Question

[Frank Maiello]

Parisi & Watson wrrote:
>
>[...]
>
> But the danger of this way of thinking, of putting Advaita in
> a sense on almost the same level as any ordinary concept, is
> that equally ordinary objections to it start to seem legitimate
> and relevant. In other words, once it has been brought into
> everyday life, it no longer seems to reside on an unapproachable
> mountain top, far above the issues of daily living, and it becomes
> as assailable as any other idea.


What "way of thinking"?  Advaita is a way *out* of thinking!

I know what you're trying to say, but it doesn't hold water,
because although it is indeed yet a system of thought, it is a
system designed to neutralize [or eliminate] thought, and therefore
is incomparable to "everyday life."  Not that it is inapplicable
to the matter of our function in the world; rather that it
encompasses/embraces the world, as well as transcends it.  And it's
this transcendental counterpart that places it outside the field of
relative "everyday life" value judgments.  It's important to get a
clear grasp of the ideas associated with saguna and nirguna brahman.
This would release alot of confusion inherited through our historic
reaction to the pressure of living inside the desolate sphere of ego.

I agree with Ramakrishnan that Nisargadatta's "I am That" can be
misleading.  It's helpful to consider that not all jnanis are equally
proficient teachers.  The most reliable and lucid, in my view, are
Sankara and Ramana.  The variable, in this regard, is the unique
temperament of the individual, where other teachers may prove more
effective, addressing as they might, certain areas of the individual's
characterological makeup.  This is why I feel there are no exclusive
methods or teachers suitable to all people at all times.


> So at this point I am at a loss to find the proper balance between
> discrimination and experience, and between working constructively
> toward eventual realization and contending with nagging practical
> doubts.

It may help you to recognize the potential power associated with
nondual awareness, if I told you that I have 8 ruptured discs and
am in pain constantly, to the point of sometimes wanting to end my
physical existence (some levels of pain can cause delusions).
Yet, beneath this trauma thrives a flame that doesn't flicker.
And this is the ocean itself, not the changeable tides and waves
and foam on its surface.

If that's not enough, factor this in: my wife left me 4 days ago.
Her and my son are to me the most important things in *this* world.
Yet I know that what lies beneath our relationship, as well as the
world and all its events, are brahman.  And its saguna manifestation
is ineffable and perfect, including the appearances of horrors and
tragedies and even Ignorance itself, since they are part of its lila
unfolding.  Thus there is only the Self to be.  Its variegated
superimpositions, in the form of maya, are infinitesimal affairs
of no abiding consequence.

Namaste.

>From  Sun Apr 19 19:58:49 1998
Message-Id: <SUN.19.APR.1998.195849.0500.>
Date: Sun, 19 Apr 1998 19:58:49 -0500
Reply-To: niche at ameritech.net
To: "Advaita (non-duality) with reverence" <ADVAITA-L at TAMU.EDU>
From: Parisi & Watson <niche at AMERITECH.NET>
Organization: Knitters Niche
Subject: Re: Question
Comments: To: "Advaita (non-duality) with reverence" <ADVAITA-L at TAMU.EDU>
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Frank Maiello wrote:
<snip>
> It may help you to recognize the potential power associated with
> nondual awareness, if I told you that I have 8 ruptured discs and
> am in pain constantly, to the point of sometimes wanting to end my
> physical existence (some levels of pain can cause delusions).
> Yet, beneath this trauma thrives a flame that doesn't flicker.
> And this is the ocean itself, not the changeable tides and waves
> and foam on its surface.
>
> If that's not enough, factor this in: my wife left me 4 days ago.
> Her and my son are to me the most important things in *this* world.
> Yet I know that what lies beneath our relationship, as well as the
> world and all its events, are brahman.  And its saguna manifestation
> is ineffable and perfect, including the appearances of horrors and
> tragedies and even Ignorance itself, since they are part of its lila
> unfolding.  Thus there is only the Self to be.  Its variegated
> superimpositions, in the form of maya, are infinitesimal affairs
> of no abiding consequence.

I am somewhat staggered by your candor and sincerity. I do take the
subect in deadly earnest, and I could only hope ever to attain the level
of conviction that you show.