capitalism & nonduality
I received a really well thought out series of questions from a reader and friend. She has allowed me to share her questions and my response here:
“I’m super liberal and completely against neoliberalism and capitalism. There is a HUGE duality here in that neoliberalism & capitalism is “over there” and me and all my anti-neoliberal pals and policies are “over here”, and ne’er the twain shall meet. ever. I’m curious to know your nondual thoughts on neoliberalism. I can’t really accept the “surrender” suggestion here, or with regard to anything that is systemically unjust and collectively and ecologically harmful….can you?”
From the nondual perspective here, there is no need to surrender or accept anything that seems unjust or harmful. In fact there is no need to surrender to any thingat all. I’m not sure what that would even look like. Surrender is a term I use to describe a relaxation or acceptance of the recognition that there is no separate individual person. I would not suggest surrendering to capitalism or to anything at all. The sense of a separate person is simply a mental belief structure that produces an energetic or bodily sense of tension. So the mind believes it is real and has lots of ideas about “who†the separate person is and the mind interprets sensations or contractions in the body to be the feelings of a separate person. In other words, belief in separation sends signals to the body causing a range of contracted sensations. Then we say, “I know that I am liberal or capitalist†or “I feel separate because of the related emotions and bodily sensationsâ€. From “my” perspective, there is an undeniable realization that there is not a separate person living this life. Separation is literally just a belief. There is no way to know that you are separate without relying on beliefs. Life is simply having infinite appearances and sensations, including the beliefs and policies of capitalism and neocaptialism.
There is an awareness that seems to look through the character (body-mind) that identifies as a capitalist or liberal. There are liberal or capitalist ideas and beliefs but these are never who we ultimately are. What if the part of the brain that holds these beliefs suffered a blow that caused us to forget them, would we still exist? What about when the liberal or neoliberal mind was young and knew nothing of these ideas, did it still exist? These beliefs are not who we are and there is no need to surrender to them. It’s not like we need to merge with neoliberal ideas, who we are is already beyond all ideas. This may be difficult for a liberal mind to hear, but who we are actually already “contains†both sides of any argument.
Political ideas seem to arise within or as reflections on who we ultimately are. It’s not like liberal and neoliberal ideas need to merge and become one, but they do arise from the same nothingness, which is who we are. My body-mind may have a preference for warm weather (and it does), which seems to come from biology and cultural conditioning. My mind may also have a preference for liberal ideas (and it does), which is also simply personality and cultural conditioning. These preferences are simply fine from a nondual perspective. There are no ideas or sensations that exist outside of nondual reality. Yes, greed and pain also arise within nonduality but the movement to relieve these states arises as well. So if a mind is moved to protest and bring about political change, this perfectly fine. Somehow life seems to express itself infinitely, a complete spectrum of appearances seemingly together or vastly apart. It’s like life is contorting itself into every possible appearance, from experiences of greed and wealth to experiences of poverty and suffering. It is all life configuring itself as a range of expressions.
Nonduality includes all appearances. It is sadly true that there is an appearance and sensation of horrific pain and of one person’s greed causing another person’s pain. But appearances and sensations of suffering arise into this moment and fall away also into this moment. Liberal and neoliberal ideas also arise in this moment and fall away in this moment. Every night all ideas relax and there is just deep sleep, which is the exact same nothingness for the liberal mind as for the capitalist mind. It is a mystery that all these appearances and sensations from pain to bliss seem to arise and fall away. There is no way to know why or how. Interestingly, identification is perfectly fine when recognized as it is, simply an appearance. From this nondual perspective, there is absolutely nothing wrong with identifying as a liberal and leaning toward these policies. All identifications are seen through and known to be made of nothing, simply appearances passing through consciousness.
For my mind, there seems to be a recognition of nonduality, as if the idea of separation was seen through naturally without any effort. But it was almost like my mind was addicted to the idea of separation even though there was a clear knowing that who I am can never be known. I use the word surrender to describe a sort of letting go, like breaking an addiction to separation. Like knowing that a drug is not needed and actually harmful but continuing to take it. My mind could see that separation was an illusion but continued to hold onto beliefs about separatness. It was like taking the mind by the hand and saying “it’s ok, separation was simply a belief, no need to hold onto that nowâ€.
All ideas and policies, all pain and suffering, everything in life, will come and go. But there is a nothingness that can seem like the ground of this moment that has never and will never appear and therefore will never come or go. Hopefully I will only ever use the word surrender as a way of pointing to that nothingness.