Non-duality: down the rabbit hole!
This is a blog about awareness, non-duality, identity and Eastern philosophy. In other words, we will go down the rabbit hole. Be warned!
A normal meditation suddenly and unintentionally changed into a self-inquiry. All of a sudden, I thought who is sitting in that chair? Who decides that I take a different position or stand still by a certain thought? Who is this observer of my experiences? Typical questions philosophers ask. But I am far from that, exactly it was my worse course in my bachelor. Nowadays I am starting appreciate philosophy and its function in our world. As they have been challenging the general way of thinking for thousands of years. And by doing that, invite us to do the same thing. I invite you to come down with me in the rabbit hole of non-duality.
Who are we really!?
We automatically assume that we all have an identity. But when we really stand still at who we are, all of a sudden, we are not so sure anymore. We call our name, talk about our profession or where we come from, but how relevant is that? Are we our thoughts, feelings or body? Or a combination of the three? Or are we witnessing it? And what does that mean? When you start looking beyond Western thinking, then you will see that many Eastern philosophies – most famous are yoga, Buddhism, Taoism and Sufism – have profoundly different ways of looking at ourselves and at life.
It is all about identity.
It is all about who we essentially think we are. Simply put, in the West we all see ourselves as a cluster of thoughts, feelings and a body (brain), in our brain awareness (consciousness) has his place. Often we don’t even notice that there is awareness. But after all, we are able be aware of objects, taste, experience, feel, smell and see them. In the Eastern philosophy, awareness is that what you and I in essence. In this aware space, everything of life takes place – among which thoughts, feelings and our body. They are all connected (non-duality means, not two). Adhyshanti explains this in a beautiful video:
With this, the fundament of our identification with thoughts and feelings is taken away. I often live between both worlds, but in moments that I feel and know that I am in that place less space, I experience spontaneity, happiness and feel peace in a more deep way.
Go explore!
Maybe this blog has raised more questions then answers, then that is perfect! That is what starts the investigation. The most important is to find out what makes sense for you. What is my own experience. Go like an open and curious kid and ask questions like and wonder were does happiness ultimately house or thoughts come from and go etc.
My own search
My own search began five years ago because I got really tired of so much thinking, wanting to control and sometimes paralyzing fears. I had already experienced the strength of meditation and movies like What the Bleep!? – Down the Rabbit Hole showed me how to look at things differently. It happens with trial and error, but that I am (we are) awareness is clearer to me than ever. The paradox in this, is that I experience the biggest gain in the difficult moments. I truly see these moments as moments as my biggest lessons and that it really does brings me further. The road is never the way you expect it to be. However happiness, freedom and love, what we search for our whole lives, is that what awaits us. The quote from Eckhart Tolle says it all.
“You have a treasure within you
that is infinitely greater than anything the world can offer.”
Eckhart Tolle