Beyond Separation: embracing non-duality across spiritual traditions.

In the intricate tapestry of spiritual wisdom that has emerged across cultures and eras, there exists a golden thread that weaves through seemingly disparate traditions; the profound understanding of non-duality. This concept, that separation is ultimately an illusion and that reality is fundamentally unified, appears with remarkable consistency in contemplative paths worldwide, though expressed through different languages, metaphors, and practices. As a student of Advaita Vedanta, I felt drawn to look at and explore the similarities of this spiritual philosophy with both Buddhism (as Usui Mikao was Buddhist) and by extension Reiki Ryoho.

Today, I invite you to explore how three distinct spiritual traditions, Buddhism, Advaita Vedanta, and Usui Reiki Ryoho, approach the same timeless truth of non-duality, and how we might integrate this understanding beyond the intellectual level into our everyday lived experience.

Before diving into specific traditions, let's clarify what we mean by non-duality. The term itself (from Sanskrit "advaita" meaning "not two") points to the understanding that the apparent separation between self and other, subject and object, observer and observed, is ultimately an illusion, a convenient but limited construction of our minds.

Non-duality suggests that beneath the surface appearance of multiplicity lies an undivided wholeness, a seamless reality that cannot be broken into truly separate parts. It's not that the world of distinct forms doesn't exist in our experience, clearly it does, but rather that this diversity emerges from and is never truly separate from an underlying unity.

This understanding stands in stark contrast to our ordinary dualistic perception, which creates sharp divisions such as; me vs you, mind vs matter, human vs nature, spiritual vs mundane. Each tradition we'll explore offers its unique approach to recognising and ultimately transcending these artificial boundaries.

I’m popping in a disclaimer here. I’m not overly familiar with Buddhism and have invited a friend to explain these concepts to me. If I have anything incorrect I ask you to please correct my misunderstanding in the comments. In Buddhism, non-duality finds expression primarily through the concepts of śūnyatā (emptiness) and pratītyasamutpāda (dependent origination or interdependence). These teachings emerged from the Buddha's direct insight into the nature of reality and have been elaborated through various Buddhist schools over millennia.

The Prajnaparamita Sutras and Nagarjuna's Madhyamaka philosophy emphasise that all phenomena, including our sense of self, are "empty" of inherent, independent existence. This doesn't mean things don't exist at all, but rather that they don't exist in the way we ordinarily perceive them, as solid, separate entities with their own independent essence.

As the Heart Sutra famously states: "Form is emptiness, emptiness is form." The apparent solidity of our experience, our bodies, thoughts, emotions, and the entire physical world, lacks self-existence and is instead contingent, relational, and constantly in flux.

This emptiness of inherent existence is inseparable from the Buddhist understanding of interdependence: everything arises in dependence upon multiple causes and conditions, in an infinitely complex web of relationships. Nothing exists in isolation; everything is connected to everything else.

Thich Nhat Hanh beautifully expressed this through his teaching of "interbeing":

"If you are a poet, you will see clearly that there is a cloud floating in this sheet of paper. Without a cloud, there will be no rain; without rain, the trees cannot grow; and without trees, we cannot make paper."

This vision of reality reveals that the boundaries we perceive between things are conceptual impositions rather than ultimate truths. The distinct entities we name and identify, including our own sense of being a separate self, are convenient designations that enable functioning in the conventional world but don't reflect the deeper nature of reality.

Now, I’ll move into more familiar territory, Advaita Vedanta. While Buddhism approaches non-duality through the understanding of emptiness and interdependence, Advaita Vedanta, the last of the six classical schools of Hindu philosophy, takes a different but complementary approach, focusing on the nature of consciousness and the ultimate identity of the individual self (Atman) with the universal consciousness (Brahman).

Advaita Vedanta teaches that our true nature is pure consciousness, an unchanging witness presence that is the underlying reality of all existence. This pure consciousness (often referred to as the Self with a capital 'S' to distinguish it from the ordinary egoic sense of self) is identical with Brahman, the ultimate reality.

As expressed in the Upanishadic mahavakya (great saying): "Tat Tvam Asi" (That Thou Art), the individual consciousness is ultimately identical with universal consciousness. The apparent difference is created by ignorance (avidya) and the superimposition (adhyasa) of limiting adjuncts that create the illusion of separation.

Advaita Vedanta explains the appearance of multiplicity through the concept of Maya, the mysterious power that generates the appearance of diversity within the non-dual reality. Maya is neither completely real (as it doesn't reflect ultimate truth) nor completely unreal (as it does appear in our experience).

The classic analogy is mistaking a rope for a snake. The snake appears real and may cause fear, but upon closer inspection with proper light (representing knowledge), it's revealed to be merely a rope. Similarly, the world of separate things appears real but is ultimately a misperception of the non-dual Brahman.

One of Advaita's key contemplative approaches is the practice of "neti neti" (not this, not this), a systematic negation of all that can be objectified or perceived, in order to arrive at what cannot be negated: the pure consciousness that is aware of all objects but is itself not an object.

As the sage Ramana Maharshi would often guide seekers: "Ask yourself 'Who am I?' and negate every answer that comes, for you are not any object of awareness but the awareness itself."

Perhaps less widely recognised as a system containing non-dual philosophy is Usui Reiki Ryoho, the spiritual healing practice developed by Mikao Usui in 1922 in Japan. Yet a closer examination reveals that non-duality is indeed central to its worldview and practice.

At the heart of reiki is the understanding that there exists a universal life force energy (reiki) that permeates and sustains all existence. The reiki practitioner doesn't generate this energy but rather serves as a channel for it, recognising that the apparent boundary between practitioner and recipient is ultimately permeable.

This aligns with the Japanese concept of ‘ki’ (also often known as Chinese ‘qi’ or Indian ‘prana’), a subtle energy that flows through all things, connecting rather than separating them. In authentic reiki practice, the practitioner doesn't direct the energy through personal will but surrenders to allowing it to flow where needed, acknowledging a wisdom beyond the separate self.

Usui's five principles (gokai) for reiki practice, particularly in their original Japanese form, reflect non-dual understanding through their emphasis on present-moment awareness and the release of worry, anger, and fear, states that arise from and reinforce the sense of separation:

Kyo dake wa (Just for today): 

Anchoring in the eternal present, beyond past and future

Ikaru na (Do not anger): 

Recognising anger arises from the illusion of separation

Shinpai suna (Do not worry): 

Releasing anxiety based on the separate self's concerns

Kansha shite (Be grateful): 

Appreciating the interdependent web of life

Gyo o hageme (Do your work diligently): 

 Engaging fully in life without separation between sacred and mundane

Hitoni shin set su ni (Be kind to all living things):

Recognising there is no true separation between perceived self and others.

The traditional Reiki practice of byosen scanning, sensing energetic imbalances through the hands, represents a practical application of non-dual awareness. In this practice, the practitioner doesn't intellectually analyse the recipient's condition as a separate entity but rather experiences the recipient's energy field as an extension of their own field, recognising the fundamental continuity between them.

This subtle perception transcends ordinary dualistic sensing and opens intuitive awareness of the underlying energetic unity. As Usui reportedly taught, "The Buddha's enlightenment and Reiki are one and the same," suggesting that Reiki practice ultimately leads to the same non-dual realisation as Buddhist meditation.

Despite their different cultural contexts and terminologies, these three traditions converge in remarkable ways around their understanding of non-duality:

1. In regard to the illusory nature of separation: All three traditions recognise that the perception of fundamentally separate entities is a misperception of reality.

2. The role of ignorance: Each tradition identifies ignorance as the root cause of suffering and separation, though not intellectual ignorance but rather a fundamental misapprehension of reality.

3. The importance of direct experience: All three emphasise that non-duality must be directly experienced rather than merely intellectually understood.

4. The release of egoic identification: Each tradition includes practices for loosening the grip of the separate sense of self.

5. Compassion as natural expression: All three traditions suggest that compassion arises naturally from the recognition of non-separation.

Understanding non-duality intellectually is reasonably straightforward; many of us can grasp the concept. But truly embodying this understanding in everyday life is the real challenge and opportunity. Here are practical approaches drawn from these traditions to help move non-duality from concept to lived reality, see what resonates with you.

1. Cultivate Embodied Awareness

Non-duality isn't an abstract philosophical position but a lived reality that begins with being fully present in your body:

- Practice regular body scanning, feeling sensations without labelling them as "good" or "bad"

- Notice how physical boundaries are actually porous—air moves in and out, temperature flows between body and environment

- Experience how sensations arise and pass without a solid "experiencer" behind them

Daily practice: Spend 5 minutes each morning simply feeling the sensations of breathing, noticing how the boundary between "inside" and "outside" is actually a continuous flow.

2. Observe the Mind without Identification

All three traditions emphasise the importance of recognising thoughts without becoming entrapped by them:

- Practice witnessing thoughts as passing events rather than absolute truths

- Notice how the "I" thought is itself just another appearance in awareness

- Explore the question "To whom do these thoughts appear?" (Ramana Maharshi's self-inquiry)

Daily practice: When caught in reactive thinking, pause and ask "Who is thinking?" then rest in the awareness that notices the thought rather than in the thought itself.

 3. Recognise Interdependence in Daily Life

Make the Buddhist understanding of interdependence concrete through regular contemplation:

- Trace the origins of everyday objects (food, clothing, technology) to reveal their countless connections

- Acknowledge the many beings who contributed to your comfort and survival today

- Notice how your moods and thoughts are influenced by countless conditions rather than arising independently.

Daily practice: Before eating, take a moment to visualise the entire network of beings and processes that brought this food to you - from soil microorganisms to farmers to transportation workers.

4. Practice Energy Awareness in Relationships

Apply the reiki understanding of energy continuity to your interactions:

- When with others, sense the energetic field you share rather than focusing on separation

- Practice sending healing intentions without a sense of "doer" and "receiver"

- Notice how emotions transfer between people, revealing our permeable nature

Daily practice: In your next conversation, pay attention to the space between you and the other person as a field of shared energy rather than a dividing gap.

5. Find the Sacred in the Ordinary

Non-duality dissolves the boundary between spiritual and mundane:

- Bring full presence to "ordinary" activities like washing dishes or walking

- Notice how moments of beauty and insight can arise in unexpected contexts

- Release the seeking for special spiritual experiences separate from everyday life

Daily practice: Choose one routine activity today and perform it with complete attention, as if it were a sacred ritual—because from the non-dual perspective, it is.

6. Rest in Awareness Itself

All three traditions point to the possibility of directly resting in the non-dual awareness that is our true nature:

- Practice periods of simply being, without agenda or goal

- Notice the spacious awareness that all experiences appear within

- Allow identification with the separate self to relax naturally rather than fighting it

Daily practice: Set aside 10 minutes to simply rest as awareness itself, neither grasping at nor rejecting whatever appears within it.

As the Zen saying goes: "Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water." The activities may look the same, but the perspective from which they're performed transforms entirely.

Non-duality isn't a remote philosophical concept or spiritual achievement to be reached in some distant future. It's the actual nature of reality right now, whether recognized or not. What Buddhism, Advaita Vedanta, and Usui Reiki Ryoho each offer, through their diverse approaches, are potent invitations to awaken to what has always been the case: the seamless wholeness of existence.

The beauty of studying these different traditions lies not in accumulating various concepts of non-duality, but in allowing their diverse expressions to illuminate different facets of the same truth, helping us recognise it in our own direct experience. Through this recognition, our relationship with ourselves, others, and the world undergoes a profound transformation, not by acquiring something new, but by releasing the ancient habit of separation.

In the words of the Japanese Zen master Dōgen: "To study the Buddha Way is to study the self. To study the self is to forget the self. To forget the self is to be actualized by myriad things."

May your journey into non-duality bring you home to the wholeness that you have never truly left.