Nonduality is the absence or belief in the absence of dualism or dichotomy. Examples of dualisms include self/other, mind/body, male/female, good/evil, active/passive, and many others. Nondualism assumes that these dichotomies are illusionary at worst or inaccurate conveniences at best. The term dualism is the state of being dual, or having a two fold division. ... A dichotomy is a division into two non-overlapping or mutually exclusive and jointly exhaustive parts. ...

A nondualistic state is the nature of reality according to teachings (generally originating in Asia) including Advaita, Buddhism and Dzogchen, and probably Taoism as well. Many postmodern theories also assume that the dichotomies traditionally used are invalid or inaccurate. For example, one typical form of deconstruction is the critique of binary oppositions within a text while problematization questions the context or situation in which common myths such as dualisms occur. Jump to: navigation, search World map showing Asia (geographically) Asia is the central and eastern part of Eurasia and worlds largest continent. ... Advaita Vedanta is probably the best known of all Vedanta schools of Hinduism, the others being Dvaita and Vishishtadvaita. ... Jump to: navigation, search A replica of an ancient statue found among the ruins of a temple at Sarnath Buddhism is a religion and philosophy based on the teachings of the Buddha, Siddhārtha Gautama, a prince of the Shakyas, whose lifetime is traditionally given as 566 to 486 BCE... Jump to: navigation, search Dzogchen is a meditation practice and body of teachings considered the pinacle of the nine yana systems of the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism and the Tibetan Bön tradition. ... Jump to: navigation, search The Yin-Yang or Taiji diagram, often used as a symbol in Taoism. ... This article needs a complete rewrite for the reasons listed on the talk page. ... To problematize a term, text, opinion, ideology, identity, or person is to consider the concrete or existential elements of those involved as challenges (problems) that invite the people involved to transform those situations. ...

In the context of postmodern feminism and Tibetan Buddhism, Anne Carolyn Klein (1995, p.151), defines "dualism" as "an opposition that presumes a differance or tension that goes beyond taking account of qualities unique to logically related categories, for example, subject and object, sacred and profane, ore enlightened or unenlightened." She defines cognitive, ontological, and evolutionary nondualism. Simultaneous perception of self and other or joinging of subject and object, simultaneous perception of one's conditioned and unconditioned aspects, and one's potential or inherent enlightenment, respectively. Postmodern feminism is one approach to feminist theory that argues that there is no single cause for a womans subordination because sociological gender is itself constructed through language. ... Tibetan Buddhism - formerly (and incorrectly) also called Lamaism, after their religious gurus known as lamas - is the body of religious Buddhist doctrine and institutions characteristic of Tibet and the Himalayan region. ...

Nondualistic beliefs also include monism and pluralism. While attitudes towards the experience of duality and self may vary, nondual traditions converge on the view that experience does not imply an "I". Monism is the metaphysical view that there is only one principle, essence, substance or energy. ... Jump to: navigation, search In the social sciences, pluralism is a framework of interaction in which groups show sufficient respect and tolerance of each other, that they fruitfully coexist and interact without conflict or assimilation. ...

In Buddhism

In the Buddhist canon, the Diamond Sutra presents an accessible nondual view of "self" and "beings", while the Heart Sutra asserts shunyata — the "emptiness" of all "things". The fullest philosophical exposition is the Madhyamaka; by contrast many laconic pronouncements are delivered as koans. Advanced views and practices are found in the Mahamudra and Maha Ati, which emphasize the vividness and spaciousness of nondual awareness. Jump to: navigation, search A replica of an ancient statue found among the ruins of a temple at Sarnath Buddhism is a religion and philosophy based on the teachings of the Buddha, Siddhārtha Gautama, a prince of the Shakyas, whose lifetime is traditionally given as 566 to 486 BCE... Jump to: navigation, search The Diamond Sutra (Vajracchedika-prajñāpāramitā-sÅ«tra), The Perfection of Wisdom Sutra that Cuts like a Thunderbolt, is a short Mahayana sutra of the Perfection of Wisdom genre, which teaches the practice of the avoidance of abiding in extremes of mental attachment. ... The Heart of Perfect Wisdom Sutra or Heart Sutra (Sanskrit: Prajñāpāramitā Hridaya SÅ«tra, Chinese: 般若波羅蜜多心經, Buorebuoluomituo Xinjing) is a well known Mahāyāna Buddhist sutra. ... Jump to: navigation, search Śūnyatā, शून्यता (Sanskrit, Pali: suññatā), or Emptiness, is a term for an aspect of the Buddhist metaphysical critique as well as Buddhist epistemology and phenomenology. ... Madhyamaka is a Buddhist philosophical tradition that asserts that all phenomena are empty of self-nature or essence (Sanskrit: Svabhāva), that they have no intrinsic, independent reality apart from the causes and conditions from which they arise. ... Jump to: navigation, search This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Mahamudra (Sanskrit: great seal) or Chagchen (Tibetan) is a method of direct introduction to the nature of Mind (or Buddha-nature) and the practice of stabilizing the accompanying transcendental realization. ... Maha Ati is one sub-division of the nine yanas taught by the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism. ...

Not Two, Not One

Mahayana Buddhism, in particular, tempers the view of nonduality (wisdom) with respect for the experience of duality (compassion) — ordinary dualistic experience, populated with selves and others (sentient beings), is tended with care, always "now". This approach is itself regarded as a means to disperse the confusions of duality (i.e. as a path). In Theravada, that respect is expressed cautiously as non-harming, while in the Vajrayana, it is expressed boldly as enjoyment (especially in tantra). Relief image of the bodhisattva Guan Yin (Avalokitesvara) from Mt. ... Jump to: navigation, search Theravada (Pali; Sanskrit: Sthaviravada) is one of the eighteen (or twenty) Nikāya schools that formed early in the history of Buddhism. ... Jump to: navigation, search A mandala used in Vajrayana Buddhist practices. ... Tantra (Sanskrit: loom), tantric yoga or tantrism is any of several esoteric traditions rooted in the religions of India. ...

Theravada

It is, however, important to note that Theravada denies the principle of nonduality. In Dhamma and Non-duality, Bhikkhu Bodhi states the following: Jump to: navigation, search Theravada (Pali; Sanskrit: Sthaviravada) is one of the eighteen (or twenty) Nikāya schools that formed early in the history of Buddhism. ...

"At the peak of the pairs of opposites stands the duality of the conditioned and the Unconditioned: samsara as the round of repeated birth and death wherein all is impermanent, subject to change, and liable to suffering, and Nibbana as the state of final deliverance, the unborn, ageless, and deathless. Although Nibbana, even in the early texts, is definitely cast as an ultimate reality and not merely as an ethical or psychological state, there is not the least insinuation that this reality is metaphysically indistinguishable at some profound level from its manifest opposite, samsara. To the contrary, the Buddha's repeated lesson is that samsara is the realm of suffering governed by greed, hatred, and delusion, wherein we have shed tears greater than the waters of the ocean, while Nibbana is irreversible release from samsara, to be attained by demolishing greed, hatred, and delusion, and by relinquishing all conditioned existence."

In Dzogchen

Dzogchen is a relatively esoteric (to date) tradition concerned with the "natural state", and emphasizing direct experience. It is independent, yet closely allied with the Buddhism of Tibet, particularly the Nyingma lineage and the Maha Ati teachings. In Dzogchen, the primordial state, the state of nondual awareness, is called rigpa. Jump to: navigation, search Dzogchen is a meditation practice and body of teachings considered the pinacle of the nine yana systems of the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism and the Tibetan Bön tradition. ... The Nyingma tradition is the oldest of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism (the other three being Kagyu, Sakya and Gelug). ... Maha Ati is one sub-division of the nine yanas taught by the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism. ... Rigpa is the primordial, nondual awareness advocated by the Dzogchen teachings. ...

In Advaita

Advaita (Sanskrit a, not; dvaita, dual) is a nondual tradition from India, with Advaita Vedanta as its philosophical arm. The theory was first consolidated by Sri Adi Shankaracharya in the 8th century AD. Adherents to this theory of the nature of the soul (Brahman) are known as Smartha's. Advaita Vedanta is probably the best known of all Vedanta schools of Hinduism, the others being Dvaita and Vishishtadvaita. ... Jump to: navigation, search Advaita Vedanta is probably the best known of all Vedanta schools of Hinduism, the others being Dvaita and Vishishtadvaita. ... Jump to: navigation, search Adi Shankara (Śaṅkara, Shri Shankaracharya, Adhi Shankaracharya, Ādi Śaṅkarācārya; the first Shankara in his lineage), reverentially called Bhagavatpada Acharya (the teacher at the feet of Lord) (very approximately 788–820 C.E., but see below) was the most famous Advaita philosopher, who... Here the underlined vowels carry the Vedic Sanskrit udātta pitch accent. ... // Introduction The term Smartha refers to those who accept and profess the Advaitha or non-dualistic philosophy propounded by Sri Adi Shankaracharya. ...

According to Ramana Maharshi, a well-known saint of modern times, the jnani (one who has realised the Self) sees no individual ego, and does not regard himself (or anyone else) as a "doer" of actions. The state of nondual awareness is called jnana. Jump to: navigation, search Ramana Mahrishi as portrayed in a loving oil painting by Jayalakshmi Satyendra Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi (December 30, 1879 - April 14, 1950) was a great Hindu mystic of the Advaita Vedanta stream and is regarded by some as one of the greatest saints of Hinduism in... Jnana is the Sanskrit term for knowledge. ...

In Taoism

Taoism's wu wei (Chinese wu, not; wei, doing) is a term with various translations (e.g. inaction, non-action, nothing doing, without ado) and interpretations designed to distinguish it from passivity. From a nondual perspective, it refers to activity that does not imply an "I". Jump to: navigation, search The Yin-Yang or Taiji diagram, often used as a symbol in Taoism. ...

See also

• Nondual
• Advaita
• shunyata
• Diamond Sutra
• Heart Sutra
• Hinayana
• A Course in Miracles

A nondual philosophical or religious perspective or theory maintains that there is no fundamental distinction between mind and matter. ... Advaita Vedanta is probably the best known of all Vedanta schools of Hinduism, the others being Dvaita and Vishishtadvaita. ... Jump to: navigation, search Śūnyatā, शून्यता (Sanskrit, Pali: suññatā), or Emptiness, is a term for an aspect of the Buddhist metaphysical critique as well as Buddhist epistemology and phenomenology. ... Jump to: navigation, search The Diamond Sutra (Vajracchedika-prajñāpāramitā-sÅ«tra), The Perfection of Wisdom Sutra that Cuts like a Thunderbolt, is a short Mahayana sutra of the Perfection of Wisdom genre, which teaches the practice of the avoidance of abiding in extremes of mental attachment. ... The Heart of Perfect Wisdom Sutra or Heart Sutra (Sanskrit: Prajñāpāramitā Hridaya SÅ«tra, Chinese: 般若波羅蜜多心經, Buorebuoluomituo Xinjing) is a well known Mahāyāna Buddhist sutra. ... Hinayana (Sanskrit: inferior vehicle; Chinese:小乘, Xiǎoshèng; Japanese: Shōjō) is a term coined by the Mahayana, which appeared publicly around the 1st century CE. There are differing views on the use and meaning of the term, both among scholars and within Buddhism. ... Jump to: navigation, search Second hardbound edition of A Course In Miracles, as published by Foundation for Inner Peace. ...

External Links

• Dzogchen Practice in Everyday Life by HH Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
• Rigpa, Non-dual Awareness

A Western approach to nonduality:

• Tony Parsons - Welcome to The Open Secret
• Nathan Gill
• Sailor Bob Adamson

Source

• Klein, Anne Carolyn (1995). Meeting the Great Bliss Queen: Buddhists, Feminists, and the Art of the Self. Boston, Beacon Press. ISBN 0807073067.

References

• Castaneda, Carlos (1987). The Power of Silence. New York: Simon and Schuster. ISBN 0-671-50067-8.
• Godman, David (Ed.) (1985). Be As You Are: The Teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi. London: Arkana. ISBN 0-14-019062-7.
• HH The Dalai Lama (2000). Dzogchen: The Heart Essence of the Great Perfection. Ithaca: Snow Lion Publications. ISBN 1-55939-157-X.
• Kongtrül, Jamgön (1992). Cloudless Sky: The Mahamudra Path of The Tibetan Buddhist Kagyü School. Boston: Shambhala Publications. ISBN 0-87773-694-4.
• Norbu, Namkhai (1993). The Crystal and the Way of Light: Sutra, Tantra and Dzogchen. London: Arkana. ISBN 0-14-019314-6.
• Trungpa, Chögyam (1987). Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism. Boston: Shambhala Publications. ISBN 0-87773-050-4.
• Watson, Burton (Trans.) (1968). The Complete Works of Chuang Tzu. New York: Columbia University Press. ISBN 0-231-03147-5.