The Extreme Non-Dual Trap

The Extreme non-dual trap

You may have come across it. It’s characterised by these kinds of statements:

“There is no…” and add pretty much add anything you like in the human experience from person, emotions, beauty, tree etc etc etc. It can go on ad-infinitum like this.

It can be very dismissive of someone’s experience whether they are lost in suffering or one example I saw in a non-dual video: Someone commented at an event about “being there yesterday and…” immediately came the reply “no you weren’t” and that was it. The individual and the group left with this statement. Fortunately, in this case the person who had raised the question had some grasp of what was meant.

Advocates of this style have been known to change approach dramatically. One now openly talks about disillusion with meeting other advocates and seeing ‘behind the scenes’ of their lives and the fact that they struggled with emotions, issues in their lives and so on.

Not having experienced or been engaged with the traditional ‘spiritual scene’ it was a surprise when I first came across this extreme non-dual approach but there is only compassion for all involved.

It is true, in the ultimate domain, there is no separation and that which is your essence is the Infinite Silence/Awareness/Consciousness and that it is not personal in any way.

That which is dissolved to allow this realisation to flower is:

Belief and belief in belief.

Belief in an I thought, a ‘youniverse’ that has become self-obsessed. This is not wrong, it happens and is part of a cycle.

The appearance of separation or contrast is actually fundamental to any experience at all along with time, space, form and being. In the same way, one cannot have sound without silence. Both are essential.

The many hues of expression thus have their own ‘Raison d’être.’ All have a place. Granted, some of these can seem tough from a human perspective.

As this realisation flowers this body-mind experience and it’s uniqueness in your from is not going to disappear. There is a power beyond reason for it.

This is your invitation to embrace it, live from inspiration and the source of peace whilst at the same time, ‘having’ the grace to accept that one is not separate but one with the whole.

The extreme non-dual approaches can become a belief system in their own right and thus self-defeating. I’ve seen it lead to more suffering, unexpected emotional challenges and more.

This post isn’t about what’s right and wrong, it’s simply a pointer to be aware of a ‘trap.’

This realisation isn’t about the myth of human perfection. As I say on my Website: “I am not the perfect human, ask my Wife!”

Yes, in the ultimate sense there is no separation. Yet, don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater. There is profound beauty beyond words for the Universe’s, expression in your form.

Your invitation is to be open to this gift of life itself in all it’s uniqueness in your form.

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To experience a Meditative Journey of “before the I thought” followed by responses to experiences and questions see the video below (1 hour 15 minutes).