What is Non-Duality?

Meditation, psychedelics or simply living life can be transformative; non-duality can offer life-altering insights. It can cause an unprecedented shift in perspective and identity beyond good vs. evil and right vs. wrong.

Burton cautions of the dangers associated with fake non-dualism and pseudo-Advaita, saying it can be “debilitating and crippling.” To protect oneself he advises fostering spiritual discernment while only studying authentic Advaita Vedanta teachings.

What is non-duality?

Non-duality is an understanding of the ultimate nature of reality that transcends religious or philosophical restrictions, having roots in Advaita Vedanta, Buddhism and Taoism among others. While non-duality can be defined variously – from “not two” prior to separation in apparent dualisms to the idea that everything that appears as part of consciousness – non-duality remains at its core an intuitive understanding.

Duality is a mental framework composed of beliefs, thoughts, and ideas that form your perception of reality. Belief in duality causes people to categorize things as either “good” or “bad,” right or wrong – causing much unnecessary suffering for both sides involved.

However, once you understand that life does not function on a binary model and can adapt a non-dual approach, life becomes much more peaceful and joyful. Non-duality can be achieved through meditation and other spiritual practices; any person willing to put in time and effort may achieve non-duality awareness.

Practice non-duality to realize that your identity lies beyond your body, mind, or emotions and that these experiences are simply temporary. Once you realize non-duality it’s like emerging from a cocoon to discover a vibrant butterfly emerging on the other side: an immense transformation of how you view and engage with the world and yourself within it.

Start exploring non-duality by finding a quiet space and taking some deep breaths. When you feel calmed down, take a moment to gently gaze upon an object nearby – keeping in mind that they too are aware of themselves as much as you are! Repeat this until it becomes impossible to separate yourself from everything around you.

How can I practice non-duality?

Practising non-duality requires shifting away from belief and judgment towards experiencing. This can be accomplished through meditation, psychedelics or simply being present with what’s going on now. Shifting from duality to oneness can have profound impacts on your life – more peace, happiness and sense of connectedness to everything happening around you; plus it could alter some perspectives on things that once held as true for you.

Non-dual meditation practices vary considerably in their focus and purpose, yet all tend to aim for an expansive state of awareness characterized by expansiveness, generosity and nuance – often manifesting itself through a sense of the sacred present in everyday life and being able to transcend emotional suffering. Non-dual meditative practices place special importance on effortlessness as a key factor for mental freedom.

Recently, an enactive approach has been created to investigate what is necessary for experiencing freedom from subject-object duality, free of ordinary waking consciousness. The objective of this method is to provide a principled framework for understanding its structural requirements as well as facilitate theoretical discourse on non-dual meditation practices.

Meling (2021) offers two key structural requirements for shifting towards non-dual modes of experience: non-adaptivity and non-dual reflexive knowing without adaptive sense-making (phase 2 enactment). This creates a non-dual mode of consciousness unfettered by self-other distinction.

This second level of analysis serves as the foundation for discussing non-dual meditation practice with respect to Mahamudra, an offshoot of Tibetan Buddhist Mahamudra tradition. Specific Mahamudra instructions that encourage maintaining mindful meta-awareness without making it the object of attention directly correspond with Meling’s enactive framework requirement for reflective knowing without adaptive sense-making.

This article seeks to compare more concrete hypotheses generated through principled enactive meshworks with actual practice instructions from Mahamudra tradition, in order to evaluate whether they serve as valid indicators of an enactive description of requirements for shifting towards non-duality and practice instructions from that meditative tradition.

How can I apply non-duality in my life?

Non duality is not simply another spiritual practice to pursue; rather it provides a subtler way of looking at reality. Non duality serves as the doorway into truth that often goes overlooked in belief systems, leading to peace, freedom, fearlessness and fulfilment for the individual. Non duality helps one realize an eternal, unchanging and permanent Self (Atman), or Ultimate Reality or God in all experiences – thus realizing inner peace.

Non-duality has historically been associated with Eastern teachings such as Advaita Vedanta, Buddhism and Taoism; however its basic concept transcends all faiths and traditions. Non-duality refers to an underlying truth which lies beyond all faiths and traditions – it means “not two”, emphasizing its core principle that exists prior to any apparent separation and division.

Non-dual meditative practices aim to provide direct experiential insight into the nature of reality. Unlike other forms of meditation, non-dual practices emphasize effortlessness and the release of tendencies to control or alter one’s mind – the aim being recognition of self-reflective awareness which perceives itself as the knowing consciousness that perceives being of what it noticing. This form of meta-awareness directly corresponds with Meling’s model for recognising non-duality: an understanding mode which does not fall into subject-object duality.

An approach to nonduality can be attained using various techniques such as meditation, yoga, breathwork and other forms of contemplative practice. But to gain full benefit of nondual perspectives it’s essential to cultivate spiritual discernment – don’t believe everything your teacher or writer says and be wary of self-hypnosis or other distortions in which the mind tricks itself into believing something that doesn’t actually exist!

If you want to explore non-duality further, one way is through Advaita Vedanta teachings like those presented by Bhagavad Gita and Adi Shankara. Reading books written by individuals who have had direct experience can also provide useful insight. These personal accounts will give an idea of what this experience feels like and can change lives for themselves and those around them.

What is the purpose of non-duality?

Experience of nonduality allows us to understand that everything is interdependent and true reality is one. This awareness changes how we view the world, our place in it, and life more meaningfully and consciously. Non-duality can be found across various spiritual traditions such as Buddhism, Hinduism and Christianity; specifically it can be found through God being seen as the One Divine Spark within all things; this concept is known as Nondual Christology or Panentheism: believing all beings are one with divinity.

Non duality is often expressed through enigmatic phrases like, “there are not two,” or “what you see is what you seek.” Although non duality may seem daunting at first, its core concept requires us to let go of our ideas and beliefs about the world – an uncomfortable process but essential for true freedom and happiness. Non duality can be experienced through various avenues – meditation, psychedelics or even an unexpected encounter with another individual.

Once we experience non duality, it may be tempting to want to stay in this blissful state as much as possible. However, it is essential to remember that non duality does not involve isolating oneself from reality or evading negative emotions or experiences; rather it involves accepting that these are part of life and can be utilized for growth.

Nondual teachings assert that self and reality can be discovered directly within ourselves through self-knowledge; this state is known as enlightenment, the ultimate aim of spiritual practice. Advaita and Zen both offer nondual paths toward reaching this state of being.

Non-duality involves more than accepting suffering and difficulties; it also means living from a place of love and compassion. This means seeing other people as extensions of yourself, treating them with kindness and respect, being open to new experiences, and being fully present in every moment.