Why We Seek According to the Message of Non-duality

In the message of non-duality, the human experience of feeling limited, lacking, fragile, and bound by fear, particularly the fear of death, is understood as a direct consequence of identifying with a separate individual self. However, this understanding also reveals that when we truly recognise our inherent nature as the totality of reality, these deeply ingrained fears, desires, and relentless seeking naturally cease.

The Illusion of the Separate Self

The sense of being a separate individual, often referred to as the ego or finite mind, is depicted as a convincing illusion. This illusion begins when awareness appears to overlook its own infinite reality and, as a result, assumes the form of a temporary, finite mind localised within the body. This identification leads to the primary belief that we, awareness, are synonymous with and limited to the body and mind. Consequently, experience is mistakenly divided into two parts: a separate, “inside” subject (the self) and a separate, “outside” object, other, or world.

This separate self is not an entity in its own right, but rather an activity or a process. This creates a constantly changing self-image, vulnerable to external perceptions and circumstances. The entire existence of this apparent self is an experience in and of awareness. The very thought that one’s self is contracted within and limited to the body is what gives rise to this fragile entity, which then feels cut off from the whole, incomplete, lacking, and alone. This mistaken self-identity is considered the root cause of psychological unhappiness.

The Pervasive Nature of Fear

Arising from this belief in a separate, limited self is a deep-seated fear of death. This fear is the primary emotion that dominates the life of the imaginary separate entity. Many other negative emotions, such as sadness, anger, anxiety, depression, a sense of lack, psychological need, agitation, and jealousy, are mere variations of this fundamental fear. This fear causes one to live with a perpetual need for psychological survival. According to the message of non-duality, Ignorance of one’s true self is what creates fear.

Furthermore, desire and fear are the two essential activities around which the ego revolves. They are two aspects of the same syndrome, with desire often rooted in the past and fear in the future, stemming from memories of past suffering and the apprehension of their recurrence. This makes the separate self live between this tug-of-war, longing for happiness and dreading disappearance.

The Unending Search for Contentment and Fulfilment

The separate self, feeling incomplete and lacking, is driven by a perpetual state of desire, constantly seeking to alleviate this discomfort through the acquisition of objects, substances, activities, states of mind, and relationships. The desire for contentment and fulfilment is a defining characteristic of this separate self. Every human being, the message of non-duality suggests, retains a deep knowing of their own eternity and infinity, which expresses itself as this innate desire for contentment and fulfilment. This is the mind’s desire to be released of its limitations and return to its inherently relaxed, peaceful condition of timeless, unlimited awareness.

However, this search is inherently futile because the separate self, as the activity of seeking, can never find the completion we long for through external means. Such temporary alleviations, like acquiring an object or achieving a desired state, never fully satisfy, and the craving resurfaces as soon as the experience passes. In fact, the imaginary inside self is suffering itself. The very act of seeking and resistance creates and perpetuates the separate self, preventing the ever-present peace and happiness from being known. What we truly yearn for is never an object or person but rather the end of yearning; we desire the end of desire.

Our True Nature: Unlimited Consciousness/Reality

The non-dual teachings show that our true nature is not this limited, fragmented self, but rather pure consciousness or aware presence. This consciousness is the fundamental, underlying reality of the apparent duality of mind and matter. It is unlimited, unlocated, formless, transparent, and empty of objective content, yet full of presence and awareness. It is eternal, infinite, inherently peaceful, and unconditionally fulfilled.

Everything experienced is an expression of this single, indivisible reality. Consciousness is its own content; it never becomes anything else. The “I” that we refer to is a subliminal recognition of the same infinite, indivisible consciousness that we are. It is always here, always now, and cannot be lost because it is the only “thing” that exists.

The Dissolution of Fear, Desire, and Seeking

The recognition of our true nature is the dissolution of our identification with the separate self. It is a realisation that what we thought and felt ourselves to be was always non-existent. This understanding is not something to be acquired, but rather an unveiling of what is already true.

The self is realised as birthless and deathless, knowing no beginning or end. The fear of disappearance, which stems from the mistaken belief that one shares the body’s destiny, is dissolved when this identification is seen through. We realise we are invulnerable because there is nothing outside of ourselves to cause harm.

The insatiable longing for contentment and fulfilment that defines the ego comes to an end because these qualities are realised to be inherent in our true nature. The desire for contentment is ultimately the pull of our original nature, and when this nature is recognised, the pull ceases to be a restless search. Desires no longer aim to acquire contentment but instead express, share, and celebrate the contentment that is already present.

The peace, happiness, and love that are inherent in consciousness’s knowing of its own infinite being gradually infiltrate and saturate all realms of objective experience. Peace and happiness become synonymous with the dissolution of the imaginary self. This deep relaxation permeates the body and mind, which return to their natural state of openness and ease.

Non-duality teaches that suffering, fear, and incessant seeking stem from a fundamental misidentification with a limited, separate self. By looking deeply and honestly into our experience, it becomes evident that this separate self is an illusion, and what truly exists is unlimited, indivisible consciousness. This realisation brings an end to the perceived lack and fear, allowing us to abide in the inherent harmony, joy, and freedom that are the very nature of reality.