In the last post, I talked about how reality just might be an illusion because physicists are now suggesting that the material world is nothing more than a hologram, which would confirm what Eastern traditions have recognized all along, which is that “reality is an illusion.” There is also the suggestion of the interconnectedness of everything in our universe – that everything comes from the same ‘Source.’ Understanding that “we are all one” is becoming more and more obvious to us all, though the deeper implications of this statement still eludes us.
Duality implies separateness – the idea that we are separate from everything and everyone. Non-duality, on the other hand, implies the opposite. Non-duality implies “Oneness.” So let’s see what can help us understand a deeper layer of reality.
Various traditions give us simple, helpful tips. Here are a couple of them:
1) In certain yogas, repeating, “Neti Neti “ translated as “Not this, not this” to everything we see helps us to recognize that the material is not real.
2) The first lesson in the Course in Miracles is similar in that it has the student look at various objects and repeat, “This table (or book or coffee cup) doesn’t mean anything.”
These exercises serve a couple of purposes. They help the person understand that the physical world is not real, thus allowing him/her to transcend the material and come closer to understanding the Sacred, the Infinite Source, which created the illusion and is therefore the only thing that is real. Also, this exercise helps free the student of judgment. He/she does not form any opinion about anything. Everything just is. These are simple techniques that offer interesting insights. With the right intention, they are definitely worth giving a try.
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I love where you are going here.
A powerful moment for me was when I realized that by virtue of labeling or languaging ( a cup, a tree, John), the process for separation begins, because we identify ourselves as separate or other than a cup, a tree, John, etc.
It became easier for me to recognize how the “illusion” is regularly reinforced and the “reality” becomes lost.
It does take new eyes to see.
Thanks for the mind candy!
Well put, Lyn. Not only does it take new eyes to see, we need a whole new language. Words fail us. We need more direct experience, more of those “aha” moments like the one you experienced. Thanks for sharing…
Hi, Nonduality can’t be defined in the same way you define … tungsten, for example. There’s no single definition of nonduality that everyone would agree upon. Nor is a definition of nonduality intended to replace full teachings such as Advaita Vedanta or Buddhist traditions, or the teaching of any Guru. Nonduality is to be seen, lived, awakened to, and then, for whatever reason, one may try to define it.
Greetings,
I agree, there are no words to properly describe nonduality, only direct experience can do that. But words, as inadequate as they are, may provide a starting place for some to reach beyond themselves – to help shift their awareness outside of the material world – to seek out truth. Thanks so much for your comment. Namaste!