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Traditional Advaita= There are separate persons who can become enlightened by following paths and practises.
The seemingly insurmountable challenge is the minds non negotiable need to take its own sense of singular identity, and therefore survival, into a hopeful story where "oneness" really means something other that what is seems to be pointing to. An immediate Interpretation of nothing more than a pointer of a state beyond all concepts and realtionships. Here, most secretly hope that "oneness" really means that all the "sepeate ones" come together into one big universal space, (because percieved space must be there if personal subjectivity is maintained at any level). In turn, maintaining its separation in order to understand "togetherness" as only a conceptualized oneness. A TEAM of oneness, if you will. The ultimate goal of course being preserving, at all costs, the solid sense of "me". This me is never to be jeopardized.
Non duality simply means "not two". A state of non separation and so a state of no-relationships. So no "other" anywhere, no subject- object, no observer and observed, no seer nor seen and no me and no you. This goes totally against and threatens at its core the very fabric of personal egoic survival which long ago anchored the absolute me-identity as something primary. Where a mounting conditioning one day claimed for itself an ownership in separation. This is a portion of a process in place attempting to interperate, and somehow reconcile, a "someone" still there post enlightenment. It's a hopeful measure only the mind wants to preserve. The true engine for that path is survival driven (mostly ego). It wants and need to claim, ""I" - am enlightened". Unfortunately, this is not a revelation which comes by way of belief. Nor is it's an agreement or conclusion for any separate sense of identity to consider
Through this lense of separation, one then reacts and determines some sort of minimalist and nihilistic end result. A realatively dark fear sets in and survival immediately become the goal. From here, every fundamentally anchored and layered belief which anchors ones own reality rushes back to reinforced and confirm separation in all its conceptual glory. All by way from years of conditioning. So with lightening speed we come right back into what we know as a common and casual existence
The confusion is not that that this physical reality and sense of separation is the ultimate illusion. This is a physical reality with its own laws. Instead, it's our deep seeded belief in finding our own identification in that expression. The ego is the ultimate duality which eventually claims, personifies and perpetually labels its ongoing individuality
Neo Advaita Is what a mind which believes in Taditional Advaita would find absolutely offensive.
So, as all duality must thrive... there's an opposing belief to entain for others which tend to agree with what Neo Advaita claims...
Neo Advaita= Separate persons are an illusion so no separate persons who can become enlightened, so no increase in terms of connection by following paths and practise. There can be no increase in connecton to Oneness by changing from one state to another because Oneness is the only reality and already all states, including the state that already appears to be 'you'.
Yet, just like the first option, Neo Avaita from the minds perspective, simply becomes another belief to entertain and the, "everything is all ready one" thingy becomes another useless concept to put away in the ever growing arsenal of spiritual knowledge.
There is a relative someone there that conceived space, and by the boundaries within that space, measurement was born and enabled a sense of time going by. Eventually, this subjective position inherits a label or title and ownership is claimed. A self identity is born and runs its course
Neo Advaita points to a state without identification or separation. With no one there to become enlightened or liberated in the first place. So there is nothing for anyone to do. AGAIN , this is not another choice or belief. Not something to agree with or replace with a prior belief. But sure enough, the mind will filter a new concept for itself which says, "Well, I'm already IT. I have nothing to gain or do. I am oneness already, you see" No, you don't. And in every step of that way there remains an assumption that this oneness somehow has something to do with my own centralized sense of separation. That they are one in the same. They are, in the sense that one is encompassed by the source. However, it is not a state which has anything to do with a personal and separate identity at the helm. And so mostly remains as simply another conceptual belief. Here, when the enthusiastic follower of Neo Advaita says "I AM God", its not the selfless state which is pointed to but the ego which stands behind that statement secretly relieved to know, "I'm God too!". As if it were some huge revelation, yet the "wow" factor came only to satisfied and serve the self esteem of individuality.
And so the movie continues. It make NO difference which "path" you believe in or follow. It's not important. In this case, its really just one side of the same coin
Enlightenment adds nothing to you.. nor do you take anything away that ever had any real substance. Theres a quality that simply remains, has always been there but now reconciled. And there is no one there to claim it.
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