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

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.: To review yesterday’s pointers, in the traditional, daily satsanga approach used by most masters, all of the seven stages of re-purification are discussed over a matter of days or weeks or months, but in no particular order. Answers to queries were, and are, provided in the random order in which the issues were, and are, raised. The only difference in that approach and in the approach provided in FROM THE I TO THE ABSOLUTE (A Seven-Step Journey to Reality) is that the explications are offered in the exact order in which the stages must be transitioned (and the exact order in which they have been transitioned for centuries, though they were not previously numbered “1 through 7”).

Understand, therefore, that each of the stages that have to be passed through must be transitioned in an exact order: becoming free of the “mind stuff” cannot happen when one is still trapped in the baseness or grossness of identification with “a physical body.”

Now, to the “why seven steps” part of your question. In the limitless expanse of energy called “The Absolute,” that energy which has the ability to be aware of, if manifested, is uncontaminated, unconditional, unconditioned, unqualified, unlimited, pure, unadulterated, and unambiguous. When the consiousness manifests in the space called “a human,” programming and conditioning and enculturation soon result in it being contaminated, conditioned, impure, adulterated, and ambiguous. That contaminating process results in seven degrees of separation from Reality, in seven degrees of separation from awareness of What the consciousness Truly Is and from awareness of its original, unadulterated nature. Seven steps were involved in the-graduated-bastardization-of-consciousness process, so seven steps of re-purification must happen if the consciousness is to be restored to its natural, non-dual, no-concept, unadulterated state.

[For example, one step involved convincing you that you are the body. Another involved steps that resulted in the formulation of “your mind” and in convincing you of its exalted value. Later, you would be advised to “expand your intellect” and to “cultivate your mind” and “purify your thought-life,” as if you could actually improve a mirage or could purify a putrid bag of foul garbage. In total, seven such steps of consciousness-bastardization happened that separated you from being aware of You; thus, most persons eventually express—or at least sense—that quintessential evidence of insanity, namely, “I don’t even know who I am.”]

To illustrate the steps involved in the contamination process, consider a quart jar of water. Take the glass jar to be a space with a nervous system such as that in a human body. Take the water to be the manifested conscious-energy. Take the water to be one component that could allow what is called “the life of a human” to continue for a period (the other two being the elements and the air). To live, relatively speaking, you must have that water, but you face a major problem: people have contaminated the water so severely that, instead of being an asset, it has become a liability with the potential to kill you.

See what happened: one person passed by and added dirt to the water; another poured in a toxic, coloring ingredient that made the water look pretty but made it noxious; a “holy” person came along, judged the water to be dirty, added detergent which he believed would purify the water but, in fact, only contributed more contamination; another added salt; another poured in oil; another added poison; and another dropped some beautiful shards of glass into the water.

Now, it took many steps for that water to become as contaminated as it is. Can you re-purify that water in one step, or will many different steps have to be taken to remove all the contaminants that separate that water from its original, pure state? The process that skims off the oil will leave the shards and the dirt. Purging the detergent will still leave the salt and the coloring, so the water might appear to be “better” or “improved” but it is still contaminated. The only difference in re-purifying that water and re-purifiying the consciousness is that the seven processes required for removing the seven types of contamination from the water can be performed in any given order.

The steps required for re-purification of the consiousness, to the contrary, must be done in the exact, reverse order in which the consciousness was contaminated. For clarification, imagine that you put one ring on your finger, than another and another and another until you have seven rings on the finger. You cannot remove the first ring at the base without destroying the finger. To remove the first ring, all of the other rings must be removed in the reverse order in which they were placed on the finger.

So it is with the re-purifying of the consciousness: the steps of contaminating the conscious—energy were applied in an exact order as original illusions were upgraded or downgraded. To return to the original condition, then the contaminants must be removed in the reverse order in which they were applied. Few know that order, few can guide persons through the process, and only a very few persons will find the ones that know the order and can guide them through the complete method; therefore, only a few will ever be freed from the relative effects of the contamination. So it is. Please enter the silence of contemplation.

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.

Knowledge? or SELF-knowledge?

FROM A SITE VISITOR: You seem to have some genius. I am an INTJ because I want to put money in my pocket and separate myself with books, scientific \"knowledge\", and hopefully one day a career in medicine. Sometimes I despise INFJs because I think they overvalue feelings, like another carbon copy of Jesus, but INFJs are also the rarest of the types as I\'m sure you know. I unsettle people everywhere with my prana (or behavior patterns), but don\'t care to take any discples, or address their confused feelings/emotions. Do I need all my Ojas or can I smoke weed but sit in Dhyana and forget about duality? I read in Raja yoga, and believe that enlightenment is physiological. Anything would help, I want to be a leader and help reform the modern masses, but I want out of this hot world afterwards ala Theravada. Any communication will be met with deep respect. James B.

F.: Hello, James. Thx for the e-mail. As for “any communication will be met with deep respect,” maybe…or maybe not. The “J” in the Jungian/Myers Briggs system of cataloguing personality, which you have accepted as a defining label, may drive you to assign or deny value to these pointers and then close down further consideration. The “T” could drive you to discredit any invitation to tap intuitively into the “inner guru” or “inner resource” that is the avenue to Realization as you currently value far more the external knowledge that you are accumulating. (In the realm of “things metaphysical or spiritual,” that knowledge is nothing more than learned ignorance.) As mentioned yesterday, “On this site, however, the invitation is never to share what someone else said, what someone else wrote, or what someone else knew. The invitation is to find that which You know. What is it that You have always known but have forgotten?” You are being driven to accumulate knowledge rather than to know what You already know. The “I” aspect of the personality type that you've assumed might facilitate that search…or not.

That said, before other site visitors are sent off on a useless quest to investigate Myers-Briggs, let the pointer be made again that the MBTI or the Enneagram Personality Inventory or any other systems that classify personality are dealing with nothing more than an illusion—namely, personality. Ironically, that illusion does have the ability to control the behavior and thinking of most persons on the planet. Part of the insanity around personality involves persons (a) being controlled by personality while (b) believing that they have free will and are making choices. Can personality type accurately predict behavior under given circumstances since most personas behave in such predictable, “textbook” fashion according to the personality (i.e., according to methods of thinking and behaving and emoting which they developed during childhood to survive or to function in an often-bizarre environment)? Of course. But when factors other than choice determine behavior, that is imprisonment...not freedom.

Realization is about being free of the entrapment that drives persons to react and over-react to illusions. As with those mentioned yesterday who have a fear of clouds, their “bondage” is an illusion and their perception of clouds is an illusion, but "the relative existence effects" seem quite real to the sufferer. The bottom line on all of the self-analysis inspired by the study of any personality system was shared yesterday: "You do not need more knowledge. The only thing you need to be aware of about any of the nine types of personality [or the 16 M-B types] is that they drive people, that none of the personalities are you, and that all personality is to be transcended if you would be sane and happy."

As for “genius,” not at all. The consciousness that speaks via this site is the same consciousness that speaks through any space wherein the consciousness has undergone the re-purification process. As for the "book knowledge" that you prefer to accumulate and as for any plan to work in the field of medicine, that career can be marked with peace if it happens with non-attachment, but it will be marked with misery should some persona decide that he is to be “The Leader,” “The Boss,” or “The One in Control.”

As for your query regarding the “Ojas,” are you revealing more evidence of identification with the ego-states of the “The Boss” or “The One in Control”? Are you going to gain control over the brain, which should be allowed to functionally naturally? Or will you try to go a step further and try to control the “mind” when the mind is nothing more than the very seat of all delusions? [See http://www.advaitaquotes.blogspot.com/ for more on the distinctions involving consciousness, brain, and mind and to see more on “the mind” itself. Also, to address "weed and Dhyana," toggle down while on that quote site and read what the original purpose of meditation was. You might find that commonly-held beliefs about "stilling the activity" of the fictional mind or about "chilling out" during those always-limited periods of samadhi miss the orginal intent of meditation completely.]

As for Raja Yoga and Theravada, of course you would prefer, at this point anyway, methods that involve analysis, likely seasoned with some reasoning and an even larger dose of investigation. Yet any effort to "cultivate the mind" is an exercise in insanity since the "mind" is that which is rooted in insanity and which generates even more insantiy. [Again, see www.advaitaquotes.blogspot.com for further explication.] Who would want to cultivate weeds when the healthy garden happens after the purging of all weeds is complete? While reason applied during the investigation of self and Self might be productive (relatively speaking) all of the other “stuff” generally ends up being “much ado about nothing,” just like this very posting today.

The invitation for you, considering where you currently are on the “path,” is to see the non-dual, no-concept nature of Reality (physiological aspects notwithstanding). That requires that you first re-read your e-mail and find all of the assumed, but false, identities that are revealed therein. You must know who you are not before you will ever come to know who/what You Are. Then, if you witness objectively, you might see the duality (the self-contradiction) of asserting that “sometimes I despise INFJs because I think they overvalue feelings.” You might see that some “you” is experiencing a very strong feeling ("despising") even as you attack those who have...strong feelings. [Ain’t projection a bitch?] So now, you have either been provided with much to take into “real meditation” (wherein pointers are considered in clear fashion), or not. Best regards on your “trip,” in whichever direction it might go. Please enter the silence of contemplation.