Definition of Non Duality -
Interpretation and Practical Application
A visitor to a-spiritual-journey-of-healing.com, asked:
What is non duality? This article gives you my definition of nonduality and how I apply it to my life.
I am a student of
A Course In Miracles.
ACIM is a non dual teaching.
I am a Christian mystic. (This means I place importance primarily on the experience of God rather than on any doctrine or theology.) Traditional Christianity does not officially teach nonduality. Yet, I find Christianity and non duality compatible. My Christian journey has been greatly enriched by this understanding. Many bible scriptures can be interpreted in a non dual framework.
For me, the meaning of non duality is the belief that the separation never actually took place. In the language of Christianity you would say that the Fall from the Garden of Eden did not take place in reality, but only in our imaginations.
I do not believe in a God who would curse us. I believe God is love. I experience God as love. Non duality says that the world is an illusion. This is a dream world. The spiritual journey is one of awakening into the knowledge that we remain a part of God.
We are not human beings who have spiritual experiences.
Rather we are spiritual beings having a human experience.
Our essence is spiritual. We are as God created us.
As we awaken to the knowledge that we remain a part of God, our internal experience and even our outer world change to reflect this knowledge. The outer changes are just echoes of the change in our mind - the shift towards a clearer perception that “Only the Love is real”. But, in our human experience, the improvements in our world are important to us!
Traditional Christianity says the human problem is sin and the answer is repentance. Gnostic Christianity says the human problem is ignorance and the answer is knowledge.
My understanding and experience of the spiritual journey is a journey to allow ourselves to gain the knowledge that God loves us. (On hearing my beliefs, I have sometimes been told that I am a gnostic Christian. I know very little of Gnostic Christianity but I have discovered that they were a rather miserable bunch. I can definitely say I know the Joy of God, so clearly there are some differences!)
Living with chronic illness
for many years, I developed a very practical spirituality. I hold beliefs pretty lightly. I am interested in beliefs to the extent that they help us move towards peace in our lives. In the spiritual experience we can experience the character of God in many ways.
God is Love.
God is Joy.
God is Peace.
God is Certainty.
God is a health that cannot be threatened.
God is provision... What is the practical application of this definition of non-duality as applied to receiving God’s Love?
As we experience God’s love more and more profoundly, we shift our focus from looking to the world to define us. More and more, we look to God to define us. We shift our focus from looking to the world to make us happy. We find our happiness in the experience of God’s love –a love that is always available in the present moment. In Christian language, we build our house on the rock of God’s Love instead of building our house on the sand of attachment to the idols we make for ourselves in this world. Changes in our Internal Experience
Our filter on the world changes so we receive love we were unable to receive before. We receive more of the love from those people in our lives who are already giving us love. Changes In Our External World
For example, we attract people in our lives who have more love to give us. Or the people currently in our world change to become more loving. In the Spirit of non-duality, I sign-off: With the Love we are, have been and will always be.
You are as God created you.
Katherine
Spiritual articles on a-spiritual-journey-of-healing.com relevant to the definition of non-duality
Christianity and non-duality - Forgiveness works because on some level, there is no problem. As we open our minds to this possibility, we give God access to bring us the peace that passeth understanding. The
prayers for forgiveness
starting on this page include ideas of non-duality.
- Psalm 91 – How to hold to the reality of Love when living with chronic illness.
- My interpretation of
The Lord Is My Shepherd
is very much a celebration of our non-duality. David wrote this psalm whilst hiding out in caves being hunted by the mentally ill King Saul. Yet, he praises God and celebrates all that lies beyond the circumstances of his life. "I lack nothing!" says David. He remains aware of all he has in God.
Other Related Spirituality Articles A Poem celebrating our non-duality -
A definition of ACIM - a spiritual teaching in non-duality
Bible Definitions
Christian Bible Verses On We Are One
ACIM Quotes on Many Paths To God
Move from definition of non duality to the home page – How To Explore Our Spirituality
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