"What is meant by non-duality Mahatmi?
It means that light and shade, long and short, black and white, can only be experienced in relation to each other; light is not independent of shade, nor black of white. There are no opposites, only relationships." ~from The Lankavatara Sutra The following excerpts from some basic Buddhist teachings may give you something to ponder this week. You might consider the Boundless States and the Hindrances over this week and pay attention to where you recognize when any of the Hindrances arise then bring to mind Boundless States. You might even practice replacing a hindrance with a boundless state. Since there is no either or, we always have a choice in how we teach ourselves to view the world. In Buddhism the Boundless States are considered friends on the way to Nirvana. They help in dissolving the idea of a separate self. 1. Loving kindness 2. Compassion 3. Sympathetic Joy 4. Equanimity Near Enemy is a quality that can masquerade as the original, but is not the original. Far Enemy is the clearly opposite quality. The boundless state serves as an antidote for the quality mentioned as the Far Enemy. Boundless State: loving kindness Description: good-will, friendship,unconditional love for all beings. Near Enemy: selfish love Far Enemy: hatred Boundless State: compassion Description: to feel with empathy, to feel with someone instead of for someone. Near Enemy: pity Far Enemy: cruelty Boundless State: sympathetic joy Description: spontaneous joy in response to others success Near Enemy: hypocrisy Far Enemy: envy Boundless State: equanimity Description: even-mindedness based on insight into the nature of things Near Enemy: indifference Far Enemy: anxiety Hindrances: Things that slow us down and restrict our freedom. These are ego based and add to the unrealistic belief that we are separate from the universe. 1. Self-delusion 2. Doubt 3. Clinging to Ritual 4. Sensuous Lust 5. ILL Will 6. Greed for Fine Material Existence 7. Greed for Immaterial Existence 8. Conceit 9. Restlessness 10. Ignorance So, from the information above we can see that Hindrances and Near and Far Enemies cause us to separate from our neighbor, from our spiritual sense and from our loving and nurturing nature. This in turn causes suffering brought on by desire and clinging. Whereas the Boundless States bring us together where we can live with differences knowing that they are simply relationships that compliment each other. There are no opposites, but there are compliments and differences. Light and shade, long and short, black and white can only be experienced in relationship with each other. “Advaita (nonduality) does not mean “one” in the sense of eliminating all differences. The differences are present in the one in a mysterious way. They are not separated anymore, and yet they are there.” ~Bede Griffiths **Joanie Lane is a Meditation Teacher, Reiki Master/Teacher, Spiritual & Life Coach, and Healing Qigong Leader. She lives in Kelseyville, Ca. at her meditation center "A Positive Light". For more information visit her website at apositivelight.com
0 Comments
“There is an old illusion – it is called good and evil.” ~Friedrich Nietzsche
When we speak of duality we speak in terms of separations, contradictions, comparisons and opposites. Love - Hate, Good - Bad, Full - Empty, as if there is either or. The thing is, there is just the one. The reality is we are all of the one and the whole. We, this planet, space, time,…. they are the same. We simply are. On the topic of The Illusion of Duality Michelle Walling explains: There is no opposite. Only less or more of. Let’s take the example of Good and Bad; at first you would consider this to be a duality or an opposite. Now, try to look at it more like a scale and in this example we put Good at the top and Bad at the bottom, in the middle we could put something like o.k. If we start at the top on “Good” and slide down towards “Ok”, it now feels more like there is just less of the “Good". If we continue sliding down and past “Ok”, approaching the “Bad”, there is just less and less of the “Good”. Now, once we reached the “Bad”, in actual fact it’s just less “Good”… we call it “Bad” instead of saying “Less or very little good” or even “no good”! "An added fact to this is that a criminal or insane individual will not deem his actions as “Bad”, in some cases he will even feel he is doing “good”! That again shows us that it’s just a definition or better a perception! There just “is” and it’s your personal integrity and honor that measures an action, to then place it on a virtual scale of affinity, your affinity towards something or someone." One way that I witness this with my clients and students is this; most of us feel incomplete to some extent and seek to find enlightenment and completeness. As if this is something to be found outside of ourselves. But in reality we already possess all that we seek. We are whole in every moment. Perhaps a shift in how we view this is in order, perhaps we should seek to realize the moment to moment wholeness that is already there with us. Our ego has a lot to do with this seeking outside of ourselves for this elusive happiness. This contented 'self' already exists, and we begin to become aware of it when we leave our ego out of it. When we identify with our ego as being the definition of who we are and that we are independent of others we create the paradox that is the source of most of our confusion with the illusion of duality. “When one realizes oneself, one realizes the essential nature of the universe. The existence of duality is only an illusion and when the illusion is undone, the primordial unity of one’s own nature and the nature of the universe is realized, or made real.” ~Namkhai Norbu One additional thought to consider is that we are not actually separate from each other as our ego would have us believe. Whatever action I take affects others. As H.H. The Dalai Lama states, "Due to the fundamental interconnectedness that lies at the heart of reality, your interest is also my interest." More on Non-Duality and the Illusion of Duality next week........... In the mean time I welcome some discussion on this topic. There are many ways to see non-duality. What are some of your view points and perceptions? **Joanie Lane is a Meditation Teacher, Reiki Master/Teacher, Spiritual & Life Coach, and Healing Qigong Leader. She lives in Kelseyville, Ca. at her meditation center "A Positive Light". For more information visit her website at apositivelight.com |