TODAY'S CONSIDERATIONS
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To review:
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:
Natural Living in the Absence of Identification
The ultimate Advaita understanding is that there need not be any understanding, there being no "one" to understand at all; however, that pointer is not for the beginner. The entire "path" must be followed, that understanding above notwithstanding.
After following the "path," the intent is to "return" and to live out the remainder of the relative existence, and it is for the remainder of the relative existence that seekers here are invited to live in a natural, Nisarga method.
As noted earlier, AS IF living (based in the no-concept, non-dual, no-identity "Reality") is seldom modeled by any of the humans walking about among the masses; thus, one cannot look to the non-realized masses to find examples of such natural living.
Look to nature instead; thus, to continue the earlier discussion, true AS IF living is a mode of natural living, modeled in nature by animals such as the deer, primarily docile and at peace . . . living a minimalist existence … accumulating nothing . . . believing nothing . . . never fighting for any “belief” . . .
functioning quite splendidly without any “identity” even though sensing presence … and either enjoying all aspects of the manifestation or tolerating all aspects of the manifestation in a no-attachment-mode.
How closely does your relative existence reflect that mode of Nisarga, natural living? Is it possible that You might also function quite splendidly, even without any concepts or dualistic beliefs or any “identity”?
As noted earlier, many seekers over the years have challenged the plausibility of the “try living more like the deer” pointer that is offered here. One said,
“I have a class of twenty-two second graders that I’m responsible for. That includes teaching them what they have to know for the state test, disciplining them, chaperoning them to lunch, getting the sick ones out of the room and to the school nurse, dealing with their principals and counselors, making tests, grading tests, planning lessons, and conferencing with parents. Tell me how I’m supposed to live as peacefully as a deer in the woods.”
The reply: What is obvious in the comment first is a level of stress that is typical among many teachers, yet a high level of stress is typical among most persons around the globe. So how can you, or anyone in any stressful profession or situation, live more in the style of a deer and avoid that stress?
First, by realizing fully and then completing the third leg of the "journey." Should that happen, you will no longer identify yourself as “The Teacher” (which is usually upgraded to “The Super Teacher,” an ego-state which co-dependently requires “Super Students” for “The Super Teacher’s” happiness and, indeed, very survival. More on that to follow.)
Stay in that mode and you will never be happy and stress-free because you will never consistently have "Super Students" that are more concerned with assuring your happiness than with their own interests and agendas.
However, if you were to realize who / what you are not (namely “The Teacher” or "The Super Teacher") and Realize THAT Which You Truly Are, then even as you are no longer “The Teacher" . . .
1. teaching can still happen;
2. being paid after teaching happens can still continue;
3. all of the job tasks that you catalogued above can still happen;
xx4. and it can all take place even as an AS IF lifestyle - which includes a style that can be as peaceful as that of a deer - can also happen.
How can that be?
When the role of “The Teacher” is accepted as an identity, then - as referenced earlier - egomania immediately promotes or upgrades that persona to the imaginary status of “The Super Teacher.” And what does “The Super Teacher” think that it must have in order to exist?
(1) Super lessons that are being sought wholeheartedly by (2) “Super Students.” And when students are not doing what “The Super Students” are expected to do, then “The Super Teacher” feels as if he / she is dying and begins to fight for his / her life by attacking “the not-super-students” who, for example, were not paying attention.
[Such attacks come as often from “The Super Spouse” who is not getting the respect desired, from “The Super Performer” who is not getting the attention that is wanted, or from “The Super Employer” whose employees are not paying adequate attention or “doing” what “Super Employees” are expected to do.]
When that ego-state of “The Teacher” dissolves (post-realization), a shift results after the understanding becomes, “Teaching might happen today … or not.” (That simply means that no ego-state is attached to outcome, no ego-state is bent on controlling things that are beyond one's control, and that no ego-state is ready and willing to fight in order to maintain a false image.)
When abiding in an AS IF fashion, no role and no do-er is fighting for its imagined life any longer. A shift in perspective happens as mere witnessing begins. Truth is differentiated from the false. Emotional intoxication ends. When the illusion of do-er disappears, then the witness begins to merely observe what happens . . . or not. Peace manifests alongside that awareness.
To forfeit the illusion of a do-er with power and control allows You to sit back, to relax, and to take it easy while witnessing all of the insane conduct of the billions of personas being assumed as actual identities around the globe and being embroiled in their “going and doing and zooming."
The witness will not be caught up in "their" chaos and will not be pulled under by the relative existence maelstroms that the egotism of personas always generates.
And that is the way that you can live as peacefully as the deer and still meet your basic food, clothing and shelter requirements. This is not a theory but is a report of actual experience. Yet you can never be at peace and ease if meeting the basic requirements is not the goal.
If the goal is to have the highest standard of food, the highest standard of clothing, and the highest standard of housing, then you cannot live as the deer lives. The deer is ego-less, so less is just fine.
Thus, to move to a fashion of living that is marked by even higher levels of peace, many have followed this suggestion: they have down-sized or de-accumulated after asking such questions as:
"Do I have a house that is larger than required?"
and
"Do I own my house or does my house own me?"
and
"Could the next car purchase involve a smaller or less expensive and more efficient vehicle or not?"
and
"Have I ever figured the exact cost of ego, in dollars or euros or rupees or pounds sterling, as relates to every purchase I have ever made?"
and
"Have I made any effort to be free of the effects of having been programmed to believe that 'more is better' and actually considered the possibility that my relative existence might be improved with less?"
When a deer has a more peaceful lifestyle than you, and when you see that a deer is a minimalist that could hardly have less, then the wise also see the correlation.
The deer does not accumulate, does not race through its days or nights, does not prefer noise to the quiet, does not adopt false identities, does not overeat or do anything to excess out of boredom or nervousness; and does not adopt an agenda of other animals in the forest and act like something that it is not. For you, less "stuff" could mean less maintenance;
smaller "stuff" could mean less expense of upkeep; less cost could mean sooner freedom from bills; less noise will guarantee more quiet and peace if schedules are adjusted to include at least some quiet time each day;
going and doing and zooming could be less necessary if the illusions of "self" gave way to an awareness of Self; and freedom of speech could become less touted when freedom from speech becomes valued.
You can live as freely as the deer if you follow the steps that can result in realization and in de-accumulation (which always follows realization). And, again, that is not theory. Everything mentioned above is an account of actual experience.
To be continued.
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