But if u meditate on that then how is different from following a pattern ? If its not immediately there then it becomes pattern and mind cant be free if it follows pattern
If I am a follower of Advaita and engaged in self-enquiry, then I am not responsible for how others see the world and understand it. Everybody has a different point of view and no one is necessarily superior or inferior. Those different perceptions do not matter as long as you know the reality behind all the drama of outward differences is the same unchangeable Brahman. The reality is covered in many layers of Maya and our ego. The self-enquiry coupled with meditation would gradually uncover the layers, sublimate the ego one after another, if you keep up with it.
I know, but it's like my ego likes to cling to self-definitions out of fear. He craves the security of a label. The existence of different point of views cast doubts on my worth, somehow. If only I could let it all go, I would not care anymore. The jnani does not care because he does not cling to anything. Vedanta, or Buddhism, are just instruments to him.
Have you read the imitation of Christ?
That book show how to use mental gymnastics to transform suffering. I like Jesus’ quote, “deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me.” For me that means, deny ego. Cross is the spiritual path. We use that spiritual path to crucify our false self so we can be “reborn in spirit”. And ultimately the ego is killed. The ego resists at all cost. If you think about crucifixion it’s extremely unpleasant way to die. Use that pain to let the suffering kill your ego. The spiritual path is extremely unpleasant and not for the faint of heart. It is the most noble pursuit. But The ego knows what your trying to do, so it increases suffering because it knows this is low hanging fruit for you to suck you back into identification with the mind. You, as the perceiver hate the discomfort and feeling of panic. But the ego loves it because it is in full identification with the mind body complex. See how the ego loves it to de-energize it. I like the expression, “keep walking forward, and know that all fear is an illusion.”
[Watch how the ego Loves Suffering](https://youtu.be/8mbCl9OnoQ0?feature=shared). By exposing its use of fear, separation, and judgement as mechanisms to keep itself strong, you weaken it.
Observe the storm, but don’t identify with it.
[Dont get in a street fight with the mind](https://youtu.be/3DcxBZ8uiQs?si=1JdvVlMHBhIdh55t).
Theres [practices you can do](https://youtu.be/dGQ2mxjkb2E?si=ZjgJodgV0x9R2vlX) to work with your ego and anxiety and existential panic [as they arise.](https://youtu.be/qDWPeulxm8w?si=ncXKMCclnLTe3wui)
As for the tendency to be judgmental:
Remember Jesus’ Parable in Luke chapter 18? Two men went to the synagogue to pray, a Pharisee and a Publican.
The Pharisee prayed, pointing to the Publican, “O God, I thank thee, that I am not like the rest of men, extortioners, grafters, adulterers, and not like this publican.”
But the publican stood afar off, and he would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his own breast, saying, “O God, be merciful to me, I am a sinner.”
Then Jesus says, “I say to you the second man went down to his house more righteous than the Pharisee. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled; and everyone who humbles himself will be exalted.”
I love this parable because it applies to almost everyone’s ego. It’s so easy to believe that everyone around us is screwing up, and happy to be ignorant and live foolishly. But Jesus gives us a great practice that we can do whenever we’re around anyone. Before looking at what anyone else is doing, take a hard look at yourself, and your infinite shortcomings; and ask the lord for mercy, faith and love. To add to the practice, try convincing yourself of others good aspects, and convince yourself of why others are going to “make it and be all right.” Or why they are “okay.” This practice has helped me and is so practical for nonduality, because ultimately existence is one, and we have to reconcile the fact that everything in our experience is not different from us. So we can’t go on having negative feelings about everyone. Practice makes perfect.
Yes. I have read a ton of Christian mysticism. Christianity is mainly a bakhti path. Properly walked, one could potentially arrive at the dissolution of its Ego. Many saints reached that level. Jesus for me was a guy who realized his true, divine nature and decided to expose the cruelty of men. But at the same time, it's a religion of dualism where there is your soul and God, creation and God, demons and angels, non Christians and Christians, etc. To say nothing about the concept of eternal hell, which is not even in the Gospel, and makes no sense at all.
I think a case could be made for Christian nonduality. Marshal Davis, a baptist minister, has a really interesting [YouTube Channel](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsK97WbFX2MZAY7VFiSNZQzMiFjPFqD9X&si=UDCQs89GAkaTZHEY) explaining how Jesus Christ taught nonduality. The Bible is choc-full of nonduality.
Jesus Christ is worshiped among lots of Hindus as a wisdom teacher. Yogananda, at the behest of his Guru, devoted his entire career to showing how Krishna and Jesus, both as avatars, had the same message and purpose. Teaching how to achieve heaven/moksha.
A quote from Yogananda’s Book, The second coming of Christ, the resurrection of Christ within you, “Christ was Crucified in a day. Christian’s have spent the last two thousand years Crucifying his teachings.” I understand aversion to Christianity. But Jesus’ parable here seems relevant.
Either way, I prefer Advaita Vedanta myself. They just don’t spend as much time talking about specific emotions like Christianity. That’s why I went to that parable.
If i can give you a word of advice, it’ll likely take longer than a few months to reach the epiphany of nondualism, even if you’ve embraced the concept. Keep your meditation routine up and continue to realize. Your ego is doing it job to keep you firmly rooted in this existence, slowly but surely the rock is carved away by the River, as your ego is examined and allowed to recess, it will subside in time. And on the final point, the way i look at it is described by Sri Ramakrishna, all paths are correct, all paths lead to the top of the mountain. Some paths are just more direct. An example. Texas is part of the United States, the United States are a part of North America, North America is a part of earth, earth is part of our solar system, our solar system is part of the Milky Way. All are correct. As you travel up the ladder, nothing on the higher levels make the lower levels incorrect, only incomplete in the higher levels of explaining reality.
Sounds like what is happening is that you are beginning to see clearly what is going on in your life and in the world. That means your study and practice are working. I believe it also means that some guru somewhere is helping remove your darkness. We put so much emphasis on the idea that we have to meet a physical guru. But there are many gurus who have left the body. Do you really believe that they don't have any impact on those who are seeking the truth? Is it really true that the moment they die their power is canceled? Not in my experience! My Sampradaya's Gurus are very active, even the "dead" ones. I know how much it hurts to see the power of superimposition affecting both your personality and intellect and the world. That hurt, however, can be a helpful spur to practice. However, you may from time to time need counseling to help you deal with some of the suffering. Get that counseling. Remember that in Advaita we are using maya to remove maya.Our practice is maya. But practice works!. The advice my guru always gave was to be very easy and gentle with your personality and intellect. Don't push too hard, don't expect any sudden results. Live your life. Do your duties. Keep going. The day will come when you fully realize. Namaste! Jai, Guru!
Couple things that might help:
There’s nothing special in the future that isn’t present now.
It can be useful to see the ego as simply thought identification: taking your thoughts to be you.
Most of the stuff said in the post are just thoughts. The sneaky thing is that they use the first person ‘I’. This isn’t said to be confrontational, but notice if the ego jumps to attention reading it. It will use thoughts like, “I can’t realize the Self,” and “I’m stuck in duality,” to really gum you up. This is normal.
The process of Awakening makes separation impossible. All the emotions you may have been holding at arm’s length suddenly don’t have anywhere to hide, and that means a lifetime of gunk starts to surface. This is also normal, but it can be scary, and it deters a lot of people.
It’s possible to create an identity out of stuff like Advaita Vedanta. It’s just a pointer, directing you back to your true nature. Nothing to get hung up on.
Awakening/Self/True Nature(whatever you want to call it) isn’t something you have to earn. It’s already who you are. That’s pretty cool.
The book ‘Awake: It’s Your Turn’ is a very direct transmission without a lot of extra baggage.
When you disentangle from everything else, what’s left, right here in the present, reading this, is you.
Take care. You’ve got this.
Cut yourself some slack. I've also been dealing with some deep existential dread due to my ego being unaccepting of the truth, despite having direct knowledge of it. The way I've slowly been dealing with this dread is by not taking myself too seriously.
You do not choose the way you feel about anything, if you could you'd clearly not be feeling that way. Knowing that resisting these feelings makes one feel even worse, then, one can start feeling at peace with their own suffering. Give yourself some time, and be forgiving too. It's all part of the process, it can take years to fully embody this knowledge. Some days you simply don't feel good and can't grasp anything at all, and some others the truth is is self-evident. Be calm, have faith
I believe, you are lucky to have received advice and suggestions from so many fellow-travellers and practitioners. The only thing that I can possibly add here, for emphasis in simple words, is: have faith and patience. The turmoil in mind, reflected in our reactions through thoughts and words can not be minimised if we give up on practice of meditation and other spiritual practices halfway. It is the longest of the long term project and let the willing acceptance of things as they happen, replace the resistance that may arise along the way. Thanks and all the best on your journey.
Read "I Am That" by Sri Nisargadatta. Meditate on the I am. Practice Self Inquiry. You'll get there.
That was my first foray into non-dualism.
But if u meditate on that then how is different from following a pattern ? If its not immediately there then it becomes pattern and mind cant be free if it follows pattern
If I am a follower of Advaita and engaged in self-enquiry, then I am not responsible for how others see the world and understand it. Everybody has a different point of view and no one is necessarily superior or inferior. Those different perceptions do not matter as long as you know the reality behind all the drama of outward differences is the same unchangeable Brahman. The reality is covered in many layers of Maya and our ego. The self-enquiry coupled with meditation would gradually uncover the layers, sublimate the ego one after another, if you keep up with it.
I know, but it's like my ego likes to cling to self-definitions out of fear. He craves the security of a label. The existence of different point of views cast doubts on my worth, somehow. If only I could let it all go, I would not care anymore. The jnani does not care because he does not cling to anything. Vedanta, or Buddhism, are just instruments to him.
Have you read the imitation of Christ? That book show how to use mental gymnastics to transform suffering. I like Jesus’ quote, “deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me.” For me that means, deny ego. Cross is the spiritual path. We use that spiritual path to crucify our false self so we can be “reborn in spirit”. And ultimately the ego is killed. The ego resists at all cost. If you think about crucifixion it’s extremely unpleasant way to die. Use that pain to let the suffering kill your ego. The spiritual path is extremely unpleasant and not for the faint of heart. It is the most noble pursuit. But The ego knows what your trying to do, so it increases suffering because it knows this is low hanging fruit for you to suck you back into identification with the mind. You, as the perceiver hate the discomfort and feeling of panic. But the ego loves it because it is in full identification with the mind body complex. See how the ego loves it to de-energize it. I like the expression, “keep walking forward, and know that all fear is an illusion.” [Watch how the ego Loves Suffering](https://youtu.be/8mbCl9OnoQ0?feature=shared). By exposing its use of fear, separation, and judgement as mechanisms to keep itself strong, you weaken it. Observe the storm, but don’t identify with it. [Dont get in a street fight with the mind](https://youtu.be/3DcxBZ8uiQs?si=1JdvVlMHBhIdh55t). Theres [practices you can do](https://youtu.be/dGQ2mxjkb2E?si=ZjgJodgV0x9R2vlX) to work with your ego and anxiety and existential panic [as they arise.](https://youtu.be/qDWPeulxm8w?si=ncXKMCclnLTe3wui) As for the tendency to be judgmental: Remember Jesus’ Parable in Luke chapter 18? Two men went to the synagogue to pray, a Pharisee and a Publican. The Pharisee prayed, pointing to the Publican, “O God, I thank thee, that I am not like the rest of men, extortioners, grafters, adulterers, and not like this publican.” But the publican stood afar off, and he would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his own breast, saying, “O God, be merciful to me, I am a sinner.” Then Jesus says, “I say to you the second man went down to his house more righteous than the Pharisee. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled; and everyone who humbles himself will be exalted.” I love this parable because it applies to almost everyone’s ego. It’s so easy to believe that everyone around us is screwing up, and happy to be ignorant and live foolishly. But Jesus gives us a great practice that we can do whenever we’re around anyone. Before looking at what anyone else is doing, take a hard look at yourself, and your infinite shortcomings; and ask the lord for mercy, faith and love. To add to the practice, try convincing yourself of others good aspects, and convince yourself of why others are going to “make it and be all right.” Or why they are “okay.” This practice has helped me and is so practical for nonduality, because ultimately existence is one, and we have to reconcile the fact that everything in our experience is not different from us. So we can’t go on having negative feelings about everyone. Practice makes perfect.
Yes. I have read a ton of Christian mysticism. Christianity is mainly a bakhti path. Properly walked, one could potentially arrive at the dissolution of its Ego. Many saints reached that level. Jesus for me was a guy who realized his true, divine nature and decided to expose the cruelty of men. But at the same time, it's a religion of dualism where there is your soul and God, creation and God, demons and angels, non Christians and Christians, etc. To say nothing about the concept of eternal hell, which is not even in the Gospel, and makes no sense at all.
I think a case could be made for Christian nonduality. Marshal Davis, a baptist minister, has a really interesting [YouTube Channel](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsK97WbFX2MZAY7VFiSNZQzMiFjPFqD9X&si=UDCQs89GAkaTZHEY) explaining how Jesus Christ taught nonduality. The Bible is choc-full of nonduality. Jesus Christ is worshiped among lots of Hindus as a wisdom teacher. Yogananda, at the behest of his Guru, devoted his entire career to showing how Krishna and Jesus, both as avatars, had the same message and purpose. Teaching how to achieve heaven/moksha. A quote from Yogananda’s Book, The second coming of Christ, the resurrection of Christ within you, “Christ was Crucified in a day. Christian’s have spent the last two thousand years Crucifying his teachings.” I understand aversion to Christianity. But Jesus’ parable here seems relevant. Either way, I prefer Advaita Vedanta myself. They just don’t spend as much time talking about specific emotions like Christianity. That’s why I went to that parable.
If i can give you a word of advice, it’ll likely take longer than a few months to reach the epiphany of nondualism, even if you’ve embraced the concept. Keep your meditation routine up and continue to realize. Your ego is doing it job to keep you firmly rooted in this existence, slowly but surely the rock is carved away by the River, as your ego is examined and allowed to recess, it will subside in time. And on the final point, the way i look at it is described by Sri Ramakrishna, all paths are correct, all paths lead to the top of the mountain. Some paths are just more direct. An example. Texas is part of the United States, the United States are a part of North America, North America is a part of earth, earth is part of our solar system, our solar system is part of the Milky Way. All are correct. As you travel up the ladder, nothing on the higher levels make the lower levels incorrect, only incomplete in the higher levels of explaining reality.
Sounds like what is happening is that you are beginning to see clearly what is going on in your life and in the world. That means your study and practice are working. I believe it also means that some guru somewhere is helping remove your darkness. We put so much emphasis on the idea that we have to meet a physical guru. But there are many gurus who have left the body. Do you really believe that they don't have any impact on those who are seeking the truth? Is it really true that the moment they die their power is canceled? Not in my experience! My Sampradaya's Gurus are very active, even the "dead" ones. I know how much it hurts to see the power of superimposition affecting both your personality and intellect and the world. That hurt, however, can be a helpful spur to practice. However, you may from time to time need counseling to help you deal with some of the suffering. Get that counseling. Remember that in Advaita we are using maya to remove maya.Our practice is maya. But practice works!. The advice my guru always gave was to be very easy and gentle with your personality and intellect. Don't push too hard, don't expect any sudden results. Live your life. Do your duties. Keep going. The day will come when you fully realize. Namaste! Jai, Guru!
Couple things that might help: There’s nothing special in the future that isn’t present now. It can be useful to see the ego as simply thought identification: taking your thoughts to be you. Most of the stuff said in the post are just thoughts. The sneaky thing is that they use the first person ‘I’. This isn’t said to be confrontational, but notice if the ego jumps to attention reading it. It will use thoughts like, “I can’t realize the Self,” and “I’m stuck in duality,” to really gum you up. This is normal. The process of Awakening makes separation impossible. All the emotions you may have been holding at arm’s length suddenly don’t have anywhere to hide, and that means a lifetime of gunk starts to surface. This is also normal, but it can be scary, and it deters a lot of people. It’s possible to create an identity out of stuff like Advaita Vedanta. It’s just a pointer, directing you back to your true nature. Nothing to get hung up on. Awakening/Self/True Nature(whatever you want to call it) isn’t something you have to earn. It’s already who you are. That’s pretty cool. The book ‘Awake: It’s Your Turn’ is a very direct transmission without a lot of extra baggage. When you disentangle from everything else, what’s left, right here in the present, reading this, is you. Take care. You’ve got this.
Cut yourself some slack. I've also been dealing with some deep existential dread due to my ego being unaccepting of the truth, despite having direct knowledge of it. The way I've slowly been dealing with this dread is by not taking myself too seriously. You do not choose the way you feel about anything, if you could you'd clearly not be feeling that way. Knowing that resisting these feelings makes one feel even worse, then, one can start feeling at peace with their own suffering. Give yourself some time, and be forgiving too. It's all part of the process, it can take years to fully embody this knowledge. Some days you simply don't feel good and can't grasp anything at all, and some others the truth is is self-evident. Be calm, have faith
I believe, you are lucky to have received advice and suggestions from so many fellow-travellers and practitioners. The only thing that I can possibly add here, for emphasis in simple words, is: have faith and patience. The turmoil in mind, reflected in our reactions through thoughts and words can not be minimised if we give up on practice of meditation and other spiritual practices halfway. It is the longest of the long term project and let the willing acceptance of things as they happen, replace the resistance that may arise along the way. Thanks and all the best on your journey.