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.
NEEDLESS WORK and COUNTER-PRODUCTIVE ACCEPTANCE and THE CURSE OF HABITS
Maharaj's Nisarga Yoga Message
For those of you who have read the book SriNisargadatta Maharaj and His Evolution,
you know that he practiced many different yogas from the beginning of his teaching career to the end. It was only near the end of his years of teaching that he became totally dedicated to his namesake, the Nisarga Yoga, which he taught alongside the Direct Path Method. Why?
He saw all along that persons were too often fixating at the religious or spiritual step (the third of seven steps taught here), attaching to their "new and improved personas," mistaking "the dawn for the noonday sun," and never realized fully. He saw others feeling superior, claiming that they had reached THAT state and were abiding there alone.
He saw that the summative statement “I AM THAT; I AM” was often misunderstood, that it was not offering a ranking, and that the statement was not giving THAT a superior role and discounting the AM-ness completely.
He saw that persons could abide naturally, supernaturally or unnaturally, but that only natural abidance was sane. He saw that nisarga living was "the [natural] law of the land" around the globe, except among humans.
He understood that there is “Reality” (“THAT”) and “reality,” (“things not everlasting but nevertheless real during the relative existence”) and that the sane are in touch with both; therefore, the Nisarga Yoga is offered by the author here in conjunction with The Direct Path Method.
This is what came to be understood in terms of what the post-"journey," post-realization existence is concerned:
You will then enjoy the remainder of the relative existence as a result of all that you came to understand on the "journey," but now, the "journey" to understanding THAT is over and it is time to relish the freedom that allows for the enjoyment of the remainder of the manifestation.
It must be asked, "What good is it, if you are hungry, to go to the grocery store and buy food but then stay in the store forever, never returning home, never undertaking the relative existence task of preparing the food, and never enjoying the relative tasting of the relative meal?"
The one who stays in the store can claim, "I have arrived," but that one will be totally insane to stay in the store and not enjoy what the relative existence can offer."
For those that want to enjoy the remainder of the manifestation, then both the "I AM THAT" and the "I AM" are to be understood. If the Reality of I AM THAT is overlaid on the reality of I AM - of the manifested consciousness and the remainder of the relative existence - then the "journey" will make sense.
If that does not happen, then what "justification" can be offered for following the entire "path" and completing the entire "journey?"
It is the Nisarga Yoga which allows for both Reality and reality to be understood
and
it is the complete understanding of the Nisarga Yoga that
a. brings to an end unnatural living; and
b. brings to an end all efforts to live supernaturally; and
c. brings to an end all efforts to try to live magically, mythically, superstitiously; and
d. brings to an end living "paranormally" rather than normally; and
e. brings to an end living in a fairy-tale-like fashion; and
f. brings to an end all efforts - period - because natural, spontaneous, no-drama, no-histrionic, no-concept, no-duality, no-identity abidance becomes the only mode of abidance.
PREPPING FOR THE DIRECT PATH - NISARGAN YOGA “JOURNEY”
Pre-"Journey" Considerations, Part One
Again, Alexander
Pope observation has been noted: "A little learning is a dangerous
thing."
Here, the pointer is, "A little un-learning can be a far-more-dangerous
thing."
Surveys show that 53 million people in the U.S. plan to travel during the
upcoming holiday week and that approximately 10% of those by will traveling by air.
Before embarking on their trips, almost all will spend time preparing for the “journey.”
Similarly, when the work with a seeker begins, an intuitive sense here makes it apparent that - before the direct path, Nisarga understanding (involving a process of un-teaching and un-learning) - a need for the laying of a foundation is indicated.
In such cases, some
prior-to-beginning-the-"journey"-insights must be grasped if the
seeker is to have any chance at all of being led to the end of the
"path" where freedom and happiness and stability and a complete
restoration of sanity await.
If the Ultimate Sickness is consider "monstrous," then the monster
must be wiped out; the last thing that should happen is that a new or different
kind of monster is created - which is exactly what happens with most persons
who become fascinated with (or engrossed in, or captivated by) any of the
hundreds and thousands of philosophies, ideologies, religions, and spiritual
movements that have come and gone or that have come and stayed over the
centuries.
With the Direct Path Method used here in conjunction with the Nisarga Yoga, the
first understanding required is that anything considered a "teaching"
or a "concept" is actually nothing more than a thorn being used to
remove thorns . . . to be tossed when the understanding is firm. Some, however,
cling to the thorns and use them to prick themselves or others, so this
explanation is intended to prevent that from happening.
Of all of the pre-"Journey" understandings which are necessary, next
is the summative statement of the Advaita teachings, specifically, "I AM
THAT; I AM." Direct Path realization and the Nisarga Yoga are not
"about" being THAT alone, detaching from the AM-ness, or asserting
that "nothing in the relative is real."
Everything in the reality
that is energy or matter is real; the point is that nothing is as non-realized
persons perceive it to be. It is the perceptions / misperceptions that are not
real, that are not based in fact.
Next, why realize if what is realized is not "applied" in the
relative (even in the absence of any "applier") so that freedom and
peace and happiness can manifest and be enjoyed at the only time those can be
enjoyed, specifically, NOW (for there is no "after-NOW"). Nisarga
living IS "about" living naturally now, freely now, sanely now, and
happily and blissfully now.
So the seeker beginning the "journey" should understand that while
the word "advaita" means "not two" (that is,
"non-duality") the summative statement seems to some novices to
suggest two-ness. That is not the case. Just as frosting can be placed atop a
cake but the end product is still a cake - just one single treat - so it is when
THAT (Reality) is overlaid on the AM-ness: a far sweeter but singular treat is
the result.
Note, therefore, that only the Oneness is being pointed to with the summative
statement, even though some might conclude that there are two aspects to the
One. (Simply because a human body might have a torso and two arms and two legs
does not mean that a person has multiple bodies. There is only one body in
spite of what appears to be some sort of multiplicity at work.)
Other additional points to be understood include the following:
1. The intent is not to generate a new, false identity of "The
Philosopher" (which would soon be ungraded by the ego-defense mechanism of
egotism to "The Super Philosopher"). There are more than enough (or
even far too many) philosophers running about;
and most so designated are unemployed, a college degree in philosophy presently
heading the list of the most useless degrees of all. Transforming the non-realized
masses from sleepwalkers and sleep-talkers into deep thinking and pensive and
overly-serious and instructive (and really boring) philosopher-types is not
what these teachings are "about."
The intent, as far as the realized Nisargan is concerned, is not to inspire
seekers to eat, drink and sleep these teachings after full realization happens.
These points were offered in the book Dancing
Lightly:
"The 'end game' with the non-dual message is not to be able to eat, drink, breathe, talk, dissect, and analyze Advaita; nor is the 'end game' to spend all of one's waking hours pontificating about non-duality.
The 'end game' is to reach an understanding that results in a love of silence and solitude; that allows Reality to be overlaid upon the relative so that a Nisarga (natural) manner of abidance happens; that allows all to happen spontaneously while, ironically, also happening deliberately; and that allows whatever happens - or whatever does not happen - to be enjoyed fully.
With
the sense of limitlessness that manifests post-realization, then all can be
relished: namely, the working required to assure independence, the walking, the
eating, the looking at what nature has to offer, the sitting, the sharing, and,
yes, the dancing"
and
"Moving through the relative existence post-realization is like moving
smoothly across a dance floor (not in some helter-skelter fashion and not in
some roller coaster fashion with excessive up's and down's but in a slow,
deliberate, even, level, steady, flexible, and effortless manner)."
2. The intent is not to generate a new, false identity of "The All-Knowing
One" (which would soon be ungraded to "The Super Sage"). That is
not what Direct Path realization and nisarga living are "about,"
either.
3. The intent is not to generate new, false identities that fall at various
points along any spectrum, including such dualistic extremes as:
a. totally stoic at one extreme to totally uncaring at the other extreme;
b. totally nihilistic at one extreme to excessively concerned at the other
extreme;
c. totally in touch with THAT but not at all in touch with "this," or
preoccupied with the THAT-ness while ignoring or devaluing the AM-ness;
d. forfeiting the ability to feel while seeking freedom from excessive emoting;
e. not caring at all to caring about everything;
f. reducing all things relative at one extreme to exaggerating all things
relative at the other extreme;
g. giving great value to the fact that one has his / her head in the clouds and
giving no value to having one's feet planted firmly on the ground;
h. debating and arguing for the sake of debating and arguing rather than
enjoying the freedom of witnessing and the accompanying position of neutrality;
and
i. abusing the right of freedom of speech while ignoring the pleasure of freedom
from speech.
None of that is what realization and Nisargan (natural) living are "about."
To be continued.
Please enter into the silence of contemplation.
THE NEWEST OFFER:
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."
teachings which become a part of the Papal Magisterium.
