TODAY'S CONSIDERATIONS
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The Pure, Universal Consciousness,
Pure Awareness,
and a
"Proper Perspective"
“I talk to you from the perspective of the universal consciousness.”
---Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
Today, let the focus be on what Maharaj had to say about the three key symptoms of the Ultimate Sickness (which he identified as “ignorance, stupidity, and insanity”).
For those who are offended by his bluntness, a reminder is offered here occasionally that he did not say that “the non-realized" or "the human masses" are ignorant, stupid, and insane. He did not say that the problems of the planet are caused by ignorant and stupid and insane people. Nor did he say that humans are morons:
Instead, he said that “ignorance and stupidity and insanity” are at the root of the Ultimate Sickness and are at the root of the widespread, humanity-generated problems all over the planet.
Moreover, he did not say that “ignorance, stupidity, and insanity” manifest in the form of humans; he made clear that “ignorance, stupidity, and insanity” manifest in the form of ideas, concepts, notions, perceptions, misperceptions, unclear perspectives, thoughts, impressions, theories, and hypotheses (all of which boil down to one thing: “beliefs”).
Also, he eventually made clear that the problems of humanity are not caused by their having too little religion or by their having mastered too little dogma. (That makes sense because religion has been thriving for 5,000 years and because 97% around the globe claim an affiliation with one organized religion or another.)
[In fact, it might be that too much dogma is involved with the widespread chaos and insanity; fortunately, current stats show that the 97% number is presently going down drastically.]
Furthermore, he eventually made clear that the problems of humanity are not a result of “a spiritual malady” or “a sick spirit” or “the masses not being spiritual enough.” (That makes sense because the number of those assuming the identity of “A Spiritual Giant” was flourishing then and is flourishing even more now.)
To the contrary, he eventually made clear that the problems of humanity are centered in the mind, saying, “Ignorance and knowledge are in the mind, not in the real.”
He also eventually made clear that those problems rooted in the mind involve what is deemed to be “knowledge” (but which he dismissed as nothing more than “learned ignorance”) as well as “stupidity” and “insanity” which have been passed down from one millennia to the next and from one generation to the next by way of ignorant and stupid and insane programming and conditioning and domestication and acculturation and brainwashing and indoctrination.
Thus, Maharaj said: “All knowledge is a form of ignorance” and “To see that all knowledge is a form of ignorance is itself a movement of reality.”
Otherwise, he warned, “The person [the one assuming personas or personality identifications] can stay in the darkness of ignorance forever, unless the flame of awareness touches it.” So he asked on another occasion:
“Where ignorance is not, where is the need of knowledge?” Thus, he explained, “The proper role of a Guru is to dispel ignorance in the hearts and minds of his disciples" (rather than to spread even more ignorance or to make disciples "more religious" or "more spiritual").
So what did he have to say specifically about “ignorance, stupidity, and insanity,” all of which are mind-based?
IGNORANCE
Regarding the link between emotional intoxication and ignorance, Maharaj said: “Emotional reactions, born of ignorance or inadvertence, are never justified.”
Stripping away all of the lofty and noble and haughty and supercilious and arrogant and prideful connotations which have been assigned to “Realization,” Maharaj said:
“Realisation is but the opposite of ignorance.”
See? Simple, huh?
He observed that ignorance was indeed becoming more and more widespread and noted: “The circles of ignorance may be ever widening, yet it remains a bondage all the same”; however, he explained how one can avoid that bondage:
“The immemorial night of ignorance dissolves before the rising sun of wisdom”
and
“Ignorance has no beginning, but can have an end.”
He said: “Creation itself is rooted in ignorance; matter itself is ignorance. Not to know, and not to know that one does not know, is the cause of endless suffering.”
Of claims about one’s “Holiness” or "Infinite Self" or “Supreme Self” or “God-ness,” Maharaj said: “Proclaiming oneself to be an omnipotent, omniscient and omnipotent deity is a clear sign of ignorance.”
He advised, “It is only your ignorance that makes you say ‘I know.’ Begin with the admission that you do not know and start from there.”
He said: “There is nothing that can help the world more than your putting an end to ignorance.” The obstacle? “An ignorant man is ignorant of his ignorance.”
Ultimately, he said, “I am only interested in ignorance and the freedom from ignorance.”
Why be free of ignorance? He explained: “Ignorance causes sorrow. Happiness follows understanding.”
STUPIDITY
He said: “Humanity’s pain is caused by the abysmal stupidity of mankind.”
Speaking of the Ultimate Medicine, Maharaj referred to it as “the remedy for a disease caused by obtuseness and stupidity.”
Of those who arrogantly think that they are in a position to change the world, he noted: “You talk so much of reforms: economic, social, political. Leave alone the reforms and mind the reformer. What kind of world can a man create who is stupid, greedy, heartless?”
To one who said, “My world is an evil world, full of tears, toil and pain. The God of an evil world is a cruel God,” Maharaj replied: “You are the god of your world and you are both stupid and cruel. Let God be a concept - your own creation."
Maharaj advised: “What is wrong is to love yourself stupidly, so as to make yourself suffer. Love yourself wisely.”
Consider the key point of this exchange:
Maharaj: “Both indulgence and austerities have the same purpose in view - to make you happy. Indulgence is the stupid way, austerity is the wise way.”
Questioner: “What is austerity?"
M.: “Once you have gone through an experience, not to go through it again is austerity.”
And the point of this exchange:
Maharaj: “Willingly sacrifice the imperfect to the perfect and there will be no more talk about good and evil.”
Q: “Yet we are afraid of the better and cling to the worse.”
M: “This is our stupidity, verging on insanity.”
and
“Stupidity and selfishness are the only ‘evil’.”
One tool to use? That which religious fundamentalists so despise: science.
To the contrary of the fundamentalists' and the evangelicals' anti-science attitudes, Maharaj said: “Science pushes back the frontiers of our ignorance.”
Of the linkage between fundamental and evangelical religionists and stupidity - and all of the ignorant and stupid and insane behavior which that combination inspires - he said: “To love and worship a god is also ignorance.”
INSANITY
Maharaj said, “Insanity is universal. Sanity is rare. Yet there is hope, because the moment we perceive our insanity, we are on the way to sanity.”
Of the doctors I know, many have
spoken of their dread when having to report a most unwelcomed diagnosis to a
patient. The last thing most want to hear about is a diagnosis which indicates
the presence of a major sickness. Yet no hope exists without a proper and honest
diagnosis of what really ails a person.
Moreover, no sickness is as prevalent on the planet as the Ultimate Sickness which is marked by the presence of “ignorance and stupidity and insanity.” The welcome news in that regard: there is a cure in many cases. Yes, some are so strapped with amazingly high levels of ignorance and stupidity and insanity that they will never be freed from their ignorance and stupidity and will never be restored to sanity.
For many, though, there is an Ultimate Medicine which can address the most prevalent Sickness on the planet. Yet a primary obstacle to receiving the treatment exists:
The very traits of the Sickness block most persons from seeking the cure because their ego-states and egotism and arrogance refuse to admit that those symptoms are present and need to be treated and eliminated. So it is, but so it need not be.
To be continued.
Please enter the silence of contemplation.
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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."
