Question 31: What actually is the difference between the modern "neo"-advaita and the traditional avaita vedanta? For me modern western neo-advaita is as if a surgeon operated without studies and practical education.
Oliver: Because human mind wants to analyze and classify everything it takes possession of, it inevitably creates a science out of everything. If mind deals with oneness it's the same. Using the method of analysis mind creates two and more things out of the One. It builds a complicated construct of ideas and calls it for example "religious science", "philosophy" or "teachings of advaita-vedanta".
The term "neo-advaita" isn't quite right because a "new non-dualism" actually doesn't make sense. The kind of "non-dualism" I define in the ->glossary doesn't care about the form of the traditional indian advaita vedanta. I only borrowed the sankrit-word "advaita". Nothing more. So forget about advaita and neo-advaita. It's only unnecessary ballast. It's not a matter of words but of the ONE. The direct unfiltered teaching of something that can't be taught. Here, in Europe and not in India. In English or German and not in Marathi or Tamil language. Until mind gives up.
And now I'm coming to your interesting image. I would say it as follows: Where there is no patient there is no need for a surgeon. He can't operate a completely healthy human being more healthy, no matter how brilliant he is. So the operation is cancelled because it was identified, from no one, as unnecessary.
Question 32: Oliver, are you still suffering? And are you still angry sometimes?
Oliver: Anger can still appear. Sadness or fear too, according to the conditioning of the body-mind-unity which can be very strong after some years of life as you perhaps know... Everything can appear. But you can't characterize it as suffering because suffering needs a person who suffers which doesn't exist anymore in this case. There is just impersonal anger and acts can occur to calm down the anger which is felt as a kind of energy in the body. But there aren't thoughts anymore which personify the anger, give a personal history to it and transform it into suffering. Without this history anger or sadness disappear very quickly. But how strong anger or sadness might be: the impersonal basic feeling of deep peace is always present.
Question 33: If our life is determined does this mean that we can't do anything? That everything happens like it should happen? Is everything "gods plan"?
Oliver: Life, the world, the universe simply happens. EVERYTHING simply happens. Without a plan and without a cause (creator), without time and space. Human mind thinking to be a separate person with an own will simply happens. Decisions and acts happen without being somebodies decisions or acts. And in front of every "happen" you can always put "apparently". Because actually nothing happens at all. There is only oneness. You are endlessly free. You are the feather in the wind. And you are the wind.
Question 34: To believe that everything is ONE frightens me more than it makes me happy because I'm completely alone. I feel so lonely with this image.
Oliver: That's because this thought automatically put "being alone" on one level with "being lonely". To be completely alone doesn't mean to be lonely. Only a separate ME, a ME who can't imagine being without other separate MEs comes up with the idea that a world without other MEs could be lonely. In complete oneness emptiness isn't felt as loneliness but as fusion with EVERYTHING. It approximately can be described with the terms freedom, peace and bliss. Because this feeling isn't personal there is no need for others to bring me freedom, peace or happiness. The others are oneness too.
Question 35: It is said that one has to get rid of everything in order to get completely liberated. What exactly does this mean?
Oliver: The conditioned imagination of human beings in this dual world of time and space is that everything must have a cause. Before complete liberation can occur, as often is argued, something has to happen. For example, something has to get rid of (for example fear, material things, some thoughts, etc.) or a "gateway to enlightenment" has to be crossed or a jump into freedom has to be done. The list is endless. But there isn't anybody who could or has to get rid of something. Oneness can't let go oneness. Oneness can't cross oneness. Oneness was, is and always will remain oneness. You also don't have to get rid of wealth (unless you want to live on the street from now on). Wealth itself IS oneness. You also don't have to get rid of an "unworthy" thought. The thought is oneness too. Liberation doesn't happen BECAUSE of the abandonment of something but, if you like, IN SPITE of the abandonment. Oneness was there before the abandonement and will be there afterwards. Like waves in the ocean are always there and are always the ocean. Liberation is exactly NOW.
