There is no higher teaching than non-duality, because in one stroke it informs us about the nature of self, others, and the world in which we live. It is a formula that opens up a fountain of understanding.
It teaches us that our essential nature is not different from the essential nature of anything that we perceive. In other words, Oneness is the truth of reality.
Though nothing could be more simple, it is not easy to grasp at first. Or rather, it can be easily grasped in an intellectual sense, but making it a living reality that has the power to transform your personality is still a challenge.
In my studies of non-duality I came across a book entitled The Lost Writings of Wu Hsin, which the modern author Roy Melvyn presented as a translation of an ancient Chinese sage, said to have lived during the Warring States Period (roughly 403–221 BCE), about a hundred years after Confucius. His name literally translates to “No-Mind.” However, there is significant evidence and consensus among scholars that Wu Hsin is a fictional character. Melvyn framed himself as the “translator” of ancient texts of Wu Hsin, but no historical record of Wu Hsin exists, and no original Chinese manuscripts have ever been produced.
Regardless of the source of this material, The Lost Writings of Wu Hsin is worthy of contemplation. Below I have copied some of the content from the book, with commentary.
The inherent nature of mind is to process thought.
To attempt the cessation of thought goes against what is natural.
The goal, therefore, is not the cessation of thought.
The goal is cessation of identification with thought.
Commentary: This frames the issue that every meditator faces when trying to quiet the mind. The thinking mind is clearly an obstacle, but how to deal with thoughts? Having the thought “I must quiet the mind” is itself a thought. However, the Witness—the real You—is prior to thought. Recognizing that the thoughts are not “you” and allowing yourself to be a passive observer of them is the key to realizing the real You, eventually allowing the mind to naturally settle into its own quietness.
The end of questioning is the same as the end of seeking.
Further and further explanations do not provide that which is sought.
Additional information does not provide that which is sought.
Drop these activities and rest in what is prior to all mental activity: Awareness.
Commentary: The spiritual neophyte has many questions. This is natural, as one must have an intellectual understanding of practices and the goal. However, questions and answers alone will not take you where you want to go. You must go within and learn to find and absorb yourself in the presence of your real Self; in doing so, you will find that the “need” for answers dissolves as the seeker itself disappears into the Source.
When here becomes everywhere and
Now becomes always,
Then One has succeeded.
and…
Chasing after the things one yearns for
Is inferior to chasing after the source of the yearning.
Commentary: The mind is always projecting into the future, assuming that external experiences are necessary for happiness. There is a persistent feeling of incompleteness—a void that needs to be filled. However, all fulfillment is contained within the Self. Once you realize that the source of the yearning is the Self itself, the outward chasing comes to an end. On an absolute level, there is nothing that must be done or experienced to be “more” than what you already are.
What has been clung to as myself
Disappears in the course of time.
Yet, what has been steady throughout
Is overlooked.
and…
There is no forest,
There is no cave,
There is no mountaintop
Where one can hide
From oneself.
Commentary: What we normally think of as ourselves—our bodies, thoughts, and emotions—are constantly changing and are not who we are. Our true Self is the Consciousness that remains the constant and unchanging Witness. It is so obvious that it is easily missed, but the delusion that consciousness is merely a byproduct of the brain is the source of tremendous confusion. You cannot hide from yourself because you are the very ground upon which all experience happens.
What begins as a crack
Becomes a window
Then a door
Until the entire structure vanishes.
Wu Hsin call this
The unfolding of awareness.
Commentary: Deep-seated ignorance is rarely overcome in a single flash. It takes time for cracks to form in the conceptual structure of the ego and for light to enter. Even then, it takes patience for the entire structure to come tumbling down. Still, even while the walls are standing, we can experience powerful glimpses of the light through those openings, until finally, there is no “inside” or “outside” left.
