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: The Universe
- Hits: 663
It's generally accepted by people that space is vast. By 'vast' we mean huge; so huge that we can't say how big it is. People may also consider the mind to be vast, or indeed One Consciousness to be a vast consciousness in which we all exist. But is space, mind or consciousness really vast?
I'm going to say these aren't vast, but they are beyond measurement. What I mean is that space, mind and Consciousness are not limited. They have no size. The expanding universe cannot expand into something else. There is no something else. If there was then we could include the 'something else' in what we call 'the universe', and it wouldn't be something else. There is no limit to the universe and then something outside that limit, which the universe is expanding into. Rather the content of the universe is expanding apart, or the non-content is expanding, seeming to separate the content of the universe. It's a play of content and no-content in the infinite oneness of the universe.
Similarly with the mind or consciousness. I could describe the mind as that in which human thought, dreams and imagination takes place, as well as where perceptions and sensations are experienced. But there isn't a place. The mind isn't vast. It's dimensionless. Dimensions can appear within it: we can dream a world that we walk around in. But it is itself dimensionless. The mind does not take up any space as we know. When we think of the mind as vast, really it has no limits. The only limits the mind has are those that it imagines. But those are not real limits.
It seems to be a difficult thing for the mind to grasp that it isn't really anywhere. The mind doesn't exist in time and space. Rather time and space appear within the mind. That's the experience: the mind experiences space and time. Additionally, we can't really define what the mind is.
But let's now consider the One Consciousness. By that I mean the One Consciousness understood from the Non-Duality perspective as That in which the world appears. We are That. It is the One Consciousness in which the seemingly many minds appear and within the many minds the world is perceived from different perspectives. It is this One Consciousness in which the universe appears. Ultimately we can know nothing other than consciousness, though there appears to be a universe of separate forms. What Consciousness perceives is only ever made of consciousness.
The universe isn't separate from Consciousness and the seemingly many minds aren't separate from Consciousness. Really there is only Consciousness. How vast is this amazing Consciousness? It's not vast at all. It has no dimensions, yet it allows the appearance of dimensions. Consciousness takes up no space or time, yet it allows the appearance of space and time within it. Again, space and time are not vast, they are infinite. The true nature of space and time is the Infinite One Consciousness.
- Category: The Universe
- Hits: 619
Does extraterrestrial life exist? It's a simple question but with a lot to elaborate on.
The simple answer is yes, but what does that mean? It means there are life forms elsewhere in the physical universe. This is inevitable. Planet Earth isn't a one-off fluke. Yes, it is unique, as is each seemingly separate life form within the planet. Unique but conforming to a pattern. There are patterns in life that show the underlying forces that create the universe. Planet Earth shows how life forms can develop from simple cells to complex interflowing systems that we call animals.
As a child I used to wonder why we weren't spherical, as it was the simplest perfect shape. Well, the spherical cell is where evolution begins. It then branches out, following the universal pattern of many from one. As well as cells multiplying and spreading, they unite and develop. So we see throughout this planet a pattern of life forms that have a core body with limbs that go outwards from the core. It's easily seen in trees, flowers, spiders, birds, mammals and humans. 'Many from One' is a universal pattern.
So it's inevitable that this universal pattern finds expression on other planets in the immense universe, of which Planet Earth is like a tiny speck. It's inevitable not only that life forms develop on other planets that have developed suitable environments, but also that the life forms may have a similar appearance to those on Earth.
It's worth mentioning what "life" is here. Generally we mean "life" to be the appearance of independent movement or expression. We may say that a flower is alive because it grows, it opens up, it turns towards the sunlight, it fades and dies. It is similar with animals and humans. Rocks, on the other hand, aren't considered to be alive, as they seem to have no individual movement or expression. It's a useful way of looking at life, but it's not really accurate. Another way to look at it is that Life is this, the whole world, the whole universe as an expression of Life itself or Being or Consciousness. From that perspective Life is everywhere.
But let's get back to the extra-terrestrial question. Putting aside the view of what life is, what the question tends to mean is: Are there other intelligent beings in the universe besides humans? We know that many animals are intelligent, but the question is really asking if there are life forms from elsewhere in the universe that are as intelligent as humans or more so. Again, the simple answer is yes. The development of intelligence isn't wholly by chance. As mentioned above, there is an underlying force in the universe that moves, changes and develops the appearance of the world. It is this force that causes life forms to rise up, interact and improve. Life forms are the expression of an intelligent life force that inspires evolution, from the simple to the complex, to the simple again. This will not only happen in one place in the vast universe. It is happening at many places all at once, at different rates and at different stages.
Then to another extension of the extra-terrestrial question: Does extra-terrestrial life visit Earth? Evidence would suggest the answer is yes. Currently in the US there is a disclosure process happening, whereby government, air force and navy whistleblowers have come forward to say that Non-Human Intelligence (NHI) is real and here on this planet, with accounts from credible witnesses of Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) or UFO encounters, crash retrieval, reverse engineering of crafts, and recovered NHI bodies. The key term here is NHI, as it's not clear whether the lifeforms are from this planet, from other planets, or from other dimensions or realms not normally perceived by the human senses. The term 'alien' or indeed 'extra-terrestrial' may not be accurate enough. And it seems likely there are multiple species of NHI in and around the planet.
It may also be that these NHIs have lived on this planet for a long time, mostly in secret. Underwater sightings have been reported and UAPs have been observed to transition between air and water. As only a very small percentage of Earth's oceans has been explored by humans, there's a lot of space to hide in if you have the technology. How long would a being or species from another planet need to live on this planet before they are considered no longer alien? 10 years? 50 years? 200 years? 1000 years? There is no true dividing point.
There is a perspective in which any life form that arrives on Planet Earth and integrates with the planet becomes 'part of' the planet. In other words, if a being eats the food of the planet, drinks the water of the planet, breathes the air, develops in the planet's environment, and expels wastes that are recycled into the environment, then they are part of Planet Earth now.
- Category: God
- Hits: 572
This may seem far from the truth, but the world is an expression of God. By 'God' I mean the Infinite Indivisible One Being. And by 'the world' I mean this human experience of the universe. I'll explain.
We could say that the world is a manifestation of God, a creation of God. It 's an expression of the Infinite Timeless Being. The world isn't separate from God, but we wouldn't generally say that it is God. One way to put it is that the world is an expression of God that is less than God but made of God. God, being infinite, is not detached from the world we experience. We can substitute the word God for Spirit or Consciousness, meaning the One Being.
How can the world be an expression of God if it is so flawed? How can evil, suffering and despair be an expression of God? Well, the expression of God needs contrast to appear. When you consider that God is an Infinite Formless Being, the only way this can be expressed is by contrast; and by 'contrast' I mean the use of opposites or reflection. That means that the world that appears uses opposites to express God's nature. And further, the appearance of the world is itself the opposite of God. The world is flawed because it is an expression of the pure perfection of God.
In other words, the Invisible is expressed by use of the visible, the Formless is expressed by use of forms, Imperceptible Perfection is expressed by the use of imperfect forms. Also, Stillness is expressed by use of movement and change, Life is expressed with the contrast of death, Imperceptible Peace is expressed by the use of disturbance, and Oneness is expressed by the appearance of separation. The world that we experience is this expression of God/Being/Spirit/Pure Consciousness as a world of opposites. The Infinite Oneness of God expresses itself as a world of separate finite forms. Or so it seems. It's not wholly accurate, because the expression is imperfect. The visible cannot truly express the Invisible. Sound cannot truly express silence.
So the world that appears is not actually a world of opposites or a world of separate forms. It only appears to be this. In reality it is nothing other than God. The expression of God, though not a wholly accurate representation of God, is nonetheless God, as there is nothing other than God. It's not really possible for God to create something outside or separate, because this infinite indivisible oneness is the nature of God.
It helps to understand that what appears as the world is a flowing, changing universe that seems to have fallen out of a Singularity and divided. It hasn't really fallen out of a Singularity, but it is playing the game of separation through what we call space and time. The sum total of the expression of space and time is zero. I mean that the opposites ultimately balance out, as the timeless Singularity is never lost. Nothing is gained and nothing is lost in the universe. God remains timelessly as God is.
The further understanding of this is that we are not other than God. The human expressions are inevitably flawed, and some may seem more flawed than others. Some humans may seem to be far from God in their behaviour, thinking and actions, and some may seem closer to God. The ultimate truth of this is that God/Being/Spirit/Consciousness/Oneness is never far or near. God is right here, throughout this expression of what is like God and what is not like God. Truly there is only God.
- Category: Non-duality
- Hits: 595
Awareness is the natural state of being. It requires no effort to be aware. Being aware is not an add-on to who we are. Being Aware is the natural state of pure clarity before add-ons appear.
We are aware of perceptions and sensations. We are aware of seeing, hearing, and so on. We are aware of emotions, feelings, and thinking. We, Awareness, perceive this.
When our eyesight starts to fail, we are aware of the failing eyesight. Awareness remains unaffected by the perceiving of the failing eyesight. When eyesight goes or we close our eyes, we are aware of the lack of light perception. It requires no effort. The eyes may focus on objects, the ears may tune in to specific sounds, but Awareness remains aware as it is. Awareness perceives the focusing or tuning in without effort.
When the body becomes ill, lethargic and achy, Awareness perceives the ill feeling and achiness. When the body becomes sleepy, Awareness perceives the sleepiness. Awareness doesn't become ill or sleepy.
When the mind becomes depressed or anxious, Awareness perceives the depression and anxiety. When the mind dreams or becomes deluded, Awareness perceives the dreams and delusions. Awareness remains simply aware throughout the human experience of sensations and perceptions.
When the mind is actively thinking, daydreaming, or meditating, Awareness perceives this without effort. Awareness doesn't think actively or daydream. It doesn't meditate or need to reach some exalted state of mind. Awareness remains timelessly peaceful without effort, throughout the activity of the mind, body and world.
The mind, body and world appear within the effortless Awareness. It is where we are perceiving from. It is the core nature of being - Aware Being. It is the natural state of Nothingness. The knowing Nothingness. The alive Nothingness in which the world of things appears. Formless, serene Beingness.
- Category: Spirituality
- Hits: 516
Many people interested in the spiritual side of life may seek Enlightenment. It is the Self-Realisation, Liberation, Moksha or Nirvana, in which Reality is clearly known. It is the end of suffering and the end of ignorance. Yet it is not something that can be found. Why is this?
Anything that can be found must be temporary. It must be something that wasn't found previously and will in time be lost again. Anything expected to last forever, eternally, cannot be something that was missing. Eternity has no beginning or end. Nothing that has a beginning can be without end.
The Enlightenment that is sought is here all along. Liberation or Freedom is right here. Self-Realisation is right here. That's what 'enlightened beings' say. And they're right. Enlightenment is never found. It is here all along. But why isn't this ever-present Self-Realisation realised?
Self-Realisation is the removal of ignorance (or Avidya). Well, when ignorance is removed Self-Realisation is revealed to be ever-present. Ignorance in this sense means the misunderstanding of the mind, or indeed any form of understanding in the mind. If the mind thinks it has it then it's wrong. If the mind thinks it knows what reality is, then that knowledge, no matter how accurate it seems to be, will never be wholly accurate. With the dropping of all knowledge comes the clarity or Pure Knowing, which we call Enlightenment or Self-Realisation. It is like the silence that underlies all sound, the stillness that remains throughout the appearance of movement.
So now it is known that Self-Realisation is our natural 'state' of being, what can we do to reveal this. We need to get to the root of who 'we' are. That is part of the 'ignorance' - the belief that separation is real and that 'I' am someone trying to reveal my true nature. Truly there is nothing to be done to be as we are. But the ignorance of the mind seems to prevent this clarity of Knowing. Ramana Maharshi taught that Self Enquiry was the surest method to uproot ignorance. Self Enquiry is seeking out "Who Am I?" It doesn't mean repeating the phrase. Rather it is the deepest searching and questioning.
It is the mind activity that does this search to find out who 'I' am. It will root out the false sense of 'I' that is the flagpole of ignorance. Once the root of false identity is removed as the cause of ignorance, then the true nature of the Infinite Indivisible Self is revealed. Enlightenment, Liberation and Self-Realisation is revealed to be timelessly present, without beginning or end.