Mature state of consciousness transcending dualism
This article is about spiritual traditions of nondual awareness. For monistic philosophies, see Monism.
Part of a series on
Spirituality
Outline
Religion
History
Timeline
Traditional
Elite religion
Jewish
Merkabah
Kabbalah
Hasidism
Christian
Catholic
Mysticism
Sufism
Folk religion
Modern
Buddhist modernism
New religious movement
Secular spirituality
"Spiritual but not religious"
Syncretism
Spiritual experience
Lived religion
Mystical experience
Oceanic feeling
Religious experience
Religious ecstasy
Spiritual practice
Spiritual development
Ego death
Individuation
Self-actualization
Spiritual activism
Spiritual development
Influences
Western
General
Divine illumination
Pantheism
Panentheism
Antiquity
Gnosticism
Hermeticism
Neoplatonism
Western esotericism
Medieval
Mysticism
Early modern
Perennial philosophy
Jakob Böhme
Emanuel Swedenborg
Pietism
Modern
Romanticism
Transcendentalism
Universalism
New Thought
Theosophy
Anthroposophy
Occultism
Spiritualism
Esoteric Christianity
New Age
Orientalist
Comparative religion
Neo-Advaita
Nonduality
Orientalism
Theosophical Society
Asian
Pre-historic
Proto-Indo-Iranian religion
Iran
Zoroastrianism
India
Advaita Vedanta
Buddha-nature
Enlightenment
Kevala jnana
Madhyamaka
Moksha
Neo-Vedanta
Tantra
Yoga
Yogachara
East-Asia
Taoism
Other non-Western
Animism
Shamanism
Totemism
Psychological
Humanistic psychology
Mindfulness
Positive psychology
Self-help
Self-realization
True self and false self
Research
Neurological
Mystical psychosis
Cognitive science of religion
Neuroscience of religion
Geschwind syndrome
Evolutionary psychology of religion
Category
v
t
e
Nondualism includes a number of philosophical and spiritual traditions that emphasize the absence of fundamental duality or separation in existence.[1] This viewpoint questions the boundaries conventionally imposed between self and other, mind and body, observer and observed,[2] and other dichotomies that shape our perception of reality. As a field of study, nondualism delves into the concept of nonduality[2] and the state of nondual awareness,[3][4] encompassing a diverse array of interpretations, not limited to a particular cultural or religious context; instead, nondualism emerges as a central teaching across various belief systems, inviting individuals to examine reality beyond the confines of dualistic thinking.
What sets nondualism apart is its inclination towards direct experience as a path to understanding. While intellectual comprehension has its place, nondualism emphasizes the transformative power of firsthand encounters with the underlying unity of existence. Through practices like meditation and self-inquiry, practitioners aim to bypass the limitations of conceptual understanding and directly apprehend the interconnectedness that transcends superficial distinctions.[5] This experiential aspect of nondualism challenges the limitations of language and rational thought, aiming for a more immediate, intuitive form of knowledge.
Nondualism is distinct from monism,[6] another philosophical concept that deals with the nature of reality. While both philosophies challenge the conventional understanding of dualism, they approach it differently. Nondualism emphasizes unity amid diversity. In contrast, monism posits that reality is ultimately grounded in a singular substance or principle, reducing the multiplicity of existence to a singular foundation. The distinction lies in their approach to the relationship between the many and the one.[7]
Each nondual tradition presents unique interpretations of nonduality. Advaita Vedanta, a school of thought within Hindu philosophy, focuses on the realization of the unity between the individual self (Ātman) and the ultimate reality (Brahman).[8] In Zen Buddhism, the emphasis is on the direct experience of interconnectedness that goes beyond conventional thought constructs. Dzogchen, found in Tibetan Buddhism, highlights the recognition of an innate nature free from dualistic limitations.[9] Taoism embodies nondualism by emphasizing the harmony and interconnectedness of all phenomena, transcending dualistic distinctions,[10][11] towards a pure state of awareness free of conceptualizations.[12]
^Loy 1997, pp. 178, 185.
^ abLoy 1997.
^Hanley, Nakamura & Garland 2018.
^Josipovic 2019.
^Grimes 1996, p. 15.
^Roberts, M. V. (2010). Dualities: A Theology of Difference. Presbyterian Publishing Corporation. ISBN 9780664234492. p. 21. Discusses why Advaita Vedanta is nondual while Kashmir Shaivism is monist.
^Bowes, P. (2021). The Hindu Religious Tradition: A Philosophical Approach. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 9781000216097 "There is a subtle difference in philosophical implications of these two terms 'monism' and 'non-dualism'. 'Monism' may be thought to have a numerical implication, one as against the many, and here unity may appear to be numerical. 'Non-dualism' has no numerical implication, things are not different from one another, or not two, from the point of view of seeing the divine essence present in all things, but their numerical manyness need not be in question in any way. The Upanisads concern themselves with the non-dual divine essence of the universe, but they in no way reject the numerical manyness in order to preach non-dualism."
^Loy 2012, p. 17.
^McCagney (1997), pp. 40–41.
^Jin, Guo Yong (2018). Mysteries of Dao De Jing (Tao Te Ching) Revealed. United States: Balboa Press AU.
^Kohn, Livia (2009). Introducing Daoism. United States: Journal of Buddhist Ethics, 39-40.
^Eppert, Claudia, et al. (2015). "Intercultural philosophy and the nondual wisdom of ‘basic goodness’: Implications for contemplative and transformative education". Journal of Philosophy of Education, 49(2), 276.
without a second", and is usually translated as "nondualism", "nonduality" and "nondual". The term "nondualism" and the term "advaita" from which it originates...
philosopher, author and potter, based in Oxford, UK. He is a proponent of nondualism and what he terms 'the Direct Path'. Just prior to beginning his formal...
sub-schools of Vedanta, the Advaita Vedanta of Adi Shankara which posits nondualism—that ultimate reality (Brahman) and human soul (Ātman) are identical and...
are equal. Furthermore, the term henotheism does not exclude monism, nondualism, or dualism. Various scholars prefer the term monolatry to henotheism...
Vishishtadvaita (IAST Viśiṣṭādvaita; Sanskrit: विशिष्टाद्वैत), is a school of Hindu philosophy belonging to the Vedanta tradition. Vedanta refers to the...
and female in one, possibly being inspired by the Rebis. Hieros gamos Nondualism Unity of opposites Robert Allen Bartlett, Real Alchemy: A Primer of Practical...
always) by means of an involution operation List of dualities Monism Nondualism This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Dualism...
but as the Being (Brahman, Atman) of the Advaita Vedanta tradition, a nondual universal that pervades in all things, in each person and all life. According...
Nationality Indian Organization Order Vedantha Philosophy Advaithavedantha, nondualism Religious career Consecration 13 February 1907 Ordination 9 May 1907 Kanchi...
Chakra. Maithuna means the union of opposing forces, underlining the nonduality between human and divine, as well as worldly enjoyment (kama) and spiritual...
Advaita philosophy. Balsekar taught from the tradition of Advaita Vedanta nondualism. His teaching begins with the idea of an ultimate Source, Brahman, from...
part of an ever-changing, impermanent universe (see Interdependence, Nondualism, Reciprocity). Empiricists such as Ibn Tufail in early 12th century Islamic...
(BM), Historical and Cultural Criticism (HCC). An external narrative is Nondualism, which claims Zen to be a token of a universal nondualist essence of religions...