Non-Duality and Pure Conscious Awareness

Nonduality Universe, Nonduality World, Nonduality Conscious Awareness – in this context, what does the word Nonduality, in its entirety, imply?

Knowing that words are never the actual, forthwith is an attempt at pointing to same. 

       In this context, the meaning of the word Nonduality, succinctly stated, is that All that appears in Awareness is One Reality, not many; just as that which is Aware of All that appears is One Reality, not many. There is no such “thing” as a separate entity appearing anywhere, anytime – ever. There is only formidable or subtle Energy appearing as One Whole Organism in the Presence of Absolute Silence that is acutely Aware – that’s All. 

       The conundrum, from a conceptualized point of view, is that One cannot BE without the Other, just as the Other cannot BE without the One. Or as the ancients so declared, “The One in the many and the many in the One.” 

       The illusion of separateness comes about as a result of a uniquely human capacity to egoically identify with and thereby become attached to concepts of Mind – thoughts, images, feelings, emotions, and the like – that appear in Silent Awareness. Absent Awareness, no concepts appear, just as absent appearances, there is nothing of which to be Aware – the two, so-to-speak, functioning as One. 

       One cannot BE without the other, just as the other cannot BE without the One. All is Absolutely One in this regard. 

       Thus, nothing that appears in Silent Awareness is, in Truth, separate or unique from that which appears as the material universe, as a Whole. Accordingly, so-called sentient beings are not imbued, if you will, with a unique or separate power to create, choose, or determine, of their own volition, the appearance or movement of any “thing” in the universe at all. For that which moves and/or appears as the universe is not separate from the Whole, therefore is not empowered to function separately from the Whole.  

       Hence, the human Mind is incapable of creating anything of itself at all. But rather, the Mind merely interprets the movement of Energy that appears as the universe, into apparent, conceptualized parts, as such appear in Consciousness in the eternally Present Now – that’s all. 

       Apparently, however, from the moment one is born to Now a false sense of separateness gradually occurs, as egoic identification with concepts of Mind brings about an ever-increasing false sense of separateness from the Whole, thus also a false sense of loss of the Silent Present Awareness of Here and Now. This inescapable fact for all humankind is simply the illusion of separateness, as constructed of Mind, coming into play – an aspect of the ongoing evolution of the human Mind and nothing more.

       Similarly, like all else that appears, the human brain is not separate from the function of Mind, nor separate from the Whole of Creation. The brain is merely the materialized aspect of functioning Mind appearing as form, that’s all. The brain is thus an extension of Mind, a physical outcropping of Mind, one might say, that is hard-wired, so-to-speak, to the functionality of Mind, allowing for concepts of Mind to materialize and come forth, or not. 

       Absent a brain, concepts appearing out of the One Mind that underlies All would not and could not appear. Stars, Planets, Minerals and Plants could continue to materialize and come forth, just as occurred prior to the emergence of a brain, but concepts of such could not materialize or appear, absent a brain in play. Stars, Planets, Minerals, and Plants, however, do not embody brains, thus cannot interpret the movement of the Whole of Creation into conceptualized parts. With the appearance and development of a brain, however, concepts increasingly appear. Such concepts are not independently generated by the brain, but are merely conceptualized interpretations generated of the One Mind by means of the brain in materialized form. The brain is thus an extension of the function of Mind and not an entity unto itself, just as the Mind is not an entity at all, but a function of Conscious Awareness that conceptualizes the Whole into apparent parts – that’s all.  

       Minerals, plants, and many animals do not experience a false sense of conceptualized separateness because they do not embody highly evolved brains and therefore the functionality of Mind that separates the Whole into conceptualized parts. The illusion of separateness is thus an outcome brought about by the functionality of a more sophisticated brain that uniquely expresses in humankind. 

       The illusion of separateness brought about by the functionality of Mind does not mean, however, that atoms and molecules (which are not “particles,” but are ever-more complex vortices of Energy appearing Now as force and form) are imagined or dreamt-up by Mind. It simply means that apparent, separate entities appearing in the material universe AS IF separate, based on concepts of Mind appearing Now, are not in fact separate from the Whole of the Universe expressing in the eternally Present Now as One Whole Organism of expression. 

       Nor does the illusion of separateness mean that “things” that appear in the universe as if separate are of themselves an illusion of Mind or are somehow created by Mind. But rather, the illusion is that concepts of Mind are separate from the Whole of expression appearing Now, when such is not the case. 

       Nor does the illusion of separateness mean that the brain is separate from the functionality of Mind. But rather, the illusion of separateness, brought about by means of egoic identification with concepts of Mind, as such appear in Consciousness, brings about the illusion of separate parts, as conceptualized of Mind, that are separate from the Whole appearing Now, when such is not the case.

      The fact is, nothing expressing as the material universe in the eternally Present Now is separate from the Whole. Thus, Minerals, Plants, Animals, and Human Beings are not separate from Space, Stars, Planets, or Galaxies or what one might call the Whole of Creation. Thus also, the brain is not separate from Mind, and the functionality of Mind is not separate from the Whole. Nor is the Presence of Pure Conscious Awareness separate from the Whole. Nor is Love separate from anything that appears in the Universe, even if seemingly separate, as interpreted of Mind.  

       The illusion, brought about by means of the functionality of Mind, is not that “things” appearing Now are not actually so or are somehow not actually appearing at all, as if the Mind plays tricks on human beings. But that “things” that appear as the universe, as interpreted of Mind, whether seemingly within or without, are never separate from the Whole expressing Now – that’s All.  

       Thus also, Absolute Silence, and that which appears within Absolute Silence, is One Reality, not many. One Totality, not many. 

       Non-Duality, therefore, does not mean there is no such thing as a “thing,” as conceived of Mind. It means there is no such thing as a “thing” that is separate from the Whole. 

       The Universe, as a Whole, therefore, can be likened unto a stage upon which the movement of Life is played. But that which is Aware of the play is not of that stage, but is simply that which is Aware – that’s All. Absent a play there is nothing of which to be Aware, just as absent Awareness there could be no play of which to be Aware. 

       “The One in the many and the many in the One,” as the ancients so declared. 

       What is commonly called enlightenment is simply a clear Recognition of this fact – not conceptually, as interpreted of Mind, but non-conceptually, as revealed when the egoically founded illusion of separateness generated of Mind collapses entirely and thus dies away. In such instances, the illusion of separateness is no more and the nature of All is revealed. 

       Non-Duality in its’ totality, therefore, is All that IS, including a sense of separateness, but not limited to a sense of separateness. And recognition of this fact occurs when the sense of separateness collapses entirely – revealing that All is One, not many – full stop, end of story. 

On the Nature of Duality / Non-Duality 

The ​​​​meaning of the words, duality and non-duality, regarding the nature of Conscious Awareness is better understood, it seems, once one realizes the difference between concepts of Mind arising in Consciousness (which in their entirety encompass the world of conceptualized duality) and non-dualistic, Pure Awareness, which is that within which concepts arise.

       Pure Awareness is Present Moment Awareness wherein concepts arise. Concepts that arise in Pure Awareness are forever changing - appearing and disappearing in Consciousness - while that which is Aware of concepts, as such arise, is changeless, formless, and eternally Present – Now. Thus, Life is a constant movement of Energy, whereas Pure Awareness is the Silent, Still Source out of which the movements of Life/Energy arise. 

       That which arises in Consciousness - images, thoughts, emotions, and the like - is dualistic in nature because each appearance inevitably arises in conjunction with a polar opposite concept or effect - small vs large, happy vs sad, easy vs difficult, anxious vs calm, unenlightened vs enlightened, and so on down the line. And that which appears in Consciousness - whether images, thoughts, emotions, or the like – in its totality, comprises the content of Consciousness, which is likewise the content of Mind.

       On the other hand, that which is Aware of concepts, as such arise - from the standpoint of Pure Conscious Awareness - is non-dualistic in nature when absent egoic identification with or attachment to that which arises in Consciousness in the eternally Present Now. Moreover, Pure Awareness is eternally present in ALL that arises in Consciousness, while that which arises in Consciousness is constantly changing - appearing and disappearing - from one moment to the next.

       Because Pure Awareness is forever changeless, while concepts are forever changing from one moment to the next, one cannot discover or approach that which is eternally Present from a conceptualized point of view. Instead, one must Awaken unto the Presence of Pure Awareness by means of the complete cessation of egoic attachment to concepts of Mind because that which is Other than Mind is forever beyond the purview of Mind. Put another way, while concepts appear and disappear in Awareness, Awareness does not appear or disappear in concepts of Mind.

       When one recognizes this Reality in the Silence of eternal Presence, one Awakens unto the nature of enlightened Being, absent egoic identification with any "thing" that appears in Consciousness, regardless of what the appearance might seem to be.

On the Illusion of Duality

The illusion of duality occurs as the egoic sense of separateness continuously identifies with apparent “objects” of Mind that arise in Consciousness in the eternally Present Now. This uniquely human, behavioral practice of egoically identifying with images and thoughts, as such appear - a practice that begins soon after one is born - forms the content of one's conditioning over time. Egoically identifying with images and thoughts, as such appear, brings about the illusion of separateness; a consequence of egoically identifying with conceptualizations of space and time, while ignoring the living Truth of what actually is so in the ever Present Now – absent egoic attachment to the content of Mind.

       The ongoing practice of egoic identification with the content of Mind creates a false sense of separateness; a false sense of a separate entity called "me" vs a separate entity called "you." This false sense of separateness is rooted in the false notion that "I" was an image, thought, feeling or emotion that appeared yesterday and "I" will again be an image or feeling that appears tomorrow because the egoic tendency of the body/mind/organism "I" think of as "me" is in the practice of identifying with ongoing conceptualizations of Mind, as such appear in Consciousness.

       Thus, a perpetual illusion of separateness ensues with each egoic attachment to each passing concept or thought - as one repeats and repeats and repeats the same delusion, day after day. Like Adam in the ancient biblical story, one becomes "lost" in the "Tree of Knowledge," which is the totality of concepts and thoughts, while simultaneously failing to recognize the totality of the "Tree of Life," which is the living Truth of what is actually so in the eternally Present Now.

       Freedom from egoic attachment to images and thoughts arising now occurs when the ongoing practice of egoic identification with such images ceases to be in play and thus, passes away. In the absence of egoic attachment to images and thoughts comes a sudden loss of egoic identity, a loss of a self that is no longer cloaked with concepts of Mind that in Truth only appear in Consciousness in the eternally Present Now. Absent egoic attachments to images and thoughts one Realizes in an instant that "I" am not an image or thought. Nor is anyone else an image or thought, but I AM Consciousness Itself  expressing through a mind/body/organism or THAT which is AWARE of images and thoughts, as such appear in Consciousness, regardless of what said images or thoughts might be. In such instances the false sense of a separate self is done away.

       Concepts represent "knowledge" or the "known." Lack of egoic attachment to concepts is FREEDOM from the "known." Realization of this Truth, which is the living Truth of what is actually so in the eternally Present Now, is nothing less than a Realization of the Presence of Pure Awareness in the eternally Present Now, sometimes called Enlightened Being.   

How Does One Get "There" from "Here?"

No practice or belief or mind-set or comparative thinking process leads to a Realization of the Presence of Pure Awareness, as all such practices and beliefs are rooted in concepts of Mind and as such, are tied to the conceptualized sense of egoic separateness, which is likewise the conceptualized sense of space and time.

       Realizations in Pure Awareness only occur in the Clarity of the eternally Present Now - never in the past or future, but only Now. Put another way, in the eternally Present Now - Clarity IS. Not Clarity was or Clarity will be, but Clarity IS or is not - full stop, end of story. 

       Realizations in Pure Awareness only occur in the ever Present Now, absent any volition by an imagined separate entity, for all such entities are rooted in concepts of Mind and as such, cannot Be Aware of Being Aware in the eternally Present Now, for such Clarity only occurs in the absence of egoic identification with the content of Mind, as such appears in Consciousness. 

       Enlightened Being is simply the fact of Being Aware in the ever Present Now, absent egoic attachment to concepts of Mind, as such appear in Consciousness. In the eternally Present Now – Truth IS.

Awakening unto Living Truth

​​Because concepts arise out of the magnetic field of duality, each concept expressed is aligned with a polar opposite concept arising in Consciousness. The concept of “duality,” for instance, is aligned with the polar opposite concept of “non-duality.” Likewise for “conceptual” and “non-conceptual” awareness. But simply recognizing that the concepts of duality/non-duality or conceptual/non-conceptual are nothing more than concepts of Mind is not the same as Awakening unto the Presence of Pure Awareness in the ever Present Now because the words duality/non-duality and conceptual/non-conceptual represent concepts of Mind only, and as such, are not that which is Silently Aware of concepts, as such appear.  

       The living Truth of Pure Awareness is not a concept of Mind. Nor is Pure Awareness a thought, feeling, emotion, or experience that arises of Mind. Rather, Pure Awareness is that which is Aware of concepts, thoughts, feelings, emotions, and experiences, as such arise and/or appear in Consciousness. That which is Purely Aware is sometimes said to be Other than concepts of Mind because Pure Awareness is Other than all that appears in Consciousness. And that which is Aware of all that appears in Consciousness is not experienced, but is Silently Present in all that appears in Consciousness, including "experiences."

       The Ineffable cannot be experienced, which means Pure Awareness cannot be experienced. One doesn’t experience Pure Awareness; one is simply, Silently Aware. The fact that Pure Awareness is Ineffable, which literally means “unable to be expressed in words,” points to this fact – that Pure Awareness cannot be experienced. The experience appears in Pure Awareness. Pure Awareness does not appear in the experience because Awareness is not an object of Mind.

       When one Awakens unto the Reality of Pure Awareness, one Awakens unto the Silent Presence of same. Such Presence is of Pure Awareness, not of Mind, and Pure Awareness is that which is Aware. Plants, animals, and humans are not Aware – Pure Awareness is Aware. Pure Awareness is not a "thing," a "God particle," an “entity,” or an “object” of Mind, just as the Silent Source of All that arises or appears in Consciousness is not a "thing," a "particle," an “entity,” or an "object" of any kind. Objects appear in Awareness, but Awareness does not appear in objects of Mind.

       Realization of this fact is the end of the illusion of separateness, the end of egoic identification with duality, the death of egoic attachments to conceptualized points of view, the loss of self, the end of suffering, and the end of seeking that which is not found in concepts of Mind, but is the living Truth of what actually is so in the eternally Present Now.