Originally posted by An Eternal Now:The collapse of the illusion of subject/object duality can only occur after insight into non-duality and no-self has arisen. Before that, one can only have intermittent non-dual experiences arising through states of absorption (that comes and goes), it can never last.
Another important point is that the collapse of subject/object duality does not mean thoughts and emotions cannot arise. They can arise, but since there is no dualistic projection they do not last. They arise and subside like drawing on water, leaving no trace.
That said it does not mean thoughts and emotions do not arise -- they arise, thoughts arise but there is no thinker apart from thought. There is no watcher watching the thought -- the thought itself is the self-illuminating display of mirror-like awareness. There is no watcher because the thought itself is awareness. Everything is the self-shining display of Buddha-Nature, and there is no one, no separate person apart from this oneness appearing as thoughts, sights, sounds, etc.
At this stage there is totally no stepping back from the reflections, there is no objective relationship with the reflections of the mirror -- mindful awareness is ongoing but without separation from its reflections -- as Thusness would say, The key point about the practice of mindful awareness is there is no keeping of the mind on anything and by not resting on anything, it fuses into everything; therefore it cannot be concentrated; rather it is to relax into nothingness empty of self, empty of any artificial doing so that the natural luminosity can take its own course. There is no focusing, there is only allowing the mirror bright clarity to shine with its natural radiance. In essence there is no one there, only the phenomenon arising and ceasing according to conditions, telling their stories.
Perhaps you mislead by my replies earlier, thank you for your illustration, but i am not good in english buddhism termilogy, if you can write in chinese that would be good.
能所�亡, this in 圆觉�..and i do not know who is thusness..pardon me, i am too new here...I only know, dharma is totally a practical application thing, theories and conceptuals are foundation..佛法��说，过去心��得，现在心��得，未�心��得。。。
Originally posted by Display Name:Let's solve the problem at root.
The reason why one feel angry or disappointed is because of his own habit and bad karma 业�. It is also a result of lack of compassion.
In my opinion, there are 2 solutions.
1) Repent all your past bad wrong doings. Follow the method taught by great masters, and develop a strong sense of repentance. Be persist and do it everyday. When you receive any suffering, remember you have done it to other people in the past.
2) Practice compassion. Same thing, follow the methods taught by great masters. Also do it everyday. You will see things begin to improve sooner or later.
Totallly agreed...yes Great Compassion..
能所�亡 is what I just said, the collapse of the illusion of subject/object duality.
When one experiences enlightenment, one experience the collapse of subject (能)/object (所) duality. The subject is the sense of a separate entity/self/knower/observer/doer/thinker that is APART from what is being known/observed/done/thought, and what is being known is objectified as being the object of observation.
The true nature of awareness is non-dual -- which means In hearing there is just sound, no hearer, in seeing there is just scene, no seer. In thinking there is just thoughts, no thinker. Mountains and rivers are all the manifestation of Buddha-Nature.
This is as what an old Zen master said upon his enlightenment,
“When I
heard the sound of
the bell
ringing, there was no I,
and no
bell, just the ringing.”
Thusness (our moderator) spoke of his experience of his awakening:
(Stage 4)
http://awakeningtoreality.blogspot.com/2007/03/thusnesss-six-stages-of-experience.html
...I
wasn’t that resistant then about the doctrine of ‘no-self’ but the idea
that all phenomenon existence is empty of an inherent ‘self’ or ‘Self’
did not quite get into me. Are they talking about the ‘Self’ as a
personality or ‘Self’ as ‘Eternal Witness’? Must we do away even with
the ‘Witness’ itself or the Witness is another illusion itself?
There is thinking, no thinker
There is sound, no hearer
Suffering exists, no sufferer
Deeds there are, no doer
I
was meditating the above stanza deeply…about its meaning until one day,
suddenly I heard ‘tongss…’, it was so clear, there was nothing else,
just the sound and nothing else! And ‘tongs…’ resounding…. It was so
clear, so vivid!
That experience is so familiar, so real and so
clear. It is the same experience of “I AM”….it is without thought,
without concepts, without intermediary, without anyone there, without
any in-between…What is it? IT is Presence! But this time it is not ‘I
AM’, it is not asking ‘who am I’, it is not the pure sense of “I AM”,
it is ‘TONGSss….’, the pure Sound…
Then come Taste, just the Taste and nothing else….
The heart beats…..
the Scenery…
There is no gap in between, no longer a few months gap for it to arise…
There never was a stage to enter, no I to cease and never has it existed
There is no entry and exit point…
There is no Sound out there or in here…
There is no ‘I’ apart from the arising and ceasing…
The manifold of Presence….
Moment to moment Presences unfolds…
Presence is the Crystal Bright Clarity...
...
That is why, I was saying non-dual experience can only be sustained effortlessly when it is realised that Non-Duality is the nature of reality, that this is not a stage to be sustained but has Always Been So -- it is the Dharma seal of no-self, never was there an observer apart from observed. Prior to that, non-duality can be temporarily achieved through the help of concentration to enter states of absorption or samadhi but it is temporary.
Prior to insight, one will always experience separation. Hence initially the dualistic mode of experience is necessary. It is necessary when the karmic tendency to divide is already there. Hence as Dr. John Welwood wrote,
The first step in freeing ourselves from the prison of unconscious identification is to make it conscious, that is, to reflect on it. We cannot move from prereflective identification directly into nondual awareness. But we can use divided consciousness to reflect on divided consciousness. The Buddha likened this to using a thorn to remove a thorn from one’s flesh. All reflection involves stepping back from one’s experience in order to examine and explore its patterns, its feeling textures, its meanings, its logos, including the basic assumptions, beliefs, and ways of conceiving reality that shape our experience. By comparison with identification, this kind of self-reflection represents a giant step forward in the direction of greater self-understanding and freedom. As Gabriel Marcel (1950) put it, “reflection... is one of life’s ways of rising from one level to another (p. 101).”
There are different ways of reflecting on one’s experience. Some are cruder; others subtler; depending on the rigidity of the dualism and the size of gap they maintain between observer and observed. I would like to distinguish three levels of reflective method: conceptual reflection, phenomenological reflection, and mindful witnessing.
And he further uses an analogy on the state of Pre-reflective identification, to Reflective consciousness, to Non-dual awareness as such:
If we use the analogy of awareness as a mirror, prereflective identification is like being captivated by and lost in the reflections appearing in the mirror. Reflection involves stepping back from the appearances, studying them, and developing a more objective relationship with them. And transreflective presence is like being the mirror itself – that vast, illuminating openness and clarity that allows reality to be seen as what it is. In pure presence, awareness is self-illuminating, or aware of itself without objectification. The mirror simply abides in its own nature, without either separating from its reflections or confusing itself with them. Negative reflections do not stain the mirror, positive reflections do not improve on it. They are all the mirror’s self-illuminating display.
When insights eventually develope, through contemplating the nature of reality, we gradually enter into nondual awareness which is what the Sutra of Perfect Enlightenment calls 能所�亡.
All these are discussed in the topic Reflection and Presence: The Dialectic of Awakening
In short: first there is unconscious identification with the reflections in the mirror (thoughts and experiences), in which one is caught up, attached to, lost in, identified with, and chasing after mundane thoughts and experiences, causing endless sufferings.
The next step is to develope a witnessing of our thoughts and experience, which is is to reflect on it, thus dis-identifying ourselves from those thoughts. Here we begin to notice the crucial difference between thought and awareness, between the contents of consciousness, which are like clouds passing through the sky, and pure consciousness, which is like the wide open sky itself.
However at this stage, we still have not gone beyond the dichotomy of subject and object. (能所) In fact, at this stage Awareness can be misunderstood as the Eternal Witness or the I AM. Awareness is thought to be the 能知 or the Subject or the Observer, and the 18 dhatus (�八界) becomes misunderstood as the object of observation by the observer (所/被知). This corresponds to Stage 1 to 3 of Thusness's Six Stages of Experience . In fact I just saw this article written by a Taiwanese who obviously misunderstood Awareness (which he calls the Self-Bright/本明) as the Eternal Witness or the I AM: http://www.taiwanclassic.com/teps/ec/ecjnlarticleView.aspx?jnlcattype=1&jnlptype=1&jnltype=176&jnliid=416&issueiid=1151&atliid=14037
Next when one discovers nondual awareness the subject/object dichotomy collapses, and now awareness is realised to have always been totally one with its perception, hence there is no objective relationship to what we see, hear, think, etc. There is just pure presence manifesting as everything, with no sense of a separate self or observer. Here mindful awareness is ongoing except there is no longer any sense of standing back from appearances -- all appearances are the self-illuminating display of awareness. The practice is as what Thusness says, to relax into nothingness empty of self, empty of any artificial doing so that the natural luminosity can take its own course. There is no focusing, there is only allowing the mirror bright clarity to shine with its natural radiance. In essence there is no one there, only the phenomenon arising and ceasing according to conditions, telling their stories.
By the way any free Chinese software to recommend? Cos I don't have one now. Have to copy from other sites and it is troublesome.
Found something by 元音上师:
http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_4eb850bc0100b8ij.html
å�‡å¦‚能够明白我们本具这个心光，回光返照，一念薰修，就是在一念未起å‰�ç�€åŠ›ï¼Œå¿µå¤´ä¸€èµ·å°±çœ‹è§�它，ä¸�è¦�跟念头跑，用智慧光把我们八识田里的执ç�€ç§�å�éƒ½è–°å…‰ï¼Œè¿™æ ·å�šåŠŸå¤«ï¼Œå°±ä¸�éš¾æˆ�就。
(P239，17è¡Œ——20è¡Œ)
这真人就是现在å…æ ¹é—¨å¤´æ”¾å…‰çš„è¿™ä¸ªä¸œè¥¿——能è§�能闻的功能。我们在当下一念ä¸�生，å‰�念已æ–，å�Žå¿µä¸�起，当ä¸æ²¡æœ‰å¿µå¤´çš„时候，æ¤æ—¶è™½ä¸€å¿µä¸�起，但é�žæœ¨çŸ³æ— 知，而是了了分明，视而ä¸�è§�，å�¬è€Œä¸�闻，能è§�所è§�，能闻所闻，都ä¸�å�¯å¾—，能所å�Œäº¡ï¼Œè¿™å°±æ˜¯æˆ‘们的本性，这就是自己。
(P240，10è¡Œ——15è¡Œ)
okie okie...too long already, anyway...your one is proper english explain, mine is in the more inproper illustration...the thread has becomes like students on tutorial discussion, it would be great if members here extract direct from own dialy experiences and relate back to sutra texts, if using sutra to create experiences then it would not be beneficial.
it meant the same from your point...but it is still need one to experience it...i think you also mention about 四禅八定 experiences in your above statement.
So your moderator is awaken or enlighten? Looks like you have many good condition to learn dharma, and did you thought of going monalistic life, or get a degree in buddhism?
Originally posted by Bodhi hut:
okie okie...too long already, anyway...your one is proper english explain, mine is in the more inproper illustration...the thread has becomes like students on tutorial discussion, it would be great if members here extract direct from own dialy experiences and relate back to sutra texts, if using sutra to create experiences then it would not be beneficial.
it meant the same from your point...but it is still need one to experience it...i think you also mention about 四禅八定 experiences in your above statement.
So your moderator is awaken or enlighten? Looks like you have many good condition to learn dharma, and did you thought of going monalistic life, or get a degree in buddhism?
Nope, what I am talking about is stages of insights and has nothing to do with 四禅八定 which are stages of absorptions. Stages of absorptions are temporarily achieved through concentrating in a fixed object. They are temporary states that can be entered and left, they are not permanent, and they do not lead to liberation.
Stages of insights are achieved through contemplation of the nature of reality known as Vipassana or Vipashyana practices, and these insights are permanent. For example when you realise there is no-self and no duality, it is not a stage that can be entered or left. No-Self is not a stage that can be reached. It has Always Been So -- it is a Dharma Seal, a characteristic or nature of reality and realised to be such. This is insight, awakening, enlightenment.
Personally I have not reached insight or awakening, this one Thusness and Longchen (another moderator) will be able to speak from experience, I only had glimpses of non-dual experiences but they do not last... which I have discussed before in the past.
When 能所�亡 is experienced, it is not that there is no awareness, rather the true nature of awareness is realised as being non-dual -- in seeing there is just what's seen, no seer. Thought is but no thinker. Mountains and rivers are all the display of pure awareness, and you are not seeing the mountain because you are the mountain.
Originally posted by Bodhi hut:
Perhaps you mislead by my replies earlier, thank you for your illustration, but i am not good in english buddhism termilogy, if you can write in chinese that would be good.
能所�亡, this in 圆觉�..and i do not know who is thusness..pardon me, i am too new here...I only know, dharma is totally a practical application thing, theories and conceptuals are foundation..佛法��说，过去心��得，现在心��得，未�心��得。。。
what's the meaning of 能所�亡，could you elaborate?
å¦‚æ˜¯ï¼Œå¦‚æ˜¯ã€‚ã€‚ã€‚æˆ–è®¸ä½ æŒ‡çš„æ˜¯å��å…特胜。
凡所有相，皆是虚幻。其实已ç»�离题了，这些是文å—ä¸�能形容的，å�ªæœ‰äº²è‡ªä½“æ‚Ÿæ‰�得知，但ä¸�能ç�€ç›¸ã€‚ç ´é™¤æˆ‘æ‰§ï¼Œå’Œæ³•æ‰§ï¼Œå°±æ˜¯æˆ‘å¼€å§‹è¦�说的能和所的原ç�†ï¼Œç ´é™¤äºŒå…ƒçš„对立，已达到真实本性的真如妙性，现出空性智慧。
还是会到原本的题目。
阿弥陀佛。
Originally posted by An Eternal Now:By the way any free Chinese software to recommend? Cos I don't have one now. Have to copy from other sites and it is troublesome.
you mean your desktop cannot display chinese character correctly? Or input chinese character, i remember two website, there is alot of software for downloading,
Originally posted by rokkie:
what's the meaning of 能所�亡，could you elaborate?
我的佛法å¦æœ‰é™�。。间当æ�¥è¯´ã€‚好比有一个‘能’照的镜å�，然å�Žå°±æœ‰ä¸€ä¸ªæ‰€ç…§çš„物体。。。多一个比例就是，有一个能说è¯�的人，和一个所能å�¬è¯´è¯�的对åƒ�ã€‚ä½ å�¯ä»¥åŽ»å�‚考圆觉ç»�。。在第一å“�ï¼Œæ–‡æ®Šç« ä¼šæ��到。。。就是说è¦�ç ´é™¤äºŒå…ƒçš„å¯¹ç«‹ï¼Œèƒ½å’Œæ‰€æ˜¯å¯¹ç«‹çš„ï¼Œé‚£æ‰�能入空性智慧 ã€‚ä½ è¦�çš„è¯�，我å�¯ä»¥ç”µé‚®ä½ 。
Originally posted by Bodhi hut:
okie okie...too long already, anyway...your one is proper english explain, mine is in the more inproper illustration...the thread has becomes like students on tutorial discussion, it would be great if members here extract direct from own dialy experiences and relate back to sutra texts, if using sutra to create experiences then it would not be beneficial.
it meant the same from your point...but it is still need one to experience it...i think you also mention about 四禅八定 experiences in your above statement.
So your moderator is awaken or enlighten? Looks like you have many good condition to learn dharma, and did you thought of going monalistic life, or get a degree in buddhism?
AEN is from Non dualism school, a english buddhism sect, have you ever read anything in chinese sutra emphasizing on non dual? �二法门，i don't remember i have read something emphasizing on this
Originally posted by rokkie:
you mean your desktop cannot display chinese character correctly? Or input chinese character, i remember two website, there is alot of software for downloading,
in order to type chinese characters, your default OS has it, if you are using Vista, it should have, XP PRO some haf it some do not have.
You can go download Nj star communicator, you can type chinese software and read it, but it is a trial version, but trail version also can use, as after the trail is expired, every open of this software will lag gradually.
Originally posted by Bodhi hut:
我的佛法å¦æœ‰é™�。。间当æ�¥è¯´ã€‚好比有一个‘能’照的镜å�，然å�Žå°±æœ‰ä¸€ä¸ªæ‰€ç…§çš„物体。。。多一个比例就是，有一个能说è¯�的人，和一个所能å�¬è¯´è¯�的对åƒ�ã€‚ä½ å�¯ä»¥åŽ»å�‚考圆觉ç»�。。在第一å“�ï¼Œæ–‡æ®Šç« ä¼šæ��到。。。就是说è¦�ç ´é™¤äºŒå…ƒçš„å¯¹ç«‹ï¼Œèƒ½å’Œæ‰€æ˜¯å¯¹ç«‹çš„ï¼Œé‚£æ‰�èƒ½å…¥ç©ºæ€§æ™ºæ…§ã€‚ä½ è¦�çš„è¯�，我å�¯ä»¥ç”µé‚®ä½ 。
我家有圆觉ç»�，谢谢，其实我觉得，å¦ä½›æ²¡ä»€ä¹ˆéš¾çš„，å�ªè¦�å�šåˆ°æ— 为，然å�ŽæŒ‰ç…§ï¼Œå��地å“�，或å��è¡Œå“�，慢慢修行，最好到如æ�¥æ³•è—�å°±å�¯ä»¥äº†ï¼Œ
Originally posted by Bodhi hut:
我的佛法å¦æœ‰é™�。。间当æ�¥è¯´ã€‚好比有一个‘能’照的镜å�，然å�Žå°±æœ‰ä¸€ä¸ªæ‰€ç…§çš„物体。。。多一个比例就是，有一个能说è¯�的人，和一个所能å�¬è¯´è¯�的对åƒ�ã€‚ä½ å�¯ä»¥åŽ»å�‚考圆觉ç»�。。在第一å“�ï¼Œæ–‡æ®Šç« ä¼šæ��到。。。就是说è¦�ç ´é™¤äºŒå…ƒçš„å¯¹ç«‹ï¼Œèƒ½å’Œæ‰€æ˜¯å¯¹ç«‹çš„ï¼Œé‚£æ‰�èƒ½å…¥ç©ºæ€§æ™ºæ…§ã€‚ä½ è¦�çš„è¯�，我å�¯ä»¥ç”µé‚®ä½ 。
但是in china 二元 is never 对立，because just like taiji, yin could becoming yang, yang could becoming yin, maybe i still don't understand the 二元 you mean, it means subject/object?
Originally posted by rokkie:
但是in china 二元 is never 对立，because just like taiji, yin could becoming yang, yang could becoming yin, maybe i still don't understand the 二元 you mean, it means subject/object?
这是在佛法上说的。
佛法是ä¸�å�¯è¯´ï¼Œå› 为是相，其å��佛法是方便说。。。金刚ç»�有说。
在愣严ç»�é‡Œï¼Œä½›è¯´è§‚éŸ³çš„æ³•é—¨ï¼Œè€³æ ¹ï¼Œé—»æ³•å��闻自性，是就适å�ˆæˆ‘们浮æ��众生。当然佛法很多，ä¸�管å¦ä»€ä¹ˆæ³•é—¨ä½†è¦�é€šè¾¾ä¸€é—¨ï¼Œå¤šå¤šç»ƒä¹ ã€‚
ä¸�二法门=å�¯ä»¥å�‚考金刚ç»�ï¼Œæˆ‘æœ‰å‡€ç©ºæ³•å¸ˆçš„æ³¨è§£ï¼Œä½ è¦�èƒ½é‚®ä»¶ç»™ä½ ã€‚
也能看å…祖檀ç»�我有慧律法师的DVDæ³¨è§£ï¼Œä¹Ÿèƒ½å€Ÿä½ ã€‚
我很少看英文的佛ç»�，我å�ªçœ‹å�Žæ–‡ä½›ç»�和佛法座谈DVD...ä½†å› ä¸ºå�Žæ–‡çš„ç»�很多都是å�¤æ–‡æ‰€ä»¥æ˜¯æ¯”较难ç�†è§£ï¼Œä½†å�«ä¹‰ä¼šæ¯”è‹±æ–‡æ›´æ·±å…¥ã€‚è‹±æ–‡å¤§ä¹˜çš„ä¼ æ³•è€…ä¹Ÿä¸�多，大多数是å°�乘和è—�密的法师较多。
�二法门
Originally posted by Bodhi hut:
我很少看英文的佛ç»�，我å�ªçœ‹å�Žæ–‡ä½›ç»�和佛法座谈DVD...ä½†å› ä¸ºå�Žæ–‡çš„ç»�很多都是å�¤æ–‡æ‰€ä»¥æ˜¯æ¯”较难ç�†è§£ï¼Œä½†å�«ä¹‰ä¼šæ¯”è‹±æ–‡æ›´æ·±å…¥ã€‚è‹±æ–‡å¤§ä¹˜çš„ä¼ æ³•è€…ä¹Ÿä¸�多，大多数是å°�乘和è—�密的法师较多。
�二法门
��，但是�密也比较深
Originally posted by Bodhi hut:
这是在佛法上说的。佛法是ä¸�å�¯è¯´ï¼Œå› 为是相，其å��佛法是方便说。。。金刚ç»�有说。
在愣严ç»�é‡Œï¼Œä½›è¯´è§‚éŸ³çš„æ³•é—¨ï¼Œè€³æ ¹ï¼Œé—»æ³•å��闻自性，是就适å�ˆæˆ‘们浮æ��众生。当然佛法很多，ä¸�管å¦ä»€ä¹ˆæ³•é—¨ä½†è¦�é€šè¾¾ä¸€é—¨ï¼Œå¤šå¤šç»ƒä¹ ã€‚
ä¸�二法门=å�¯ä»¥å�‚考金刚ç»�ï¼Œæˆ‘æœ‰å‡€ç©ºæ³•å¸ˆçš„æ³¨è§£ï¼Œä½ è¦�èƒ½é‚®ä»¶ç»™ä½ ã€‚
也能看å…祖檀ç»�我有慧律法师的DVDæ³¨è§£ï¼Œä¹Ÿèƒ½å€Ÿä½ ã€‚
我很少看英文的佛ç»�，我å�ªçœ‹å�Žæ–‡ä½›ç»�和佛法座谈DVD...ä½†å› ä¸ºå�Žæ–‡çš„ç»�很多都是å�¤æ–‡æ‰€ä»¥æ˜¯æ¯”较难ç�†è§£ï¼Œä½†å�«ä¹‰ä¼šæ¯”è‹±æ–‡æ›´æ·±å…¥ã€‚è‹±æ–‡å¤§ä¹˜çš„ä¼ æ³•è€…ä¹Ÿä¸�多，大多数是å°�乘和è—�密的法师较多。
�二法门
谢谢了，�过最近比较懒，�想看佛�的东西了，佛教的东西，浩如烟海，读�完呀
in order to understand 能所�亡， we must first understand 能� and 所�
梵è¯gra^hya-gra^haka。能å�–（梵gra^haka ），å�³‘能把æ�¡’；所å�–（梵gra^hya ），å�³‘被把æ�¡’。能å�–为认识对象之主体，所å�–则是对象。å�³èƒ½è¯†è€…之心ã€�æ„�识ç‰ï¼Œç§°ä¸ºèƒ½å�–；而所识之色ç‰å¤–境，则称所å�–。显扬圣教论å�·äº”说明能å�–所å�–之æ„�（大三一·äº”○二ä¸ï¼‰ï¼š‘能å�–义者，谓五内色处，心ã€�æ„�识å�Šè¯¸å¿ƒæ³•ï¼›æ‰€å�–义者，谓外å…处。
generally it means subject and object
Different Buddhists traditions will counter resentment, anger and frustration differently and it also largely depends on the capacity and preferences of the practitioner. No one can decide which is best for you.
For Theravadic tradition, this may mean stay in jungle, observing body not clean, observing no self, sunyata ...
For Mahayana easy path, this may mean repent, bowing to buddha, transfer merits to your enemies, praising buddha, reciting amitabha, reciting mantras
For Mahayana difficult path, you are supposed to be bodhisattva who vows to help all sentient beings that ill-treated you, practise 6 perfections that includes toleratation helped by observing prajna paramita ... very tough
Originally posted by rokkie:AEN is from Non dualism school, a english buddhism sect, have you ever read anything in chinese sutra emphasizing on non dual? �二法门，i don't remember i have read something emphasizing on this
There is no 'non dualism school' in Buddhism -- non-duality is not a specific sect but is the nature of reality. Insight into non-duality is found in every single Buddhist sect, from Theravada to Mahayana to Vajrayana. Anyone who has not realised non-duality is not enlightened. But the term 'non-duality' can mean a lot of things -- most of what are unrelated to real enlightenment.
A lot of people misunderstood what non-duality mean. They think it is no absolute right and wrong, or no absolute polarities. All these are not the non-duality I am talking about. As Longchen wrote before:
http://www.dreamdatum.com/nondual-misinfo.html
...The most common understanding of Non duality is related to the issue of Polarity such as light and dark. In this semantic, non-duality is explained as the non-biasness towards any side of a pole. This is about the concept of there being no absolute good or evil. In another word, it is about being non-judgemental. Many spiritual materials believed that this concept of non-duality is equivalent to enlightenment. This is not entirely correct.
Non-duality as a concept for no polarity is not wrong. However, it should not be mistaken for non-duality as the state of enlightenment. The term non-duality that is being used to describe Enlightenment is actually describing a state whereby there is no subject-object division. This is an experience that is difference from the concept of no absolute polarity...
Also other religions also talk about 'non-duality' but they may have slightly different meanings. So as you can see the term 'non-duality' is very diverse and though many people talk about it, it might not mean the same thing.
The non-duality I am talking about is the nature of reality as no subject and object division. This is related to the insight into Anatta (no-self), that there is no separate, distinct, permament agent or Self that is the doer, thinker, observer/feeler of things. As such when you are hearing a sound, there is no hearer apart from the sound. There is just sound, without subject/object division. This is the sort of insight one must come to to awaken.
All schools of Buddhism will talk about this, though the way they describe it might be slightly different. They might not use the same words but the essence is exactly the same.
Originally posted by Bodhi hut:
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Yes but equally important along with emptiness insight is the luminosity aspect of Buddha-Nature, the aspect of pure awareness. Emptiness is not the nihilistic meaning of void or nothingness, emptiness is filled with presence. But the presence is empty of any graspable reality, empty of inherent existence.
Pure awareness and emptiness cannot be separated. When non-duality is realised, all phenomena are realised to be pure awareness and emptiness inseparable. In other words, luminosity and emptiness inseparable.
There is no longer any sense of a separate observer, because it is now realised that the observer is the observed. A poetic way of describing is: sound hears, scenery sees, the dust is the mirror.
As Thusness said:
Here the highlight must not only be the empty nature of ‘sound’ alone, that luminosity as ‘sound’ must similarly be emphasized. When we stripped-off the symbolic representation of ‘bird’, ‘chirping’, ‘outside’, ‘eyes-organ’, ‘ears-organs’, ‘senate reality’ and merely experience in bare, this is the meditative state of intuitively knowing that quality of being luminous in oneness. Oneness as there is nothing to divide when devoid of these symbolic layering. The depth of the crystal clarity of that pure experience – ‘chirping’ is not what language can convey. The point here is not to bring about a scientific study on the topic of qualia but to have a direct feel of the full absorption in the delight of that clear-luminosity of ‘sound’. It is the ‘depth and degree’ of absorptive-clarity yet non-staying that is most important; not the symbolic understand of meanings.