TODAY'S CONSIDERATIONS
THE RATIONALE FOR UNDERSTANDING AND MAKING USE OF THE NISARGAN UNDERSTANDING
That which is natural is rooted in non-duality; all which involves unnatural thinking and / or supernatural thinking is rooted in duality.
Whether speaking of Maharaj's lesser focus on the Nisarga Yoga in the beginning or discussing his near-total focus on abiding naturally in the end (as opposed to trying to live supernaturally and / or unnaturally), it is granted that all of that is relevant only to the AM-ness, but presently, what happens in the AM-ness impacts every person far more than anything to do with the THAT-ness.
So, to continue with excerpts from the book Why NISARGA YOGA in addition to the Advaita Teachings? as considerations about the nisarga (natural) fashion of abidance are offered:
Why "Advertise" a Method or a Yoga?
In Shakespeare's London when the theaters moved across the Thames from London proper to Southwark in order to escape harassment by puritanical magistrates, flagpoles were erected atop the theater turrets for purposes of advertising: if people in the city saw a white flag flying atop a playhouse, they knew that a comedy was playing there; if they saw a black flag flying, they knew that a tragedy was playing.
In Bombay (Mumbai) in the days of Maharaj, he also "advertised" what was "being shown" in the loft. How? The "Nisarga" in "Nisargadatta" was also like a modern-day movie poster, "Nisarga" meaning "natural" and making clear that the Nisarga, Natural Yoga was being offered in the loft. Infatuated with any other yoga? Then probably best not to come in.
Here, a disclaimer is offered to any that consider seeking in the venue of this author:
"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 pointers based in the Nisarga (Natural) Yoga."
[Conversations over the years with both novice seekers and with so-called "seasoned seekers" who claim that "they understand a lot" (and with some who claim to have "understood it all") actually haven't the slightest clue about which of the basic methods is being used by the guru or the Big Name Teacher they are following, if - indeed - any actual method is being used by their guru or teacher at all. Moreover, die-hard, long-time Maharaj fans have admitted that - until they read a few of the books or series offered here - they also had not been conscious of the particulars of his "evolution" and the changes in his message over the years. Of course the ones who did note his shift away from the use of Hindu dogma were his first critics and the Westerners who noted his shift away from spirituality were a second, much-larger. much-more vocal wave of detractors.]
To disclose that the Natural Yoga is used is to disclose right up front to any and all seekers that there is no "goal" here other than to
1. remove the ignorance which inspires attachment to religious or spiritual or philosophical or ideological concepts and exercises and accoutrements
and to
2. bring to an end all thoughts and words and deeds which support unnatural / supernatural living,
giving way to
3. living in an all-natural fashion.
The "later Maharaj" or "Pure Maharaj," therefore, offered less and less tolerance for those "hanging out" at the third of seven steps to realization where they were playing the role of "The Spiritual Giant" and / or "The Super Religious One."
Yes, for most, the religious or spiritual or philosophical roles have to be played for a time, it seems, but the longer Maharaj taught, the less tolerant he was of those fixating at a place on the "path" that is not even the halfway point of the "journey."
Thus, he spoke of their "kindergarten spirituality."
He noted that "there are so many who take the dawn for the noon, a momentary experience for full realisation . . . . "
For all the spiritual and religious and philosophical talk in I AM THAT, his later talks contained less and less of the earlier "spirituality" and "beating around the bush"; thus, he said to two visitors, "Forget spirituality."
He encouraged seekers to follow "their normal inclinations," that is, to follow their natural tendencies, to abandon all of their spiritual work and just abide naturally - not unnaturally and not supernaturally (i.e., neither "religiously" nor "spiritually" nor "philosophically").
He told visitors, "Do your normal duties"
and
"just give up spirituality."
And thus the pointer that his message did evolve and even change over the decades to the degree that he became more and more direct, wasting less time with "foundational and preparatory pointers" that would
(a) tolerate for a time the assumption of seekers' "new and improved and good" religious or spiritual or philosophical personas and that would sometimes gently guide seekers beyond their obsession with the religious or spiritual or philosophical step
and instead
admonishing them, in a far more direct manner than earlier, to
(b) be free of all that drives them to live unnaturally and to
(c) abandon their efforts to live supernaturally
and to
(d) get on with the process of merely living naturally.
He admitted later on that he, too, had been bogged down at the third step of seven steps and he made clear that he was trying to spare seekers from the years or decades of being similarly bogged down.
He said: "I got involved in spirituality, in the business of spirituality, [but] finally I lost that love of the Self also. I have no more love for the Self."
He said that “When the birth is disproved, the great noble meaning of spirituality and the meaning of this world—everything—is disproved.”
When a visitor said, "The scriptures say that we have our karma and our sins and that is why we are here," Maharaj answered:
"That is for the ignorant masses. One who has realized the Self-Knowledge 'I Am,' for him these stories are of no use."
[Later, he would endorse only the seeking of "self-knowledge" ("false-self"-knowledge) which allows seekers to "find all that they are not," saying to them, "that is enough."
Again, recall that he said, “I have no faith in anything which has ever been told, not even what has been told by the Vedas. Only my own experience.”
A seeker once asked this question:
"So beyond all that talk of the varied phases of 'the Absolute' or 'Brahman,' the question is, 'Once that 'Cosmic Self' is found, what is one to do with it'?" Again, one should be reminded of the dog chasing a car: once it catches up with the car, what is it to do with it?
If seekers love their religious or spiritual or philosophical role-playing, then "early Maharaj" is more likely to appeal to them, but religious or spiritual or philosophical pointers will only trap seekers at a point that is not even halfway to "full realization" (that is, to full freedom from learned ignorance) while deluding them into believing that they have "realized fully."
[To abide at the third of seven steps but to believe that one has completed an entire journey is like a father traveling with his spouse and young children from Paris to Nice, reaching Geneva, telling the family members to grab their suitcases and leave the train, and then telling them they have reached their destination. That would be totally delusional, but as is the case with all children who listen to the nonsense been taught to them by their delusional parents, those children will believe that they are in Nice, France rather than in Geneva, Switzerland and will never have a clue about where they are or what Nice is really like or how very different Nice is from Geneva.]
If seekers would actually realize fully and thus be free of being driven by the body of learned ignorance stored in "the mind part" of their brains, then all religious or spiritual or philosophical concepts and beliefs and ideas and teachings must eventually be abandoned, and the sooner the better for those who would be totally free of delusions and distortions and ignorance and who would abide in the freedom and peace and ease and simplicity and relaxation of Nisarga, natural living.
So, there are three ways in which the relative existence can happen: unnaturally, supernaturally, or naturally (meaning, in a "Nisarga" fashion).
To fail to seek is to live unnaturally. To seek realization via only the Traditional Method, the Neo-Advaita Method, the Neo-Vedanta Method, the Direct Path Method (or one of the spin-offs of those four) is to be left in a position where one tries to live supernaturally . . . becoming a "Spiritual Giant" or something "Supreme."
Only if the Nisarga Yoga (the "Natural Yoga") is also offered can living naturally and spontaneously happen. When that is the case, all religious and / or spiritual work finally ends, all seeking finally ends, and ordinary, normal, effortless, relaxed living begins.
All “journeys” undertaken by seekers have goals—save one. For some, the goal is “salvation” or “eternal bliss” in some version of heaven or the completion of one level of development on what is believed to be one “journey” of many that must be completed.
All—save one—involve the assumption of new personas, being better, gaining power, enjoying rewards now and forevermore, finding a way to live a religious life or a spiritual life, or living in some similar supernatural fashion.
And while all such “journeys” can at certain junctures involve the above, here, seekers are invited to move beyond personality and the assumption of all roles, including religious roles and spiritual roles. Here, persons are invited to consider: is it possible that no matter how certain you are that you have reached the end of the “path,” is it possible that you have not even reached the midway point?
Is it possible that Maharaj’s pointer may have been accurate when he said,
“There are so many who take the dawn for the noon, a momentary experience for full realisation, and destroy even the little they gain by excess of pride”?
Are you proud of how spiritual you are? If it is understood that the assumption of any ego-state triggers the use of egotism and other ego-defense mechanisms, then can it not also be understood that the assumption of a spiritual ego-state will always result in spiritual arrogance?
Yes, the “path” from identification with the false “I” to the Absolute has steps involving religion or spirituality or the supernatural; however, those all inspire the assumption of roles; they all require doingness; and they all have goals which fixate persons in the goal-seeker stage and in a seeker mode that will prevent the reaching of full realization and understanding the Noneness as well as the Oneness.
The question offered for consideration, therefore, is this: WHO—what persona, what personality type—thinks that he / she is now "better" for having become religious or spiritual? WHO believes that she / he is "made better"—or even made "better than"—because living is happening in a supernatural fashion?
WHO is being led—often subconsciously—to believe that life is made better when one knells, rises, and knells some more? Rings a bell? Puts a bowl on a pillow and strikes it with a special stick? Wears a special robe or cross? Commits suicide while killing members of other religions? Hums and chants or shouts and screams? Asks favors of some external power? Arbitrarily follows holy diets rather than the food plan indicated for one's metabolic body type? WHO waves arms in the air? WHO rolls on the floor?
And WHO . . .
Speaks in unknown tongues? Cries as a result of being emotionally intoxicated? Sings praises? Faints? Gives away possessions or money to a supposedly-holy institution? Continues to give money to an institution even though they know their money is being used as hush money to cover up the sexual abuse of children by people in charge of that institution, thus enabling the molestation to continue? Is struck on the forehead and then swoons? Fights with others who have different beliefs? Allows religious or spiritual leaders to dictate what should or should not be eaten?
Allows "religious men" to determine how many children you have? Questions nothing and believes all they hear with unwavering "faith"? And works, works, works at living—especially at living in the “right” way or in a “better way”?
Of all the “paths” that have been dreamed up by persons over the ages, it is the Direct Path Method - presented in conjunction with the Nisarga, Natural Yoga - which has clear-cut steps to be completed in a specific order but has no goals in the end;
that eliminates the assumption of personas; that makes no promises about being “better than” someday; that offers no superpower or super beings to be at your disposal; that does not promise that you will become a Supreme Being;
that does not claim you are superior now; and that invites persons to take religious or spiritual or supernatural steps not as an end but as a means to move beyond that and then realize fully and thereafter to abide naturally rather than unnaturally or supernaturally.
Of all of the types of yoga available for study or guidance, the least popular is likely the Nisarga Yoga. Of all the types of yoga, this is the one which invites seekers to engage in whatever exercises they deem necessary but to eventually move beyond all of the effort and work and toil involved in assuming and maintaining their spiritual roles and to abide in a totally natural fashion.
Consider all the work that goes into blocking the consciousness enough for it to believe that such identities as these are real: “The Religious One”; “The Spiritual One” or “The Spiritual Giant”; “The Good Catholic”;
“The Good Baptist”; “The Good Presbyterian”; “The Good Anglican”; The Good Pentecostal”; “The Good Episcopalian”; “The Good Cultist”; “The Good Evangelical”; “The Good Muslim”;
“The Good Shiite”; “The Good Sunni”; “The Good Jew”; “The Good Hindu”; “The Good Taoist”; “The Good Advaitin”; “The Good Vedantin”; “The Native American Spiritualist,” ad infinitum.
Consider all of the work and sacrifice and energy and effort that goes into maintaining those images, and consider the levels of nonsense which persons must believe in order to play all of those roles and engage in all of the phoniness that accompanies role-playing.
You are invited to consider this as well:
"Is it possible that the remainder of the manifestation could unfold with considerably more freedom if it were to happen spontaneously and naturally rather than in a planned, prescribed, and artificially-supernatural manner?"
To be continued.
Please enter into the silence of contemplation.
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