Secular means non-religious or, not connected with any known religious sect or community.  While what I have come to understand as Truth is essentially similar to that spoken by the great Avatars (Jesus, Buddha & Krishna), it is nonetheless unconnected to the subsequent religious followings of those long past, realized beings.

The word “spiritual” has as many meanings as there are “spiritual aspirants”.  To many it simply means going to a meditation or perhaps a yoga class.  For others it’s the fact that they read books on the subject, no matter what the content.  What I am referring to is the state of being where one has made a commitment to being the best that he or she can be at all times and offers that as a gift to Divinity.  One’s life becomes a tribute to love and consciousness. It’s not about entities or mysteries; it is a simple, straightforward path. “The Practice of the Presence of God” by Brother Lawrence, a 17th century monk, describes a life totally devoted to the love of God. Brother Lawrence dedicated his every waking thought and act, as a gift to God.

Nonduality refers to the union of all things; a state where there is no separation.  When one opens their consciousness to the Field which is Divinity, the barriers dissolve and one experiences the Oneness of all things.  In that state there is no place where one ends and everything else begins.  Nonduality is without form, structure, limitation, thinking and predetermined beliefs.  It is the reality of the nonlinear, and the Newtonian laws of linearity do not apply here.  It would be like trying to see the far side of the moon with an earth based telescope before the invention of cameras.   You could speculate about its existence but you could not prove it.   You might even be able to journey there and bring back your observations, but without any tangible fruit (photographs) for your labors.

In Sanskrit, the language of the Hindu Tradition, Nonduality is expressed as Advaita {or Visistadvaita - Sanskrit “Nonduality of the Qualified”), one of the principal schools of Vedanta, an orthodox philosophy of India. The Sufis, the Islamic Mystics, certainly practice Nonduality, and Jesus taught that the Kingdom of Heaven is within you.  St Teresa of Avila the reformer of the Carmelite Order, practiced and taught Nonduality without using that name, and the Christian Mystic Meister Eckhart, who was prosecuted by the church, wrote about it as well.

Nisargadatta Maharaj, one of the few truly enlightened beings of the 20th century, talked about there being only one substance, and that the only difference between emptiness and form is that there is more of that substance packed into a smaller space.  So, the air around us, which most people see as empty, is merely very loosely-held substance; while the chair is densely packed substance, but it is all the same substance. The essence of the teachings of Ramana Maharshi, another fully enlightened master carried the same message.

The essence of Nonduality is reflected in the words of the great Avatars and those who followed. Although the language can at times be obscure they nonetheless all point in the same direction.

“Those who abandon all religion and take refuge in Me, the self the Lord of Illusion, will cross over the Illusion to Me”… The Bagavad Gita

“If the eye never sleeps, all dreams will naturally cease. If the mind makes no discriminations, the ten thousand things are of a single essence”… The Buddha

“When nothing drives or compels, when needs are ended and there is nothing to attract you, then everything is in its place. You are free”… Chuang Tzu (c. 300 BC, a mystical Taoist sage}

“Nonduality means without form, division, or limitation, such as time, locality, or metallization, including arbitrary linear presumptions.  Divinity is, by its innate ‘qualities’ omniscience, omnipresence, and omnipotence, and all evolves as the Unmanifest becoming Manifest as evolutionary creation.” …. “Within that which is perceived is the Unseen as the Source of All that Exists.”…David R. Hawkins, MD, PhD.

While I am by no means claiming to exist in a constant state of Nonduality, I do spend increasingly longer periods in that awareness, and even when driving, especially on open roads, opening the vision to peripheral and slip into contemplation; becoming more aware of the Presences of Divinity as the context within which consciousness resides. 

The events and private sessions which I attend/present are all expressions of Nonduality.  The book “The Struggle To Surrender: Love, Consciousness & The Quantum Field” has everything to do with Nonduality except calling it by name. The meditations (CD still in the works) that I guide are humble attempts to share the beautiful magnificence of the experience of the State of Nonduality. This article is simply to shed some light on what already is.

©2008 David Lowell – Permission is granted to forward, publish or otherwise distribute this article as long as this resource box is attached. David Lowell has been working with energy and healing for 30 years. His clients and students include people from all walks of life on 5 continents. He is the author of “The Struggle to Surrender: Love, Consciousness & The Quantum Field” and publishes “Perspectives” an irregular free Ezine. To see more articles by David and find out about his work go to => http://davidlowell.com/1home.html