Moving Out of Duality

Planet Earth is a dimension of duality. Cold/hot, good/bad, light/dark, despot/saint, lazy/motivated, anxious/calm, angry/serene, night/day, right/wrong, and on and on. The opposites are endless and we tend to live our lives in these opposites, which are often aspects of the personality, the mind we have developed throughout our lives.

Many of us are on an awakening journey – awakening to the consciousness we really are, over and above whatever or whoever the mind may think we are. We can catch ourselves thinking thoughts that we recognize are learned thoughts or brain tracks and we can observe our thinking, at least occasionally, if not all the time.

The Work

I was reflecting recently upon Byron Katie’s ‘The Work’. This is such a powerful way to challenge long-held beliefs. I highly recommend it – www.thework.com. There is a worksheet on the site called ‘Judge Your Neighbor’ that you can download and get going. The process is deceptively simple and so very effective. You do it, one thought/belief at a time.

The fourth step of this work has you imagine who you would be if you didn’t think that thought. This can bring great freedom from the prison your mind as you contemplate the world without that belief.

I Am Not Enough

E.g. – “I am not enough” is a pretty universal core belief for many of us. When you sit and contemplate your world if you didn’t think the thought “I am not enough”, a space opens up. The space isn’t for saying the opposite of that belief – “I am enough” which is what the mind tends to do naturally. That too is just a thought that you could also challenge, although it feels a whole lot better than the first thought. Rather the space that opens up can be for simply being in the awareness that you are free – free of either thought – you ‘just are’. You can sit in that awareness and let it soak through your whole  being. And then, after a bit, take a look around at your world from the awareness that “I am not enough” and “I am enough” are both just thoughts. Neither are who you really are.

You end up with “I am” – with no descriptor.

Freedom from Duality

To really soak in this knowing can be one of the most freeing things you can do for yourself. You are then, in fact, rising above the duality consciousness of planet earth into the oneness consciousness of Life Itself.

Another example is thoughts you may have about a particular person or situation. This is how Byron Katie has you begin ‘The Work’. No matter how judgemental those thoughts may be, acknowledging them by getting them out onto paper using Byron Katie’s worksheet begins the healing process. So you investigate how true those thoughts really are and how they affect your life, your body, your mind and then you stop and sit in awareness of how life and your relationship with that person or situation would be if you simply didn’t think those thoughts.

Who am I if I don’t think ‘x’ is wrong?
Who am I if I don’t think ‘x’ is right?

Who am I if I don’t think I ‘should/shouldn’t’?
Who am I if I don’t think he/she/they should/shouldn’t?
Who am I if I don’t think … ?

Even better, “Who am I if I don’t think”?

I have discovered a whole new world of compassion, love and acceptance arising from this technique which changes the world I see and experience, and which feels so much better than all that horrible, judgmental, duality thinking.