YeeHAH! Another one bites the dust! Show's over, folks! :-)
--- In [email protected], Rick Archer <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > From James Braha: > > Below is the Intro to my new book (5 pages), which > is close to being finished. > > ULTIMATE FREEDOM: The One reality > > Introduction > > > What you are about to read is the final chapter in my search for liberation. > > What I mean by liberation is an end to the nagging feeling of separateness > from Source (or Essence) that was present since as long as I can remember. > And the death of the never ending sense of "becoming," as well as the > relentless concerns over past and future - death included. After engaging in > many spiritual paths for some thirty years, the end finally came through the > Hindu teachings of Advaita, also known as non duality. > > The literal definition of Advaita (classically pronounced ad-veye- ta, > sometimes pronounced ad-vey-ta) is "not two," a preferable way of describing > oneness because oneness implies the possibility of more than one. The term > "oneness" refers to the underlying or essential oneness of all > manifestation. Scientifically this oneness can be seen within the fact that > all matter can be broken down into sub atomic particles, which is then seen > as nothing more than light or emptiness or space. Everything in > manifestation is, thus, made up of one, and only one, essence. > > Within our experience of life, which is tremendously varied and full of > differences, there is an integral facet that is almost entirely ignored. And > that is the "sameness" or oneness that is constantly present and makes all > experience possible. It is called Presence Awareness and is essentially the > present moment - right here right now. It is the "right here right now" that > has always been and will always be. It is the "right here right now" that > you experienced at age five and is with you even as you read this page. It > was present at birth, it is present at death. Presence Awareness. Right here > right now. Our one constant. > > In early 2004, I had the great good fortune to pick up a book called "What's > Wrong With Right Now Unless You Think About it?" by an Australian teacher > named Sailor Bob Adamson. Bob's search ended in the mid 1970's when he > studied with the great Hindu sage Nisargadatta Maharaj. He has been teaching > non duality ever since. As fate would have it, Bob and his wife came to > America and stayed at our home for five weeks. During that time, he gave > many wonderful talks and teachings, most of which are transcribed in this > book. > > For most seekers of enlightenment or liberation, the search is long and > arduous with many twists and turns along the way. Finding truth is all the > more challenging because there are so many varying viewpoints. People are > different genetically, culturally, emotionally, and so on. There are paths > for devotional types, intellectual types, mystical types, and so forth. What > most paths and religions have in common is that they allow the disciple to > seek without ever actually finding. This does not mean such paths are > fruitless. It simply means that there is always more to chase and more to > seek. There is always a bigger and better experience to be had. There is > always a promise of a better future (even though life can only be lived in > the present). And there is almost never a point where one stops to say "Aha. > The goal is reached. I have found. I am complete." There is, of course, the > rare case where that occurs, but it is sure to be the exception - not the > rule. The few who claim to have found are nearly always the leaders, never > the participants. This fact alone should give one pause. > > In this regard, the teachings of non duality are incredibly unique. They are > unique because they leave room only for finding and none for seeking! In > Advaita, seeking is patently absurd because it implies a future time of > finding. If all that exists is oneness, how can there be a past or future? > Past and future are concepts in the mind, while the present moment - right > here right now - is all that truly is. If there is an opposite to Advaita, > it is the act of seeking! > > Advaita is based on understanding reality and existence from the broadest > possible viewpoint. It is entirely unconcerned with practices, disciplines, > rituals, and experiences. Seekers looking for greater self development or > for promises of a better future will not find them here. Non duality rejects > preferences, and considers no experience, positive or negative, one iota > better or worse than another. > > For seekers who are ripe, non duality brings ending upon ending, until only > freedom remains. Once it is recognized that the reference point we live > from, the "me," is based on nothing more than a collection of thoughts and > images, any sense of self importance and individuality ends. Once the > definition of reality is seen to be "that which never changes," the illusory > nature of our "apparent" creation is exposed. As soon as the essential > oneness of existence is understood, the pervasive sense of separation gained > in early childhood - when a so called "individual" identity was created - > disappears. Once it is realized that the present moment, right here right > now, is all that has ever been and all that will ever be, the senseless > behavior of worrying about the past and imagining the future utterly ceases. > When we see clearly that who we are is actually no thing - "non conceptual, > ever present, shelf shining, just this and nothing else" - any trying to > change, fix, modify, or correct ourselves becomes pointless. One's sense of > "becoming" immediately drops away. When it is understood that everything in > creation is in essence actually one (everything in creation is comprised of > the same underlying consciousness), it becomes obvious that all reference > points are false. When it is seen that all reference points are false, > judging any experience or any person as good or bad, or right or wrong > becomes ludicrous. Everything that occurs is seen simply as "what is." Once > all experience is seen as "what is," the perpetual habit of craving pleasure > and resisting pain is over. Thus, for the ripe seeker, Advaita is the end > game of a search that previously appeared to have no resolution. Repeat: for > the ripe seeker, non duality is the end game of a search that previously > appeared to have no resolution. > > What is meant by a "ripe" seeker? One who is willing to die to his or her > "apparent" individuality. While many seekers have heard the notion of being > willing to die, and are actually ready to do so, most have no idea how. This > is not for any lack of intelligence. It is because there is actually nothing > one can do to die to the "small self!" What is needed is an understanding of > reality from the most all inclusive viewpoint. Then, one's apparent > individuality becomes enveloped by universality the same way a seemingly > isolated wave merges back into ocean. > > While "understanding" may seem a far cry from liberation, it is not. It is > positively essential. The key to ultimate freedom lies in one's perception > of reality. Liberation, or awakening, is not a function of any particular > experience or mode of behavior. It is a function of understanding reality. > This is why there is no standard behavior among so called enlightened souls. > This is why each person must awaken on his or her own. There have been many > yogis and mystics with spiritual powers over the centuries, who have granted > miraculous spiritual experiences to others (which are sometimes powerful > catalysts to understanding), but none has ever been able to grant the > understanding which gives rise to eternal freedom. Liberation occurs only by > perception or understanding, which is not something one can transfer to > another. A person seeing a rope in the dark may first perceive the rope to > be a dangerous snake and react with panic. Upon closer investigation, when > the person sees the rope for what it is, all fear disappears. So it is that > when a person understands his or her true (unbounded) nature, liberation > from "apparent" bondage is the inevitable result. > > After some thirty years of engaging in an eclectic variety of different > evolutionary paths, it has become clear to me that most seekers are actually > content to remain on the path their entire lives. Some love the seeking > process, some are enamored of blissful meditations, while others are > unfortunately unprepared - or just not ready - to find. Seekers reading this > book who have never rigorously investigated their willingness to become > finders are about to be tested. Those who claim to agree with non dual > teachings while continuing their search demonstrate that they have not > actually understood Advaita. > > No one can say why one disciple is ready to end his or her search, while > another is not. Advaita, which considers manifest existence an illusion (or > appearance) comprised of the same oneness or consciousness from which it > sprang, offers no reasons or causes for anything within the appearance. It > is worth noting, however, that so many (but not all) of the rare individuals > who claim to have found awakening or liberation have said the same thing. > There was a point, they declare, where they became extraordinarily intent on > finding truth - on finding freedom. Many, just like Sailor Bob Adamson - > whose life you are about to become familiar with - have even said they left > home vowing not to return until their "apparent" bondage had been lifted. > > I mention this not as a hint or a method of how to pursue self realization. > I mention it because many seekers who approach Advaita find the teachings > mental and cerebral, and wonder what use mere intellectual understanding can > possibly be. For those who do not resonate with the teachings of non > duality, such a reaction is not false or wrong. In these cases, nothing is > gained and there are no benefits. For the seeker who is serious about > becoming a finder, however, for one who can no longer bear the perpetual > sense of separation that began as far back as one can remember, > understanding what one is (eternal and unbounded) and what one is not > (material, physical, transient, and limited) makes all the difference. Once > this occurs, life is never the same. > > Remarkably, understanding is all that is needed. Remarkably, what is not > needed is lots of doing - as in meditating, chanting, breathing, purifying > the nervous system, engaging in therapy, studying sacred texts, and on and > on. Self realization is all in the being and none in the doing. There is a > relevant saying applicable to spiritual aspirants who have practiced > powerful techniques and methods, and enjoyed blissful and ecstatic peak > experiences from time to time: "You can never get enough of what will not > make you happy." In a philosophy whose core and essence is oneness, what can > be gained by doing? Of what value are bigger and better experiences? > > This is, of course, not to say that the doings mentioned above are not > wonderful and valuable. It is to say, however, that the finding of one's > true nature occurs in a "moment of understanding." It occurs in a moment of > understanding that exists strictly in the present - right here right now. > And while that understanding may appear to result from some action, it does > not. In a world of appearance, there are no actual causes - only apparent > ones. There are no causes because the world of illusion, our world, has no > independent nature. Everything within manifest creation has a beginning and > an end. Everything that appears eventually disappears. There are only > apparent causes, no actual ones. > > If it is not yet clear, non duality is a viewpoint beyond personal ego. It > is a viewpoint that is counterintuitive and cares nothing of appearance. > Nearly half the world accepts the concept of maya - the concept that the > world is an illusion. But almost no one lives as if they believe the fact! > This is because people live life from their own point of view - their own > ego or reference point. True understanding of non duality takes place only > when one realizes, actually sees clearly, that his or her reference point is > both limited and false. If this has not happened, understanding has not > occurred. > > The purpose of this book is to expose the personal reference point - the > "me" - for what it is, a mind created phantom. My hope is to do for readers > what Nisargadatta Maharaj, the great Indian sage, did for my teacher Sailor > Bob Adamson, and what Sailor Bob did for us. And that is "to take the seeker > beyond the need for help." If, after reading this text, you are able to see > clearly that the "me" you have lived with your entire life is a false > creation of the mind, you will never need help again. You will know your > true nature and the real meaning of understanding. > > "What I teach is the ancient and simple way of liberation through > understanding. Understand your own mind and its hold on you will snap. The > mind misunderstands - misunderstanding its own nature! Right understanding > is the only remedy, whatever name you give it." > > Nisargadatta Maharaj > > From The Wisdom of Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, by Robert Powell To subscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Or go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ and click 'Join This Group!' Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! 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