My brain is only a receiver, in the Universe there is a core from which we obtain knowledge, strength and inspiration. I have not penetrated into the secrets of this core, but I know that it exists" ~ Nikola Tesla ​Nikola Tesla, one of history's most brilliant inventors, saw his mind as more than just a thinking machine. He saw it as a receiver, an antenna picking up signals from a universal source. This wasn't just a quirky saying; it was how he genuinely felt his groundbreaking ideas came to him. He wasn't just inventing things; he was discovering them, pulling them out of a vast, unseen ocean of information. ​This idea of a universal "core" of knowledge sounds a lot like what philosophers call non-duality. Non-duality, or "not-two," is the idea that everything is fundamentally connected. There's no real separation between you and the universe, or between your mind and the source of your thoughts. Our individual minds are just small parts of a single, unified consciousness. ​Beyond the Light Bulb Moment ​We often think of creative breakthroughs as a sudden flash of brilliance, a "light bulb moment." But Tesla's quote suggests something deeper. He felt a direct connection to a source of pure knowledge, a wellspring of ideas that wasn't limited by his individual experience. He would get vivid visions and insights that seemed to come from outside himself, which he would then work to bring into reality. ​This isn't a new concept. Many great thinkers, artists, and innovators throughout history have described similar experiences. They've spoken of feeling like a conduit for a higher power or a universal creative force. Tesla simply put it into a framework that blended his scientific mind with a spiritual understanding of the universe. ​The Science of Oneness ​Tesla even hinted that future science would explore these non-physical connections. In fact, his fascination with these ideas was sparked after he met the Hindu monk Swami Vivekananda. He was so impressed by Vivekananda's explanation of Advaita Vedanta, a school of thought centered on the concept of a single, non-dual reality, that he began using Sanskrit terms like Akasha and Prana in his own work. He believed that if science could ever truly study these non-physical phenomena, we'd make more progress in a decade than in all the centuries before.

Hi everyone, I thought we could use this thread as a space to share books or other helpful resources (podcasts, documentaries, articles etc) as we go through integration processes. I have two recommended to me by my mentor - a Buddhist therapist who has experienced non-dual states. I haven’t read these yet but am planning to. Would love to see your recommendations too. The Wakeful Body: Somatic Mindfulness as a Path to Freedom https://amzn.eu/d/6p8ODXQ In Touch: How to Tune In to the Inner Guidance of Your Body and Trust Yourself https://amzn.eu/d/cTI6c9x (Apologies for the Amazon links - I would search for these on Abebooks or Worldbooks instead)

If I asked you to think of a thought, any thought, do you struggle to think of one?? Most people do. Try it. This is simply because you are not your thoughts! They come and go. So we must observe them come and go like the weather.

Hey everyone. Let's start with a simple question that can change how you see the world. We all have this feeling of "me," right? A separate person living in our head. Non-duality says that the feeling of being an individual "me" is more like a story our mind tells us, not the whole reality. When we start to see that story as just a story, a deep sense of connection and peace can show up. - You're the awareness—the space where thoughts and feelings happen, not the thoughts and feelings themselves. - The "me" is a concept. It's like a character in a movie, and the real you is the screen everything plays on. Unaffected by the stories that appear on it. - You're not alone. Everything is interconnected, and seeing through the illusion of separation reveals that connection. - So, here's a challenge: for the rest of today, notice the feeling of "me" without judgment. When the thought "I'm hungry" pops up, ask, "Who is noticing this thought?" What did you discover when you did this, or please share other practices that you find helpful?

Isn't it funny how some concepts, which once felt so far away, are now popping up everywhere? It's as if non-duality is having its moment, suddenly appearing in podcasts, on social media, and in various spiritual circles. We've got to wonder what it even means to us, here and now, in the middle of our chaotic, modern lives. Non-duality, a simple idea with a big history, literally means "not two." It's the understanding that there's no fundamental separation between you and everything else, between the observer and the observed, or between the self and the universe. A hundred years ago, this concept was mostly reserved for mystics and monks in remote monasteries. It was something you dedicated your entire life to, often giving up worldly possessions and human connections to pursue. The non-duality of a century past was often about escaping the material world to find a deeper, singular truth. But today, the conversation is different. It's more about how to live this truth right here, in the messy, dualistic world we inhabit. We aren't all moving to a mountaintop. We're trying to figure out how to be "not two" while paying bills, raising kids, and navigating social media. This is where the struggle comes in. It's easy to read a book or listen to a talk and feel a glimmer of non-duality, but putting it into practice is a different matter. That's a whole other story. Here are some challenges: - The "I" is Sticky: We've spent our entire lives building up this identity, this "I," with all its stories, preferences, and fears. Suddenly being told it's not real, that it's just a concept, can feel disorienting and even threatening. How do you go to work and get things done if there's no "doer"? - Emotions vs. Detachment: Non-dual teachings can sometimes be misinterpreted as being emotionless or apathetic. People worry that if they don't experience anger or sadness about things, they won't be able to stand up for themselves or others. Non-duality isn't about getting rid of emotions; it's about seeing them for what they are, just passing sensations, without letting them run the show.