Introduction to Understanding Duality
If you would like to view this piece as a video click here
The longevity of personal conscious evolution comes about with dedication… it comes about with thoughtfulness…mindfulness towards yourself and towards others… and it comes about in diligence in continuously working to clear the mind and heart of dualities.
Dualities are those which arise in mind, in thought and in feeling, and life in general that are both generally true or seemingly true… but also seem contradictory in nature or in timing. They are an either/or approach leading to one or the other in acceptance that both aspects exist…sometimes being able to see the merit of both from either perspective… often based on a matter of preference and programming or willingness to accept that is either ingrained or an attempt for the consciousness to expand…but seeing it in a way that both aspects have different and often opposing roles. Black and white, yin and yang…good or bad…painful or pleasurable… It is finite, rather than infinite…exclusive, rather than inclusive and it is more often than not…oppositional…and at times can be…extreme.
A weed or a wildflower is based on the individual’s viewpoints and personal frame of reference… the very same object in different lights and from different perspectives according to the nuance of their held and maintained belief system and personal preferences.
Duality is, in and of itself, one way to see and understand diversity. To understand the different dynamics that play out within the realms of human, animal, ecological and spiritual consciousness. Duality is a part of developing consciousness itself…and is a stepping-stone to develop conscious evolution in allowing yourself to see, recognize, and potentially understand an opposing perspective or view-point from which you have been trained or understood something previously and is a part of the process that is personal development and cognitive expansion.
The potential benefit to this is in learning that there are other ways to think, feel, be and decide that may open up new paths and opportunities for your conscious evolution and personal growth in all facets of life. But the risk involved is that it can lead to a disparity in mind when one is only willing to accept that only one of these perspectives is correct, could be correct, or that there are only these two extremes to understand it within. Having this mindset regularly can provide ample opportunity to be misled or to become dogmatic, stubborn and hard-hearted, egotistical, or in the ways that might declare that only one path or way of being, thinking, and feeling is correct for all within the nuanced characteristics, attitudes, situations and genetic makeups that complete the bigger picture dynamic of which the Earth is so beautifully diversified.
To keep the mind clear of duality, is to accept that these exist and to keep them harmonious within yourself and amongst your viewpoints and attitudes within nature, within relationships of all kinds, as well as within your sentiments around these aspects of life in general and within the nuance of one’s personal situational and relational dynamics….And especially as they relate to timing…. as there is often a time that is contextually correct for one thing and incorrect for another.
Just as the moon waxes and wanes, the reflection of its nature that is in display will vary according to its position and according to the level of sunlight it can receive…so you too will vary in your own energy levels, needs, and feeling states from one moment to the next according to your own personal cycles…physically and otherwise.
This is why context is key to understanding this, as generalities will often lead one into dualistic thinking …creating dogma, stringency and inflexibility in mind, heart and body, making it difficult for these aspects to align and agree with one another and to work together coherently.
Understanding relational dynamics, how energy fluctuates and flows, your thoughts and emotions that are intrinsic and those that are projected, as well as the variances in expectations for yourself in any given moment will allow the context to be understood for why things are as they are…and often why you are experiencing the way that you are. Also, understanding that things from before may apply…knowing that human tendency is often to revert into fear, doubt and past programming …and sometimes… they do not.
Being in tune with yourself… your situation and your circumstances and aligning with your own personal Sankalpa in respect to the free will of others and theirs… will help you see the truth of it… and how duality is playing its role… allowing you to make the best assertion for the here and now.
Overcoming dualistic thinking can be somewhat like a person that is in the mode to learn something. The potential exists.
Their ability to attain to what is needed to achieve this begins incrementally.
The duality exists in that they don’t know how to do this thing that they desire and/or have decided to do…and obstacles may exist that preclude this from occurring naturally for them.
But as they, overtime, make decisions that align with their goal, take the measured and practiced steps towards this, they can achieve their goal and release the duality of not knowing but wanting to do something.
Non-duality is the result of eliminating these dualities in mind and in heart one by one, living them out and experiencing the oneness that all is…
It occurs over time and through dedicated focus and concentration, periods of integration and physical/material adjustment, as well as oneness with one’s personal Sankalpa attuning to the longevity that occurs throughout this meaningful process and the practices that provide them and occur and is assisted by the process of meditation.
Then comes in the unity… through timing and context…within themselves and within being able perform easily that which they had previously been unable to do…only having desire or decision to do so.
Transforming duality…into non-duality…
Into oneness. And peace.
Please feel free to drop a comment or leave a question if you have them, and I will take the time to reach out to you personally to answer these.
And if you've enjoyed this post, be sure to subscribe to the mailing list in order to be notified of our future work and postings.
Namaste, and thank you for being here!
Kendra Soleil
Om Namah Shivaya
Comments