Here in these meetings, we are revealing to you several issues of extreme importance for each of us, and I want to discuss one of the issues with you and delve deeper into it here, with you. The subject is non-duality, the Truth of non-dual vision, which in India is known as Advaita. Why is this topic important? Very important. Because all our human problems are present due to the lack of understanding of how the mind works, how our mind works.
Why is it stuck, for example, to the issue of fear, anxiety, anguish, and depression? As well as jealousy, envy, and several other psychological conditions that pose problems for each of us. Why is our mind stuck on this? Because we do not understand how the mind works, we do not know the meaning of a free mind, the uniqueness of a mind free from duality. Because we were educated, taught, guided to live within this pattern of duality.
So, let's investigate this here with you, in these next few minutes. We, for example, can learn – in the usual sense in which we use this word – always in the sense of acquiring knowledge, information, and experiences. We don't know how to learn, simple learning, like simple looking and simple listening. And we don't know because our mind is trapped within a pattern of duality. So, let's explore this here with you.
When we look at nature, we see the present duality that we can call, this duality in nature, dualism. We see light, darkness, we see the positive, the negative, the masculine, the feminine... So, nature in life, the presence of dualism or this pattern of duality is something that is present: being born, dying … Everywhere we look, we will perceive the presence of this principle of duality. Duality or this dualism is in manifestation, it is in existence.
But we also carry something learned, cultural, conditioning of humanity, of human history. Something within a principle of ignorance of the Truth about who we are, which is this model of psychological duality. So, for example, when you see something, it is different from looking at it. When you look at a flower, it's just the look. Unless you have some botanical knowledge or internalize a story within you, recognize a remembrance, a memory – for example, identification with name… when naming the flower, at that moment you are in contact with seeing the flower, because there is a recognition, there is a memory, there is a remembrance.
What is the difference between seeing and just looking? When you look without naming, without memory, without story, that is looking. When you look, name, classify, explain, have an idea, at that moment you are seeing it. Our contact with experience is not a contact free from duality, because duality is present in this one who sees what is being seen. Whereas, when there is only looking, there is only one moment where, in that instant, there is no separation between the one who looks and that which is seen.
So, when there is not this separation between the observer and the thing that is being seen, that is being observed, there is duality. Notice how simple this is: a look is a look without duality. There is no observer seeing something, because there is no separation! The observer is the very thing that is observing and here, of course, putting it from a psychological point of view, there is no psychological space at all, because thought is not there. The idea, the name, concept, evaluation, the story does not come up, and if that does not enter, there is no separation, there is no division.
So, this is the difference between looking and seeing. When dealing with people, you are also always dealing with an experiencer who has had experiences with that person, saved those memories, kept those memories. Upon contacting it again, you are the observer and it is the observed thing. So, what there is in this meeting is, in fact, a meeting in duality, in this pattern of idea, memory, image. I have a picture of who you are and you have a picture of who I am. At that moment, there is a meeting within this principle of duality, and in this meeting, conflict is established. I may like it or not. So, if I like you, I love you, and if I don't like you, I don't want contact with you.
Then, conflict is established when duality is present. Everything we learned in life was this movement of contact in duality, where there is this “I” and the other. The image in the relationship supports this duality. This is how our lives have been, this is how we are living our lives. We internally carry this pattern, which is the pattern of this “I” consciousness, this egoic consciousness, this personal consciousness. Listening is different from hearing. When listening there is an intensity, clarity, lucidity, where there is full awareness in this listening. So, this listening is different from hearing. When I'm hearing what you say, I'm evaluating, comparing, judging, agreeing, disagreeing. For example, you listen to a bird and you hear a person.
In our relationships, we are seeing, in this look at each other, it is a seeing. In our human relationships, in this hearing each other, we are just hearing. We are separate by this psychological principle of duality, because I hear with this background, so I'm just hearing what you have to tell me. I look with this background, so I'm just seeing you from pictures, from memories, from images. Understand this: all of this is something that comes from memory, from the past.
So, this contact with you is not a real contact, it is a contact from the past. My contact with life from this “me,” this “I,” is a conflicting, problematic contact. So, all the problems we have in life, in human relationships, which are countless – we are possessive, we are jealous, envious, fearful – all of this is within our relationships. Fear is present, anguish is present, worry is present, suffering is present, all of this is present because of this “I.” What is this “I”? It is this experiencer, the one who has gone through experiences and is, again, experiencing new experiences, in new relations, in new relationships, in new contacts.
Realize what a curious thing we have here: we are always faced with someone new, always in a new moment, but as what we bring is the past, this someone is not real, what we have of him or her is a projection that comes from the past. This present moment is not new, because every contact I have with this moment has, by nature, this experience that comes from the past. Note that our lives are placed within this condition. So, we are in a tremendous waste of energy, of consciousness. This occurs because there is no attention for this moment. This occurs because we don't learn to look, to listen, we don't learn to learn.
So, we are learning or apprehending experiences in this format. This apprehending is holding experiences to this depth, reinforcing this “I,” this “me,” this ego. Realize the importance of this: you don't know the person you're dealing with, all you have about them is knowledge that comes from the past, which is a concept you have about him or her, an idea, an imagination. You are not in touch with him or her right now, but with the image you have of him or her.
So are all the various experiences we have in relationships: in relationships with people, in relationships with different experiences with objects, with situations, and also in relationships with thoughts, with feelings, with forms of sensations; it is always from a center, which is the “I,” the ego, which is this experiencer. When a thought arises, there is this experiencer to evaluate, judge, accept, reject, like, dislike this thought that arises here, that appears here, that is present in this instant.
So, there is a division, there is a separation; this separation is duality. “You and I” is duality, “Life and I” is duality, “thought and I” is duality, “thought and the thinker”; we are faced with this model of dualism. This dualism is psychological, I have called it duality. So, a life free from duality is a life free from conflict, because the other is “me”; an “I” without conflict, because it is an “I” without the other. To put it another way: Truth in this encounter with the other, in the absence of this “I.” So, we have a single one Reality present. To put it another way, we no longer have this “I” and the other. This puts an end to conflict, puts an end to differences of opinions, ideas, beliefs. So, my contact with Life at this moment is a contact free from duality.
Thus, having an approach to Life as it is, means learning the Art of Being. The Truth of this learning is Being. Being is looking, listening, experiencing the present moment, free from the “I,” the ego, this “me,” from that past. So, Life is present now without the “I,” without the “you.” There is a relationship, but a relationship free from duality, free from all the complications that thought creates. How to deal with thoughts? Free from the thinker! It’s how to deal with others: free from this “me,” this “I.”
This is something entirely unknown to the person, because the sense of being a person is to be someone within the experience – separating oneself from the experience – as being the thinker with the thought, the one who is feeling with the feeling, the one who is seeing the other, the one who is hearing the other. Having an approach to Life without the “I,” without the ego, is the Vision of non-duality. In India it is known as Advaita, non-separation, your Natural State of Being Pure Consciousness, it is the Nature of God, it is the Nature of Truth. This is non-duality. In your Natural State of Being which is this Consciousness, there is no space, because there is no separation for this “me,” for this “I” to separate itself from the experience. So, there is no room for fear, for anguish, for worry, for depression, for suffering, for this model of envy, jealousy...
So, how to overcome fear? There is no such thing as fear for anyone to overcome, because there is no such thing as “I” anymore. When there is no “I,” there is no fear. When there is no longer this “me,” there are no thoughts that I need to learn to deal with. This entire distressing psychological pattern present in ego-identity dissolves itself, because we are faced with the Reality of Being, which is non-dual.
So, that's our topic here, with you. We deepen this through contact with meditation, Silence and questions and answers in online meetings that take place on weekends. You can find our WhatsApp link here, in the video description, to participate in these meetings. We have meetings, also in person and also retreats, where we are becoming aware of the Truth of this Being that we are, of this Divine Reality that we bring. This is the Awakening of Consciousness or, as some call it, Spiritual Awakening. If this is something that makes sense to you, here is the invitation. Go ahead and leave your like here, subscribe to the channel, OK? And we'll see each other. Thanks for the meeting and see you soon.
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