The Great, Unsolvable Mystery
One moment the mind is agitated with worry. An hour later, it has relaxed. Different states of mind have their own texture, their own feeling, and we know them very well. But are we the knower of these changing states or are we the states themselves?
The knower is the irreducible “I am” of existence, the fundamental presence that knows all thoughts and emotions. Awareness is ever-present and unchanging. It does not become entangled in any state it witnesses. It does not become joyful when we feel happy, nor does it become agitated when we are troubled. It impartially witnesses each state, like a screen playing a movie, unaltered by the content. Through both comedy and tragedy, it remains uncolored, unstained. It is the aware presence that makes all experience possible.
Focused attention might feel like a higher state than a scattered one, but the same awareness registers both. Awareness does not increase or decrease. The only activity is the activity of the mind.
Awareness is, by nature, mysterious. It cannot be captured conceptually. Any attempt to do so is an activity of the mind trying to understand the mystery in which it appears. But it is impossible for that which is limited to know that which limitless.
What is there to do, then? Simply recognize it, honor it, and rest in it. ⬚
Consciousness and Dynamism Are Two Aspects of One Reality
The fundamental consciousness, the light of all knowing, is inseparable from its dynamic aspect of expression. Like a word and its meaning, they are inseparable. One is the unchanging, luminous ground; the other, the ceaseless flow of manifestation. Without dynamism, there is no manifestation within consciousness. Without consciousness, dynamism could not be known.
Together they are the essence of existence, a universal expression of this conscious potential. Every form, every thought, every thing, arises and subsides within this ocean of consciousness. There is no true separation. What appears as distinct entities are simply different patterns within one unified field.
The quest to attain a higher state or to merge with a distant entity is rooted in ignorance about the nature of reality, the nature of consciousness. We already are that. This recognition of consciousness is not intellectual. Infinite consciousness cannot be captured by the mind because the limited cannot know the limitless. Only consciousness knows consciousness. We are consciousness knowing itself.
For some, the recognition may occur through a deep inquiry into the nature of awareness itself. Others may be drawn to simply aligning with this conscious flow. Still others may experience the recognition through the contemplation of an object of beauty, seeing it as an expression of consciousness’s dynamic process.
The nondual perspective is an invitation to see beyond the surface of separation and to recognize the unified reality at the heart of existence. ⬚
Eliminating Worry
In life, worry is unavoidable. But there is a deeper worry, an existential anxiety that is inextricably linked to the belief of being a finite, separate entity, vulnerable to death and the vagaries of a hostile or indifferent universe.
When the belief of being a limited awareness is gone, existential fear dissipates. The fear of non-existence, the anxiety of ultimate separation, loses its grip.
In the absence of fear, inner peace arises. We sense the stability and equanimity at our core.
All that is truly needed is the cessation of the existential worry that we are separate beings. Worries will still arise, but they no longer carry the same weight. They become issues to be addressed, not threats.
The recognition of our limitless nature doesn't exempt us from the human experience; it liberates us from the underlying fear which colors the experience.
The peace that passes all understanding is the quiet certainty of the unbounded Self. ⬚
Where do Hunches Come From?
So, how does the one ultimate subject communicate with itself when it appears as many? The communication isn't a dialogue between two separate beings, but rather a subtle interplay within the field of awareness. Synchronicities are like echoes of inner states manifesting outwardly, while intuition is like a direct line to the inherent intelligence of the unified field of consciousness.
The apparent forgetting that allows consciousness to experience itself as the world isn't absolute. There are moments when the veil thins, and a synchronicity or intuitive insight creates a flash of lucidity, making the underlying unified reality more apparent.
These aren't external messages being sent. They are natural expressions within the fundamental reality that constitutes our being. Consciousness, localized as a finite mind, can experience these moments as guidance or meaningful alignment because, at its core, it is the whole.
In this impersonal yet intimately connected reality, synchronicities and intuition are glimpses behind the curtain of an apparently divided reality. ⬚
Beyond the Personal
The ancient quest to understand the fundamental nature of reality has led many philosophers to grapple with the apparent divide between the inner world of consciousness and the outer world of physical phenomena. Dual-aspect monism, when it identifies the underlying substance as consciousness,* suggests that what we perceive as mind and matter are not separate entities but rather two inseparable facets of a unified, conscious ground.
Such a perspective, where consciousness is the fundamental substance expressing mental and physical aspects, offers an elegant resolution to the mind-body problem without resorting to dualism.
However, this perspective presents a point of departure from the traditional concept of a personal God. The idea of God as an individual being, however powerful or transcendent, interacting with the world and its inhabitants, answering prayers, and possessing personal attributes like emotions and judgment becomes challenging to reconcile with dual-aspect monism.
If the underlying substance is consciousness, and we, along with the entire universe, are expressions of consciousness, how can a separate, personal God exist “out there.” Where would this personal God exist outside of the very consciousness that constitutes all reality? To assert a personal God as distinct from this fundamental consciousness introduces a duality that the dual-aspect monistic view seeks to overcome.
In this context prayer shifts away from a petition directed to an external being to simply resting in being, as being. From this sense of fullness, peace flows. The love and compassion often attributed to a personal God is indeed the very nature of this unified consciousness which recognizes that there is no fundamental other.
So, from the nondual perspective, what has often been called a personal God might be better understood as a dynamic, creative aspect within the unified consciousness.
While the language of “God” can be used to describe this underlying conscious substance, the attribute of “personal” is incongruent with the core tenet of dual-aspect monism grounded in consciousness. The ultimate reality, from this viewpoint, is an impersonal (in the sense of not being a separate individual), unified field of awareness that expresses itself as the animate and inanimate universe.
The divine is not something separate to be sought. It is the very is-ness of our being, the fabric of the universe.
That said, however, a “personal God” is real in the sense that the focused attention is real; the yearning in the heart is real; the spoken words are real; the feelings of grace and gratitude is real. In other words the experience of a personal God is real and potentially beneficial. It just may not be the whole truth. ⬚
*Or, to use religious language, God.
Judgment vs. Discernment
Judgment stems from the ego's need to define boundaries, to categorize and label in order to solidify its sense of separate existence. It operates through comparison, personal biases, past experiences, and the desire to maintain a particular self-image or worldview. When we judge, we are projecting a limited perspective onto reality. This act of separation and evaluation reinforces the illusion of duality, further obscuring the underlying unity.
Discernment, however, is not a product of the reactive, ego-driven mind, but rather a clear, impartial knowing that arises directly from the inherent intelligence of consciousness itself. It is an impersonal function, akin to the way our senses register information without adding emotional weight or subjective interpretation. Discernment sees the situation as it is, without the overlay of personal history or the need to establish superiority or separation. Just as our eyes can distinguish between a tree and a rock without judgment, discernment allows us to see the nature of a situation or action with a similar level of unbiased clarity. Discernment understands the nature of what is unfolding and responds appropriately.
As the illusion of separation is met with understanding, the need to judge and label from a limited, personal perspective gradually diminishes. What arises instead is a natural clarity of perception, an impersonal knowing that transcends dualistic thinking. ⬚