Atheist? Agnostic? Religious?

All meaningless labels, in non-dualistic thought. All that ultimately matters is Truth. I apply the word "God" to Ultimate Truth. I also capitalize the words that I write that have anything to do with Ultimate Truth. But these are just my own personal preferences. I don't seek to convince others to do the same or to agree with me in these conventions.

Atheist. A person who does not believe in God. Agnostic. A person who just doesn't have an opinion about the existence of God. Religious. A person who believes in God and expresses that belief through certain actions or avoidance of certain actions.

All meaningless labels.

Why?

Because a label only symbolizes a thing; it is never the thing itself. If God (Ultimate Truth) is All There Is, the way we label (or avoid labeling) It is meaningful only to us.

What about oracles?

The idea of oracles has been around probably as long as the human race. Even people who don't view themselves as religious or superstitious frequently exhibit a belief in an oracle of one type or another. In ancient times, oracles were viewed as special people or things through which the divine will was communicated to lowly humans. Prophets, priests, scriptures, visions, and revelations are all examples of such. In modern time, many such beliefs persist, mingled with other superstitions.

Did God create us?

God can only create the Eternal, the Perfect, the Innocent, the Limitless. Does this describe humans?

What is Eternity?

Human thought conceptualizes eternity as having a beginning, but never ending. In non-dualistic thought, Eternity is that which has always existed, exists now, and will always exist. In other words, Eternity is God, and God is Eternity.

God creates the Eternal and the Creations of God share all of God's attributes, save one: creation does have a beginning.

This is the ONLY difference between God and God's Creations: God has always existed, while the creations of God

Is there dualism in God?

In a word, no.

There can't be. If God is all-powerful, all-knowing, all-present, there can be no separation at all. There can be no distinct parts, features, preferences, mannerisms, traits, or characteristics in a perfect god.

I mean, fantasize with me for a while. Imagine we are in Heaven paying a visit to God. The first question that comes up is, which God are we visiting? The God of Earth? The God of some other planet? I think most people (excepting LDS) would say, "Well, there's only ONE God!" The LDS doctrine is that there are many gods. This doctrine creates many problems and questions because of the inherent separation in a belief in a plurality of gods. Are all the gods equal? If so, why do we need more than one? Are they each all-powerful? Do they compete? Do they compare 'notes?' Do they compare their works to those of other gods? Do they argue? Do they have private thoughts and private activities?  How can privacy even exist in a realm of omniscience?

So back to our fantasy. Let's leave the LDS doctrine and go with the one espoused by most Christian religions: there is only One God, the God of all the universe. Let's go visit Him. Or Her? Does god have gender? A body? An appearance? A presence? Does god have moods? Preferences? Habits? Hobbies? Does God have time for a visit? Or is he too busy answering prayers and creating stuff? Does God have to maintain things after he creates them? Does God have to intervene in the affairs of his creations? Or does he intervene just for fun? Does God mess with us? Or does everything he does have a divine purpose? Does God intend only good? Does anything ever happen that God didn't intend?

And we could go on and on. Some parts seem pretty silly. But, to a person who tries to impose dualism on God, the only answer you're left with to these (and many other) questions will ultimately be, "We just are not capable of understanding all the ways of God."

Easter 2014

With the Easter weekend approaching, I’ve noticed many people posting their views and testimonies about Jesus. Most of what I’ve read is aligned with the teachings of traditional Christianity. I thought, perhaps, some folks may find interesting an alternate perspective on this topic. I feel guided to write a post about some of my beliefs.

Most of my friends and family are aware that I was raised in the LDS faith and that I left that religion many years ago. Some of you who knew me back then will (hopefully) remember that I took very seriously my faith, my religious studies, and practices. Few of you, however, have any notion of my present belief system and theology.

After leaving organized religion, I went through a period of agnosticism. I was attracted to the empowering views and methods of cognitive psychology. I studied self-esteem and worked on rediscovering my value as a human being. Then, in the mid-90s, a series of ‘mystical’ events hinted that my mindset was incomplete, and perhaps I had thrown the spiritual ‘baby’ out with the religious ‘bathwater.’ So, during a summer break, I used most of my free time to focus on  (what I called at that time) my “Spiritual Quest.”

As a result of this Quest, I found a path-- a theology, and a thought system that is called by several names. My label for it is Non-dualism. This path is perfect for me. It answers every question I have been able to formulate. It guides my thoughts, words, and actions. It respects my intellect while gently showing me that intellect is not my salvation. It explicitly explains why every path is equally valid, which eliminates almost all judgment. It helps me to see a more-effective way to forgive others and myself. Most-importantly, it has allowed me to see more clearly my relationship with Jesus and the meaning of the Atonement.

At this time of year, when the Christian World is observing Easter and thinking of Jesus, his life, his teachings, his calling, his function, his death, and his resurrection, I would like to share (for those who are interested) the non-dualistic take on some of these.

Maybe it will give you something to laugh at and feel superior about! Or, perhaps you will merely find it interesting to read and to think about. But there may be some who are searching for another view, or path, that will help them to progress and find Peace. Though this path is definitely NOT for everyone, some may find it compelling. I’m not preaching or proselytizing —just sharing.

So, take a look at this blog entry, if you feel inclined. (Or even if you’re sitting up straight.) 

Questions and comments are welcome.

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Understanding a non-dualistic thought system requires some imagination, lateral thinking, and some clarification of terminology. There are many words and symbols that are shared by both traditional Christianity and Non-Dualism—but the terms have quite different meaning:

GOD

God is Reality—or Absolute Truth. This Truth is One, unifying, all-encompassing, all-inclusive. It is eternal, innocent, creative, and non-coercive. It is the only True Power that exists. Notice that to our human perspective, this view of God puts Him into the ‘idea’ category, which allows Him to be easily dismissed. To humans, ideas are wispy and flaky.

As it turns out, however, we have this 180 degrees wrong. God is Reality -- while the universe of duality is merely an idea, and an insane one at that. There are not different ‘versions’ of Truth, and a perfect Creator can only create perfectly. A perfect creation does not need to be tested or taught—there is nothing lacking in perfection.

CHRIST

This perfect creation of God is called The Christ. The Christ shares all the attributes of God, save one: God (Truth) has always existed, while Christ (the extension of Truth) began with God and extends forever and always.

PHYSICAL UNIVERSE

So where do earth life and the human race figure in this scenario? The answer is, they don’t. This universe is clearly everything the God of non-dualism is not. God is one, while this universe is diverse. God is eternal, but everything here is temporary. So the startling claim of this thought system is that we are not living in Reality, but rather are believing an insane idea—the idea that Christ can separate from God. We are observing a mad dream, a dream that seems real—but just cannot be. Most of the time, we just accept it and at times, even enjoy it. But times of extreme happiness or misery can cause us to question. “Unreal.” “I can’t believe this is happening.” “Dream come true.” “Nightmare.” “Surreal.” The list of expressions goes on and on. We all have suspicions that this place is not our home.

THE ADVERSARY

This insane idea of ‘particles of Christ’ fleeing God and taking refuge in the physical universe has been imagined and personified in many myths. Personifying this concept as a ‘devil’ is especially potent in many of the Christian traditions. Again, though, we see the tendency to reverse orders of reality. God is Real—and in the presence of God, separation (devil, evil, Satan, etc) is just a crazy idea. But, once we start taking seriously the mad idea of separation, the oneness of Reality seems like craziness, and evil can seem convincingly real.

SIN/GUILT/FEAR

We humans believe that this life is Reality, though in the deepest recesses of our eternal mind, we know that this is all impossible. But we want it. Why? Because it seems to offer what God could not: the ability to self-author. Even though we don’t get to choose our body, we do seem to choose the direction of our individual lives. We get to choose how to ‘create’ a self. But this individual existence is fraught with guilt and fear. Guilt, because we think we have separated from God, and fear of the consequences for having done so. Our tendency, most of the time, is to take those bad feelings and project them onto other people or situations (sin).

This is all part of the time/space illusion. But, in Reality, separation from God is not a sin—it’s impossible.

HOLY SPIRIT

The Holy Spirit is our memory of Reality and our Guide for return. It may seem very vague, and each person may handle it in different ways. But it’s there. We can choose to see oneness reflected here on earth in so many ways, but human relationships are some of the most powerful reminders. We also are reminded of God by peaceful situations, innocent children, happy laughter, the beauty of nature, and the pleasant contrasts offered by duality.

JESUS THE CHRIST

One of the first humans to fully realize this was a man named Jesus. When he fully listened to the voice of the Holy Spirit, he accepted his Reality as a creation of God, and his mind ‘resurrected.’ He awakened from the dream of death. He was now able to clearly see the unreality of this life and began to act in accordance with his true identity: The Christ. In his Christ-Mind, all limitations ceased to hold sway because there are no limitations in God. Jesus’s teachings were esoteric and directed to ‘those who have ears to hear,’ people who were also getting ready to willingly relinquish belief in this hallucination. Jesus realized that all power in Heaven and on earth was given him—not because he was special individually, but because the Christ is like the Father in every sense. “When you have seen me you have seen the Father.” Social barriers and religious traditions are meaningless in this knowledge, and Jesus tried to teach this. He also strove to demonstrate the unreality of physical existence by doing things that were physically impossible. Most people were (and still are) terribly afraid of our True Identity. One very effective way of avoiding responsibility is to make Jesus into a ‘special case.’ Making him into the literal Son of God, Perfect, Sinless, God Incarnate, etc. allows humans to cut themselves some slack. This is fine for a while — but it won’t work forever.

THE ATONEMENT

We all must eventually accept Eternal Truth (God) as well as the creation that extends from God and includes us (Christ). This will happen, not because God is forcing us, but because that’s all there is: Truth. We can delay, but eventually we will tire of everything that is not Real. This event will be experienced by most of us as a process, rather than an event. This process of letting go of separation and accepting Oneness is called The Atonement.

FORGIVENESS

Our function as humans is to forgive. Forgiveness in traditional Christianity is seen as the ability to let go of condemnation of sin or trespass; in non-dualism, forgiveness is the recognition that if separation isn’t real, neither is sin. As we practice this more and more, our mind calms down and relinquishes conflict. And with no conflict, the dream story is over. We awaken, as Jesus did, from the dream of death, and return to Reality and our True Identity.

“Nothing Real can be threatened.

Nothing unreal exists.

Herein lies the Peace of God.”

What about appetites?

The word "appetite" names a craving, usually physical, for something external to be consumed. We also use the word to denote a desire for experiences or power. Appetites can be experienced in our desire for food, substances, fun, relationships, sex, adventure, exercise, emotions, and even destruction. The Course calls appetites "getting mechanisms."

There are two prerequisites for an appetite to be experienced: (1) You must believe you presently lack the thing you crave. (2) You must believe that the thing you crave can be obtained. Notice that in the first condition, you are believing in scarcity and limitation. And in the second, you are believing in separation, in that the thing you crave is not (yet) part of you and your world.

Hmmm..... scarcity, limitation, and separation.  Not exactly traits of God.

So here we are, again, back where we always find ourselves when we follow avenues that seem so real in human experience. Trying to prove that there exists something that is 'Not God.' Trying to make duality real. Trying to attack Truth. Trying to 'make' rather than 'create.'

To delve a bit deeper, it's fascinating to observe the cannibalism and vampirism inherent in most physical appetites. The idea of 'consuming life' in order to stay alive, 'taking' substances to get a physical effect, two 'becoming one' through sex, elevating a sense of self by conquering an obstacle, the catharsis (temporary) in releasing strong emotion, the ego boost after destroying physical objects. In the extreme, the taking of life through acts of abuse, murder, or mayhem.

We have appetites that make us crave relationships with others. Big ego trip there when we can achieve something to the effect of the famous cheesy line from "Jerry McGuire":  "You complete me." (Wonder if he felt the same way seven years later.)

Any avenue we pursue in the quest for completion will eventually prove unsatisfactory, and we'll usually just find a different appetite to sate. We keep attempting this dynamic in many different forms until we (dimly at first) become aware that they are really all the same. As we ASK, and as we demonstrate a willingness to see things differently, we being to realize that the goal of satisfying appetites is just another one of ego's myriad smokescreens.

The mistake is in the premise. The error is the initial perception of a self that is incomplete, lacking, unfulfilled, separated from God. As we gradually see that God is All There Is, we begin to release our grasp on this fragile, temporal illusion of self, and we begin to glimpse our True Identity. Appetites diminish, and then disappear, along with all that we formerly believed in, as Reality dawns and we awaken from our dream of separation to the Truth of Oneness.

What about magic?

To answer this question, let's set aside the first definition that usually springs to mind: magic is illusion. We'll set it aside, for now, because that definition is correct. Let's look instead at the definition of magic that we WISH were real.

We would like to believe in magic as power. Power over other people. Power over illness. Power over circumstances. Power over nature.

I like to have my students write about their magical imaginings, because I think it's very telling what a young human mind does with this topic. Kids dream of all kinds of magical abilities: flying, immortality, super-strength, invisibility, and size-changing are the most-common ones they come up with.

Maybe you can remember when you were young, some of the magical wishes you held in mind. Maybe you can recall how these fade away as the 'realities' of adulthood begin to confront you. Not that adults give up all magical thinking. Even adults have superstitions, beliefs in the power of words, beliefs in the power of spells, astrology, earth elements, prayers, and priesthoods.

Regardless of the age group, or the form of magical thinking, what they all have in common is the idea of POWER. And, set in the ego framework, this power must be individual power. (Remember, even group thinking is still individualistic as long as it appears to contrast with the group thinking of another, separate group.)

Non-duality proclaims that Reality is God and God is Reality. There is no power other than God. Any appearance of another power must be illusion.

If we accept that premise, even if only for the sake of argument, we see that not only are our wishes, dreams, and fantasies in the realm of magic, but so are almost all of the aspects of are human existence! A human body flying through the air is a magical thought; but so is a human body walking on the surface of a planet. An invisible person is magic; but so is a VISIBLE person! The power to leap over tall buildings is magical; but so is the ability to leap over hurdles in a track race.

This world is founded on the assumption that magic exists, that there is power other than God, and that we humans wield that power.

This thought is false. This thought is illusion.

So, our first thought was correct; magic IS illusion, and can be nothing else.

And there is no escape until we begin to at least wonder if we could be wrong. Usually, the next step is just to substitute a new magic spell for the one that's been discarded.

But, with an open mind and enough experience, we begin to see that these various forms of magic are all alike in all crucial aspects. They don't make us happy, or safe, or satisfied. . . for anything other than short snippets of time.

Eventually we begin to see that the world can offer nothing, because that's all the world is: nothing. That's all illusion is: nothing appearing to be something.

Magic doesn't exist. We wish it did, though. And this wish is obscuring our Will.

So, what if we wished to stop wishing? It can be done. For most of us, it will take time.

But one day, we'll truly see that time is magic, too. And we can give up the illusion of time just as easily as all the others.

Our True Power can only be experienced when we stop wishing there was another power. When we stop desiring magic, we will see Reality and will see our inclusion in It.

To the person who called my spiritual views “Epic Bullcrap.”

At first, I was elated that someone had actually looked at my blog! I mean, so few people visit you can hear crickets chirping over here!

Then, I was a little miffed at your use of a linking verb. The exact statement was “Non-dualism is epic bullcrap.” Is? IS? As in, another name for it? The same thing as? But, soon, I relented and reminded myself that you were just expressing an opinion, your own perspective, your own angle, your take. And, let’s be honest, that’s all any of us can do. When we make any kind of declarative, we’re just expressing our own opinion. And you know the old saying about opinions and the analogous body part.

Then, the Golden Rule kicked in. So you disagree with my views, okay. But calling them “bullcrap?” How would you like it if I called your views bullcrap? Is it appropriate in any public forum to categorically label a fellow human-being’s perspective as “bullcrap?” Is it okay to call Mormonism bullcrap? Catholicism? Sexism? Racism? Oh, wait. . . yeah. I guess if I put my views out on-line, I should be prepared for some people to simply put them in the category of “Male Bovine Excrement.”

So, where I’m at now, is I’m feeling dismayed that you felt the need to post your opinion anonymously. I would have enjoyed a dialogue! At the very least, it would be fun. And possibly, you have some viewpoints that may help me in some way. As a seeker of truth, I have to be willing to admit that my beliefs and paradigms may be incomplete, faulty, or totally false; and I must be willing to follow truth whichever way it leads, even if it’s uncomfortable or inconvenient.

I’m going to post this missive on the blog and also on Facebook. Maybe you are some random blog surfer, and you’ll never see this. Maybe you are someone I know, and you will reconsider the chance to chat about some of life’s mysteries. Regardless, writing this has made me feel better. Even if my views are bullcrap.

What have you learned?

I work in the education profession, so questions that center around learning, learning theory, learning philosophy, and learning processes are central to what I do for a living.

But where does learning fit in with the non-dualistic framework being described in this blog?

In our True State, there is literally nothing to learn. A perfect Creator only creates Perfection. And Perfection has no deficiencies. This is hard for our little human brains to comprehend, because brains are made from a belief in duality. So, in our human lives, we have to learn through comparison and contrast. We teach our young how things are the same and how things are different, all the while admitting that we ourselves don't know everything. (Sometimes, I think I don't know ANYTHING!)

Like all earthly devices, the learning mechanism is, by default, set to ego. In other words, if we just live our lives, and learn as we go, we will be reinforcing ego, which is the belief that a self is separate, autonomous, and limited. Really, if you've chosen an earth life, this part is unavoidable.

BUT. . . you can learn to ASK questions. As I've written before, asking questions of motivation is a very useful process to Spirit. Spirit, being the Memory of Truth, shares all the traits of God. One of the traits of God is non-coerciveness; in other words, God can't force us to do (or not do) anything. And neither can Spirit. Spirit has to wait until we demonstrate willingness; and willingness is demonstrated by ASKing a question.

Now, of course, each time you ask a question, there are going to be two answers. One answer is from ego, and will reinforce belief in individuality and separation. The other answer is from Spirit, and will remind you of Oneness, Peace, Perfection, and Innocence.

This process could be better-described as UNlearning. In Reality, ego is impossible. And yet, here in earth life we not only believe that it's real, we think we see evidence everywhere we look that proves it's real! But, as we learn, grow, and mature, we begin to (dimly at first) grasp that there is more going on here than meets the eye; things are not as they appear.

So we look deeper. We look closer. We ASK questions. We unlearn ego. And, with increasing clarity and brightness, the Light of Spirit dawns again in the shadows of our mind and we begin to awaken. We awaken from the dream of separateness that we earthlings take to be reality. And, we begin to glimpse a realm where learning is totally unnecessary. We begin to see that all Knowledge is already part of us, and we are all contained in that Knowledge.

That Knowledge is God.

And God is not a belief; God is a Fact. Thus, we don't learn about God. We KNOW God. To us, this seems to be in the future. But remember, time is an ego device, too. When we once again return to Knowledge, this existence, with all of its learnings, enterprises, and adventures, will vanish away just as a dream does when you awaken.

This is not something you have to learn. It's something you already Know. You just have to accept it, little by little, and relinquish your grasp on all the little ego toys. Unlearn. Return to Knowledge. One day, you will Know the Truth.

And the Truth shall set you Free.

What's the Big Deal?

The teaching of non-duality states that only thoughts in the Mind of God are Real. In more common language, the only Reality is Absolute Truth.

And this does NOT correspond in any way with our experience as human beings seeming to live in a temporal world of relative truth.

So why is this teaching helpful? Why should I even care?

Here's why:  Knowing (or even suspecting) that this worldly experience is not your true reality opens your mind to other choices you can make.

This cosmic feeling of unease, of not really belonging here, is actually a good thing! Of course, you may label it something else. Boredom? Monotony? Illness? Loneliness? Depression? Anger? Fear? Ego is VERY good at coming up with multitudes of labels to distract us from one simple, central concept: that this world is not our home.


And yet, you woke up this morning and now here you are reading this blog, just like I woke up this morning, and here I am writing in this blog. We still believe (want to believe!) that this is real, or at least partly real. Why? Because that means that our individual self is real. We desperately want to believe that we exist, separate and apart from Oneness.

So, here's another good practical application for these ideas. This one is great for all those times when I feel afraid, depressed, tired, lonely. . . and best of all, for those times when I feel like I'm just playing mind games and getting lost in intellect.

It is simply this: If Reality only exists in Oneness, but I'm perceiving something other than that, then what I'm perceiving isn't meaningful. At no time is there ANYTHING MEANINGFUL going on in the world. So my practice is to not make such a big deal about everything. I pull back some of my emotional investment in all the external events and circumstances.

Because none of it matters.

Not really.

Think how things that really seemed so important to you as a child shifted when you became a teen. And then think about the things you valued as a teen. . . see what I mean? The passage of time seems to connect to our changing perceptions.

So what I'm getting at is that we don't have to wait for time to pass. We can state something like the following:    "I seem to be very invested in ____________. But that's not Oneness. I know I will feel differently about it in the future, and it won't be so important to me. So why should I make such a big deal about it now? Is there another way to see this situation?"

Yes, it still comes down to ASKing. Always does. This universe came about because of us asking an insane question and taking the answer too seriously. The universe will be undone by our ASKing a sane question and accepting the Answer of Truth.