Re: Dharma and non duality
Posted: Thu Nov 18, 2021 9:10 pm
I'd be interested in discussion of how the study of Tantra / dharma / non-duality changed your practice or experience spirituality.
I came at non-dual Tantra in a backwards fashion. Started yoga because stretching, with zero spiritual intent or experience. Practice changed me anyway - less rigid, more patient, etc. That lead to a more philosophical interest. Since western yoga is mostly grounded in a dualistic framework, I headed down that path. It felt emergent and explained the changes I was experiencing.
At some point, rolling around on the floor for 5-10 hours a week began to feel like a questionable use of time. My body also started to reject it. I happened upon the non-dual perspective around then, initially via a yoga podcast. That lead me to a book called "Tantra Illuminated", which showed how the non-dual perspective wraps the dual. Made sense and more fully explained my experience.
The net impact was a reduced inclination to escape into altered states of mind. I spent less time on a yoga mat. I'd like to say I used that time to bring my spiritual practice further into real life, but no. All the change I did experience seemed emergent from the practice itself - moving, breathing, and sitting (ideally in community!). It seemed independent of the philosophy. I have been able to keep it, with occasional check-ins to the physical practices.
Overall - I'm less of an asshole and feel a little better in general. Nothing dramatic, but I value the change.
I did explore Buddhist tantra at a cursory level - an introductory book and 8 week meditation class. The god is nothing vs. god is everything dichotomy seemed to conflict with what I had learned in yoga. It felt like a "pick one" scenario. But, the "what do I do about it?" seemed similar in both cases. So, I've found myself much more interested in "how do you experience what you do?" than philosophical debates of "what do you think?"
I came at non-dual Tantra in a backwards fashion. Started yoga because stretching, with zero spiritual intent or experience. Practice changed me anyway - less rigid, more patient, etc. That lead to a more philosophical interest. Since western yoga is mostly grounded in a dualistic framework, I headed down that path. It felt emergent and explained the changes I was experiencing.
At some point, rolling around on the floor for 5-10 hours a week began to feel like a questionable use of time. My body also started to reject it. I happened upon the non-dual perspective around then, initially via a yoga podcast. That lead me to a book called "Tantra Illuminated", which showed how the non-dual perspective wraps the dual. Made sense and more fully explained my experience.
The net impact was a reduced inclination to escape into altered states of mind. I spent less time on a yoga mat. I'd like to say I used that time to bring my spiritual practice further into real life, but no. All the change I did experience seemed emergent from the practice itself - moving, breathing, and sitting (ideally in community!). It seemed independent of the philosophy. I have been able to keep it, with occasional check-ins to the physical practices.
Overall - I'm less of an asshole and feel a little better in general. Nothing dramatic, but I value the change.
I did explore Buddhist tantra at a cursory level - an introductory book and 8 week meditation class. The god is nothing vs. god is everything dichotomy seemed to conflict with what I had learned in yoga. It felt like a "pick one" scenario. But, the "what do I do about it?" seemed similar in both cases. So, I've found myself much more interested in "how do you experience what you do?" than philosophical debates of "what do you think?"