Goldcup Software and Design

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.

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Category: Non-duality

The limited person is the reflection of the Impersonal Infinite Reality.Reality is impersonal. Reality has no limits to divide this from that. There is only an appearance of limits. We may assume or believe that there are limits. But these limits are never truly and accurately defined. Consider a wave on the ocean. It has no limits, no beginning or end definition. It is really just the ocean appearing to have the form of peaks and troughs. There isn't one wave separate from another, yet we assume that 'a wave' really is something.

Similarly with the branches of a tree. There aren't really branches. It is just the tree. We may look at the tree and say, "Here's a branch. Here's another branch. There are many branches." But it is just the tree. The human mind has labelled 'a branch' without really accurately defining where 'a branch' begins and ends. It has no beginning or ending. Just as with the wave.

These labels are useful, yes. But are they wholly accurate? No.

So, back to the person and the Impersonal. We may consider that we are a person and we know other persons. It's useful to have that understanding, but it's not wholly accurate. Truly there is no divide between persons. We might say, "My body is separate from their body, so we must be different separate people." But there is no clear definition where this 'body' begins and ends. The body is a flowing, interactive formation within the planet. It's not separate from the planet, from the solids, liquids and gases that flow through it. Although it may seem that 'air' separates 'this body' from 'that body', again this is just the human mind labelling things that are not clearly defined. We can vaguely accept it, and that's fine. But is it true? No.

If we really want to find truth we need to recognise that the words we use to define things are never accurate, because there are not truly many things. There is only This. Reality is a complete undivided whole. It may appear as many, but that is a play of division and separation. Reality is always Whole.

So if we are not this person, then who are we? We are the Whole. We are This.

Why does it seem that there are many separate life forms? Because This can only appear through a play of separation and reflection. The limited person is the reflection of the Impersonal Infinite Reality. The individual is the opposite of the Whole. The Whole can only be expressed by use of opposites, so what appears within the Whole is a reflection of the Whole. What appears seems to be incomplete, stretched out from here to there, fallen out of balance, drifting far from Here, conflicting and clashing. What appears seems to be far from Oneness, Wholeness and Completeness. But Reality is One, Whole and Complete. It never can fall out of harmony.

There only ever seems to be many. There only seem to be multiple persons. The Truth is right Here, not over there. Reality remains complete and content. We are This.

Category: Spiritual Symbols and Patterns

Oneness is reflected as many, a seeming multitude of forms.We see reflection everywhere we look. We hear reflection in everything we hear. The eyes perceive light reflecting off surfaces. The ears hear sound reflecting off surfaces. Reflection is more than just a common pattern in the universe: it is the way in which the universe appears. Let's explore the world of reflection.

In my first book, Philosophical Contemplations, I started using the term The World of Opposites to describe the world that we experience. It occurred to me that opposites were everywhere and opposites were the means by which the world appears. It's not a new recognition really: the Taoist Yin and Yang understanding is well known. High and low, near and far, good and bad, happy and sad - this is the play of the world. It was clear that without opposites nothing can appear. The contrast is needed for something to appear out of nothing. Light needs darkness for it to be evident. Silence needs sound for it to be 'heard', or rather known. Without ever knowing sound, silence is overlooked. It is only when sound is gone that the silence is noticed.

But it's not just that the world is made of opposites. The apparent World of Opposites is itself a reflection of Reality. There are certain qualities that are timeless and formless, and these cannot become apparent without the appearances of opposites. Oneness, Stillness, Harmony, Endlessness, Being - these qualities are imperceptible. These are the qualities of reality that can only seem to be expressed by aid of their opposites. It is in expressing the inexpressible that the universe appears as a World of Opposites and the Reflection of Reality.

Oneness is reflected as many, a seeming multitude of forms. We see many different objects, or at least we think we do. It is the mind or mental activity that defines and divides. We call this a cat, that a dog, this a building, that a person. The mind breaks up the world into components or individual elements. But these apparently individual objects are not separate. Nothing is truly divided and separate from the rest of the world. It only seems that way. The world remains forever One, throughout this seeming reflection of division and separation.

Stillness is expressed in its opposite of apparent movement, and in the movement of the universe stillness can only appear as an illusion. Look around and see the illusion of stillness. The ground feels still, buildings seem still, furniture seems still. Even parked cars seem still. But it's only a relative stillness whilst the planet swirls through space. True Stillness is inexpressible.

Harmony is expressed as imbalance or disharmony, where opposites seem to fall out of Oneness and fluctuate through seemingly different levels of 'harmony' and disharmony. The World of Opposites is really an appearance of disharmony, reflecting the unseen Harmony that is the true nature of reality.

Endlessness is reflected in the world as the seeming limits and divisions of things. It is only an appearance of limits and division, as the true nature of reality is Endless.

Being is expressed in the World of Opposites as not being, or death. Being is Life itself. The quality of existence. In this world we experience the illusion of non-existence - humans live and die. Life seems to come to an end. But it is only an illusion or play of relative life and death. The planet continues its play of life through the change of form. As one life form breaks down it transforms into other life forms. This play of life and death is the expression of unending and imperceptible Life. Being.

These special qualities that are the nature of reality are not created. Creation and destruction are reflections in the World of Opposites. Being doesn't require creation. Oneness doesn't require creation. Stillness, Harmony and Endlessness don't require creation. They are the qualities of Life, What Is. These crucial qualities of Life, to which we could add Clarity, Peace, Completeness and Contentment, are the same One Infinite Beingness. It is in reflecting this Infinite Beingness that the world appears. The world is not something else, just as the reflection of trees on a pond are not other than the pond. The reflection of reality, the illusion of the world, appears within the Reality, made of the Reality.

Category: The Human Experience
It is part of human evolution to rise up from the dark past into the brighter future, to rise from restriction to freedom.The human psyche has evolved in a world of competition and survival. Planet Earth can be a hostile environment where animals and humans have had to fight or flee in order to survive. It is because of this that the 'Fight or Flight' response is imbedded in the human psyche. Even now, in a totally safe environment it can be difficult to totally relax; there is an underlying readiness to respond quickly to defend ourselves or run. Effectively the body reacts automatically to a dangerous situation to keep itself safe. This may also include the Freeze response where there is no reaction to the threat, and this may have been useful at times for survival.
 
But what about fear? It is fear that can trigger these responses and start the adrenalin pumping, whether there is a real danger or an imagined danger. The body reacts to the environment as well as the mind. We may fear that something awful might happen, an accident, an attack, or an unwanted event. It is the mind then that fears what might happen. Fear is the mind's resistance to what it thinks will harm the body-mind. The mind wants to protect itself or its sense of self.
 
The human mind has evolved with these response mechanisms embedded within it. There are pros and cons to this. On the one hand they protect the human and continue the existence of the species. On the other hand fear can take over and prevent the natural expression of peace, calmness and contentment. Ultimately fear and its responses pertain to the survival of the separate individual. In Non-Duality we know that the separate individual is illusory, and reality is an infinite indivisible Oneness. There really is no other to fear. The Oneness, which we truly are, cannot die or be harmed. It is only the reflected expression of Oneness that is subject to the interplay of opposites. Peace and contentment are the true nature of Being.
 
So we need to move on from fear. We may fear spiders, for example, but understanding them better can take away the fear reaction. There may be some deadly spiders, but most are harmless to humans. We don't need to be afraid of the harmless ones. Caution is fine if we're not sure, but irrational fear is something humanity needs to move on from.
 
Fear, competition and survival have been relevant to the human world or the human experience, but we are not the human being. These responses and reactions that have been part of human evolution can and will be overcome. It is part of human evolution to rise up from the dark past into the brighter future, to rise from restriction to freedom. Fear and competition are the old way, the way of opposition. The new way is the Way of Oneness, where there is a recognition that there is only one. We don't need to compete to be the best or to survive. There is no other to beat. We are One and we are Life itself. We perceive the human experience with its apparent sense of ups and downs, wins and losses, life and death. We are That which does not die. We are Life. We neither win nor lose. We are beyond the play of the World of Opposites.
 
Gradually, as the evolution of apparently limited form towards freedom progresses, fear and competition will diminish. The imaginary boundaries will fall. This comes about naturally with the growing realisation of Oneness. The realisation of Oneness is the peak of evolution, rising from the conflict of separation to the unity of Oneness. It is the natural outcome of all successful civilisations.

Category: Non-duality
Reality is Harmony itself.The idea of world peace seems to be a distant, perhaps impossible, utopia. It's a world where all people get along, where there are no harsh divides between one nation and another. Humanity would be considered one nation. Not a homogenous nation where everyone dressed the same and looked the same, but a unified nation of diversity. A place where diversity is accepted but with an underlying unity or companionship between people of different appearances. Unity in diversity.
 
That's the idea, anyhow. It may seem distant and impossible, but it is achievable to a degree. I say, "to a degree," because True Harmony is not something that can be manifested. True Harmony is not something that can be achieved. The simple reason is that the world itself appears by aid of disharmony. Why so?
 
The world appears as an expression of what some have called the Supreme Ultimate. Some call it God. Some call it the Self or What Is. The world is an expression of the underlying Reality. What is seen, known or experienced as the world is not a true appearance of Reality. Reality is without appearance. So any expression of it is inadequate. It is like trying to express silence with sound. It will always be less than accurate. Reality is really inexpressible, so no expression can be perfect.
 
But what about True Harmony? Reality is True Harmony. Reality is a whole, complete and inexpressible, an unmanifest Singularity. It is perfectly balanced beyond any notion of imbalance. Reality is Harmony itself. It can only be expressed by aid of reflection and opposites. Smoke and mirrors maybe?
 
The world appears as a World of Opposite in order to express the inexpressible Reality. The world is not other than Reality. Reality can only appear by aid of reflection and separation, seemingly dividing itself to be able to observe itself. Yet it remains timelessly unseen. The True Harmony is expressed as imbalance, separated and fluctuating between opposites. There can be an appearance of balance and harmony relative to disharmony. But it can't accurately portray True Harmony.
 
Just as we can perceive a sense of stillness if we sit in a quiet room, whilst the room spins on a planet flying through space, it's not True Stillness. The underlying Reality is True Stillness, but it can only be expressed through use of relative motion and stillness. It is the same with Harmony, which is expressed through relative disharmony and harmony. The peace we may seek cannot truly be found in the world of expressions. Yet it is right here all along.
 
We cannot perceive True Harmony because it is timelessly ever present. Just as silence can never be heard. Harmony, Peace and Stillness are the inexpressible qualities of Reality. It is this Singular Reality that underlies the world. The world is its attempt at expression. True Harmony is inevitably the goal for all civilisations. It is the Reality of Life. Recognising this underlying Reality of Harmony and Oneness is the step towards the greater expression of harmony in the world.
 
We recognise the great importance of Harmony as the nature of Reality, and we work towards the greatest expression of this. We recognise that it cannot be wholly expressed, but we know that it is ever present and underlies all apparent disharmony.
  1. Understanding Restriction and Limitation
  2. The Cross
  3. Are there Different States of Consciousness?
  4. The Precious Identity

Subcategories

Spirituality Article Count:  21

Non-duality Article Count:  56

Spiritual Symbols and Patterns Article Count:  14

The Human Experience Article Count:  47

The Universe Article Count:  33

Spiritual Practice Article Count:  13

God Article Count:  6