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[Walter Driscoll asked to interview me in order to preserve on video some of the latest modifications and evolutions in the versions of the message offered here since 1989. He would label the discussion, "Unlearning with Floyd Henderson."
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IN TERMS OF “REALIZATION” AS A NON-DUAL PROCESS, THE MATH AIN’T MATHING
“The math ain’t mathing.”
Taraji P. Henson
“I am offering you exactly what you need - awakening. You are not hungry and you need no bread. You need cessation, relinquishing, disentanglement. What you believe you need is not what you need. Your real need I know, not you. You need to return to the state in which I am - your natural state.”
--Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
“Go forth, unburdened with ideas and
beliefs.”
--Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
“ . . . Question wisely. Instead of searching for the proof of truth, which you do not know, go through the proofs you have of what you believe to know. You will find you know nothing for sure - you trust on hearsay. To know the truth, you must pass through your own experience.”
--Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
To review:
Of all of the “-ism’s” which
generate beliefs, none can compare with the number of beliefs and concepts and
dualities spawned during the last 5,000 years by these (and other) “-ism’s,”
some of which were catalogued in an earlier chapter:
Judaism; Protestantism / Catholicism / Jesuitism / Anglicism; Islamism;
Mormonism; Buddhism; Hinduism; Talmudism; Jainism; Sikhism; Shintoism; Taoism;
baptism; clericalism; congregationalism;
cultism; Deism; creationism; theism; montheism; polytheism; exorcism; dogmatism; druidism; fundamentalism; paganism; predestinarianism; proselytism; puritanism; revivalism; spiritualism; supernaturalism;
evangelism; televangelism;
messianism; monasticism; moralism; mullahism; mysticism; moralism; occultism;
salvationism; separatism; symbolism; and ritualism.
Is “Advaita” not included because of the author’s prejudice? No. It is excluded
from the list because its penultimate message is to be free of all beliefs in
order to receive the full dose of the Ultimate Medicine that can purge the “mind”
of a seeker of all beliefs and ideas and concepts and distortions and
deceptions.
It is excluded because . . .
A. it alone invites un-learning all rather than learning more;
B. because it alone offers, if properly shared, un-teachings rather than more teachings;
and
C. because it alone uses thorns to remove thorns, after which all thorns are
tossed.
If the Direct Path Method is used in conjunction with the Nisarga Yoga, then it
alone invites seekers to abandon belief in all that has been taught and to
thereafter abide naturally rather than unnaturally or “supernaturally.”
Among religions and philosophies, there is no other means which can produce the
necessary brain-flush save completion of the entire Advaitin / non-dual “journey”
which can lead to the dissolution of all of the contamination that is “the
mind.”
That is why, ultimately, the non-dual understanding becomes the non-teaching by
way of un-teaching. All others methods and “-ism’s” require that their “teachings”
or their “dogma” be learned and be believed in unwaveringly . . . with no
questioning at all and with resolute and steadfast (and blind) faith alone.
Earlier, several of the major methods being used to share (supposedly) non-dual pointers were discussed. Also, it was shown that - among all religious and spiritual and philosophical and ideological methods - pure non-duality is the only one which does not ask seekers to learn more, to study dogma, to work to become “closer to God, etc.
Of those methods, the one used in the loft and here is the Direct Path Method.” Let’s focus now on that method in more detail:
First, the following pointers
about the Direct Path Method have been offered by a host of other Advaitin “guides”
and guides. These are the basic principles of the Direct Path Method which
distinguish it from the other methods:
1. This method provisionally acknowledges “the seeker” and “the guru” though
proclaiming unambiguously that only THAT (that energy / matter which
non-dualists speak of) which is real and eternal.
2. The Direct Path provides a means by which all untruth is removed from the
mind.
3. The guides that use this method understand that once Realization happens,
life carries on with itself, by itself, without our intervention.
4. Eliminating beliefs, eliminating all ignorance, is the principle means of realizing.
5. There is no do-er.
6. Beliefs must be discarded for realization to happen.
7. Rather than seeking without (via god,
gods, or “holy” writings) the Direct Path Method emphasizes seeing directly
that truth which can be known from within, via the inner guru or the inner
resource. (NOTE: The gurus / guides that use this method always eventually
invite the seeker to go within but only after the obstacles which block seeing
with clarity - namely, obstacles such as concepts and beliefs - have been
removed.]
8. After realization comes via an understanding of the pointers offered via the
Direct Path Method, the natural freedom of one’s true nature prevails for the
remainder of the manifestation (hence, the connection with the Nisarga Yoga, or
natural yoga, approach).
9. The Direct Path Method is not goal-oriented or prescriptive (as is
Neo-Vedanta, for example) and attempts to simply point out the way things are
(or, more significantly, the way things
are not but are thought to be).
10. Often using present experiences as data or examples, the Direct Path Method
deconstructs the existing plethora of presumptions, the belief systems, and the
psychological structures - all of which make persons feel separate, vulnerable,
and cut off from reality. [NOTE: What persons call “problems” all arise via the
warped consciousness, the bogus “mind,” the ego-states assumed as identities by
persons, and the personality disorders which result; therefore, the guide that
uses the Direct Path Method must have some advanced understanding of the
principles of psychology, which became Maharaj’s eventual focus.]
11. When the illogical, unreasonable, and irrational nature of psychological
structures are held up to the light of awareness for a seeker that is capable of being logical and reasonable
and rational, the psychological structures peacefully dissolve.
12. An awakening happens that is marked by sweetness, by an immediacy, and by a
gapless clarity which is awareness itself. And quite often, laughter
accompanies the peripetia - that “Oh my gosh!” seeing of the truth (or seeing
all of the falsehoods) which others have seen but which the seeker only now
sees.
13. The Direct Path Method actually does not prescribe a “path” or “journey” as
such since you are already that which you seek to “know” or, more accurately, understand
; however, unlike the Neo-Advaita approach, a student-guru arrangement and an
advancement along “the path” via certain revelations is usually required since
the understanding must be delivered in a series of progressive “steps” which
must be taken in an exact order. The advanced steps are built on the foundation
of the preceding steps, so each step must be understood completely before a
seeker can move to the next.
14. Rather than practicing disciplines and adhering to esoteric paths and
preachings, this method attempts instead to deconstruct persons’ everyday view
of “the world” and “themselves” in order to guide protégés to an understanding
of what they are not in order to understand that
which they truly are. [NOTE: With realization, the following are all
understood: consciousness, awareness, the beingness, the non-beingness, the
absolute, and the void or the nothingness; thereafter, the relative existence
happens spontaneously for the remainder of the manifestation of consciousness.]
So that is the general take on the Direct Path with Advaitin guides that have
free now of belief in the learned ignorance which had been passed down to them.
Others aspects of the method will now be offered.
This method does not try to “give” seekers anything since Direct Path guides
know that, ultimately, there is no seeker and that there is no “one” to “gain”
and that there is nothing to be gained; conversely, Direct Path guides know
that too much has been given to seekers already (namely, all of the false dogma
and concepts and ideas and beliefs which now block seekers from seeing reality
and from being able to differentiate between the true and the false.)
Several distinct differences in the Direct Path Method as opposed to the other three methods have been shown. During “floyd’s” years of seeking, truth was sought during various periods by use of the other three methods (along with a host of religions and philosophies and ideologies and yogas and cult-like spiritual programs) but realization did not happen.
Religious and / or spiritual
persons reported that “one must retreat into the soul” when the vicissitudes of
the relative existence leave one feeling torn apart, but what is a person to do
when even the so-called “soul” seems to have been torn asunder as well?
Over the years, issues have been raised regarding: a pending divorce; sex
problems and in-law problems showing up now as marriage problems; problems at
work; problems in “self-help” groups; a spouse who just died; problems with a
child;
what seems to be an inevitable
bankruptcy; a disabled parent; challenges regarding single parenting; problems
stemming from addiction; abuse of various kinds; and suicidal thoughts, to name
a few. So what is a person to do when even the so-called “soul” seems to have
been torn asunder as well?
Sometimes, reporting to an emergency room or a professional therapist is the
immediate, recommended step. Beyond that, for those seeking the cheap answers
in groups or the magical answers in church, they may be required to continue
the search and to transition beyond the traditional religions and spiritual
programs and ideologies with all their contradictions.
And a few who continue as dedicated seekers might find a guide who can guide them along the “path” to full realization. Realization in the case of this speck of consciousness came
after a vision, (b) after
receiving Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj’s pointers as offered via the Direct Path
Method and as offered in the fashion that he used at the end of his “teaching
career,” and (c) after understanding the Nisarga Yoga approach.
[Note: Realization did not come even after multiple readings of the book “I AM
THAT.” During the early days of Maharaj’s sharing when those dialogues were
recorded, he was moving toward use of the Direct Path Method but it can be seen
that he was also blending in some use of the Traditional Method and other
non-Nisarga yogas.
Later, he began using the Direct Path Method more exclusively, occasionally tossing out pointers that had a straight-forwardness that some might now liken, incorrectly, to the “Neo-Advaita” Method;
therefore, it was his later sharings - along with a clarifying vision that came to this author one afternoon - that helped remove the final obstacles to realization.
Of the early sharings and the content of the book “I AM THAT,” Maharaj would say in his later days: “That book and whatever was expounded at that time was only relevant for that period. I am speaking differently today,” adding that in his later days he was “emphasizing different aspects.”
Eventually, he would abandon the use of Hindu pointers (used to attract local seekers) and he would abandon the focusing on “spiritual precepts” (used to satisfy Western visitors) and would focus on psychology and the elimination of the effects of a BS-filled mind.
Some of the other differences in the Direct Path Method and the other
three methods include these:
Contrary to the Traditional Method, the Direct Path Method advises seekers to
receive pointers from a guru / guide, to take those into consideration, and
then to find truth (or, more significantly, the false) via the inner guru (as
opposed to studying any texts considered “holy”).
Contrary to the Neo-Vedanta Method (which offers flowery pointers that have the
effect of encouraging followers to adopt more concepts and pseudo-identities)
the Direct Path invites seekers to forfeit concepts and identities. One method
blows smoke; the other blows away the smoke.
Contrary to the Neo-Advaita Method which says, “Why don’t you just get it?
Understand it’s all illusion. Now you can go,” the Direct Path Method guide
offers other pointers and guides seekers through the steps which most require
in order for realization to happen.
Why? Direct Path guides agree with the Neo-Advaitins that (a) yes, it’s all
illusion and that (b) once realized, there is no do-er and thus nothing more to
do; however, the Direct Path guide understands the high levels of programming
and conditioning and domestication and acculturation and brainwashing and indoctrination
to which most persons have been subjected.
The Direct Path guides understand how such high levels of distortion remove the ability of persons to see clearly and that merely inviting persons to see clearly does not result in their seeing clearly.
Such a suggestion would be
tantamount to your ophthalmologist saying, “You won't need this prescription
and new glasses if you'll just start seeing clearly rather than seeing things
all out-of-focus.”
Direct Path guides are occasionally trespassers - though invited trespassers - into
their protégés’ pain. In such cases, some other guides using one method might
quote scriptures; those using another method might offer lofty or inspirational
platitudes;
guides of a third method might suggest minimizing or ignoring the whole business; but the effective Direct Path guide will understand the psychological structures which result from untreated trauma and from warped programming and which can cause suffering.
That guide can uncover the true source of that suffering so that the source can dissolve. Then, the dissolution of the suffering can follow.
[What are three of the
greatest hindrances to freedom from that type of suffering? The denial-based claim
that “It wasn’t really that bad” and the egotism-based claim that “they really
did a good job” or “they did the best they could.” The reply: “Yeah, well so
did Hitler. He wanted to kill all Jews and all non-whites and all that were
disabled and all gays (though his ranks were filled with them) and gypsies and
Poles and Slavs. He killed 12 million though he wanted to kill them all,
planet-wide. He failed at that goal, but he did the best he could.”]
The adept Direct Path guide - being both consistent and persistent when
persistence is indicated - is able to guide protégés through the deconstruction
process which eliminates the “mind” which houses belief in lies and illusions
and concepts and personas and that is the seat of mental and emotional suffering.
Eventually, it is possible
that the effects of the psychological structures which result in personality
disorders (and which also generate turmoil and pain) can be eliminated via the
Direct Path method to full realization. For some, of course, professional
treatment is required.
Yet unlike the Neo-Advaitin guide’s “just-believe-this-only” approach, the
Direct Path guides know from experience that the obstacles which block the pure
consciousness from seeing the levels to which the consciousness has been
corrupted must be removed before the pure consciousness can witness and before
truth (or the false) can be understood.
Finally, the form of the Direct Path Method which was used by Maharaj near the
end of that manifestation as well as the form of the Direct Path Method that is
used on this site could both be considered “less Advaita Vedanta” and “more
Advaita.”
Maharaj would eventually advise visitors to forget the concepts they value and quote because they were written in a so-called “holy book” and to find, instead, what they already know within but that is “hidden” from awareness by the miasma of ideas and beliefs and concepts and other lies which are blocking their realization of truth (the false).
To be continued.
Please enter into 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."
teachings which become a part of the Papal Magisterium.
