Nonduality in Early Buddhist Thought

Exploration of Evolution-Informed Compassion-Focused Therapy and Buddhist Approaches to Insight Meditation: A Three-Way Exploration

“…Mindfulness is a central skill from which insight and compassion can arise. Central to Buddhist insight meditation, called Vipassana, mindfulness seeks to create clear insight by developing a calm and mindful investigation into the nature of experience, self-transcendence (Yaden et al, 2017), and the empty and non-dual nature of consciousness (Anālayo, 2023). This gives rise to insight into the illusions of a separate self (Hood, 2011;Niebauer, 2019) and the reality that nothing has a separate, permanent existence (Anālayo, 2015;Van Gordon et al, 2021).…”

“…The concept of emptiness is often used in relation to transcendental states, but it does not mean "nothingness." Rather it means nonindependent existence and the process of the pattern of emergence-that is, all things are empty of independent existence (Anālayo, 2023); a snowflake is a manifestation of water not independent of it (Van Gordon et al, 2021). These insights and experiences in turn give rise to experiencing wisdom and compassion that can uproot the causes of suffering.…”

“…These insights and experiences in turn give rise to experiencing wisdom and compassion that can uproot the causes of suffering. As MH and CH discuss in detail, this guidance helps settle one's mind and creates the mental context that enables the mind to "wake up" to different realities of interdependence and enables experiences of self-transcendence that dissolve a sense of separateness (Anālayo, 2015(Anālayo, , 2023. This offers paths to freedom from binding cycles of psychological suffering (Huxter, 2016).…”