5 Non-Dual Everyday Practises. · Shangriballa

5 Non-Dual Everyday Practises.

I've put together five practical ways you can start practicing non-duality today. It's about shifting your attention from the stories in your head to the raw, immediate experience.

1. Melt the Observer and the Observed (Chores as Practice).

Think about doing the dishes or folding laundry. Usually, your mind says, "I am doing this boring thing." That's the split: I (the subject/doer) and dishes (the object/done).

* The Shift: Try to drop the "I" label. Don't do the dishes; just let the experience of washing happen. Notice the warm water on your hands, the rough texture of the sponge, the squeak of clean glass. The sound, the sensation, the movement—it’s all just one unbroken experience. The washing is what you are right now.

* The Payoff: When you really pay attention, the boring chore becomes vivid. You stop resisting the moment, and that’s a direct taste of non-duality.

2. Question Your Reactions (The 'Who is Annoyed?' Inquiry)

Life throws curveballs, right? Maybe a driver cuts you off, or a coworker annoys you. The dualistic mind immediately yells, "They are bad, and I am right."

* The Shift: When a strong emotion hits, don't follow the story. Just pause and ask, "Where is the center of this anger?" or "Who is feeling this annoyance?" Look for the solid, separate I that is getting upset.

* The Payoff: You'll find that the "I" is elusive. It's not a thing you can grab, just a fleeting bundle of thoughts and sensations. The anger or annoyance is simply an event arising in a vast field of awareness, just like the sound of the car horn. See it as an event, not a personal attack. This process of self-inquiry is one of the quickest ways to see through the illusion of the separate self.

3. Drop the Judge (Accepting the Unacceptable)

We're all walking, talking critics. We label everything: "This feeling is bad," "This weather is terrible," "That thought is stupid." This is the essence of duality: good/bad, right/wrong, self/other.

* The Shift: Practice radical acceptance. Let everything be as it is. When a "bad" feeling like sadness or restlessness appears, don't try to fix it, judge it, or push it away. Just let it be. It's just energy moving.

* The Payoff: When you stop fighting the reality of the moment, you realize the space that holds the "good" and the "bad" is the same. It's just awareness, wide open and unbothered. It's like the sky effortlessly holding both sunny days and stormy clouds.

4. See the Interconnectedness in the Mundane (Everything is Borrowed)

This one is a little deeper. We tend to see our body and mind as mine, separate from everything else.

* The Shift: Take a moment to look at an object, maybe a coffee mug. Trace its existence backward. The clay came from the earth. The energy to fire it came from the sun (via electricity/gas). The water you drink is ancient. Your breath is the shared air. You are utterly dependent on everything outside you.

* The Payoff: When you see that your very existence is a constant exchange with the whole universe—that you're not an island, but a temporary wave on a huge ocean—the sense of separation lessens. You realize there is no you that can exist alone.

5. Rest as Awareness (A Quick Stop Sign)

The mind is a relentless narrator. It keeps running a dialogue about what happened and what's next. This narrative is what creates the "me."

* The Shift: Throughout your day, set an alarm or just randomly stop for ten seconds. When you stop, don't look at anything or think about anything. Simply rest in the knowing itself. Notice the light, the sounds, the feeling of the chair—all appearing in a silent, effortless awareness.

* The Payoff: This practice reminds you that the background of all your experience is not you the character, but pure, empty awareness. It's a quick reset, a moment where the play stops and you see the whole stage. You realize you are this awareness, not the things it's aware of.

These practices aren't about achieving some magical state; they're about recognizing what's already here, which is the profound reality that everything is one. Give one of these a try today, and don't worry if you forget or feel like you're doing it "wrong." We're all just fumbling our way toward clarity. Peace ✌️

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