Sean Esbjörn-Hargens (Part 3) – The Boundless Riches of Nonduality: Understanding Nondual Experiences Across Traditions and Over Time

Deep Transformation

Ep. 157 (Part 3 of 3) | Integral polymath Sean Esbjörn-Hargens is the first comparative scholar to undertake differentiating the myriad varieties of nonduality. A longtime spiritual practitioner within several nondual traditions, Sean wanted to find out how we can understand the relationship between reality, consciousness, and practice. He decided to delve into a comprehensive study of nonduality and was surprised and excited by what he found: 40 distinct nondual traditions, ancient and new, from East and West, fascinating in their differences, their similarities, their uniqueness, and their depth. Sean’s hope is that his comparative analysis of nondual traditions will open the door to a global, cross-tradition dialogue that will supersede centuries of misunderstanding and conflict among people arguing that their realization is the best and/or only correct interpretation of reality and allow nondual traditions to enrich and empower one another.

Enthusiasm and excitement flow throughout the conversation as Sean reveals provocative patterns he has uncovered in nonduality's history and the distinctions he has mapped so far. It becomes clear that nondual realizations evolve in a way similar to developmental models in terms of subject/object relationship, psychology of self, and taking new perspectives, and that they will continue to evolve. As Sean puts it, “the ontological floor keeps dropping out as the endpoint of spiritual realization.” “What will our nondual traditions look like in a thousand years? In two thousand years!” Sean wonders. Hang on to your hats for a thoroughly enjoyable and eye opening ride through a goldmine of information about the many faces and potentials of our nondual traditions. Recorded September 12, 2024.

“I want to come back to how we can operationalize this in our own lives…and how it can inform ourselves as practitioners in our journey of realization.”

(For Apple Podcast users, click here to view the complete show notes on the episode page.)

Topics & Time Stamps – Part 3

• Is there a process for stabilization of these realizations? (01:25)
• 4 primary polarities across traditions: the goal, path, context, and practices (04:16)
• 2 types of practice: apophatic and cataphatic (07:06)
• Service is another profound approach to “not two” nonduality (09:49)
• Enlightened action: no self, being in the flow; reality serves itself through awakened beings (11:46)
• What is going on psychologically as people move into nondual experiences? (17:18)
• Like in developmental models, the subject/object relationship, psychology of self, and taking new perspectives all evolve in nondual awareness (20:42)
• Invitation to explore the richness of different nondual traditions and the potential for a deeper cross-tradition dialogue (25:47)
• Sean’s 10-week online course Varieties of Nonduality beginning in January 2025 (26:51)

Resources & References – Part 3

• Advaita Vedanta
• Kashmir Shaivism
• Roger Walsh, Essential Spirituality: The 7 Central Practices to Awaken Heart and Mind*
• David Loy, Nonduality: A Study in Comparative Philosophy*, Nonduality in Buddhism and Beyond*, see also Deep Transformation podcast Growing from Bodhisattva to Ecosattva with David Loy
• Alan Watts, The Supreme Identity*
• Understanding the Subject-Object Relationship with Ken Wilber (short YouTube video)
• The 10 Ox Herding Pictures
• Sean Esbjörn-Hargens, Dean of Integral Education & Integral Noetic Sciences Program Director, California Institute of Human Sciences (CIHS), founder of MetaIntegral, a global transdisciplinary social impact organization
• Sean’s course coming up in January 2025: Varieties of Nonduality: A 10-Week Course in a Metaintegral Analysis of 10 Contemplative Traditions

* As an Amazon Associate, Deep Transformation earns from qualifying purchases.

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Varieties of Nonduality

by Sean Esbjörn-Hargens

A 10-Week Course in a Metaintegral Analysis of 10 Contemplative Traditions

Beginning January 2025

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Sean Esbjörn-Hargens, Ph.D. has spent his life developing “metaintegral” approaches to the fields of ecology, mixed-methods research, psychology and consciousness studies, philosophy of science, holistic education, and post-capital models of measuring social impact. He has been a long time serious meditator and practitioner within several nondual traditions: Tibetan Buddhism, The Russian Orthodox Church (Christianity), A. H. Almaas’ The Diamond Approach, The Ceile De Celtic tradition, and the Hermetic tradition. He is the Founder and Program Director of the MA/PhD program Integral Noetic Sciences at the California Institute for Human Sciences in Encinitas, CA.

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Podcast produced by Vanessa Santos and Show Notes by Heidi Mitchell