“There is neither creation nor destruction, neither destiny nor free will, neither path nor achievement. This is the final truth.” ~ Ramana Maharshi
Nonduality is about our intrinsic nature – which is oneness. It is expressed in a myriad of forms in various traditions. Nonduality or Advaita has traditionally come from India but it is not limited to India, because that core truth is evident in all traditions even though it may be expressed in different terms.
After reading the summary … please continue scrolling down until you see “Explore More About Nonduality (Advaita)” and then you can access Posts & Videos, Articles (PDFs), Books&DVDs, & Related Teachers … for this tradition.
Classically, Nonduality (or Advaita Vedanta) is a sub school of the Hindu philosophy of Vedanta. Its core principles and teachings are referred to as a monistic system of thought. The canonical texts include the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita and the Brahman Sutras.
The first organized condensation of Advaitic theosophy is credited to Adi Shankara, also known as Sankara Bhagavatpad Acharya, around the eighth century AD. It is a successful reconciliation of orthodox thought and Buddhism. The Advaita texts of Shankara (Atma Bodha, Tattva Bodha, Vivekachudamani) and traditional Vedanta scripture (Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, Brahma Sutras) are sources for deeper exploration and study.
Nonduality is best appreciated through the writings of recent sages (Atmananda Krishna Menon, Nisargadatta Maharaj, Ramana Maharshi) as well as the work of contemporary teachers including Eckhart Tolle and Adyashanti. Here are the words of some teachers :
Nisargadatta Maharaj: When you go beyond awareness, there is a state of non-duality, in which there is no cognition, only pure being. In the state of non-duality, all separation ceases.
Adyashanti: To awaken to the absolute view is profound and transformative, but to awaken from all fixed points of view is the birth of true nonduality. … Enlightenment means the end of all division. It is not simply having an occasional experience of unity beyond all division, it is actually being undivided. This is what nonduality truly means. It means there is just One Self, without a difference or gap between the profound revelation of Oneness and the way it is perceived and lived every moment of life. Nonduality means that the inner revelation and the outer expression of the personality are one and the same. So few seem to be interested in the greater implication contained within profound spiritual experiences, because it is the contemplation of these implications which quickly brings to awareness the inner divisions existing within most seekers.
Francis Lucille: Advaita is a Sanskrit word that literally means “not two”. Synonyms of Advaita are non-duality (nonduality, non duality). Advaita is not a philosophy or a religion. Non-duality is an experience in which there is no separation between subject and object; a “me” and the rest of the universe; a “me” and God. It is the experience of consciousness, our true nature, which reveals itself as absolute happiness, love and beauty. Consciousness is defined as that, whatever that is, which is aware of these very words right here, right now.
And here is post from Endless Satsang : What is Advaita or Nonduality? This post is authored by Nirmala, an Advaita teacher (in future, we will be featuring Nirmala into our Teachers library along with his work in the form of posts) and it also includes an answer by Dennis Waite who “has been a student of Advaita Vedanta and nonduality for over 20 years and maintains one of the most visited websites on the subject.” ~ excerpt re Dennis is from Endless Satsang.
Nonduality (Advaita) was our primary focus in the old site so naturally we have more content migrated re this topic. Mainstream exploration into nonduality continues to deepen (e.g. SAND) so expect more content … but over the few months, we will focus on “filling in” some of the other traditions, e.g., Zen & Buddhism.
Please scroll down to see the “Explore More About Nonduality (Advaita)” section that provides related teachers, posts (both videos and text), articles (free downloadable PDFs), and books & dvds (if applicable).