09/24/2025
non-duality, called 'advaita' in sanskrit (literally 'not two'), is the sublime realization that there do not exist any divisions separating things into polar opposites- such as up/down, hot/cold, etc., nor dividing our emotions into good/bad or us/them. the ancient yogis recognized it's specifically our mind's job to categorize reality- in an attempt to make sense of it and thereby try to gain 'control.'
the mind (manas), is like a supervisor in a factory- responsible for daily functioning, but was never meant to be existence itself. and because it's so much easier to delegate than to sort out reality we have given manas the reins and we no longer realize who we are.
when we can step back, way back- we gain perspective. yes, a cook stove is hotter than a popsicle but is cold in comparison to the temperature of the sun. a person who sees life in black and white is incapable of experiencing nuances like shades of grey. which of course is actually the marvelous continuum of reality.
to a yogi, a life lived in peace is non-dual. they understand that the thinking mind is trained to see differences, but our hearts see connectivity.
