Answer: The question, as far as enquiry goes, is, “Who is the ‘me’ perceiving him or anything else?”

The “me”, like the world, is in the perceiver’s mind.

If it should become seen that the world is in the mind, then the questions of “me” and “him” dissolve in that seeing. There is only what is arising now and it is what it is.

All things are made of the same “stuff”, yet all things appear individualistic. The question of how things interact becomes moot at the point of seeing that all is exactly what it is in this instant. All questions dissolve in that moment.

Still, from the point of view of parapsychology and quantum theory and other disciplines, it is an interesting question about how perceivers are aware of each other. I don’t have all the theories and studies at hand to relate or summarize, nor are they the point of this response.

There is the day to day way of addressing questions, in this case by talking about parapsychology and quantum theory. And there is also the absolute way of addressing questions, in which questions are revealed to dissolve into that out of which they arose, like a wave out of the ocean.

Nisargadatta is sometimes “day to day” and sometimes absolute in his responses. Questions dissolve into the Absolute and get addressed at the day to day level, both.

The answer to the question is that there is no question, no “me” asking the question, and, at the very same time, there is an interaction between perceived and perceiver that quantum theory, parapsychology, psychology, physics, sociology, and other disciplines study and address.

There is no answer and there is an answer. Discussions about nonduality are presentations of paradox. Where the materialist (you and me?) calls out, “Show me the money!”, the nondualist gets on the phone and shouts, “Show me the paradox!”

The links will take you to a fine website with clear, detailed descriptions of the proposed talks as well as the contents of Volume #1 of Paradoxica: Journal of Nondual Psychology.

Here is their announcement of the Conference:

2010 Paradoxica Nondual Psychology Conference

EXCITING NEWS: Announcing the first nondual psychology & psychotherapy conference in Canada.

The Paradoxica Institute is hosting the Nondual Psychology (and Beyond) Conference, June 17-18, 2010 at the University of Lethbridge in beautiful Lethbridge Alberta nestled in the coulees, and close to the Waterton Mountains.

We want this to be a dynamic and transformational conference including powerful and insightful clinical workshops in addition to ground breaking presentations and energizing workshops.

Join in June’s festivities as we celebrate and embrace the flowering of Nothingness together!

Full Program & Registration: paradoxica.ca/index.php/conference

Paradoxica: Journal of Nondual Psychology: paradoxica.ca/index.php/issue-1

Main Website: www.paradoxica.ca

Pattern Interruption Hall of Fame: people that wake us up from the monotony of mindlessness. These are iconoclasts, straight-shooters, rascal sages, and eccentric oddballs of all walks of mind — i.e. the denizens of the brave new world of self-aware unorthodoxy.

Watch an episode of “Between Two Ferns” to see Zach Galifianakis at his pattern-interruption best. Galifianakis seems to have an intuitive grasp on paradox and nonduality.

…

Pattern interruption leverages mindfulness by way of new information and confusion. How new information changes our minds is clear. Here’s how confusion comes into the picture. Confusion means loss of certainty. Loss of certainty means open-mindedness to what is. As such, a pattern break is a pre-requisite for mindful presence (and the stuff of comedy). Pattern break confuses the conditioned mind and in so doing gets it out of its own way, opening up new vistas of clarity. In other words, when mind is closed off to new information, confusion helps kick that door wide open. In sum, mind is a closed-system pattern, interrupt it to open it! Expose yourself to new information. Update your understanding of the world to prevent dogmatic stagnation. Remember: reality updates with every now!

-Pavel Somov

I always wonder why these people are called teachers as most of their students do not understand their teachings or leave any way different. I always wonder is any of them “enlightened” or just selling the nonduality belief system. All of their stories can easily be dismantled and shown to be based on thought and copied from others. I always wonder this. One even said to me privately, “I worry less about death!” Certainly despite reading their books and going to their lectures I only left with ideas in my head.

Response:

For me, these guys are reminding the reader or listener that he or she exists. If someone picks up on that and values it and pursues it, then they may find they don’t exist!

That’s paradox, to exist and not exist non-separately. If inclined, that one may spin claims, confessions, declarations, assertions, reports about … that. Whatever it is.

It’s true that it’s easy to copy the neo-advaita way of talking without ever having actually spun the silk of paradox. A few may be doing that.

Since so many people don’t realize they exist and don’t value and pursue that, or are hesitant to talk about it, they will consider the one who does have a familiarity with his or her existence, and who speaks confidently about it, to be a kind of guru, even if that familiarity isn’t very deep or stable.

It comes to be seen that every atom is the guru. Then in the seen suchness of the guru, the guru falls away, and what remains is … what? What to call it? Out of the silk of paradox spin something.

In that chapter I quote some key sections from the Diamond Sutra. They’re followed by Wei Wu Wei’s explanation from his book, Ask The Awakened.

Here are a couple of quotes from the Wei Wu Wei section:

… this world-system the Tathagata has taught as no world-system. Therefore it is called a world-system.

…

‘Beings, beings,’ Subhuti, the Tathagata has taught that they are all no-beings. Therefore has he spoken of ‘all beings.’

Wei Wu Wei writes, “[Buddha] taught that things and concepts (dharmas) are not, and that is why things and concepts (dharmas) are.”

The only way to understand the Buddha, is to experience or “know” what he is saying. In these days where it is commonplace to hear that there is no you, it should not be hard to understand this:

You, you, there is no you. Therefore, there is you.

I celebrate myself,
And what I assume you shall assume,
For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you.

I loafe and invite my soul,
I lean and loafe at my ease … observing a spear of summer grass.

These lines describe the paradox of nonduality and how to live.

The paradox is that while we are the same — “…what I assume you shall assume.” “…every atom belonging to to me as good belongs to you.” — everything is distinct: “observing a spear of summer grass.”

And how to live through the paradox? “…celebrate…” “…lean and loafe…”

“I … invite my soul,” Whitman says. The soul is the paradox. It is who he is. Paradox is “myself.” “I celebrate myself.”

Read the second part of this treatment of Song of Myself.

The cards you put back often expose undeveloped aspects of a relationship. Something as everyday as shopping for a greeting card can bring insights that awaken the need for, or which may aid, psychotherapy.

Life throws greeting cards at you all the time. Very, very few are picked up, brought home, and mailed out. Some you would like to “put back,” but you can’t.

You can’t get out of the greeting cards store, since it is existence. What’s the best way to negotiate the flood of greeting cards? Therapy is one way.

The teaching of nonduality, which can be imparted through nondual psychotherapy, is known by being direct. It (eventually) points to you as another greeting card. It points to the witness of you as yet another card. It points to the space in which greeting cards fly around as a greeting card itself.

You can try to understand the greeting card nature of existence. You can see that the greeting cards are printed on the same blank substance. Each card is the same substance with some scribbles added and which are made of the same substance as the greeting card.

Your understanding is another greeting card. You can’t escape the flood of greeting cards. The impact of the flood stops when you see the source of the cards, which is the blank material. Even that leaves “the blank material,” which is you and which you know as “I.”

There has to be a “you” to understand nonduality profoundly, to see that all greetings cards are blank cards essentially. Yet nonduality means the deconstruction, dissolution, evaporation, or extinction of “you,” leaving nothing profound at all.

This blog entry and each word within it is a greeting card. What do “you” do with it?