Greetings
Lately I keep seeing an increase of posts across various circles, saying how non duality translates into wholeness and therefore "we are already are" and there is nothing to be done but just "be", rings more like passive compliance -perhaps even the quiet wish of those who benefit most from our sleeping this world of 1's and 0s or duality as they call it, the world of extreme opposites, where say say darkness does not exist without light, where you are labeled "this" or "the other", often times in extreme opposites.
What could non duality possibly mean?
For me personally - Home. Easy as that. Bold I know, tho I am allowed to my opinion, one would hope. The place before the illusion, before the separation and while separation is part of the illusion, we must be aware of the existence of separation at least within this world of illusions.
Now that doesn't mean we cannot speak about non-duality, remines of our time before "here" and try to make sense of it - but to attempt to practice non duality within the illusion is an oxymoron by default - arguably so, equally to speak about wholeness in a world of separation is conflicting, but yet once again, recognizing or rather remembering these concepts is the stepping stone for home-coming.
Advaita, The Plenora, The Tao, The Source as some call it these days.
All names to describe the place where our true Self and consciousness truly originated, beyond the illusion of the Ego, as I called it earlier home, where we originated before the split our entrance into this realm, whatever the reason, let's leave that be for now, that by itself is a separate "story".
So what does non-duality really mean beyond "Home"?
Personally the way I see is simply as follows: it's a place of vastness, wholeness and resonance. A place where the greater good is not measured by opposites but by quite simply observing and understanding the results of an action on the collective. By observing the consequences of an action, we can determine whether it was positive or not - no need for opposites or darkness as a measuring stick.
Utopic, madness, wishful-thinking, yeah I know what you are thinking and yet let me show you a simple example how the mind forgets, but the soul always remembers.
When you were a kid, even before capable of speech, when you hurt another kid, how did that make you feel - awful, wasn't it?
You see the soul when it enters this realm before it gets corrupted by obvious darkness of this world remembers its natural essence.
The resonance of the higher Self within the soul is still pure before the corruption of the Ego.
As we grow older, we "learn better", learn to put on masks, use the Ego to navigate this realm and worse of all, start justifying and accepting the darkness as part of this existence - only natural, it's a coping mechanism afteralll, yet one that can cloud the soul's essence if not recognized.
So how can we exist in non-duality, be whole, be in oneness and still be ourselves without losing our identity?
Another concept that failed to escape me for the longest time, something that I must recognize made me scared - classic mindgames of the Ego.
You want to think as the other side as an infinite treat, an old wise Oak that long before linear time, one that predates all other realities - simulated, illusory or not.
Base reality - a place where some say, we can materialize and de-materialize at free will, explore the vast real cosmos as we wish, be incarnated or in ethereal/spirit form.
But let's focus on the question at hand, if we think as the oneness an old wise Oak, each branch represents the Self - the Oak has many different and distinct branches, which exists with their own distinct characteristics and colorful features...
There is much richness in diversity, wouldn't you say? Equally, what's a tree without its branches? Nothing but a hollow log, I would dare say.
This is how I have personally understood the paradox of how to be in oneness without losing the Self (nevermind the Ego, the clouding knock-off version of the Self that only serves to navigate the illusion).
How do we even start to remembering the way back "Home"?
By embracing your higher Self, understanding this world for the illusory nature that is and more importantly, active participation, metanoia active transformation in heart and perception, a conscious shift of the mind.
Nothing to do with becoming enlightened , a saint, a meditation master, special or dissolving the Ego - Once again nothing but refined and clever distractions, subtle traps designed to keep us asleep within the dream.
They distance us from the much simpler, more natural process of beginning to remember who we truly are.
I can only tell you what has been working for me, as this process continues to unfold, its got to do with alignment and resonance.
Each experience is different, we all wear different masks afterall and have different attachments.
But if I could say the main things that have helped me along the way are:
- recognizing this world for the illusion, distraction and separation it is.
- using my consciousness as an antenna with purpose, actively asking "my higher Self" for answers and not from an Ego perspective, I remember the first time I searched in the stillness "and managed to speak with my consciousness" for lack of a better word - I was encountered with the first paradox:
Who is asking? Is the the mask or the one behind it?
That pointed me towards the right direction but I struggled to understand initially, for all I had known was the mask for most of my time here on this realm.
The mask/ego feels like a loud child, trying to rationalize everything, always protecting itself much like a child constantly yelling "ME ME" "Show me, show me", demanding instant rationalization, the higher Self on the other side, is non-linear, sits with paradox, contemplates, understands sometime it is not ready yet to comprehend, yet at some point, things fall into place, it has no problem waiting for stillness or readiness to understand a paradox somewhere down the line, unlike the mask/ego which demands everything to be known and rationalized "now"
Moments where I managed to personally speak with my conscience/Higher Self....
- In the night time, out in nature, under a tree, in particular next to the water or inside the water..... there is a voice of intuition there beneath all the noise and the intrusive thoughts, a voice of your true eternal Self, we have been lead to belief as madness, a voice that brings clarity (the inversion of the truth is a classic dynamic is the world of illusions), a subtle whisper in the back of your mind that is there for all to synch and connect with, if only we would actively ask and listen......
While what I am seeing sounds controversial, arguably one of the greatest minds who walked this realm and discussed the unconsciousness, Carl Gustav Jung spoke of this himself, he called this voice Philemon, a mentor archetypal guide, of this he famously said and I quote:
“a force which was not myself” “He said things which I had not consciously thought”
Time and time again the same truth resonates across this realm: see within.
Perhaps this are nothing but the rambling's of a mad man, perhaps of someone who is beginning to awaken within the dream.
I have no answers, only stories of my path and what has worked and is working for me - that's all.
As Plato hinted, keep your mind distracted with matters of this reality, or rather the shadows of the caves of illusions and remain trapped within it, use your consciousness with purpose - beyond the Mask, to sense and communicate with something more ancient than this reality, longing to reconnect with us and urging us to re-awaken mid-dream, or alternatively, stay compliant and end up like Sisyphus.
Yes I see the paradox - I am ending this non-dual rant in a highly dualistic fashion. I started by speaking of the paradox of speaking of non-duality within a dual reality, it only seems fitting that I embody it on a closing note.
Food for thought.