TODAY'S CONSIDERATIONS
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Rather than being "pro-" or "anti-" religion or "pro-" or "anti-" spirituality, the invitation here is to consider becoming doggedly “anti-ignorance” and tenaciously "anti-stupidity" and staunchly “pro-sanity.”
--fh
To review:
The discussion at this point in the series is now focusing on "The Most Influential Obstacles Of All" which have come via dreamed up myths and superstitions and via "religious" and / or "spiritual" sources, including religious and / or spiritual thoughts, ideas, concepts, notions, views, theories, inklings, perceptions, a.k.a., "beliefs."
Recall the man who approached me after a talk and said, "I was abused as a child by a priest. I've done years of work to try to get beyond that, but where I am today is, I still cringe when people start talking religion to me. So my question is, have you found a way to guide people to realization and freedom without their having to buy into the dogma you talk about?"
Thus, this:
REALIZING WITHOUT DOGMA, WITHOUT CONTINUOUS SPIRITUAL PRACTICES, AND WITHOUT A PREOCCUPATION WITH “THE NATURE OF REALITY AND THINGS NOUMENAL”
Is it possible that seeking is probably triggered more than anything else by unmet desires and / or ongoing fears? How many have sought out a God or gods or goddesses in an effort to try to get some additional help at getting what is desired but not yet attained?
In that regard, Maharaj explained: "You have invented a God and worship such a God and pray to that God for something good to happen to you," be that "something good" the fulfillment of something desired or the avoidance of something feared.
Note, too, that the "something feared" which inspires the endless flaunting of one's "Super Religious" roles or one's "Spiritual Giant" role often involves the fear that one's "super-good image" might be exposed for what it actually is: a totally bogus, totally inauthentic fabrication. That fear inspires a constant public displaying of, by word and / or by deed, one's supposed devotion to and supposed closeness to God and God's "One True Prophet."
Let's see what that looks like in practice with a recent incident which illustrates the pointer:
Last week, I sent a text to one of those types who is staying with an ill relative in order to check on the status of the sick one. The response from her included three lines.
Let's see what that looks like in practice with a recent incident which illustrates the pointer:
Last week, I sent a text to one of those types who is staying with an ill relative in order to check on the status of the sick one. The response from her included three lines.
The first line reported the status as "some improvement," which was all that needed to be said.
But then another line was added, saying, "Thank you Jesus."
Then a third line was added, saying, "I am praying."
(I checked with my attorney, but she said I could not sue for reimbursement of cleaning costs simply because the woman's texts triggered a spontaneous gag reflex which led me to toss my cookies all over my phone. Impartial witnessing really is being called for in every moment on this planet. 😀 )
So there came three text messages when only one was called for. The two extra texts were there to reinforce an image, and those extra texts were the inspiration of the subconscious agenda of false ego-states - which are believed by her to be "really good ones" - and which were being typed by one who can only talk / type from a subconscious state (and therefore "in her sleep"), driven as she is by the agendas of her false identities to maintain and constantly show off their supposedly High Holy State. So it is.
What might Maharaj have counseled in that case?
“All you need is to get rid of the tendency to define your self.”
All fears and all desires begin with the assignment or assumption of an identity because it is each assigned or assumed personality which brings with it a primary desire and a primary fear. Maharaj understood that religions generate false identities, so he kicked out of the loft those who came to flaunt such identities;
he understood that spirituality generates false identities as well, so he also kicked "spiritual giants" out of the loft and eventually began advising seekers to "stop reading the 'spiritual classic' I AM THAT" and to "give up spirituality"; and he also came to understand that Self-Inquiry - leading to the notion that one is some sort of "Supreme Self" - can generate a singular, but nevertheless false, identity as well.
Eventually his message focused on the point that it is “self”-inquiry which makes clear who you are not; that realizing all that you are not can eliminate the bogus belief in both personal and special identities; and that - since false identities generate all fears and desires - that freedom can come only after all identities are cast aside.
Should one find all that one is not, and abandon belief in all identifications (including the “good” ones and the “bad” ones and the “common, everyday ones” and the “Special One or Ones”) then only can one abide naturally in an agenda-less fashion - the same way all living things on the planet abide except for humans).
Should one become who-less and WHO-less and identity-less and Identity-less, then the abidance can unfold as it does here.
Again, Maharaj: “All you need is to get rid of the tendency to define your self”
and
“I really do not see myself related to anybody and anything. Not even to a Self, whatever that Self may be. I remain forever - undefined.” (See why he said “knowing who you are not is enough”? If he eventually gave up all involvement with seeking a Self or knowing a Self or relating to a Self, then why would Self-Inquiry be a requirement for becoming freed from misery and suffering which he said is "the teacher's sole concern"?)
Next, consider the implications of this bit of syllogistic reasoning:
Maharaj:
(A) "The teacher’s sole concern is with ‘suffering and the ending of suffering’.”
(B) "To me, dependence on anything for happiness is utter misery."
Ergo,
(C) the job of the teacher is to eliminate dependence.
Here, there is no dependence so there is no misery or suffering. The same can manifest during the remainder of "your" relative existence as well.
Key, though, is understanding this: misery and suffering can only be experienced during the relative existence. Post-manifestation, there will be no “one" to be miserable, no “one” to suffer, and no “one” to be happy or joyous or blissful. (Maharaj: “Both experience and experiencer will disappear.")
Recall the response from the woman in St. Louis when she was offered these considerations:
“All is energy-matter. Neither energy nor matter can be created nor destroyed; thus, there can never have been any 'creator' or 'Creator.' All has always been. Babies are not created . . . energy-matter simply cycles. No 'Sustainer-God' has ever existed because there is no 'one' to be sustained. No 'Destroyer-God' exists because nothing can be destroyed. And no 'Creator-God' exists because nothing has ever been created."
Her response: “Floyd, millions of people cannot be wrong about their belief in God.”
The reply:
“Right you are. Millions of people have not been wrong. The fact is that billions and trillions of people have been wrong . . . in their beliefs.”
Such distortion and delusion continue today. Billions of persons are concerned about avoiding misery and suffering in “the next life” or on “the next plane,” having been programmed to believe in such things because they have been programmed to believe, dualistically, in "themselves" and in "lower selves" and in "higher selves" and in "their Supreme Selves."
There is no Creator-God or Destroyer-God or gods or goddesses, so there has been no creation of either a better world or a worse world which awaits you / “You”; thus, Maharaj abandoned talk about dogma and about spirituality because
(1) “The teacher’s sole concern is with ‘suffering and the ending of suffering’”
and because
(2) misery and suffering can only happen now, never later.
Therefore, it only makes sense, if the teacher's sole concern involves the elimination of misery and suffering, to discuss the way that the actual relative existence is unfolding rather than discuss the dreamed up way that a imaginary existence is going to unfold later.
Again, Maharaj: “Both experience and experiencer will disappear."
To be continued.
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