Wednesday, July 04, 2012

As I understand it, non-dualistic approach says we have no choices, that life expresses itself through the human system without it in control at all. Things happen and that's just the way it is.
This seems more or less legitimate concerning the physical/physiological level, but it is a difficult idea to accept for the whole human experience because it sounds like we are just puppets not able to change our behavior patterns even if we know/see they are negative ones.
Where do negative behaviors come from? Maybe they are just an experience? Does self realization suppress them and if it is the case, why?

My next question is about money. A difficult issue for me, specially when it comes close to the spiritual field.
I have noticed that spiritual teachers, including realized persons, always try to make a living from spiritual guidance. Is it because they are not able to handle a job to earn money because this doesn't fit with their "personality" any more?
Well, in fact it doesn't fit with the personality of a lot of people :) (there is a lot of stress, boredom, and lack of freedom at work), but where is the choice? Why would illuminated/realized people be an exception to this?

The most important search is for the true self – ‘who am I’?  When this is known all will be revealed to you.  You have been told and conditioned to believe that you are human and in control of that body/mind.  This question is too difficult for most people simply because it goes against their conditioning and it is conditioning that tells us that they are people and have choices.  It isn’t even their belief, it’s just a belief by no-one.  Keep trying to locate the ‘I’ or ‘Me’ that you refer to when you say I or me.  Where is it?  Where does it start and finish?  Is it in the body or is the body in it.  And while this is going on you might notice that the real you (awareness) is witnessing the whole progress, that all this is merely an appearance in awareness.

When you suddenly recognise who you actually are (awareness) then you also know that you are not the human and that in fact there is no-one in control of the human – the human is running on its conditioning with no-one at the steering wheel (as it were) like the computer runs on it’s own programmes.  It is then that you will know there is no-one here (or there) and it is because of this insight that we say we are not in control – there is no-one here who can be in control, and never has been.  We don’t cease to exist, we just recognise that there never was any-one here.  There is no-one controlling your body/mind either.  The difference between us is just this.  I know it and you are still thinking that you exist (as a person in control).  The ‘Me’ is an illusion, it is not real.  This insight causes ultimate relaxation.

Religions and ‘philosophies’ have all sorts of beliefs and rituals.  They are often based of what an ‘enlightened’ person has said but because those religions are created and maintained by people who still think they are human they are misguided.

The truth cannot be expressed in words.  I don’t even speak the truth – no-one ever has.  That is why Advaita uses the term ‘pointers towards the truth’.  Jesus cannot come back and even if he did he knows that he cannot save any-one.  He, like others can know and guide and that’s all.  The seeker still has to do the work.

What we are (pure subjective awareness) is where everything, the human experience, the world and the whole of existence appears.  And what we are is already the case and it is before language.  Language is conceptual and dualistic and quite recent in evolution.  You are awareness right now, so there is nothing to gain or achieve – just the recognition of this fact.  The word witnessing is used by people who have realised but actually we all witness.

So advaita/non-duality says there is no choice not as a belief but as a fact.  There is no choice simply because there is no-one who can chose.

Yes it is a difficult idea to accept, but you don’t have to – just find out who your really are and the rest will be revealed to you.  Then all is well.  As long as the idea of a ‘me’ exists then everything is viewed from a ‘me’ (ego) perspective; we are looking from this very limited point of view.  Once it dawns on you that you are awareness then you see from an omnipresent perspective.  When I say see I don’t mean visually but you will understand it from an omnipresent understanding.

What is negative?  Isn’t it a judgement of good/bad and in that case dualistic?  So negative comes from a dualistic mind, which is an appearance in awareness.  No, realisation doesn’t suppress anything, it simply puts everything in perspective.

The money thing always comes up.  Realised ‘people’ still get bills and need money for food, drive cars and suffer illness.  In the end is some way nothing changes but in another way everything changes.  This world, even though it’s all a dream, still runs on money.  We can stop using money but in the west we would have the power cut off and we’d get hungry and eventually get thrown out on the streets.  There is nothing wrong with money, it’s just another way of obtaining food.  Of course not every-one claiming to be self realised actually are; some just jump on the bandwagon and try to get rich from it.  I know realised ‘people’ who work at a regular job, who are retired so self funded or live totally of teaching.

Realised ‘people’ are not an exception to emotions; they do have a balanced, relaxed view though and accept what is.  In some ways we are more sensitive.  And with choice or no choice we do what we do.  It makes no difference, we just chose when we chose – because we have no choice.  So if you think you have choice to do something or change your job then chose – it’s all part of what is.  It’s all perfect (meaning balanced).

You will read because it’s your nature to.  You will search because you have no choice.  You can’t stop searching until searching stops of it’s own accord.  You are a seeker, as I was.  My searching ended when the truth was realised – that I am in fact awareness (of everything) and not this person.

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