Advaita and social action
suebrd wrote [on NonDualNetwork@yahoogroups.com]:
Hi Paul,
In a 'student' of Advaita, there sometimes arises a sense of apathy, futility, powerlessness. Reasoning being "well, if it's all just illusion anyway, why should I bother?..." One could say depression arises and now a logical reason has been assigned to it. That is the 'hazard' of using the illusion or dream model, which is still a concept. These are languaging problems. Language is constructed on a dualistic mindset.
What Leo Hartong is getting at [below], is when this radical shift in perception happens (awakening), non-attachment is a natural by-product of that shift. And it is not some futile, uncaring, state of being, as a spiritual seeker imagines that to be. Quite the opposite, it is amazement and wonder at the true nature of how it all flows.
What is lost is the overlay of the ego's psychological constructs--'shoulds and should-nots'. Both your own, as a body mind, and the other guys--as the 'bad' guys or the 'good guys'. Thus, 'best' to clean up your own back yard first, so to speak. Discover your true nature, the nature of what Is. And that is found in stillness, prior to the thoughts of the mind, prior to concepts. As more and more humans--characters in the dance of life wake up a natural harmony and caring would then ensue. That is the awakening--it is not a personal gain. There is no personal 'you' left to fight over territoriality or amass fortunes, or whatever....
Love,
Sue
From ATTD News Letter Number 72 * Sunday, January 22, 2006
http://www.awakeningtothedream.com
Question: I have major issues with world hunger, mistreatment of people, child abuse, etc. Yet I've been in the presence of people who proclaim it's all an illusion.
If it is an illusion, does that mean that those people are not being harmed, are not hungry or hurting? I tend to take action where I can to make their lives better (even in typing that I realize it sounds like I'm making myself God) and yet I've long believed that "God" does not directly do everything, but gives people the opportunity to rise in His stead and make the world a safer more loving place. And I don't see that changing anytime soon. Rather I find those people who don't get involved as pious and heartless in their safe little minds and do not understand how they can use ACIM etc., as their platform.
Can you address the dichotomy of these two views?
Answer: The two views are not necessarily mutually exclusive, nor does asserting that the world of appearances is an illusion deny the presence of suffering; on the contrary, the belief in its reality is often cited as a major contributor to the appearance of suffering.
There are endless occurrences, including, dancing, thinking, feeling and suffering. There is going to the dentist, doing the shopping, reading books and having opinions. Non-duality has very little to say about all this various happenings, but invites the apparent person to investigate to who or what all this appears.
Non-duality draws attention to the page under the words, to the screen behind the movie and to the Consciousness in which all dancing and suffering appears. It does not argue with any opinion or belief one holds, but investigates the 'I' that is assumed to hold those beliefs and opinions.
When this is looked into, the peace beyond the agitation and the clarity beyond belief may be re-cognized as the true nature of each and all, even of those that seem to suffer a great deal.
This insight does not interfere with natural arising compassion, nor does it solve the perceived problems of the world. It may, however, put it all in its proper perspective. And, even though this perceptiveness is not a 'doing' in the usual sense of the word, it may somehow turn out to be the kindest thing One can 'do' for this good old world of ours.
Hi Paul,
In a 'student' of Advaita, there sometimes arises a sense of apathy, futility, powerlessness. Reasoning being "well, if it's all just illusion anyway, why should I bother?..." One could say depression arises and now a logical reason has been assigned to it. That is the 'hazard' of using the illusion or dream model, which is still a concept. These are languaging problems. Language is constructed on a dualistic mindset.
What Leo Hartong is getting at [below], is when this radical shift in perception happens (awakening), non-attachment is a natural by-product of that shift. And it is not some futile, uncaring, state of being, as a spiritual seeker imagines that to be. Quite the opposite, it is amazement and wonder at the true nature of how it all flows.
What is lost is the overlay of the ego's psychological constructs--'shoulds and should-nots'. Both your own, as a body mind, and the other guys--as the 'bad' guys or the 'good guys'. Thus, 'best' to clean up your own back yard first, so to speak. Discover your true nature, the nature of what Is. And that is found in stillness, prior to the thoughts of the mind, prior to concepts. As more and more humans--characters in the dance of life wake up a natural harmony and caring would then ensue. That is the awakening--it is not a personal gain. There is no personal 'you' left to fight over territoriality or amass fortunes, or whatever....
Love,
Sue
From ATTD News Letter Number 72 * Sunday, January 22, 2006
http://www.awakeningtothedream.com
Question: I have major issues with world hunger, mistreatment of people, child abuse, etc. Yet I've been in the presence of people who proclaim it's all an illusion.
If it is an illusion, does that mean that those people are not being harmed, are not hungry or hurting? I tend to take action where I can to make their lives better (even in typing that I realize it sounds like I'm making myself God) and yet I've long believed that "God" does not directly do everything, but gives people the opportunity to rise in His stead and make the world a safer more loving place. And I don't see that changing anytime soon. Rather I find those people who don't get involved as pious and heartless in their safe little minds and do not understand how they can use ACIM etc., as their platform.
Can you address the dichotomy of these two views?
Answer: The two views are not necessarily mutually exclusive, nor does asserting that the world of appearances is an illusion deny the presence of suffering; on the contrary, the belief in its reality is often cited as a major contributor to the appearance of suffering.
There are endless occurrences, including, dancing, thinking, feeling and suffering. There is going to the dentist, doing the shopping, reading books and having opinions. Non-duality has very little to say about all this various happenings, but invites the apparent person to investigate to who or what all this appears.
Non-duality draws attention to the page under the words, to the screen behind the movie and to the Consciousness in which all dancing and suffering appears. It does not argue with any opinion or belief one holds, but investigates the 'I' that is assumed to hold those beliefs and opinions.
When this is looked into, the peace beyond the agitation and the clarity beyond belief may be re-cognized as the true nature of each and all, even of those that seem to suffer a great deal.
This insight does not interfere with natural arising compassion, nor does it solve the perceived problems of the world. It may, however, put it all in its proper perspective. And, even though this perceptiveness is not a 'doing' in the usual sense of the word, it may somehow turn out to be the kindest thing One can 'do' for this good old world of ours.
