An interesting reflection here is what term we would use for two distinct but inseparable things. Are they two or are they one? For example, when we see something, we perceive both color and shape; the color has shape, and the shape has color. Two distinct attributes that cannot be separated in our perception, even as we might emphasize one aspect or the other.

It might be helpful to consider “dual” and “nondual” not as metaphysical statements describing some ultimate nature but as different ways of perceiving that serve a particular end—as complementary ways of understanding that each has its own value and efficacy. Both duality and nonduality are simply modes of viewing experience, and the measure of which is appropriate at any given time is whether the outcomes are beneficial or detrimental. To this end, there is an apt phrase often used in Madhyamaka and Zen teachings that emerged from the “thunderous silence” of Vimalakirti in the sutra of the same name: “Not one, not two.”

Stabilizing the Experience of Nonduality

I recently received an email from someone who asked an extremely important question. He wrote, “I consider myself quite fortunate to experience nondual awareness, but I’ve been hung up on the endeavor of what to do now.” This raises a question that many teachers have addressed over the centuries: how to stabilize this realization so that it informs the way we live and the choices we make. It is one thing to have experiences that provide a different perspective from our usual way of perceiving the world, and another to have those experiences transform our lives in a meaningful way. Many of us are familiar with having deep insights only to easily fall back into habitual modes of perception and understanding.
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Part 1 of 3:

https://t.me/lorddivinebuddha/4964


Part 2 of 3:

https://t.me/dhammapadas/4446


Part 3 of 3:

https://t.me/wordsofbuddha/6209
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Dhammapada, beloved and favorite teachings of the Buddha channel:

https://t.me/dhammapadas
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