Dualism v/s Non Dualism

Let's examining how our leaning either toward duality or non duality can shape our life.

Duality can be described as a way of Becoming, non duality as a way of Being, ‘I AM’.

Western thought is primarily based on the duality and its emphasis on body and mind. From a spiritual perspective, it represents the outer way, the observer and the observed.

Eastern thought includes the spiritual dimension in its approach to life. From a spiritual perspective, the emphasis is on the inner way. Thou art That (Tat).

How do we view our life from a dualistic perspective?

Duality implies being apart or separate from one another and from everything on the, physical, mental and spiritual levels. It implies becoming, always striving. This is how Western society is built.

Physically this leads to an attitude of survival of the fittest, competition, physical pride, strife, war etc. We can see in it an ego directed existence.

Mentally a dual perspective is one of separation from one another and from the whole. This can result in a sense of insecurity, which one attempts to minimize through social interaction by joining groups, a church, or an organization, all of which provide a framework of contact with other human beings. These forms of group activity provide a sense of belonging and the sharing of perceptions, intentions and values.

Group consciousness stresses that we are social beings and as such require being with others. But from a larger perspective a sense of needing to be a part of some structure can lead to dependency through attachment and to a loss of one’s inner freedom. We experience this loss of freedom if for some reason we choose not to attend to these group functions, by the degree of guilt we feel.

Spiritually we bow to a Being many perceive as God which in its fullness is beyond the grasp and comprehension of people. For this reason we personalize it as Father, Jesus or any other image depending on one's belief. We learn about the message relating to God from books and live with the hope of obtaining Grace and spiritual insight. This type of worship has survived and is being practiced for millennia. Whether one feels spiritually enriched through this practice, depends on the degree of commitment to the teachings. One hope is receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Some Descriptions of Holy Ghost or in the New Testament described as Holy Spirit

1)   ‘A Catholic description. To the Holy Ghost we attribute the operations of grace and the sanctification of souls, and in particular spiritual gifts and fruits, because He proceeds from the Father and the Son as Their mutual love and is called in Holy Writ (A document held to be the most authoritative of its kind), the goodness and the charity of God.’

2)   The Holy Spirit is the third person in the Trinity. He is fully God. He is eternal, omniscient, and omnipresent, has a will, and can speak.  He is alive.  He is a person.  He is not particularly visible in the Bible because His ministry is to bear witness of Jesus (John 15:26).

3)  In another New Testament description the word spirit and, perhaps, even the expression spirit of God signify at times the soul or man himself, inasmuch as he is under the influence of God and aspires to things above; more frequently, especially in St. Paul, they signify God acting in man.

What if one rejects the teachings put forth by churches and finds no other spiritual sustenance for ones liking?

At some point in life most people will ask about the meaning of life. If they find it, they will experience it as inner peace, love and joy. If they don't find meaning of some sort, they will know that something in their lives is missing. Erik Erikson in his development stage theory, the last stage in life is integrity v/s despair. It states:' If in our later years of life we have not found meaning, we often end up in despair'.

How do we experience non Dualism (which was often thought of being primarily meant for monks); it is seeing oneself as being a part of everything. This implies that everything is connected on all dimensions to everything else. Everything is part of us and we are a part of everything.

 This is yoga in a true sense, it is yoga in action, it is being in union or in tune or having a sense of oneness with the rhythms of life at whatever level it expresses, it is being one with the whole; it is in existence, in God. It is Self and God Realization.

Paramahansa Yogananda, ‘Self Realization is the knowing in body mind and soul that we are one with the omnipresence of God; that we do not have to pray that it come to us, that we are not merely near it at all times, but that God’s omnipresence is our omnipresence; that we are just as much a part of Him now as we ever will be. All we need to do is improve our knowing.’

We need to remember at all times, that we do not have to become spiritual, that we are spiritual beings.

We can recognize our own awakening by contemplating the spiritual centres (chakras).

If we can accept non duality for ourselves and that the Self in us is one with the Divine, we are Self Realized which expresses the timeless reality of Being, Existence and Bliss.

Apostle John’s description of spirit, (John 3:8): "The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from, and where it goes; so is every one that is born of the Spirit."

(John 10:30) on non duality” I and the Father are one”. 

We experience degrees of non duality in the following manner:

The first degree is Intuition. One intuits that his or her real nature is one with all that is.
The second degree is Recognition. One has experienced non dual reality.
The third degree is Stability or Acceptance. One "walks in" this non dual reality, being always aware of the presence of the Infinite Spirit wherever one is. Spirit is Life expressing all around us and we need to honor it everywhere.

We need to be conscious that non duality is not based on faith as duality must be, but on one’s own experience. The more we realize that we live in spirit and that spirit is indwelling us, the more we understand that we are in this world, but that not of it, and that we are required to let spirit express as we attend to our daily duties with wisdom, love and total surrender.
Namaste