The Bearded Mystic Podcast

Beyond Manifestation: How Advaita Vedanta Challenges the Law of Attraction

• Rahul N Singh • Season 7 • Episode 49

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Rahul explores the fundamental differences between the Law of Attraction and Advaita Vedanta, revealing why manifestation practices often hinder rather than help spiritual seekers on the path to lasting happiness.

• Law of Attraction focuses on fulfilling ego desires while Advaita Vedanta aims to transcend them
• The world in Advaita is seen as a projection upon Brahman, not something to manipulate for personal gain
• Desires are viewed as the cause of bondage and suffering, not as tools for happiness
• The notion of "I am the doer" in Law of Attraction strengthens ego identity rather than dissolving it
• True Ananda (bliss) is our inherent nature, not something to be achieved through external objects
• Guidance from a qualified guru is essential in Advaita, whereas Law of Attraction promotes self-reliance
• Permanent happiness comes from realizing our true nature as formless awareness, not from manifesting desires

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Speaker 1:

Hello and welcome to the Bearded Mystic Podcast, and I'm your host, rahul N Singh. Thank you for taking out the time today to either watch or listen to this podcast episode. Today we're going to be looking at the Law of Attraction and how it relates to Advaita Vedanta. Now, this is an aspect of spirituality that a lot of people practice. I mean, one of the biggest spiritual books out there is called the Secret and I think it's a documentary as well, and I remember many, many years ago this is probably at least 15, 16 years ago first coming across things like law of attraction and the secret and all that stuff and manifestation. Now, obviously, I now have a different view. But I wanted to kind of understand how does all this fit in Advaita Vedanta if it does at all the Vedanta, if it does at all and and why I find that the law of attraction is more beginner level spirituality rather than someone who's really deeply interested and deeply involved in having a spiritual life. Now that's I hope I made that clear. Like you can, you can play around with spirituality and that's kind of like the first level where you just like kind of checking out what it is. But once you are fully aligned to the understanding that you are awareness, then there's very little room for kind of things like attracting things. You become more interested in being just within yourself, centered in yourself. In being just within yourself, centered in yourself when I say self, the true self, the formless awareness, brahman, the Atma, what we truly are, and just resting in that, just being aware of that and remaining in that awareness, obviously the person who created the secret, she, has come to this opinion that non-duality is the absolute truth. I think it's in her book the greatest secret. I personally haven't read it yet, but I've heard that she um got a lot of slack for actually kind of abandoning the law of attraction and what she previously did, but anyway. So let's look at I want to look at ways in which Advaita Vedanta does not actually support the law of attraction, because a lot of people in these spiritual circles I see on discord.

Speaker 1:

A lot people talk about manifesting law of attraction. You can attract anything in this universe and all this type of wonderful fluffy stuff. But is that really true spirituality? And I'm not saying it's not spirituality. What I'm saying is, is it the spirituality which the sages spoke about? Yeah, is it exactly what the rishis of the upanishads, the seers of the upanishads. Is that what they spoke of? Is that what they're interested in? You just have to, like, read a text and understand that law of attraction is for the babies in spirituality, if one has to use that word, or the infants. And that's not a bad thing, that's actually, it's necessary. We all have to grow and law of attraction may do that for people.

Speaker 1:

So but let's look at how Advaita Vedanta differs from the law of attraction and why I particularly do not follow law of attraction. Nor do I ask anybody to practice this. In fact, I more or less tell people to avoid it because it's more harmful for spiritual growth than conducive. Okay, so, but again, that's just based on people who approach me for helping spirituality. They, they are serious seekers. So I I see them in a different light. But, for example, if somebody was practicing law of attraction and they were happy with it, I'll just be like, continue what you're doing, like, so there's no. What I want to show you, that is there's no, um, there's no negativity towards that path. It's fine, um. But anyway, that's my few minutes spiel on that. So let's have a look at this.

Speaker 1:

So, first of all, advaita Vedanta teaches us that the individual self, the, the ego, the amkara, the jiv is actually ultimately mithya. It's neither real nor absolutely unreal. So it's not absolutely real, nor is it absolutely unreal, and that true liberation, true mukti, comes from actually transcending desires and realizing that the self, this Atman, is Brahman. So explaining this a bit further is that we may, the Jeev thinks it's the body and mind, right, so it's whatever it's got associated with, identified with, it becomes that, so it thinks it's that, not that it becomes that, it thinks it's that, so it thinks it's the body and mind. But when we get this knowledge, this Brahm Gyan, that actually you're formless awareness, you are the Atma, you know Tathamasi, you are that, you are this Brahman, you're not the body and mind.

Speaker 1:

So when we have this knowledge and we abide in it, we live in it, we address it, we kind of we do our manana with it, we check our doubts, we, you know, kind of see it from all angles, then, naturally, because we understand that this body and mind is only for a temporary time, yeah, the jiva will only house this body and mind for a temporary time. It's not eternal, but something in that temporary body and mind is something eternal. Yeah, there's something eternal there. What is that eternal aspect? And that's what's called the Atma. Now, the Atma itself is the same as Brahman, it's not anything different.

Speaker 1:

So what Mithya really means is that neither is it absolutely real, meaning that, you know, obviously the body changes, it decays, we have to let go of the body after physical death and that body no longer remains ours. So we know that it's not absolutely real from that standpoint. Then, from the standpoint of being real while we're in the body and mind, there is some truth to it. When I feel hungry, my body feels hungry, so my hunger is real. So Advaita Vedanta doesn't tell us to live in some fantasy land, that everything is Maya, like everything is an illusion. There's no such thing as illusion in in alvaita vidanta, and that may be some news for some people who've studied alvaita and think that maya means illusion. Maya means mithya, if we have to say it's the creative power of uh, of existence, of ishvara. So once you realize your true self, once, once you realize your Brahman, then there's automatically fulfillment.

Speaker 1:

Now, if you're fulfilled, are you going to be desiring things left, right and center, not really right. We're going to be more or less calm, centered, collected and not saying that desires do not appear or desires will not be attained. But desires do not define us. We do not identify with the desire like, oh, I need to get that car, the need has gone, the want has gone. It's oh, if I get the car cool, if I don't get the car cool. It's that type of desire, so desire where it doesn't stick to you.

Speaker 1:

Now the law of attraction, however, is different. It centers around fulfilling the ego's desire. So whatever the ego wants, it's like you know, you can achieve it, you can get it. You want that house, you think about it, you picture it, you'll get it, you'll attract it. And so by visualizing it, by attracting those external objects, whether that's wealth, success, relationships, whatever way, you know, ultimately that's what it's about. It's fulfilling whatever the ego wants.

Speaker 1:

So we're not addressing the actual ego here, nor are we addressing desires here. In fact, we are creating more of a, a bond with desires, therefore getting more bound in this world, and therefore the question of whether we are the atma will not occur, whether what is our true self is not going to occur if we're chasing, if we just imagine, if you can visualize and attract whatever you want, do you think that you're just going to stop at a simple house that you visualize for, or a car or a job. No, you're going to go bigger than that, and there's no end to desire. As long as there's no end to the world, there's no end to desire. So we have to look at that from that perspective, how law of attraction can actually blind us even more, and that's what's dangerous, right? That's my biggest gripe about it. So, as you can see that the the conflict here is that the law of attraction strengthens the ego's identification. Oh, you know, I visualized that house, I attracted that house. I visualized that car, I attracted that car. I visualized that job, I got that job. Do you see how it builds upon the ego identification and therefore everything is towards the body and mind complex. Whatever the mind wants, whatever the body body wants, that's what it chases.

Speaker 1:

And Advaita Vedanta says you know what you need to dissolve your desires. That's what's hindering you from being in awareness, being in your true self. And actually, the interesting thing is, the moment you transcend desires, is when you are truly happy. And this is something what a lot of people do not understand. They think oh, if I give up my desires, what's the point of living. Honestly, you see, everything is beautiful in life. Yeah, there's no need to attract anything or visualize anything. Everything is here right now. You don't have to like, visualize it, you don't have to attract it. Everything is here right now, you don't have to visualize it, you don't have to attract it. Whatever it is, it is, and that's the beauty. Why ask for existence to be something else? And that's where Advaita Vedanta really stands out, in my opinion. All of this is my opinion, so you know. That's one point, then.

Speaker 1:

Now this is an interesting one, because you could say this is what kind of defines the difference in philosophy. Advaita will say that this world, this jagat, is not ultimately real. As we mentioned just before, it's a projection upon Brahman. So it's superimposed, like a snake superimposed on a rope. It's not something to manipulate for personal gain. In fact, the world is not there for your personal gain, and neither is the world going to be manipulated. And so what this means is that this, this world that we see, it superimposes itself onto Brahman, our true nature. So we are this true nature. But because we see this gross objects, these physical objects, we ultimately think that's real and that's the only thing that's real. But when we have that knowledge, that direct realization that actually you know whatever is, whatever changes, is not ultimately real, then we understand in that moment that this is mithya. So, just like when you have a snake that's superimposed on the rope, it's always a rope, but when you don't have the knowledge that it's the rope, you think it's a snake. Same thing you think the knowledge that it's the rope, you think it's a snake. Same thing. You think the world is separate to Brahman, but actually you realize this world is none other than Brahman. But when you think it's different, you treat it different.

Speaker 1:

Now, what I mean by that also is you no longer want to manipulate the world. You see it for what it is and again, like I said, there's great joy in seeing it as it is. But law of attraction assumes one thing and this is where it becomes really worrying for people like me that the world is a manipulable reality. You can manipulate this reality because it changes according to your thought vibrations or frequency. You know people can talk about vibrations and frequencies. They do it a lot. You know I'm feeling the vibrations of this person, I'm feeling the frequency of that person, not saying that these things don't exist. But again, all that is in your own mind, the vibration you feel, is coming from your own mind. You say you superimpose how you feel onto the other person, but you'll claim the other person is making you feel this way or the frequency that other person is giving to you. Is that all of this is made up in our own mind. Once you realize all this is made up in your own mind, you drop it. And that's where law of attraction fails, because then you can't manipulate reality.

Speaker 1:

Now think about it. If somebody's not, for example, if you do not get what you want, then that means your thought vibrations weren't as strong. And think how that will make the ego feel. The ego will feel inferior. It was not able to manipulate reality to what it is. You could not get what you wanted, and so that's why in Advaita Vedanta, it does not look to change the world. In fact, you just see the world for what it is and you see it as Brahman. You see it as this ultimate reality. You see it as this ultimate reality and you understand that this ultimate reality is what stands. This world will disappear. It's a projection. So therefore it's an appearance and this appearance, just like you have a screen and you have a movie.

Speaker 1:

Once the movie ends, the movie ends, you don't look for the images in the screen. The screen is blank and the screen was always blank. It was never. It never had images printed onto it, it was just projected onto it. Realize that.

Speaker 1:

You realize actually, your awareness is what you are and think. Does this awareness have any boundaries? No, it's absolutely boundless. Is there any limit to this? No, it's absolutely limitless. Is it? Is there any forms to this? No, it's absolutely formless. It's never ending, never beginning. There's no start to it, there's's no end to it, it's infinite in nature. And just by abiding in that awareness, just relaxing into that awareness, automatically we feel fulfilled and we feel happy. It's so easy to feel happy once you understand non-duality, trust me, it's like the easiest thing, the most natural thing to do. And so again, advaita's goal is not to change the projection, but it's to realize that the substratum is Brahman, so what's behind it is Brahman. So you don't get caught up in the world. In fact, you've already been caught by your own true nature, which is Brahman, which is this ultimate reality.

Speaker 1:

Then, obviously, desires are a cause of bondage. They are what maintains the individual ignorance that we have and most of all, is what keeps us into samsara. If we want to be jivan mukta or we want to attain moksha from this birth and death cycle, the only way is to understand what is binding us here. So in Advaita it's clear desires are born of ignorance, which is avidya, the individual ignorance that I am this body and mind, and it keeps the jiva trapped in samsara. So we constantly want to have another life because we didn't get to complete all the desires in this life, in this current life. So it's going to be passed on to the next life.

Speaker 1:

But the moment we say, actually, jeev, you're not this body and mind, you are this Atma, you are this Brahman, and the Jeev accepts it and starts associating itself with awareness, with consciousness, then it breaks away from samsara and you and you, you actually feel this. You feel the breaking away of the ties with the world, and what happens is you understand that the whole world is within you, it's not separate to you, and neither do you need to change the world. The world is going according to its natural order, as Ishvara wants it to be, as God wants it to be. So here the most important aspect is desires, obviously are what keeps the individual alive. So the individuality, sorry.

Speaker 1:

So you are constantly wanting something, because it perpetuates the ego, perpetuates the individual, and therefore what we need to have is detachment. And so you know what I need to have this passion, this detachment to the world, and because these desires are not going to end and they're not going to fulfill me. So think about it logically. You have a desire.

Speaker 1:

Once you achieve that desire, how long does it keep you happy? For I give a classic example we buy a new car and we've got this car, we feel so happy about it. But what happens in two, three years? I'm being very like, kind of nice with the number two, three years it's a lot shorter than that these days. But how, how long do you feel happy with that car? Does it give you the same joy that you got as you had it the first day? If it isn't, then that means that joy changes. And if that joy changes because of the, the external object, that means the desire does not give absolute fulfillment, it does not give absolute happiness. In fact, the happiness is fleeting. So Advaita would say you need to go for that where happiness is not fleeting, but a permanent, you're a permanent resident, you're a citizen of happiness, and that's what we should aim for.

Speaker 1:

So if we're able to detach ourselves from desire and say you know what, if the desire gets completed, fine, but it's not going to define who I am. It's not going to define I'm not going to lose sleep over what I desire. And this is something we need to keep checking ourselves, especially in today's day and age where there's so much presented to us through social media, through TV, through all types of you know, we're driving, we see adverts, our desires are being pulled left, right and center. New ones are being born, old ones are being pulled left, right and center. New ones are being born, old ones are being put to sleep for a bit.

Speaker 1:

But the thing is, desires will always appear until you break away from them. When you say you know what? I'm not living for my desires, I'm living for happiness itself. And to live in that state where you just want happiness itself is when you're living in awareness, because you get that taste, you get that glimpse first, and once you've had that glimpse, you're not going to go back. Trust me. There's no way you can go back to the world and be back into the cycle of desires. There's just no way it can happen. It's like once you get a taste of this bliss, just a taste of this amrit, this nectar, you're not going to want anything else. You want to keep going, you want to stay in that. And that's when the journey of spirituality begins, when you realize that this is what you've been experiencing, this is what you've been for eternity. You have been happiness for eternity. You're not someone that gets happy. You been happiness for eternity. You are not someone that gets happy. You are happiness and you are blissfulness. You are fulfillment, you are completeness, you are burn them, and that's the point of spirituality. That's when it all begins.

Speaker 1:

But the law of attraction, as we've discussed, it's all about indulging and multiplying the desires, because you need to keep attracting new things and uh, and you believe that this will lead to happiness. But what happens is that happiness is short-lived. Then you need a new desire to feel complete again. So it's like a dopamine hit that you keep getting again and again and again, but all it's doing is stamping samsara more and more and more and more. And is that really what we want to do? Non-duality says you can be free from all this. So you know and for me? I've always said this I'd rather have permanent happiness over transient happiness. It's just common sense. Um, so clearly Advaita Vedanta views that desire is like a fuel. It's for the cycle of birth and death, for rebirth. It gives the energy towards that, but it's not a path to fulfillment, and that's the clear difference.

Speaker 1:

Then there is the uh, illusory nature, or the appearance that there is a doer. Now, in Advaita Vedanta be the notion that I am the doer is part of the false identification with the ego. So, realization, brahmagyan, this ultimate understanding leads us to understand that actually we are not the doer. The bhagavad gita is about you are not the doer. Yes, sri Krishna does say to Arjuna to pick up the sword and fight, but he says you're not in charge of the results. And at the same time, you know and he says do not see yourself as the doer, you're not the doer. Prakriti is the doer, you're the Atma. Yeah, and so the notion that I am the doer, you know, I'm the karta, that's just part of the ego.

Speaker 1:

If you see yourself as a doer, then obviously you're doing the karma. Then if you're doing the karma, you're gonna have to face the results of that karma because you are the doer, so you take a personal agency to it. But if you say I am the non-doer, I am not the one doing anything, it's prakriti. It's the body and mind that's doing I am the atma. When you keep going back to I am the atma one, your actions become pure. That's the first thing, which means that your thoughts are pure, your intentions are pure and it leads to the result that is more favorable to everyone and to yourself, whatever can give happiness to yourself and to others. With that in mind, any action like that is good karma, in my opinion, and it also removes the doership, because you no longer see yourself as the one acting in the world. The world is just continuing, your body and mind is just continuing and it's continuing beautifully.

Speaker 1:

There's a Zen saying before enlightenment, chopping wood, fetching water. After enlightenment, chopping wood, fetching water. That's literally the world continues, the body and mind continues, but you yourself are in awareness. You are the awareness, you are pure consciousness. And so, with the law of attraction, it's clear, right.

Speaker 1:

If you're desiring something, what is it perpetuating? It's saying that you are an individual. If you want to get something in the world, you have to attract it, you have to visualize it, you need to get it, and so you are the central creator of your destiny through thought. If you think it, you're destined for it. You create your own destiny. And in Advaita Vedanta it's clear you're not in charge of destiny. Ishvara is in charge of destiny, if one is going to go that way. But you can say, destiny is going to unfold by itself whether you do something or not. Destiny does not need your individual interference or your individual kind of perspective. Destiny is destiny.

Speaker 1:

But if you keep thinking you're the creator of destiny, then all you're doing is stamping your place in the world more and more. And you're saying that I am the doer here. So you see, there's a difference in the two. So Advaita would always teach surrender of the doership to realize your true nature, while the law of attraction says you know what? Let's magnify this doership, let's build upon it, let's expand it. And the opposite is done in Advaita Vedanta it's contract the doership and expand the self. It's not that the self needs to be expanded, your awareness of the self needs to expand, because maybe your awareness is just limited to the body and mind. So now you need to expand that, to have the whole universe. Now, if the whole universe is you, if the whole universe is contained in you, are you going to be selfish by getting what you want?

Speaker 1:

No, why is it that the people that talk about law of attraction cannot end wars? Why is it that the people that talk about law of attraction cannot end wars? Why is it that the people who believe in law of attraction cannot cure COVID? All these people and a lot of these people were against science who believe in this stuff, that means they are not with reality. Advaita Vedanta believes in being in reality. Law of Attraction means there's reality, but I can change it, I can manipulate it, I can change the destiny of this world.

Speaker 1:

So that doership aspect is taken out. Then there's the uh, the nature of moksha versus material fulfillment, and this is important in advaita the supreme goal, the ultimate goal, the one that is really, really one that we find the most important thing to us. For years it's been my biggest thing. I want Jivan Mukti and I desired Jivan Mukti because we want to be free from the identification of the body mind. We see the limitations of it, we understand that it's not going to last.

Speaker 1:

So what is it in me that's saying there's something that can last, but it's not this body and mind, because I see that people die. I've seen my loved ones die. I've seen that the whole identification of that person is gone as soon as the jiv leaves the body. You know that person, body, you know that person. You know I often talk about this my brother Amit, who died, when, as soon as he died, I remember literally within seconds, talking about what are you going to do with the body? I no longer said what are you going to do with my brother? What are you going to do with the body? I no longer said what are you going to do with my brother? What are you going to do with the body? I asked the nurse that question. So, automatically, we understand that.

Speaker 1:

So if the physical death causes that freedom from identification of body and mind, that we disassociate the jiv to the body and mind, then why can that not happen while we're alive? Now I'm not saying that you go around saying this body and mind, this body and mind. I'm not, you know, utilize language properly, but the understanding can happen where you can, in this moment, in fact, disidentify with the body and mind. When I say disidentify, I do not mean that you disassociate with the body and mind that you start saying, well, this is not who I am. No, you're still the body and mind, but you understand that your true nature is formless. Awareness is Brahman body and mind but you understand that your true nature is Formless. Awareness is Brahman. So what happens is you don't superimpose the body and mind being formless awareness. There's a subtlety, like the snake and the rope. So, again, that can be done in this life, where, in this moment, in fact, that you say you know what this body and mind is, something I have temporarily. It's a gift from nature, it's a gift from Ishvara and I'm going to utilize it with respect. And, most of all, I know my true nature. I know who I am. Now, this appears to be dualistic, but it's actually not, because you're not saying that the body and mind is something separate. You're, this is also part of you, but it's not the complete you. So the whole point is to merge with Brahman. Whenever we say merge, it means you understand that you are always Brahman and merging is just a way of saying that the individuality dissolves into the wholeness.

Speaker 1:

Now, the thing with law of attraction is that the goal is implicitly about fulfillment in the world. It's about success, relationships, possessions, getting more and more and more. The so-called word they use is abundance. And trust me, you can have, you can be a billionaire, you can have everything you want, but it does not mean that you will be happy. It does not mean that you will be a fulfilled person, it does not mean that you will be content. It does not mean that you will be a person with a good character, and we see this today. It's not something that is hidden from us. We see it in broad daylight today. So it's not about fulfillment in the world.

Speaker 1:

So, if you look at it, advaita Vedanta is clearly saying the pursuit to enlightenment is different and the pursuit for the world is different. One is transcendental, one is worldly. If you want happiness in the world, law of attraction may give that to you and may be so. But if you're wanting to transcend this world because you see that it's not going to last, then there's a transcendental fulfillment and that is moksha, that is jivan mukti, liberation while you're alive, and this is accessible to everyone. Once you get absorbed in the, the more and more you get that connection with consciousness, with your true self. And, yes, it starts dualistic, but once you start then dissolving your ego identity, it all makes sense.

Speaker 1:

Then the next one, which is an important one actually the role of Shraddha and Guru In Advaita Vedanta. Faith in the scriptures is important. It's very, very important, and faith in the Guru is also important for inner transformation. If we are to transform our understanding from body and mind to attrinate to being pure consciousness, formless awareness, then we have to have full faith in the scriptures and in the Guru for that inner transformation. And that it's not about our own will, our personal willpower. That's not important, and neither is our vibrations important. There'll be no talk of vibrations or frequency here. You know. It's all about understanding how to learn more and more about how a true nature is, pure consciousness, and therefore dissolving any misidentification or any superimposition.

Speaker 1:

A diasa, and then again the law of attraction, is about promoting self-reliance based on one's thoughts, emotions and visualizations, and vibrations and frequencies and so on. You see my point. It's all based on that, and so if you think bad, you get bad. If you think good, you get good, and it's rather simplistic, but that's what it does. You don't rely on a guru to help you, you don't rely on scriptures to help you, so you just think that your thoughts can do it, your emotions can do it, your visualizations can do it and therefore you don't need anything else, you know. So Advaita Vedanta clearly views knowledge or jnana from a guru as essential, as essential, as necessary, and not something optional. So this is a clear difference as well. A guru is absolutely necessary in Advaita Vedanta.

Speaker 1:

Then you have Satchitananda versus external joy, and we've hinted towards this now and we'll go into a bit more now. We went into it a bit before. So, ananda, bliss is your inherent nature. This Atma is Sat Chit, ananda, it's this existence, this pure being, and that is of pure consciousness and it's full of Ananda, it's complete, it's fulfilled, it's content. And once that's realized and once we understand that we are this self, this atma, this Brahman, this nirguna Brahman that has no attributes, then naturally, when we rest in that formless awareness, into that formless consciousness, then here there is no look, there's no quantum, there's none of that stuff. Yeah, there's no frequency, no vibration, there's no energy, no energetic stuff, because when our mind is quiet, there is not a flicker of any movement and awareness does not move, consciousness does not move. Existence may move, pure being may move, but in fact pure being will not move either. It's static, it's everywhere, it's all pervading, same thing as consciousness's all pervading, same thing as consciousness all pervading, same with ananda all pervading.

Speaker 1:

So is there a moment when you're not in bliss, when you're not in happiness, when you're not in ananda? Absolutely not, you're always in it. That's your natural state. So, yes, you, you will get challenges in life. You will get sad news, bad news, things that may upset you. You may grieve even for a few seconds, you may feel sad about certain things, but that doesn't mean that your true nature is not bliss. So what I mean by that is, very quickly you see the transient nature of those emotions and against Ananda it does not stand. They simply dissolve away once they touch ananda.

Speaker 1:

So once you remind yourself of your true nature and you let go of that minor uprising whirlpool of individuality that was necessary, feel Like if you lose a loved one. You're meant to feel that grief and that sadness. But once you realize that, oh, that person wasn't the body and mind. They're also me, they're with me right now. They are this formless awareness, then ananda, Then there's gratitude that you got to spend time with that person, and that's how I viewed my time with Babaji also. Babaji is no longer in my life in a physical way, but he's right here, because this consciousness cannot die and in my opinion he showed in his own lifetime that he is pure consciousness.

Speaker 1:

When you have that level of faith in the Guru, that you see the Guru as pure consciousness, then naturally it becomes very easy for you to become pure consciousness, or to accept the idea that you are pure consciousness, at least the concept in the beginning. But once you experience this as reality and you see it clearly, then one is indescribable and one you can never break away from it. At that point. So, but with law of attraction, you know that happiness is by acquiring those external conditions that you've put up, and so if you get it, you're happy, if you don't, you're not happy. And so, as I say, you know, once bliss is discovered within, by negating thoughts away, by negating desires, by negating emotional states, by negating anything that moves, anything that changes, when you get to that centered, formless awareness that is oneness with everything, and you realize there's nothing to gain here, there's nothing to lose here. It's all you meaning, this formless awareness, this Brahman, this Nirguna, this attributeless one, then you're at peace, you're in Ananda, you're in joy, unbreakable joy, and while you have possibly the other path, which is you know what, let's manipulate thought and get happy, but remember, even remember, one thing thought can never make you happy. Thought cannot lead to happiness. Thought can only lead you to more suffering. So what I mean by that is thought that is not based in awareness. If thought is based on the world, there is only suffering. Thought based in awareness, happiness, because then every thought is directed towards goodness, towards happiness for not just yourself, but for the whole of humankind, and that's something we should aim for.

Speaker 1:

I think that's a good episode to just end on this moment, and there's obviously a lot more deeper aspects that we can look at, and maybe we will do that next time. In fact, I do have a few things to discuss that are more deeper. So maybe on Monday we'll discuss that and, you know, let me know your thoughts. You know, do you agree with me? Do you disagree with me? Your thoughts? You know, do you agree with me? Do you disagree with me? It's an open discussion. And do you like this video? Do you comment? Do you subscribe?

Speaker 1:

But most of all, did you used to practice law of attraction and then it didn't. You saw the fallacy and then turned to Advaita, or or even that you followed Advaita and then you went on non-duality and then you went to lower attraction. Because you know one thing I will say is that anybody that perpetuates the idea that this body can give you happiness does not understand one clear thing this body does not last and it will decay, it will deplete and therefore it can never bring permanent happiness. It will get ill, it will have bad days. So how can we transcend those moments? And even when the body is healthy, when it's happy, when it's in good health, in good spirits, even then can we go through the highs and lows or do we want to be centered, highs and lows, or do we want to be centered? And, in my opinion, advaita Vedanta spirituality, deep spirituality, helps you to remain centered because it allows you to connect to one, that which does not change, that which is permanently here, and second, it gives you the gateway to permanent Ananda, permanent bliss. And all this is done with the grace of the Guru. I would say, even if I look at my own life, it's the grace of the Guru that I have achieved whatever I've achieved in spirituality, and if there is any improvement, it's because of that grace of the Guru that I have achieved whatever I've achieved in spirituality, and if there is any improvement, it's because of that grace of the Guru, and I've personally experienced how the Guru can show you your true nature.

Speaker 1:

I got it from a hug and, ironically, it was my guru's birthday and instead of me giving a gift well, I don't know, you can see it this way the gift was that I remember before. You know, I bowed down to my guru to give my salutations. I remember my thoughts before then. You know I bowed down to my Guru to give my salutations. I remember my thoughts before then. My intention was like you know, I'm surrendering everything to you. Whatever I have is yours. Nothing is mine. This body is mine. Nothing is mine. I'm letting it go. And I remember my guru hugging me and that moment where there was nothing but this pure awareness, and I didn't even know it was awareness until later, once I and it's amazing how things and from that moment I remember it was 23rd of February 2014. I'll never forget that day.

Speaker 1:

I remember that was my first experience of Absolute dissolution, where the ego had nowhere to go. Literally, I saw the ego panic Like where does it go? Where can it go? There's no body, there's no mind that he can associate with what is going on here, and and all I remember was just being in this absolute peace and um, and it's like I could sense my guru's heartbeat and it was like the sound of the universe, it was like Aum, and that's all I felt and it was phenomenal. So I didn't attract that, I had to let go. I didn't attract that, I had to let go.

Speaker 1:

And All I know is that from that moment my spirituality went from Small progress to A speed I Cannot reconcile with and understand. But everything is the grace of the guru and you know, my, my whole being is just full of gratitude to that one that is continuously making sure that I do not step away from this. And the funny thing is I don't think I can. I don't know of life other than this. I don't know how to live in the world anymore. I'm living in grace. That's literally my life and that's how I feel now and that's why I'm living a householder life too, and you know that's I'm just full of gratitude for that, just full of gratitude. But anyway, thank you very much for listening. I hope this episode was good for you, but but yeah, we'll look forward to the next episode. Take care, namaste, everyone, bye.

People on this episode

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The Bearded Mystic aka Rahul N Singh

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