TODAY'S CONSIDERATIONS
6. Or, you may purchase a Floyd Henderson Shopify Gift Card here for someone and offer recommendations for the books in Floyd's store which might be of assistance to them.
and
"The death of the mind is the birth of wisdom"
and
"To know that you are a
prisoner of your mind - that you live in an imaginary world of your own
creation - is the dawn of wisdom."
--Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
"Realization is nothing more than a process which results in a person being freed from believing in all learned ignorance."
--Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
The Anatomy of Human Memory Storage: The Elemental Brain vs. the Non-Elemental Mind
or
The Natural Brain vs. the Never-Natural Mind
It has been shown that game-playing can be as grand an obstacle to realizing as the obstacles rooted in body and mind and personality identification.
Of course, without a mind filled with false beliefs, no personality or identification (or “Identification”) could ever be assumed and believed to be real.
Personality-driven agendas which evolve from the mind have inspired religious and / or spiritual person to debate for centuries the concept of how many angels can stand on the head of a pin; have inspired supposedly religious or spiritual persons who are supposedly seeking humility to actually allow ego and narcissism and image-building and image-maintenance to manifest; and have allowed so-called “non-dual seekers or students” to become bogged down with “non-duality trivia” rather than understanding what the non-dual understanding can and cannot provide.
Recall that Yeshu’a (“Jesus”) said that “dual-minded persons are unstable in all ways.” That means, in all ways, right now, not later; thus, his point:
the non-dual understanding can eliminate the instability which plagues all humankind in all ways, right now, and that is what the non-dual understanding is about.
It is about bringing about stability now and sanity now. It is about eliminating the belief in learned ignorance and thereby bringing an end to humankind's widespread stupidity. It is about treating the Ultimate Sickness now, not later.
There will be no later to concern anyone because there will be no "one" later. No “one” – no composite unity – shall ever “escape” the bonds of this relative existence and exist in another world (or in this so-called “world” again and again), or in a heaven or a hell.
Thus, any “intentions” or “goals” or “objectives” regarding the acquiring of the non-dual understanding should be understood to be about bringing about adjustments and modifications and, especially, about a treatment for the Ultimate Sickness NOW;
therefore, the non-dual understanding has nothing whatsoever to do with some imaginary later time or later place or later existence.
Yes, the three basic parts of the composite unity which all humans are (namely, the elements, the air, and the conscious-energy), shall remain forever in the universal pools of elements and air and energy;
however, any “body” or “human being” which existed temporarily via the functioning of those three elements in their ever-cycling combinations throughout a relative existence shall not remain.
So, we’ll look at some of the personality traits which a fiction-filled mind can generate and see some of the other games that people play which end up being one big waste of time and energy.
SPIRITUAL WORKAHOLISM AND OTHER GAMES WHICH GENERATE EGO / NARCISSISM / IMAGE-BUILDING AND IMAGE-MAINTENANCE
Humans - trapped as most are in ego-states, in the accompanying use of egotism, and in massively-high levels of narcissism - love to be preoccupied with all things deemed to be “Ultimate” (except for the Ultimate Sickness.)
They are fascinated, for example, by their love of things referenced in “The Guinness Book of World Records.” Humans love “#1’s.” They hate losing and being less than #1. They love hearing that they “live in the greatest country on earth,” wallowing in the arrogance of that belief rather than asking, “In terms of ‘what,’ exactly? By what standards or by what criteria, exactly?”
Religious going and doing and zooming can supposedly make one “The Best Person Possible”; spiritual workaholism can make one “The Closest To God and The Purest of The Pure”; SELF-Inquiry work can lead one to a new and superlative identity, such as “The Ultimate Self” or “The Supreme Self” or even to “Being God.”
How Personality Disorders Drive Religious, Spiritual and "SELF"-Focused Workaholism
Today, the invitation is offered to consider the major role which personality disorders play in driving not only employment-type workaholism but also the role that personality disorders play in humankind’s religious, spiritual and “Self”-focused workaholism as well as the role that those disorders play in perpetuating the propensity among religious, spiritual and “Self”-focused workaholics to be just as trapped into going and doing and zooming as the run-of-the-mill-type workaholics.
Consider the results of a 2010 study by Timothy A. Pychvi, Ph.D. of what he called “The Terrible Trio of Perfectionism, Narcissism and Workaholism.”
He cited his findings and those from another study which also explored the personality of workaholics. First, be not mistaken: workaholism, whether of the employment-related variety or of the religion / spiritual / “Self”-focused variety, are rooted in personality, and personality is rooted in the mind. That is the irony of the “work” done by so many whose workaholism is rooted in what was originally Far Eastern philosophies or religions:
While many claim that they are being freed from personality identification, they nevertheless development the most fixed and rigid personal identifications imaginable. Moreover, while those so deeply attached to their religion or spiritual program or “Self”-Inquiry methods claim their attachments help them remain humble and at peace, the fact is that those personal (or “Personal”) identities generate narcissism (just as all personas do) and generate restlessness and going and doing and zooming as well.
Remember: when an ego-state (or “Ego-State”) is assigned or adopted as an identity, it will trigger the use of such ego-defense mechanisms as egotism; then, narcissism is guaranteed to result.
Pychvi: “Of interest is the relation of narcissism and workaholism. That grandiose sense of self-importance [or “SELF” importance] which seems to be present in epidemic proportions in the U.S. society and others is related to the worst aspects of workaholism, and so is perfectionism” (which is, of course, the narcissism’s twin sibling). Pychvi continued: “These results reveal something interesting about the ‘self’."
He noted: “Workaholics are people who work to the exclusion of other life activities, are consumed with thoughts and feelings about work, and often do more than is expected at work. Certainly, their lives are not models of ‘balance’.” Thus, the logical conclusion from the research which confirmed the pervasiveness of a lack of balance among those types is that workaholics, perfectionists, and narcissists are . . . unbalanced.
Pychvi observes that "in many cultures" (especially in those which are exhibiting more than ever the same traits they have in common with the U.S. culture) "persons commonly exhibit a grandiose sense of their own self-importance that is central to the definition of narcissism.”
Recall Edgar Wallace’s point: “The trouble with you is that you have no sense of unimportance”
and
Maharaj’s pointer: “Humility and silence are essential.”
The studies cited revealed that there were several traits which showed up regularly in workaholics of any variety:
One, excessive neuroticism (emotional instability);
Two: excessive openness to the multi-tasking (going, doing, zooming) component of workaholism;
Three: the Perfectionistic Personality Disorder;
Four: the Narcissistic Personality Disorder;
Five: excessive conscientiousness, as linked to the impatience component of workaholism (as in, “I seem to always be in a hurry and I feel as if I'm always racing against the clock”);
Six: excessive agreeableness - that is, being agreeable to the point of doing everything that one is told to do by a Master or Religious Leader or Spiritual Guide, etc.; their agreeableness is of the kind that generates a willingness - which eventually disintegrates into a full-blown compulsion - to work (as in, "It's hard for me to relax when I'm not working").
That is another irony witnessed here during the years of working off and on with non-dual seekers since July of 1989, totaling thirty-two years this coming summer. In those thirty-two years, it has been witnessed that, ironically, seekers
work
at
trying to relax
and they
work and go and do and zoom
in order
to unwind, calm down, slow down, let go, loosen up, lighten up, and settle down.
What irony indeed! They engage in endless work on order to . . . not work all the time. (And what insanity indeed, too, yes?)
[Been there. Done that. And though many think that is still the case here, not knowing that on days when a non-dual post is published, that is the last moment during the day when anything non-dual is considered. No longer present are those earlier fascinations with dogma and spiritual exercises and Inquiry and the love of Self. That all disappeared, just as it did with Maharaj:
Maharaj: “I got involved in spirituality, in the business of spirituality; finally, I lost that love of Self also. I have no more love for the Self."
That is all gone, and it all had to go before the last ego-state and the last identity (and The Last "Identity") could go.]
Dr. Pychvi continued: “The high-standards dimension of perfectionism (high expectations of self) was also related to overall workaholism.” Additionally, he could have added what has been observed here, namely, that workaholics - be they of the employment variety or of the religious / spiritual / Self-focused variety - have high expectations of all others and expect all others to be perfect (meaning, “Be just like me in thoughts and words and deeds").
What such workaholics of any of those varieties cannot see is that, in terms of their psyches, they differ not at all from the ISIS fanatics who proudly record and distribute the films of them beheading those who are not of the same religion or sect as them and who do not work with near as much dedication at being Super Religious. What?! How?!
Excess is excess. Fanaticism is fanaticism. Zeal is zeal. Fervor is fervor. Extremism is extremism. It matters not if excess, fanaticism, zeal, fervor and extremism are fostered in a church; in a synagogue; in a temple; in a mosque; in a self-help group; in a recovery group;
in a family of origin; at an ashram; or at the so-called “holy sites” which many seekers spend fortunes to visit as their "spiritual journey" includes traveling all around the globe to "special places" where they can "feel special"
(that is, "feel emotionally-intoxicated" - an emotional state they seek as a result of their subconscious effort to try to counteract the state of boredom they are trapped in and the state of depression they are trapped in, both of which they will deny).
It’s still all about, ironically, going and doing and zooming in order to stop going and stop doing and stop zooming some day. Or it's about going and doing and zooming in order to be able to assume and maintain the roles of “The Super Go-er” and “The Super Do-er” and “The Super Zoomer” and “The Super Religious One” or “The Spiritual Giant” or “The Supreme Self” or even . . . "God."
[Is it not a grand irony that an understanding which endorses de-accumulation now has a majority of those involved with it who seek to accumulate more and more . . . knowledge, spirituality, "good" roles, etc., etc., etc.?]
As far as the relative goes (which is all anyone will ever have a chance to experience and be aware of, the post-manifestation case being that there is no “one” who can experience or know anything) Dr. Pychvi concluded the following:
“My point is, neither perfectionism nor workaholism has a positive side. Although it can be argued that perfectionism and / or workaholism result in improved performance in some organizational circumstances, both result in diminished relationships outside of work and undermine well-being overall.
“Each is harmful to us” (again, relatively speaking, which is really the only thing worth speaking about because the post-manifestation condition will be characterized by the conscious-energy returning to its pre-manifestation awareness state when awareness was not aware of anything, that only being possible during the manifestation of consciousness.)
Pychvi said: “What we can see in this study are the relations between perfectionism, narcissism and workaholism because they are all related to another underlying variable - a weak sense of self that is plagued with many irrational thoughts (e.g., 'I must be perfect to have worth' or 'I must work to have worth,' etc.) and related to an overcompensation for this low esteem with a paradoxical narcissism (because individuals protect their weak sense of self with an overcompensation that portrays the self in a grandiose fashion).”
[As in the dichotomy of one who is being driven simultaneously by both egomania and an inferiority complex, a combination resulting in massive levels of mental and emotional instability which are no fun at all to be around.]
Again, when personality is at play (along with the personality disorders which always develop if the affliction of personality is not addressed) then what will also manifest is excess, fanaticism, zeal, fervor and extremism.
And none of those can possibly contribute to the peace and freedom and happiness which even a partly-sane seeker is seeking; instead, they will block any and all efforts to find peace and freedom and happiness.
To those who come this way and who are not only attached to one or another of the varieties of workaholism but who also want to guard and maintain and protect that attachment at all costs, the response is: “Then rock on.”
Just as is the case with all other types of addicts, most humans seemingly have to experience - in great excess - whatever it is that they are addicted to until they finally end up tired enough - or in enough pain and misery and suffering - that they might consider seeking the source of their tiredness or of their pain and misery and suffering.
[Yet that is rare and is another fact which led Maharaj to conclude that most will never "get" this deal and why most will, therefore, never be free of ignorance and why most will never be restored to sanity and why most will be blocked from ever stopping all of their doingness long enough to "sit down and relax in the cool blue shade."]
Such is the typical state of affairs among humans whereby peace and freedom and happiness are valued far less than personality disorders such as workaholism and narcissism and perfectionism and wherein the accompanying excess, fanaticism, zeal, fervor and extremism which manifest alongside those disorders are normalized and highly rated and even ennobled.
To fail to understand what happens to the elements and air and conscious-energy post-manifestation is to believe in the largest conglomeration of lies ever assembled by humans, namely, the lies surrounding the false concept of “life after death.”
To understand what happens to the elements and air and conscious-energy post-manifestation is to be free of the distracting lies about what happens post-mahasamadhi and is to be free of the effects of the confounding games people play and the conflicting preoccupations and interests which divert persons’ focus from what the non-dual understanding is actually about and what it is not about at all.
It is about NOW.
It is not about LATER.
To be continued.
Please enter into silence of contemplation.
If interested, click the button below to pay the fee via PayPal. You will then receive an email which includes the link for you to view the private, unlisted video via an arrangement we have made with YouTube, Inc. You do not have to have a YouTube account to watch this privately streamed video.
(If you do not receive the link promptly, your computer or email provider may have high filter settings. Check your spam and trash folders because some providers automatically transfer emails containing links to those folders.)
To access the seven-hour streaming video of a retreat and begin watching right away, click this "Buy Now" button:
In addition to the five non-duality books made available without charge by Andy Gugar, Jr. (see “FREEBIES” above), you can now access nearly 3,300 posts for any topics of interest to you.
If you prefer PAPERBACK copies
(collected in two anthologies).
Links for ordering are below with
BARNES and NOBLE presently providing better service
than AMAZON
when it come to fulfilling orders for
paperback and hardcover books
as opposed to delivering digital books.
[NOTE: Wherever you live, you can search for the books below by title with booksellers in your country. With 40,000+ retailers distributing my paperback books, you may order from U.S. stores or you may find someone nearer to you.]
For NON-DUALITY AUDIENCES
The Advanced Seekers' Series (344 pages) is an anthology of four books that share Advaita-based, non-duality pointers that can guide seekers to abide as their original nature. Included in the anthology are
"From the I to the Absolute (A Seven-Step Journey to Reality");
"Consciousness / Awareness: The Nature of Reality Beyond SELF-Realization (Peace Every Day When Abiding As the Absolute)";
"From the Absolute to the Nothingness";
and
"The Final Understanding."
from BARNES AND NOBLE by clicking here
or (sometimes less efficiently nowadays in terms of paperback delivery)
This anthology (438 pages) contains the six books that make up what has been called The Blissful Abidance Series for those seeking to live blissfully and happily for the remainder of the manifestation, including:
“What BLISS is and what BLISS is not”
“There’s No Such Thing As Peace of Mind (There’s Only Peace If You’re ‘Out of Your Mind’)”
“Liberation (Attaining Freedom from Personality via Realization)”
“Freedom from Shifting Between States of Happiness and Unhappiness”
“Why You Must Be Empty If You Would Be Full”
and
“When REALITY Is Overlaid on the RELATIVE.”
Order a PAPERBACK copy of The Blissful Abidance Series
from Amazon by clicking here.
SEND A GIFT BOOK TO SOMEONE
(1) You may purchase
a Floyd Henderson Shopify Gift Card here
for someone and offer recommendations for the books in Floyd's store which might be of assistance to them.
Or,
(2) To make an arrangement for us to send in your name as a gift from you any of our books to someone you choose:
(a) Visit www.floydhenderson.com.
(b) Purchase the ebook you’d like to send.
(c) Contact us using the email below, tell us which ebook you just purchased, and provide the name and email address of the person you want to send the ebook to. (They will never be contacted again or solicited for any reason.)
Send your information to:
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."
