NON-DUALITY
Until Nagarguna came along there was a strange duality in Buddhism (and Hinduism too). A duality that remains to this day in most Western religions save the mystics in each. But in Eastern religion, these inner realizations are part of the main doctrine. And as we'll see, modern quantum mechanics plays a similar role in science though from an unfortunate atheistic viewpoint (you can actually use a spiritual framework for all of science instead of a materialistic one and it turns out this spiritual framework fits MUCH BETTER with quantum mechanics as we'll see.
Nagarguna noticed a strange duality between Samsara and Nirvana (suffering in the world and the bliss of liberation). In hinduism this duality is known as Maya and Moksha, in Christianity you could say our life of sin and suffering here on earth and eternal heavenly bliss if we are good Christians. All major religions have this inherent duality.
For Nargarguna, there is no ontological difference between samsara and nirvana. The difference is epistemological only.
Reality looked at with the mind and concepts appears as samsara, while THE SAME reality free of mental concepts and acts of knowing is nirvana.
This is the reasons Yoga according to Patangali is Chitta Vritti Niroda. When the waves of mind, thoughts and concepts cease, Nirvana stands revealed. The mind is truly the slayer of the real as Madame Blavatsky once said.
So samsara and nirvana, maya and moksha, earthly hell and heaven are not-two or "nondual", they are two different aspects of the same ONE ultimate reality.
This was a major revolution in not only Buddhism but world philosophy in general. Plotinus in the West was the first to embrace such similar thoughts.
Quantum mechanics (and even chaos theory to a degree) clearly showed this nonduality in science.
Sadly these ultimate non-dual truths are not present in the vast majority of religions and sects. And a vast majority of humans on planet earth are study in a dualistic paradigm of one form or another.
The purpose of this book is the remedy this.
2 Truths doctrine
There are relative or conventional truth, and than there is absolute or ultimate truth. Relative truth can be defined, label and categorized and is the basis of almost all knowledge we have of this seemingly solid and real world. For example, the earth is a 4.5 billion year old six sextillion ton ball of solid and molten rock that spin on its axis once every 24 hours and orbits the sun as described by the heliocentric model once every 365 days is an example of a relative truth. Relative truths of science, engineering, law, history, etc keep our world in order and help us to enjoy our relative existence with many conveniences and safety. So it is important, it just cannot describe ultimate reality, a problem that many scientists and philosophers seem to miss.
But ultimate truth cannot be known conceptually, or categorized at all. Based on what are known as the "4 Inexpressibles", you cannot say the Ultimate Reality is being, nor not-Being, nor both nor neither. You cannot say it is Self (atman), nor no-self (anatman), nor both, nor neither. And so on for any category (like real & non-real, emptiness & form, nothing & everything, etc).
The reason you cannot conceptualize UR is that any concept you come up with only makes sense in terms of its opposite (liberated vs bound, infinite vs finite, pain vs pleasure, etc.). But UR has no opposite, and therefore cannot be categorized AT ALL!
The Challenge of teaching non-duality
While Nagarguna calls ultimate reality Shunyata (meaning void), he is quick to point out that that UR is neither void, nor not void, nor both, nor neither. But some word must be used to "point out this mystery". Instead of void you could call it God, Spirit, Consciousness, Beingness, Brahman, Tao, or even pizza. But when a true non-dual teacher tries to "point out" this UR truth with words, something must be chosen. Herein lies the source of much disagreement... words. So how can this even work? Well a true Master of non-duality will have authentic experiences and energy that radiates from his body. Students that are receptive will "resonate" or "magnetize" to these deeper truths that lie beyond the mind. But the mind still needs to have a good foundation of understanding so as to not be in doubt from misunderstandings and contradictions. But words spoken with experience behind them have POWER, not so much in the word itself, but the energy behind it.
So what these absolute truth does mean is that Emptiness, Spirit, UR or whatever word you choose, is not separate from anything that is arising. Emptiness or void is a great choice because it is impossible to conceptualize emptiness. This is in alignment with the Buddhist approach of Neti Neti, (not this , not that). By negation we constantly remind ourselves of everything Shunyata isn't, and then all that remains is the realization of what is. And this ultimate reality is not separate from anything that is arising. It is the emptiness behind everything that is arising.
Looked at free from conceptualization or categorization, everything that is arising is emptiness, the suchness or thusness of everything looked at directly as it is, not as it is named, judged or categorized.
Looked at through concepts and categories, the universe exists as Samsara or Maya - built of radically separate and isolated things and events and grasping after those things and attachment to them (desire), or running from them (fear), causes suffering.
But looked at with prajna or pro-gnosis (non-conceptual awareness), the world of samsara is actually self liberated Nirvana. Prajna is nondual and unqualified knowledge or awareness which brings enlightenment or awakening.
Awakening to what? The radical freedom or infinite Liberation of pure Emptiness, though those terms are at best metaphors.
Samsara and Nirvana, Maya and Moksha have been united, and brought together into a single or Nondual reality.
Nagarguna noticed a strange duality between Samsara and Nirvana (suffering in the world and the bliss of liberation). In hinduism this duality is known as Maya and Moksha, in Christianity you could say our life of sin and suffering here on earth and eternal heavenly bliss if we are good Christians. All major religions have this inherent duality.
For Nargarguna, there is no ontological difference between samsara and nirvana. The difference is epistemological only.
Reality looked at with the mind and concepts appears as samsara, while THE SAME reality free of mental concepts and acts of knowing is nirvana.
This is the reasons Yoga according to Patangali is Chitta Vritti Niroda. When the waves of mind, thoughts and concepts cease, Nirvana stands revealed. The mind is truly the slayer of the real as Madame Blavatsky once said.
So samsara and nirvana, maya and moksha, earthly hell and heaven are not-two or "nondual", they are two different aspects of the same ONE ultimate reality.
This was a major revolution in not only Buddhism but world philosophy in general. Plotinus in the West was the first to embrace such similar thoughts.
Quantum mechanics (and even chaos theory to a degree) clearly showed this nonduality in science.
Sadly these ultimate non-dual truths are not present in the vast majority of religions and sects. And a vast majority of humans on planet earth are study in a dualistic paradigm of one form or another.
The purpose of this book is the remedy this.
2 Truths doctrine
There are relative or conventional truth, and than there is absolute or ultimate truth. Relative truth can be defined, label and categorized and is the basis of almost all knowledge we have of this seemingly solid and real world. For example, the earth is a 4.5 billion year old six sextillion ton ball of solid and molten rock that spin on its axis once every 24 hours and orbits the sun as described by the heliocentric model once every 365 days is an example of a relative truth. Relative truths of science, engineering, law, history, etc keep our world in order and help us to enjoy our relative existence with many conveniences and safety. So it is important, it just cannot describe ultimate reality, a problem that many scientists and philosophers seem to miss.
But ultimate truth cannot be known conceptually, or categorized at all. Based on what are known as the "4 Inexpressibles", you cannot say the Ultimate Reality is being, nor not-Being, nor both nor neither. You cannot say it is Self (atman), nor no-self (anatman), nor both, nor neither. And so on for any category (like real & non-real, emptiness & form, nothing & everything, etc).
The reason you cannot conceptualize UR is that any concept you come up with only makes sense in terms of its opposite (liberated vs bound, infinite vs finite, pain vs pleasure, etc.). But UR has no opposite, and therefore cannot be categorized AT ALL!
The Challenge of teaching non-duality
While Nagarguna calls ultimate reality Shunyata (meaning void), he is quick to point out that that UR is neither void, nor not void, nor both, nor neither. But some word must be used to "point out this mystery". Instead of void you could call it God, Spirit, Consciousness, Beingness, Brahman, Tao, or even pizza. But when a true non-dual teacher tries to "point out" this UR truth with words, something must be chosen. Herein lies the source of much disagreement... words. So how can this even work? Well a true Master of non-duality will have authentic experiences and energy that radiates from his body. Students that are receptive will "resonate" or "magnetize" to these deeper truths that lie beyond the mind. But the mind still needs to have a good foundation of understanding so as to not be in doubt from misunderstandings and contradictions. But words spoken with experience behind them have POWER, not so much in the word itself, but the energy behind it.
So what these absolute truth does mean is that Emptiness, Spirit, UR or whatever word you choose, is not separate from anything that is arising. Emptiness or void is a great choice because it is impossible to conceptualize emptiness. This is in alignment with the Buddhist approach of Neti Neti, (not this , not that). By negation we constantly remind ourselves of everything Shunyata isn't, and then all that remains is the realization of what is. And this ultimate reality is not separate from anything that is arising. It is the emptiness behind everything that is arising.
Looked at free from conceptualization or categorization, everything that is arising is emptiness, the suchness or thusness of everything looked at directly as it is, not as it is named, judged or categorized.
Looked at through concepts and categories, the universe exists as Samsara or Maya - built of radically separate and isolated things and events and grasping after those things and attachment to them (desire), or running from them (fear), causes suffering.
But looked at with prajna or pro-gnosis (non-conceptual awareness), the world of samsara is actually self liberated Nirvana. Prajna is nondual and unqualified knowledge or awareness which brings enlightenment or awakening.
Awakening to what? The radical freedom or infinite Liberation of pure Emptiness, though those terms are at best metaphors.
Samsara and Nirvana, Maya and Moksha have been united, and brought together into a single or Nondual reality.