NON-DUALITY
Individuals are the building blocks of society. No civilization can evolve further - nor reach higher - than the citizens who compromise it.
By understanding the highest common demoninator of individual human experience we can gain insight into where our collective evolution may be headed.
The common denominator is often called the Perennial Wisdom or Perennial Philosophy and can be found through history, in every part of the world, and in every major spiritual tradition. It is ALSO the heart of Quantum Mechanics, and unification theories in Science which arrive at the same fundamental conclusions.
Probably the most universal truth of this Perennial wisdom is the deep unity underlying all that exists, which is the focus and central thesis of this book.
Perennial Philosophy, Universal Tradition, All-Pervading Truth, Vedas/Vedanta, Hermeticism, Gnosticism, Kabbalah, Theosophy
By understanding the highest common demoninator of individual human experience we can gain insight into where our collective evolution may be headed.
The common denominator is often called the Perennial Wisdom or Perennial Philosophy and can be found through history, in every part of the world, and in every major spiritual tradition. It is ALSO the heart of Quantum Mechanics, and unification theories in Science which arrive at the same fundamental conclusions.
Probably the most universal truth of this Perennial wisdom is the deep unity underlying all that exists, which is the focus and central thesis of this book.
Perennial Philosophy, Universal Tradition, All-Pervading Truth, Vedas/Vedanta, Hermeticism, Gnosticism, Kabbalah, Theosophy
A PROFOUND UNITY
Although we live in a world of seeming division and multiplicity, the
perennial wisdom is unequivocal in asserting that a profound unity
underlies the appearance of separation. Here are a few examples of
this affirmation of wholeness, which is found in every spiritual tradition,
in every culture, and in every age:
“In the gap between subject and object lies the entire misery of humankind.”
–Jiddu Krishnamurti
Resonance with TRUE Self.
The relationship between you and “YOU"(True Self; Tao; Brahman) is not one of separateness but of alignment and resonance. ~Abraham
"For those who are awake the cosmos is one."
—Heraclitus, philosopher who lived in ancient Greece
"The flickering film of the phenomenal world is an illusion
which cannot obscure the eternal unity that lies behind it."
—Arnold Toynbee, scholar of the world's civilizations
and religions
"Each element of the cosmos is positively woven from all the
others. . . . The universe holds together, and only one way of
considering it is really possible, that is, to take it as a whole, in
one piece."
—Teilhard de Chardin, Catholic theologian
"Ultimately, the entire universe . . . has to be understood as a
single undivided whole.'"
—David Bohm, physicist
"Heaven and earth and I are of the same root.. . are of one
substance."
—Sojo, a monk and scholar from the Zen tradition
"I am in some sense boundless, my being encompassing the
farthest limits of the universe, touching and moving every
atom of existence. The same is true of everything else.... It is
not just that 'we are all in it' together. We all are it, rising and
falling as one living body."
—Francis Cook, a Buddhist scholar, describing how reality
is portrayed in Hua-yen Buddhism
"That which is the finest essence—this whole world has that as
its soul. That is Reality. That is Atman [the individual self].
That art thou.'
—Hindu tradition, Chandogya Upanishad
When Jesus was asked, "When will the kingdom come?" He
replied: "It will not come by waiting for it. . . . Rather, the
Kingdom of the Father is spread out upon the earth, and men
do not see it.'" Jesus also said, ".. . the Kingdom is inside of
you, and it is outside of you."
—Gospel of Thomas, Gnostic Gospels
"The Self is not reached. You are the Self; you are already
That."
—Ramana Maharishi, Hindu sage
"God is nearer to me than I am to myself; He is just as near to
wood and stone, but they do not know it."
—Meister Eckhart, Christian mystic
"The Absolute .. . dwells within the flux of things: stands as it
were at the very threshold of consciousness and knocks, awaiting
the self's slow discovery of her treasures."
—Evelyn Underhill, from her book Mysticism
"Earth's crammed with Heaven, and every common bush afire
with God."
—Elizabeth Barrett Browning, poet
"Not knowing how near Truth is,
People seek it far away—what a pity!
They are like him who, in the midst of water,
Cries in thirst so imploringly."
—Hakuin, from the Zen tradition in Japan
"Like the empty sky it has no boundaries,
Yet it is right HERE, ever serene and clear.
When you seek to attain it, you cannot see it.
You cannot take hold of it,
But neither can you lose it."
—Yung-chia, Zen tradition
"Each being contains in itself the whole intelligible world.
Therefore All is everywhere."
—Plotinus, Neoplatonic philosopher who lived in
ancient Greece
"There can be only One"
- The Highlander
Kill all the false senses of identity and the GREAT Prize is revealed - Your Own Immortal True Self!
Truly "there can be only one", because there IS only ONE...God, Allah, Brahman, Atman, Self, Tao, Source, Universe, or whatever word you like to signify the ONE!!
Purna Brahma Narayana - The Fullness of God in Human Form
From a Universal Point of View, real growth happens only when you realize that you are Purna (Wholeness, Oneness, Completeness, Fullness) and NOT an isolated entity or part.
For Real Integral Growth to Take place, the inner self must unfold. Only then will your vision of life be transformed
(from 2 eyes to one I-AM).
Humility is the best soil for the inner self to unfold.
Grow without allowing your child-like innocence to be destroyed.
A subtle Life-force infuses, sustains, and unifies our cosmos. The
wholeness of our reality is so complete that we are not separate from
"God" or "Nirvana" or "Brahman" or "Tao" or the countless other
names given to the unnameable presence that pervades the undivided
universe. We don't have to do anything to become a part of the
wholeness of reality—we are already completely at one with it. We are
beings that the universe inhabits as much as we are beings that inhabit
the universe. An appreciation of the unity of existence is not an experience
to be created; rather it is an always-manifesting condition of
our existence waiting to be welcomed into awareness.
Although we live in a world of seeming division and multiplicity, the
perennial wisdom is unequivocal in asserting that a profound unity
underlies the appearance of separation. Here are a few examples of
this affirmation of wholeness, which is found in every spiritual tradition,
in every culture, and in every age:
“In the gap between subject and object lies the entire misery of humankind.”
–Jiddu Krishnamurti
Resonance with TRUE Self.
The relationship between you and “YOU"(True Self; Tao; Brahman) is not one of separateness but of alignment and resonance. ~Abraham
"For those who are awake the cosmos is one."
—Heraclitus, philosopher who lived in ancient Greece
"The flickering film of the phenomenal world is an illusion
which cannot obscure the eternal unity that lies behind it."
—Arnold Toynbee, scholar of the world's civilizations
and religions
"Each element of the cosmos is positively woven from all the
others. . . . The universe holds together, and only one way of
considering it is really possible, that is, to take it as a whole, in
one piece."
—Teilhard de Chardin, Catholic theologian
"Ultimately, the entire universe . . . has to be understood as a
single undivided whole.'"
—David Bohm, physicist
"Heaven and earth and I are of the same root.. . are of one
substance."
—Sojo, a monk and scholar from the Zen tradition
"I am in some sense boundless, my being encompassing the
farthest limits of the universe, touching and moving every
atom of existence. The same is true of everything else.... It is
not just that 'we are all in it' together. We all are it, rising and
falling as one living body."
—Francis Cook, a Buddhist scholar, describing how reality
is portrayed in Hua-yen Buddhism
"That which is the finest essence—this whole world has that as
its soul. That is Reality. That is Atman [the individual self].
That art thou.'
—Hindu tradition, Chandogya Upanishad
When Jesus was asked, "When will the kingdom come?" He
replied: "It will not come by waiting for it. . . . Rather, the
Kingdom of the Father is spread out upon the earth, and men
do not see it.'" Jesus also said, ".. . the Kingdom is inside of
you, and it is outside of you."
—Gospel of Thomas, Gnostic Gospels
"The Self is not reached. You are the Self; you are already
That."
—Ramana Maharishi, Hindu sage
"God is nearer to me than I am to myself; He is just as near to
wood and stone, but they do not know it."
—Meister Eckhart, Christian mystic
"The Absolute .. . dwells within the flux of things: stands as it
were at the very threshold of consciousness and knocks, awaiting
the self's slow discovery of her treasures."
—Evelyn Underhill, from her book Mysticism
"Earth's crammed with Heaven, and every common bush afire
with God."
—Elizabeth Barrett Browning, poet
"Not knowing how near Truth is,
People seek it far away—what a pity!
They are like him who, in the midst of water,
Cries in thirst so imploringly."
—Hakuin, from the Zen tradition in Japan
"Like the empty sky it has no boundaries,
Yet it is right HERE, ever serene and clear.
When you seek to attain it, you cannot see it.
You cannot take hold of it,
But neither can you lose it."
—Yung-chia, Zen tradition
"Each being contains in itself the whole intelligible world.
Therefore All is everywhere."
—Plotinus, Neoplatonic philosopher who lived in
ancient Greece
"There can be only One"
- The Highlander
Kill all the false senses of identity and the GREAT Prize is revealed - Your Own Immortal True Self!
Truly "there can be only one", because there IS only ONE...God, Allah, Brahman, Atman, Self, Tao, Source, Universe, or whatever word you like to signify the ONE!!
Purna Brahma Narayana - The Fullness of God in Human Form
From a Universal Point of View, real growth happens only when you realize that you are Purna (Wholeness, Oneness, Completeness, Fullness) and NOT an isolated entity or part.
For Real Integral Growth to Take place, the inner self must unfold. Only then will your vision of life be transformed
(from 2 eyes to one I-AM).
Humility is the best soil for the inner self to unfold.
Grow without allowing your child-like innocence to be destroyed.
A subtle Life-force infuses, sustains, and unifies our cosmos. The
wholeness of our reality is so complete that we are not separate from
"God" or "Nirvana" or "Brahman" or "Tao" or the countless other
names given to the unnameable presence that pervades the undivided
universe. We don't have to do anything to become a part of the
wholeness of reality—we are already completely at one with it. We are
beings that the universe inhabits as much as we are beings that inhabit
the universe. An appreciation of the unity of existence is not an experience
to be created; rather it is an always-manifesting condition of
our existence waiting to be welcomed into awareness.