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#4317 - Friday, July 22, 2011 - Editor: Jerry Katz

The Nonduality Highlights - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NDhighlights

I was interviewed on Non-Duality America. Publisher Matthew King did a beautiful editing job and took the time to insert lots of links to many references that I made, as well as photos that he took the time to locate.  Please read the interview here:

http://nondualityamerica.wordpress.com/2011/07/23/jerry-katz-on-the-ever-expanding-world-of-nonduality/

Here is an excerpt:

Tell us your view about the “ever-expanding” world of nonduality.

The world of Nonduality is always changing, and by the world of nonduality I mean any and all activity around nonduality — the people, the perspectives, every expression of nonduality, and the way information is delivered. These make up the landscape of nonduality.

Nonduality itself doesn’t change. It doesn’t even exist since the word means “not two.” Who, then, is there to see nonduality? Nonduality is exactly what we are. It is so intimately what we are that it cannot be seen.. Anything said about nonduality is nonduality at play and play is the dualizing nature of nonduality or consciousness.

The world of nonduality is to be approached, received, and delivered seriously but not to be taken seriously. “Done seriously, not taken seriously,” much as you would hold a door open for someone in a lucid dream (the person doesn’t exist, the door doesn’t exist, the building doesn’t exist, and since you are dreaming lucidly, you know you are sleeping in bed rather than a person walking into a building). The non-existent dream character holds the non-existent door open for the non-existent person out of the integrity of the act, because of the respect for the apparent forms. In the same way, waking life and the forms upon the landscape of nonduality may be approached.

I encourage people to play with the landscape of nonduality. Start Facebook groups, in-person meetings, write books, write emails, write blogs and don’t feel you have to incorporate the current crop of nonduality teachers into your world. Find people and subjects that interest you and show us how they express the teaching of nonduality. Maybe your subjects are carpenters, hikers, bricklayers, parents, watch makers, who knows? Create your world and in that way the world of nonduality will keep expanding.

~ ~ ~

Here are other questions asked:

The landscape of the ND “movement” has apparently changed over the years, what do you attribute this too and can you throw out some general observations please.

I read a quote somewhere that author/teacher Scott Kiloby called you “the forefather of modern, internet nonduality” — how does that sit with you? I thought that was pretty cool and applicable!

How does the Eastern Vs Western nondual perspective/viewpoints compare these days? It appears America still loves it’s McDonald’s “fast-food” versions.

How can we promote the message of nonduality in a responsible way? For some there is “much to do”, of course, for others  — there is “nothing” to do.

*I see that you were invited to speak at the recent Paradoxica Nondual Psychology Conference. Tell us about that please.

Also you were at the Science and Nonduality (SAND) conferences in California. I’ve heard both positive and negative comments about folks’ experience there [mostly positive]. Is this the right type of environment and or time for this?

Will these types of gatherings ever make their way to mainstream America? Meetings, retreats and Satsang events seem to always take please in the usual spiritual hotbeds in the U.S.

Is “non-duality” a good word, definition and or tag for this movement? It is unique and hard to tag and or classify, since it resides outside of religion(s), New Age movement, self-help industry etc.

How do you see this same flowering of expression in say the next 10 – 20 years?

Is the traditional Satsang model helping more folks and or just extending the obvious/inherent clichés that this model represents? I respect the tradition, but I am not a fan of sitting in a room with a bunch of folks and or listening to someone speak on a pedestal with flowers sitting all around them!  

Do you think that some “seekers” out there mistakenly make THIS [attending countless meetings/retreats/intensives/buying lots of books] their full-time occupation?

We are definitely living in some amazing [yet strange] times, how can the message of nonduality help most folks? And does this message have the capacity to reach those on a global scale? If so — what will it take to get it there? It seems like most teachers and or authors are oftentimes focused on helping individuals or small groups perhaps.

http://nondualityamerica.wordpress.com/2011/07/23/jerry-katz-on-the-ever-expanding-world-of-nonduality/

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