duality

In awareness of the problems facing our planet at this time, as well as the intellectual and internal premise upon which these most likely arise from, I have felt the urge to stress the importance of finding inner peace amongst the turmoil.  Bashar has said “The degree of which we are experiencing any darkness is the degree to which we will also experience the light”^[1].  So no matter what circumstances happen to be arising, remember that this too shall pass.

In the spirit of a love based non-duality principle, let us create the template of a more loving global community.  One in which we collectively choose to foster peace, compassion, understanding, love, sharing, happiness and joy.  We currently have all the tools and technology to solve our problems, now we just need to share, collaborate and seek solutions rather than more problems.  If humanity were to apply the collaborative spirit of the Open Source movement to other areas, many of the blockages which caused the current problems could be cleared away. We have heard it from many spiritual masters and humanitarians of the past: Peace starts from within

“We can never obtain peace in the outer world until we make peace with ourselves.” – Dalai Lama

“Non violence begins with learning how to be less violent and more compassionate towards ourselves. We learn by building the courage to speak and act with respect. honor and reverence for our own being.” – Ghandi

“It’s better to light a candle than curse the darkness.” – Peter Benenson

The people have the conscious choice within to choose peace in ANY moment. I choose peace NOW, and will try my best to choose it in every moment. I hope you will join me ^_^

In a dualistic paradigm, peace begins with awareness of the problem & forgiveness.

“People can expand their mental boxes and learn to see beyond outer differences, including race, ethnicity, nationality and sex. They can develop a true community spirit as human beings – or even better, as spiritual beings – and transcend the differences that normally divide people. In its essence, the purpose of the experiment is to break the isolationism that most groups of people have and force people to become more open to the universality behind appearances (Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment. (John 7:24)). The ultimate universality being, of course, that all people are the offspring of the same God.” [2]

 What exactly is Non-Duality?

Alan Watts is able to expound upon this concept:

” How would you feel if you saw everything as really one basic reality? Well, a lot of people think that it would be as if all the outlines and differentiations in the field of vision suddenly became vague and melted away and we saw only a kind of luminous sea of light.
However, rather advisedly, the Vedanta philosophy does not seriously use the word ‘one’ of the supreme self because the word and idea ‘one’ has its opposite ‘many’ on one side, and another opposite, ‘none’, on the other. It is fundamental to Vedanta that the supreme self is neither one nor many, but as they say, non-dual, and they express that in this word ‘advita’. A is a negative word like non. Dvita is from dva, same as the Latin duo, two. So advita is non-dual. At first this is a difficult conception because naturally, a Western logician would say, ‘But the non-dual is the opposite of the dual. Therefore, it has an opposite.’ This is true, but the Hindu is using this term in a special sense. On a flat surface I have only two dimensions in which to operate so that everything drawn in two dimensions has only two dimensions. How, therefore, on a two-dimensional level, can I draw in three dimensions? How, in logic, is it humanly rational to think in terms of a unity of opposites? All rational discourse is talk about the classification of experiences, of sensations, of notions, and the nature of a class is that it is a box. If a box has an inside, it has to have an outside. ‘Is you is or is you ain’t?’ is fundamental to all classifications, and we cannot get out of it. We cannot talk about a class of all classes and make any sense of it. However, on this two-dimensional level, we can create, by using a convention of perspective, the understanding of a third dimension. If I draw a cube, you are trained to see it in three dimensions, but it is still in two. However, we have the understanding that the slanting lines are going out through the back to another square, which is behind the first one, even though we are still on two dimensions. The Hindu understands this term advita as distinct from the term ‘one’ to refer to that dimension. So when you use the word advita, you are speaking about something beyond duality, as when you use those slanting lines you are understood to be indicating a third dimension which cannot really be reproduced on a two-dimensional surface. That is the trick. It is almost as if whatever we see to be different is an explicit difference on the surface covering an implicit unity. Only it is very difficult to talk about what it is that unifies black and white. (Of course, in a way the eyes do. Sound and silence are unified by the ears). If you cannot have one without the other, it is like the north and south poles of a magnet. You cannot have a one-pole magnet. True, the poles are quite different; one is north and the other is south, but it is all one magnet. This is what the Hindu is moving into when he is speaking of the real basis or ground of the universe as being non-dual. Take, for example, the fundamental opposition that I suppose all of us feel, between self and other – I and thou – I and it. There is something that is me; there is an area of my experience that I call myself. And there is another area of my experience which I call not myself. But you will immediately see that neither one could be realized without the other. You would not know what you meant by self unless you experience something other than self. You would not know what you meant by other unless you understood self. They go together. They arise at the same time. You do not have first self and then other, or first other and then self; they come together. And this shows the sneaky conspiracy underneath the two, like the magnet between the two different poles. So it is more or less that sort of what-is-not-classifiable (that which lies between all classes). The class of elephants opposite the class of non-elephants has, as it were, the walls of the box joining the two together, just, as your skin is an osmotic membrane that joins you to the external world by virtue of all the tubes in it, and the nerve ends, and the way in which the external energies flow through your skin into your insides and vice versa.” ~Alan Watts

So we are left with this idea of something which lies between all classes that unifies the opposites. I believe this lies in some form of understanding of spiritual Truth, which is beyond yet inclusive of all classes and all opposites. When we try to apply this non-dual perspective of that which is in a higher dimension to our experiences here on earth, things might get a bit confusing, especially without a tangible experience of this presumed higher dimension. I believe that in order to experience this higher dimension, some form of spiritual path must be followed. So if we are to say that all of our global problems arise from a level of consciousness in which separation-from and fear-of one another are the predominant ideas, then logically the solution would be perhaps to seek a non-dual form of consciousness. I believe that this form of consciousness is one based upon unconditional love for both self and one another. Many spiritual traditions and paths (at their True core) seem to be aligned with this and similar love-based qualities. However, this decision and choice between love and fear lies in each moment, and sometimes we can get caught in the collective fear-based separation consciousness, and make mistakes that may hurt one another. This can cause a meandering of the path, a seeking or more journeying in order to find the solution. So we must also seek qualities of forgiveness, compassion, tolerance, and acceptance towards one another, regardless of any conditions or qualities that we might project upon ourselves, another person, or group. From our perspective of each being living in a society in which parts may seem at odds, for some it seems that an extreme force and a government controlled paradigm are attractive. For others to which free will is an ideal, a more libertarian or “Laissez-faire” perspective is attractive. However in reality, a balance, or middle way between the two extremes is probably the best for the collective.

I believe that no matter the circumstances, it is always best to choose love. This can mean many things depending on each circumstance or moment. All beings have some level of free will, and so showing love amongst members of society cannot be “enforced”, and enforcing love would not be true love now would it?

“Love cannot be controlled. It cannot be predicted. It cannot be enforced. It cannot be enslaved. It cannot be killed. It cannot be defined. If you would speak of the depth, the power, and the infinite genius of love, think upon its ability to end all duality. Love has no opposites. It cannot be captured, and yet it willingly serves. It is infinitely free, and yet it abides in captivity. It cannot be enforced, and yet it is the basis of all law. It is the bringer of truth, and yet it never judges. It is the seer of all things, and yet it never condemns. It conquers by surrendering. It rules by lifting up. Through its mastery of paradox, love ends all duality.” – from Love Without End by Glenda Green

Rather than seeking to control the tools which people could use as weapons, rather than giving up our own personal freedoms, rather than giving into the collective unconscious fears and polarizing ideas brought up by any incident… instead let there be a space for love instilled in the hearts of every man and woman. For this alone can prevent all violence. Let those trapped in fear be awakened into the Light of the Love within their own hearts, and the hearts of all humanity. And let this principle of the most fundamental human emotion reflect both inwards and outwards, spreading a shockwave of compassion, forgiveness, understanding, peace, joy, happiness, and trust in God and our fellow humanity. All men and women are created equal, and with equal responsibility to themselves and one another to protect and reflect the innermost flame of Life itself.

How can we reflect you may ask?  By first seeking to enlighten oneself, then sharing the knowledge we find with others. This at times can be a grueling inner-struggle. We may find that we are repressing something or that we are holding some belief that is not serving our highest good.

Can a blind man lead a blind man? So here’s my question with the occupy movements etc. or any movements for change…which target an opposition outside of themselves. If i throw the money changers out of the external temple but they are still in the internal temple (the mind of the one doing the throwing out)? What occupy movement will take care of the money changers in the inner temple? This is why the true masters showed the lonely way of inner change…first. Only real inner work on ur own shadow (inner opposition) and finding inner solid ground (Self) will immunize u from being hijacked into fake staged external left – right conflict, and see outside the illusion what is really going on. As long as we remain divided within we will be hijackable into fake dichotomies without. These fake dichotomies are not only political leftist versus rightist seeming contradictions, but almost everybody u meet…talk to, every talk u hear and give, everyone u ask for advice or try to help, every program u follow…every thing u encounter on a daily basis…will try to recruit u into some form or the other of “either or”, we versus them, black versus white….thinking…feeling. Every next trap u steer free from being seduced into taking sides…u have conquered the great force of Maya: the great illusion of duality. The truth behind the veil is that the poles r secretly one…This is why we so need the opposite to be One. The real program behind all left-right programs is to keep u in Maya (The Matrix)…or in division. They say fear is the ultimate control mechanism. It is not the ultimate one, division is. Yet beware when the manufactured division (chaos) is escalated toward its Zenith. For then a false Order (fake union) will be heralded in as salvation (ultimate ‘Solution’). Beware when they SAY Peace and Security…This will not be “real”, nor can it be a Hegelian solution to manufactured dissent, i.e., the full destruction of the opposition (repression of the shadow). The solar hero resulting from this full excision of the opposite will be raptured down over the wrong rainbow. The real one is a result of the integration of the opposites, not of renting them apart. Ojo!” -Dimitri Halley

To do this, we find that we have to be able to surrender to something higher than our little self.  One has to take the beam out of our own eye and allow oneself to see nakedly, and have the great courage to present ourselves nakedly to others. This can be a difficult process.  We might not always like the picture in the mirror, but in order to change it we don’t try and paint over the mirror.  Instead, one would seek to change something in oneself to get the reflection to change.

Naked Surrender

Ok, I’m not going to lie. Sometimes this work is *really* hard. We might be faced with a set of terrible fears or circumstances beyond our control. Facing one’s own shadow is difficult. Dmitri Halley has more to say about this:

The shadow work is becoming naked before the light…nothing more to hide from myself. We seek to cover up our feelings of depression and anxiety; inadequacy, insecurity, abandonment, lack of foundation, never been backed up, emptiness…with all sort of highs/attachments (masks/coverings/cover stories); money, control, attention, power, food, plans… Yet God wants us to be naked. To experience life completely sober…no matter where it takes us or precisely because of where it takes us. To dare to accept the insecurity without covering it up with seeking assurance…To accept these feelings raw, honestly and within this contained vulnerability to let go/d (Self). Naked like birds who don’t plan for the next meal. Miracle cannot show up in ur life if u are driven by plans, insurances and huge salaries. The universe cannot conspire in ur life if u r not naked. The Nazarene appeared in a dream to a woman waiting for economic stability (a deal) before surrendering to Self and wherever “Thine Will” wanted to take her. He said: “Do u not remember I turned water into wine and stones into food.” The unadulterated light cannot shine in our sea of pisces if we keep covering up our shadow. -Dimitri Halley)

Resistance to this difficult work might have something to do with the current state of the world, and the course of human history. Alan Watts gives us many insights about the psychological process of recognizing that the potentials for both good and evil lie as much in oneself as in the other.