An Extraordinary Absence

1. Liberation is not an event, but the falling away of the seeker

"Liberation is not an event that happens in time. Liberation is the falling away of the person who is waiting for that event!"

The end of seeking. Liberation is not something to be achieved or experienced by an individual. It is the dissolution of the very notion of a separate self that could attain or experience anything. This realization cannot be grasped by the mind or made into a future goal.

Always already here. What we're seeking is already present, but overlooked in our search for something more. The freedom we long for is not found in a special state or experience, but in the simple recognition of what is always here.

Beyond understanding. True liberation cannot be understood intellectually. It is a falling away of all concepts, beliefs, and ideas about who we are and what reality is. It's a direct recognition of our true nature beyond thought.

2. There is no separate self, only the present appearance of life

"Life is not happening to anyone or for anyone – it's just happening. It's happening for no-one."

Absence of a center. There is no separate, solid entity at the center of experience. There is only the flow of life, appearing as thoughts, sensations, perceptions, and experiences, but without a central experiencer.

Spontaneous functioning. Without a separate self, life continues to function effortlessly. Breathing happens, thoughts arise, actions occur, but there's no one doing them. It's a spontaneous, natural unfolding.

• No doer of actions
• No thinker of thoughts
• No experiencer of experiences

Intimacy with all. In the absence of a separate self, there's a profound intimacy with all of life. There's no barrier between "inside" and "outside," just the seamless flow of experience.

3. Suffering arises from the belief in separation and the search for completeness

"At the root of all the seeking of a lifetime is a sense of not being whole. Of being incomplete. Fragmented. Lost. Alienated. Homesick."

The core illusion. The belief in being a separate self creates a sense of lack and incompleteness. This fuels an endless search for fulfillment, whether through material or spiritual means.

Perpetual dissatisfaction. As long as we believe we are separate entities, there will always be a sense that something is missing. We continually seek experiences, achievements, or states to fill this perceived void.

The end of seeking. True liberation comes when we recognize that there was never anything missing in the first place. The sense of lack dissolves along with the illusory separate self.

4. The spiritual search often reinforces the illusion of a separate self

"The spiritual search was always rooted in a rejection of the present. The search of a lifetime was always a movement away from what is."

Subtle ego trap. Many spiritual practices and teachings, while well-intentioned, can actually reinforce the sense of being a separate self that needs to attain something.

Future orientation. The spiritual search often focuses on future attainment, overlooking the completeness of the present moment. This perpetuates the illusion of time and separation.

Recognizing the trap. True nonduality points to the recognition that even the spiritual seeker is an appearance within awareness, not a separate entity that can attain enlightenment.

5. True freedom is found in the ordinary, not in extraordinary experiences

"The whole thing comes to an end when you see that sitting on the toilet, or making a cup of tea, or taking a walk in the rain, is the most spiritual thing of all."

Sacredness of the ordinary. Liberation reveals that everyday experiences are inherently complete and sacred. There's no need to seek special states or transcendent experiences.

End of rejection. When we stop rejecting the ordinary in favor of the extraordinary, we discover the profound wonder hidden in plain sight.

Embracing simplicity. True freedom is found in the simple acts of daily life, free from the need to make them into something special or significant.

6. Presence is not something to achieve, but what remains when the seeker dissolves

"You will never be fully present. If you were fully present, you would be destroyed. 'You' and presence cannot coexist."

Beyond the practitioner. Presence is not a state to be cultivated by a separate self. It is what remains when the illusory self dissolves.

Always already here. Presence is the ever-present background of all experience, not something to be attained in the future.

End of effort. True presence is effortless. It's not about trying to be more present, but recognizing the presence that is always already here.

7. Compassion naturally arises from the recognition of non-separation

"This is the essence of compassion: that we are not two, that your pain is my pain, that your suffering is my suffering."

Beyond moral imperatives. True compassion is not based on should or ought, but arises naturally from the recognition of our shared being.

Spontaneous action. When there's no separate self, there's no barrier to compassionate action. Help flows naturally where it's needed, without a sense of doership.

Embracing all. Compassion in nonduality includes all experiences, even those typically labeled as negative. There's no rejection of any aspect of life.

8. Death is not to be feared, but a return to the wholeness we never left

"Nobody has ever died. Right now, there is only presence."

Beyond birth and death. What we truly are was never born and never dies. Death is only the end of the illusion of separateness.

Embracing impermanence. Recognizing the transient nature of all phenomena allows for a more open and fearless relationship with life and death.

Living fully. Understanding death as an illusion frees us to live more fully in each moment, knowing that this is always our "last day."

9. Pain and emotions are allowed to be as they are in liberation

"Liberation is very raw. There is nobody here who could block anything out, who could reject any aspect of experience."

End of resistance. In liberation, there's no longer a separate self trying to avoid or change painful experiences. Everything is allowed to be as it is.

Transient nature revealed. Without a self clinging to experiences, emotions and sensations are seen as fleeting appearances in awareness.

Intimacy with all experience. There's a profound openness to all aspects of life, including those typically labeled as negative or painful.

10. The guru-disciple relationship perpetuates the illusion of separation

"A guru is someone who seriously believes that they can help you in your search for enlightenment or awakening. How ridiculous."

Seeing through roles. The belief in separate teachers and students reinforces the illusion of separation. In reality, there are no enlightened people.

End of authority. True nonduality points to the recognition that no one can give you what you already are. External authority becomes irrelevant.

Sharing, not teaching. Genuine communication about nonduality is a sharing between equals, not a transmission from one who knows to one who doesn't.

11. Nonduality is not detachment from life, but a full embrace of form and emptiness

"Form is emptiness and the very emptiness is form; emptiness does not differ from form, form does not differ from emptiness; whatever is form, that is emptiness, whatever is emptiness, that is form."

Beyond opposites. True nonduality transcends the false dichotomy between form and emptiness, relative and absolute, worldly and spiritual.

Full engagement. Liberation is not about detachment from life, but a full embrace of all experience without a separate self at the center.

Dance of existence. Nonduality recognizes the inseparable play of form and emptiness, the relative and the absolute, as the very nature of existence.

Last updated: November 18, 2024