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THE ULTIMATE SICKNESS: Causes, Symptoms, Aspects, Effects, and Treatment
More often than not, whatever follows the words,
“Maharaj taught his followers that . . .”
or
“Maharaj always said to seekers (such and such) . . .”
will be a falsehood.
Most that are familiar with Maharaj is a result of having read the most popular collection of transcripts of his talks which were collected in a volume entitled I AM THAT: Talks with Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj.
Yet few are aware that he would eventually advise seekers to “stop reading that book and read the later talks.” Why?
Because his “teachings” underwent a series of evolutions and because the versions of the Ultimate Medicine which he recommended as a treatment for the Ultimate Sickness also changed dramatically.
In fact, his teachings evolved and led to there being three totally different stages as his understanding of the cause of the Sickness changed.
In the beginning, dogma played a role; in phase two, the Westerners who came to the loft and cared not about dogma but were more interest in “spirituality” influenced him to focus on what they thought they needed / wanted; in the end, during the third and final approach to treating the Ultimate Sickness, he realized that the problem centered in the mind.
Therefore, the messaging and pointers in the three stages differed considerably as he shifted from a Hindu / non-duality focus to a spirituality / non-duality focus to a psychology / non-duality focus.
After Maharaj realized that the Ultimate Sickness is neither a "too-little-dogma" sickness nor a "spiritual malady" nor a "spirit sickness" and that is a sickness based in the mind and in the "learned ignorance" stored therein, he understood that the Ultimate Sickness is a psychological sickness.
He was already aware of the term "moksha," but his understanding of that also evolved. As used by the more "religious" or "spiritual" Hindus, it referred to "emancipation, liberation, and release" from the birth-life-death-rebirth-reincarnation cycles which many believe are impelled by the law of karma.
The wise understand that a composite unity (consisting of a temporary, elemental plant food body which temporarily circulates air and which temporarily circulates conscious-energy and which was never born) cannot possibly, post-mahasamadhi, come back together and be reborn. Thus, in later years, he called the concept of “reincarnation” a hoax.
With that understanding comes an understanding of Maharaj's later pointer that moksha is not about birth and death cycles but is the end result of "realization" and involves nothing more than "being freed from ignorance."
Thus, the realization process is not about healing the elemental plant food body. Additionally, it is not about "healing the mind," either.
Just as a cancerous tumor is not to be healed but is to be eliminated, so is it with the mind as well. In the end, the state which ultimately freed Maharaj and led to the birth of his wisdom was a no-mind state.
He said:
"There is no such thing as a mind."
"I have no mind . . . ."
Want to be free of the mind? Maharaj advised:
"Reach a state of zero-concepts."
He also said:
"As to my mind, I have no such thing. There is consciousness in which everything happens."
"I am double dead: not only am I dead to my body, but to my mind, too."
"I find I have lost the mind irretrievably."
If the mind goes away, then peace comes, and if peace comes, then going and doing and zooming and racing about also go away.
It is true that some seekers in the past, upon hearing these pointers regarding the fact that the realization process is not about healing the body but is about eliminating the mind, have asked: "But what about the power of positive thinking?"
The reply, "For you to have listened to talks about the illusion of power and about the fact that 'negative vs. positive' concepts are rejected by the non-dual teachings - and that your key problem centers in your mind and its thinking - illustrates exactly how the workings of your mind really are the ultimate obstacle for you."
One woman pointed out years ago that stress has been shown to generate problems with the physical body and that - if the movement toward realization brings peace - then that would result in less stress and thus fewer illnesses with the body.
She came prepared after the prior session and took out a sheet of paper and read: "Stress can cause low energy; headaches; an upset stomach, including diarrhea, constipation and nausea; aches, pains, and tense muscles; chest pain and rapid heartbeat; insomnia; frequent colds and infections; and loss of sexual desire and / or ability."
Her willingness to focus on facts was noted, as was the validity of her point. Indeed, there can be "side effects" to realization - to being "freed of ignorance." Too, freedom from ignorance may well bring to an end certain behaviors which can lead to the symptoms she catalogued above and which can guide the wise to seek and find a proper treatment for what ails them.
A couple of years ago, I felt a sharp pain in my right eye and suddenly could not see out of that eye. Once I looked in a mirror and saw that the eye was filled with blood, I did not fall to my knees and beg God to heal me and save my sight. I did not say, "Well, I'm not going to let this stress me or upset me. I'm going to turn it over to Parabrahman and show everyone how truly spiritual and at peace I am."
Instead, I did an internet search for a "retina and vitreous specialist." Once I had an office address for a specialist, I got into my car and began driving to his office. I drove past several optimist offices; I also drove past a couple of offices with ophthalmologists inside; free from ignorance, I knew they could not address the particular problem with my eye.
After treating the problem with the retina and vitreous, the specialist explained the seriousness of the injury and how - if I had left it untreated - I could have lost my sight in that eye. Then he wrote his private cell phone number on the back of a card, handed it to me, and told me to keep it with me at all times, explaining that if the problem should happen again, I was to call him immediately. He said that if I happened to be out of town, he might be able to refer me to a specialist nearby but assuring me that there was some leeway with the timing as long as I received treatment within 24 to 48 hours.
[By the way: one optimist I drove by is an American-born Caucasian Christian whom I had visited on one occasion but left when he began proselytizing, asking me if I had "accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior"; one of the ophthalmologists I passed by is an American-born Caucasian woman who conducts my annual eye exam and provides a new prescription for my eyeglasses if the need is indicated. She includes during her exams a Catholic commentary encouraging patients to find God.
Freedom from ignorance can provide one with the wisdom to know whatever is being called for and how to find the proper treatment for whatever is being called for. As for the doctor who saved the vision in my right eye, he had moved to Houston from the Middle East and is a Muslim, both of which are irrelevant facts. Glad you're here, Dr. Rahman.]
One who has been truly freed of ignorance and the bondage of beliefs will never believe that realization can cure any of the types of body issues which have been faced here over the years, including cancer, internal bleeding, fluid retention, a genetic heart defect, an injured retina, and other sicknesses which involve the elemental plant food body.
Moreover, one who has been truly freed of ignorance and the bondage of beliefs will never practice cognitive dissonance and will never use escapism, denial, avoidance, schizoid-avoidance, or dissociation. They will not wait and see if "the Powers that be" might address the issues which they would rather procrastinate around or avoid.
Procrastination, escapism, denial, avoidance, schizoid-avoidance, and dissociation are in the tool kits of the "non-realized masses" but are never used by those that have been freed of ignorance and insanity.
If physical healing happens to be a by-product of having been freed of ignorance and insanity, fine, but the Ultimate Medicine is intended to address a Mental / Mind Sickness.
Granted, Maharaj did make clear that he had been freed of body identification, saying, "I am double dead: not only am I dead to my body, but to my mind, too." However, he did not say: "There is no such thing as an elemental plant food body."
Maharaj advised, "Reach a state of zero-concepts," but he did not advise: "As to my body, I have no such thing" and he did not say, "I find I have lost the body irretrievably."
See? With him, in the end, the Ultimate Medicine was all about addressing mind issues.
Here, after eliminating the mind (by eliminating all of the beliefs which had been stored therein), the body continues to be cared for, but that does not involve any degree of fanaticism about the body and does not involve "turning its care over to God" or to "Brahman" or to "Parabrahman" or to any other concept dreamed up by delusional, magical-thinking, emotionally-intoxicated humans.
(Again, Maharaj said: "Reach a state of zero-concepts." That mean ending all beliefs about all concepts, including the ones about "God" and "Brahman" and "Parabrahman.")
Should the body outlast its usefulness and become a source of pain and preempts "the chance for any further 'quality of life'," then it can be abandoned willingly without
a. any delusion-based fears at all about "being reborn in a lesser form" or about "being punished for eternity"
and without
b. any delusion-based desires at all about "being reborn into a higher form" or about "being rewarded for eternity."
To be continued.
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THE EXPLANATION
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."
and
"Heaven and hell are not geographic places
"There is no hell."
