Never settle

What we talk about here is an awfully tricky subject because the moment we try to pin it down, it seems to slip away. That's the whole point, really. Every description anyone utters delineates the very shape of the wall that we want to break through.

When we first encounter the concept of non-duality, there's an urge to define it, to give it a name, to fit it into our existing structures of knowledge. We want to say, "I've finally got it now. This is what it is." . We keep outdoing each other in our attempts to find adequate names for it. All of a sudden we start repeating what we've heard, using all the words, big and small, to try to capture it. But here's the thing: the actual essence of it resists any definition. It's ever-changing, shapeless, and defies all of our attempts to claim it.

So here's my advice: never settle. Never settle on a word or a belief that claims to fully capture what this is. Don't call it "oneness" and think you've understood it all. Don't label it as "emptiness" and believe you've grasped its entirety. It's not even accurate to call it "nowhere," because it's somehow between nowhere and everywhere, inhabiting a space our minds struggle to comprehend, or at all access. You will never comprehend it - and that is the beauty of it.

This can be frustrating, especially if you're used to learning things in a structured, linear way. We're taught from an early age to categorize, to name, to understand through definition. But here I ask you to unlearn this approach. Embrace uncertainty and be comfortable with not knowing. Exploring this feels much like free-falling, which is another thing you probably already heard somewhere. There's no solid ground to stand on, no firm beliefs to cling to. This can be terrifying at first. We're used to having some foundation, some basic assumptions about reality that we can rely on. Here I ask you to release even these.

But here's the beautiful part: in this free fall, there's a profound freedom. When we stop trying to grasp it, when we allow ourselves to simply be with the ungraspable nature of reality, something shifts. It's subtle, often barely noticeable, but it's there. You might hear people talk about "dissolving into being," and that sounds nice, doesn't it? It conjures up images of blissful union, of finally finding peace. But be careful here too. This dissolution isn't literal, and it's not a permanent state you achieve and then reside in forever. It's more like a continuous process of letting go, again and again.

So how do we explore it without falling into the trap of trying to define it? Simply remind yourself what it is - that very feeling we fail at conceptualizing. Cultivate your way of returning here, make it your second nature, a place you revisit so often that any map guiding to it becomes obsolete. Once there, instead of saying "that's what this is," try asking, "what's here right now without any definitions?". Pay attention to direct experience, without immediately trying to categorize or understand it.

This doesn't mean we must try hard to abandon all concepts and forever stop trying to understand our experiences. The human mind naturally seeks to understand, and that's okay. The key is to hold any such understandings lightly, to see them as useful pointers rather than absolute truths. They're like fingers pointing at the moon – useful for direction, but not the moon itself.

Many spiritual teachers have forgotten this and unmistakably created their own systems of beliefs. They were merely pointers to begin with and really nothing more! Use them, explore with them, but don't mistake them for the actual experience. In your own exploration, you might find certain teachings or expressions that resonate with you. That's great – use them, learn from them. But always be ready to let them go. The moment you think you've got it all figured out is the moment to take a step back and open up to not-knowing again.

Remember, this isn't about achieving some special state or becoming an enlightened being. It's about being open to what's already here, in all its ungraspable, indefinable nature.

So never settle. Stay open. Keep exploring. Allow yourself to free-fall into the mystery of existence. It's not always comfortable, but it's incredibly alive. And in that aliveness, you might just catch a glimpse of what all these smug words are pointing to.

These are just my reflections, of course. Your journey will be unique to you. The important thing is to keep unsettling any fixed notions you might have developed along the way and returning right here. In the end, it's not about finding an answer, but living a reality that is here before any questions were even conceived of.