Duality vs. Unity

Many of the world’s religions teach the principle of duality – that the physical and the spiritual are in direct opposition, or that the physical world is not real at all – it is an illusion. Even teachers who are spiritually aware teach that the “mind” or, the “ego” is not real, and that it is an illusion, because it appears to be in opposition to the real “I.”

Recently, I saw a bumper sticker saying “not of this world.” This is a result of the fact that many Christians are taught that their bodies are “evil,” and/or that the world is “evil.” Christians are supposed to follow the example of those who “no longer want to be here,” and want to “go home” to heaven. This is unfortunate, as we all are called here to learn in our lives here. Wanting to leave can hinder that growth. (However, in some cases, people who have experienced unity with source, can also say that they are free from the illusion that this world is the ultimate reality.)

The teaching of duality and “illusion” has changed over the centuries, with much of its original meaning lost through inaccurate translations and other misfortunes.

The point of duality teaching is that our spiritual goal IS UNITY. This includes unity within ourselves, with God/Source, and with others. Yet, duality seems to exist: between the physical and the spiritual, between the mental “I” and the observer “I.”

Duality seems to exist because the knowledge we have in this world is only partial, and incomplete. That does not mean it is an illusion, evil, or unreal. The physical universe is just as real as spiritual reality. We must deal with our bodies, health, and the physical realities of this world (which myself and others call the “earth school.”) You must use your ego/conscious mind to deal with life here in the physical world. (Yes, intelligence and education are still important, though they alone do not lead to spiritual growth or enlightenment.) However, the “illusion” comes in thinking that the physical world is the Ultimate Reality.

If I believe that I am my body, that the voice of my ego/mind is the real me, and that this world is the only and ultimate reality, then I am under the power of an illusion. However, if I come to understand that reality is actuality the unity of physical and the spiritual, the seen and the unseen, and, the unity of my ego and the observer I working together.

How can the unity of the physical and the spiritual, and the unity of the ego and the “true I” be attained? There are two ways: one is spontaneous enlightenment, seems to only happen to a few people. For the majority of us, mediation is the way to move our awareness away from just seeing the physical, to being aware of the unity of all things, spiritual, physical, and in worlds we do not know.

Though I am always open to learning more, I have stopped my search for the best meditation method for me. The use of chanting/toning, usually the word “HU,” either inwardly or out loud has been extremely beneficial for me, like a rocket, when I compared it with other methods. I also occasionally use other mantras, and believe that certain types of music and sound can be extremely beneficial to healing and spiritual growth.

Though all methods of meditation are valid, I believe those using sound outwardly (chanting, toning, singing, instruments) or sound inwardly (toning or chanting silently) are the most powerful, because of the power of sound, which we will explore more as we go along.

References:
The Mysticism of Sound and Music by Hazrat Inayat Khan