THE FOUR METHODS FOR TEACHING ADVAITA VEDANTA, Part Five

FROM A SITE VISITOR: [Please see “Part One” of this series for the visitor's initial comments]

F.: Next, the nisarga yoga approach shall be discussed. It has been employed by many Direct Path teachers and is observable in the teachings of Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj (especially via the pointers offered at the end of his teaching "career"). Many systems of yoga are used by various teachers or instructors: hatha yoga, kundalini yoga, power yoga, mantra-yoga, raja-yoga, bhakti-yoga, etc. The nisarga yoga is used with the Direct Path Method on this site. Many yogis or yoginis are involved with yogas that encourage going and doing and zooming and adherence to their prescribed practices "for life."

To the contrary, nisarga yoga encourages the use of any system only to the point of Full Realization; thereafter, the pointer is to merely witness natural living as it happens. Nothing in nature (except for programmed, conditioned humans) believes that it must live supernaturally and read, pray, implore, kneel, study, chant, hum, plead, ring, burn, meet, supplicate, tithe, serve, solicit, wish, hope, and proselytize in order to be happy or content or fulfilled or "good" or "better."

As a result of believing all of those activities are required for "right living," scores of systems of yoga have evolved. But if you were to study them after exposure to the Direct Path Method and the nisarga approach, all of their doingness would be promptly rejected; however, the long and arduous road taken by “floyd” led to exposure to most of the other types of yogas before nisarga yoga was found. At that point, all nonsense became recognizable as nonsense, but here are the experiences that happened along the way that led to abandoning the practices of the other yogas.

A. Some jogis/yoginis claimed to be able to connect persons with a god or gods or “Cosmic Mother” in order for persons to have another power source to tap into or in order for persons to become totally devoted to a Lord.
B. Why would one following the Direct Path/nisarga yoga dismiss that approach? There are no persons; there is no individuality, only the unicity; there is no god or “Cosmic Mother” or “Cosmic Father” or “Lord”; there are no multiple gods or goddesses; there is no “one” to gain power; it is duality to think "I worship him/her" or "I follow him/her"; and there is no “one” to gain, period.

A. Some claimed that their followers must practice self-disciplines daily.
B. Why would one following the Direct Path/nisarga yoga dismiss that approach? There is no need to practice anything once Full Realization happens; there is no “one” to practice; natural living happens, without practicing and without doingness, and all unnatural and supernatural living ends automatically; the self is false and cannot be disciplined because self prefers to destroy discipline; the Self, on the other hand, does not need disciplining.

A. Some yogis/yoginis claimed that persons must chant and/or activate their centers.
B. Why would one following the Direct Path/nisarga yoga dismiss that approach? Once a person Realizes fully and abandons personas, there is no do-er to chant or to activate or to do anything else. Instead, AS IF living happens spontaneously and naturally; human types have walked the planet for 14.5 million years and they never chanted and never had to activate their centers until the last few thousand years, so it is not “natural”; finally, that which is limitless and without bounds can have no “center.”

A. Some yogis/yoginis said that persons must unite their body and mind and emotions and spirit so that they can focus on nothing but “the Lord.”
B. Why would one following the Direct Path/nisarga yoga dismiss that approach? There is no “Lord”; body and mind and emotions and spirit are all illusions, so to try to unite them is as senseless as trying to go into the desert and connect four mirages; the entire notion of things being separate and needing to be united is dualistic; and "Advaita" means “not two” and deals with the unicity…not with the two-ness, the three-ness, the four-ness, etc.

A. Some yogis/yoginis claimed that there is a goal for all persons and the goal is to gain knowledge.
B. Why would one following the Direct Path/nisarga yoga dismiss that approach? Concepts are only used with the Direct Path Method to remove religious or spiritual knowledge (also know as, learned ignorance) and then all concepts are discarded and natural/nisarga living happens.

A. Some yogis/yoginis taught two-ness, that there is "a Lord" and "his beings."
B. Why would one following the Direct Path/nisarga yoga dismiss that approach? Again, "Advaita" means “not two” and deals with the unicity…not with the two-ness, the three-ness, the four-ness, etc.

A. Some yogis/yoginis focused on immediate cause and effect and on the related concept of karma.
B. Why would one following the Direct Path/nisarga yoga dismiss that approach? Advaitins know that the cause of all is all...that the cause of anything is everything that has happened before any given moment or happenings under discussion.

As far as being giving or kind in order for your karma to get you a payoff, to “give” in order to get is self-ish giving and reveals that self-absorption continues; to believe that a “Cosmic Record-Keeper” is balancing out all of that giving and receiving (and not knowing that “The Givers” are trying to manipulate the universe and gain) is naïve and driven by self; post-Realization, it is de-accumulation, not accumulation, that happens; and, finally, the Realized know that they were not even born once, so they surely cannot possibly be "born again." Please enter the silence of contemplation. ( To be continued)
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MEDITATION GUIDE II, #82

“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 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. ” [Excerpt, from The Twice-Stolen Necklace Murders, p. 191]

CONSIDERATION: The scientist invites you to look around this planet for things that are supposedly very different and then realize that everything began as a single atom. Everything can be traced back to one common element. Could there be a beneficial impact (relatively speaking) on your life if you sensed the unity of All? Please enter the silence of contemplation.
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THERE IS NO DUALITY--THE UNICITY IS ALL THERE IS

FROM A SITE VISITOR: Thanx for sharing the story by Dennis Waite. That approach was effective.

F.: Agreed. The experiential approach is a highly-effective means by which the Teachings can be tranmitted. 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 ultimately, are You the consciousness that has manifested temporarily, or are You the Absolute? The book FROM THE I TO THE ABSOLUTE expands upon that explication. Please enter the silence of contemplation.
NOTE: 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, satsanga was arranged and nonduality sessions were offered which focused primarily on the nisarga yoga approach. That has led to inquiries into whether “the advaita vedanta retreats with floyd” will also be offered again. Information regarding the nonduality, Advaita Vedanta retreat opportunites that are available may now be found at http://advaitavedantaretreats.blogspot.com/ or by clicking on the link to the upper right.