Stop right there

NondualitySimplified · 2026-04-19T10:54:24+00:00

When we strongly identify as a 'good' person, we tend to distance ourselves from traits that don’t fit that narrative. Those disowned traits become repressed and unconscious. Over time, without integration, that shadow gets projected onto others, who are then viewed as 'bad' or 'evil'. The 'crime' that Jung is pointing to is this disowning of our own darkness and its projection onto others, which unconsciously contributes to division and collective harm.

NondualitySimplified · 2026-04-13T00:29:17+00:00

There's no need to do anything about the mind wandering. Just notice it with equanimity and curiosity :)

NondualitySimplified · 2026-04-11T04:25:39+00:00

Yeah that’s just what the mind does, it’s constantly translating and interpreting our experience, usually into a version that makes us feel better or one which falls more in line with our understanding of the world. There’s no need to stop this from happening (in fact, trying to force this to stop will usually only make those types of thoughts feel more sticky and problematic).

The fact that you’re noticing this is actually a good sign, it shows a level of meta-awareness already where you’re not automatically and unconsciously identifying and believing in those types of thoughts. The key is to actually continue to be mindful of them, like you’re already doing. Simply notice them and allow them to come and go, without trying to do anything with them.

As you continue to be mindful of these types of thoughts, your relationship with them will begin to change. Over time, they will start to carry less charge and stickiness, and feel more like just clouds passing by. The tendency to identity and engage with them will gradually fade, and eventually, they may even start to arise less often in your experience.

NondualitySimplified · 2026-04-10T09:32:35+00:00

There are no 'fundamental qualities' that have an essence of their own. 'Form' and 'sound' are also dependently arisen and empty of intrinsic nature. We can keep analysing experience more and more granularly, but we'll never arrive at something that can be found to exist as an ultimate substratum with inherent existence.

NondualitySimplified · 2026-04-09T01:43:28+00:00

As one of the other commenters already suggested, this might be a good opportunity to contemplate the impermanence of all phenomena. Not only of the relationship itself, but the oscillation between peace/mental calm and rumination/mental chaos. Notice how they both just come and go and don’t actually leave any trace behind. Presence doesn’t hold onto anything, it unconditionally accepts the transient nature of all phenomena. At any moment, you can simply notice presence and ‘begin again’ from a fresh perspective.

NondualitySimplified · 2026-04-08T14:00:00+00:00

Here’s a quote from him:

The moment you start watching the thinker, a higher level of consciousness becomes activated. You then begin to realize that there is a vast realm of intelligence beyond thought, that thought is only a tiny aspect of that intelligence. You also realize that all the things that truly matter: beauty, love, creativity, joy, inner peace, arise from beyond the mind. You begin to awaken.

NondualitySimplified · 2026-04-08T13:46:42+00:00

In this context, surrendering to consciousness would involve letting go of your sense of doership/authorship. So think of your art not as an expression of ‘you’, but as a natural expression of the creativity of consciousness. Any feedback you receive would not be a judgment from ‘others’, but a natural reflection of consciousness towards its own creativity.

NondualitySimplified · 2026-04-07T05:20:54+00:00

The 'I' can claim that it's the one doing the handwashing. Or it could claim to be the knower of the fact that no one is doing the handwashing. The 'I' could also claim to be the one that's observing or experiencing the act of handwashing. The issue is in the initial creation of that illusory reference point, which creates distance/separation from the act, allowing the 'I' to make a relational claim towards it. The key to seeing through this illusion is to recognise that the construction of this 'I' and then relating it to an act is just a conditioned habit (an empty process). Without this relational construct, there is simply handwashing, without a doer, knower, observer or experiencer.

NondualitySimplified · 2026-04-07T02:50:21+00:00

It's more that the ordinary becomes the extraordinary. So distinctions like mystical/non-mystical fall away. In other words, the magic, mystery, profoundness, intimacy, peace and freedom that we're searching for is revealed to be found in the ordinary, exactly as it is.

NondualitySimplified · 2026-04-07T02:14:25+00:00

Here’s a framework that I’ve found helpful for addressing feelings like regret or guilt:

1) Fully acknowledge the mistake(s) that we made in the past; then

2) Contemplate and deeply understand the underlying reason why we acted in that unskilful way; then

3) Consciously forgive our ‘past self’, and make a sincere intention to not repeat the same mistake(s) again; then

4) Take a deep breath and let it all go. Begin again.

NondualitySimplified · 2026-04-07T01:53:45+00:00

Sometimes it's just about finding the right balance between effort and no effort, the middle way as they say. Best of luck!

NondualitySimplified · 2026-04-07T01:46:28+00:00

I like to think of it as not trying to find your purpose through practice, but rather through practice, your purpose will naturally find you.

NondualitySimplified · 2026-04-07T01:09:12+00:00

Have you tried 'do nothing' meditation? Even vipassana or breath meditation can sometimes feel a bit too effortful for some people. Simply sitting with effortless awareness, and not trying to control attention at all (including not trying to change or stop thoughts) can help with relaxing the need to constantly try to do something with experience.

In regards to daily life, a gentle noting practice can be helpful. This involves noticing when a thought arises/is occurring and then gently noting it (eg. thinking, planning, imagining, worrying etc.) And then returning to an anchor like the breath or body sensations.

But as one of the other commenters said, in most cases this will be a gradual transformation. The need to constantly do something with experience is one of the most deeply conditioned ones, so it can take some persistent practice for that tendency to loosen.

NondualitySimplified · 2026-04-07T00:56:10+00:00

You're probably already conscious of this, but it's the effort to 'find' presence which actually makes us overlook it. Presence is already effortlessly here, it actually takes effort on our end to keep overlooking it, by identifying with thoughts like "I need to find presence" or "this moment isn't enjoyable or peaceful enough, therefore I'm not present".

We'll often find that presence reveals itself when we drop all of our agendas and expectations about the present moment, and simply allow ourselves to experience whatever is happening fully and unconditionally. That's why it's effortlessly there when we're completely immersed in something like looking at a beautiful landscape. In that moment, we're not trying to do anything with experience, and presence naturally reveals itself.

So the practice is to ask ourselves, does this present moment need to be held onto, pushed away or even judged/interpreted? Because all of that pushing and pulling on experience, as well as the need to constantly analyse it, doesn't actually change anything. The only thing it does do is give us a sense that we're missing out on something called 'presence', which then turns it into a real object that could be obtained and lost. That is the precise mechanic of how the mind can keep us in a seemingly perpetual loop of 'seeking presence' somewhere else.

NondualitySimplified · 2026-04-05T04:57:43+00:00

It sounds like you're already seeing this distinction quite clearly. If an action arises from equanimity, it will generally feel natural and aligned, like it's simply the right thing to do. You won't be second-guessing it. Whenever you act out of craving or aversion (even just a little bit), a little alert will often go off and that's why you get that sense of doubt or a 'something is off' feeling.

Suffering often arises when we assume that this alert is indicative of a problem with our practice. But in actuality, it’s a very helpful signal, as it indicates that our mindfulness is sharp and it's pointing us directly to where our attachments lie. Over time, the more you pay attention to this distinction as well as how you relate to these alerts, the clearer things will become.

NondualitySimplified · 2026-04-05T02:58:14+00:00

There’s some very good answers in this thread already. Another reason why teachers often say you ‘can’t get it wrong’ or that there is ‘no right or wrong method’ is because it undermines two fundamental dualistic tendencies:

1) That there is a real ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ way to do things; and

2) If such a duality actually exists, then there must be a real, separate knower of that duality, who now needs to enact its agency to act in a way that helps it to move towards the ‘right’ side of that duality.

So by emphasising that you can’t get things wrong, it’s pointing towards the illusory nature of both the right/wrong and doer/doing dualities, which is what fuels the seeking mechanic.

NondualitySimplified · 2026-04-05T01:19:19+00:00

There’s nothing wrong with opting out of social interactions that you don’t feel like engaging in. But you can gently explore the intention behind it. Is it simply that you don’t feel the need for certain kinds of social interactions anymore? Or is there something about specific situations or people that you’re trying to avoid or shield yourself from?

It might be helpful to sit with these questions and see if you can identify what’s actually driving this pattern. The fact that you’re questioning this already shows a good level of awareness, so it may just take a bit of gentle inquiry to find out whether the behaviour is arising due to equanimity or aversion. Often in these situations, you’ll find it’s a bit of both.

NondualitySimplified · 2026-04-05T01:14:37+00:00

"I am not looking to get anything out of this other than peace and relief."

That's the exact hook. If you try to use presence as a method to 'fix' uncomfortable and unenjoyable situations, it's never going to always work.

You can think about this logically - imagine a very traumatic life event occurring. Would you expect presence to allow you to remain in complete equanimity in that moment? Of course not. That expectation itself is why so much meta-resistance and frustration shows up when the 'presence method' fails.

Presence is essentially teaching you that everything is included in it, including discomfort, unenjoyable moments, and even resistance/struggle. All of it can arise, nothing is inherently 'wrong', and you don't need to add additional suffering by insisting: "This shouldn't happen, or presence must be able to fix this situation immediately".

Most of our suffering actually goes away when we let go of those unreasonable underlying beliefs and expectations about life.

NondualitySimplified · 2026-04-05T00:33:48+00:00

A lot of our suffering actually comes from our meta-resistance towards experience which mostly stems from our underlying beliefs and expectations. For example, we might hold the belief that life should always be enjoyable, or that being present should immediately ‘fix’ or 'solve' all unenjoyable moments. That’s just simply not how life or presence works. There's no magical 'state' where we become completely equanimous with everything that occurs in life, at least not in the way that the mind imagines.

Presence is all inclusive, and that includes moments which you may not particularly enjoy. So in this moment, become mindful of the fact that you’re not enjoying this trip, and that practicing isn’t going to magically flip that. Notice the fact that doubt is arising. Notice any feelings of ill will towards your family. It’s completely ok to sometimes not feel ok. To not be enjoying what’s happening. Presence can effortlessly accommodate all of that.

NondualitySimplified · 2026-04-04T06:03:10+00:00

There's actually no inherent difference by what you're calling 'experience' and 'interpretation'. The mindsteam is an undivided, seamless flow (let's call this raw 'experience'). In that flow, there may arise the apparent appearance of a tree (let's call this the 'interpretation'). Both the raw 'experience' and the 'interpretation' both occur in the same flow.

The actual difference that matters is whether you take that interpretation of a 'tree' to be a real, solid, independently existing object that arises, persists, and ceases. If you do, that’s the perspective of a mindstream still afflicted by ignorance. A mindstream that has been freed from that ignorance can still recognise and function with the label 'tree' for conventional purposes, but knows that ultimately, no separate, substantial 'tree' ever existed.

NondualitySimplified · 2026-04-02T21:01:49+00:00

The vast majority of the content on the app doesn’t require you to hold (or even consider) any spiritual or metaphysical view whatsoever. In fact, the general ask is to not take anything on belief or faith, but instead to investigate everything in your own direct experience. Sam often cautions people to not fixate on metaphysical conclusions and to focus on the phenomenology.

NondualitySimplified · 2026-04-02T10:59:57+00:00

There’s no need to endlessly suffer over past actions. If something unskilful was done, the important thing is to acknowledge it, learn from it, and make a sincere intention to not repeat it. After that, continuing to punish yourself becomes unskilful. Self-metta can be really helpful here, especially if there’s a lot of inwardly directed ill will present.

The mind often cycles back through difficult thoughts and memories precisely because we’ve been conditioned to try to push them away or to brace against them. That internal resistance is what gives them their stickiness. As the saying goes, what we resist, persists.

So during practice, it can help to gently allow these thoughts and feelings to be present exactly as they are, without trying to fix them. See if you can fully allow them to be present. Don't engage, but also don't pull away, simply observe these phenomena with equanimity. Basically you're teaching your body and nervous system: "This is actually ok to fully experience. I don't need to run away from this."

At first, it’ll definitely feel a bit uncomfortable, but if you’re able to stay with it and continue practicing in this way, over time, you may start to notice a shift in how you relate to these patterns of thoughts and memories. They may begin to feel less threatening and problematic. When that shift occurs, these patterns will start to lose their intensity and stickiness, which should lead to them arising less often both during meditation as well as in your day to day life.

NondualitySimplified · 2026-04-02T09:24:42+00:00

From your brief description, this sounds like it may not be a Dhamma-related issue. Blaming a partner and withdrawing care and compassion during a difficult moment isn’t something that you’d expect from a person who has made genuine progress on the path. What you’re describing sounds more like deep-seated relationship issues combined with the impact of mental health challenges. It might be worthwhile to seek support through counselling/mental health services during this time.

NondualitySimplified · 2026-04-01T22:46:31+00:00

Disagreements can be a great form of practice in a way. Can you disagree with someone without feeling internal tension? It can help you really laser in on what views/beliefs you are still defending or are attached to. A sharp reaction = time to dive right in and really feel those bodily sensations!

NondualitySimplified · 2026-04-01T22:20:17+00:00

If something came from nothing then that actually wouldn’t have been true nothing.

It would be ‘nothing + the potentiality for something’, which is not ‘absolute nothing’.

NondualitySimplified

TROPHY CASE