Understanding Non-Duality From Standpoint of Duality

One of the most perplexing things is to try to understand non-duality or advaita, from the viewpoint of duality.  Let us explore this a bit more in detail.

All communication via language, writing etc. happens in the sphere of duality. There is a subject -i.e. me, who understands the object explained in a language that I understand. This is true for all aspects of knowledge including the arts, literature, sciences and common every day communication. It is based on developing certain concepts of language communication. When someone says the word "water" in the English language, the person hearing it or reading it understands that the word refers to a colorless, clear liquid. The mind translates the word into a conceptual understanding of the meaning of the word heard or read.

The very nature of communication implies the existence of a subject, "I" - which implies identification with a body and a name- trying to explain an object using concepts and ideas. The problem arises when the teacher of non-duality tries to explain an abstract idea of non-duality to another body-name identity using the same principles of communication as explained above. Non-duality encompasses all of duality and non-duality. So, how does one go about trying to wrap the so called head around it?

The main problem is the seeker who tries to understand Non-duality while still maintaining his or her identity as an individual. The seeker tries to maintain his identity as a separate individual and tries to attain or obtain non-duality. Do you realize the paradox of the situation? There can be no duality in non-duality. No question of a subject and an object. No question of a "me" attaining. No question of a "me" understanding the ONE essence that is everything.  Just this ONE without a second.

As long as the seeker refuses to let go of his continued misidentification with the body-mind entity, he or she will never get around to understanding the simplicity being explained in advaita or non-duality. The seeker wants to take credit for having finally "Understood". Presumably also wanting credit for the many hours and years of meditation and spiritual process involved to reach the understanding. Do you see the paradox here?

It helps to get back to the very basics of advaita teaching. First comes the sense of presence, or consciousness or sense of beingness. Prior to everything else. Every thing, including the concept of individuality and the subsequent dualism, and all other concepts come only because of the sense of presence. No presence - no things, no concepts, no you. Think about it for a moment.  Are you currently present or not? There is no way you can deny your presence at this very moment. All thoughts including the thought "I am" can only arise if you are present. Now, if somehow your thoughts would cease (if only for a moment), would you stop being present or stop existing? Try it. You will know the answer. Did you disappear?

However, if you were asked to explain your experience in that moment of thoughtlessness, you would come up with a blank. That is because you are trying to explain that sense of presence or consciousness or beingness, with concepts and words. Concepts and words are an expression in duality. When presented with this nonconceptual awareness or sense of presence, the mind draws a blank. Hence, the seeker who identifying with the mind, tries to comprehend this sense of presence, fails miserably.

As a result, the seeker falsely believes that there is a process or doing involved in trying to get to this 'sense of presence'. The frustrated seeker says " I know I am present but surely there must be something wrong I am doing as I cannot conceptualize this presence or beingness". The mind can go around and around in circles or get lost in a maze of concepts trying to grasp non-duality. The seeker remains in a state of seeking as a result of trying to conceptualize the nonconceptual.

So, what is the way out? - asks the seeker. It is quite simple. Don't try to conceptualize the nonconceptual. Realize that only consciousness understands consciousness and in doing so transcends consciousness. There is no individual here to take credit.

Realize that there is no alternative presence apart from this presence - which is evident right here and right now. Don't fall prey to the endless games and tricks that the mind plays. There is no future time that you will be present than this very moment. Watch the mind and realize that you are not the mind but the silent, unchanging witness of the mind.

JUST STOP. In doing so, you ARE. Got it?

In Pursuit of Knowledge

Knowledge can be direct or indirect knowledge. All knowledge that is acquired is indirect knowledge or inferred knowledge. What exactly is indirect knowledge? It is all the knowledge that you acquired throughout what you may call "my life". Be aware of the fact that this indirect knowledge is what was either told to you, read by you, inferred by you or heard by you from various sources including books, web pages, blogs, commentaries, audio files, video files, or from personal encounters with other people. For instance, you were told by your parents that you are their child, that you are a Christian or Hindu or Muslim, that you are white or black or Asian, this is right and this is wrong, and so on and so forth. This knowledge is acquired knowledge and one goes on adding more and more knowledge to continuously create an image of oneself and the world around him or her.  It creates an image of you being this body and this mind, which is separate from the world around you. This image of one's self is constantly changing at all moments depending on moods, thoughts, environments and other factors.  With this creation of a false image of one's self comes the suffering and discontentment that we are all so familiar with. We then seek out an end to this suffering.

In trying to find an end to this suffering, one seeks knowledge. That may be the very reason you are reading this message. While knowledge when sought out correctly can bring about an end to suffering, very often it can lead one on a wild goose chase with no end in sight. That is why it is essential to find and follow the advice of a Guru who can point you in the right direction even in the pursuit of knowledge. In fact, a True Guru will ask you not to pursue any knowledge outside of your self. A True Guru will advise you to avoid looking outside for any knowledge and instead to LOOK INSIDE FOR the source of ALL KNOWLEDGE lies within you. All acquired knowledge is based on concepts and the very pursuit of acquired knowledge adds to your concepts. Strangely, what you are looking for, the solution or an end to your suffering, is not going to be found in conceptual understanding or knowledge. What will indeed end the search would be dropping of all concepts and conceptual understanding. Meaning thereby that one should drop all acquired knowledge and settle for the simple direct knowledge of being to lead to its source. Direct knowledge is knowledge that you did not have to acquire. The knowledge of being, the knowledge of presence, the knowledge that you are is direct knowledge. Direct knowledge does not require any other knowledge to support it. It is like the sunlight, which does not require a lamp to discover it. You don't need anyone else to tell you that you are. You know it!

As the great philosopher, Lao Tzu said "In the pursuit of knowledge, something is added every day. In the pursuit of enlightenment, something is dropped every day." Gradually, in the process of self inquiry, you drop all your false identities and concepts, one by one and in the end are left with no concepts including the concept of being this or being that. In that Stillness of just being, the Truth is revealed.

Awareness is Self Evident

Awareness is self evident.  It indicates that contains its own proof of existence without any other need for demonstration. It is not only self evident but most obvious meaning easily recognized. At this very moment, the reader is aware. No one needs to point out to you, the reader, that you are aware. Can you deny your awareness at this very moment? Obviously, not! Then, why is it that you are in search for the most obvious and self evident? Aha! Here is something that now needs to be investigated by none other than you. Thats right. YOU are going to investigate who is it that wants to seek out awareness. There lies the answer and an end to the seeking.

Awareness has no particular shape, size, form or name. It is not something that can be grasped by the mind in the objective sense. If you are asked " Are you aware?", you answer, " yes, I am aware". If only you could stop there, the answer would be complete. But, then, you go on to answer " I am aware. I am John (or so and so)". If it would make it easier for you to understand, perhaps you could replace the word 'aware' with the word 'awake' and yet it would lead you to the same understanding. What did you do to be aware or awake? Did not awareness or wakefulness just come spontaneously? If you try to attach any attribute to awareness, all you come up with is nothing.  There are no attributes that you can add to awareness when left as it is. Awareness just is. No denying of the fact that you are aware, right now and right here.

Now, you may wonder, how a "me" came into the picture.  Precisely, a "me" comes and goes, and yet the awareness remains. This is evident to everyone, in the state of deep sleep there is no "me" and yet there is awareness. Every perception including perception of thoughts happens in awareness. Thoughts come and go and yet awareness remains as it is. Yet it is a strange mystery of nature, that in this awareness, the "I-thought" is somehow considered to be a real entity with substance and independence. Because, the "I-thought" is considered to be something substantial,  a story is built on this "I-thought".  This "I-thought" which is nothing but a transient, non-entity called "me" or "mine", wants to seek and find awareness in the world of objects and other perceptions. This "me" completely forgets wherefrom it came into the field of perception. The "me" is but a transient thought with no substance or independence by itself. Can one have thoughts without awareness? Are not thoughts by themselves an object of awareness? Amazing, isn't it?

So, self inquiry or the investigation of the self is not into awareness (which you already are), but into establishing the falseness of the "I" or the "me" or "mine". The awareness is self shining like the sun. One does not need a lamp to go out to look for sunlight. In the same way, awareness is obvious and self evident. What is needed is just an investigation into the nature of one's delusion into thinking that one is an individual entity.  Rather, why not just be as you are, just the pure awareness? 

Time to Wake Up

You think you are awake right now, isn't it? You argue that this is the waking state.  No argument there unless and until you really inquire into your Real Identity. Upon careful inquiry you will come to the conclusion that you are actually not awake. This is the primary dream state or primary illusion state. The 'I am' is the primary illusion or dream state. This illusory state gives one the impression of being, being an entity. This 'I am' latches on to various thoughts and establishes various identities. Thus the confusion of one's True Nature. Yet, it is through this primary dream state that one can establish one's own True Nature and Realize the falseness of this state that one calls the "waking state" and become free.

The dream one gets in sleep is the secondary dream state. Often, the secondary dream results in images and events related to the primary dream state. Then, there is the deep sleep state or dreamless sleep. All these states come and go. YOU(the REAL You) are none of these states. YOU are the one who is AWARE of these states. You remain still and are AWARE of the movement or absence of movement in all these states. Is it not time for you to actually WAKE UP?

Just This Ordinary Awareness

This essay is meant to dispel any misconceptions one may still have about what is being pointed to in advaita teachings. The teaching is actually very simple.  Unfortunately, because of the conditioning of the mind, various concepts are created by the mind. Thereby, the simplicity of the teaching gets covered by various concepts which lead to further concepts and one gets lost in the jungle of concepts.  There is no doubt that this very author in an attempt to clarify one concept may have unwillingly and unwittingly created many more and perhaps contributed to the confusion of many a seeker. One has to get back to the basics and stay there and ponder over the teachings carefully and repeatedly to Realize the Truth.

Who YOU really, really ARE is THIS SIMPLE ORDINARY AWARENESS. Yes, indeed it is that simple! Then why is it that everyone cannot understand what is being pointed to? Simply because most readers and seekers are trying to approach this with a very strongly established identity with the body and mind. An identity of being someone, of being so and so.  If only one could somehow let go and simply dive deep into the source of the mind, without worrying about losing themselves or gaining anything from this adventure, then one would easily Realize the simplicity of Truth.  While, this may seem to many like one is being given the run around, it is not so.  It is not because of a lack in what the Guru has to say to the student that the student did not get it. On the contrary, it is merely because the student's mind would not accept on face value what the Guru was trying to convey.

So, while you are seated at your computer or where ever you are at this moment, stop and take a moment to LISTEN to the pointers.  Do not get lost in the words! Instead, ponder over the MEANING of the words. Clear the mind of all concepts, right now. Answer the questions which you yourself must pose to yourself. Do not give up until you get an answer.

OK. Right now, can you say for sure that you are aware of sitting and looking at this material? Can you deny the fact that you are aware of both your existence and the fact that you are awake? Did someone have to give you that knowledge or information?  Is it not self effulgent. You KNOW you ARE. You are AWARE of being. Did you do something to be aware? Is it not spontaneous?  Even without a thought you KNOW you ARE.  This ordinary AWARENESS cannot be questioned. It is PRESENT - or should we say it is PRESENCE itself. Thoughts give one the feeling of movement because of identifying oneself with the thoughts.  But, in reality, this Awareness is not moving. It is Still.  What can one say about Awareness when one identifies with the Awareness? Any attempt to say or think anything is a movement and movement is mind. All one can say is that one is aware of thinking.  So, it is ineffable. Can one even begin to try to assign a beginning to this Awareness? Not at all, since time is an appearance in this Awareness.

In deep sleep when there are no thoughts, can you deny that you ARE?  In fact, you can say nothing in that state of deep sleep.  One can only say or think something in the waking state.  You cannot deny the fact that there is Awareness in deep sleep as you can testify to your being asleep when there is wakefulness in the morning. It becomes evident that all of this discussion and pondering is actually just a play of the mind. In fact, in the absence of the mind, there is just Awareness. There is no such thing as mind.  It is only a matter of the mind to come to this conclusion. That is it.

Yes, it is as simple as this. The problem is that most readers and seekers will not have complete and unequivocal faith in the words of the Guru and therefore keep floundering around in the world of spirituality, collecting and analyzing more and more concepts. Eventually, the seeker is lost in the world of concepts. Concepts which create various classifications and systems of Self Realization, and concepts which create more and more methodologies of attaining Realization. One teacher may say do this, while another teacher may point to another method and yet another teacher may point in a totally different direction or method of achieving Nirvana or Salvation or Liberation or whatever other word that comes to mind. The more you seek, the more you get lost in the concepts. What is wrong with just BEING?

Yet, all along, THAT (GOD) one has been searching for has been a constant Companion. A Companion who has never left you even for a moment. Not only that, there is nothing more obvious than Awareness. No method. No technique. No teachings. No Do-er, no doing and nothing to be done. Just BE AS YOU ALREADY ARE.

The Simplest Inquiry into the Self- Part 2

If you had stopped after the first part of this discussion, you could perhaps see the simplicity of it all. However, as you will perhaps notice, when we explore the false, we begin to complicate the issues. As you go on reading this part 2, there is no doubt that talking about the false "me' gets things complicated. It takes no effort to just BE. It takes a lot of effort to be some-thing or the other.

Now, let us explore, who is this "me" or "you"- the individual that we believe ourselves to be. If we are indeed this no-thing, then why do we believe ourselves to be individuals with a notion that we are the one in-charge of all the functioning of this body-mind entity. Further inquiry will reveal that in fact, there is no individual at all. So, this belief is precisely that- a belief-acceptance of an alleged fact without evidence or direct proof thereof. Unless, one does the inquiry on his/her own, there is no way any one else can convince him/her of this fact of non-existence of an individual. One has to constantly and sincerely inquire into the nature of this "me".

This "me" was not present in deep sleep. Then, in the dream state, a different kind of a "me" ( a dream "me") along with the dream world and dream objects and dream functioning appeared. Remember that this dream world includes a "me", a functioning dream subject, who is in the dream and thinks that he/she is doing all the actions. Please understand that the dream world appeared real when it was occurring. On waking up in the morning, the dream world, along with the dream objects, the dream subject (the dream "me" or the individual in the dream) are absorbed back into the mind from where they arose. Meaning, that the dream disappeared. On waking, a new 'dream' has begun. This time, there is a different type of "me"- an individual once again- with a name and form (just like the individual in the dream) who thinks he/she is the controller of the functioning of the body (just like the individual in the dream thought so). We falsely call this waking state the real state, since it appears to be continuous-the same objects appear everyday. However, the fact of constant change in everything in this waking state cannot be denied. We just do not notice the subtle changes occurring at the molecular level of all objects.

After the wakeful state comes the deep sleep state and once again, the world (which we call real!) and the individual "me" are absorbed back into the mind from which they arose. Yet, in all these states of the mind, the deep sleep, the dream state and the waking state, there is no denying that there is one unchanging Awareness/ Existence. Even in the deep sleep, when there is no world or a "me", I still exist! It is clear to anyone that the one who is awake now is the one who was asleep last night.

It becomes clear from the above that the waking state of the mind, creates a world with a subject called "me" and various objects. It is the mind, which is the creator and also the destroyer of this creation. And, this is experienced by all of us every 12 hours or so.

In the waking state, the first knowing is that of being. This beingness appears from that no-thing. Once it is there, this beingness gets translated into a thought "I am". This beingness falsely assumes ownership of this body, giving the impression of being the body-mind entity, a person. With this "I-thought" being established, all other thoughts are assumed to be owned by this "I-thought". This "I-thought" gives rise to the thought of " I am this body". This "I-thought" gives rise to "I am this' or "I am that" or "I am so and so" etc. This "I-thought" is what is known as the ego. The ego is nothing but the concept of being an individual, a "me" who is in-charge of this body-mind entity and who believes is the do-er of all actions. On inquiry into the nature of this "me', one discovers that it has no independence or substance whatsoever apart from this beingness. Meaning that this "me" appears in the waking state and disappears in the deep sleep state and strangely another type of "me" (a whole different personality) appears in the dream state. Yet, the real "I" is the one who is aware of these three states of the mind and does not change or appear and disappear. In the absence of a world or a "me" in deep sleep state, there is still existence. There is no denying that the heart is still beating, the lungs are still moving air in and out, the digestion is still going on and functioning is still happening. But, there are no thoughts and therefore there is no "I-thought" (or a "me"), no body or a world for that matter, and hence there is experience of peace and happiness. Anyone who emerges from deep dreamless sleep will testify to the fact that they "slept happily". Your True Nature is your state of absence of thoughts. In that state of absence of thoughts (as in deep sleep), you are still aware-for on waking up you know you were asleep. This Awareness is your True Nature. You are prior to the thought "I am". In that state of absence of thoughts, what can you say? In that state of absence of thoughts, no questions arise, no question of the presence or absence of a world, of a "me" or a "you", of this discussion, or of this functioning or the absence of functioning. All this discussion is in the mind- a bundle of thoughts- with no existence or substance or independence apart from the no-thing.

Remain as that no-thing.

Just STOP THINKING AND BE!

Still have questions and comments? This author will try and answer them. Do not hesitate to ask. Inquiry is the way to freedom.