SHIFTS IN CONSCIOUSNESS, SHIFTS IN DEEDS, Part Two

FROM A SITE VISITOR: Do you think that the realized should be able to tolerate any kind of environment or any kind of people? It sounds like you are saying that. I’ve been reading your writings for several months and lately, there are people I spent a lot of time with before but now I’m not spending time with them at all. I’m not realized, but even if I were, I feel certain that there are some people I just wouldn’t want to be around. Art

F.: It was noted yesterday that “the forest dweller stage” need not happen literally, yet the stage must be entered into in some fashion in order to transition through the entire consciousness re-purification process. Some form of retreat for contemplation and consideration must happen. The requirements of that stage can be met among some seekers by readings that clarify the teachings; by attending an Advaita retreat or seminar or series of satsang sessions; or by receiving pointers and then engaging in meditation in the originally-intended fashion.

(PLS. NOTE: The original purpose of meditation was not to move into and out of a samadhi state or into and out of different levels of consciousness. The original intent was to be removed from the “maddening crowd” in order to enter the silence so that one could more effectively take a teacher’s pointers into consideration and thereby understand the teachings.

That forest dweller type of “removal from the masses” is required, but it does not require that one abandon employment or other relative existence tasks. The original intent of meditation, instead of being used to try to reach a “no-consciousness state,” called for a highly-focused concentration upon the content and meaning of pointers.

Since the intent is to provide an opportunity to focus on pointers that guide seekers to Realization, then post-Realization the tool is no longer used. Should the Realized seem to be engaged in any Advaita-related happenings post-Realization, it is for the sake of entertainment only.)

Remember also, Art, this fact as you consider the people you “want to be around, or not” during the relative existence: any pointers dealing with “relative living” suggest that it should happen in a natural fashion, and sometimes it is natural to take the action to move toward a place where peculiar, external effects cannot exert an influence.

Consider: long before scientists confirmed the existence of Neptune, they predicted that it existed and they predicted where it was located in relation to other bodies in the outer band of this galaxy. How?

Long before they saw Neptune, they saw effects being exerted on other nearby planets or bodies, causing them to behave in a peculiar fashion. Similarly, persons can exert effects on nearby persons, effects that result in peculiar fashions of living. The non-Realized are like soybeans in that they take on the flavor of whatever they are next to. That does not happen with the Realized, but as noted yesterday, the Realized gravitate toward the silence and solitude anyway.

You may be seeing that some persons in your physical vicinity are exerting a peculiar effect. The effect that Realization might have on that occurrence is irrelevant since you are not realized at this point. Realized, neither “tolerance” nor “a lack of tolerance” will be an issue.

Unlike the bodies being affected in a peculiar way by Nepture, which cannot choose to move to a different location, the Realized can move toward other places and other things as the Advaita Teachings provide freedom from attachments that had formerly paralyzed them and/or held them hostage.

In contrast, the “pecularity” of non-Realized persons with attachments is that that they would prefer company in prison rather than being alone and free. Therefore, while you ask about moving away from some types of persons that you are no longer comfortable with, many persons will stay with those very types.

Their attachments and agendas result in forms of bondage that can generate a “tolerance” for pain if the source has an air of familiarity; that can generate acceptance of misery if in denial; and that can generate a tendency to distort into what they call "love" that which is really a desire to gain power or a desire to have someone meet their financial or sexual needs. So it is. Tomorrow, examples of all three will be discussed. Please enter the silence of contemplation.(To be continued)

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A SUGGESTION: SEE THE PLAY AS A PLAY IN ORDER TO ENJOY THE PLAY

FROM A SITE VISITOR: Your reply to Jaime about being overwhelmed at work overwhelmed me. All day Sunday, I could not even talk after reading that post. So many things of that list hit me--applied to me. I’m sure she was happy when she was hired for that job but that stopped being the case. The same has happened with my job, marriage, life, everything. I see how unhappy I really am and how far I have to go. I’ve had some bad breaks and felt at times like this whole life is so unfair—now I looking at the way we are set up to be miserable—I know that’s right now—I was set up. I’ll keep reading what you worte though it is bothersome. I do feel like the answer is in there, and I think there are directions I can use to fix myself and get free. Thanx for what you said even though it is disturbing on several levels. Geoff

F.: All cycles into sleep and out of sleep, a metaphor for the way that all cycles into manifestation and out of manifestation. In "the between," there is none of that dualistic concept called “fairness” since the pecking order in the hen yard is no different from the hierarchies in homes, in schools, at work, in communities, in nations, and across the globe as well. Thus, to be free (and thereby happy), see that in regards to the period between the manifesting and the unmanifesting, the early part means nothing, the middle part mean nothing, and the last part means nothing. It’s all much ado about nothing. Release your beliefs and move to a position of non-attachment and non-duality; then, merely witness and enjoy.

If it is “something” you want, you’ll attach to the manifestation and the things that come and go during the early, middle and later parts. If it is freedom and happiness you want, then you will take the steps required to detach from the manifestation and the fluctuations of those three relative parts. You will see that everything to which persons assign such significance is all senseless, pointless, and meaningless…all a play.

Understand that the lila is not the creative play of God or Brahman. See that it is the play of the Absolute only to the degree that it is from that “field” that consciousness manifests. See that, after that manifestation and subsequent warping of the consciousness, the play continues because the warped consciousness cannot see reality but takes the play—and its illusions and phony characters—to be real.

In that deception, the understanding is lost that “all the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players.” Soon, persons take so seriously that which is only so much posturing and strutting about on stage that they begin to react to illusions. They allow mirages to determine what they think, how they feel, and what they do. That is certainly quite insane-like, if not actually insane.

For you to think that you can "fix yourself" is also insane-like. First, there is no “you.” Secondly, it is the warped consciousness that generated those words, thus claiming in effect that the warped consciousness shall purify itself. That would be like believing that a glass of water with contaminants floating about in the liquid could cleanse itself of those impurities.

Instead, someone must pick up the glass and pour its contents through a filtering system to remove the contaminants. The role of a guru or teacher is to facilitate the process of removing the contaminants by the simple means of identifying the lies as lies, by pointing out that the play is nothing more than a play, by inviting seekers to stop believing in the phony drama, and by suggesting that the curtain be lowered on all of the needless histrionics.

If lies are seen to be lies and then discarded, the consciousness which was contaminated with ideas, concepts and lies will dissolve; afterwards, the pure consciousness will move into the foreground. Thereafter, reality will be seen and understood. Then only will the relative existence be seen as a play that can sometimes provide entertainment when a “supposedly comedic” scene is seemingly staged and can provide pathos when a “supposedly tragic” scene is seemingly played out.

Yet it is only in seeing the play as a play that the entertainment aspects can replace the emotionally-intoxicating aspects. After that differentiation between what is false and What Is Real, total independence from the actions on the stage can come, and only when total independence comes can total bliss happen.

Meanwhile, if you are relating to Jaime's experiences and to the content of the response, continue to read the reply and take each pointer into quiet consideration. PLEASE ENTER THE SILENCE OF CONTEMPLATION. (TOMORROW: A break from posting as Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday’s entertainment will be provided by the staging of a play that could be entitled, “Seekers and Satsang.”)
READINGS RELATED TO TODAY’S POST:
SEEKING “PEACE OF MIND”?

Click THERE’S NO SUCH THING AS “PEACE OF MIND” (There Is Only Peace If You’re Out of Your Mind)

WORKING ON BEING FREE OF PERSONALITY?

Click LIBERATION

READY TO TAKE THE SEVEN-STEP “JOURNEY” TO REALITY?

Click FROM THE I TO THE ABSOLUTE (A Seven-Step Journey to Reality)

THE DIRECT (SEVEN-STEP) PATH TO REALIZATION, Part One

FROM A SITE VISITOR: Do some people just suddenly realize or does everyone have to go through the seven steps you talk about? If so, why seven and why any exact order.

F.: Thx for the questions. If you were to, first, understand the seven steps that are explained in the book FROM THE I TO THE ABSOLUTE (A Seven-Step Journey to Reality) and then, next, read the pointers offered by the “sages” over the centuries, you would see references to all seven of the steps (or "stages," to use Maharaj's word) in the pointers offered. The same seven steps referenced on this site can all be found in the talks or in the writings of most of the earliest “Spiritual Masters” as well as in the talks or in the writings of some of the more recent “Masters” such as Sri Ramana Maharshi and Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj. The only difference is, no one before has presented the steps in their specific order.

Yet Maharaj did advise those seeking to shift from identifying with the false “I” to abiding as the Absolute to “follow the same path by which you came” and “…You should go back, reverse, to the source.” To “go back” to the Absolute in the ‘”reverse” order in which the movement from the Absolute to identification with the “I” happened, why must the steps be followed in a particular order (just as Maharaj said), and why are they not always presented in that exact fashion? Both of those will be explained in the next few postings.

Traditionally, when a seeker arrived at the feet of a “Realized Master” to discuss THAT which is eternal, he/she would be allowed to make brief comments and/or ask a question. (Another format involves the "Master" offering opening remarks and then taking questions that reveal "path location of the questioner" and then providing level-appropriate answers.) There is a sound, logical reason for that approach: a jnani, after hearing a few comments by (or questions from) a seeker can pinpoint immediately “where” the seeker is on the “path.” For example, is the seeker still fixated in body identification? Or is the seeker still trapped in the obsession-of-the-mind stage? Or has the seeker moved beyond that stage, stopped identifying with most of the false identities that had been assigned or adopted in the past, but is now trapped in a religious or spiritual false identity/ego-state?

A sage’s response is, and always has been, “level-appropriate.” Responses should provide the pointer(s) required for a seeker to shift to the next stage of re-purification or to at least be free of certain specific deceptions that are revealed in the seeker’s words. The result of any such daily sessions was, and is, a shift of one level, not a movement through several steps to Full Realization all at once.

While the nine satsanga sessions offered in the retreats linked on this site use a direct path approach that reveals all seven steps in order, the more traditional approach described above (whereby seekers at varied stages are responded to in varied ways) is the one used on this site. Why? Questions are answered in whatever order they are received, and questions arrive in no particular order from seekers who are at varied stages on the “journey.” The response to one, therefore, will not be the same response to another. Further, the chances are nil that seven persons at seven levels will submit seven questions in the exact order of the seven steps, and even if they did, the explanations and guidance through the seven steps are book-length, not post-length. So visitors to this site might read a response to a seeker at level 6 on one day and an entirely different response to a seeker at level 1 on the next day.

For example, the March 7, 2007 response was aimed at the level of one trapped in the identification of a specific persona (husband). The March 9, 2007 response was to one enamored with his accumulated knowledge—trapped in the dilemma of wanting to show off his knowledge to people on one hand but wanting to isolate from people on the other hand. The invitation to him, therefore, was to consider abandoning the ego-state that loves to display accumulated knowledge and seek SELF-knowledge instead. The March 10, 2007 was geared to one still at the rudimentary levels. Note that those three discussions were not presented in the order in which the steps are taken in order for Full Realization to happen. The questions were answered in the order received. In the multi-day retreats, however, where attendees are being guided through all of the steps, the specific order is observed.

The “Masters” showed that the level of each seeker much be determined and then the specific seeker must be responded to accordingly. If some seeker is at the “wet charcoal” stage rather than at the “dry charcoal” stage, that seeker will be addressed at the “wet charcoal” stage with pointers intended to allow a movement to the “dry charcoal” stage. If one is at the “gunpowder stage” and only requires a few key pointers in order for Realization to explode into consciousness, that seeker will be provided those pointers, not “wet-charcoal-level pointers.”

Are you beginning to see why level-appropriate responses might cause confusion when you read something one day that is written for a seeker at level 5 but then you read the next day a response that is for a seeker at level 2? That explains why confusion happens so often when seekers read collections of transcripted talks (such as Maharaj's I AM THAT) wherein pointers offered on one page seemingly contradict pointers offered on the very next page. It is the audience that is varied, not the answer, but confusion often results among readers nevertheless. That is why, at some point, you need to know the exact order in which the stages must be transitioned, and that is why most do require a "guide," at least temporarily, that can point the way along the "path." Please enter the silence of contemplation.

[ www.floydhenderson.com/iamabsolute.htm ]

UNDERSTANDING THE UNICITY

FROM A SITE VISITOR: Thanx for sharing the story by Dennis Waite. I’m just getting starting with Advaita Vedanta and he cleared up part of the oneness idea that I’ve been having trouble understanding. I don't have it all down yet, but that helped.

F.: Agreed. The experiential approach is a highly effective means by which the Teachings can be transmitted. To reinforce the pointers, review the August ’06 entry, part of which included the following:

Understanding the unicity reveals that a pile of ashes, a pile of dust, you, a dog, a tree, a piano, and a plant are no different. All of those “seemingly different things” are one thing. Supposed differences perceived by the human eye and misunderstood as a result of warped “minds” are the result of varying vibrational frequencies only. Humanity’s (post-programming) propensity for misperceiving everything makes persons believe that differences are real rather than grasping the truth of the unity beyond the wrongly-perceived multiplicity.

H20 might temporarily manifest in the shape of this or that. Is a so-called cube really a cube because some humans labeled it as such, or is it just H20? Is a cloud a cloud because some humans labeled it as such, or is it just H20? Is a river really a river because some human labeled it as such, or is it just H20?

Now, take that one step farther: are you “a man” or “a woman” because some human labeled you as such, or are You a quantity of energy that has as one attribute the ability to be aware of while temporarily manifested? Are you “a husband” or “a wife” because some human labeled you as such, or are You a quantity of energy that has as one attribute the ability to be aware of while temporarily manifested? Are you “an employer” or “an employee” because some human labeled you as such, or are You a quantity of energy that has as one attribute the ability to be aware of while temporarily manifested? Are you the elements that have temporarily combined into a space, or are You a quantity of energy that has as one attribute the ability to be aware of while temporarily manifested? Are you “bad” or “good” because some parent or some religious or spiritual expert labeled you as such, or are You a quantity of energy that has as one attribute the ability to be aware of while temporarily manifested? And untimately, are You the consciousness that has manifested temporarily, or are You the Absolute?

The book FROM THE I TO THE ABSOLUTE (A Seven-Step Journey to Reality) http://floydhenderson.com/iamabsolute.htm expands upon that explication. Please enter the silence of contemplation.
ANNOUNCEMENT: Several months ago, after a five-year hiatus from receiving visitors and from accepting invitations to meet with groups and offer the non-duality teachings, the consciousness was moved to accept requests from several groups. In nearby cities over the last six months, satsanga was arranged in order to offer the teachings to certain small groups. That has led to inquiries into whether “the advaita vedanta retreats with floyd” will also be offered again. Information regarding retreat opportunites that are available may now be found at http://advaitavedantaretreats.blogspot.com/ or by clicking on the link to the upper right. The daily postings on this site will continue, and responses to inquiries from "seekers" will continue to be offered.

TRANSCENDENCE: Not “Death,” but the “Death” of Ego, the “Death” of False Identities, the “Death” of Misperceptions, Part Two

[Continued from 2 March 2007. If you did not read Part One, please scroll downward to read the March 2nd post first.]

FROM A SITE VISITOR: [Received 1 March 2007] Found your site recently. Some of your writings have helped more since my wife left than the so-called “pros” I went to and the so-called “support groups” but that old husband idea is still kicking my ass (pardon the French.) What you wrote today about being energy and not really being a husband is trying to tell me something but husband still feels very real right now and so does his pain. Any other tips?

F.: Why does such emotional pain accompany the forfeiture of roles that are not even real? Because they are mistaken as the “Self” when they are only the “self”—only false roles. Consider this also: efforts to forfeit attachment to that “husband” identity (and to forfeit attachment to all false identities) shall not happen if marked by whimpers. Those whimperings are the voices of delusion, generated from the “mind,” rooted in the corrupted consciousness, fearing loss, and desiring continuity for a false identity (or false identities). It has been pointed out repeatedly on this site that to be free of the effects of duality and the effects of Multiple Personality Disorder (DID), “the readiness is all.” When the readiness manifests, then the phony roles are forfeited in glad fashion.

Next, see another aspect regarding this suffering that is associated with the forfeiture of a false role: were the actual facts of your case to be known, it would be realized that “husband” has not been experiencing misery only since the departure of “wife.” “Husband” had plenty of misery when “wife” was still there, but denial and re-framing prevented an awareness of that then (and is preventing an awareness of that now). Even if that awareness were to surface, the “mind” would generate thoughts about “what could have been” or “what should have been” and about “what maybe can still be.” When distorted thinking and distorted perceptions typify the parties involved in any arrangement, the arrangement itself will also be distorted...guaranteed.

Distorted memory and misperceptions about “The Way It Is” or about “The Way It Was” are the scourge of Realization. The witnessing of lies as lies moves the process along toward an awareness of truth. But for now, “he” still has a hidden agenda, hidden even from self and certainly from Self. “He/husband” has wants and desires about “wife” and how she claims to feel or not feel about “husband.” “He” has fears. All of the other ego-states that are disappearing have agendas too. The effects are multi-faceted because the personality is multi-faceted.

Truth also be known, “husband” is not ready to die but he thinks that is happening. “Husbands-that-are-dying” arrive at this site or at satsanga with dependent and co-dependent agendas: “Make us a couple again; help ‘me’ last; or at least make 'me' happy. I still want it all.” But “he” seldom arrives with the only sane agenda: “Make me disappear (without physically killing me).” The transcended poet Whitman asked, “Has anyone supposed it lucky to be born?” Then he added, “I hasten to inform him or her, it is just as lucky to die, and I know it.” How did he know it, without having physically died? Via witnessing “his” own death: the death of ego…the death of the false “I”…the death of delusions…the death of misperceptions.

From those persons trapped in duality, the statement can be heard, “I cannot live with myself anymore.” More accurately, the statement could be, “I, the True Self, cannot live in peace or happiness with my false self—or false selves—anymore.” When one sees all of the false roles which he or she has played in a lifetime, and when he or she sees the toll exacted as a result of the playing of all those phony roles, then the roles will be forfeited gladly if sanity is restored.

When the readiness is there, those ego-states will dissolve not with a whimper, not with sadness for an old acquaintance lost, but will be waved “goodbye” to with laughter. When the Realization came in full, during those seconds before "floyd" disappeared once and from all, “he” saw how their lies had been perceived as truth for decades. And then he laughed a short laugh. A chuckle followed. Then long and hearty laughter came. After the laughs had lasted for some time, a state of exhaustion manifested after that exercise.

While reclining on a small couch, one arm fell to the right side and the left arm fell to the floor. There was no more physical movement, no sound was made. And then a quiet statement came forth, and it was the re-purified consciousness noting, “Oh…my….gosh. It was all a lie…just one lie after another. One deception after another. One false role after another. One long play with phony me on the phony stage, joined by phony actors making their welcomed entrances and their mourned exits. Oh…my…gosh.” And then, silence. And then, an overwhelming sense of peace as had never been known before…ever.

Recall an earlier pointer: Transcending the disappointments and chaos and misery and pain of this relative existence does not require a “physical death.” One definition of “die” is “to cease” or “to disappear.” Freedom from your illusory pain can come if you allow your ego to “die,” if you allow your false identities and role-playing to “die,” and if you allow your distorted misperceptions to “die.”

If the playing of the husband role on the stage of your relative existence must truly come to an end, let the role go. An actor in a Broadway production can play a role for so long that he starts identifying with the part. When the run ends, he can say, “Hey, what the heck—I had a good run.” Then, he walks out of the darkened theatre and into the light of the day and is snapped back into reality. Do the same. As "wife" takes her dramatic exit, witness an actress walking off the stage of your relative existence. See the curtain fall on that act. Then, leave the darkness behind. Walk out of “The Theater of the Lie,” walk into the light, and see the truth…see reality. Then, remember that whatever happens, or not, can be accepted. Stay with this pointer for now:

“…If you cling to the false identity of “husband,” you shall never find the True Self, so peace will never happen consistently. If you find the True Self, then “husbanding” or “not husbanding” can happen…but consistent peace will happen either way.”

Please enter the silence of contemplation. [To be continued]

ONENESS, PERCEPTION, LIFE, DEATH, CYCLES, AND CLARITY, Part Two

FROM A SITE VISITOR: Here’s what I’ve read or heard throughout my study of Advaita: “Everything is one. Any difference you think exists is just your wrong perception. All just cycles—no death, no life. Do not take the form you see to be what is real.” When I was in college, the more I studied, the clearer the lesson became. The more Advaita lessons I study, the less clear things are. Help! John

[Continued from yesterday. If you did not read the post on 25 February, please scroll downward to read the prior installment first]

Kirk’s unchanged expression conveyed to Chief that his very simple offering was being received as a very complex notion by Kirk. Chief tried to clarify by adding, “What is actually happening is that the conscious-energy force is in motion, thus allowing for the continued manifestation of consciousness in the space which you call ‘heron.’ What happens in the heron’s stomach will happen with no thought on the part of either the heron or the fish. That core element of consciousness-energy, universal to the fish cell and the heron cell and also moving through all so-called ‘living’ things, knows everything that must occur for all those happenings to take place spontaneously.

“Do you not see that there is a common element of energy that moves about this manifestation, moving via flora and fauna from one form to another, taking on the appearance to the naked eye of 'this type cell cluster here' or 'that type cell cluster there'? The energy of the sun arrives on this planet in a form not usable by humans or animals, but via photosynthesis, that energy is converted into a usable form; therefore, it is not the eating of the salad that sustains ‘life’ and consciousness. It is the 'consumption' of that energy that is manifested within the space of the plant that sustains what you call ‘your’ consciousness. Again, it is not really an ‘absorption’ or any ‘conversion.’ More accurately, It Is What It Is, and what is happening is happening, automatically. You Are That. The heron Is That. The fish Is That. It does not change, for It Is The Real. All else is an illusion, perceived as ‘varied forms’ to the eye. Yet the forms with their varied appearances are merely the spontaneous happenings that involve three basics: the elements, the air, and the energy-consciousness.

“You are actually that consciousness-energy that can manifest in forms or spaces with nervous systems. That energy moves from the space of the plant to a space called ‘Kirk’ via consumption of the plant. But isn’t it clear that beyond all the varied appearances in manifest form, that ‘beneath’ all that, is energy? And is it not clear that it is the energy which allows what most call ‘life’ to manifest via forms or spaces? And is it not also apparent that the conscious energy—which knows how to function as it functions automatically—is the common element? And do you not sense, therefore, that whatever is common to All is the Real, and do you not then perceive that all of the manifested forms that materialize and de-materialize cannot be the real part for they do not ‘last’? Were you not told that the cycle is ‘dust-to-dust and ashes-to-ashes’ with different forms ‘in between’?

"Understand that what you call ‘death’ is just the distillation of all that has been attached or ‘added’ since manifestation to the pure consciousness via the teaching of concepts. The distilling (or the cleansing or stripping away of all of that which is not essence-only) is an act of re-purifying consciousness. But you call it ‘death’ as if it were something to be detested. The dirtied ‘mind’—filled with its myths, lies, concepts, beliefs, emotions, ideas, and superstitions—hates the notion of such cleansing and purification. Programmed humans love their beliefs and concepts, defining themselves with those ideas. Don’t dare try to cleanse their ‘minds,’ for they’ll want to kill you. The last thing most want is to be freed of the garbage that is their ‘minds’ which they think is so valued. To challenge their beliefs is to attack them personally, so they think. Filth loves filth. Corruption loves corruption. The familiar is attracted to the familiar.

“But that energy is what You Are and is what I Am. ‘Born in sin?’ Surely they jest. It is at the moment that is called ‘birth’ that one is closest to the pure, to the Real, to the essence because that moment precedes the bastardization of the consciousness that will soon happen via programming. Short of Full Realization, not again until what they call ‘death’ will the consciousness be freed of all the crap and the impurities that this culture pumps into it. ‘Sin’ is the corrupting of the pure consciousness by the so-called ‘leaders’ in any society as they disseminate their self-serving lies. They are the leaders in the corruption process. Their ‘power’ is the power to corrupt. Even the people who have finally realized that all their politicians are liars still cling to their every word on the evening newscasts.

But back to the common element that is All. Modern physicists at first called that smallest building block ‘strings’ until some decided that an even more basic element exists which they call a ‘sparticle.’ Names and labels notwithstanding, there is only one single 'ingredient' to what we call ‘everything’ or ‘the diversity’ or ‘the entire universe.’ I call it ‘That,’ That which is the one and only whatever that is Real, typically Unmanifest, occasionally manifested, or not. ‘Everything’ is really one thing. The term ‘unicity’ is accurate.”

If “blown-away” had a face, it would look like Kirk Wildman at that moment.

So, John, possibly some clarity came from that explanation. If not, you’re invited to continue to submit your questions. Please enter the silence of contemplation.
TOMORROW: “Part One” of a short story written by Dennis Waite entitled, “What is Advaita?” Dennis has been a student of Advaita for over 20 years and maintains one of the most visited websites on the subject. He is the present Chief Moderator of the Advaitin group, has published several books, has been a guest columnist on this site in the past, and is sought regularly for satsanga.