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This could be the last post on the What Is Non Duality web site. As my life journey flows, my perspective has changed. I was a seeker who, after an encounter with non duality, ceased seeking. I then made the short video What is Non Duality which to date has been viewed over 30,o000 times on You Tube.
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Why is belief so attractive?
- Belief comforts you
- Belief makes you feel secure
- Belief counteracts uncertainty
- Belief allows you to join with others who share your belief
- Belief can put an end to searching
It appears that human brains are wired to believe in things. Often these things have not been proven, such as believing in:
- God
- Flying Saucers
- Homeopathy
- Conspiracy theories
- Ghosts
- Psychic powers
- Gurus
- Non duality speakers Read more
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There is a tendency amongst speakers on non duality to say that once you have “got it” then that’s it. You are liberated, awakened and have reached the final frontier as far as spirituality is concerned.
I disagree. Once you have realized the oneness, seen that there is no separation, no duality of you and the rest of the universe; then you have certainly reached the end of seeking. You then have the opportunity to embark on another journey – the journey to enlightenment.
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You’ve read all the Non-Duality books and have been going to non-duality speakers for years. You still have not got this.
Along comes Jenny Upstart who, after a few weeks exposure to non-duality, is walking across Clapham Common one day and, with a blinding flash of awareness, gets it. She then declares herself a realized and liberated soul and starts to teach all about non-duality.
You are a member of the audience at one of her meetings and put your hand up to ask a question?
“Is there anything I can do to get this?”
Jenny says: “No, there is nothing you can do. There is no you, so there is no you to do or get anything?”
This seems so unfair to you. Why her, and not you? You are the one who has been a spiritual seeker for years and years. Read more
For many long years I struggled as a spiritual seeker, seeking out:
- Gurus
- Spiritual teachers
- Mystical experiences
- Spiritual practices
- Spiritual companions
Although I developed ideas about compassion, wholeness and emanating love to heal the world; to tell the truth, I was basically seeking from the perspective of self interest. There was something I felt was missing in my life. I did not know what that was, but I felt that somehow spirituality would provide the answers and this would ease the pain in my life. Read more
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I was watching a video on the internet today. It was a talk by a man who had been involved in research into the secret of a long life. He looked at several areas of the world where the average lifespan is considerably longer than the average.
He showed slides of 102 year olds water skiing, a 97 year old heart surgeon and a 103 year old grannie. They all appeared to live happy and active lives. When he looked into why they lived longer, one thing that these people had in common was a strong social life and a religious belief. In American, there is a community of Seventh Day Adventists who spend 24 hours every week worshipping God and socialising. Research has shown that a religious faith can add about 4 years to your life.
How does a non-dualist spend Christmas?
I’m spending a day with my family: eating good food, drinking fine wine, opening presents, taking the dog for a walk in the snow, playing silly board games. A normal Christmas I suppose.
What is the meaning of Christmas?
As I am not a Christian then I do not have religious feelings about Christmas. For me, Christmas has no meaning. It is there to be enjoyed. Indulging in pleasurable experiences needs no reason.
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The human brain has evolved to do complicated things. Whenever I see a scientist pictured in front of a blackboard covered with equations, I think to myself how complicated the equations look, and what a brilliant mind the scientist must have to figure it all out.
I’ve just finished a computer program Life Manager Pro that involved hundreds of lines of computer code. My brain managed to sort out all the complex interactions involved to make the program do what it is supposed to do.
The human brain is great at complex stuff like this, but when it comes to non-duality there is a tendency to over complicate what it is all about. If you go to Non Duality Press you will find lots of books written about non-duality. If you read them all there is the danger that you mind will make non-duality into some intellectual puzzle that needs solving.
I was thinking of how to express the essence of my perspective in as few a words as possible. How do I reduce all the ideas and concepts to their essence?
I recently met an old friend who I had not seen for some time. She lives in the spiritual community called Findhorn and she does lots of spiritual activities – peace dancing, singing Sufi songs, Laughing Yoga. She was surprised that I had given up all spiritual practices and reminded me of the days when we would talk about my latest spiritual teacher, my spiritual journeys to India, all the spiritual books that I was reading.
“Don’t you miss all that? Where do you get your peak experiences from?” she asked.
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The human race is fond of complaining:
- I don’t like the weather
- I hate the way my boss treats me
- I hate the way my partner treats me
- I don’t like my bad habits
- I don’t like this meal
The list of things to complain and whine about appears endless.
What would happen if you caught yourself in the act of complaining and decided to stop? How would you feel?
