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: Non-duality
- Hits: 1212
In Non-Duality there is no finite, no definition of things. There are no limits. There are not many separate things. There is only an Infinite One without division or limitation.
Someone might object and say, "But there are limits. I was born and I will die. Everything comes to an end. My body is separate from other bodies. I am a being in my own right. I can't know what others think." Let's have a real look at these assertions and see if we can find any true limits.
Although we may think and assume, "I was born and I will die," it's not really clear who 'I' am and when I was born or began. It's impossible to define who 'I' am. We may say, "I am this body," but this body is changing all the time. We could say, "I was born at 2am on 28th January 1971," but that's just the registered time that the baby emerged from gestation. The time itself is subjective, as it's based on a manmade timeframe. It may refer to a point in time, but even that point is vague and never completely precise. Furthermore, being born isn't the beginning of the human body. The beginning of the human body can't be found. We could trace it back to the parents, but there is a continual unending flow back through generations and generations. Even what we consider to be 'human' is in a continual flow of evolution. Its origins flow from forms that we would not describe as human.
We have an understanding of what it means to die. We could say this is where the body is no longer animated. But even this death is not clearly defined, and we cannot say precisely when it occurs. Rather it can be recognised that the human body develops from a long undivided line of humans. It builds itself up by consuming nutrients from the environment, then it fades and eventually returns to the environment from which it is always made. So being born and dying is not as finite as we assume it to be.
Does everything come to an end? Well certainly nothing lasts. Everything that appears in the world will indeed disappear. It may take seconds, minutes, or years, but everything comes and goes. That doesn't mean everything ends. Rather there is a continual flow of coming and going. For instance, consider a drop of water landing on a pond. This creates ripples that flow outward from the source. The ripples are high at first but they lose their amplitude as they travel. They slowly fade and the surface is calm again. The ripples don't really end. They slowly fade back to the natural state, whilst their energy is transferred.
Is the body separate from other bodies? Only relatively so. The body is made of solid, liquid and gas, and it is separated from other bodies mostly by gaseous air. The body's apparent solidity of form against the spacious air appears as separate from other solid bodies. But this play of density of vibration brings about the appearance of separation. Consider water poured into a bowl made of ice. They appear separate due to the temporary solidity of the ice. But if heat is applied the water and ice become one. So there is only an appearance of separation due to the apparent density of forms. We could confidently say that all humans and animals are not separate from planet Earth.
How do I know I am a being and there are other beings? This is only suggested by the apparent separation of forms, that we've just seen isn't strictly true. The sense of who I am is generally based on a vague identity with this human body. But logically it doesn't stand. This finite being that I think I am is not necessarily who I am. I can't really find where it begins and ends.
So Non-Duality understanding is that we are not separate beings. Reality is an infinite singularity. We are That. It is understood that our nature is Consciousness, and all that we know is experienced by, in and as Consciousness. But if we are one Consciousness, why can't I know what others are thinking?
This is a common question. The answer is in understanding that within Consciousness there is an apparent variation of density that brings about a sense of the finite. Just as the ice bowl can hold water, so can the apparently finite mind hold its own thoughts. Thoughts are relative to the mind in which they form. The apparent separation of minds prevents the sharing of thoughts. However, that's not to say that there can't be communication between the apparently separate minds. To use another analogy, minds are like branches on the same tree, all connected by the central trunk. The Infinite Consciousness that we truly are is like the central trunk, but also the whole of the tree.
It is Infinite Consciousness that is the shared reality of all seemingly separate finite minds.
- Category: The Universe
- Hits: 1205
The term cause and effect is often used when referring to how things happen in the world. The assumption is that something causes something else to happen. But is that really how it is?
We may think, "I'm going out for a walk." That seems like we are the cause, and the effect is the body going for a walk. Or maybe a seed drops from a tree into a pond and ripples appear on the pond, spreading outwards across the pond. In that case we may consider that the seed falling is the cause and the ripples on the water are the effect. But when you look into it closely it's difficult to really identify the cause. For example, although I may vaguely accept that I made the decision to go for a walk, there is likely something that caused this decision. It may be that I haven't been outdoors for a few days, I need to stretch my legs or get some exercise, or some other reason that prompted the thought and intention to go for a walk.
In this example the decision can itself be understood as an effect rather than a cause. If you continue chasing the cause you find that there really is only a flowing of effect. We could say that each cause is also an effect, but it is more like a flowing of change. In the example of the seed dropping into the pond, causing ripples, the seed dropping is part of the nature of the tree. When the seed drops we can call it a cause or an effect, but really it is neither. There is only the flow of life. The tree grows from a seed that fell from a tree before; the tree grows seeds that eventually fall; one of the seeds falls into the pond; ripples flow. I'm sure there's a haiku there:
Tree drops seeds in soil
Seeds grow to become great trees
Seeds splash, ripples flow
Even here we are breaking apart this continual flow of life into segments. The human mind likes to do this to explain the world in finite terms. But really the world is infinite. There is no cause then effect or even cause-effect followed by cause-effect. There is only the continual flow of apparent change.
This leads to the non-dual understanding of choice. It's not that we choose what we do, where we go or what happens. The world just seems to happen. Thoughts seem to appear. Decisions seem to be made. Actions seem to take place. This is all the appearance of the flowing world. But it all appears right here and now. It is from the still point of Unchanging Awareness that this flow of change is experienced.
One may wonder what caused the world to appear, but this same understanding applies: there is no cause. Cause and effect are one and none. There is no beginning or end. The world only seems to appear. Space and time only seem to happen. Separation of the Singular nature of Reality only seems to happen. The Singular nature of Reality is never broken.
We don't need to be concerned with this seeming cause and effect. We are not part of this apparent flow. We remain as we are. Unchanging perceiving change, though truly nothing changes.
- Category: Spiritual Practice
- Hits: 1190
You may have heard the terms 'the witness state', 'being the witness' or 'perceiving as the witness' being used with regards to spirituality and Non-Duality. It's useful to understand what this really means.
From where you are right now, you may see a room or buildings, fields or hills in the distance. Maybe a river, a sea, clear sky or clouds, maybe the sun, the moon or stars. There is a sense that 'I am here and I see that there'. You may hear sounds. Maybe cars, people talking, birds singing, or an aeroplane flying overhead. There is the sense that 'I hear sounds'. These perhaps are the main two senses, but there are other senses where we may feel that 'I experience that' - maybe a taste or the texture of clothing. It's the world of perceptions, and we have the sense that 'I am perceiving this'.
As well as the usual senses, we also perceive thoughts. Sometimes it seems that thoughts 'have a mind of their own'. They ramble on from one topic to the next. Other times it seems that we are intentionally thinking about something, like planning an event, deciding what we need to buy or say, or thinking about something that interests us. Either way we feel that 'I am thinking thoughts'.
We also experience emotions, such as sadness and anger, joy and relief. There is a sense that 'I am happy' or 'I am sad'. We feel sensations like aches and pains. There is a sense that 'I have a headache', for example. But in Non-Duality we like to know what is happening here more clearly. We like to know who is this 'I' that experiences these perceptions, sensations and feelings. Who am I?
From the Non-Duality understanding, we are not what we can see. The eye cannot see the eye, and I cannot perceive I. In everyday life we talk of 'I' as if I am a human being. But in Non-Duality there is no true limitation of any form. The human body has no true beginnings or ends by which it can be accurately defined. That's not who we really are. All that we can say for sure is that I know I exist. I see the body and the world. I hear sound and feel pain. I notice thoughts and thinking.
In Non-Duality we are the Witnessing of all perception, feeling and sensation. Some call it Awareness or Consciousness. We are Knowing. Saying we are 'The Witness' is less accurate than 'Witnessing', as 'The Witness' implies an identity. Identity requires definition and limitation, but Reality is limitless.
So there is a practice of 'Witnessing', or 'Being the Witness' if that feels more comfortable. It means not identifying with what is perceived and not getting caught up in the experience. It's observing the mind, the body and the world, witnessing thoughts, perceptions and sensations, without attachment to them. This is more in line with limitless reality than 'I am this form and I do these actions'. What is perceived is not the perceiver. Actions that are done are not done by the perceiver, they are witnessed.
This practice of 'Witnessing' is the untangling of attachment with forms. Moving from the sense of 'I am sad' or even 'I am happy', 'I am well' or 'I am in pain', to the witnessing of the feelings of sadness or joy, wellness or pain, without identification with them. The one who witnesses is not what is witnessed. This practice is about recognising that our permanent unseen presence is not something that is observed in the world of changing forms. Our permanent unseen presence is where we are perceiving from.
Seemingly paradoxically, to remove the false identification with limited form, we need to separate ourself from this. We need to step back and see that we are not a separate limited form. However, it is to be further recognised then that this world of changing form is not separate from who we are. All form, thoughts, humans, animals, buildings, mountains, rivers, planets, stars, appear in the Consciousness that we are. The error is in the belief that we are a limited form that comes and goes. The Reality is that we are timelessly Here. We are Unlimited Formless Consciousness and all forms appear in Consciousness, made of Consciousness, known by Consciousness.
- Category: The Universe
- Hits: 1196
The world appears as a World of Variety and Change. There seem to be so many different things - different elements, different combinations of elements, different densities of form - solid, liquid and gas, different formations of these forms - inert substances, plant-life, animal-life and human life. And it all swirls around, interacting, producing new forms and developments. The world is continually changing.
Sometimes the world may seem to be quite still, maybe when you're sat in a quiet room reading a book or relaxing. But the stillness of your room is illusory. Even the walls of the room are moving. It's only a relative stillness. The molecules that make up the walls, the air, and the different forms in a room are vibrating energy. In addition to this, the room is part of a spinning planet. Planet Earth spins on its own axis whilst rotating around the sun. The sun and this solar system in turn flows in the arms of a spiral galaxy, swirling through the universe.
Where was I? Right here. Ah, everything in the world is moving and changing, and any unchanging stillness we perceive is illusory. That's how it appears. You look at a table and it appears solid and still. You feel the ground beneath your feet and it seems solid and unmoving. But it's not quite the way it really is. We know it's not completely solid. It's permeable. That is, frequencies of energy can pass through it. Light can pass through glass windows. WiFi radio waves can pass through walls. Ground Penetrating Radar sends high frequency radio waves through the ground to detect buried objects. Nothing is ever truly impermeable.
There's some magic at play here. Really this moving and changing is illusory, and stillness is the reality. What is perceived is a reflection of reality. What is perceived is a play of opposites, whilst reality remains purely One.
Space and time are not natural to Reality. Reality is an Infinite Singularity without division, unchanging and unmoving. It cannot move or change because there is no space or time in the Singularity. Space and time only seem to appear within it. Distance and change seem to be created through the appearance of opposites. When the Infinite Singularity seems to split into opposing characteristics then a sense of separation, distance and change appears. Space and time appear to be instantly created, but they don't appear from the Singularity. They appear within the Singularity. The Singularity remains as it is. The separation never really happens. Space and time don't really happen. There is no real beginning or end to space and time, because they are illusory.
So this world of variety and change is illusory. That's not to say it isn't real. There is nothing other than the Real. That's the Singularity. What's unreal is separation and change. It doesn't really happen. So space and time isn't real, yet what this is is Real.
- Category: The Human Experience
- Hits: 1180
In spirituality circles you may hear of Maya or Illusion. It refers to the illusory nature of the world. So what's so illusory about it?
The term 'Maya' comes from Indian philosophy and means illusion or magic. It generally refers to the appearance of the changing universe from and in the Unchanging Reality. The illusion is that there is a world that seems to move and change, whilst Reality is unmoving and unchanging. There appear to be many limited forms but the Reality is a formless Infinite Indivisible One.
Is the world really an illusion? Well, yes and no. The illusion is that the world appears to be other than the Divine Reality. The world appears to be something it is not. There can be nothing other than the Infinite One, so what appears to be other than the Infinite One is illusory. So, is there an illusion or isn't there? The illusion is that there is an illusion. There is only Reality.
This may sound confusing. It needs an example. The traditional example is of the snake and the rope. From a distance there appears to be a snake in the road. This is illusory, because on closer inspection it is found to be just a harmless piece of rope. So the 'illusion' is really a mistaken understanding. The rope appeared to be something it wasn't. The rope didn't really change its appearance to become a snake. It was simply as it was. There was really no illusion, just a mistaken understanding.
And so it is with the world and Reality. From a seemingly limited perspective the world seems to move and change, and have many limited forms that come into being and disappear again. It is the seemingly limited perspective that projects this view of the world. The world appears as if it is a reflection of the Unseen Unchanging Formless Reality. There appears to be a play of opposites that makes What Is appear to be what it is not. The Permanent Reality appears to be changing, but it remains the same.
This is the human experience - a seemingly limited experience of Reality. The human experience allows the Unseen Infinite One to be seen. Well, kind of, although whatever is seen will always be less than the Whole, seemingly limited. The human experience allows an appearance of many, of me and other, of beginnings and ends, here and there, now and then. It appears that the Infinite One is divided into many. There appears to be a me and what is not me. This is the illusion of the world, that there can appear to be something other than the Infinite One. But it doesn't really happen.
The Great Illusion is this play of opposites that allows countless experiences within the One. The One cannot be divided, but it can appear to be divided. Just as the rope can't become a snake, but it can appear to be a snake if the perspective is skewed, if clear seeing and knowing is seemingly limited. The Great Illusion is that I am this and not that, when there is truly no division in Reality. I do not really become this or that. It can only seem that I am this or that. Reality remains as it is. The illusion is in the mistaken perspective.
The Great Revelation then is that it is what it is. There is nothing other than Reality. There are not really many forms. There is no separation or division of the Whole. The Singularity of Reality remains timelessly as it is. Reality is qualityless though of the Highest Quality. There only seems to be less than the Whole. The world of opposites that seems resplendent with division, incompleteness and imperfection is truly the Complete Perfect Oneness of the Whole.