So seriously, what is this blog about anyway?
June 27, 2011 Leave a comment
First of all, if you have read any of my previous blog posts, I apologize for allowing my topics to bounce around like this… I mean, what is this blog about anyway? Self help, or blogging, or Taoism/Advaita Vedanta, or what?
Well, I think it’s turning into a blog about the fusion of all three.
I only ask for your patience as I let this child of mine settle into the form it wants to be of the most service to all bloggers and life-forms on this planet.
Since I started blogging (like two weeks ago) my life has seriously taken a turn for the upswing. So obviously I want to share my passion about blogging. At the same time, blogging has created a platform for me to put into practice many of the tools I have gathered on my journey in personal development and Advaita.
What is Advaita?
Advaita means “not two”. It is also known as non-duality, and..
…it provides huge relief by cutting human suffering off at the knees.
Advaita is an invitation to entertain the idea that, just maybe, this story that is constantly churning in our heads is not actually who we are.
That… just maybe, what we are is not totally contained in these separate bodies.
That…just maybe this struggle to acquire and achieve (whether spiritual or material) is a struggle to “get” what is already here.
Advaita doesn’t just preach that this is the case, it offers an invitation called self-inquiry asking us to just find out what this “I” (that is at the root of all our stories and problems and beliefs)… is.
Self-inquiry leads us to see that this “I” we believe ourselves to be, is actually nothing but a thought, and that thought must arise from somewhere. That “somewhere” turns out to be a mystery that cannot be touched by any word or description of any kind. It is beyond pleasure and pain, it is beyond suffering, and beyond anything manifest. It is home base, it is source, it is God …. our True Nature, who we really are… but words only point to the actual present moment, amazingly simple, experience of That, or rather… This.
WHoa…. I know that’s getting a little deep isn’t it?
And what the hell kind of good will this do for me?
Well, this is where the fusion takes place.
I’m sure we have all plunged into the great works of the personal development field at some point or other. Come on, fess up; affirmations, goals, vision boards, life coaches, law of attraction, manifesting your dream life, etc… you know you’ve tried it.
I actually really love that kind of stuff. I love Tony Robbins, and just ordered his course, “The Ultimate Edge” I love the movie the Secret, and Abraham, and Napoleon Hill and even Zig Ziglar. I think positively, set goals, and do all those things.
BUT…
If the non-dual approach points to the realization that I am that which I am seeking, materially and spiritually, that all aspiration is only towards that which is already here, that I already am….
Then what in the is the point of doing anything at all? Why not just sit on my ass and watch Netflix all day long?
I struggled with this seeming dichotomy for many years. And I think this blog is a resolution of that struggle:
“How do I merge Advaita Vedanta and personal developement strategies?”
The answer gives juice to both sides of the equation.
How?
Since I am already that which I am aspiring for, then my whole life, my goals, my aspirations, my activities, my “dream life” can be an expression of the incorruptible, unfathomable, miraculous Truth that I AM!
Then, my apparent journey in this world of work, relationships, finance, purpose — all the issues of life, including the obstacles which arise as a goal is attained, all this is far more easy to endure and cope with when I know — when I have the tangible experience and knowing, that…
…I am already totally, perfectly, complete and whole.
I am already that which I want. Instead of this realization making me lazy, this realization supports strength and determination to accomplish and express the physical reflection of my True Nature — which is the Perfect and complete Source of all.
Believe it or not, I will confess that there is yet another reason I am writing this blog, and that is… I really want to get better at communicating this.
This is simple stuff, so simple! but so deep compared to what a normal conversation sounds like.
So please, leave a comment. Even if you think I am babbling on and being incoherent, please tell me, because that will help me get better at sharing my message, which I know is needed in this world at this time.
So I hope this blog is helpful to you. I hope this fusion can help you find deeper meaning, peace, purpose and joy in this world during these challenging times.
And stay tuned! Please sign up for my RS feed or mailing list on the sidebar to your right. I’ve got lots of amazing stuff coming up on this blog; exclusive interviews with other teachers, a free audio/PDF course, original meditation music, and much more.
Thank you so much for your time, and feel free to contact me on the contact page with any other kinds of questions.
At your service,
Kapila