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#3553 -
The Nonduality Highlights - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NDhighlights
Greg Goode
just uploaded a new MP3: An Intro to Atma Darshan. Topics
include:
http://www.heartofnow.com/files/atma.darshan.intro.mp3
A copy of each book,
Atma Darshan and Atma Nirvriti, is here:
http://www.heartofnow.com/files/Atma_Darshan_Nirvriti.pdf
Greg Goode learned Direct
Path from Francis Lucille. Here
is Lucille's classic page on Advaita and nonduality from
http://www.francislucille.com/
A Primer on
Advaita
Advaita
is a sanskrit word that literally means "not two".
Synonyms of Advaita are non-duality (nonduality, non duality).
Advaita is not a philosophy or a religion. Non-duality
is an experience in which there is no separation between subject
and object; a "me" and the rest of the universe; a
"me" and God. It is the experience of consciousness,
our true nature, which reveals itself as absolute happiness, love
and beauty. Consciousness is defined as that,
whatever that is, which is aware of these very words right here,
right now.
A sage
is one who knowingly lives as consciousness. Since awareness is
impersonal and universal, there is only one sage beyond the
apparent distinctions of race, gender, age, etc. A sage is
not necessarily a spiritual teacher, and a
spiritual teacher is not necessarily a sage. Ramana Maharshi,
Krishna Menon and Jean Klein were such sages who taught in the
20th century. Ramana Maharshi used the self inquiry
method with his less advanced disciples. The student who
practices self inquiry keeps his attention focused onto the
source of the I-thoughts and I-feelings, whenever they arise.
Once enlightenment has taken place, the process
of self inquiry continues effortlessly. The attention
spontaneously reverts to the source at the end of each thought
and feeling and there is no need to focus the attention any
longer. More advanced students can be taken directly to the
experience of their true self by hearing the truth from the lips
of the guru and/ or through his silent presence. This is called
the direct path, the path used, among others, by
Ramana Maharshi, Krishna Menon and Jean Klein. The process of self
realization continues spontaneously until the
body-mind-world firmly abides in peace and happiness. Everything
that can be said about the experience of non duality is, at best,
a pale approximation at the level of concepts, a mere pointer.
Zen Buddhism uses the metaphor of a finger pointing to the moon:
although the finger points to the moon, the finger and the moon
belong to two different worlds.
Advaita transcends all
religions, philosophies and nationalities. It doesn't divide, but
rather unites. Fanatic members of different religions can never
agree about their concepts of God, but sages from different
backgrounds can never disagree about their shared experience of
non duality. The founders of all great religions were sages.
Nonduality is at the core of Hinduism, Sufism, Zen Buddhism,
Kashmeeri Shaivism and of the teachings of Christ:
Hinduism: "That
which is not (the objects as separate from the Self) never comes
into being, and that which is (The Self) never ceases to
be". (BaghavadGita)
Hinduism, Kashmeeri
Shaivism: "Oh Marvel! This illusion, although expressed in
multiplicity, is no other than consciousness-without-a-second.
Ha, all is but pure essence aware of itself."
(Abhinavagupta)
Sufism: "There
is nothing but God" Zen Buddhism: "Question: When
a sound ceases, does awareness cease?Answer: Awareness never
ceases" (HuiHai)
Hinduism, Kashmeeri
Shaivism: "The universe awakens when You awaken and vanishes
when You withdraw. Therefore the totality of existence and
non-existence is one with You." (Abhinavagupta)
Christianity:
"Jesus said: "I" is the light (of awareness) that
shines upon all things. "I" is the All from which
everything emanates and to which everything returns."
(Thomas, 186)
Enlightenment is
the sudden recognition that non-duality is, has always been, and
will always be the reality of our experience. Duality is an
illusion. Consciousness is not private and personal, but
impersonal, universal, and eternal. There is no limited personal
entity, no conscious ego. The ego is a perceived object, not the
all perceiving awareness.
Self realization is the
subsequent stabilization in the peace, happiness and freedom of
our natural state. The world, seen in the light of impersonal
awareness, reveals itself as a permanent miracle, a divine
display that celebrates its invisible source.
A living guru
(spiritual teacher) is, in most cases, necessary to facilitate
both enlightenment and self realization. Although the karana
guru (the guru whose role is to help the disciple trough
the last stages of realization) appears to the disciple as a
seemingly separate human being, he or she is knowingly
established as universal consciousness. He sees the
disciple as his own Self. Consciousness in
the disciple, being recognized for what it truly is, resonates
with the silent presence of the guru. The mind of the disciple
becomes gradually and mysteriously quiet, with or without the use
of words, until the student has a glimpse of the causeless joy of
his natural state. A relationship of love, freedom and
friendliness that leads to the eventual spontaneous stabilization
of the disciple in happiness and peace gets established.
A true karana guru never
sees himself as superior or inferior to anybody, nor does he or
she take himself or anybody for a sage or an ignorant, for a
spiritual teacher or a disciple. This impersonal attitude creates
an unmistakable perfume of friendship and freedom that is a
prerequisite for the success of the final stages of the self
realization process.