The Zen of Advaita - Stephen H. Wolinsky Ph. D.

In Zen language, you never want to“nest” in a state, no matter howpleasant or enlightening.Nisargadatta Maharaj used to probefor a state then deconstructit. As in Zen, there was a“giving” of a state or concept,and then a “taking away” as soonas the state’s purpose, namelyof unpacking, was completed andit was time to move on. Alltechniques are for a specificperson, for a specific situation,and for a specific time.(As an aside, if a spiritualtechnique, mantra, yantra ortantra or practice is usedpast its expiration date, orif given incorrectly or giveninappropriately, the practitionerwill be left experiencing bothpain and frustration which yieldrigidity and fundamentalism.)This “taking away” of a state ortechnique had to be immediatelyapplied once a student imaginedthat it was “it”.Simply stated, as soon as youthink you’ve accomplishedsomething, you are stuck.110