Non Duality (Unity)

Inspired Thich Nhat Hanh's ideas on inter-being, I have developed a related idea of non-duality. The main concept is to see others as essentially similar to yourself, especially when you have the impulse to distance yourself from them. It's an interesting but difficult practice for me.

A number of times each day, I see someone who I pronounce a judgement on in the quiet of my own mind. I decide that they are mean, or selflish, or stupid, or inconsiderate. This is almost a relfex action. It comes from my very well developed sense of wrong and right, which others are continually violating. When someone else violates my sense of right, I judge them, I feel disappointed from them, and then become estranged from them. I decide that it's better if I avoid them.

The principal of non-duality says to me that the flaw which I see in them is also somehow in me, if only in a small and hidden way. Even if I do not agree with what they do, I can see the human feeling or impulse that underlies that action, and I can relate to it. I can understand being in a hurry, being overwhelmed, being scared, being angry. These realities exist in me, I know them well. I can see why this person who I have just judged did what they did, I can see the human experiences that underly their action and relate to them.

I like this practice because it reinforces my basic belief in the unity of humankind. Also, it helps me to be less judgemental and more understanding.

It's interesting to me that no matter who you are, it's easy to see people who are different from you as somehow less. What's hard to do is to see the value of every person, no matter how they differ from you in identity or belief.

Comments

Olaf said…
Your non-duality mind frame reminds me of a Buddhist monk's perspective on the same. Good to hear others are practicing this selfless act as well.

By the way, if you're counting votes to decide whether or not you should include *full* article postings in your RSS feed, I'm for it.
February 19, 2007
Art said…
They still see others as being "not me" which means that they are still experiencing "duality." Regardless of whether you see others as being essentially like yourself or not, they are still someone other than you.

They don't understand the implications of a holographic universe. In a hologram everything is so interconnected and "one" that there is no separation between you and the other person. You are the other person. Each piece contains the whole. Everything is infinitely interconnected to everything else.

The feelings of oneness and connectedness in the Spiritual Universe so overwhelming that it may not be possible to become an individual or even understand the concept of being separate. It may not be possible to develop into or become a separate unique individual in heaven so it has to be learned here.

That's what I've learned from reading a plethora of near death experiences. Heaven is described in terms that can only be called "holographic," where time and space don't exist and where everything exists and nothing exists and where everything is infinitely connected to everything else. It's so different in kind from this reality that we here in the Physical Universe can't begin to comprehend or understand the overwhelming feelings of oneness in heaven.

So Unitarians can pretend that they don't experience duality all they want to, but if you live in this world you are going to experience it whether you want to or not. If someone comes up to you and speaks spanish and you don't understand spanish - that's experiencing duality regardless of what you call it. If you look at someone else and subconsciously think "you are not me" then that's experiencing duality.
April 13, 2009
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