Practical Non-duality Pure and Simple

[Tony]

Practical Non-duality Pure and Simple.

Being...is non-duality.
Being...distracted...is duality

~~~~~~~~~~

Losing oneself in thoughts
is duality.

Being aware of thoughts
is duality.

Purely being aware
is non-duality.

Resting in pure awareness,
thoughts can arise,
but now they are not in control.
They are merely an expression of pure awareness.

~~~~~~~~~


When Essence (pure awareness) is caught up in thoughts, it is distracted, misdirected and can be manipulated. It has learnt to believe in what it sees as real, when it is merely a distraction from the only reality - our pure awareness. Of course, we oscillate between these two states - duality and non duality – but what is most important is to be able to recognise these different states. This is why we practise.


~~~~~~~~~

Why is this so important?

In non-duality we are free. In duality we are a prisoner - we are caught and held. That is what letting go is all about. We are either caught up or free: at every moment we have that same choice.


There are things going on in the world.
There will always be things going on in the world.
When we die, these things will still be going on.
They will never stop until everyone recognises
that this world was created by our collective confusion.

We are not here to distract ourselves! We are here to realise our true nature – constant, pure awareness. What we do with that pure awareness is up to us, either to rest in pure awareness, radiating love, or express love for the benefit of others.




Tony

[markpierre]

Or if that's not practical enough, submerge your head in a bucket of ice cold water and keep it there
so at least you only have one thing to think about. That would be a very singular condition.

[Sunny-side-up]

Practical Non-duality Pure and Simple.

Being...is non-duality.
Being...distracted...is duality

~~~~~~~~~~

Losing oneself in thoughts
is duality.

Being aware of thoughts
is duality.

Purely being aware
is non-duality.

Resting in pure awareness,
thoughts can arise,
but now they are not in control.
They are merely an expression of pure awareness.

~~~~~~~~~


When Essence (pure awareness) is caught up in thoughts, it is distracted, misdirected and can be manipulated. It has learnt to believe in what it sees as real, when it is merely a distraction from the only reality - our pure awareness. Of course, we oscillate between these two states - duality and non duality – but what is most important is to be able to recognise these different states. This is why we practise.


~~~~~~~~~

Why is this so important?

In non-duality we are free. In duality we are a prisoner - we are caught and held. That is what letting go is all about. We are either caught up or free: at every moment we have that same choice.


There are things going on in the world.
There will always be things going on in the world.
When we die, these things will still be going on.
They will never stop until everyone recognises
that this world was created by our collective confusion.

We are not here to distract ourselves! We are here to realise our true nature – constant, pure awareness. What we do with that pure awareness is up to us, either to rest in pure awareness, radiating love, or express love for the benefit of others.




Tony

Yes:happy:

[Hermite]

Thank you, pie, for the reminders. I truly appreciate them.

Markpierre, I think you may be onto something there. I can think of so many who would benefit from that suggestion. ;)

[Dorjezigzag]

Going to throw this into the discussion.


..."So in Zen, a duality between a higher self and a lower self is not made. Because if you believe in the higher self, this is a simple trick of the lower self. If you believe that there is no really lower self, there is only the higher self but that somehow or other the higher self has to shine through, the very fact that you think it has to shine through still gives validity to the existence of a lower self. If you think you have a lower self, or an ego to get rid of, then you fight against it, nothing strengthens the delusion that it exists more than that. So this tremendous schizophrenia in humans beings, of thinking that they are rider and horse, soul in command of body, or will in command of passions – wrestling with them; all that kind of split thinking simply aggravates the problem, and we get more and more split. And so we have all sorts of people engaged in an interior conflict which they will never resolve. Because the true self either you know it, or you don’t. If you do know it, then you know it’s the only one and the other so called lower self just ceases to be a problem. It becomes something like a mirage, and you don’t go around hitting at mirages with a stick, or trying to put reigns on them. You just know that they are mirages and walk straight through them."
~Alan Watts..