Duality
by Roshi Hogen Berman

Some sages and seers believe the goal of human beings should be to lose the duality in their character and nature and awaken to the oneness in all things that exist in the universe. At that point it is believed they will truly hear the sound of one hand clapping and become aware of things not as they may desire them to be - but as being such as they truly are, reality.

Practice of the Middle Path (the Buddha's Dharma) will help one know themself. Knowing their true nature and the true nature of "their" self allows one to act intuitively. Intuition is their true nature directing their actions by providing the initial feeling experienced when confronted with new situations in this life. If at sometime intuition does not suggest a course of action, sit quietly and wait - soon a nudge from the subconscious mind and your intuition will be felt trying to influence resolutions to the problem and encourage a certain course of action. Sometimes life becomes very hectic and almost seems to be more than we can effectively handle. In those moments, sit quietly and wait; we are mere human beings. We cannot control the sunset and moon rise - we cannot control nature and/or all living things.

Think for a moment about the law of opposites. If we think all is good, all is beauty, I like everything; if we think this way - in our minds we have already created bad, ugliness and dislike - their opposites. For one side of the coin cannot exist without the other. If we take action, do not think I took good action - or later regret the act and think - I took wrong action. Simply know for certain that at the moment action was required you took the best action you knew how based upon your wisdom at that moment. The event is history - although you may have to face the effects of the action at a later hour in your life. This is not to suggest that when we realize we have made an error and taken wrong action that we should not try to correct the error - if possible. Certainly we should - but that is just another case of us realizing a certain course of action is required. It is not right or wrong - it is just THE thing to do.

The elimination of opposites results in a non-feeling which further develops into an equitable view that causes no suffering for you and your actions not causing suffering for any other life form. Even further developments result in the unexplainable knowledge that we are one with all living beings. Soon, compassion and love without attachment follows and we find peace and equanimity.

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