August 9th

Nonduality


Don't contemplate
As mere activity.
Be void contemplating void.

Once one understands that the ultimate nature of this existence is void, one understands that to be void is the only true mode of meditation. Notice that void is not the object of meditation -- to pair meditator and object creates a dualistic relationship between self and environment that leads one astray. In meditation we are searching for unity. We need something that takes us out of the normal dualistic modes that are the origins of all our difficulties. Therefore, the only true meditation is one that does not put us into a relationship of viewer and object. Any object, no matter how holy, still reinforces the illusion that there is a reality outside of ourselves. What we are trying to gain is the true interior view : There is no difference between our inner and outer realities.
The ultimate meditation is the realization that we ourselves are empty of distinctions, that our sense of identity is only the result of dualistic clinging. Along with that, we should understand that there is really nothing to contemplate, nothing to think about.

Personal Interpretation

We often divide our perception into inner and outer reality. After all, mustn't there be a distinction between ourselves and the world that resides beyond our minds? Taoists don't believe so. We are all part of the same network of energy. Identity is a human construct that holds no real weight. When we die, our life energy is recycled. The sense of self that is tied to this existence is subject to death, but the energy underlying each and every one of us is eternal. Letting go is difficult, but learning to do so will bring us a great sense of peace. The construct of the self is the source of much anguish.