Neo-Advaita: Is it a Shortcut to Moksha?

The Emergence of Neo-Advaita

Modern society has become extremely convenient. When we want a quick meal but do not want to prepare it, we go to a fast-food restaurant. We buy devices with a remote control so that we do not have to get up in order to operate them. If we want to lose weight, we skip the traditional exercise and diet and instead take weight-loss pills or go under the scalpel. For good or for bad, that is how our society has evolved. And now, we have the fast food version of a spiritual path, called Neo-Advaita.

Traditional yogic teachings are based on Advaita Vedanta, or non-dualism. The aim of these teachings are to realize the oneness of our individual self (Atman) and universal consciousness (Brahman) by freeing ourselves of mental distortions, known as maya. It involves a lifelong effort to purify the mind and body through mental and physical practices. Neo-Advaita claims that it can do this in an instant. All one has to do is convince oneself, "I am that." No studying scriptures, no meditation, no shadow work, no cultivating virtues ... Sounds great, or is it?

A Path without Self-Reflection

A longtime yoga instructor says she encounters an increasing number of neo-Advaita followers nowadays. She explains the issue with neo-Advaita by using a real example. One day, as she talked about self-reflection in class, a new student became visibly upset. The student went through the entire class with a sour expression on her face, and when the class was over, rushed to her yelling, "Look what you did to me! Can you see me shaking?! I will now be shaking for several days, and it is ALL YOUR FAULT!"

The student proceeded to file a complaint with the hospital where the instructor taught, alleging that she was practicing politics. The instructor learned from another student that the student in question attended a yoga class for many years in which the teacher repeated like a mantra, "You are great. There is no need to change anything. You are perfect the way you are!"

Illusion of "Getting It"

Traditional (Advaita) Vedantic teachings are full of depth and complexity. Many people spend a lifetime studying them. They involve the reading of scriptures and philosophical texts, and practical application of these teachings. Through such teachings, practitioners gradually develop the capacity to discriminate between what is real and unreal. Cultivating virtues is also an important part of Vedanta and a prerequisite for moksha, or Self-realization. The expansion of consciousness takes years of sincere, dedicated effort.

We can use the analogy of a spinning wheel and stationary wheel to explain the difference between someone who has practiced Advaita sincerely for a long time and someone who became one with the universe by reading about neo-Advaita. Have you ever seen a wheel that was spinning so fast that it looked stationary? To the untrained eye, both wheels may look identical. Both a traditional Advaita and neo-Advaita student may display the same calm composure and recite the same words of wisdom.

However, it is when something arises, like a problem, or a disagreement, or a tragedy, that the stationary (untrained) wheel collapses. The illusion of having attained moksha crumbles, and one returns back to their troubled, egotistical, unenlightened self.

Journey Through the Self

While Neo-Advaita offers a convenient entry point to understanding non-duality, the teachings of traditional Advaita are much deeper. A profound understanding of spiritual truths, attaining genuine insight, and experiencing true transformation can only be attained by long-term, sincere practice.

Self-reflection is an important part of spiritual evolution. It is also the most difficult part. As much as it would be nice to skip it, it is an integral element of the journey itself. Any attempt to avoid it would result in what is called in spiritual traditions as "bypassing." We would only be kidding ourselves.

As the ancient text Bhagavad Gita states, "Yoga is a journey of the self, through the self, to the self." We cannot reach the self without first going through the self. That includes all those dark shadows we would rather not deal with.