If you have been walking the spiritual path for some times you have surely heard about Advaita Vedanta which is a school of Hindu philosophy and one of the classic Indian paths to spiritual realization.
Neo-Advaita can be seen as a westernised version of Advaita Vedanta that emphasizes the direct recognition of the non-existence of the “I” or “ego”. The basic practice of neo-Advaita is “self-enquiry”, via the question “Who am I?
The problem with Neo-Advaita is not the essence of the teaching, it is the “teachers”. Most of them are rightfully recognising that their “sense of I” is an illusion, but they consider that the dissolution of their ego is the destination, while it is only a temporary station.
The dissolution of the ego is a necessary temporary step but it is not the ultimate destination. Presence cannot manifest without focusing itself through the lens of the personality. Realisation is the sublimation of the energies and forces available in that particular personality and not, like most of the instant gurus claim, the destruction of the lens.
The “sense of I” is a contraction of Presence, but it is not a problem per se when “standing in Presence”. Presence can only manifest through a contraction of Itself. What is important, is to be aware, at all time, that it is just a contraction. The actor must always remember he is just an actor on the stage. it’s all there is to it.
Most Neo-Advaita “teachers?” are generally self-obsessed with the annihilation of the concept of “I”. They will go to great length to convince you that it is unnecessary and that they don’t have one anymore. That obsession is based on that incorrect understanding of the processes involved in the manifestation of Presence. They are also insisting that nothing matters anyway because everything is already perfect. That erroneous conclusion comes from the wrong interpretation of the correct concept of “nothing/everything”, I will talk about it in great length in another article.
The unfortunate consequence of the incomplete realisation of those “teachers?” is that an aura of nihilism radiates around Neo-Advaita. Their incorrect interpretations of real energetic processes is misleading many students and they will continue to do so until they enter the next stage of their awakening. By claiming that nothing is real and that everything is already perfect, they are confusing their followers and disconnecting the heart from the head. A flower does not need unpractical metaphysical concepts to grow, it needs water.
Those new self-appointed YouTube gurus are hammering their disciples with the fact that “everything is just happening”. You don’t really need to go through any form of spiritual awakening to realise that everything is happening. What they indirectly point at is that it is not necessary to interfere or control “what is happening” around you, that there is no need to achieve anything. In some regards, their views are actually very close from the views of Objectivism. Objectivism considers that there is nothing wrong in letting the weakest perish at the hands of the strongest as it is the natural order of things. The current Neo-Advaita concepts will indirectly take you to the same conclusion that there is no need to try to control what is happening around you. I am demonstrating on this blog that true realisation will direct you to the opposite conclusion. Presence can only manifest through the shaping of forces and energies. Presence is the source of “what is happening”, it is immanent and transcendent, the eternal witness as well as the eternal actor. Realisation is not about just establishing yourself as the nothing/everything witnessing Presence, it is about embracing your humanity and accepting to function through all levels of reality.
Neo-Advaita has disconnected the heart from the head and, in that regard, it became an incomplete and misguided spiritual strategy. Their rushed approach to awakening appeals to those who are looking for a quick and easy fix to their craving for enlightenment. Neo-Advaita is spiritual bypassing and, although the new YouTube instant gurus will claim otherwise, the core of their nature is essentially driven by a “spiritualized ego”, elevated to the supramental but still deeply disconnected from the heart of what IS, the heart of Presence.
What YOU ARE always loved and cherished what you think you are. Presence and your “sense of I” are one. Realisation is an embrace of Love between Presence and your temporary personality. Your personality is a tool, it is not about destroying it but about subliming it through Love, joy and enthusiasm.
Calwen
