Vannakkam all:
There has been plenty of discussion on this, and yes, I have sat back and watched ... to this point. All viewpoints are correct for the individual expressing it.
From my viewpoint, the ultimate non-experience is the realisation of the Self-God within. It is our destiny on this planet, and something all souls will eventually arrive at. I'm not sure if I would term it a goal.
In the meantime, there is the path. In many ways, it is more important than the end, because without it the end won't be there. We have to think in practical terms. All this talk of God and moksha within the intellect is a burden, a waste of time.
I remember having a talk a long time ago with a senior swami in the order I am affiliated with. (The editor of Hinduism Today) I said something about not being very interested in the concept of God, and more interested in controlling anger in situations such as burning the toast. He laughed with me at the time, but the conversation must have struck a chord with him because about 15 years later he mentioned the very same conversation to me.
I've made similar comments on here before so my viewpoint is nothing new to older readers. Advaita isn't practical enough for me. As Saidevo related so humbly and honestly, his sore point was laziness. That has been mine at times as well. So has anger management. So has the inability to just 'be the observer' and many many others. You have to work at the level you are at. We don't feed calculus concepts to the Kindergarten class.
Moksha is something for the very very advanced. There are many who can regurgitate other's words on moksha. But that is all of the intellect, and as soon as the next personal crisis comes along, it is all forgotten. There is also the trap that I liken to the Christian trap of "Jesus loves me so all is okay". It goes something like this, "Since God is All and in all, it is only God that is doing this stealing, this adultery, this criticising, this abuse, etc." It's an intellectual trap, a wandering off the path.
I knew a man who figured Ganesha would find him a job, so he didn't bother looking. I am not making this up.
When I was in Mauritius, I stayed in a family compound that had a main house and three sons were having their houses built. One was built, and one had the first two layers of concrete block done. It was obvious the process was slow. I asked about it. "Oh, it'll get done when it gets done. We save money, and when we have enough for another whole layer of block, we'll do it." They weren't even visualising the completed house, let alone the completed house for the third son. It was literally one brick at a time, not metaphorically as the saying. That really struck me.
Aum namasivaya
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