The Problem With Neo-Advaita / Incomplete Teachings

[LfcCharlie4]

This video isn't necessarily about Neo-Advaita, but more about 'Halfway' teachings, that only give half the story. 

This is commonly known as: The path of exclusion, Neti-Neti, The Void etc and is a remarkable breakthrough, and is often essential to take a step back from the world to realize ourself as Natural Pure Awareness, and our true being. But, many seem to end there, and think suddenly Life in terms of the world is just over. 

This is why Traditional Indian/ Eastern teachings always felt very unnatural to me, things like forced Cellibacy (can occur naturally, whole other conversation), the denial of life general just felt incomplete. 

You could call that the 'Inward' part of the path, which is ESSENTIAL as I said, but far from complete. 

The next 'step' so to speak, is to then go back out in the so called world, with this understanding of our true being, and live this understanding in life- Relationships, Work, Activities, Thoughts and Feelings. Anyone can be at peace alone in their room, that isn't that much of a true 'test' of an awakening, as Ram Dass (RIP <3) said- 

'If you think you're enlightened, go and spend a week with your parents.' 

It's of course a joke but illustrates this point well. 

I feel many fall into this trap of demonizing the world, body etc and simply Crystalise here. 

Integrating and expressing this outward path is most commonly seen in the Tantric approach, where the World, Body and Mind are actually embraced instead of denied. It is also happening a lot more in the West as Westerners merge their love of the world, with this true understanding of their own being. 

Once you know your true being, the world is no longer something that needs to be denied or run from, it can instead be a vehicle and an expression of this true understanding is the most beautiful ways possible. It gives us complete freedom to express this understanding in all realms of experience, and is the final peace and joy that is meant for us. 

Non-Duality= Duality. 

I think this video is a great example of this, and explains this well. Rupert says it better than I ever could 

 

[Nahm]

10 minutes ago, LfcCharlie4 said:

I think this video is a great example of this, and explains this well. Rupert says it better than I ever could 

Nope, you pretty much nailed it. 

[jimwell]

@LfcCharlie4 Have you ever experienced this "complete" teaching? I clearly understand it the same way I conceptually understand Leo's teachings. But I don't take them as truth, let alone preach them. Because I  don't see them and have never experienced them.

[LfcCharlie4]

@Nahm Thanks man, Hope you're good and I'm sure you're giving your students the complete teaching in your sessions! 

@jimwell Yes, I worked with my teacher for 9 months, I've written a lot about that and RASA on here already so won't go into that. 

I only talk from direct experience regarding awakening, it's why I don't recommend Psyces as I've hardly done them, and just simply point out the dangers of young people doing them/ doing them excessively. (Not that they can't be amazing and incredibly effective, and of course very healing) 

Conceptual understanding does literally 0 in terms of your own experience, I conceptually understood I was 'Natural Pure Awareness' for ages before ever experientially understanding it. 

Even before awakening, teachings around Cellibacy and Denial never sat well with me, kind of like 'there's still something missing' and I'm glad I followed that feeling and didn't just begin denying life, Celibacy, and denial of sexuality doesn't tend to work well at 18! 

You are doing the right thing by not parroting, that won't help you or anyone else, what it seems like you need is a direct experience of the truth of you being. 

I would recommend either starting with a Natural Pure Awareness Meditation or a True Self-Inquiry practice. These will help you realize and experience the unshakeable silence and truth of your own being, but it won't be all sunshine and rainbows to begin with. 

As I briefly said in my post, the Inward path is necessary for most people, To separate themselves as Awareness from Things/Objects/World etc, it seems that would be the first step for you, to realize this. 

So, before worrying about expressing this understanding and the Tantric/Outward path, focus on truly investigating and realizing the true nature of one's being. If you ever need any help, or are confused feel free to message me, the main purpose for me coming onto forum is to try and help people, as I know how confusing and downright shit being a confused seeker can be. 

I remember the days of overthinking these issues until I gave myself headaches, or watching Non-Duality videos for hours upon hours on end, reading book after book. Always remember, only You can truly find the truth, teachings are meant as pointers and helpers, but it is always down to you to find the truth of your own being. 

Have a great day!  

[Nahm]

@LfcCharlie4 It’s pretty much just me yelling “it’s this!” louder than they are talking. 

? (just kidding of course. It’s nothing like that)

[allislove]

1 minute ago, Nahm said:

@LfcCharlie4 It’s pretty much just me yelling “it’s this!” louder than they are talking. 

?

Can confirm 

"It's this! it's this! it's this..." - that's what I've heard all the time lol

[LfcCharlie4]

@Nahm Very Zen!  

[Nahm]

@dimitri @LfcCharlie4 ?

[VeganAwake]

@LfcCharlie4  Well, there are no real problems, that's just the separate self's projection that what IS, isn't good enough or isn't IT... there also is no such thing as an incomplete teaching because there isn't a complete teaching or you could say every teaching is complete & incomplete... there isn't a one-way anything should be... that's again another projection of the separate self. Non-Duality is simply what's happening, whether you believe you are a separate individual or not.

It sounds like you're projecting your definition of Neo advaita as an incomplete Awakening experience and stirring them up together in an attempt to discredit other teaching( the good old shoot the messenger so I don't have to take seriously the implications of the message)

Here is what I found:

Neo-Advaita, also called the Satsang-movement and Nondualism, is a New Religious Movement, emphasizing the direct recognition of the non-existence of the "I" or "ego," without the need of preparatory practice.

We've already agreed in other threads that there isn't any prerequisites to Awakening... sometimes practices are apparently involved and sometimes they are not... the interesting thing about Awakening is when it happens there's no telling exactly what caused it.

Great video bro... I like how Rupert explains it's an apparent feeling of separation.

Basically he's explaining when your viewing things from a dualistic viewpoint, things apparently appear as separate...

When Awakening occurs and the separate self is recognized to be illusory and apparently falls away, the line between dualism and non dualism blur's... it's simultaneously recognized there never was a separate experiencer ... you are the experience itself.( Rupert is just describing someone who may have not had this full recognition)

Experience doesn't have an agenda, it just experiences, it's not a do-gooder spiritual ego that needs to go out and achieve achieve achieve. That's basically saying God has an agenda and a need to accomplish certain things in this existence to feel accomplished and validated.(that's ego running the train)

I love Rupert he's a great guy I have unconditional love for him he just takes 25 minutes to explain one basic thing that takes other awakened individuals 10 seconds to explain. Rupert also takes himself way too seriously in my opinion... you can tell he's up holding some kind of persona about himself.

On the other hand Jim is a blast to listen to(my opinion) he's funny as hell... He definitely walks the walk and there absolutely isn't anything there for the individual in his communication.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Raptorsin7]

@VeganAwake Those guys make me uncomfortable.

Are you enlightened @VeganAwake ?

 

[VeganAwake]

53 minutes ago, Raptorsin7 said:

@VeganAwake Those guys make me uncomfortable.

Are you enlightened @VeganAwake ?

 

Gotcha...

It's most likely because their communication does not leave a leg for the separate self to stand on... it completely chops the leg off and explains the separate self never existed in the first place...

Nothing in existence especially not the separate self / ego likes hearing they don't exist lol. (it kind of takes the steam out of its sail sorta speak... it feels threatened)

Pertaining to your question am I enlightened... well what is your definition of enlightenment?

The question itself is misleading because when enlightenment is attained the separate sense of self or the 'ME' is gone and simultaneously recognized that it never existed.

Liberation Freedom Paradise are great words to explain it. 

What happened here was there was a clear recognition that the 'ME' character was only a story kept alive or perpetuated by my belief in it / the energy fed to it.

The next day I clearly saw how everyone was being controlled by their separate sense of self and running around in the rat race trying to achieve achieve achieve. ( the separate sense of self can never except that it's already Complete because it subconsciously knows that it will be its demise)

There was some kind of energy shift which could be described as a disentangling from social conditioning and a snapping out of The Matrix.

The illusory line between Duality and non-duality was completely blurd. Some described it as a collapse of Duality and non-duality.

The Experience here could then be described as a gradual Enlightenment process in action.

Here's a video you might enjoy ?

 

 

 

[Beginner Mind]

@LfcCharlie4 Rupert is amazing. He has shown me my true nature. Ended up buying a bunch of guided meditations from his website the other day.  I'm hooked.

[Preety_India]

5 hours ago, LfcCharlie4 said:

This is why Traditional Indian/ Eastern teachings always felt very unnatural to me, things like forced Cellibacy (can occur naturally, whole other conversation), the denial of life general just felt incomplete. 

 

4 hours ago, LfcCharlie4 said:

Cellibacy and Denial never sat well with me, kind of like 'there's still something missing' and I'm glad I followed that feeling and didn't just begin denying life, Celibacy, and denial of sexuality doesn't tend to work well at 18! 

It's not meant for you or me or anyone who wants family, romance etc etc. 

It was designed for those gurus who sat alone meditating in the mountains and who wanted to live like a hermit away from cultural bondage. You need to account for the context here. They are not modern day motivational speakers with wife and family and a flying career. These were ancient hermits who lived and favored a particular lifestyle for themselves and their descendents

It was a school and system that they followed very much like the rules or teachings of a catholic institution. 

You only have to apply nuggets that personally appeal and bring a progressive transformation in your life. Rest you need to ignore because it's not applicable to you but it was applicable to them in their time 

 

A lot of the eastern teaching of being away from society makes sense to Eastern people since back then (and even now but not often) societies were extremely oppressive and granted no freedom for spiritual exploration or even personal occupation of choice because of a rigid hierarchy. Hence running away from social burdens made absolute sense in terms of freedom and bliss

 

 

 

[mandyjw]

1 hour ago, VeganAwake said:

I love Rupert he's a great guy I have unconditional love for him he just takes 25 minutes to explain one basic thing that takes other awakened individuals 10 seconds to explain.

There's more going on in that 25 minutes than you can "take away" from it.  

[Beginner Mind]

1 hour ago, VeganAwake said:

Rupert also takes himself way too seriously in my opinion... you can tell he's up holding some kind of persona about himself.

This is just false.  Rupert has a great sense of humor.  You obviously haven't watched too many of his videos.

[VeganAwake]

2 minutes ago, mandyjw said:

There's more going on in that 25 minutes than you can "take away" from it.  

Really like what? ❤

All that's happening is what's happening.... there's no big mystery to what's going on.

Either you believe you are a separate individual or you have awakened to the realization you are Oneness... simple as that ...

Everything else is incomprehensible boundless freedom with no meaning purpose or value whatsoever.

It's Freedom it's Paradise it's heaven on Earth it's what's happening...

[VeganAwake]

11 minutes ago, Beginner Mind said:

This is just false.  Rupert has a great sense of humor.  You obviously haven't watched too many of his videos.

It was obviously an opinion..

Didn't mean to offend..

Have watched probably almost all of his videos... it's good stuff .. just outgrew it.

Also said he's a great guy and I love him LOL..❤ but you didn't mention that ?

[traveler]

2 hours ago, VeganAwake said:

 

 Rupert also takes himself way too seriously in my opinion... you can tell he's up holding some kind of persona about himself.

I felt like this aswell, and was the reason I stopped watching him quite a while ago. Something feels a little insincere, like he's putting on a show or persona of some kind like you said.

Edit: I do love Rupert aswell, he is wonderful and speaks very well. It's definitely more interesting to listen to all of his detailed descriptions than it is to listen to Jim Newman say "THIS IS IT" and "Nothings happening" on repeat. (Even tho that is what I resonate most with)

Edited March 4, 2020 by traveler

[Beginner Mind]

25 minutes ago, VeganAwake said:

It was obviously an opinion..

Didn't mean to offend..

Have watched probably almost all of his videos... it's good stuff .. just outgrew it.

Also said he's a great guy and I love him LOL..❤ but you didn't mention that ?

You're certainly entitled to your opinion. I'm just saying, the guy definitely has a sense of humor.  But I would agree that he takes self-inquiry seriously.

Edited March 4, 2020 by Beginner Mind

[Beginner Mind]

8 minutes ago, traveler said:

I felt like this aswell, and was the reason I stopped watching him quite a while ago. Something feels a little insincere, like he's putting on a show or persona of some kind like you said.

I don't get that impression at all.  Pretty sure he's legitimately just that smooth and articulate.