David Hall's Non-Duality Blog
My name's David Hall. I'm the creator of this web site and its content. I live in Wales in the UK.
I developed the Celtic design software KnotWorker, I create electronic music as Goldcup7, and I've written books on spirituality and non duality.
Hope you enjoy this Non Duality blog. New blogs are added on Fridays.
Please use the Contact page if you have any questions or would like me to discuss a topic.
- Category: The Human Experience
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The Non-Duality answer to the question, "Is there a me?" is that there really isn't anyone. The ideas 'we' have of who 'we' are are mere imaginations in the mind. But then there isn't even a mind or minds. There is only Beingness appearing to be otherness. There is not a 'me' thinking or a 'me' doing. These are labels that don't stand up to scrutiny.
We could say that humanity has made a mistake in identifying with the body, and feeling that 'I am this and not that'. There is a feeling or sense of personal identity that most humans have. It's a mistaken identity, but it's okay. It's not the truth, but it's okay. This sense of personal identity has developed from the experience of centralised senses. There is a sense, a feeling, and a belief, that 'I am this, perceiving that'.
But really we can't pinpoint who or what we are. There aren't any real limits. It's more accurate to say that the personal identity appears to happen, but it appears to no-one. So what I'm saying here is that there is no-one saying this. That can sound a bit ridiculous until it's recognised that really there is no-one saying anything. Words being written or spoken just happen. It's part of the flow of the appearance of the world. We could say that humans write and speak, and that's relatively accurate and useful, of course. But it's still not accurate, because we can't define the 'human'. We could also say the hand writes or the mouth speaks, but we can't really define that either. It's all just an appearance of flowing, movement, vibration, and so on.
Where are we in all of this? Well, we're nowhere to be found. Humans like to think we are personal and we are all separate people. That's the play of Oneness, appearing to be something other than what it is, appearing to be many. There is only this What Is or Beingness, no matter what appears to be. What Is or Beingness can't create something other than what it is. At best it can appear to be or seem to be what it is not. But that's all a play.
So there isn't really a 'me' separate from others. There is only always What Is. We are That. But there's no 'us' and 'That'. There is only What Is.
- Category: The Universe
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Imagine that planet Earth is one being. Within that one being there seem to be billions of beings, all made up of the body or substance of that one being, Earth. There are beings and non-beings, formations such as rocks, lakes, rivers, air, cars, buildings etc. The beings are the insects, fish, animals, humans etc. We could class plants as beings too, in that they seem to have their own existence or life force. There is air and water that seems to separate the solid forms of these beings and objects. All this is planet Earth.
What we have here is one being playing at being many beings. Within the form of this one being it divides itself with itself to create many beings. Through the use of density of form there can appear a separation of form. So some forms appear solid, some appear fluid and separate the solid forms. The seemingly solid forms of animals are separated by air and water. This juxtaposition of solidity and fluidity creates the appearance of separate beings within the one being. For example, the human body is mostly fluid but appears reasonably solid, and air, which is less dense than the human body, seems to separate these solid forms, creating the appearance of separate beings. Though it should be said that air and water flow through these seemingly solid forms.
So what seems to be happening here on planet Earth is that one body (the planet) is appearing as many bodies (animals, humans etc.). These bodies seem to be separated, but it is just another substance of the planet body that seems to create a separation. The play and flow of solid, liquid and gas in the planet body create the appearance of many bodies. But truly there is just the one body, planet Earth. Earth's solid forms, liquid forms and gas forms are all planet Earth. So there only appears to be a division in the planet's forms based on the contrast of density of form within the planet. The division of the planet is illusory.
We imagined that Earth is a being, albeit a somewhat spherical being. And why not? Ultimately even planet Earth is an appearance of separation in the universe. Planet Earth is one appearing as many. The universe is one appearing as many. The universe and planet Earth are expressions of one appearing as many. This is the play of the universe. The universe can't really be separated from something else. There can only seem to be a separation by means of appearances.
The universe is the appearance of One Being expressed as many separate forms, though never truly separated. This expression of 'one to many' is scattered and multiplied throughout the One Being. Or so it seems.
- Category: Non-duality
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In Non-Duality there is no finite, no definition of things. There are no limits. There are not many separate things. There is only an Infinite One without division or limitation.
Someone might object and say, "But there are limits. I was born and I will die. Everything comes to an end. My body is separate from other bodies. I am a being in my own right. I can't know what others think." Let's have a real look at these assertions and see if we can find any true limits.
Although we may think and assume, "I was born and I will die," it's not really clear who 'I' am and when I was born or began. It's impossible to define who 'I' am. We may say, "I am this body," but this body is changing all the time. We could say, "I was born at 2am on 28th January 1971," but that's just the registered time that the baby emerged from gestation. The time itself is subjective, as it's based on a manmade timeframe. It may refer to a point in time, but even that point is vague and never completely precise. Furthermore, being born isn't the beginning of the human body. The beginning of the human body can't be found. We could trace it back to the parents, but there is a continual unending flow back through generations and generations. Even what we consider to be 'human' is in a continual flow of evolution. Its origins flow from forms that we would not describe as human.
We have an understanding of what it means to die. We could say this is where the body is no longer animated. But even this death is not clearly defined, and we cannot say precisely when it occurs. Rather it can be recognised that the human body develops from a long undivided line of humans. It builds itself up by consuming nutrients from the environment, then it fades and eventually returns to the environment from which it is always made. So being born and dying is not as finite as we assume it to be.
Does everything come to an end? Well certainly nothing lasts. Everything that appears in the world will indeed disappear. It may take seconds, minutes, or years, but everything comes and goes. That doesn't mean everything ends. Rather there is a continual flow of coming and going. For instance, consider a drop of water landing on a pond. This creates ripples that flow outward from the source. The ripples are high at first but they lose their amplitude as they travel. They slowly fade and the surface is calm again. The ripples don't really end. They slowly fade back to the natural state, whilst their energy is transferred.
Is the body separate from other bodies? Only relatively so. The body is made of solid, liquid and gas, and it is separated from other bodies mostly by gaseous air. The body's apparent solidity of form against the spacious air appears as separate from other solid bodies. But this play of density of vibration brings about the appearance of separation. Consider water poured into a bowl made of ice. They appear separate due to the temporary solidity of the ice. But if heat is applied the water and ice become one. So there is only an appearance of separation due to the apparent density of forms. We could confidently say that all humans and animals are not separate from planet Earth.
How do I know I am a being and there are other beings? This is only suggested by the apparent separation of forms, that we've just seen isn't strictly true. The sense of who I am is generally based on a vague identity with this human body. But logically it doesn't stand. This finite being that I think I am is not necessarily who I am. I can't really find where it begins and ends.
So Non-Duality understanding is that we are not separate beings. Reality is an infinite singularity. We are That. It is understood that our nature is Consciousness, and all that we know is experienced by, in and as Consciousness. But if we are one Consciousness, why can't I know what others are thinking?
This is a common question. The answer is in understanding that within Consciousness there is an apparent variation of density that brings about a sense of the finite. Just as the ice bowl can hold water, so can the apparently finite mind hold its own thoughts. Thoughts are relative to the mind in which they form. The apparent separation of minds prevents the sharing of thoughts. However, that's not to say that there can't be communication between the apparently separate minds. To use another analogy, minds are like branches on the same tree, all connected by the central trunk. The Infinite Consciousness that we truly are is like the central trunk, but also the whole of the tree.
It is Infinite Consciousness that is the shared reality of all seemingly separate finite minds.
- Category: Spiritual Symbols and Patterns
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The world appears as a reflection of Reality. The common appearance of reflections in the world makes it a pattern or expression of that which can't be perceived. Reflections appear on the flat surfaces of water or smooth objects, such as glass, polished obsidian, or our commonplace mirrors. Reflections occur in the processing of the visible image in the eye, the echo of sounds off walls, light bouncing off surfaces, and in many human inventions such as radar and x-ray imaging.
Reflections appear as opposites or inverted copies of an original. They may appear more or less accurate depending on the pureness or smoothness of the surface they appear in. They're never absolutely perfect, as they can’t truly be the original. The reflection appears as an inverted inferior copy of the original.
Another pattern I've written about is 'the hollow'. It's commonly found in the world and expresses the infinite empty completeness of Reality. Reflection can be considered in a similar vein. The pattern of reflection expresses the nature of the world as a reflection of Reality.
It would be a mistake to think that 'the world is a reflection of me'. That's not it. The world is what appears or is perceived. That incudes thinking and the sense of identity or 'me'. These are perceived and are part of the world that appears.
This all appears as a reflection of that which cannot be seen or known. The world appears as a multiplicity of many separate things. Some things are alive, some not. This is a reflection of Reality, which is pure infinite indivisible Life. Reality isn't seen, as there is not really a separate one seeing something else. There is no real subject-seeing-object divide.
Humans can't really see themselves, only reflections of themselves. The eye can't see the eye. The Infinite One Being can't see itself. All the Infinite One can do to kind of see itself is to use the appearance of reflection and separation. So there appear beings and a world. It's all the Infinite One expressing itself by aid of reflection, separation and opposites.
The world appears imperfect, reflecting the Perfection of Reality. The world appears to continually move and change, reflecting the Unchanging Stillness of Reality. The world appears as separate forms, reflecting the Formless Indivisible Singularity of Reality.
But the world isn't really imperfect. It doesn't really move and change. There aren't really separate forms. Although the appearance of the world seems to be a reflection of Reality, there can never really be anything other than Reality. There is only ever the Infinite One.
- Category: Spiritual Practice
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There was a period of my life when I wondered what was the best way to live. How could I be a good person? How could I do the right thing? What was the right thing to do? So I made some changes and developed some principals, such as not eating meat, recycling, supporting good causes, not misleading people or being unkind, and making an effort not to do anything that seemed dishonest. I was even sometimes called 'Do Right Dave'...
All that is fine, and in some ways trying to be a better person brings one closer to the true nature of being. Or at least it can seem that way. 'The saint is closer to God than the sinner,' we could say. It's kind of true, relatively speaking, but not absolutely true. Let's break it down and build it up.
The 'saint' is the good person, doing good things, being kind to others, helping others; being selfless, we might say. This is close to God, where God is Oneness. The 'saint' is close to Oneness by being less self-centred and more focused on the whole, showing love and kindness to all. The 'sinner' on the other hand is selfish, looking out for 'number one', all taking and no giving, and showing hate and disdain for others. This certainly seems far from godliness, and it describes someone who selfishly puts themselves as more important than the whole. The 'sinner' seems far removed from Oneness.
That's how it seems. But truly Oneness is here throughout. There only appears to be differences. There only appears to be far from God and near to God. God, or the Infinite One, is right here where everything appears. Nothing is outside of God. Goodness seems to be close to Reality or the Truth of Being Infinitely One. Badness only seems to be far from it. But there is no inside or outside of the Infinite One. The apparent opposites of near and far appear within the unbounded space of the Infinite One.
We can never be far from God or near to God. We are never really a sinner or a saint. That is the appearance of the world as if it was the Infinite One separated. But this separation doesn't happen. We are never a person of any kind, though we may experience the life of a person. I call it the human experience. The human may make changes to be a better person, and that is good and fine, and in keeping with the understanding that there is only One and our true nature is this Infinite One.
There comes a point when the 'saint' (in the human experience), becoming closer to oneness, lets go of the ideas of being a 'saint', being a person doing actions, whether good or bad. This letting go is Freedom. It is the Freedom of just being. Some say it is freedom from karma, and in a way it is. The Infinite One is not subject to karma, the Law of Opposites. When the identity as a human doing actions is dropped, the person is no more, and it is clear that there is only ever the Infinite One. Actions of the human may continue, but there is no attachment to them, no separate person doing actions.
So you see here the path from doing bad, to doing good, to not identifying with doing at all. The question of whether an action is good or bad no longer arises. There is no choice to make. There is no seeing the world or actions as good or bad. There is the clear knowing that there is only God, the Infinite One. No saints or sinners. No heaven or hell. No near or far from God. Only the Infinite One.