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: Spiritual Symbols and Patterns
- Hits: 1275
The pattern of 'Many from One' is everywhere we look. It's important to notice this pattern, as it speaks of the formation and reality of the universe. There are examples throughout the planet. Flowers open their numerous petals from a central stem. Many tree branches grow from a central trunk, each branch produces many twigs, and each twig produces many leaves. Each leaf in turn shows the pattern of many form one in its many veins from its central midrib.
Oceans flow into many rivers that flow into many streams. Animal and human forms develop according to the pattern of Many from One. Feathers, arms, legs, fingers, toes, hairs, whiskers, veins and senses, all show this pattern. There is also the evolution of species, where many species develop from a single source.
This pattern is a repetition of the creation of the universe, where many seem to have come from one. I say 'seem' because of the deeper recognition, that although the world of many seems to have come from one, the one remains. Just as there may seem to be many twigs in a tree, there is just the tree. The twigs aren't separate from the tree. It is just the mind that thinks in terms of branches and twigs. It is the mind that seems to divide the world.
So, although there is a clear pattern throughout the world of 'Many from One', there is only ever one, the indivisible Infinite One.
- Category: Spirituality
- Hits: 1271
True Peace and Stillness has nothing to do with the body or the mind. The body and the mind vibrate and flow with energy. Trying to still the mind or body is impossible, like trying to still the turning of the planet. It's possible to slow or calm the mind and the body, but they will continue to flow.
In meditation we may still the body somewhat and settle the mind's agitation. But the True Peace and Stillness we seek is beyond the world of time and space. It is the core of our being, the core of Aware Being that perceives the movements of the world through the senses and through the mind.
So do not be concerned by the body or the mind's agitation. It is not you. Pure Peace and Stillness is the heart of your being. It is your unchangeable nature, within which the world of change is perceived. Let the world change, and be as you are.
- Category: The Universe
- Hits: 1259
All we ever know is consciousness. We never experience anything outside of consciousness. Thoughts, feelings, sensations, perceptions, are all in consciousness. Our experience of the mind, the body and the world are all in consciousness. Consciousness is our core state of being and knowing, within which life is experienced.
Although common human belief is that consciousness is in the body or the head, Non Duality sees it differently. The body is in consciousness. We may believe that we are in the body, but truly the body is experienced in consciousness. A useful way to consider the world, a theory if you like, is that the body and the world are condensations of consciousness. That is, the matter of the world and the body we experience in consciousness is a condensing of consciousness as hardened dense form. Thought forms can be considered as condensed consciousness also, though less dense than matter. It's a way of understanding the world as varying degrees of consciousness, in keeping with the fact that all we ever know is consciousness.
It's a useful theory in coming to terms with the prevalence of consciousness and recognising consciousness as the substance of the universe. In spirituality and science there is an understanding of the world as vibration. The world is seen as different levels of vibration. This ties in nicely with the condensed consciousness theory, when we consider that it is consciousness that is vibrating.
So we have a good theory there that the world appears as condensed consciousness vibrating at different levels or frequencies. But we can go a step further and say that although this is a good model for understanding consciousness and the universe, it's not wholly accurate. You see, really there isn't a condensation of consciousness. Consciousness stays exactly as it is. The condensing of consciousness is an illusory appearance. It is the 'maya', the magical or illusory appearance of the world.
The world only seems to be a condensing or vibrating of Consciousness. The true nature of Consciousness is perfect stillness, undisturbed and unchanging. Consciousness does not really become something else. Consciousness is beyond time, space and dimension. It is formless, complete emptiness. So how does the world appear in Consciousness?
Although ripples of consciousness seem to be perceived, and it could be said that over time and space the ups and downs cancel out, truly Consciousness does not vibrate at all. This appearance of a vibrating pulsing universe is like a reflection upon the still, perfect surface of the Infinite Ocean of Consciousness. The appearance of highs and lows, depth and distance, variety and change, is a reflection on the unchanging surface of dimensionless Consciousness.
It is not dissimilar to how a three dimensional landscape appears on a two dimensional TV screen, whilst the TV screen remains unaffected by any fires, floods, or explosions that happen in a movie. The depth in the movie is illusory. The time in the movie is illusory. The change and variety upon the screen is illusory. The screen remains as it is.
Suitably the appearance of the world is a reflection, as it demonstrates the opposite qualities of Infinite Consciousness. Form appears in the formless. Distance appears in the dimensionless. Time appears in the changeless. Limits appear in the limitless. Fluctuation appears in the stillness. Restriction appears in the free. Separation appears in the One.
- Category: Non-duality
- Hits: 1266
This doesn't seem a very spiritual question: How heavy are you? Neither may these: What is your size? What is your age? These all seem like questions it can be considered rude to ask. But explore them from a spiritual angle, not a personal one, and they can point to the true nature of our being.
Weight, size and age are relative to the human perspective in the human world. But look deeper to who you are. Look to where you are looking from. I don't mean the eyes. We experience seeing, yes. We perceive other senses as well: hearing, taste, touch, smell, balance etc. We experience these senses from a central point. In the Non Dual understanding we are Awareness itself, that unchanging state wherein all change is perceived. Let's look there. Or rather, let's look Here. It is the closest point of being you. Closer than the arms and legs. Closer than the eyes and ears. Closer than thoughts even. Let's look here, where even thoughts are perceived.
How heavy are you here? There is no weight. What is your size here? There is no size. What is your age here? There is no age. The real you is formless intelligent awareness. You are as you are. There is no ageing here, no being born or dying. There is no time or space. Just formless awareness perceiving the play of time and space. Being formless, you have no depth or change. You cannot be weighed down. You are neither large nor small. We could say your size is infinite, but even the concept of infinity is not accurate enough, as you have no size.
No qualities stick to you. You are perfect, in that you have no faults. Perfect from the human perspective, but just as you are in truth. You have no lack or need. In that sense you are complete, but beyond the concepts of complete and incomplete. These are human concepts, similar to weight, size and age.
Being formless you are not limited by the appearance of the world, by descriptions about you, or by the appearance of forms that are perceived. Here you are, the basic component of all life. That which is. That without which the world does not appear. You are I Am, the basic quality of being, without attachment or identity. There is no attachment or identity because there are no limits to divide you and separate you from something else. There is no something else. You are as you are. I am that I am.
- Category: The Universe
- Hits: 1255
How many moments are there? What is a moment? A moment is a vague concept of an unspecified length of time, generally considered to be a small point in time. But are there any real points in time? Can time really be divided into points of time?
Although we use a system of years, months, weeks, days, hours, minutes, and seconds, these are all manmade measurements of time. A year is based on the orbit of the planet around the sun, and a day is based on the rotation of the earth relative to the sun. There is a natural pulse and cyclic repetition in the world that allows for a sense of periods of time. But that's not to say that periods of time are really set.
We come to accept and believe in our terms for time, assuming that time is really divided in this way. But time cannot truly be divided. It is a flow of change. We will find no true beginnings, ends or divisions of time. Time cannot be truly grasped and labelled.
It is more accurate to understand time as the appearance of change within an unchanging permanent. That is, the appearance of change that is perceived as the flow of time is known relative to One who remains unchanged and unmoving. Namely, Consciousness.
It is in Consciousness that the experience of change is perceived. Consciousness is unchanging and timeless. Change appears as a reflection of the unchanging nature of Pure Consciousness, like floating clouds reflected on the still water of an infinite lake. The lake remains still and unchanged whilst change appears within it.
There are not moments in time. There are no seconds or minutes etc. There is only Now. Now is not a point in time. Now is timeless, experiencing the illusion of time. Now is the Pure Consciousness which allows the perception of its opposites. But there is nothing other than Now, only an illusory appearance of 'not now'. There is only Now.