Oakville Zen Meditation
We are receiving great educative comments from our members following our weekly Dharma talks (teaching). Many thanks to the senders: there interests and inputs will greatly enhance the quality of the teaching. Zen teaching is everything but dogmatic and will always benefit from anyone's comment. Feel free to contribute.
October 2015: the question from Lorraine was
Please define "dualistic" or "non-dualistic" with respect to the Buddhist philosophy. Thank you.
Reply from Arnaud
Non-dualistic state encompasses the whole universe as a Single Existence . Whatever exist in it are the constituents of a Single Unity. The seeker experience this reality when he drops his mind and dilutes his entity into nothingness. Now he is home.
Before it, a seeker is more or less at gross body level, and lives in a dualistic state
If we go beyond the meaning of word, dual and non-dual, and get to the reality of its esoteric side of it, mid is a barrier which is well illustrated in zen story of the bull. Our mind is trained to see two opposites/two polarities. It clings to either happiness or worries, either to friendship or to enmity, either to losing or gaining something. This is an illusion of mind because our consciousness is in slumber. Through dharma talk and meditation it expands and only then the bull (mind) is tamed.
Comment from Caryl Verma
I think that dualistic means that the Higher Consciousness is out side of ourselves Whereas non-dualism means that there is no separation between our consciousness and the Higher One. Our consciousness lies within It
Non-dualistic state is experienced only with dropping of mind. It encompasses whole universe as a single Existence and all the constituents of universe are just one Existence. With dropping of mind and diluting of one's entity into nothingness, the seeker becomes seer and the Ultimate/truth reveals on him/her----, and meditation/dhiyana is the path.
Seeker in his journey until he reaches the state of liberation/moksha, he is in a gross body state, a dualistic state. He lives in a psychological state of oneness but transformation/explosion has yet to be happened.
Second comment from Jaffer
If we go beyond the meaning of word, dual and non-dual, and get to the reality of its esoteric side of it, mid is a barrier which is well illustrated in zen story of the bull. Our mind is trained to see two opposites/two polarities. It clings to either happiness or worries, either to friendship or to enmity, either to losing or gaining something. This is an illusion of mind because our consciousness is in slumber. Through dharma talk and meditation it expands and only then the bull (mind) is tamed.
Comment from Sheila:
So as I see it, then - understanding dualism means the ability to see black and white - and various shades of grey. As well, to realize that everything is relative.
And...it is easy to say, but to do takes much practice.