The NonDual Way
LOVE'S TIMELESS REVOLUTION
FAQ
Who can use this site?
Anyone.
Does it cost anything to be a part of this site
or the Nondual Way?
No, its absolutely and 100% free...go nuts.
What is the Nondual Way?
The non dual way is simply any person or group who finds a "spiritual home" in loving others. People of the nondual way become instruments of love in the world because they see all people as "intimately" connected regardless of surface differences (i.e., looks, belief, disagreements family, gender, political stance, etc.).
What is the purpose of this site?
To make the world a better place. To begin, click, What is Contemplative Practice?
Why would someone want to live life through
"the eyes of oneness and love"?
Because its true. Everyone and everything is intimately connected and this truth can be seen everywhere from science (ecology) to the inner world of spirituality (we all share the same well of "consciousness"). Getting humanity to wake up to the oneness that IS reality has profound implications in overcoming a number of unnecessary sufferings and global crises (i.e., terrorism, abuses of every kind, ecological crisis, bullying, feelings of loneliness, poverty, religious and political wars, etc...)
What does the term "nondual" mean?
The term nondual literally means "not-two" or that something is separate yet at the same time one. For example, the human body is composed of separate organs that all have separate functions; the heart pumps blood, white blood cells attack invaders, stomach digests food, etc. Although these organs are different from each other and are doing "separate" things, they are also working together as "one"-the human body! The nondual way has the same logic in that it sees all people as separate individuals doing different things (i.e., skin color, cultural traditions, religious orientation, careers, gender, personality, likes/dislikes), however, all people are also "one" in that we all draw from the same inner well of super abundant love and this one love not only directs our individual lives, but moves us beyond our personal boundaries and lovingly towards one another (e.g., doing volunteer work, forgiving someone, loving an enemy).
Is there any thing that can make a person more prone to experiencing infinite love?
Although there are an infinite number of things that can lead a person to living life through the eyes of radical oneness and love (even suffering), the following inner attitudes and/or practices have helped people across time, religions, institutions, and disciplines awaken to the inner world of timeless love:
Taking different perspectives
Loving yourself and others unconditionally
Understanding that everything is interconnected
Serving others and/or doing volunteer work
Looking "within"
Being creative
Engaging your spiritual, physical, and mental capacities
Opening your heart to silence
Forgiving others
Working with your shadow
Having a grateful heart
Giving & receiving without expectations
Do I have to belong to a particular group or follow a certain person to be a part of the nondual way?
No. Living life through the eyes of radical oneness and love is not something a person has to pay for nor is it only meant for "special people". The non dual way is already the state of things making it 100% free and available to everyone. Ultimately, the nondual way does not belong to any one person or group but can be the way of any person or any group, secular or religious.
The NonDual Way is "a way" to live out your life. What does this mean?
Everyone lives life through a particular "worldview" or "pair of glasses" so to speak. Traditional mythic religion is what most people use to make sense of life and an increasing number are using just science. In either case, most people believe their group, creation story, prophetic leader, or "approach" has the real truth and everyone who is not part of their group or way of thinking is wrong. Like all world views, the non dual way also sees life through a particular "pair of glasses"; however, the nondual way of "seeing" does not strictly divide the world up into an "in" crowd and an "out" crowd, religious vs. secular, or the infamous, " are you with me or against me" mentality, but sees all people as uniquely separate yet at the same time "one" through our "inner core of super abundant love".
Why is spiritual practice important to the nondual way?
The nondual way is about realizing that your material visible "self" is always one with the " non-material invisible what is commonly still called or identified as *God... (SEE BELOW FOR MORE).". Most people have a difficult time understanding this paradox and rightfully so. Nondual thinking is not something we can readily perceive with our black and white " dualistic minds", but rather with our "hearts". Contemplative practices such as zen buddhism, Christian centering prayer, yoga, mindfulness, and variety of other practices quiet the mind so that heart can see what is hidden in plain sight (the non dual nature of reality); thus, making spiritual practice vital to the nondual way.
Deep prayer, accepting reality as it is (a.k.a. living in the present moment/now), and great love and suffering can also lead a person to the inner well of infinite love.
Can a person of the Nondual Way be a part of a religious tradition?
A person of the non dual way can be a part of a religious tradition; however, most find their guiding light to be the "inner core of super abundant love" rather then their group or religions' particular dogmatic truths, doctrines, or laws. The irony of the religious traditions is that most if not all of the its founders (i.e., Jesus, Buddha) were trying to get their followers to seeing "non dual oneness", but unfortunately their followers / disciples didn't quite get it.
Is the Nondual Way a new religion or is new age?
No. The non dual way is not a spiritual fad, new religion, new age, or even a new movement, but it is thetimeless wisdom of saints, sages, teachers, scientists, and every day people past and present.
What is the timeless wisdom of the Nondual Way?
That the spiritual/inner world (*God/consciousness....) AND the material/outer world (what we can see, taste, feel, hear, and touch) is always already "one" (nondual or not-two). This never changes but deepens with time.
Is there a way to see how the nondual way has never changed but deepened with time?
Yes...
Mythic thinking- emerged around 500 B.C.. and humanity's first non dual teachers came onto the scene (i.e. Lao Tzu, Jesus, Buddha). These spiritual teachers told us, each in their own unique way, that all things are "one" through love and communicated this vision with the tools they had at that time in history. (e.g., they didn't have science to communicate the non dual vision but story telling, myth, mid rash, ritual, some of these teachers had eastern cultural influence while others western).
Scientific thinking-came along in the 1500's and further grounded the non dual way by saying, " If you are looking to find "God" or the "spiritual well of infinite love", look no further then physical existence itself-in nature, in your relationships, in especially in your self; God is not "out there in another world" so to speak, but "right here, right now"...like Jesus said, "The kingdom of God is within you"...he wasn't kidding.
Relative thinking-came into play in the 1960's and further grounded the non dual way. This logic said that if God or infinite love is found within physical existence, then the path each person takes to get to this "one inner love" is going to be different as each person is shaped by different beliefs, likes, dislikes, cultures, family, tragedies, joys, sufferings etc. so don't be too quick to judge another person's journey to finding happiness, peace, God, and love; many paths, one destination...
Integral thinkingis where we are today and it is helping us understand that the mythic, scientific, and relative worldviews are not at odds with each other, but are rather stages of human development. This means that past and present worldviews build upon each other in a way that brings us to deeper and more inclusive ways of understanding that does not get rid of past understandings, but includes them! Ultimately, integral thinking makes "new knowledge" not an obstacle to infinite love, but the very road to it; Integral the great "dot connector!
Is the NonDual Way Christian?
Yes! Yes! and double Yes!
For more Christian resources, click here.
The NonDual Way is also scientific...what?
For more information about science and non duality, click here.
Science is helping religion and religion is helping science...what?
Science is helping humanity understand that the world's religious traditions are a combination of BOTH spiritual truth (i.e., the tremendous power of love, forgiveness, etc.) AND our ancestors’ best understanding of how the physical world works without the tools of modern day science. For example, the Genesis story of the world being created in seven days and Adam being created from the dirt of the earth as God "breathed into him" was our ancestors’ best attempt to explain both interior/ spiritual truth(e.g., we are made from something unseen) and exterior/scientific truth (7 days shows an understanding of "evolution" at a very primitive level) without the tools of a microscope, telescope, or focus group. Our ancestors were not trying to fool us into believing something that wasn’t real, but rather was the only way they could explain reality's inside (spiritual world...) and its outside (material world) using the tools they had available to them at that time in history (i.e., not the scientific method but storytelling, parables, etc.) (Wilber, Integral Life). On the other hand, science is slowly understanding that their is a real "interior" or "spiritual" dimension to reality, and the religious traditions contain "methods" or "practices" that help people get in touch with the real world of the "unseen" (i.e., meditation) in a way that science alone simply cannot do. Why? Because science studies the world from an "it/3rd person" perspective (e.g., stands back and objectifies things) where as religion studies reality from an "I/first person" or "We/second person" perspective (you don't analyze reality but allow yourself to just "be" in it) (Wilber, The Marriage of Sense and the Soul: Integrating Science and Religion). Ultimately , both the interior (spiritual) and exterior (science) are two sides of the same coin (reality) therefore compliment one another.
This site is integrally informed.
What does this mean?
Although there is more to integral then what is mentioned here and everyone who visits this site is encouraged to learn about it.
To be integrally informed means acknowledging at least five basic things when it comes to religion and spirituality:
1) That reality has a “real” inside (i.e., emotions, beliefs, feelings, perspectives, consciousness, essence) AND a "real" outside (i.e., what we can see, nature, our bodies, physical world), and that these things all “arise” together making things “one”.
2) Spirituality is understood to be a type of intelligence and like all types of intelligences is developmental in nature (i.e., cognitive, social, kinesthetic). For example, a five year old's spiritual intelligence would most likely talk about "God" or "Spirit" in mythic terms such as "God is in the sky watching over me". However this same kid, with more time and life experience, will at some point "outgrow" their childhood understanding of God and begin to realize that *God... is not so much like "Santa Clause" but is more like a loving essence of all things.
3)*God...is an experience; however, how a person interprets *God...experience is dependent on the worldview or "pair of glasses" they hold. For example, a person who understands life through the "lens" of religious myth will likely interpret their experience of "God" using mythic language (e.g., they may say Jesus came to them). An atheist, on the other hand, who uses science to interpret their life may describe their *God... experience not so much in mythic terms, but as a feeling oneness with nature (i.e., "That sunset overwhelmed me, and I was at peace"). Both of these individuals had a "real" *God experience, however, how they interpret that experience will be based on the stage of development they are currently at (for more information on the Integral developmental model, click here).
4) *God...can be understood through three different perspectives; first, second, and third person. Although most of us favor one of these perspectives when we talk about or relate to God, seeing how *God...is all of them gives a person the fullest understanding of the nature of *God...
5) *God...is an experience yet is also beyond all experiences...the Seer not the seen (e.g., what you can see is not the real you, but what IS seeing is the true you).For more information on Integral Theory, watch short video and/or visit Integral Life.
Is there anything people of the NonDual Way share in common?
Although people of the NonDual Way come from all walks of life , most have had an experience (s) that has lead them to believe the following about reality:
*God... is within all things yet is beyond all things (panentheistic, non dual)
*God... never changes but humanity's capacity to understand timeless *God... can and often does change with time (evolutionary, non dual).
*God... is an experience, and the experience of *God... is felt to have a warm quality to it often described as infinite love (experiential, nondual).
*God... has also been called any of the following: mystery at the heart of existence *Spirit* Essence *Interiority* Holy Spirit* Father*Jesus* Mystery*Oneness* YWH* Allah*Breath* Wind* Emptiness*Ground of Being*Source* Christ Consciousness*Buddha Nature*Brahman*Atman*Ultimate Reality*Nothingness*...and more!
BOTTOM LINE:
People of the Nondual Way feel that all things are deeply interconnected or "one". This deep sense of "oneness" is often felt as an experience of infinite love, and time is the ongoing opportunity for people to deepen and expand this sense of "infinite love" with all things.