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.
- Written by David Hall
- Category: Spiritual Symbols and Patterns
There is some wisdom to be found in understanding the four classical elements: earth, water, air and fire. They may seem a little dated these days when we have classified many elements in the periodic table and we know that water is made of hydrogen and oxygen, and that air contains a number of different elements like nitrogen, oxygen and argon. But there is a simple wisdom in the understanding of the four elements.
You see, the four elements are the expression of the reality that underlies the universe. Earth symbolises stability, unmoving, unchanging solidity. Water symbolises fluidity and continual change. Air symbolises boundlessness, transparency, clarity, being imperceptible but essentially present. Fire symbolises energy, vibration, expression and power. Even from a basic perspective we can see the progression from fire to air to water to earth. It shows the expressive force of fire contracting to air then water then earth. There is a range or spectrum of energy, from the most energetic to the least, from the most unstable to the most stable.
What's this got to do with Non-Duality? It's a way of understanding how the true non-dual nature of Reality is expressed in the appearance of the world. What that means is that the true non-dual nature of Reality is unseen, indivisible, unmoving, unchanging life energy. It's expressed in and through the world in the apparent separation of a Singularity into a spectrum of elements that range from near to far, from high to low, from light to dark, from fire to earth, from life to death. The four elements are the play of the Singularity expressed as an explosion and condensing of frequencies of vibration. In other words, the world of energy, gases, liquids and solids, is an expression of a Singular Reality as if blown apart. High energy is close to the heat, light and source of Life. Low energy becomes cold, distant and dark. Once apparently separated they can then interact as though they are different elements.
But even the most cold and distant of solid forms is not truly impermeably solid. There is only an appearance of solidity. Reality is a Singularity. It doesn't really get blown apart into a range of frequencies. That's just how it appears. The Reality is that there can never be anything other than the Singularity. The four elements are a play of separation that form the building blocks of the world, whilst the world remains timelessly as the Singularity.
The Singularity is the Quintessence. It seems to be the centre of the cross of the four elements, the place from which they have come, the source which separates outwards to form the elements. But truly the Quintessence is timelessly the whole of the elements, without separation. Picture a cross and consider each arm of the cross to be one of the four elements. It's not that the centre is the Quintessence. It is more like the Quintessence is the whole of the cross. The cross is truly undivided. The four elements are never truly separated. They only give the appearance of separation whilst remaining timelessly Whole, eternally One.
- Written by David Hall
- Category: Spiritual Practice
Following the Non-Duality understanding, it's important to recognise that we are not the doer and we are not the thinker. Actions are part of the flow of the world, and thoughts are also activity flowing with the world. We are not this. We perceive the flow of thoughts and actions.
There is a sense of 'I am this' that is thought based but pervades the body and its actions. There is a sense of 'I am this body'. There is a belief that 'I choose', but all choices made are influenced by the world, so free will is not as free as it seems to be. What we perceive is a sense of 'I am this' thinking, choosing and doing. But it is not accurate.
Firstly 'I am this body' is too vague a definition. It cannot be said accurately where the body begins and ends. The reason for this is that the body doesn't begin or end. It is a flowing 'part' of the world. It continually changes and breathes with the flowing nature of the apparent world. So really the body is infinite. That ultimately means there is no body. What we consider to be a 'body' is a vague idea of a limited form in an infinite indivisible universe. The idea of separate forms is useful but not accurate.
Secondly, we cannot be what we perceive. We perceive the body and its actions. We are not it. We perceive thoughts and the sense of identity. We are not this. This is where Detachment comes in. In spiritual practice we recognise that we are not anything that we can perceive. We are perceiving. The eye cannot see the eye, and deeper still: Awareness cannot perceive itself directly. Yet all that is perceived is nothing other than Awareness. The world appears within Awareness, but Awareness is not defined or limited by it.
So the Detachment we seek is a letting go of identity. This is not for us, this is for the human mind and the false sense of identity. We perceive the thoughts and the sense of identity trying through spiritual practice to achieve enlightenment, nirvana, or self-realisation. The false sense of self is trying to free itself from its confines of identity and be who we really are. But we are right here, perceiving this play of identity, the play of limitation and freedom.
The practice for the body-mind is to release itself from its limitations and just be. So it is a letting go of identity with thinking and doing. We do not think or do. We perceive this. Perceiving, or rather, Being Aware, is the natural state. It isn't a doing. It is the natural state of simply being. The world appears in this. The sense of self rises and falls in this. The practice is to just be aware and not get caught up in the plays and drama of the world.
It doesn't mean that the mind and body should distance itself from the world, shut itself away. It doesn't mean that the body-mind should give away all belongings. It doesn't mean that the body-mind abandons friendships and loved ones. It is more that the mind recognises there is only One, an Infinite Indivisible One. So we cannot be this or that. There is no-one other than the One. So the body-mind gradually changes so that its thoughts and actions fall into line with this deepening understanding of Oneness.
Ultimately, of course, the sense of separate self will fade away as the belief of limitation evaporates. It doesn't mean that there is a huge change. We are here all along. It just means that the selfish identity no longer gets in the way. There is an improved clarity between the true Selfless Self and the body-mind through which it is expressed in the world.
- Written by David Hall
- Category: Non-duality
Understanding the world and human actions in terms of good and bad is a dualistic approach. The human mind distinguishes between what it feels or believes is good or bad, on an individual level and a cultural level. Something happens and the human mind or society has an opinion or view on whether it is good or bad. But this defining of good and bad is relative to the human perspective.
To use a tough example, if a crocodile ate a human that would generally be deemed bad from the human perspective, but quite acceptable and good from the crocodile perspective. Or if a human eats a chicken, that is often considered good in human culture, but from the chicken's perspective this is bad. So the point here is to highlight that our concepts of good and bad are not universally accurate. They are dualistic perspectives of what Just Is. By that I mean that the universe or existence just is. It isn't good or bad, and ultimately nothing really is good or bad from the universal perspective.
One of the controversial aspects of the Non-Duality understanding is that nothing is done. That is, what appears to happen just appears to happen. There isn't a doer of actions. Actions just seem to happen. Some may suggest that this allows for cruel, unkind or evil actions to be justified. But that's not the case. Non-Duality does away with cruelty and evil by the recognition that there is only One. The One has no evil intent because there is no other to cause harm to, to be jealous of, to be angry against, or to be in competition with.
So it doesn't mean that someone who believes in Non-Duality can justify cruel actions by saying, "There is no me who does anything." It means that cruel actions do not arise where there is clear knowing of Non-Duality , because there is no sense of a separate self that is the cause of cruelty, jealousy, evil, greed and competition. Without the sense of a separate self cruel or evil actions cannot arise. In Non-Duality teaching the aim is to drop the sense of being a separate self.
Non-Duality is the Way of No Way. It is the Action of No Action. Sometimes this can be misunderstood, as a way of shirking responsibility. But the greatest responsibility is to find out who you are. The greatest good that can be brought to the world is the realisation that Pure Goodness is the nature of Being. The core nature of Being can't really be described in terms of good or bad, but having experienced what seems bad, evil and wrong, we can say that Being is Pure Goodness. Goodness beyond the dualistic terms of good and bad.
In Non-Duality we don't point at others and say they are evil. We don't even point at actions and say they are wrong. In human terms, relatively speaking, people may act in evil ways and do actions that can be considered wrong. But that is only relatively speaking. In Non-Duality there are no others to point at, or one who points. In accurate Non-Duality terms there is only What Is. No harm is done to the Infinite Being within which this play of harming and healing appears. No force can ever cause a rift in the Infinite Indivisible One.
What we understand as good and right must be that which is the natural state of Being. Pure Being is wholly good and right, beyond any concept of other, beyond any seeming duality of opposite terms. It is the Singularity or Oneness that has no other. It is the high standard of what is good and right. So in human society goodness ought to be that which pertains to oneness. That doesn't mean one group of society dominant over another. It means the recognition of the Oneness of the Whole, without other. None are outside of this Pure Oneness, even those that may be considered as bad or evil by human society.
So ultimately there is no morality dilemma. Your true nature is neither good nor bad, but Pure Goodness is a good description of it. You are not the doer of actions or the thinker of thoughts, yet thoughts and actions are perceived. You are not the judge of others. There are no others. Your nature is truly Non-Judgemental. You do no harm. You are Perfect Peace. Recognising this Perfect Peace within the human mind brings about a clarity and cleansing to the human form, so that Pure Goodness of Being filters through into this apparent world of opposites.
- Written by David Hall
- Category: Spiritual Practice
It might be thought that meditation is about being calm and still, sitting in a still position, calming the body, the breath and the mind. It sounds right, yes, but it's not exactly right. Calming the body is good, to give it peace and rest. Calming the breath sounds good too, to bring about the calm throughout the body. Calming the mind seems more like an essential part of meditation, not getting caught up in negative thoughts or thoughts that go off on tangents.
That all sounds good. But there is more to meditation than that. The benefits of meditation mentioned above are good for the mind and body, but there is a deeper knowing in meditation. You perceive the thoughts that may or may not be stilled. You perceive the breathing that may or may not be calm. You perceive the body that may appear to be still or moving. You see, the mind, the breath and the body can never truly be still. They appear in the World of Motion where everything is in a constant flow of movement. Even if the body appears to be completely still, we know that it is sitting in a spot on a spinning planet that is swirling through the universe.
There is a relative calm that can be brought about through meditation, though not True Stillness. Yet the True Stillness is here. It is the 'place' from which the mind, breath and body are perceived. You are the Stillness that the meditating mind and body is trying to reach. So it doesn't really matter if the mind is flowing, the breathing is heavy or the body is restless. It doesn't matter if the mind feels agitated and unable to concentrate. It doesn't matter if trying to control breathing causes breathing to be unsettled. It doesn't matter if the body is fidgety or uncomfortable. The highest aim of meditation is to just be as you are.
Being as you are requires absolutely no effort. You don't need to do anything. In fact, you don't really do anything. The witnessing of the mind, body and world just happens naturally, without effort. The movement of the world appears in the timelessness of Being. You don't need to try to be calm. You are Perfect Calmness already. You don't need to try to be still. You are Timeless Stillness itself.
There's no need to try to achieve peace or indeed to try to stop trying. There's no need to worry about failing. This trying and worrying, succeeding or failing, is a play of the mind perceived by You. You are complete already. You don't need to achieve peace. Whether the mind finds peace or not doesn't affect the peace that you are.
So in meditation when the mind becomes agitated or there is a focus on something, let it go. It doesn't matter. In fact, it's not you holding on, focusing, or letting go. You are the Awareness in which this appears to happen. These instructions are for the mind to let go of its identity with actions and trying to control the world. All is well. You are perfect peace as you are.
The mind may in time come to rest in the timeless peace of Aware Being, but the mind is not you. You are Aware Being already. So is meditation necessary? Not really. Nothing is needed to be the Still Peace that you are. But meditation is for the body-mind to come to the peace of the Aware Being that you are. Meditation naturally happens when the mind withdraws from identifying with the forms of the world.
Of course, you can 'meditate' wherever the body may be, whatever the circumstances. The meditative state of the mind is the withdrawing into the timeless nature of Aware Being that is always present. You are always Here and Now, wherever the mind or body may seem to wander. Even as the Earth spins around the sun, it appears in the Stillness of Awareness. This Peace and Stillness is with the body-mind wherever it goes. The mind will, in its own time, recognise this and find peace.