Category: philosophical counseling
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Is Intellectual Knowledge Of Nonduality Irrelevant?
There’s an odd assumption often enough found in contemporary nondual spiritual circles, and it is that intellectual knowledge of the metaphysical doctrine of nonduality is either “obvious” or “irrelevant.” Both options strike me as naive, not to say also self-defeating. It is anything but obvious that, as the Chandogya Upanishad declares, “All this, indeed, is…
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Working With The Work: Who Are You Without These Beliefs?
A Workshop On Byron Katie’s The Work On August 23rd How Can’t I Help? In 1985, Ram Dass wrote a book entitled How Can I Help? The assumption, about the primacy of caring for others, is that we can. Could it be that this is the wrong question to ask, at least at the outset? Early in the pandemic, I…
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The Specific Meaning Of The Inward Turn
Ramana Maharshi states, “The Self is known to everyone, but not clearly.” All that’s needed is right here. The Self cannot be an object, nor can it be conjoined to one. This is because–to take but one distinguishing factor–the Self is continuously present whereas all objects appear and then disappear. Therefore, the Self is not…
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Am I Really Not The Doer?
Question: I’ve often heard it said that “I am not the doer.” But I don’t really understand this teaching, and, what’s more, it seems rather implausible, considering that, as an agent, I certainly seem to do things much of the time. What sense can be made of this statement? Let’s read carefully Shankara’s reply: 104.…
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What Am I To Make Of A Blissful Or Horrifying Experience?
A common satsang-style question has to do with one’s having a non-ordinary experience. Perhaps the experience was blissful, or maybe it was horrifying. What is one to make of it? The simplest reply is: “Nothing. Just carry on and forget about it. Your true nature is complete, abiding, unchanging.” If this reply doesn’t do it,…
Andrew Taggart, Ph.D. 