I hope I'm wrong. . .

Next time you're upset, here's something to TRY. Say to yourself something like: "I must have made some mistake in my thinking. I hope I'm wrong. Maybe there's really no reason to be upset. Could there be a different way to look at this situation?" Notice that the last one is a question; you're ASKing for a new perception.

Usually, we reserve the words in the title of this entry for situations that seem to infringe on our sense of self:
    "I smell smoke! The house is on fire! I hope I'm wrong!"
    "I can't find my car. It's been stolen! I hope I'm wrong."
    "My date didn't show up. I've been stood up! I hope I'm wrong."
    "I feel like I'm getting sick; hope I'm wrong."
    "My dad has been so ill; he won't last another year. Boy, I hope I'm wrong."

We hope we're wrong when we're assuming something has happened or is going to happen that impacts our perceived identity in a negative way.

Much more difficult, though, is to hope you're wrong when you feel a loss of peace. Especially if you're feeling like you've been victimized or treated unfairly. But just pause a moment and think. Can you remember times in your life where you assumed something bad had happened to you, and then later found out it wasn't that bad? Maybe even it was a good thing? Of course, in the moment you're angry or resentful, you've already given yourself the role of the "right" person; so why would you hope that you're wrong?

This exercise opens your mind to the possibility that your upsets are really caused by your perception, and not by external events. This concept is quite easy to understand intellectually, but is exceedingly difficult to put into practice. (This is the whole foundation of cognitive psychology, by the way. There are people who are making and spending large sums of money just to learn to ASK themselves this question in times of emotional crisis.)

Non-dualism claims that there is nothing wrong. There is nothing to fear. There is nothing to be angry about. There are no victims and no persecutors. There are only reflections of mistaken perceptions. So, just TRY it! Next time you're upset, TRY to remember to ASK. "I don't like the way I feel right now. It could be the way I'm framing the problem. Maybe I'm wrong. I hope I'm wrong, because maybe there's really no reason to even feel upset. Is there a different perception of this situation?" A S K

What is attack?

Attack is any activity that fosters the illusion of separateness through a guilt/innocence dichotomy. Attack can be mental, verbal, or physical. Mental attack can range from unkind thoughts to violent fantasies. Verbal attack consists of hurtful words, put-downs, or slanders. And physical attack needs no explanation.

Every human attacks. We attack our food, we attack our environment, we attack our pets, our possessions, ourselves, and of course, each other. It is impossible to be human without attacking. That is our default setting. We were made to attack because our world is based on a mistaken view that attack is possible. In this world, it certainly seems to be possible. We see attack everywhere we look, we think attack thoughts pretty much all day long, and we continually look for ways to defend ourselves against attack.

When we attack anything or anyone, we are reflecting the ego thought system of duality. We are reflecting a belief in differences of value, or orders of importance. We are reflecting a belief in the equal reality of guilt and innocence. Why do I get to eat that chicken? Because my life is more important and has more value than that of the chicken. Why do I get to chop down that tree? Because my comfort is more crucial than the life of the tree. Why do I get to kill bacteria on my hands with alcohol sanitizer? Because I am big and they are small, and they may cause me to get sick.

But attack gets really interesting when you look at it between humans. Why did I think those unkind thoughts about my neighbor? Because I was right and she was wrong. I was innocent and she was guilty. I was wise and she was foolish. Attack simply cannot happen in Oneness; attack requires a belief in separation.

Attack seems to make us feel bad. Though we may feel temporarily vindicated after an attack, we definitely are not at peace. We may crave more attack (food) we may think that there's no alternative to attack (germs) or we may feel like we overreacted (other humans). We may feel guilty and apologize, thus opening ourselves up to attack, and switching roles with another person.

Here's the kicker, though:  We do not feel bad because we attacked; we attacked because we felt bad. As is always the case, the world has everything reversed. Because we perceive ourselves as trapped in a world of perception, we feel like we did something sinful to deserve it. We feel guilty. And it seems that the only way to get rid of our guilt is to project it onto something or someone else. But here is the illusion: when we project guilt we REINFORCE the guilt!!!  We feel guilty for believing that the Oneness of God could be successfully attacked, so we project that guilt and attack others, and we further perpetuate the perception of separation!

It really is quite brilliant. But clearly insane. Non-duality is making the claim that Oneness is Reality. Separation is illusion. So, here's something to TRY. Next time you become aware that you are attacking or being attacked, pause.  Get quiet. Take a few breaths. And then ASK. . . "Is there a different way to look at this?" Then return to life, but pay attention. I promise you will be answered. You will either get a message delivered to your consciousness in a form you can understand, or you will somehow inexplicably just feel better. It may not happen immediately, but it will happen. Just TRY it. It's very convincing when it occurs.

You might even call it. . . a miracle.

What is fear?

Fear is the very foundation of the world we perceive. It is the root cause of ego and thus the default setting for the underpinnings of this universe. We all know fear labeled as such, but we may not be fully cognizant of fear as the basis for all other feelings and motivations. Our very existence is based on fear!

Our actions are fear-based. We work at our jobs for fear of starving, or not having insurance, or not feeling useful. We associate with others out of fear of being alone. We help others so they will help us when we need it. We save money for emergencies. Our bodies save energy for emergencies. We fear that we will do or say something wrong. We fear what others may do to us. We fear natural disasters. We fear new experiences. We fear accidents and illness.

Every negative emotion is obviously based on fear. Sadness is fear of loss. Worry is fear of the future. Depression is fear that life as we see it is all that there is. Anger is fear that others are taking advantage.  We fear the disapproval of other people. Guilt is the fear that we did something wrong.

But even under our positive emotions, fear lurks. When we're happy, we fear it won't last. When we're together with others, we fear that they'll leave. When we have money, we fear it will run out. When we're employed, we fear we'll get fired.

It goes on and on and on. And under every fear is the biggie:  fear of death. We know we all have to do it, but we don't like the idea one bit. We know it's a fact of life, but we try to prevent it and delay it. And though it's a fact of life, we mourn bitterly when it happens.

Deeper spiritual inquiry reveals another fear underlying our fear of death: the fear of God. Even people who think they don't believe in God have fear that they're wrong. People who do believe in God believe that God is punishing them for their wrong-doings and short-comings. Many religions even explicitly state that death is our punishment for sin.

In this lifetime, fear is the feeling of not being able to handle life experiences. It is an illusion, of course, because we handle our lives just fine, one way or another.

Psychologists and new-age types talk and write about facing your fears, conquering your fears, surrendering your fears. What they don't want to admit is that we absolutely MUST have fear in this world of contrasts. Without bad stuff we have nothing with which to define the GOOD stuff! If belief in duality persists, the best you can hope for is to minimize fear; but you will never be rid of it. It is the flip side of all the positive things you think you want.

Once again, non-duality is the only answer. To finally leave the world of fear, we have to also leave the world of duality. This doesn't happen through death; it happens through waking up to Reality. For some, this awakening can seem to happen quickly. Most of us, though, have to take the process slowly and catch glimpses and reflections of Truth.

And what is this Truth? That there is LITERALLY nothing   to   fear.

How can we tell right from wrong?

As a school teacher, I am continually reminded that there are two meanings for the words 'right' and 'wrong.'  We teach the students that fighting, disrespect, violence, defiance, and dishonesty are wrong. We also teach the kids that three times four equal eleven is wrong. Same word, but very different meanings.

Seen through the lens of non-dualism, the words 'right' and 'wrong' are more like the second usage than the first. Things are defined as 'right' when they are based on truth, reality, and fact. When things are not in accordance with reality, they are labeled 'wrong.' When looked at this way, everything about earth life is 'wrong' because earth life is not based on Reality, which is Oneness, Perfection, and Eternalness.

But the question is really about morality, isn't it? Most people who wonder about right and wrong, are wondering about the correctness of actions.

Morality is really just a set of guidelines for getting along within a world based on separation. When we infringe on another separate being, putting our own desires ahead of others, we would define those actions as immoral, or 'wrong.' In Reality, though, there are no separate beings, so the world's view of morality is just another part of the illusion.

Is morality useful? It can be. But remember, as with everything here, morality can be used by ego or by Spirit depending on our choice. I'm sure you can think of people you've known who always do the right (moral) things and then use their righteousness as a device to look down on others, which reinforces separation. Spirit can also use morality as a reminder of Oneness. When you realize this, it becomes clear why judgment is impossible. It's not that we shouldn't judge; it's that we simply cannot judge. In this world, the exact same actions or words can be motivated by either ego or spirit.

This is why the work of the non-dualistic path is done within the (seeming) confines of your OWN mind. It's all about how YOU see and react to the images and experiences of human life. Everything and everyone here are figures in your dream. When you judge them as 'right' or 'wrong' you are further entrenching yourself in the dream.

What about healing?

Most of the world thinks of healing as the removal of sickness and/or symptoms. In order for us to believe in that definition, we have to first decide and agree upon the definition of health. And our definition of health is tied in with the body identity: as long as the body does what we (think we) want it to do, we label it 'healthy.' When the body gives us discomfort, pain, suffering, or disability, we label it 'disease.' Just like everything else here, our views of health and healing depend on each other; they are contrasts, two sides of the same coin. Put simply, we see sickness as 'not healthy' and we view health as 'not sick!'  Pretty crazy, huh? But that's dualism for you. We accept this perspective because (a) most people agree with it, and (b) because we don't see any alternative.

From a non-dualistic perspective, however, a different perspective emerges. There is nothing but Mind. This Mind can believe in the temporal or know the Eternal. When we are believing in the temporal we see and experience this world: the world of opposites. Here we seem to experience limitations, fear, pain, sin, death, suffering, and lack. Each of these experiences is defined by an opposite and is based on a core belief in separation. But when our Mind (outside time and space!) is awake to the Real, it knows perfect Oneness, Changelessness, Eternity, and Innocence.

When the dream of human existence is over, we will see that even our belief in time was part of the illusion. But while we believe we are here, usually progress is seen in steps, increments, intervals. So from the perspective of non-dualism, each step we take that brings us closer to the final awakening is a step of healing. Healing is seen as relinquishing the contrasts of this world. Why does it take so long for most of us? Because we are eager to get rid of the 'bad' stuff but reluctant to surrender the 'good' stuff. We want to keep wealth, but get rid of poverty. We want to keep eating, but get rid of hunger. We want to keep life, and get rid of death. Because we insist on believing on one side of the dualistic coin, we must also accept the other side. Ultimately, we will never be free of the bad stuff until we willingly give up the good stuff, too.

This takes time, for most of us. As we make progress, though, this progress is reflected in the dream. The limitations and problems of the world affect our peace of mind less and less. When the Mind is fully awake and healed, the dream of the world has no more power. "All power in Heaven and earth is given to you." This goal was demonstrated (for the Western Hemisphere) by Jesus, who was able to demonstrate that even the cruelest form of torture and execution known at the time could do nothing to a Mind that is fully awake.

Are we guided in our choices?

Because our mind is split we can make choices based on ego or based on Spirit. If we don't do anything consciously, we will almost always be listening to ego. My metaphor is that ego is like the 'default setting' of earth life. Often, though, in times of pain or tribulation we will cry out for help. As soon as we ASK, Spirit is invited. Spirit can only respond to willingness, being the part of our mind that remembers Truth. One aspect of Truth is that it's not coercive; It can't do anything until we ASK It to do something.

Now, strictly speaking, ego and Spirit are not outside forces working ON us. (Remember, in Truth, we are all ONE; there is no separation.) But when we believe we're in this world, it can seem to us that there are outside forces. Really, when we are 'guided' we are merely listening to our own mind, outside time and space. Our mind can (and usually does) make choices to reinforce and perpetuate the ego thought system. Ego's 'ideal' situation is to keep things moving along with a little contrast here and there. Life goes on with happy moments and sad moments. We get sick and then we get better. We earn money, we lose money. We bring other bodies into the world, and we bury the ones that have worn out. We enter relationships, and relationships end. We work hard, and we take time off. This is just the way ego wants it to be. Ego tells us that this is existence. And indeed, if we choose ego, this IS existence. We seem 'stuck' in this format, where most of the time life is just so-so; not too good, not too bad.

When we ASK for help, though, things change. We have opened our mind to the memory of our True Identity. We begin to have experiences that point us toward Oneness, rather than separation. We will experience fear as we begin to see how wrong we have been, and we will usually retreat back into the ego thought system over and over again.

But each time we ASK, each time we make a different choice, each time we catch glimpses of Reality, our time in the ego prison is shortened. The more we ASK, the faster we will escape. Guidance is available for the ASKing.

What about empathy?

There are two kinds of empathy, just as there are two kinds of everything here. There is the empathy of the ego and of Spirit. The ego variety is the kind that most people think of as the correct definition. (Again, the default setting of the world is ego.)

Ego empathy is where a person believes he is suffering and another person agrees and tries to be supportive. "Life is being mean to you right now, and I will be by your side to listen, to give advice, and maybe I can help you to feel better, too." People who behave this way are viewed as kind, as good friends. From the perspective of the world and ego, this is exactly how we 'should' behave with our fellow human beings. We support them in their suffering, and they support us in ours.

Looking at the empathy of the world from a non-dualistic perspective, however, a very different picture emerges. First, the premise of the world's empathy is that the two people agree that the suffering is real. This is what holds the ego thought system together:  agreement. An agreement is a tacit statement, a proclamation, a pronouncement. When one person makes such a statement, it can be seen as an individual point of view; but when another person agrees with it, this strengthens it and makes it seem more real. By making suffering seem real, we make God seem more UNreal; there is no suffering in God, for a perfect creation cannot suffer.

Second, while an individual situation may seem to improve because of this kind of empathy, suffering will never be completely eliminated. Indeed, this kind of empathy may actually CAUSE other forms of suffering!  (Minor example:  I didn't show up for our family gathering because my friend's pet died, and she needed my support. Consequently, I helped my friend to feel better, but now my family feels neglected.)

Third, empathy of the ego conceals a darker and more diabolical purpose. When two people agree suffering is real and one of them supports the other in suffering, it can easily be seen as an alliance of sorts. "I'm supporting you right now, but the time will come when the suffering will be on MY side, and I will expect YOU to be there for ME." Bluntly, our 'being there' for others is not without strings attached; we give in order to get.

Ick. So what is the alternative? Is there another way to see suffering? Is there a different approach to empathy? Yes! I'm glad you ASKed!

Spirit can use suffering just as ego can. When Spirit sees suffering it sees it as an appearance of something that is not of God. Since only God is Real, suffering cannot be real. Now this is not something we say out loud to our friends when they are hurting; that would be vicious! It's an attitude that we hold within our minds.  "I can see that you believe you are suffering, and you are believing this not because of the present situation, but because of your definition of what you are." Non-dualistic thought sees the entire premise of the world and human life as an error: we define our self as something not of God. This has to lead to a perception of a self that can victimize and be victimized.

Outwardly, the actions may seem very similar. But inwardly, a very different approach is being utilized; an approach that exposes the ego thought system for the fraud that it is.

As written before, times of suffering are often our best chance to get away from statements and change over to questions. Questions open the mind, while statements close it. A friend who studies non-dualism can facilitate this shift; but only if he keeps truth foremost in his own mind. When a friend believes that his suffering is real, this is a time for me to be present, to remind myself that there can be no suffering in God, and to ASK for Spirit to use me to help communicate this to the mind of my fellow human being. Often, in a supportive role, a suffering person can be encouraged to ASK for a different perspective. "Are you sure you're seeing this situation accurately? Maybe there's another way of looking at this." Even if the suffering person isn't ready for those questions to be spoken, the supportive friend can ASK those questions in his OWN mind on behalf of the other. (Remember, there's no separation in God, either; there's only ONE mind.)

One last thing. This is not something you can fake. Merely denying suffering is not helpful, and may even foster more separation and attack. This is why our own individual spiritual practices are so important. By continually working on your own perceptions and thoughts, ASKing your own questions, opening your own mind, having your own illusions corrected, you are not just helping yourself to be more aware of peace, but you are also putting your self and your life into position to be utilized as a tool to help others. Empathy of the Spirit is the kind that St. Francis was talking about when he wrote, "Lord, make me an instrument of Thy Peace."

If nothing we do ultimately matters, why should we even read this stuff?

Strictly speaking, you're right. Truth is Truth regardless of what you read and when you read it.

However, your experience and your rate of progress are impacted by the choices made in your mind.

Reading, on the level of perception, is one way of gaining new insights, communicating with others, sharing ideas, and persuading people.  On the level of mind, reading is totally unnecessary.  Mind exists outside time and space, is perfectly One, and is perfectly Knowing. God does not have to educate Creation; creation has no lack, no deficiency, no limitation, no ignorance. Creation is perfect, just as is God.

Nothing in our dream life is causative. All here is symbolic. Your choice in reading material can symbolize the decision to join or the decision to separate. As our minds choose more and more to accept the Oneness of Truth, our decisions and actions begin to reflect that choice.

I am not proclaiming to anyone that you 'should' read this blog, or the Course, or the Bible, or the Koran, or Time magazine. I am claiming, however, that considering the idea of non-duality will help your mind to open and will expedite your progress and your experience of peace. It will save you time and help you cut through distractions. Why? Because non-duality is a more accurate way of describing Truth. The more accurate the description, the more likely our mind is to choose to experience It. And the more we experience reflections of Truth, the more we will make that choice in the future.

Non-dualistic thought speeds up spiritual progress. If doing things more efficiently and in a more optimal fashion appeals to you, then I suggest you consider these ideas. If not, that's okay, too. Time is illusion. When we awaken to Oneness, it won't matter at all if you dreamed of ten minutes or ten lifetimes; all that  will matter is that you will recognize that the dream is over.

Do our actions matter?

Obviously, the choices we make have impact on our human lives and the lives of others in close proximity.  More separation in time and space usually results in less impact. So, as with all the questions on this blog, the answer comes on two levels.

On the level of form, WHAT we do matters. On the level of content, WHY we do matters far more.

Take ecology, for example. On the level of the world, conservation just makes sense. Taking care of the planet, the environment, not being wasteful, not being excessive, and looking for ways to live our lives without infringing on the lives of others seems unselfish and in-line with common sense.

On the level of mind, however, a different picture emerges.

For one thing, Spirit does not take form. There is nothing 'divine' about earth life. Non-dualism asserts that the planet, the universe, and all of their inhabitants cannot have been creations of a perfect Oneness. God's creations are perfect, limitless, changeless, and pure. These adjectives do not describe anything in the realm of form.

For another thing, the belief that the care of the planet is the will of God is a divisive belief that only leads to more judgment and more separation. Once a person allows himself to believe that he somehow has God on his 'side', any person who makes different choices is automatically seen as working against God. If I believe that God wants me to recycle, for example, then people who don't recycle are not doing the work of God. This fosters a divisive situation where I put myself on a higher plane in my mind. It encourages a didactic and preachy attitude that alienates others.

Put bluntly, saving the planet, feeding the children, preserving resources, educating the ignorant, building homes for disaster victims, and any other 'cause' you can think of is NOT doing the Will of God.  God's will has absolutely nothing to do with DOING.  God's will is all about BEING, and God's Will is carried out.  Perfectly.  We just refuse to see it (for now).

Far more helpful to your spiritual progress is to pay attention to your state of mind while you go about your activities.

This stuff is interesting, but I don't understand it. What do I do about that?

If non-dualistic thought seems compelling to you, you should continue to study it and apply it. Actually, the application of it is much MUCH more important than having an intellectual understanding of it. There's only so much that is even POSSIBLE to understand because human intellect is itself part of the illusion!

I'm advising you to continually ASK for meaning and clarity, even if you don't totally understand who or what you are directing the question to. Especially pay attention to those times when you are not feeling peaceful. You will usually notice those moments more when negative feelings are present. (Technically, the 'highs' and 'peak experiences' that ego offers up are not peaceful, either. But we are more likely to convince ourselves that we deserve to feel good. So most of us will notice lack of peace when we're angry, hurt, upset, disillusioned, fearful, depressed, etc.)

When you're aware that you are not at peace, this is a great time to confess. "I realize that the only way a pure creation of God could not be at peace is by believing that something other than God exists. I ASK for another way of seeing, and I'm willing to accept it."

If' you're still uncomfortable with all the 'God language' don't use it. God is just a word we humans made up. Even if you're not convinced that there is Something that never changes, at least give it a try. Just try ASKing for a different perception when you're upset.

You'll see. The results are much more convincing than anything I can write.

How can I know if I'm making progress?

By the amount of peace in your awareness. Of course, the Peace that has no opposite belongs to a different realm than the one we believe we're in. Here, peace comes and goes, and has varying definitions, degrees, and causes.

The ego's view of peace is something along the lines of "can't complain." When life is going along reasonably well, we tell ourselves that we are peaceful. But think about it. Even when things are going well, you're not totally at peace because you're worrying that it won't last. (And you're right!) When looking through the lens of ego, we tend to define peace as anything that props up our sense of self--especially in the perceptions of other people. That's not the kind of peace I'm talking about.

I'm talking about deep, inner peace. Peace that is irrational. Peace that is there for no apparent reason. When you look at the events of your life and see many reasons to worry, attack, be defensive, be angry, be upset. . . you see all these problems, and yet what you FEEL is Peace... THAT's what I'm talking about! A sense of Peace that doesn't even seem to come from anything going on in your life.

The more often you are aware of THAT kind of Peace, the more progress you are making in your spiritual path.

What about relationships?

In this world, the word relationship has separation built right into the very concept. We relate to other humans, things, situations, and concepts, but we don't look on those things as our identity. (Though they may seem to be one aspect of our identity.) We relate by having a certain degree of involvement combined with a certain degree of privacy. In our human relationships, most of the challenges take the form in finding just the right balance between those two things; we want togetherness, but only to a certain extent.

Like all things here, the default setting is ego. Thus, if we just do the relationship thing with no ASKing, and no questioning, ego will reign. Human relationships (family, romantic, friends, jobs) can consume large amounts of time, and can seem to require lots of attention focus. Just the thing ego seeks: something that keeps us focused on separation while allowing time to pass and pass and pass. Remember, ego is just trying to delay the inevitable. However, also like all things here, relationships can be willingly surrendered to Spirit for reinterpretation. As we ASK for vision and clarity, we can begin to glimpse aspects of Oneness beyond the outer form of any relationship. We can see reflections of the Eternal, despite our inclination to focus on the temporal.

Obviously, on the level of form, Oneness makes no sense. But on the level of mind, we can at least begin to comprehend how it's possible. Sharing thoughts, paradigms, concepts, ideas, and perceptions makes them stronger and more compelling. As we become 'of One mind' in certain areas, separation fades from our view and reflections of Oneness arise. These reminders are still illusion, like everything here, but they are more useful because they reflect Truth. By seeing reflections of Oneness more and more, we delay our return less and less. We save time. The path of non-duality is all about efficiency, not lingering in time any longer than we must. Relationships are excellent classrooms in which to learn these lessons.

Is the illusion over when we die?

Sorry, no. The event that we call death is just more contrast made by ego to deceive us into believing that this is all real. In order for the mind to believe that the body is alive, ego has to show us an opposite. Death is just that. But physical death is just as much an illusion as is physical birth.

When your body dies, your mind will immediately project another 'body.' You may define it according to religious trainings or readings. You may believe that you are now a 'spirit body' or a 'soul.' Your new body will seem very much like the physical body that just wore out. Your mind will also project a world, a location, surroundings, other people, animals, and even (wouldn't you know it) things to do.

The Mormon church, in which I was raised, teaches that the spirit world of the dead is still here on earth. I think they're exactly right about that. I think most people who chose to come to earth will choose to stay here after their body gets used up.

After some time passes in this spirit world or after life, you will most likely choose to do the physical life ride again. Physical lifetimes and death times happen over and over until the mind wakes up to the fact that duality isn't Real. This awakening to Reality makes all the dreams disappear. Will you be a physical body when it happens? Or will you be a spirit body? Or will you be a rock? Or an aardvark? You won't be any separate thing. The Awakening is the realization that separation is not Real.

Jesus tried to teach us this. "I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me. He who has seen the Father has seen me." Most people respond with, "What the crap does THAT mean??" But seen from a non-dualistic stance, it makes perfect sense. Jesus knew he was ONE with the Creator and everything else. He knew that sin doesn't exist in Reality ("Today you'll be with me in paradise.") and that death isn't Real. And when he died and came back to prove it, we just made him a special case so we could ignore him!

What do I do?

Especially in this part of the world, our identity is very much connected to our doings. While we see our identity beginning with the physical birth of our body, the things we do with our lives begin to define who and what we are from a very early age. The western hemisphere puts particularly strong emphasis on doings; the "American Dream" and the idea of the "Self-made man" loom large over here. So, if non-dualism seems to resonate for you, what are you to DO? How can you live a life when you are beginning to suspect that it's not even real?

The Zen folks and Banarama have the answer. Zen tells you that even after enlightenment you still chop wood and carry water. Every moment of time that your mind projects a body and a human lifetime, you still have to do stuff. Even blinking, breathing, and digesting are doings! It can't be avoided. But, Banarama tells us "It ain't what you do, it's the way that you do it." Wise words from British pop music (who'da thunk it?). All the while we are living our illusory life and doing our daily tasks we can be ASKing for more understanding, and we can be opening our minds to messages as they come.

As I've written before, when you first begin to ASK and then the answers start to come, the experiences can seem mystical and supernatural. As time passes, these experiences are not so startling. They're great little reminders.

What do we do? We live our lives. You've already chosen to get on the ride. Take the ride. It won't last forever. Time is illusion, too. Live your life, but ASK for truth. ASK for further understanding. ASK for help in forming (and reforming) your paradigms. Don't get too attached to any mindset. Stay focused on the present moment as much as possible. Much has been discussed recently about the power of now. This is a great portal for many people. Use it, if it makes sense to you. (By the way, Eckart is a student of non-dualism, too!)

Non-dualism is a gentle path. It seems depressing and bleak when you first gain awareness of it. "Everything I value and believe in is illusion; that's GOOD news??" Actually, as you continue to ASK and LISTEN you will come to understand that yes, it is good news.

How do you do?

The Brits got this one right!

In modern American society, we are far too concerned with WHAT we do. "What are you up to?" "What's going on?" "Whatcha doin?"

Far more important, from a non-dualistic perspective, is HOW we do things. In earth life, we can't avoid doing things. Even a yogi sitting in a cave on a mountain in a deep meditative trance is still doing stuff.

But, as you are doing things each day, what is your state of mind? How do you feel? Are you joyous, peaceful, innocent? Or are you angry, depressed, upset, resentful, defensive, or fearful?Our state of mind tells us much about the choices our mind has made. Remember, our mind is outside of time and space; I'm not talking about our brain here. Our mind has projected this world and universe from a thought of separation, an erroneous assumption that we can make differentiation and individuation be a reality. When our mind buys into that thought system, the feelings that are reflected here are all the negative ones listed above. However, when our mind chooses Oneness, glimpses of peace slip into our consciousness. We reflect innocence rather than guilt. We reflect abundance rather than scarcity. We reflect the eternal rather than the temporal.

It's difficult (at first) to see yourself and your life as EFFECT rather than CAUSE. Don't fight it. Just keep swimming. Just do all you can to keep an open mind and consider other ways of seeing. (After all, you just read this blog posting, didn't you? Can you feature that reading and considering these ideas was a decision that was made by your mind outside of time and reflected here by your reading this?)

What about ownership?

A great deal of our time on earth (especially in the United States) is spent acquiring things. These objects quickly become part of our identity. Some are acquired because they are helpful, some are acquired because they are enjoyable, and some are acquired because they improve our perceived status in comparison with other people.

The concept of ownership is easily seen as illusion. We come into this world owning nothing, and we leave with nothing. Thus, things are just used while we are living our lifetime. It's interesting that ownership is so readily acknowledged as not real, and yet we spend so much time pursuing it and so much of our identity is tied up with it.

Ownership even extends from things to traits and conditions. It's very common to hear people use possessive pronouns to describe characteristics and situations. "My personality. . . my asthma, her diabetes, his problem, their unemployment, my anger, her addiction, his alcoholism, etc" It's plain to see from our language that we view our possessions and traits as part of WHO and WHAT we are, even though ownership itself is very clearly not real.

People who will admit this will quickly shift from ownership to activity. They will acknowledge that we are not defined by what we HAVE, but then they will claim we are defined by what we DO.

Doing. That's a topic for another post.

Another bit about perception. . .

I caught myself doing this yesterday, and I decided to write about it as soon as possible because it's a great example of how unreliable perception is.

I was getting ready for bed, and I had just washed my face. I then grabbed a small bottle of some kind of moisturizer stuff for middle-aged people. It was a little lotion bottle with one of those push-down pump nozzle dealies. I pushed down on it, and no lotion came out. Not one drop. I pushed and pushed, pumped and pumped. Nothing. Weird. What the? I unscrewed the pump and looked inside. Only halfway used up. I put the pump back on, screwed it down, and pushed the top again. Lotion immediately came out.

I had nothing in my paradigm to explain this. People who know how those little lotion pumps work probably could tell me what had happened, but the point is that I had no explanation. And then: I caught myself dismissing it from my awareness.

I mentally 'shrugged' and said, "Well, that was weird." And then prepared to just forget it. Just act like it hadn't happened. If I hadn't written about it the very next morning, it would have been as if it had never occurred.

Perception actually filters events right out of your awareness if they don't fit with your mindset. We'd like to believe that we can rely on our perceptions to report reality to our mind, but that's not what it does at all. Our minds make up an explanation of reality, and perception's job is then to find evidence that we have it right. This is why, when a person disagrees with you, you feel an instant impulse to defend.

Perception is pseudo-reality.

I've written before that science will ultimately succeed because its goal is to find truth. But science is still based on perception and observation, which slows down its process tremendously. The strength of science is that it's based also on agreement and collaboration, which reflect the Oneness of our True State.

So what's the message here for your day-to-day life? Be mindful of the fact that your sensory organs are really propaganda devices. Question your perceptions. ASK for further clarity about your present view of reality. Open your mind as much as you're able in any given moment. And when you catch yourself, as I did, simply dismissing things from your awareness, pay attention to the fact that allowing some events to come in while rejecting others cannot be a reliable method for living authentically!

How do we forgive?

OK, this question requires BRUTAL honesty to answer. Are you willing?

Here's the deal: the ONLY way to really forgive something is to get to a place where you can honestly see no harm done. Think about it. Search your mind for something that you feel you have NOT forgiven. Now search your mind for something you feel you HAVE forgiven. If you're being honest with yourself, you will find that the events you feel you have truly been able to put behind you are the events where you have come to see that no harm was actually done.

If you're still hanging onto something where you perceive that harm WAS done, there is no way you can call your attitude a forgiving one. Yes, you may be in a place where you are keeping your thoughts to yourself, or being care what you say, how you say it, or to whom. But pay attention to your feelings. If you still feel a sense of victimization or righteous indignation or anger or any other negative emotion, you are still believing that something REALLY happened that caused you to react as if you were treated unfairly.

You may have to go WAY back to find examples in your mind of real forgiveness. You may remember something that upset you when you were much younger that you now see as harmless. Maybe you can even laugh about it now? THAT's forgiveness. No harm done. Nothing really happened that victimized anyone. You may think this is a matter of time, and this is a very common mistake. We tell ourselves and others often that 'we need time to heal'. It may appear to be a function of time, but it isn't. What really happened is that during that time YOU had a change of mind. You released your attachment to the part of your identity that perceived the victimization.

The promise of non-dualism is that you don't have to wait on time! As you begin to focus more on your mistaken identity, you will be able to forgive more quickly, and more completely.

One day, every human will truly see that there was no harm done at all during their lives. In Fact, one day every human will see that there was no THING done during their lives. And they will see this because they will come to understand that our ego was just an error, a mistake. What we truly are cannot be victimized. In Reality, there is literally nothing to forgive.

Is everything predetermined?

This is kind of a tricky question. In the first place, it's one of those that I've written about earlier that is really a statement disguised as a question. When a person wonders about fate, determinism, free choice, free will, etc. s/he is usually basing the question on the assumption that this life is real. So the strict answer, from a non-dualistic perspective, is that nothing here is predetermined because there is nothing here!

Are we destined to return to Truth? Yes, but only because that's all there is. Nothing exists other than Truth, God, the Eternal, whatever label you wish to apply.

Within this earthly illusion, though, are things already determined? Kind of. Our mind, which exists outside time and space, chooses which illusions to view. So, in that sense, there's choice. Once we believe we're here, there are obviously choices to make -- choices that seem meaningful at the time, but later are revealed to be meaningless.

It's kind of like getting on a ride at an amusement park. You choose to get on the ride. Once you're riding, you can make a series of 'choices' like which way to lean, whether to put your hands in the air or hold on, or whether to close your eyes or leave them open, etc. But ultimately, the only choice that matters is that you chose to get on the ride. All the other things might affect your perception of the experience, but whatever you do ON the ride, the fact remains that you're taking the ride.

Like all metaphors, the amusement park example can only be taken so far. But, you hopefully see what I'm getting at. Choice, like anything else here, is a relative truth. It depends upon what you are comparing it with.

Is non-dualism a form of denial?

To a casual observer, non-dualism does seem like denial. Living life while all the while trying to see it as unreal seems like a kind of mental illness! How can a mentally healthy person claim that the events of the world, the people populating it, and even the universe are all unreal?

Let me ask you this: Is it denial to take your kids to sit on Santa's lap, when you know Santa isn't a real person? Is it denial to attend a magic show, when you know everything you are seeing is illusion? How about movies? Plays? I've even heard that there are people who attend church every week all the while not believing everything they're hearing.

In short, we deny things all the time. The mental illness part comes in when you are denying something that is real. And here, the issue becomes more interesting. In our human format, we define reality by agreeing with each other. The things we view as 'real' are the things that most reasonable people AGREE about.

Agreement, people holding the same paradigm at the same time in the same place, is powerful. We have marveled and wondered about cult behavior, people who say, think, and do things that the 'outside world' views as crazy. Strange beliefs, weird practices, outlandish rituals all seem normal when a group of people agrees. We don't have to search very far to find examples of how agreement can bring about some very unsavory events.

So the question then becomes, "Is there a better way to define what is real?" Is agreement really what makes something true? And the answer is clearly, no. Agreement makes things SEEM real, but agreement cannot make a thing BE real. In non-dualistic thought, we are denying that the world is real. We don't deny that most people want it to be real. We don't deny that most people BELIEVE it is real. In fact, we even think that we ourselves still want it to be real. But our definition of Reality is: That Which Never Changes. Buddhists would claim that there is no such thing; everything changes, they state. And they're correct in describing the world as most people see it.

In non-dualism, we claim that there is another Reality. It's not right in front of our eyes, because our eyes were made to only perceive change. Denying reality is not mentally healthy; denying illusion, however, is the very definition of sanity. How can we sort out this whole question of what is real and what is not? It seems so complicated. We need some guidance.

Guidance is available.

ASK.

How does perception work?

Short answer: not quite as well as we think!

When we have our attention focused on a single, separated, individual human life (the one we think we're living at this time) perception seems to be the only way for information to get into our minds.

But it's more complicated than that. Perception is really an interplay between external stimuli, observation, judgment, and filtering.

Remember that mind is NOT contained in brain. So when a new brain is made in a new body by procreation, perception has already begun for that individual. Then the loving adults surrounding the infant (or not so loving adults, as the case may be) begin 'teaching' and 'training' the infant's brain. The adults can't help teaching any more than the baby can help learning. That's what our brains are programmed to do.

Self-awareness usually occurs sometime around age two or three. This concepts see the self and the body as the same thing. Differentiation begins, too. "I am me, and you're not." By the time we're going to grade school, perception is pretty firmly in place. This perceptual mechanism has been in place for most of the time you can remember, so it's very easy to jump to the conclusion that perception is all you have. Perception becomes reality.

Look at these steps: Something happens outside the body. We observe it with our senses, take it into our brain, and evaluate it. We judge it as being something to embrace, something to avoid, or something that doesn't matter. Things that don't matter, we forget about quickly. You have seen this happen many, many times. You learn a new word, and suddenly you hear that word everywhere. You are thinking of buying a new car, and then you notice everyone is driving that model. You become fond of a new song, and it seems it's playing on every radio. Logically, you know that the word, the car, and the song were there all along. You only become more aware because of your evaluation; you gave something value, and perception allows it into your awareness more and more.

Sharing our perceptions with others through communication, strengthens them, galvanizing perception into a paradigm, or mindset. And once our minds are set, it's difficult to learn new concepts because we think we already know.

Perception, as with everything here, is ego-based by default. This means that if you do nothing differently, you will keep thinking that perception is the only way to get along and live in the world. We all know perception certainly is not perfect, but since we believe it's all we have, we just keep trying to improve it.

But we have a few little hints that there is something else. You may feel happy for no apparent reason. You may feel depressed or grumpy for no apparent reason. Mystical or supernatural experiences my enter your awareness. Extreme events such as tragic death, injury, or illness may occur in close proximity to your individual life. These types of things can be inroads, if they cause us to question. As soon as we ASK a question, we have made an opening for awareness to expand. More often than not, we simply replace one paradigm with another, thus keeping ego in place. But each time we accept a mindset that is more expansive, more inclusive, more accepting, more loving, and less focused on individuality, we draw closer to Truth. Truth can't be perceived; It can only be known. Once you know the Truth, you are set free from perception and your human experience will be over.

By the way, if that last bit feels like bad news to you, you're not ready. But if you read this entire entry, you are getting ready.

Do we have to believe in God?

I've written before that God is literally beyond belief. By that I mean that the word 'belief' doesn't even apply to God. God is in the realm of knowledge. God merely IS.

But that answer seems glib. The question is asking whether we humans need to have a belief system that includes God. And, of course, the answer is NO. That which is Real is real whether we believe in it or not. That which is illusion is false whether we believe in it or not.

God, as I define It here, is a word that denotes the Changeless, the Eternal, the Real. Our human minds were purposefully designed to not operate in this format. Human minds operate according to contrasts and comparisons, relative truths.

I will state one thing, though: You will make more rapid and noticeable progress in your spiritual path if you will at least consider that there is Something beyond human perception. Even if you don't know what It Is, or what to call It, at least consider that your senses don't give you the complete picture.

Once that is easy to accept, the next step is to ASK. Again, doesn't matter if you ASK God, or Allah, or Jesus, or Mary, or the Ghost of Ray Charles. Just ASK.

And then be open to the Answer, when it arrives.

Don't get hung up on what to call the Answer, either.

How does our language reveal non-duality?

Here are a few idioms, axioms, and sayings that seem to point to non-duality. We hear them and say them all the time, not realizing that they may be revealing a deeper truth.

"I feel so disillusioned."

"I must be dreaming."

"She has a mind of her own."

"He's trying to find himself."

"Life is but a dream."

"You complete me."

"It seemed so surreal."

"She doesn't know what she wants."

"You don't want to do that."

"Ignorance is bliss."

"I can't believe my eyes/ears."

"This can't be happening."

"Out of this world."

"Unearthly."

"The more I know, the more I realize how much I don't know."

"What are you going to be for halloween?"

"What are you going to be when you grow up?"

"You are a part of me."

"You're in my heart, you're in my soul."

"It scared me to death."

"If you could read my mind. . ."

"I don't even know my own name."

"Remember who you are."