THE LIBERATING POWER OF NON-DUALITY

COPING WITH THE CHALLENGES OF A WOUNDED WORLD - PART ONE

Obviously, our whole world is facing a litany of challenges, which collectively generate a very dark cloud of fear and uncertainty. There are very few, if any simple solutions. However, I have found that the basic principles and practices of non-duality offer very effective coping strategies that can strengthen and pacify our hearts and minds. This strength gives us the power to remain peaceful, positive and free of stress and the other by-products of this ominous darkness.

So, what is non-duality? Simply stated it is the process of embracing oneness. Life tends to be broken into segments. We have our relationships, our work, our enjoyments, our dealings with the material world and it’s demands. We may have a spiritual path or religion. And, we have a sense of personal identity that usually involves a sense of separation. We even have different masks that we wear in many of these different segments of our lives. This collection of masks makes up our persona. Our lives are fragmented. Non-duality then reveals the basic flaw in this sense of separation, showing us, that our sense of reality is an elaborate construction unfolding within our mind. We see the interconnectedness of all that is and the unity that is implied. We experience directly that all is truly One.

What does this have to do with facing my challenges? This is only a starting point. Eventually we will need to turn inward and begin to embrace this view of reality in meditation. But, we start with a conceptual understanding. When we begin to experience the state of the non-dual we have an entirely different reality. One of the most essential concepts is to see clearly the nature of our persona. Our sense of who and what we think we are and that our view of the outer world is, for the most part, entirely an elaborate creation based on all that we have learned, experienced and felt. Our thoughts, feelings, opinions and beliefs have merged together in our minds to make up our ego-personality. We are shaped by all of the details of our birth, our education, our relationships and especially in our time, by media of all sorts and the culture in general. This is inescapable. Every perception and experience flows into our minds through the filter of these experiences. Of course, much of this programing is useful, enjoyable and necessary. Yet, most of us have had experiences and influences that tell us we are not worthy, we are not intelligent, attractive, creative, lovable and so on. We learn our fear, how to worry, how to limit and negate ourselves. Eckhardt Tolle calls this the “Pain Body”. These negative thought forms, and that’s all that they are, get stored in our bodies, are triggered by outer events and these events stimulate stress chemicals that are highly addictive. There is much more to understand here but for now, the take away is that the stress, fear, uneasiness, and uncertainty are all related to the negative content of our minds.

Does this mean I have to eliminate my ego? No, our ego -personality is not the problem. The obstacle is our belief that this ego-self and the world it perceives is completely solid, that it exists exactly as it appears, that everything is a separate object and that our bodies are who we really are. We define ourselves by our labels and accomplishments. We simply need to understand the limits of this view. Everything that seems to exist is impermanent! Especially us. If we look into the process of the death experience we see that everything we know and cling to is fading away. Our name and fame, wealth and power, our relationships, every outer detail simply vanishes as our bodies shut down. In fact, the only thing we can hold onto is our spiritual self, we return to the non-dual state, one with the source of all life. And science shows us that absolutely all that exists is in motion, that our reality is actually the result of frequencies, energy and light. We are stardust held together by consciousness. The science of consciousness is in its infancy in our time, and yet the ancient wisdom has stated this for ages. So, no there is no destruction of the ego -self. There is however, a very gentle process of transforming those negative thought patterns that prevent us from evolving into our true self. We should never feel that we are at war with any aspect of our being. Since the bulk of our dysfunctional thought patterns are from our programs, and not so much from conscious choices, there should be no sense of guilt or shame. These minds are not useful. Non-dual practice is vey relaxed and loving, beginning with ourselves.

How is the denial of this reality not turning my back on the world? It is not a denial, only a recognition of the way things truly exist. This recognition results in a sense of freedom. It is essential that we experience our true reality in the depths of meditation. Non-duality is primarily about direct experience and that comes from some form of meditation. In no way is there a departure from this conventional reality, except in very deep meditation which is, ideally, a daily practice. In meditation we connect with the source consciousness. That frequency contains deep unconditional love and compassion, great joy, profound wisdom, unshakable inner peace and a sense of liberating power. These qualities merge with the ego-personality and we embody them. We bring them into our lives and into our world and through our interaction with the world, we do what we can to benefit others.

The take away of Part One is to simply begin to understand that this world is not what it appears to be. That there is a profound truth underlying appearances. Just consider it. This is just the first step! Just begin with an open curiosity.

I want to offer you a very simple meditation. Just try it. Don’t worry about your mental restlessness, just relax and enjoy the silent stillness.

SIMPLE BREATHING MEDITATION

Sit comfortably

Relax your body, (Be aware of it and thank it).

Relax into the present moment,( The sacred Now, the only true endless moment).

Focus your attention in your chest area near the heart.

Breath from your heart ( Feel that the breath is moved by the diaphragm , not so much the nostrils.)

Breathe normally ( Notice the pause between each inhalation and exhalation.)

Feel that with each in breath you are drawing love into your body and mind, then breathe out love into the world ( Mentally feel and think “love”.)

You can alternate using the word “peace”, or add “ I am love/ I give love”/ “I am peace/ I give peace”. Feel free to improvise!

You can focus on the pause between in and out breaths and feel the stillness there. That’s optional. Experiment.

PART TWO: Cultivating a New Mind; Regaining Your Balance