Joseph Maynor

I think people get stuck in narratives because that forms the social glue that holds their relations together. It gives them common ground to have a reason to relate with others and a safe zone for that. The downside of this is it impedes growth because if you change too much you're no longer speaking the language that holds your tribe together so to speak.

How I'm working on getting over my fear of public speaking.

If you can quickly dodge the ads, these are quite good.

"The Undifferentiated" makes me laugh a little every time I see it used. It's like how can you beat this. It seems like it trumps Consciousness to me.

Best version of this album I've heard. Not sure if this is a remaster or not. I love Tony Iommi's guitar tone on this album. He's got his own style and his own aesthetic, his own cliches too often identifiable in his solos. In other words, he has his own sound as a guitar player and he's identifiable in that way.

1. Meditation (do nothing meditation) 2. Study (my interests shift too) 3. Time alone (being with me/Me) 4. Making time to do things I enjoy (my 12 fulfillment areas) 5. Working on my spirituality (this is my life purpose)

Because advaita vedanta teaches that the ego doesn't exist, talk of integration, shadow, etc. can seem like nonsense to people who are either integrating, reintegrating, or practicing advaita vedanta. They're going to retort that people don't exist too. It doesn't bother me anymore, but I can see why systemically there's an issue here. Integration assumes there's an ego that integrates and develops, or at least can do so; and secondly, that one should value integration work and strive to do it.

@ivankiss The duality between teacher and student is interesting. Sometimes I wonder who we think we're teaching or influencing. Maybe we're talking to ourselves more than anything.

This album got a worthy remaster too. One of my favorite albums. The remaster for this album is next level too. Wow is all I can say.

"Be As You Are: The Teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi" by Sri Ramana Maharshi (Author), David Godman (Compiler). Highly recommend! https://www.amazon.com/Be-As-You-Are-Teachings/dp/0140190627

Your response gets tricky from an advaita vedanta perspective because the ego/mind is that which makes the distinction between subjective and objective. If there is no ego and no people, then the subjective-objective duality is false. The Self doesn't become anything; to become implies change and the Self is changeless. Vivartavada https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vivartavada

Some advaita vedanta pointers: Rest in the Self. Let ego be what it is. The ego is not You.

I would question this assumption: "In this pursuit, one is expected to eventually realize that there is nothing to be sought and that the seeker themselves is part of the illusion."

Released in 1972. What a great remaster! This album needed this kind of a remaster. I can hear things in this version I never heard before. Nice and loud! Ian Gillan – vocals Ritchie Blackmore – guitar Jon Lord – Hammond organ Roger Glover – bass Ian Paice – drums

When I first heard this excellent remaster I was like this is the way this album is supposed to sound.

This might trigger some people, but if the Self is nondual, saying it's the witness might be a pointer not a truth. Nonduality would go beyond the real vs./and unreal duality. Every pointer is going to be expressed dualistically.

"Upadesasahasri" by Shankara. I highly recommend reading this! https://estudantedavedanta.net/Sri_Shankaracharya-Upadeshasahasri - Swami Jagadananda (1949) [Sanskrit-English].pdf

The Vivekachudamani -- I enjoyed devouring this work. http://www.vivekananda.net/PDFBooks/Vivekashudamani.pdf

The Self knows itself through a non-pointing direct knowing. We might call that realization. The Self realizes itself. I want to say realizes itself from within, but that's a pointer too. The Self can know itself directly. You don't need a subject-object duality to know the Self. The Self doesn't need a thought to know the Self. It's the "I Am" that is not a thought. This is just a pointer obviously: It's the mirror realizing -- I ain't anything in the mirror, nor do I need anything in the mirror to realize that I am the mirror. The mirror is a part of everything reflected in the mirror but none of those reflections affect or impact the mirror.

What you and I are is the Self (assuming you're like Me). This has to catch for advaita vedanta to work. Atman is Brahman. Maya doesn't exist, but it's not harmful to the Self. How could it be? How could what appears in the mirror threaten the mirror itself? Getting this I think is useful. It has to be "realized". It's not an intellectual grasping. You know what I'm talking about. You don't have to sweat what's happening in the mirror, because if you are, you're identifying on some level with ego.

"You" can write and still realize that's not the Self. This is an issue of identifying with the ego vs. identifying with the Self. You're mixing these.

"Talks with Ramana Maharshi". https://www.amazon.com/Talks-Ramana-Maharshi-Realizing-Happiness/dp/1878019007

Realize you're the mirror not what's reflected in the mirror. Then let the reflection in the mirror be without thinking it hurts the mirror. You don't need to react to what's in the mirror if you realize you're the mirror itself. Let talk happen, just realize it's not the Self. The Self doesn't need to kill talk to be the Self.