TODAY'S CONSIDERATIONS
What Can Happen When One Uses A Teaching Method
and
The Nisarga Yoga
Pre-"Journey" Considerations, Part One
To review:
Alexander Pope observation has been noted: "A little learning is a dangerous thing."
Here, the pointer is, "A little un-learning can be a far-more-dangerous thing."
Often when the work with a seeker begins, an intuitive sense here makes it apparent that - before the Direct Path, Nisarga teachings / un-teachings are offered - a need for the laying of a foundation is indicated.
In such cases, some prior-to-beginning-the-"journey"-insights must be grasped if the seeker is to have any chance at all of being led to the end of the "path" where freedom and happiness and stability and a complete restoration of sanity await.
If the Ultimate Sickness is consider "monstrous," then the monster must be wiped out; the last thing that should happen afterwards is that a new or different kind of monster is created - which is exactly what happens with most persons who become fascinated with (or engrossed in, or captivated by) any of the hundreds and thousands of philosophies, ideologies, religions, and spiritual movements that have come and gone or that have come and stayed over the centuries.
With the Direct Path Teaching Method used here - in conjunction with the Nisarga Yoga - the first understanding required is that anything considered a "teaching" or a "concept" is actually a thorn being used to remove thorns . . . to be tossed when the understanding is firm.
Some, however, cling to the thorns and use them to prick themselves or others, so this explanation is intended to prevent that from happening.
Of all of the pre-"Journey" understandings that are necessary, next is the summative statement of the Advaita teachings, specifically, "I AM THAT; I AM." Direct Path realization and the Nisarga Yoga are not "about" being THAT alone, are not about detaching from the AM-ness, and are not about asserting that "nothing in the relative is real."
Everything in the present reality (i.e., all which composite unities encounter in the relative) is energy / matter, and energy / matter is real; the key point is that nothing is as non-realized persons perceive it to be. It is the perceptions / misperceptions which are not real, which are not based in fact.
Next, why realize if what is realized is not "applied" in the relative (even in the absence of any "applier") so that freedom and peace and happiness can manifest and be enjoyed at the only time those can be enjoyed, specifically, NOW (for there is no "after-NOW" for anyone, for any composite unity).
Nisarga living is "about" living naturally now, freely now, sanely now, and happily and blissfully now.
So the seeker beginning the "journey" should understand that while the word "advaita" means "not two" (that is, "non-duality") the summative statement seems to some novices to suggest two-ness.
That is not the case. Just as frosting can be placed atop a cake but the end product is still a cake - is still just one single treat - so it is when THAT ("Reality") is overlaid on the AM-ness: a far sweeter but singular treat is the result.
Note, therefore, that only the Oneness is being pointed to with the summative statement, even though some might erroneously conclude that there are two aspects to the One.
(Simply because a human body might have a torso and two arms and two legs does not mean that a person has multiple bodies. There is only one body in spite of what appears to be some sort of multiplicity at work.)
Other additional points to be understood include the following:
1. The intent is not to generate a new, false identity of "The Philosopher" (which would soon be ungraded by the ego-defense mechanism of egotism to "The Super Philosopher"). There are more than enough (or even far too many) philosophers running about;
and most so designated are unemployed, a college degree in philosophy presently heading the list of the most useless degrees of all (per research and facts, not per opinion).
Transforming the non-realized masses from sleepwalkers and sleep-talkers into deep thinking and pensive and overly-serious and instructive (and really boring) philosopher-types is not what these teachings are "about."
The intent, as far as "the realized Nisargan" is concerned, is not to inspire seekers to eat, drink and sleep these teachings after "full realization" happens. These points were offered in the book Dancing Lightly:
"The 'end game' with Advaita is not to be able to eat, drink, breathe, talk, dissect, and analyze Advaita; nor is the 'end game' to spend all of one's waking hours pontificating about Advaita. The 'end game' is to reach an understanding which results in a love of silence and solitude;
which allows Reality to be overlaid upon the relative so that a Nisarga (natural) manner of abidance happens; which allows all to happen spontaneously while, ironically, also happening deliberately; and which allows whatever happens - or whatever does not happen - to be enjoyed fully.
With the sense of limitlessness which manifests post-realization, then all can be relished: namely, the working required to assure independence, the walking, the eating, the looking at what nature has to offer, the sitting, the sharing, and, yes, the dancing. Dancing? Absolutely.
Moving through the relative existence post-realization is like moving smoothly across a dance floor (not in some helter-skelter, jerky fashion and not in some roller coaster fashion with excessive up's and down's but in a slow, deliberate, even, level, steady, flexible, and effortless manner).
2. The intent is not to generate a new, false identity of "The All-Knowing One" (which would soon be ungraded to "The Super Sage"). That is not what Direct Path realization and Nisarga living are "about," either.
3. The intent is not to generate new, false identities which fall at various points along any spectrum, including such dualistic extremes as:
a. totally stoic at one extreme to totally uncaring at the other extreme;
b. totally nihilistic at one extreme to excessively concerned at the other extreme;
c. totally in touch with THAT but not at all in touch with "this," or preoccupied with the THAT-ness while ignoring or devaluing the AM-ness;
d. forfeiting the ability to feel while seeking freedom from excessive emoting;
e. not caring at all to caring about everything;
f. reducing all things relative at one extreme to exaggerating all things relative at the other extreme;
g. giving great value to the fact that one has his / her head in the clouds and giving no value to having one's feet planted firmly on the ground;
h. debating and arguing for the sake of debating and arguing rather than enjoying the freedom of witnessing and the accompanying position of neutrality;
and
abusing the right of freedom of speech while ignoring the pleasure of freedom from speech.
None of that occurs if both realization and Nisarga / natural living are happening together.
The dualistic extremes above are most assuredly not what Direct Path realization and Nisarga living are "about."
To be continued.
Please enter into the silence of contemplation.
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