Jiaoshi Andrea
What Non-Duality IS and Why We ARE Not ENLIGHTENED?
When we embark on a spiritual journey, we all look for this "mysterious state" called enlightenment. In the beginning, we idealize this state coloring it with our personal ideas of what this state might be about. With time and deeper investigation, we might come to the truthful conclusion that enlightenment is not the product of "doing" and acquiring knowledge. It is rather a process of undoing that leads to this natural state of the human being, which is our true nature.
Once, the Buddha was asked about the roots of confusion and enlightenment. He replied that these 2 states exist from a time with no beginning. They have always been there, and they are both present at any given moment. This is an encouraging truth for the spiritual seeker. Because with the correct investigation and tools, spiritual enlightenment is something within our reach, that can be realized within our lifetime.
It is important to look at the causes of our actual human unawakened condition to understand, even intellectually at the beginning, another way of operating and experiencing life. Bearing in mind that we are talking about a state that cannot be explained in words but rather experienced. However, it is essential and vital to explore an intellectual explanation that can make us see where the main obstacles are, which prevent us to experience a state of freedom.
WE ARE THE PROBLEM/OBSTACLE" which is preventing us from living a state of freedom and clarity in our lives, and recognizing our ever-present ENLIGHTENED STATE! I know that it can be hard to hear it. However, our personal conditionings and ideas represent a distorted filter through which we are experiencing life. This is what is referred to as IGNORANCE or an UNAWAKENED STATE.
Recognizing first our human condition and challenging our limitations are key elements to exploring another way of being human. Nonduality systems paired with Nei Qi Gong can provide great results in this endeavor. Because while intellectual investigation can help us remove our mental limitations, the practice of Nei Qi Gong can introduce us experientially to the non-ordinary state that we call enlightenment, allowing also an energetic unification with the field of life.
The path of growing toward our enlightened nature is a process similar to "opening doors and leaving them open". And this process can be applied to a physical, emotional, mental, and energetic level of ourselves In fact, our true nature is similar to empty space. In this empty space, thoughts appear and we identify with them. From certain thoughts, specific emotions are created. From those emotions spring our actions in life. This is a very simple way of looking at who we are and how we operate in our daily lives.
It is very easy to understand the impact that actions driven by bad thoughts and emotions can have in our lives, turning into hell or paradise in our human experience. In the Buddhist tradition, the concept of emptiness is very important. Before we said that our real essence is similar to the empty space. if we would not identify with the movement of thought, thoughts will naturally disappear, and "we" will go naturally back to the empty nature of our consciousness, which is who we truly are.