TODAY'S CONSIDERATIONS
ANNOUNCEMENTS
1. Following eye surgery, clear focusing has not returned and eye strain results from anything other than a brief exposure to a computer screen; moreover, two follow up procedures must be arranged to "fine tune" the effects of the surgery; hence, the postings will be brief for awhile.
2. [See the offer following this post for details on how you can watch a retreat on video which includes a detailed discussion of all seven of the steps on the path as used by Maharaj]
3. Here, with those who are still driven to talk about "God," the "Son of God," the "Holy Spirit," "Buddha," "Krishna," etc., etc., etc., the invitation to them is to view those as verbs, not nouns. See the end of the post for the full meaning and implications of that.
4. A new video ("Number Ten: Awakening Together Satsang, March 2018") has now been added in the far right column of this page, offering the opportunity to view a recent 2018 satsang session with Floyd being interviewed by Regina and Jacqueline of "The Awakening Together Group."
By virtue of their numbers alone - with 97% on the planet's population claiming a religious affiliation - religions are hands down the most plentiful disseminators of widespread, duality-based nonsense and are the most copious initiators of fanaticism, politics coming in second (though the line between the two has all but disappeared as religion-controlled politicians are becoming the new abnormal norm).
It matters not if one studies what has been generated during the last 1500 to 5000 years by Hindus, Jews, Christians, Muslims, etc. It will be seen by any objective witness that, combined, they have accounted for stirring up more fanaticism than any single institution in history.
Yet religions and all other such sky cults hold no monopoly in churning out fanatics and their fanatical thoughts and words and actions.
Non-religious but "spiritual" sources and persons are only slightly less culpable in the spread of fanaticism merely because of their comparatively fewer numbers.
Those sources can include a plethora of philosophies, ideologies, spiritual movements, spirituality-based "recovery" programs, and groups and organizations with belief systems focused on ethereal and unearthly and supernatural concepts and mystical places and mystic Powers.
Moreover, included among those are all sorts of distorted and bastardized versions of teachings which are misidentified as "non-dual teachings" but are actually anything but that. Yet most of those versions have attracted a host of fanatical followers who are now trapped in the prison of their emotionally-intoxicating monomania.
One such fanatic visited Maharaj's loft and their encounter was described thusly:
On one occasion, a youngish visitor, dressed in the traditional ochre robes signifying his allegiance to a certain Hindu sect, with the fires of fanaticism burning in his eyes, expressed his shock that Maharaj would not accept the theory of re-birth, the very bedrock of Hindu philosophy.
He looked around for moral support but must have been a little dismayed by the indulgent smiles of understanding (but not acquiescence!) from the others. Maharaj looked at the young Sanyasin with a certain amount of sympathy, presumably for his misguided zeal, and said to him in an unusually kind manner:
This statement of mine about re-birth being absurd is nothing at all. You will be shocked even more if you continue to come here. I do not teach any philosophy, any religion; and I am not concerned with any traditional texts as the basis for my talks. I talk only from direct experience.
It is not my intention to hurt anybody's feelings.
I, therefore, constantly remind people that they are free to walk out if they do not like what they hear. What they would hear from me would be direct truth, as I have experienced it, not as people would like to hear it.
I am afraid I do not cater to people's concepts.
As for the "monomania" mentioned above, it is a mental disorder which is marked by an exaggerated or obsessive enthusiasm for - or preoccupation with - one thing and it is always marked by obsession, fixation, consuming passion, and compulsion.
It derives from the Greek word "monos" ("one") and refers to the "madness" or "frenzy" which has developed and festered and become a mental and emotional malignancy as the result of an extreme obsession and preoccupation which has developed in regards to one person or power or Power or issue or belief.
What an irony that the most mad and most frenzied are so delusional that they believe that they are actually the most stable and clear-seeing among the planet's entire human population.
They are not unlike the drunk who is told by a bartender, "I cannot serve you any more alcohol. You are too intoxicated already" to which the typical drunk often replies, "I am not intoxicated, so shut the hell up and pour me another drink!"
Fanatics and obsessives and extremists and militant activists are - like that drunk - usually in total denial about their mental state.
Tell this guy
that he is not so much mad as he is suffering from acute madness,
that his intense rage is evidence of tremendous ignorance and a severe case of stupidity and is the product of unchecked, unwarranted pride and arrogance and malignant narcissism,
that he is frenzied and mentally unstable and, possibly, totally insane
and
that he is trapped in a state of emotional intoxication
and you will likely become the newest object of his crazed hatred and fury and wrath.
So it is when dealing with fanatics.
Eventually, such contact and dealings will always become a lose-lose proposition.
To be continued.
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Here, with those who are still driven to talk about "God," the "Son of God," the "Holy Spirit," "Buddha," "Krishna," etc., etc., etc., the invitation to them is to view those as verbs, not nouns.
THE EXPLANATION
If looked at as nouns, they point to illusions and are, therefore, a total waste of time to even discuss; if looked at as verbs which are resulting in certain sane but rare behaviors among humanity, then they are worthy of some attention during the relative existence.
Meaning? There are members of certain groups who say things such as "My concept of God in the past was of a weak God, an absentee God, A Santa Claus-type God, a mean, punishing, vindictive God, etc. Today, I am in close contact with a loving and caring God whom I worship and praise and glorify and give thanks to."
The reply to that usually goes like this: "If you are in contact with a God that wants to be worshipped and praised and glorified, then you're dealing with someone like yourself - a narcissist - and hanging out with narcissists will never bring an end to your narcissism (that narcissism evidenced by the fact that you think you are "godly").
Next, in the phrase 'loving and caring God,' any supposed God that truly had her or his act together would tell you that the totally irrelevant part of that phrase is 'God' and that the only part that is relevant is the "loving and caring" part.
"That is, a non-narcissistic god / goddess would say, "I care not an iota about being worshipped and praised and glorified by you or anyone else. How arrogant and insecure and needy would I have to be to want that? Forget the man-made, dreamed up noun 'God' and focus on the 'God as a verb' understanding and then go forth and let loving and caring be verbs - not adjectives - and let them generate the act of love and the act of caring and let those actions manifest through you."
Yeshu'a (Jesus) and Pope John Paul II and Pope Francis were spot on:
"No one shall ever see 'the kingdom of heaven.' It is within"
and
"Heaven and earth shall fade away."
--Yeshu'a (Jesus)
and
"Heaven and hell are not geographic places but are states of mind, nothing more than concepts dreamed up by men."
--Pope John Paul II
"There is no hell."
--Pope Francis, the current pope
[in an interview with journalist Eugenio Scalfari,
a writer used by the Pope to issue off the record
teachings
which become a part of the Papal Magisterium]
Here's
the direct link to the VIDEO VERSION
of the "Awakening Together" satsang session with Regina and Jacqueline referenced earlier, 18 MARCH 2018
If preferred, here's
the direct link to the AUDIO VERSION
of that session.