Holy Spirit and Kundalini: Are they the same thing?

Paul Rogers94 said:There is no "me" and no "others"... when you identify with a persona (the ego, the self-myth), you perceive everyone else as separate individuals. But once you recognize your True impersonal nature—the Truth of your own Being—everything is ONE. This doesn't mean everyone is physically "one," it means there is no "me" vs. "them"—there is no duality at all. Duality is just a mental construct; ONENESS is what is experienced through the lens of the mind,,,

By the way, I ran into A Course in Miracles years ago—much like hiddenpuma75 did—and I noticed immediately that, fundamentally, it’s indistinguishable from Advaita. It’s just different terminology... basically Advaita for the dummies... even Christ's teachings are non-dual at their core.

Advaita is the only true teaching, regardless of the form it takes. All other teachings aren't necessarily wrong, they're just tailored to various temperaments and states of being. Truly, Advaita isn't for everyone—but if the teachings are correct, they must inevitably lead to Jnana (realization or direct insight).

THE CORE OF ADVAITA FOR THE UNINITIATED

1 There is no such thing as bondage, and therefore, there is no such thing as liberation.
2 If you don't get that after being told, then meditate on it.
3 If it still hasn't clicked, spend time with saints and listen to what they say.
4 If it still hasn't clicked, read the sacred texts.
5 If it still hasn't clicked, chant the name of God (mantra).
6 If it still hasn't clicked, pray for true insight.
7 If it still hasn't clicked, don't worry—it will click eventually.

Thanks again, 🙂

As I mentioned in my introduction, I am still very much a beginner on this spiritual journey, and I am quite aware of that. Since I happen to be a naturally curious person, I find myself asking just about everything and anything.🙂

You mention that, in essence, A Course in Miracles isn't different from Advaita, and that is exactly the impression I get after re-reading what you wrote and looking up some things about Advaita online. To me, the terminology used in A Course in Miracles feels clear (or rather, it's becoming clear 😉 ), so I think I'll just stick with that for now. Since I'm still a bit of a dummy, that approach seems to suit me just fine for the time being 😁 😁

Paul Rogers94 said:Saying suffering only ends once everyone awakens is just some silly Bodhisattva nonsense—it reeks of those exotic Theosophical ideas from Madam Blavatsky. In Advaita, that's total gibberish. It’s like saying, "I won't wake up from this dream until everyone else does"—as if you don't have to wake up yourself first before you could ever hope to help anyone else. Being awakened is the greatest gift to the world, even if you have zero intention of helping anyone else wake up, or even if you couldn't care less about the rest of humanity. Not every awakened person becomes an instant guru, nor does every awakened person possess the capacity (siddhi) to awaken others.

And this whole idea that it's impossible to experience Love by yourself is based on a fundamentally flawed interpretation of ecumenism, because it’s clearly referring to impersonal, unconditional, absolute Love...

Everything starts and ends with the grace of the guru.
The guru has no intention of making you realize anything.
He doesn't actually care whether someone wakes up or not.
He’s like the sun, shining equally on everyone, maintaining
life on Earth without having any specific intention to do so.
What touches him is your true longing.
His spontaneous response is Love.
That Love is precisely what wakes you from the dream of conditioning.
Without that initial spark of Love, there is nothing.
Technically, he doesn't "wake" you, because you are already wakefulness itself...
but he helps you clear away the obstacles preventing you from seeing it.

I probably expressed myself poorly there.

It isn't the idea that I won't or don't want to wake up until everyone else does; rather, it's the thought that suffering on a cosmic level won't cease until the cosmic Mind awakens. If we are all one, then that seems like the only logical conclusion to me.

Of course, personal (though, of course, illusionary!) awakening is a massive deal and the greatest good you can do for the world (which is really doing it for yourself!), but if you have truly awakened, it means you've realized that we are all one. So, how could you possibly NOT want to awaken the rest of yourself???

I also wrote incorrectly regarding it being impossible to experience Love within oneself, my apologies. A Course in Miracles says that it is possible, though it takes much longer. Right at the beginning, it mentions that performing miracles (which are expressions of Love) can shorten that timeframe.

You haven't answered my question about how one actually practices Advaita, and I would really love to read your thoughts on that. 🙂

What kind of exercises are involved? Roughly what does the practice look like and how is it done? As I mentioned in my introduction, I've been playing music for 40 years, so the importance of consistent practice for making progress in anything (including the spiritual path) is practically hardwired into my subconscious. I am genuinely curious about how one practices Advaita in a practical sense. 🙂

And how important is a teacher? I think hiddenpuma75 mentioned somewhere that he has a teacher (if I remember correctly, his teacher is 78 years old). I don't have a teacher (at least not a living human being; A Course in Miracles says the true teacher is the Holy Spirit...), and I've spent a lot of time wondering whether I should be out looking for someone... for now, I still don't have an answer to that question.

hiddenpuma75 said:So, why am I even bringing all this up? Honestly, I just felt like sharing a few interesting tidbits about A Course in Miracles, since I know it's one of your favorites.

To answer your question directly: I don't actually know a whole lot about how much Advaita and A Course in Miracles overlap. I’m fairly certain there's a deep connection there, though—that they share a massive amount of common ground. If you ask me, nondualism is the single thread that weaves them both together.

So, I did a little digging on Google, and I actually stumbled upon this link about it. I’ve been spending some time with this video lately, and I honestly can't stop thinking about it. It touches on those deep, existential questions that we all grapple with at some point—the kind that make you pause and reconsider everything you thought you knew about reality. The way the speaker navigates the intersection of spirituality and our everyday experience is quite remarkable. There’s a certain weight to the arguments presented, yet they are delivered with a clarity that keeps you engaged rather than overwhelmed. It really makes you lean in. For me, the most striking part was how it bridges the gap between ancient wisdom and our modern psychological struggles. It isn't just abstract philosophy; it feels incredibly relevant to the actual lives we lead here in the States. If you've ever felt like there's a deeper layer to existence waiting to be uncovered, I think you'll find this deeply resonant. It’s definitely worth a watch if you have a quiet moment to sit with it.

To be honest, I’m still finding *A Course in Miracles* a bit fuzzy and hard to wrap my head around. But then again, maybe that's just because I haven't really rolled up my sleeves and dove into the actual exercises yet.

On the flip side, even though Advaita can be quite a heavy lift—both philosophically and in terms of actual practice—it comes with some truly incredible role models. I’m talking about legends like Ramana Maharshi and Nisargadatta Maharaj. When I dive into their teachings, their words, their dialogues, and those spontaneous exchanges, I find them incredibly clear and deeply inspiring. Honestly? They are nothing short of IMPRESSIVE. 🙏
On the other hand, I find *A Course in Miracles* to be quite a challenge; it’s definitely more philosophical and dense than what I usually dive into.

It occurred to me recently that *A Course in Miracles* doesn't really provide us with nearly as many heavy-hitting "realization" role models as you find in the world of Advaita.

I just wanted to take a moment to weigh in on this... and honestly, I think I absolutely agree. It’s something that has left me feeling a bit unsettled myself; I’ve spent quite a bit of time searching online and studying some of the more well-known practitioners of ACIM—people like Marianne Williamson, David Hoffmeister, and a few others—and even reading through books they've authored... yet, I don't find myself particularly impressed by any of them.

I’m aware that doubt can be one of the most significant hurdles one encounters on the spiritual path, and perhaps the fact that ACIM lacks such clearly defined 'realizers' is exactly what fuels my own skepticism...

I don't really have a definitive answer here, I suppose; I'm just sharing my thoughts as they come.

That being said, I intend to keep moving forward on this path for now, since it seems to be yielding some positive results for me so far, so we shall see where it leads.

Anyway, I’m going to head off and do my morning practice now.🙂

Brian Young76 said:I probably expressed myself poorly there.

It isn't the idea that I won't or don't want to wake up until everyone else does; rather, it's the thought that suffering on a cosmic level won't cease until the cosmic Mind awakens. If we are all one, then that seems like the only logical conclusion to me.

Of course, personal (though, of course, illusionary!) awakening is a massive deal and the greatest good you can do for the world (which is really doing it for yourself!), but if you have truly awakened, it means you've realized that we are all one. So, how could you possibly NOT want to awaken the rest of yourself???

I also wrote incorrectly regarding it being impossible to experience Love within oneself, my apologies. A Course in Miracles says that it is possible, though it takes much longer. Right at the beginning, it mentions that performing miracles (which are expressions of Love) can shorten that timeframe.

You haven't answered my question about how one actually practices Advaita, and I would really love to read your thoughts on that. 🙂

What kind of exercises are involved? Roughly what does the practice look like and how is it done? As I mentioned in my introduction, I've been playing music for 40 years, so the importance of consistent practice for making progress in anything (including the spiritual path) is practically hardwired into my subconscious. I am genuinely curious about how one practices Advaita in a practical sense. 🙂

And how important is a teacher? I think hiddenpuma75 mentioned somewhere that he has a teacher (if I remember correctly, his teacher is 78 years old). I don't have a teacher (at least not a living human being; A Course in Miracles says the true teacher is the Holy Spirit...), and I've spent a lot of time wondering whether I should be out looking for someone... for now, I still don't have an answer to that question.

WE ARE NOT ALL ONE (because there is no "you" and there are no "others")
EVERYTHING IS ONE
There is no PERSON who supposedly awakens. Nor is there anyone to know that everything is ONE.
Because if everything is ONE, then there is no OTHER to know it—otherwise, it wouldn't be ONE.
A person cannot be awakened.
AWAKENING is nothing other than knowing that you ARE NOT a person.
An "awakened person" is an oxymoron—YOU (the person) cannot wake up; only when you transcend the idea of being a person are you awake. And if you have truly awakened, you realize there is no YOU, nor any "rest of you" (the others).
AWAKENING is awakening FROM the person.
That's why Advaita isn't for everyone.

The best practice for beginners is Mooji's guided silent sitting meditations.

COMPLETE ADVAITA PRACTICE FOR NOVICES IN THREE SIMPLE STEPS

1

For me, the beginning of any practice is calling upon and paying respect to everyone who has had a serious impact on my spiritual journey, which looks something like this:

Om Namah Brahmajnananadd; Om Namah Narayananand; Om Namah Bhagawan Raman Maharshi; Om Namah Nisargadatta Maharaj; Om Namah Papaja

If they were able to assist in the awakening of others, why wouldn't they assist in mine? It's essentially like having a satsang (communion in pure consciousness) with the greatest saints, which makes your mind humble enough and open enough to receive the grace of realization (the realization that there is nothing to realize and no one to do the realizing)—I often let them meditate instead of me, which is the same as letting God meditate "as you."

Pay your respects to those who have significantly influenced your spiritual development; this could include Christ, Buddha, Ahura Mazda, Zoroaster...

2
Next, and not less important, is to wish peace and happiness upon all beings in the universe—very simply and from the heart, something like this:

May all beings in the universe be forever peaceful and happy
Om Shanti Shanti Shanti

3
then you simply 'stay away from thoughts' and dwell in 'contentless presence'—or more accurately, exist 'as presence,' as Bhagawan Raman Maharshi puts it be as you are, which is just the "I AM" presence—call it consciousness, the present moment, holy silence, or whatever you like; it doesn't matter. You don't interfere, you don't wait for something to happen, you don't judge... because this isn't an achievement. It already *is*... there's really no need for any other practice, nor are there any other practices to be had

as Om Namah Nisargadatta Maharaj says: Consciousness (the witness, the I AM) is the final remnant of illusion and the first touch of reality

The witness is both unreal and real. The last remnant of the illusion, the first touch of the real. To say: I am only the witness is both false and true, false because of the ‘I am’, true because of the witness. It is better to say: ‘there is witnessing’. The moment you say ‘I am’, the entire universe comes into being along with its creator.

this kind of practice, at any given moment or stage, can result in direct insight, regardless of whether you're ready or not, whether you deserve it or not, whether you're experienced or a novice, or even if you're a fool or a genius

Brian Young76 said:I suppose I should take a moment to express my sincere gratitude for this as well. 🙂

I recently picked up and started reading some of Bernadette Roberts' work in *The Real Christ*, and I have to say, what she’s laying out feels almost identical to how Jesus and Christ are portrayed in *A Course in Miracles*. It seems to me that Jesus was essentially an "ordinary" human being who achieved a total, profound realization of God, and through that process, he transitioned into Christ. In this sense, Christ isn't just a separate entity, but rather the specific state of consciousness and awareness that blossomed within him—a state that, I suspect, can (and perhaps even must!) be developed within every single one of us. It really points to the idea that we are all, in essence, the Son of God, existing together as one.

Everything she writes—and she’s certainly quite critical regarding the Catholic Church—really hits on the exact same points that bother me about the Catholic Church and its core theological tenets, which, I suppose, have ultimately rejected ACIM as being non-Christian literature.

But... I still find myself stuck on this one nagging question that's been hovering over me since the very moment I first picked up ACIM. It’s a question I haven't been able to truly resolve or find a satisfying answer to... so, who exactly was the author of this book?

Based on everything I can gather, ACIM was transcribed by Dr. Helen Schucman, an American psychologist who maintained that an inner voice dictated the entire book to her over the course of about seven years. It’s actually quite a fascinating anomaly when you compare it to almost any other "New Age" literature—which, for what it's worth, is how the Catholic Church tends to categorize ACIM. What makes it truly peculiar is that the author (or perhaps more accurately, the scribe?) didn't want her name publicly linked to the work as long as she was alive; it wasn't until after her passing that it was officially revealed that she was the one behind the transcription. From that perspective, it seems incredibly clear that her intentions weren't driven by a desire for financial gain or even a pursuit of fame. So, if that was the case, I suppose we have to wonder: what exactly was her goal?

*A Course in Miracles* is written in such a way that it addresses the reader directly in the first person, and it’s incredibly clear that the voice speaking to you is presenting itself as the risen Jesus. To my mind, *ACIM* is nothing short of a masterpiece from an artistic standpoint; it’s composed in iambic pentameter, featuring sentences so dense and words so heavy they feel like stone, which gives the entire text this almost hypnotic power. As I mentioned before, while I was working through one specific exercise, I actually had this sensation akin to being struck by lightning—perhaps a moment of temporary enlightenment? It was truly something I’ve never experienced with any other book, and I’ve certainly read quite a few. Normally, I can fly through a book pretty quickly, but I just can't do that with *ACIM*, whether it's reading fast or even trying to get through much at once. It usually takes me anywhere from thirty minutes to an hour just to digest four or five pages. For comparison, in that same amount of time, I could easily breeze through fifty to a hundred pages of a "standard" book—like when I was reading that first volume you recommended, *Kundalini Energy and Christian Spirituality*. With this text, though, I simply hit a wall; I have to stop and rest for a significant amount of time just to process it.

I am fully aware of how vital Buddha’s advice regarding the "raft" truly is—the idea that once you have successfully crossed to the other shore, there is absolutely no need to cling to the vessel that carried you there. However, I suppose I haven't quite reached that far shore just yet, so for the time being, I find myself still very much tethered to my boat. As for Bernadette Roberts... honestly, it is all so deeply confusing. No matter how much my rational mind struggles with the sheer impossibility of it, her book, *The Real Christ*, seems to point me toward a conclusion I can't quite shake: that the author of *A Course in Miracles* is indeed the one being presented there.

Well, let’s say for a moment that the identity of the author isn't actually all that vital. If I recall correctly, there is a section in ACIM where it suggests that the core purpose lies within the exercises themselves; it basically implies that if a reader doesn't care to dwell on how the author presents themselves, they shouldn't have to. One could simply focus on performing the exercises and then, perhaps, judge their own effectiveness based on those direct results. So, I suppose I will just keep moving forward with reading and practicing the lessons from ACIM, because, in my own experience, they clearly seem to be working.

That’s all I have to say for now; I think I might have rambled a bit too much today 🙂

First off,
You share the exact same flaw and virtue that defines my own ignorance: 😵
You absolutely adore knowledge, learning, and the simple joy of buying books.

I actually managed to amass a collection of about 2,800 volumes myself 😲 😵
It’s full-blown bibliomania—what you might call a "gentle madness." 😁

I actually had to stop about a year ago because our friend talking heads, who's currently self-banned, gave me a practical lesson in Advaita and pointed me toward a site where you can download about 90% of all spiritual books, old and new, for free without much hassle or tears.

That Borges's paradise is right here: https://1lib.eu/?regionChanged=&redirect=425&signAll=1

There's a daily limit of about 10 to 15 books depending on their "weight."

But if you chip in a small donation, you can download as much as you want until retirement.

Hoarding junk is still just hoarding junk, not gaining wisdom 😁

bluemason3 said:Hoarding junk is still just hoarding junk, not gaining wisdom 😁

I agree, but with one major caveat.

1) It would be pretty foolish for a beginner reading this to jump to the conclusion that—

Well, since that scholarly commentator bluemason3 suggested that buying books and reading is all a waste of time, I’ll play along with a bit of clever sarcasm:

I won't bother buying or reading any books at all. I'll save my time and money instead. I'll have plenty of freedom to indulge in flashy distractions like boxing and sports, or maybe head out on a hunting trip.

After all, it doesn't really matter, because as the wise Paul Rogers94 so aptly puts it, it's ALL THE SAME.😁

2)
In all seriousness, I maintain that every seeker has to walk their own path—the same path we've all trodden, including bluemason3😛. You can spend fifteen years searching and reading, only to eventually realize you were being misled by the idea that books are the destination. In reality, the answers were always within us; the books were merely signposts along the way. 😲

3) Beyond that, there’s this concept of "academic hoarding"—just piling up facts about other people's hard work and achievements
that we usually get from a college degree.

On that rather petty level, you have our friend bluemason3, who decided to enroll in university at 37. 😁 He's playing catch-up, trying to make up for those 15 years he spent wandering around India, all just so his ego can finally feel some sense of importance or fulfillment. 😁

4) Then, there is Knowledge with a capital K. Let's call it wisdom, or perhaps Introspection—which is how the greatest philosopher of all time, FMW, describes it.

and

I’d really suggest that Brian Young76 looks into downloading books for free rather than buying them from FMW.😁

If bluemason3 spent fifteen years wandering aimlessly through India while his parents sat at home wondering what on earth was going to become of their eccentric son,

and if 🙂hiddenpuma75 went a bit overboard by amassing a library of 2,800 books, 😵then there's absolutely no reason for him to repeat our specific mistakes.😁

That said, bluemason3 and I have certainly learned a few things along the way—much like the brilliant William Blake once observed:

"Only excess leads to the palace of wisdom." 😁

It doesn't work like that 😁

As long as you're stuck in the middle of a landfill, you aren't actually aware of the trash. You don't need more junk; you need a change in perspective. Building a solid epistemology doesn't require millions of books. You can read a million volumes without ever developing a shred of actual understanding.

It wasn't that bluemason3 rejected cults or avoided extremism, as you’re implying. It was about leaning into better, more scientific sources and, more importantly, sound methodologies.

The other factor is just life. Unconscious existential needs, social pressures, and general circumstances often drive our interests and choices much more than "knowledge" ever does.

The real question is this: do I hang onto these literary relics from my "years of stupidity" to spread the nonsense, or should I just toss them in the trash? 😁

bluemason3 said:It doesn't work like that 😁

As long as you're stuck in the middle of a landfill, you aren't actually aware of the trash. You don't need more junk; you need a change in perspective. Building a solid epistemology doesn't require millions of books. You can read a million volumes without ever developing a shred of actual understanding.

It wasn't that bluemason3 rejected cults or avoided extremism, as you’re implying. It was about leaning into better, more scientific sources and, more importantly, sound methodologies.

The other factor is just life. Unconscious existential needs, social pressures, and general circumstances often drive our interests and choices much more than "knowledge" ever does.

It’s a classic misunderstanding. You’ve read my words quite differently than I intended. If you look at the methodology of what I actually said—and try to see it from a positive angle—you'll realize you missed my point entirely.

I wasn't talking about cult behavior at all. Any mention of a sect was just one small part of the journey, and frankly, irrelevant to my broader point. My observation holds true whether you were ever involved with a group (like Sai Baba's followers) or if you had been doing all this solo at home.

What I meant was generally speaking that you spent perhaps 15 or 20 years searching and exploring. Let's call it a search for the INNER REALITY—that "spiritual realization" 🙄

And through that process, you matured and learned from your mistakes and setbacks.

But let's not forget: you certainly HAD SUCCESSES AND ACHIEVEMENTS along the way. 🙂

Regardless, you eventually entered a new phase of life where you "moved on" from "spirituality" to dedicate yourself to something else. Let's call it STEM and the exploration of the External "material world."

So, what I was really trying to say is that you experienced a metamorphosis; the whole "sect" thing is secondary to that transformation.

Even if my generalization is imperfect, it doesn't change the fact that you always seem to misread me when you try to psychoanalyze me.😁

The bottom line is that I have absolutely no clue what your private life looks like or what secrets lie within your heart 😍 , just as you have no idea about mine, yet you still venture to make guesses—and so far, you've been wrong every single time. 😁

Another thing: I certainly wasn't suggesting that you are "correct" in thinking that
"STEM alone" 🙂 is the only valid path for everyone else. 😁

That might be true for you, given how far you've traveled on that road.

Judging by the way you write now, you are either completely unaware, or you are simply too stubborn to admit the ontological and epistemological limits of the compass we call SCIENCE (STEM).

It seems you've reached a stage where you've essentially turned STEM into your new religion—a little sect 😲.

Based on the emotional attachment and pride you're displaying, it's obvious from an airplane. 😉

I personally know at least five people, mostly wealthy individuals, who—between the ages of 40 and 43—decided to take the exact opposite path from yours. They walked away from STEM, from business, and from the External world, choosing instead to follow in your footsteps toward India or an internal "Quest for the miraculous." 😉

Are we going to label them foolish because they didn't consult you? And should we assume you're the only smart one simply because you're stuck in this STEM phase? 😁

You guys have completely cluttered up this thread, and honestly, I’m about ready to report this whole mess to the moderator! 😬

All jokes aside, I really want to express my gratitude for all these reflections; honestly, that is exactly why I decided to start this thread in the first place. 🙂

Just a few thoughts from my side of things:

As I’ve mentioned before, I have been playing music for about forty years now. I spent those first ten years immersed in classical music, though I've spent the last thirty focused on jazz. My home collection is actually quite massive—I think I have nearly 1,000 CDs stashed away at this point. Most of them were purchased legally because I feel a genuine sense of respect for the artists, you know? Honestly, where have you been, hiddenpuma75, old friend? 😬 It feels like such a waste of money at this point, honestly. I don't even know who I would sell my collection to anymore; if I did find a buyer, I'd probably only get pennies on the dollar, and even that seems like a long shot. It’s almost funny when you think about it—you can just hop onto Deezer for seven bucks a month and access a library that's easily a hundred times larger than my entire physical stash. And to top it all off, Spotify finally launched here in the States last week, so it's officially available!

After reflecting on everything we've discussed, I’ve come to this conclusion: most of the modern approach to finding your path in jazz is essentially useless. You don't find your voice by mindlessly cycling through thousands of CDs or digital tracks. I suppose the real legends—those old masters who possessed that unmistakable, spine-tingling spark—didn't work that way at all. They found their essence by truly, deeply listening to just a handful of seminal records, extracting every ounce of wisdom they could from them. It wasn't about volume; it was about depth. And honestly, if you aren't playing live, you're missing the entire foundation of the craft.

To reiterate my point, I truly believe that a genuine master of jazz is someone who manages to strike that rare, delicate balance between flawless technical execution and profound emotional depth—someone who has ultimately discovered their own unique path. It’s as if, after they play just a small Pair of notes, you instantly recognize them; they possess that unmistakable, signature style that makes their identity immediately apparent to anyone listening.

So, I suppose I’m still quite a novice when it comes to the formal side of the spiritual path, but I’ve started to realize that maybe you don't necessarily need to be on some official, structured journey to acquire life's most profound wisdom. It feels like those deeper truths can find you even if you haven't strictly followed a specific curriculum or joined a formal school of thought. 🙂

When it comes to STEM and science in general... I think I actually fell in love with it back in elementary school. Mathematics has always been my absolute favorite subject, right from the very beginning. There’s just something so refreshing about it—you don't have to deal with those vague grades for "artistic impression" or any of those silly, subjective assessments that seem to pop up everywhere else. It’s much more straightforward; you either calculated the answer correctly, or you didn't, and that's really that. I guess you could say I’ve never truly walked away from science, because I don't believe there is anything inherently wrong or flawed about it. In fact, I try to keep up with it as much as I possibly can, making sure I stay current with the latest breakthroughs and discoveries in physics—the fundamental sciences, really.

But... oh, absolutely! Science is still nowhere near being able to provide meaningful answers to those fundamental life questions that truly haunt us. I’ve mentioned this before, I suppose, but if we look at physics as our foundational science, it only holds partial knowledge regarding about 5% of the matter and energy that actually constitutes our universe. As for the remaining 95%, we practically have zero understanding. Even the most brilliant physicists on the planet are essentially flying blind when it comes to defining dark energy, which, according to their own calculations, accounts for roughly 68% of everything in existence. They know incredibly little about dark matter, too; they mostly just manage to identify what it definitely *isn't*—which, of course, isn't the same 5% of ordinary matter we actually have some partial data on.

When you really step back and look at the context of things, it’s a bit staggering to realize that our fundamental scientific framework openly admits it hasn't even a clue about 95% of the matter and energy that actually constitutes the universe. I mean, if we consider that, relying solely on science to provide definitive answers to life's most profound and essential questions feels... well, I suppose I'll just let you all draw your own conclusions from that. 😉

I suppose I officially embarked on my spiritual Quest around the age of forty, though I approached it with a very specific mindset. At the time, I decided to take a strictly analytical, almost engineering-based approach to the whole thing—very much rooted in a scientific curiosity, if you will. My first step was simply to pick up a comprehensive overview of the world's major religions by Houston Smith, just so I could get a clear, bird's-eye view of what the most prominent belief systems actually have to say. I figured that if I could study them all systematically, I might eventually be able to discern which path resonated with me most deeply. It felt like a logical way to start, treating the search for meaning like any other complex problem that needs solving. 😁

Up until my 40th birthday, I’d always viewed my life as being perfectly, almost flawlessly, aligned. Everything just seemed to click into place: I have a wonderful marriage, three beautiful children, and a career that is—honestly—quite remarkable. My work is essentially centered around helping others, which is incredibly rewarding, but it also comes with an excellent salary funded entirely by federal grants, providing me with enough flexibility to truly show up for my family and keep playing music. Plus, everyone close to me is healthy... I suppose you could say I’ve had practically zero problems. And yet, lately, I’ve been gripped by this intense, nagging realization that none of this is permanent. I’ve started thinking seriously about how all of this will eventually fade away—that illness, misfortune, or death will inevitably arrive one day. It led me to the conclusion that I really need to grasp certain truths before that happens, because if I don't, I fear I won't be ready. It feels somewhat similar to why Siddhartha—or whatever his name was—decided to leave his wife and child behind to embark on his Quest. Of course, it's not quite like that for me. I’ve never felt any genuine urge to abandon my loved ones. Even when the thought did cross my mind—like that time I seriously considered moving to New York City to pursue jazz professionally—it was always this strange combination of a deep sense of duty, a bit of common sense, and perhaps a lingering fear of the unknown that kept me right where I belong.

Well, I suppose that’s all I have to share for the moment; if you all feel like flooding my thread with your own thoughts, then I guess I might as well join in too 😬

Paul Rogers94 As specified by:
Here is what Advaita says.;

The Ribhu Gita—it’s one of those texts that really forces you to sit still and actually listen, if you can manage to quiet the noise in your own head long enough to do so. It isn't just some light reading you pick up at a bookstore in Seattle; it’s a deep dive into the core of being. When I was digging through some old philosophical studies back in college, I remember thinking how much most modern "spiritual" advice misses the mark by focusing on the surface level stuff. They want the quick fix, the instant gratification—but the Ribhu Gita doesn't play those games. It’s about that fundamental, unshakeable reality that exists beneath all the chaos we call life. It’s intense, sometimes even a bit overwhelming, but if you approach it with the right mindset, it changes the way you see everything. Chapter 23.
There’s this concept—this intoxicating nectar of pure knowledge—that people tend to overcomplicate, but when you really sit with it, it becomes clear that the mind isn't just a vessel for information; it is absolutely saturated by it. It’s less like reading a book and more like being submerged in an ocean where every drop is wisdom. I was thinking about this the other day while staring out at the skyline in Chicago—just watching the chaos move below—and it struck me how we spend our entire lives trying to "acquire" knowledge as if it were some commodity we could grab off a shelf at a Target. We chase facts, we collect degrees, we hoard data... it’s exhausting. But true understanding? That nectar? It doesn't come from adding things to the mind. It comes from the realization that the mind is already drenched in it. It’s a bit like those old philosophical debates regarding the Holy Spirit and Kundalini—it’s about a state of being rather than a collection of things known. When the mind is truly filled with this essence, there is no longer a distinction between the seeker and the sought. You aren't looking for the truth anymore; you are simply breathing it. It's a heavy thought, I know—and perhaps a bit rambly—but once you stop treating wisdom like a trophy to be won, the saturation happens naturally. It's all around us, provided you aren't too busy cluttering your head with the trivialities of daily life.

I’m going to dive into the concept of Being-Consciousness-Bliss—which, let’s be honest, is naturally overflowing with joy. It isn't just some abstract idea; it is, quite simply, the very essence of all the Vedas and the Puranas.

There really aren't any differences—no duality, no pairs of opposites, nothing of the sort. Nothing exists that is actually distinct or stripped of its connection to the whole. It’s all just this... the supreme Brahma, untouched by desire or anger. And you only reach That through Knowledge.

There is never anything like an "I." There simply isn't. There’s nothing else out there—no indestructible fragments, no "higher than the highest" concepts to cling to. It is all just this—the untouched, supreme Brahma. And honestly? You only reach that through Knowledge.

There is no such thing as an external world, nor is there an internal one—no chains, no boundaries, and certainly no shapes. It’s all just this—the absolute, untouched, supreme Brahma. And honestly? You only reach That through Knowledge.

There is no such thing as non-existence—there’s no "giving things up," no void, and certainly no such thing as a word having the wrong meaning. It’s all just... this. Everything is, quite literally, the untouched, supreme Brahma. And you don't stumble into that through some sort of empty negation; you reach it through Knowledge.

There’s no quality here—none. No subtle subtext, no indirect hints, no sense of security regarding the modalities of the mind... honestly, there isn't even a shred of depth. There are no boundaries, no pervasive essence, and absolutely zero transcendent results to speak of. It’s just empty.

There is no guru, there is no student—honestly, there isn’t even anything fixed at all. There’s nothing inherently good or bad, no variety of shapes, no distinct forms... it doesn't even go as far as liberation or bondage. It just... isn't.

The word "I" doesn't actually mean anything—not really. And that word "it"? It’s gone too. There are no senses left, no objects to grasp at, no doubt to wrestle with, and certainly nothing trivial cluttering up the space. There isn't even a sense of security to lean on, nor any tasks or actions left that feel like they *must* be completed. Everything just... isn't.

There is simply no such thing as a "nature" of peace—no duality, no highs, no lows. There aren't even characteristics to cling to. You won't find a part of it that is defined by sadness, nor a part that is defined by joy, or even that restless, wavering indecision we all struggle with. It just isn't there.

There is no body, there is no phallus, no cause or lack thereof—no sorrow, no finality, no "I," no mystery, and certainly no supreme state.

There is no karma—neither the kind that sticks to your soul nor the kind tied to ancient scripture. There is no truth, no "you," and no "me." Ignorance doesn't exist, and neither does empirical knowledge. There are no fools, and there isn't even anyone left who claims to know anything at all.

There is no hell, no heaven, no liberation, no holiness—not even desire or any kind of teaching left to grasp. There isn't even you or me anymore. There’s no philosophy, and there isn't even God.

There isn't even a hint of good or bad—nothing. There’s no death, there’s no life... honestly, there isn't even any satisfaction to be found. You won't find anything to actually enjoy in it all. There is no single, undivided essence, and there certainly isn't any duality left to cling to.

There are no chains—no concept of a manifested world, no ruler presiding over the waking state, no such thing as "equality," and certainly no misunderstanding of what we count as the fourth.

There is simply nothing that qualifies as "everything"—no impurities, no cravings, no laws, no worship, no manifest world, no pluralism, and certainly no discourse from others.

There is simply nothing—no satsang, no absence of satsang, no Brahma, no one left to even ask the questions—there is no quest, no speaker, no ritual cleansing, and certainly no holy waters. It’s all just... gone.

There is no virtue, there is no sin, and there isn't even any kind of activity that could possibly serve as a cause for error—nothing at all. I mean it. Nothing stemming from our internal nature, nothing from the External world, not even anything originating from the Divine nature. It’s all just... empty.

There is simply no birth or death here—none at all. There aren’t even states of being like waking, sleeping, or deep sleep. It isn't about some physical earth or some mystical afterlife, either. You won't find any victories or defeats in this reality... none whatsoever.

There is no weakness—none at all. There’s no fear, no desperate craving, and certainly no rushing toward death. Nothing is unthinkable. There isn't such a thing as a "sinful" person, nor can there be any "wrong" interpretation of the Vedas or religious wisdom. It just doesn't work that way.

There is no Sattvic state, there is no Rajasic state, there is no Tamasic state—there simply aren't any such qualities to be found. There is no Shiva, there is no Vedanta, and there is certainly no point in studying them or wasting your breath thinking about them.

There is no slavery, there is no liberation—none of that business. There aren’t even any clever little aphorisms about the identity between the individual self and the Supreme Self. There is no masculine form, no feminine form, no state of being that leans one way or the other... there isn't even such a thing as a permanent state.

There is no praise—no criticism either, really. No eulogies, no hymns, no worldly nonsense, and certainly no religious fluff. There are no sacred texts to cling to, no commandments to follow... none of it matters.

There is no drinking—none of that business—no fasting either. None of it. There’s no luck to be found, no merrymaking entertainers, no stances taken, nor any deliberate absence of them. No family lineages, no names, no rigid forms... none of it exists.

There is absolutely nothing truly excellent here, nor is there anything inherently corrupt—no blessings to cling to, no curses to fear. There’s no such thing as purity, and certainly no point in trying to scrub away impurity. There is no individual soul to manage, no mind to control... none of it exists.

Look, let’s get one thing straight—there is no such thing as "invoking peace." It’s a nonsense concept. There is no peace to call upon, there is no such thing as mind control, and there is certainly no such thing as "taming the senses." People love to talk about those things like they're goals you can reach through some sort of spiritual checklist, but it's all fluff. There is no "play," no specific states of being to achieve, no modifications to the self, and absolutely no "defects" to fix. It just isn't how it works.

There isn’t really anything left—nothing at all from where I stand. There’s nothing of what we call Maya, no lingering consequences of that illusion, and not even the slightest trace of dharma remains. No adherence to dharma, no holding onto it... just nothing.

There is no youth, no childhood, no senility—no death, no nothing like that. There aren’t even relatives, strangers, friends, or brothers. None of it exists.

There is no "everything," there is no "nothing"—there isn’t even Brahma, Vishnu, or Shiva. There are no guardians watching over the eight directions, nor is there some cosmic observer sitting there experiencing the waking state or the dream state. It just isn't there.

There is no cosmic observer lurking within the depths of deep sleep—no "fourth state" watching from the shadows, no high priest or warrior caste, no scholar sitting there waiting to be enlightened. It’s all just the supreme Brahman. Pure nectar of Knowledge, completely untouched by suffering.

There is absolutely nothing like that—nothing like someone reappearing or someone else following behind them. There aren't any events destined to loop back around, there is no such thing as a timestamp, no "I" to anchor the experience, and certainly no cause behind the conversation itself. It’s all just... empty.

There is absolutely nothing above this—no "inner abilities" like intellect, ego, or even thought itself. There isn’t some grand narrative about Consciousness to cling to, nor is there any duality left to suggest that I am Brahman, or even that I am simply Consciousness. It just ends there.

There is no sheath for food—not the physical body, anyway—nor is there any covering for Prana or Uma. There’s no layer of intellectual knowledge acting as a buffer, and certainly no shroud of bliss to hide behind.

There is simply nothing that qualifies as "knowledge" by its very nature—nothing to be perceived, nothing to be learned... which, if you think about it, means everything we call "learning" is just a massive misunderstanding of how things actually work. There’s nobody here to feel anxious about it, no one to worry over anyone else, and certainly no illusions left to cling to. Even that whole concept of the "triad of knowledge"—it’s gone. It doesn't exist.

There is no observer, there is no act of observation, there are no objects being observed, and—to be perfectly honest—there aren't even any results manifesting. It’s all just the ultimate Brahma—that pure nectar of Knowledge, completely untethered from any kind of suffering.

There is no such thing as an internal world of capabilities—there is no mind, no "misunderstanding" of reality, no realm of thought, and certainly no manifested world of intellect. It’s all just noise.

There is no such thing as a world of separate beings—no "jiva" exists out there. There aren't even any memories that are inherently repulsive or flawed, nor is there this whole concept of a world built on distinguishing one thing from another based on its traits. Even those memories we think of as being rooted in ignorance? They don't actually exist. It’s all just an illusion of separation.

There is simply no such thing as a Vedantic world—no remembering of the Shastras or the Agamas—and certainly no world that could ever prove anything exists in isolation. There is no division, no "this" versus "that." It’s all just one seamless, undivided reality.

There isn’t even a realization regarding differences—or the lack thereof. There is no conceptualizing of defects, nor the absence of them. You don't have a world defined by peace or one devoid of it... there's no swearing by specific qualities or their absence. It just isn't there.

There is no male, there is no female—there isn’t even such a thing as "neutral." There is nothing stationary, nothing in motion, no sorrow and no joy... ever.

There is simply nothing that possesses an inherent quality of virtue or vice—it’s all just... there. There’s no objective certainty when it comes to what counts as mature or immature, nor is there any such thing as an action possessing a dual nature. Even those modalities we attribute to the witness? They don't exist. It's all a construct.

There isn't any sense of duality left—no lingering concept of two natures, none of that "joy" people talk about regarding a single, undivided essence... there’s nothing. Not even the lingering idea that I am some physical body, nor any sudden, sweeping revelations that I am Brahma. It's just... gone.

There is no such thing as an undivided security modality—none of that stuff exists. There isn't some massive, singular essence just sitting there waiting to be found, nor is there any actual "arrival" where a specific modality suddenly manifests. And don't even get me started on the idea of all modalities being wiped out at once. It’s just not how it works.

There isn’t some grand interrogation of every single modality—there’s no liberation from them all, no ultimate peak where every modality is finally annihilated, and certainly no void where they all just vanish into nothingness.

There’s absolutely nothing left of those thousand different modalities—they just get wiped out moment by moment. There isn't some grand witness standing over all those shifting states, and there certainly isn't any proof that an individual is actually Brahma.

46. There is no universe, no mind, no finality, no action—ever. No criticism, no praise, no breaking free from chains... nothing.

47. There is no label for a virtuous person, no tag for someone with "good qualities," no sign of being lost in meditation, and certainly no tallying up sins.

48. There isn't even a thought about Brahma or the Self. No hint of the Almighty’s presence, nothing desirable to chase, nothing to exclude, nothing "best" or "supreme"—and honestly, the very term 'the Almighty' loses all its meaning.

49. Anyone lacking the Knowledge of the Self is truly a massive sinner. In fact, anyone devoid of this Knowledge is profoundly unwell.

50. I am Brahma. There is zero doubt about it. By my very nature, I am an undivided essence. I have the absolute certainty of direct experience: Brahma is everything.

51. Such a person is liberated right now. I don't have the slightest doubt. They are currently becoming the embodiment of the highest Knowledge. They are, quite literally, the sage of this world. They are Parameshwara.

52. All of this is, truly, the supreme Brahma—a nectar of knowledge that fills the mind. Whoever hears this explanation is, in truth, Brahma.

53. Neither the state of oneness nor the state of many, neither the atom nor the infinite, neither cause nor effect, neither the universe nor dominion over it—it is eternally without taste, scent, or form, neither bound nor free. Let us become that brilliant Light, untouched by birth, aging, or sickness, forever dwelling in the joy of ultimate bliss—that blessed Sadashiva.

Anant's translation

But there is the flip side:
NOTHING EXISTS

Back when he was just a young student of Zen, Ramana traveled
from one teacher to another.

He even stopped by to see Dokuon in Falcon.

Wanting to show off what he had achieved, he said:
“The mind, Buddha, and sentient beings—in the end, they simply aren't there.
The true nature of all phenomena is emptiness.

There is no perception, no delusion, no wisdom, no mediocrity. There is no giving, and nothing to be received.”

Dokuon, who was calmly smoking, didn't say a word.

Then, suddenly, Ramana was struck by Dokuon's wooden staff.

This really set the young man off.
He jumped to his feet and dropped into a fighting stance.

“If nothing exists,” Dokuon asked, “then where did this anger come from?”

bluemason3 said:Hoarding junk is still just hoarding junk, not gaining wisdom 😁

Is that from Solomon? 😁

16 So I said to myself, "Look, I've acquired more wisdom than any of my predecessors in Jerusalem. My soul has gathered immense wisdom and knowledge." 17 I studied wisdom carefully, as well as folly and madness, but I realized it was all just empty chatter.
18 Much wisdom—much misery;
the more knowledge you have, the more it hurts.

Brian Young76 said:You guys have completely cluttered up this thread, and honestly, I’m about ready to report this whole mess to the moderator! 😬

All jokes aside, I really want to express my gratitude for all these reflections; honestly, that is exactly why I decided to start this thread in the first place. 🙂

Just a few thoughts from my side of things:

As I’ve mentioned before, I have been playing music for about forty years now. I spent those first ten years immersed in classical music, though I've spent the last thirty focused on jazz. My home collection is actually quite massive—I think I have nearly 1,000 CDs stashed away at this point. Most of them were purchased legally because I feel a genuine sense of respect for the artists, you know? Honestly, where have you been, hiddenpuma75, old friend? 😬 It feels like such a waste of money at this point, honestly. I don't even know who I would sell my collection to anymore; if I did find a buyer, I'd probably only get pennies on the dollar, and even that seems like a long shot. It’s almost funny when you think about it—you can just hop onto Deezer for seven bucks a month and access a library that's easily a hundred times larger than my entire physical stash. And to top it all off, Spotify finally launched here in the States last week, so it's officially available!

After reflecting on everything we've discussed, I’ve come to this conclusion: most of the modern approach to finding your path in jazz is essentially useless. You don't find your voice by mindlessly cycling through thousands of CDs or digital tracks. I suppose the real legends—those old masters who possessed that unmistakable, spine-tingling spark—didn't work that way at all. They found their essence by truly, deeply listening to just a handful of seminal records, extracting every ounce of wisdom they could from them. It wasn't about volume; it was about depth. And honestly, if you aren't playing live, you're missing the entire foundation of the craft.

To reiterate my point, I truly believe that a genuine master of jazz is someone who manages to strike that rare, delicate balance between flawless technical execution and profound emotional depth—someone who has ultimately discovered their own unique path. It’s as if, after they play just a small Pair of notes, you instantly recognize them; they possess that unmistakable, signature style that makes their identity immediately apparent to anyone listening.

So, I suppose I’m still quite a novice when it comes to the formal side of the spiritual path, but I’ve started to realize that maybe you don't necessarily need to be on some official, structured journey to acquire life's most profound wisdom. It feels like those deeper truths can find you even if you haven't strictly followed a specific curriculum or joined a formal school of thought. 🙂

When it comes to STEM and science in general... I think I actually fell in love with it back in elementary school. Mathematics has always been my absolute favorite subject, right from the very beginning. There’s just something so refreshing about it—you don't have to deal with those vague grades for "artistic impression" or any of those silly, subjective assessments that seem to pop up everywhere else. It’s much more straightforward; you either calculated the answer correctly, or you didn't, and that's really that. I guess you could say I’ve never truly walked away from science, because I don't believe there is anything inherently wrong or flawed about it. In fact, I try to keep up with it as much as I possibly can, making sure I stay current with the latest breakthroughs and discoveries in physics—the fundamental sciences, really.

But... oh, absolutely! Science is still nowhere near being able to provide meaningful answers to those fundamental life questions that truly haunt us. I’ve mentioned this before, I suppose, but if we look at physics as our foundational science, it only holds partial knowledge regarding about 5% of the matter and energy that actually constitutes our universe. As for the remaining 95%, we practically have zero understanding. Even the most brilliant physicists on the planet are essentially flying blind when it comes to defining dark energy, which, according to their own calculations, accounts for roughly 68% of everything in existence. They know incredibly little about dark matter, too; they mostly just manage to identify what it definitely *isn't*—which, of course, isn't the same 5% of ordinary matter we actually have some partial data on.

When you really step back and look at the context of things, it’s a bit staggering to realize that our fundamental scientific framework openly admits it hasn't even a clue about 95% of the matter and energy that actually constitutes the universe. I mean, if we consider that, relying solely on science to provide definitive answers to life's most profound and essential questions feels... well, I suppose I'll just let you all draw your own conclusions from that. 😉

I suppose I officially embarked on my spiritual Quest around the age of forty, though I approached it with a very specific mindset. At the time, I decided to take a strictly analytical, almost engineering-based approach to the whole thing—very much rooted in a scientific curiosity, if you will. My first step was simply to pick up a comprehensive overview of the world's major religions by Houston Smith, just so I could get a clear, bird's-eye view of what the most prominent belief systems actually have to say. I figured that if I could study them all systematically, I might eventually be able to discern which path resonated with me most deeply. It felt like a logical way to start, treating the search for meaning like any other complex problem that needs solving. 😁

Up until my 40th birthday, I’d always viewed my life as being perfectly, almost flawlessly, aligned. Everything just seemed to click into place: I have a wonderful marriage, three beautiful children, and a career that is—honestly—quite remarkable. My work is essentially centered around helping others, which is incredibly rewarding, but it also comes with an excellent salary funded entirely by federal grants, providing me with enough flexibility to truly show up for my family and keep playing music. Plus, everyone close to me is healthy... I suppose you could say I’ve had practically zero problems. And yet, lately, I’ve been gripped by this intense, nagging realization that none of this is permanent. I’ve started thinking seriously about how all of this will eventually fade away—that illness, misfortune, or death will inevitably arrive one day. It led me to the conclusion that I really need to grasp certain truths before that happens, because if I don't, I fear I won't be ready. It feels somewhat similar to why Siddhartha—or whatever his name was—decided to leave his wife and child behind to embark on his Quest. Of course, it's not quite like that for me. I’ve never felt any genuine urge to abandon my loved ones. Even when the thought did cross my mind—like that time I seriously considered moving to New York City to pursue jazz professionally—it was always this strange combination of a deep sense of duty, a bit of common sense, and perhaps a lingering fear of the unknown that kept me right where I belong.

Well, I suppose that’s all I have to share for the moment; if you all feel like flooding my thread with your own thoughts, then I guess I might as well join in too 😬

From the perspective of Advaita, there's no real need to leave anyone or anything behind. It's not "wrong" to move on, but it all depends on the situation; what *is* wrong is being attached to anything or anyone. In fact, most Advaita sages were homebodies—they had wives, kids, families—with the possible exceptions of Ramana, Nisargadatta, Papaya, and a few others. After his awakening, Papaya actually told Ramana he saw no reason to ever return to his family, which is exactly why Ramana essentially forced him back. The point isn't about leaving; the point is non-attachment. Duty and common sense are fine motivations, but fear of the unknown? That's a bad motivator... everything is unknown and uncertain anyway, and as it turns out, spirituality itself is just a journey into the great unknown.

Brian Young76 said:I probably expressed myself poorly there.

It isn't the idea that I won't or don't want to wake up until everyone else does; rather, it's the thought that suffering on a cosmic level won't cease until the cosmic Mind awakens. If we are all one, then that seems like the only logical conclusion to me.

Of course, personal (though, of course, illusionary!) awakening is a massive deal and the greatest good you can do for the world (which is really doing it for yourself!), but if you have truly awakened, it means you've realized that we are all one. So, how could you possibly NOT want to awaken the rest of yourself???

I also wrote incorrectly regarding it being impossible to experience Love within oneself, my apologies. A Course in Miracles says that it is possible, though it takes much longer. Right at the beginning, it mentions that performing miracles (which are expressions of Love) can shorten that timeframe.

You haven't answered my question about how one actually practices Advaita, and I would really love to read your thoughts on that. 🙂

What kind of exercises are involved? Roughly what does the practice look like and how is it done? As I mentioned in my introduction, I've been playing music for 40 years, so the importance of consistent practice for making progress in anything (including the spiritual path) is practically hardwired into my subconscious. I am genuinely curious about how one practices Advaita in a practical sense. 🙂

And how important is a teacher? I think hiddenpuma75 mentioned somewhere that he has a teacher (if I remember correctly, his teacher is 78 years old). I don't have a teacher (at least not a living human being; A Course in Miracles says the true teacher is the Holy Spirit...), and I've spent a lot of time wondering whether I should be out looking for someone... for now, I still don't have an answer to that question.

From a non-dual perspective, that just doesn't hold water.
Advaita starts from the premise that we are already awake—that we already are what we are. There is no "force" to wake up from and no "attachments" to break free from; we simply don't realize it. We're stuck in a state of ignorance (avidya). We can't see because our true self is obscured by emotions, concepts, and the various ideas we cling to. To recognize your true nature (which is already exactly as it is), you have to strip away the false ideas and concepts we try to live through "in the mirror." Once those are gone, what remains is what we’ve been searching for. Someone who has woken up from the illusion of existence (maya) sees that everyone is already awake—they just don't know it yet. For them, everything is exactly where it should be. They don't see "imperfection" anywhere, because imperfection is just our own mental projection that things *should* be different than they are. In short, for the awakened, there is nothing besides pure awareness—not even this so-called "cosmic mind" mentioned in ACIM; for them, that's just another word for awareness itself.

ACIM shouldn't be viewed as a system or some kind of spiritual self-help method; it’s the essence it nurtures that matters. Advaita isn't a system, a concept, or an idea, and it doesn't really offer a "practice"—because from a non-dual standpoint, all those things are just obstacles preventing us from seeing the reality of things.

Here are a few thoughts regarding gurus;
Imagine you're sitting down and someone walks up and tells you to sit down.
Your first reaction is "WTF?"—a momentary flash of confusion—before you realize you were already sitting. You recognize, you become aware of your actual position.
That’s the role of a teacher: to point out the most obvious thing in the world—something so glaringly apparent that we somehow miss it. That fact is there are no attachments and there is no liberation. What happens next is just like my mundane example: a ready student recognizes the obvious truth—that there are no attachments and no awakening required. Nothing changed in the interim; the only difference is that now, this person knows. They are now in a state of avidya
. Wait, no—they've moved past it.
The one who doesn't see is immediately told to meditate on it, to surrender to a guru to handle it, to chant a divine name, or to work for the greater good without expecting results.

Benjamin Taylor6 said:

Paul Rogers94 As specified by:
Here is what Advaita says.;

The Ribhu Gita—it’s one of those texts that really forces you to sit still and actually listen, if you can manage to quiet the noise in your own head long enough to do so. It isn't just some light reading you pick up at a bookstore in Seattle; it’s a deep dive into the core of being. When I was digging through some old philosophical studies back in college, I remember thinking how much most modern "spiritual" advice misses the mark by focusing on the surface level stuff. They want the quick fix, the instant gratification—but the Ribhu Gita doesn't play those games. It’s about that fundamental, unshakeable reality that exists beneath all the chaos we call life. It’s intense, sometimes even a bit overwhelming, but if you approach it with the right mindset, it changes the way you see everything. Chapter 23.
There’s this concept—this intoxicating nectar of pure knowledge—that people tend to overcomplicate, but when you really sit with it, it becomes clear that the mind isn't just a vessel for information; it is absolutely saturated by it. It’s less like reading a book and more like being submerged in an ocean where every drop is wisdom. I was thinking about this the other day while staring out at the skyline in Chicago—just watching the chaos move below—and it struck me how we spend our entire lives trying to "acquire" knowledge as if it were some commodity we could grab off a shelf at a Target. We chase facts, we collect degrees, we hoard data... it’s exhausting. But true understanding? That nectar? It doesn't come from adding things to the mind. It comes from the realization that the mind is already drenched in it. It’s a bit like those old philosophical debates regarding the Holy Spirit and Kundalini—it’s about a state of being rather than a collection of things known. When the mind is truly filled with this essence, there is no longer a distinction between the seeker and the sought. You aren't looking for the truth anymore; you are simply breathing it. It's a heavy thought, I know—and perhaps a bit rambly—but once you stop treating wisdom like a trophy to be won, the saturation happens naturally. It's all around us, provided you aren't too busy cluttering your head with the trivialities of daily life.

I’m going to dive into the concept of Being-Consciousness-Bliss—which, let’s be honest, is naturally overflowing with joy. It isn't just some abstract idea; it is, quite simply, the very essence of all the Vedas and the Puranas.

There really aren't any differences—no duality, no pairs of opposites, nothing of the sort. Nothing exists that is actually distinct or stripped of its connection to the whole. It’s all just this... the supreme Brahma, untouched by desire or anger. And you only reach That through Knowledge.

There is never anything like an "I." There simply isn't. There’s nothing else out there—no indestructible fragments, no "higher than the highest" concepts to cling to. It is all just this—the untouched, supreme Brahma. And honestly? You only reach that through Knowledge.

There is no such thing as an external world, nor is there an internal one—no chains, no boundaries, and certainly no shapes. It’s all just this—the absolute, untouched, supreme Brahma. And honestly? You only reach That through Knowledge.

There is no such thing as non-existence—there’s no "giving things up," no void, and certainly no such thing as a word having the wrong meaning. It’s all just... this. Everything is, quite literally, the untouched, supreme Brahma. And you don't stumble into that through some sort of empty negation; you reach it through Knowledge.

There’s no quality here—none. No subtle subtext, no indirect hints, no sense of security regarding the modalities of the mind... honestly, there isn't even a shred of depth. There are no boundaries, no pervasive essence, and absolutely zero transcendent results to speak of. It’s just empty.

There is no guru, there is no student—honestly, there isn’t even anything fixed at all. There’s nothing inherently good or bad, no variety of shapes, no distinct forms... it doesn't even go as far as liberation or bondage. It just... isn't.

The word "I" doesn't actually mean anything—not really. And that word "it"? It’s gone too. There are no senses left, no objects to grasp at, no doubt to wrestle with, and certainly nothing trivial cluttering up the space. There isn't even a sense of security to lean on, nor any tasks or actions left that feel like they *must* be completed. Everything just... isn't.

There is simply no such thing as a "nature" of peace—no duality, no highs, no lows. There aren't even characteristics to cling to. You won't find a part of it that is defined by sadness, nor a part that is defined by joy, or even that restless, wavering indecision we all struggle with. It just isn't there.

There is no body, there is no phallus, no cause or lack thereof—no sorrow, no finality, no "I," no mystery, and certainly no supreme state.

There is no karma—neither the kind that sticks to your soul nor the kind tied to ancient scripture. There is no truth, no "you," and no "me." Ignorance doesn't exist, and neither does empirical knowledge. There are no fools, and there isn't even anyone left who claims to know anything at all.

There is no hell, no heaven, no liberation, no holiness—not even desire or any kind of teaching left to grasp. There isn't even you or me anymore. There’s no philosophy, and there isn't even God.

There isn't even a hint of good or bad—nothing. There’s no death, there’s no life... honestly, there isn't even any satisfaction to be found. You won't find anything to actually enjoy in it all. There is no single, undivided essence, and there certainly isn't any duality left to cling to.

There are no chains—no concept of a manifested world, no ruler presiding over the waking state, no such thing as "equality," and certainly no misunderstanding of what we count as the fourth.

There is simply nothing that qualifies as "everything"—no impurities, no cravings, no laws, no worship, no manifest world, no pluralism, and certainly no discourse from others.

There is simply nothing—no satsang, no absence of satsang, no Brahma, no one left to even ask the questions—there is no quest, no speaker, no ritual cleansing, and certainly no holy waters. It’s all just... gone.

There is no virtue, there is no sin, and there isn't even any kind of activity that could possibly serve as a cause for error—nothing at all. I mean it. Nothing stemming from our internal nature, nothing from the External world, not even anything originating from the Divine nature. It’s all just... empty.

There is simply no birth or death here—none at all. There aren’t even states of being like waking, sleeping, or deep sleep. It isn't about some physical earth or some mystical afterlife, either. You won't find any victories or defeats in this reality... none whatsoever.

There is no weakness—none at all. There’s no fear, no desperate craving, and certainly no rushing toward death. Nothing is unthinkable. There isn't such a thing as a "sinful" person, nor can there be any "wrong" interpretation of the Vedas or religious wisdom. It just doesn't work that way.

There is no Sattvic state, there is no Rajasic state, there is no Tamasic state—there simply aren't any such qualities to be found. There is no Shiva, there is no Vedanta, and there is certainly no point in studying them or wasting your breath thinking about them.

There is no slavery, there is no liberation—none of that business. There aren’t even any clever little aphorisms about the identity between the individual self and the Supreme Self. There is no masculine form, no feminine form, no state of being that leans one way or the other... there isn't even such a thing as a permanent state.

There is no praise—no criticism either, really. No eulogies, no hymns, no worldly nonsense, and certainly no religious fluff. There are no sacred texts to cling to, no commandments to follow... none of it matters.

There is no drinking—none of that business—no fasting either. None of it. There’s no luck to be found, no merrymaking entertainers, no stances taken, nor any deliberate absence of them. No family lineages, no names, no rigid forms... none of it exists.

There is absolutely nothing truly excellent here, nor is there anything inherently corrupt—no blessings to cling to, no curses to fear. There’s no such thing as purity, and certainly no point in trying to scrub away impurity. There is no individual soul to manage, no mind to control... none of it exists.

Look, let’s get one thing straight—there is no such thing as "invoking peace." It’s a nonsense concept. There is no peace to call upon, there is no such thing as mind control, and there is certainly no such thing as "taming the senses." People love to talk about those things like they're goals you can reach through some sort of spiritual checklist, but it's all fluff. There is no "play," no specific states of being to achieve, no modifications to the self, and absolutely no "defects" to fix. It just isn't how it works.

There isn’t really anything left—nothing at all from where I stand. There’s nothing of what we call Maya, no lingering consequences of that illusion, and not even the slightest trace of dharma remains. No adherence to dharma, no holding onto it... just nothing.

There is no youth, no childhood, no senility—no death, no nothing like that. There aren’t even relatives, strangers, friends, or brothers. None of it exists.

There is no "everything," there is no "nothing"—there isn’t even Brahma, Vishnu, or Shiva. There are no guardians watching over the eight directions, nor is there some cosmic observer sitting there experiencing the waking state or the dream state. It just isn't there.

There is no cosmic observer lurking within the depths of deep sleep—no "fourth state" watching from the shadows, no high priest or warrior caste, no scholar sitting there waiting to be enlightened. It’s all just the supreme Brahman. Pure nectar of Knowledge, completely untouched by suffering.

There is absolutely nothing like that—nothing like someone reappearing or someone else following behind them. There aren't any events destined to loop back around, there is no such thing as a timestamp, no "I" to anchor the experience, and certainly no cause behind the conversation itself. It’s all just... empty.

There is absolutely nothing above this—no "inner abilities" like intellect, ego, or even thought itself. There isn’t some grand narrative about Consciousness to cling to, nor is there any duality left to suggest that I am Brahman, or even that I am simply Consciousness. It just ends there.

There is no sheath for food—not the physical body, anyway—nor is there any covering for Prana or Uma. There’s no layer of intellectual knowledge acting as a buffer, and certainly no shroud of bliss to hide behind.

There is simply nothing that qualifies as "knowledge" by its very nature—nothing to be perceived, nothing to be learned... which, if you think about it, means everything we call "learning" is just a massive misunderstanding of how things actually work. There’s nobody here to feel anxious about it, no one to worry over anyone else, and certainly no illusions left to cling to. Even that whole concept of the "triad of knowledge"—it’s gone. It doesn't exist.

There is no observer, there is no act of observation, there are no objects being observed, and—to be perfectly honest—there aren't even any results manifesting. It’s all just the ultimate Brahma—that pure nectar of Knowledge, completely untethered from any kind of suffering.

There is no such thing as an internal world of capabilities—there is no mind, no "misunderstanding" of reality, no realm of thought, and certainly no manifested world of intellect. It’s all just noise.

There is no such thing as a world of separate beings—no "jiva" exists out there. There aren't even any memories that are inherently repulsive or flawed, nor is there this whole concept of a world built on distinguishing one thing from another based on its traits. Even those memories we think of as being rooted in ignorance? They don't actually exist. It’s all just an illusion of separation.

There is simply no such thing as a Vedantic world—no remembering of the Shastras or the Agamas—and certainly no world that could ever prove anything exists in isolation. There is no division, no "this" versus "that." It’s all just one seamless, undivided reality.

There isn’t even a realization regarding differences—or the lack thereof. There is no conceptualizing of defects, nor the absence of them. You don't have a world defined by peace or one devoid of it... there's no swearing by specific qualities or their absence. It just isn't there.

There is no male, there is no female—there isn’t even such a thing as "neutral." There is nothing stationary, nothing in motion, no sorrow and no joy... ever.

There is simply nothing that possesses an inherent quality of virtue or vice—it’s all just... there. There’s no objective certainty when it comes to what counts as mature or immature, nor is there any such thing as an action possessing a dual nature. Even those modalities we attribute to the witness? They don't exist. It's all a construct.

There isn't any sense of duality left—no lingering concept of two natures, none of that "joy" people talk about regarding a single, undivided essence... there’s nothing. Not even the lingering idea that I am some physical body, nor any sudden, sweeping revelations that I am Brahma. It's just... gone.

There is no such thing as an undivided security modality—none of that stuff exists. There isn't some massive, singular essence just sitting there waiting to be found, nor is there any actual "arrival" where a specific modality suddenly manifests. And don't even get me started on the idea of all modalities being wiped out at once. It’s just not how it works.

There isn’t some grand interrogation of every single modality—there’s no liberation from them all, no ultimate peak where every modality is finally annihilated, and certainly no void where they all just vanish into nothingness.

There’s absolutely nothing left of those thousand different modalities—they just get wiped out moment by moment. There isn't some grand witness standing over all those shifting states, and there certainly isn't any proof that an individual is actually Brahma.

46. There is no universe, no mind, no finality, no action—ever. No criticism, no praise, no breaking free from chains... nothing.

47. There is no label for a virtuous person, no tag for someone with "good qualities," no sign of being lost in meditation, and certainly no tallying up sins.

48. There isn't even a thought about Brahma or the Self. No hint of the Almighty’s presence, nothing desirable to chase, nothing to exclude, nothing "best" or "supreme"—and honestly, the very term 'the Almighty' loses all its meaning.

49. Anyone lacking the Knowledge of the Self is truly a massive sinner. In fact, anyone devoid of this Knowledge is profoundly unwell.

50. I am Brahma. There is zero doubt about it. By my very nature, I am an undivided essence. I have the absolute certainty of direct experience: Brahma is everything.

51. Such a person is liberated right now. I don't have the slightest doubt. They are currently becoming the embodiment of the highest Knowledge. They are, quite literally, the sage of this world. They are Parameshwara.

52. All of this is, truly, the supreme Brahma—a nectar of knowledge that fills the mind. Whoever hears this explanation is, in truth, Brahma.

53. Neither the state of oneness nor the state of many, neither the atom nor the infinite, neither cause nor effect, neither the universe nor dominion over it—it is eternally without taste, scent, or form, neither bound nor free. Let us become that brilliant Light, untouched by birth, aging, or sickness, forever dwelling in the joy of ultimate bliss—that blessed Sadashiva.

Anant's translation

But there is the flip side:
NOTHING EXISTS

Back when he was just a young student of Zen, Ramana traveled
from one teacher to another.

He even stopped by to see Dokuon in Falcon.

Wanting to show off what he had achieved, he said:
“The mind, Buddha, and sentient beings—in the end, they simply aren't there.
The true nature of all phenomena is emptiness.

There is no perception, no delusion, no wisdom, no mediocrity. There is no giving, and nothing to be received.”

Dokuon, who was calmly smoking, didn't say a word.

Then, suddenly, Ramana was struck by Dokuon's wooden staff.

This really set the young man off.
He jumped to his feet and dropped into a fighting stance.

“If nothing exists,” Dokuon asked, “then where did this anger come from?”

Is that from Solomon? 😁

16 So I said to myself, "Look, I've acquired more wisdom than any of my predecessors in Jerusalem. My soul has gathered immense wisdom and knowledge." 17 I studied wisdom carefully, as well as folly and madness, but I realized it was all just empty chatter.
18 Much wisdom—much misery;
the more knowledge you have, the more it hurts.

That’s just a story playing out in the mind of someone who doesn't know. To them, the story is real. But to the one who knows, not only is the story unreal, there isn't even a story—no wisdom, no staff, no anger, no mind at all.

Nothing is happening to YOU, and YOU aren't even the cause of anything.

I wanted to say thank you once again to everyone for all your contributions to this thread; you have truly been such a massive help to me. 🙂

Yesterday, I spent some time working through exercises specifically designed to quiet the Holy Spirit, and I suppose my intuition is telling me that I should probably step away from writing and stop browsing the forum for a little while. I’ve decided it might be best to just listen to that feeling.

I'll check back in whenever I feel the need.

Brian Young76 said:I wanted to say thank you once again to everyone for all your contributions to this thread; you have truly been such a massive help to me. 🙂

Yesterday, I spent some time working through exercises specifically designed to quiet the Holy Spirit, and I suppose my intuition is telling me that I should probably step away from writing and stop browsing the forum for a little while. I’ve decided it might be best to just listen to that feeling.

I'll check back in whenever I feel the need.

I hear you, sounds very nice. Congrats!