Seeing Through Eyes of Nondualism

Prayer of Compassion

Lord, open our eyes,
that we may see you in our brothers
and sisters.

Lord, open our ears,
that we may hear the cries of the
hungry, the cold, the frightened, the
oppressed.

Lord, open our hearts,
that we may love each other as you love us.
Renew in us your spirit.
Lord, free us and make us one.

Amen

Source: St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta

"SEEING THROUGH EYES OF NONDUAL CONSCIOUSNESS"

“Stop judging that you may not be judged. For as you judge, so will you be judged, and the measure with which you meas-ure will be measured out to you. Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye?.... You hypocrite, remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter from your brother’s eye.” [Mt. 7:1-3, 5]

Who do you see when you look at a stranger?

Many of our disputes today are caused by the way we see or don’t see reality. If we are honest with ourselves, most of us tend to see reality dualistically, where we are the center and everyone and everything else is an “object” separate from us. The dualistic mind is binary “either/or” thinking. It judges everyone, and everything by comparison and differentiation from it-self. The standard for these judgments is our egocentric minds.

A dualistic mind is necessary at times to function in our daily life where we are required to make distinctions and judgments necessary to perform practical tasks like driving a car, following a recipe, or a doctor diagnosing a medical condition or performing surgery. However, the dualistic mind has difficulty in perceiving wholeness and processing realities such as God, mystery, unity, love, grace, truth, beauty, eternity, death, suffering, the meaning of life, and so on, which require openness, awareness, and a nondual mind or consciousness.

Nondual consciousness is a much more holistic knowing, where your mind, heart, soul, and senses are open and receptive to the moment just as it is, which allows you to love things in themselves and as themselves.…[it] is a panoramic, receptive aware-ness whereby you take in all that the situation, the moment, the event offers, without judging, eliminating, or labeling anything up or down, good or bad. It is a pure and positive gaze, unattached to outcome or critique….. Nondual consciousness is about receiving and being present to the moment, to the now, without judgment, analysis, or critique, without your ego deciding whether you like it or not. Reality does not need you to like it in order to be reality. (Fr. Richard Rohr OFM, CAC Daily Meditations, January 30, 2017).

Look at another person just as they are, without any comparison or judgment. Who do you see? Another human being unconditionally loved by God, just like you, warts and all.

Nondual consciousness lived in the awareness of the present moment can lead us through God’s grace to the ground of all being—to the Spirit that dwells within each of us—uniting us to God’s love and to one another. When we see with nondual consciousness, we are in the “mind of Christ” (1 Cor. 2:16), living in unity of purpose through God’s love, and trusting together in the power of the Holy Spirit. We can begin with one anoth-er to realize and experience God’s Way of love, joy, peace, justice, compassion, mercy, forgiveness, healing, and salvation now and in each ensuing moment.

VIDEOS

Where Do Christianity and Nonduality Meet?" (Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM)

"Contemplative Life and Relationship with God" (Fr. Thomas Keating)

"Contemplation and Compassion" (Rev. Cynthia Bourgeault, Ph.D.)

"Christian Non-Duality and Unity Consciousness" (Fr. Thomas Keating)

"Christianity and Unknowing" (Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM)

"The Five Levels of Consciousness and Centering Prayer" (Fr. Thomas Keating)

"Non-Dualism and Thomas Merton" (Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM)

"Unitive Consciousness" (James Finley, Ph.D.)

MUSIC

"Lord I Need You"

"Come Holy Spirit, I Need You"

"Holy Darkness"

OTHER RESOURCES

"The Dualistic Mind" (Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM)

"Contemplative Consciousness" (Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM)

"One with God" (Rev. Cynthia Bourgeault, Ph.D.)

"Rewiring Our Brains" (Rev. Cynthia Bourgeault, Ph.D.)

"Non-Dual Consciousness" (CAC)

"Overtaken by Oceanic Oneness" (James Finley, Ph.D.)

"Unitive Consciousness" (Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM)

"Christian Non-Duality - A Q&A with Cynthia Bourgeault"

"Other Resources on Catholic Social Teaching"

REFLECT ON YOUR EXPERIENCE

To help us to begin to open ourselves to an aware-ness to what is, without judging, practice sitting in a chair in a quiet place for a few minutes with your eyes closed. Concentrate on breathing slowly in and out. As thoughts arise, just let them go and rest in the peace of God’s presence.

What prevents you from doing it?

We encourage and invite you to  spend time to reflect, pray, and write in your journal about what you have read, seen, heard, or experienced this week. You can find some questions you may wish to consider here.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, in now, and ever shall be.
Amen.