An explanation I came across on how to achieve non-duality while alive.

[no1wakesup]

Originally Posted by eputkonen

I am afraid horribly flawed. Understanding and realizing nonduality is not about a process of training the subconscious mind. That is just self-brainwashing and additional self-hypnotization.

Agree. Couldn't be otherwise.

[Uday_Advaita]

Originally Posted by SapphireBlue

It appears people already are achieving it.

I am quite curious to know - who are these people, who claim to have ACHIEVED Non-duality / Non-separation / Enlightenment.

Once when a seeker said to Ramana Maharshi -
Sir, I heard that you can give enlightenment
Ramana Maharshi smiled and said - Yes, I can give it , But can you take it.......

Namaskar

The very nature of consciousness itself is non-dual. It's the superimposition of mind that introduces duality. It's the mind reflecting on the contents of consciousness and after the fact, of assuming ownership of consciousness. "I am conscious". The easiest example most everyone should be able to grasp is the flow state.

Here's another little nugget of wisdom.

https://deconstructingyourself.com/e...-practice.html

So, yes, it’s important to strike a balance between what is classically called effort and grace. In the final analysis, awakening is not something you achieve, but something you discover was already there all along. And yet if you have to err on one side or the other, I recommend erring on the side of too much effort, rather than too little.

By its very nature non-duality is paradoxical. As Winston Churchill said referring to Russia: "It is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma".

Embrace the paradox.

There are times when I have been in great peril, even fearing for my life, or maybe stuck in the midst of a great tragedy and in great sorrow. Of course there are other times as well when I have been in great joy, and on the cusp of or even enjoying great triumphs.

But then I realize that quite inconveniently, I really need to go to the bathroom. If I can put the book down, or pause the movie, and do my business quickly enough, I can often pick up where I left off, hardly feeling that I ever left at all.

Of course there are also those times, like when the train is pulling into the station and I have to get ready to get off, or maybe I have to leave for an appointment, or perhaps the book or movie has come to an end. In those latter times, the spell is almost immediately broken, as if my mind knows it cannot stay in the story and so it does not try. It is always a bit of a shock then, and I require a moment to adjust. I don’t want to leave, but I know I have to put the story aside and get on with real life for a bit.

Most would agree the story in the book or movie is not the real world. That the story world in the book and the story of my life are two different things. But one could also say that both stories are real. One may be a story within the other, but the latter story may just be a story within a larger story still. IDK, but I do enjoy experiencing the stories. They may make me sad, afraid, or horrified, but they also make me happy, brave, and joyful. They may not be “real” in the common sense of that word, but I don’t mind giving up a bit of my time from my “real” life to them, and I think it is overall a good trade, and I like to think that I turn a nice profit in the end.
.

[HITESH SHAH]

Originally Posted by SapphireBlue

"When you can understand that the “real” world and the “dream” world are all but one, you will be able to move through both worlds simultaneously.

This process is a journey, and the journey may not be an easy one.

...once you can train your subconscious mind to not differentiate between these two states of consciousness, you will begin to transform your mind from your current state of duality to non-duality.

Indeed its a journey . As JASG pointed out this is only possible when you love the world and the cosmic spirit that resides in it immensely. And only that love enables u to rise above the duality to piece the veil of duality and see/feel the underlying one-ness .

Originally Posted by SapphireBlue

Duality is the product of the mind, where the mind believes we are separate, that there exists a left and right, light and darkness, love and hate, peace and war, but actually, duality is an illusion of the subconscious mind.

Once we become aware of the non-existence of this separation, we can bring ourselves to the truth of eternal unity, or oneness".

It is also not something from mars and jupiter . It is something we experience day to day life as compulsion . When we sleep , we are no longer dual . We forget every aspect of life . We simply become one with life force and which takes away all our fatigue and worries and gives us new vigour and hope the next morning. So we really modulate between duality and non-duality without effort .

The goal is to experience such non-duality - duality modulation even when we are awake in a high frequency real time intense manner just the way life force does it .Of course we can never be equal with God in real terms . However when we try to emulate the powerful all-knowing God , we may feel better experience like hope , vigour , cheer , joy in our life which is self sustaining and ever increasing .

Again duality is not bad by itself . The duality that separates us and impacts our decision making in adverse manner is what is bad . Duality gives you the fun and excitement of a play . In fact many champions of non-duality are also duality champions in that their understand and grasp reality /duality is far deeper and real than any others. If u see all scientific achievements , you can find common thread among all that they loved their subjects immensely and became one with it and engrossed in it such a manner that they forget themselves . It is only then that reality reveals its secrets and we all get to know what we call sciences . And we owe a lot of gratitude to them for their perseverance and passion.

[psychoslice]

You cannot be anywhere but there, Wake Up !!......you sleepy head.

[alanantic]

I found this from Yogananda:

"Just as when you are half awake and can see a dream, and know you are dreaming, and yet are apart from it, that is how God feels this universe. On one side he is awake, and on another side he is dreaming this universe. And that is how you should look upon this world. Then you will know why he created it, and will not ascribe these dream conditions to your soul. If you pass through a nightmare, you know that is no more than a bad dream. If you can live in the world in that consciousness, you will not suffer.
You won't mind then, because you will know you are dreaming. Do not pay undue attention to the passing scenes of life. You are the immortal Self (Consciousness) living only temporarily in a dream that is sometimes (imagined) to be a nightmare. That is the higher philosophy (and truth) of the mystics." -- Yogananda

[snowyowl]

Hi @alanantic and welcome to the forum

It's a great quote, I'm not too familiar with Yogananda so it's good to be able to connect with other perspectives.

I do ponder on why God is doing all this dreaming, if indeed nirvana is such a blissful state and samsara so full of suffering. But then perhaps that's a dualistic thought itself, dividing it up into two states.

[Miss Hepburn]

More Paramahansa Yogananda, please.