Topic: Neo-Advaita

[Firestarter]

So yeah I looked it up, been awhile since I read about fried foods, which I do rarely eat. But yeah I guess frying something can expose you to carcinogens, but that seems most a problem when burning and or frying in the oil for a long time. Not sure that was a problem when we made these though did overcook a couple of them. Still 90% of what we eat is super healthy, and I can't eat nuts now cause of a severe nut allergy, can't eat wheat, lactose (I cheat with that a tiny bit), and for now anyway can't do spicy cause of bad acid reflux... sigh. I think I figured out that maybe I'm actually drinking to much water though and that can cause several of the IBS type symptoms I have. Did yah know apparently even 8 cups of water is more than we are supposed to intake? The 8 cups thing apparently was 3 or 4 cups from liquid, 3 or 4 from food, and the remaining our body makes internally without our help. Or so I've read

The chickpeas are ok! Well I am on a health kick which began last year, and now im doing the vegan thing which so far, im sticking to. I have no desire to go back to meat and dairy. Sure ill miss some things. But I definitely feel way healthier, and im dropping weight. Its amazing how food affects us. Yes the american diet is super unhealthy so sure most folks eat very unhealthy. Im getting away from that. That too, is a way to unplug from The Matrix. 

[Nick]

The concept also seems contrary to being an individual. The warrior wants to retain their individuality and not lose their awareness, and experiences. We lose it each time we go in the recycle bin, and its going to take its toll energetically. Now while some of this may be true due to holographic nature, one soul, many reflections, it is still so, obviously, we are individuals. Perhaps with a whole lot of quantum entanglement, but individuals. Duality has a purpose and it seems it can be looked at as a dirty thing, or some kind of failure, to be interacting in it, or not realize non-duality. Thats where it gets weird to me. How are you supposed to get past it, or even, why? Dont we lose something vital if we are so hell bent on escaping duality?

Just a thought.

You've never experienced a state of awareness in which you felt as if duality was false?

I'm not saying we aren't also individuals, I suspect both are paradoxically true. And for that matter that it'd true that there is no truth.
 No, I'm just curious if you've never had experiences that at least hint at nonduality as being true?

[Firestarter]

You've never experienced a state of awareness in which you felt as if duality was false?

I'm not saying we aren't also individuals, I suspect both are paradoxically true. And for that matter that it'd true that there is no truth.
 No, I'm just curious if you've never had experiences that at least hint at nonduality as being true?

Im not gonna say ive had the ultimate realization, but kind of. I get its all one and its all a hologram and everyone has a little of us in them and the world mirrors back to us ourselves in some way. Like sometimes ive had that download, what if I was God, and I wanted to make a game and see if I can figure shit out and get my ass out of the game just cause I was bored?

Like Buddha realized everyone was really him and he was just ONE and...but he still had to interact with all beings in his own way.

So I get it. But I also wouldnt necessarily want to be sitting alone in the universe in some bliss all by myself and no one to hang out with. I suspect that God, however defined, didnt like it either, hence the BIG BANG and all "this." So even if all is maya and everyone is what they are. I think duality is necessary for relationships and it would be boring to me, to go up and up and up and just, sit in bliss all by myself. But thats me.

[Michael]

I found it curious that Della was against the idea of total absorption into nonduality. Ramakrishna had a big struggle to get back, and advised his followers to leave it until at death.

[Firestarter]

I found it curious that Della was against the idea of total absorption into nonduality. Ramakrishna had a big struggle to get back, and advised his followers to leave it until at death.

Im not. She was because you lose your individuality. That has always been the light aim. She was more a dark path person which is about retaining individuality.

[Firestarter]

Let me explain it

Back in the day where Della, Vicki, I met on delphi. There was a thing with light and dark type groups. Now I know that all seems silly. But there was a thing and it was quite visible. Light people when die go into the light head to the tunnel. They want that. But those on a dark path want to avoid the tunnel of light. They dont want to become one with it, cause to do so they feel they lose individuality and identity.

Della was somewhat cut from that cloth and would not want to lose individuality. Thats probably why the toltec and the double helped her to resolve the issue. Darting past the eagle and becoming what she said "a singularity of consciousness" is what she wanted. So its easy to say that she would not want to lose the individuality, or be at the mercy of a recycle bin.

Now course I do think of that as well at times. I dont want to reincarnate over and over. IM TIRED personally. But I dont think becoming one with all is necessarily my aim either to sit in bliss or whatever, you lose indivduality. It seems per don juan and toltec they taught a way you could keep it. Go as you please. Have some kind of choice I thought we were aiming at this.

[Firestarter]

Coming back to this cause this got me thinking back in the day. I had conversations with many, light, dark. I remember vicki said to me once "You and I are gray." So I think we respect the light, but we also know at times we may have to act on the gray. It aint easy but we might have to. But we arent dark, like totally dark. Tho we know our dark sides cause everyone has one. The error is when folks try to deny they have one and it comes out and crushes them.

But also light is not like totally love and fluff. Vicki and I both respected the Hermetics, the CMs, the Kabbalists, who worked with THAT Light, which is a little different than the light and love light. Thats where light has its power at its peak. I dont want to necessarily walk that path. But it was still good to know the basics at least of those old players. Nick knows and is smart enough to study up on it, or even chaos magic and things tho that isnt my thing but I know how to use it if I must.

But if I had to choose and I cant be gray of course light I have no choice on that. Thats suicide for me not to. But I dont think della made like a mistake going about things her way because she is also right the method to get past the eagle and she lived an impeccable life which is, a light thing to do.

[Nick]

Im not gonna say ive had the ultimate realization, but kind of. I get its all one and its all a hologram and everyone has a little of us in them and the world mirrors back to us ourselves in some way. Like sometimes ive had that download, what if I was God, and I wanted to make a game and see if I can figure shit out and get my ass out of the game just cause I was bored?

Like Buddha realized everyone was really him and he was just ONE and...but he still had to interact with all beings in his own way.

So I get it. But I also wouldnt necessarily want to be sitting alone in the universe in some bliss all by myself and no one to hang out with. I suspect that God, however defined, didnt like it either, hence the BIG BANG and all "this." So even if all is maya and everyone is what they are. I think duality is necessary for relationships and it would be boring to me, to go up and up and up and just, sit in bliss all by myself. But thats me.

For me I've never even been sure if total immersion in nonduality is possible while still in a physical body. But I've assumed the idea of nonduality is a tool to shift attention out of the known. This is because it seems the known state relies on the conception of duality to maintain its footing. I'm not saying just contemplating nonduality is enough for most people to gain leverage out of the first attention, but if I'm going to have an approach that utilizes my whole Being contemplating profound ideas like nonduality is a nice accompaniment to other practices.

I've never experienced complete nonduality but I've certainly experienced many intermediate stages along the way. As far as stages go, I watched a video with Rupert Spira, Adyashanti, and this Pendergast dude (can't remember first name). And they were saying something intriguing I hadn't come across from other nondual teachers that goes along with what Michael was saying about neo-advaita cracking open the mind but not necessarily anything else. They where talking about students becoming awakened in different centers, either The mind, heart or deep in the gut (I may not be recalling the exact details now). Interestingly Adyashanti was the only one of the 3 who outright claimed an awakening deep in the body, and then I thought well he also used to be a professional athlete, and supposedly meditated for 3 or more hours a day, which he now claims sometimes that that much meditation may have held him back, but I'm skeptical. Sometimes I think just because they are awakened, even if the had to struggle doesn't mean they understand the mechanics of what worked and why, which again is why I think pondering is important. How do we teach to our best potential if we don't understand how this stuff works?

[Nick]

But wait... when we stop the world, don't we experience a nondual state?

Isn't this what we are aiming toward with inner silence practice, which stops time perception, and time is whatseparates, ssssoooo...?

[Firestarter]

But wait... when we stop the world, don't we experience a nondual state?

Isn't this what we are aiming toward with inner silence practice, which stops time perception, and time is whatseparates, ssssoooo...?

When I did last year, thats not what I felt. I felt the breath of the infinite on me for a moment. Like nothing else existed but that. Like time ceased for a moment so I could pause and breathe.

[Nick]

If nothing else existed but the infinite isn't that by definition nonduality?

Unless what you mean is that you experienced that moment in time as if only you and the infinite existed...?

If that is the case this does not sound like what I've longed for my entire life. It has always come back to a sense of deeply profound interconnection that defies rational limitions. I long for this so thoroughly thar over the course of my life I've integrated the quest for it into nooks and crannies you wouldn't expect to find it. When I draw I seek the feel of the whole of what I'm drawing all at once, when I do philosophy I seek the interconnections in the ideas, I feel in love with the martial arts not because of some interest in fighting bur because of the grace, poise, flow of movements that glided into each other with such delicate harmony that reflected a person in touch with deep integrity, and now I seek to integrate all the skills into one method.

[Firestarter]

My experience could be far different than yours. That’s ok. I was off meds. Going thru a thing. But even while enduring, because it was absolutely necessary, I stopped the world. For certain. Now you need to understand, I’m not done processing. I just know, it was a necessary maneuver in the moment. I wasn’t thinking about anything much but getting it done. But don’t mind my experience. It was like a maneuver for me to prevent me from falling into a black hole I’d never return from.

[Nick]

One part of the rational of my fear when I almost stopped the world and then I pulled back, was what if I'm wrong that this isn't the right direction for me to go, what if instead it drives me mad or doesn't lead to what I've always intuited it would lead.

That said any glimpse of the infinite is welcome and is what I'm looking for, I just felt that when I crossed the sense of connection would be much more profound than your description. But alas descriptions can easily be lacking in one way or many ways for obvious reasons

[Nick]

That said though, if we are genuinely stopping our perception of time, I don't know how we could experience anything but a world of deeply profound interconnection, as by definition time is what separates everything, so if this isn't what is meant by stopping time... huh I don't know...

[Michael]

There are gradations of all aspects of nonduality. One can gain a piercing insight - a scouts perspective. One can step into it unwillingly without losing the easy path back. And one can experience complete submergence, from which it is nearly impossible to return as that saps completely one's life force - the energy to do. It is best to have snippets of nonduality, because there is so much work to be done in duality.

I'm not of the view that the goal should be nonduality. That is the landscape, and it is good to know the landscape - how to utilise effectively the known, unknown and unknowable. As such, there are different gradations of stopping the world. In essence stopping the world is the experience of nonduality, but I also not happy to describe this as a negative - a 'non'. Much like negentropy.

Along the path, we need occasional glimpses of the infinite, but we still need to tread the path of our destiny.