, offered in the same way that Maharaj modeled. Each builds on
previous understandings.
In the end, the process involves being free of all identity
and Identity. Why? Because the process is about eliminating all identification
and Identification because any ego-state (or Ego-State) will trigger the use
of ego-defense mechanisms (such as egotism and arrogance and entitlement and
amazing levels of a sense of importance) which perpetuate identity and / or
identity assumption and distortion and delusion.
What "benefit" can come from being “in touch with Reality” if
it renders one "out of touch with reality” . . . with the present manifestation
and relative existence?
What "benefit" can come if the one uses a process
which is intended to eliminate all false sense of “importance” if it only
reinforces a sense of importance by generating Identification with “Things” or “A
Thing” or “One” or “Something” that is supposedly all-important?
Here, daily activities never involve reading about
non-duality. Since 1989, if reading happens, it usually involves mysteries or
detective novels. Many modern novelists are among the favorites, but one British
author who wrote during the early 1900’s – Edgar Wallace by name – is especially
enjoyed. (That is not a recommendation.) In one of his novels, one character
says to another:
“The trouble with you is that you have no sense of unimportance.”
That adumbrates to the invitation here, to see that such is the problem with all humanity if trapped in
identities or an “Identity”: they have no "sense of unimportance."
Consider the methods which Maharaj tried but abandoned before offering an
alternative:
First, “Religion.” Why must that be abandoned if the intent is to reach
an awareness of being nothing? If the intent is to “have a sense of unimportance”? Because of this:
The persons considered the most important on this planet are
religious people, especially religious leaders. Look at Iran. The elected officials
can agree to whatever they want, but the most powerful one of all is the country’s
religious leader, “The Supreme Leader,” Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. In the U.S.,
religious persons are the most powerful and most respected. They even control the
U.S. Congress and they determine what elected officials can do and cannot do and what officials say and do not say. Five thousand
years ago, cultures all around the globe were convinced by their religious leaders
to allow those religious leaders to fornicate with parents' virgin daughters and
then cut out their beating hearts while those females were still alive and then pass their hearts among the
crowd so all could share eating the body and the blood in an act of "communion with the gods or
with God."
Imagine how important the masses involved in an act of “atonement”
(of “at-one-ment” with God) must have considered themselves then and how important
they consider themselves right up until today.
[Next, “Selfness.” Let that previous pointer move the discussion to those who
are concerned with “Self” and “The Supreme Self.” Compare that with “The Supreme
Leader” referenced above. Not must difference in a “Supreme Leader” and a “Supreme Self,” is there,
really? And imagine how important “Hindus” or “non-dualists” must consider themselves
if they believe they are “A Supreme Self” or even “God.”]
Finally, “Spirituality.” Consider “The Spiritual Ones” who brag “We are not religious! We are spiritual!” or “This is not a religious group! This
is a spiritual group!” How very "different from" and "better
than" they are than people who are merely religious. How important "Spiritual Giant" role-players consider themselves, even as they give
lip service to their "high level of humility.”
Maharaj endorsed identitylessness and Identitylessness and
nothingness because he witnessed first-hand the ways that religion and spirituality and being Supreme
foster a mind; the way they assure that a mind shall be filled with concepts and ideas and
notions and perceptions / misperceptions (a.k.a., “beliefs”); and the way that
had fostered a global sense of “different-from-ment” and “better-than-ment” - perceptions which lead to the duality and ignorance and insanity and instability and chaos
which plague the existence of the masses all around the globe.
To be continued.
Please enter the silence of contemplation.
[NOTE:
The four most recent posts follow. You may access all of the posts in
this series and in the previous series and several thousand other posts as well by clicking on the links in the "Recent Posts and Archives" section.]
