Non duality or oneness is the sense of the experience of intimacy with all things and connection to the universe as a whole. In this experience, the feeling of being a beholder or witness of things vanishes to make you feel yourself to be whatever thing you are beholding.

For instance, you don’t see a mountain, but you are the mountain. Or, you don’t hear the song of a bird, but you are the song. The experiences are no longer viewed as separate or as an object. But, that doesn’t mean you stop experiencing it altogether.

This pure experience without an object or subject and a doer of the action is the essence of non-duality.

How to Have an Experience of Oneness?

Let’s take the instance of two pots. There are two pots of different sizes and shapes made of clay. You can see the pots in reality in two different sizes or dualities, yet they are made of clay. The essence or origination is the same, and the pots will not exist without the clay, for they are dependent on it.

Yet what we see are the pots in distinct shapes, sizes, or colors but overlook the clay, which is its essence. The pot can take various forms, but the clay is just the same at all times. The pot and the clay are one thing but viewed differently. Similarly, consider the essence of the clay, it’s possible that you and the clay and ultimately you and the pot are also one thing.

The truth of non-dual consciousness or oneness of being is often hidden or difficult to experience. However, in reality, it is simple and available at every moment. It is the natural state of being, which is at the subtlest level of everything – ‘That Art Thou’ or ‘Tat TvamAsi.’

Several non duality philosophies have stated that non-dual awareness is the root of human awareness and is available waiting to be discovered if only one takes the path toward it. It’s possible to do special meditation practices to reveal this state of awareness. In some cases, people can experience their already-existing non-dual awareness by having it pointed out to get an initial sense of it.

The Awakening of Non Duality

The basic premise of awakening is non duality and can also be called enlightenment, liberation, realization, divine union. For most, this awakening process can take an entire lifetime of practice growing deeper and broader with wider experiences.

In Indian religion, especially, non-dual awakening is considered to be the path towards ultimate salvation. Experiencing non-duality is, luckily, not all that difficult to achieve. After invoking the first experience, it becomes a deepening process and broadening your awakening to all areas of life.

Practice of Non-Duality

The way of self-knowledge and self-inquiry is the best way to practice this awakening:

  1. Meditation

A central approach to heighten your non-dual awareness is meditation daily at a chosen time. In its initial stages, meditation is done as an exercise for concentration and relaxation, replacing unpleasant thoughts with consciously chosen expressions of a profound reality. With further practice, the mind is brought to voluntary stillness to discover your true self or consciousness.

  1. Study and Reflection

In addition to meditation, one must also devote time each day to study and reflect in order to dedicatedly think about the theory of non-duality. When you take the time to sit down and reflect, remove your ego, and think about the present experience. It’s essential to listen to the teachings, reflect and contemplate so that you can take small steps towards the path of non-duality.

  1. Other Practices

We can learn to live consciously with practice and remember the basic ideal at all times. Exercises such as repeating a keyword or phrase, physical exercises, Yoga, and even specific visualizations can enrich the non-dual experience.

  1. Imbibing Good Qualities and Life Skills

You can strengthen your awareness and meditation practices by consciously developing certain qualities and skills for greater progress. These include self-examination, detachment, developing helpful qualities, practicing the right way of doing things, and other essential virtues of patience, tolerance, honesty, kindness, and truthfulness.

Non duality is not something mysterious or only practiced by sages, mystics, or mountain-dwellers. It is an innate human awareness that reveals itself only when you seek it. Free from any complexities, divisions, or abstraction, it’s all about pure consciousness and allowing the experience to unfold its true self. Non-dual awareness helps to put you on the right path towards inward and outward peace for the good of all.