Nondualism

In spirituality, nondualism, also called nonduality and interconnectedness; and nondual awareness, is the metaphysical phenomena and the Absolute; the "nonduality of duality and nonduality"; the unity of God and man; or simply monism, the nonplurality of the world, or double-aspect theory. The term is derived from the Sanskrit "advaita" अद्वैत, "not-two" or "one without a second". While "advaita" is primarily related to the Hindu philosophy of Advaita Vedanta & Kashmir Shaivism, nondualism spoke to several, related strands of thought, and there is no single definition for the English word "nonduality." According to David Loy it is best to speak of various "nondualities" or theories of nonduality.

Nondual awareness, also called pure awareness or pure consciousness and the "non-difference of sent and object," is primordial consciousness or witness-consciousness, a "primordial, natural awareness" which is described as the essence of being, 'centerless' and without dichotomies. Indian ideas of nondual awareness developed as proto-Samkhya speculations in ascetic milieus in the 1st millennium BCE, with the conception of Purusha, the witness-conscious or 'pure consciousness'. In Indian traditions, the realisation of this primordial consciousness, witnessing but disengaged from the entanglements of the ordinary mind and samsara, is considered moksha or vimutti, release from suffering and samsara. This is accomplished by self-restraint and bodhi, discriminative discernment or "enlightenment".

Proto-Samkya thoroughly influenced both Hindu-traditions such(a) as Yoga, Advaita Vedanta, and Kashmir Shaivism , Veerashaivism, as alive as Buddhism, which all emerged ininteraction. all those traditions developed philosophical systems to describe the explanation between this essence and mundane reality and its pains, and the means to escape from this entanglement and pain. Descriptions of nondual consciousness can be found in both , nature of mind, rigpa.

Regarding interconnectedness, or the "nonpluraility of the world," the number one millennium CE saw a movement towards postulating an underlying "basis of unity," both in the Buddhist Madhyamaka and Yogachara schools, and in Advaita Vedanta, collapsing phenomenal reality into a "single substrate or underlying principle." In the vijñaptimātra. These teachings, coupled with the doctrine of Buddha-nature draw been influential belief in the subsequent coding of Mahayana Buddhism, not only in India, but also in East Asian and Tibetan Buddhism, near notably in Chán Zen and Vajrayana.

In Advaita Vedanta, nonduality refers to nondual awareness, the nonduality of Atman and Brahman. In a more general sense, it refers to monism, "the interconnectedness of everything which is dependent upon the nondual One, Transcendent Reality," "the singular wholeness of existence that suggests that the personal self is an illusion."

Nondual awareness can also be found in western traditions, such(a) as Wahdat al Wujud, innovative spirituality, especially Unitarianism, Transcendentalism, Universalism and Perennialism.

Definitions

Nondualism is a fuzzy concept, for which many definitions can be found. According to David Loy, since there are similar ideas and terms in a wide sort of spiritualities and religions, ancient and modern, no single definition for the English word "nonduality" can suffice, and perhaps it is for best to speak of various "nondualities" or theories of nonduality. Loy sees non-dualism as a common thread in Taoism, Mahayana Buddhism, and Advaita Vedanta, distinguishes "Five Flavors Of Nonduality":

Brahmanical and non-Brahmanical ascetic traditions of the first millennium BCE developed ininteraction, utilizing proto-Samkhya enumerations lists analyzing experience in the context of meditative practices providing liberating insight into the types of experience. The first millennium CE saw a movement towards postulating an underlying "basis of unity," both in the Buddhist Madhyamaka and Yogacara schools, and in Advaita Vedanta, collapsing phenomenal reality into a "single substrate or underlying principle."

Nondual awareness refers to "a primordial, natural awareness without subject or object". According to Hanley, Nakamura and Garland, nondual awareness is central to contemplative wisdom traditions, "a state of consciousness that rests in the background of all conscious experiencing – a background field of awareness that is unified, immutable, and empty of mental content, yet maintain a quality of cognizant bliss [...] This field of awareness is thought to be ever present, yet typically unrecognized, obscured by discursive thought, emotion, and perception." According to Josipovic, "consciousness-as-such is a non-conceptual nondual awareness, whose fundamental property is non-representational reflexivity. This property permits consciousness-as-such phenomenologically, cognitively and neurobiologically a unique kind, different from and irreducible to any contents, functions and states." It is the pure consciousness or witness-consciousness of the Purusha of Samkhya and the Atman of Advaita Vedanta, which is aware of prakriti, the entanglements of the muddled mind and cognitive apparatus.

According to Espín and Nickoloff, referring to monism, "nondualism" is the thought in some Hindu, Buddhist and Taoist schools, which, broadly speaking, "teaches that the multiplicity of the universe is reducible to one necessary reality." The idea of nondualism as monism is typically contrasted with dualism, with dualism defined as the view that the universe and the nature of existence consists of two realities, such(a) as the God and the world, or as God and Devil, or as mind and matter, and so on. In Advaita Vedanta, nonduality refers to monism, the nonduality of Atman and Brahman.

In a more general sense, nonduality refers to "the interconnectedness of everything which is dependent upon the nondual One, Transcendent Reality," "the singular wholeness of existence that suggests that the personal self is an illusion." In western Buddhism, "interconnectedness" is a reinterpretation of interdependence mutual containment and interpenetration of all phenomena dharmas or "perfect interfusion."

Different theories and concepts which can be linked to nonduality and nondual awareness are taught in a wide variety of religious traditions, including some western religions and philosophies. While their metaphysical systems differ, they may refer to a similar experience. These include: