Practical Nonduality

Perhaps one of the hardest things about life during stressful times is that it can feel like there are few choices and lots of decisions.

What's the difference?  

"Decision" comes from root words that mean "to cut" or to cut off, while "Choice" refers to making a "free selection".

When times are stressful and chaotic, our human brains want to think of the answer FAST, because it feels like fast answers are how we'll survive.

But the "fast thinking" part of our brains is made up of shortcuts, and some of those are cognitive biases that can skew our perception - making it less complete.

One of these common biases is called a "false binary", in which we tend to divide the world up into a set of opposites.  These are things like Good vs Evil, Tribe vs Others, and decisions which seem like it's "one way or the other".

The truth of most matters is that there's an incredible amount of nuance in between the binaries we construct, but it takes a relaxed, open, and empathetic mind to perceive them.

This is where meditation comes in.  There's a lot of sophistry out there about what "nonduality" means, and what it doesn't mean (note the binary there), but for our purposes, this meditation on "nonduality" will be one where we let the mind pause from toggling between false dichotomies and come to a state of rest.

Surprisingly, it is often when we let go of our struggle to make the right decision, that our innate capacity for insight, intuition, and creativity can open up, and we can discern a potent choice.

It's definitely worth your while to invest some time in receiving meditation instruction, but the simplest method is this: choose to step back from the constant weighing of unsatisfactory choices and find the peace that's already waiting for you when you do.  This can provide us the wholeness we crave when the world around us seems fractured, and in the best case scenario we can come to clearly see our path forward. 

A great place to learn this very type of meditation is our upcoming Daoist Qigong and Meditation Retreat - happening Sept 24-26th.  We'll be learning practices that re-set the body toward innate ease through movement, breathing patterns to downshift the mind, and meditative foci to balance the heart.  This three day retreat is happening ONLINE this year, so you can join from the comfort of your own home or retreat cabin, and our aim is to help you find the rest we all need right now!

find out more: https://templestyle.mykajabi.com/daoist-retreat