What is this non-dual thinking? It confuses people. Most people have not heard of this term or if they have, they do not know what it means. I too initially had a hard time putting my arms around it. I still do I will admit. The reason I continue to struggle is because my thinking during the day is probably not non-dual thinking. Because my thinking is not non-dual, my actions are also not non-dual. I struggle to maintain a non-dual posture. I struggle because this is not the world we live in.
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We live in a competitive world. It is a world where I must succeed. I must show what I can do. I must show what I can accomplish. I must outperform my coworker if I want that new position. I must outperform my coworker if I want a better raise or bonus. We live in a world where it seems that the mantra is “compete”.
What if there is another way? What if there really is enough for everyone? What if there really is no separation between God and humans? What if there really is no separation between humans? What if I can learn to see from another person’s perspective? Anger is sometimes an outcome of dual thinking. Someone is doing something different than how I prefer to do so.
Maybe my opinion is not the only opinion that there needs to be. Maybe my way to do things is not the only way. Maybe there are other ways to think and do things. Why does there have to be a right and wrong way to think about things? Why does there have to be a right and wrong way to do things? There is a new way. There really is no need to compare, compete, divide, judge, split the field. It is just too tiring.
We need to move beyond this way of thinking. We need to say “yes” to everything! Richard Rohr reminds us that “We in the West are naturally educated in dualistic thinking, so much that we call it “thinking.” We need to break through this dualistic thinking barrier! It is so limited! It is really tunnel vision. We need to put on a new lens. We need to widen our lenses so we can see the world how it really is. We need to view the world from a panoramic perspective. Our dualistic thinking and seeing causes us to miss real beauty that only the Creator has provided.
Go Further:
Everything Belongs: The Gift of Contemplative Prayer by Richard Rohr
The Naked Now: Learning to See as the Mystics See by Richard Rohr
Healing the Divide: Recovering Christianity’s Mystic Roots by Amos Smith
The Wisdom Jesus: Transforming Heart and Mind–A New Perspective on Christ and His Message by Cynthia Bourgeault
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The Wisdom Jesus by Cynthia Bourgeault: Jesus first and foremost is a Wisdom teacher, grounded in the universal traditions of spiritual transformation, and the first teacher of non-dual consciousness the West had ever seen. Almost two thousand years ahead of his time, he stands in the lineage of the great Jewish prophets, the master “cardiologist” entrusted with implementing the promise made to the prophet Ezekiel: “I will take away your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.”
Centering Prayer by Cynthia Bourgeault: Centering Prayer is a simple, no-frills form of meditation in the Christian tradition. Since it was first developed by Christian contemplative monks in the 1970s, it has allowed tens of thousands of practitioners worldwide to “return home,” developing an authentically Christian meditation practice which not only delivers the healing and quieting of the mind typical of all meditation paths, but also reconnects directly to Christianity’s hidden treasury of mystical and transformational wisdom.
The Gospel of Thomas by Cynthia Bourgeault: This e-course, “The Gospel of Thomas with Cynthia Bourgeault,” is a complete “Thomas starter kit”: everything you need to know to get you up and running with this remarkable text, plus a generous sampling of its most important sayings, arranged thematically so that they speak to issues that contemporary spiritual seekers are actually dealing with.
Prayer-Bracelet: Authentic Orthodox prayer ropes and bracelets are handmade by monks in the Orthodox monastaries reciting a prayer for every knot they tie. Peruse their prayer ropes and bracelets that are all handmade, provided by several orthodox churches around the globe.
Drawing from the wisdom of monastic life, modern psychology and best practices in personal productivity, the Monk Manual provides a daily system that will help you find clarity, purpose, wisdom, and peace in the moments that make up your life.
