THE MEANING OF LIFE AND LONGING FOR WHOLENESS

Nicolae: Jim, what is the meaning of life?

Jim Newman: There is no meaning and no need for a meaning of life. Everything is
already what it is, which is already needlessly, free and fulfilled.
“Life” is not separate from what is. Without separation, there is no space or
distance in which the need for a meaning of life could arise.
There is only what is. “What is” is not objective or subjective, it is not
conceptual, knowable or understandable. “What is” is indivisible, all encompassing,
everything without position or perspective, no inside, no outside, not two, not
separate, non dual.

What is – undifferentiated everything – can appear as something, a perspective, an

apparent position. A position can be experienced, making the appearance seem
personal. As a personal experience, life appears to be an object or “a something”
requiring meaning. However, the person is illusory and has no reality outside of
its experience of itself. The search for meaning is a need that arises out of that
experience, which is the experience of separation, the experience that “what is” is
real and personal.

The question or search for a meaning of life comes from the longing for wholeness,
absolute freedom, which is unknowingly a longing for dissolution, an end to the
person. The personal experience inevitably seeks for an answer to the question of
“what is my life about?”. For the person there is no answer because this, what is,
is not about anything. And it does not need to be about anything. The only solution
for the person is the end of the person.

The person cannot go beyond the illusory nature of itself and cannot help being an
effect of itself: a seeker. Its search is for love, for more or better experiences.
It experiences itself on a path to find what it hopes will resolve its diss-ease of
need. The path is seeking. Seeking can be the search for money, power, more…
Because the search does not and can not address the cause of need, it can only lead
to more seeking. The premise for seeking – that something intrinsically is wrong or
missing – is illusory. Consequentially all of its efforts are hopelessly limited to
that false premise.

The person is trying to overcome this diss-ease of the need for experience through
more experience.
The effort exerted by the person can never lead to the fulfillment it seeks, the
unlimited all inclusiveness of the unknowable “what is”. What is longed for is
beyond personal seeking, by being “what is” already. “What is” is not an objective
reality, is not knowable. “What is” is emptiness being everything as it
is. Everything being what it is, is already complete, already absolutely free,
without any need of meaning.

WHY NON DUALISM IS NOT A TEACHING

There seems to be some confusion about what is meant by non dualism; why it is not
a teaching and why non dual speakers are not called teachers.
Spiritual teachings and teachers function within the belief, knowing or experience,
that there is a lack, something missing in the student, that can be rectified
through becoming better or learning something new. Spiritual teaching comes from
the perspective, that separation — the subject-object experience — is real and can
be or even should be overcome. The overcoming of the separation has the goal of
becoming a better person or even the so called personal enlightenment.

Non dualism says, the experience of separation is illusory. Therefore, trying to

overcome it, is just furthering the misunderstanding. All justification for
spiritual teachings and teachers is based on this misunderstanding.
Spiritual teachers and teachings are lost in the dream of separation and are
dealing with consequences and not the cause of apparent separation, becoming an
effect of an effect of an effect (and so on) of the experience of the individual.
Spiritual teachings are in that way a trap that can never provide the promised
goods. As already stated, the only justification for teaching would be, if the
experience of separation was real. But there is no real separation.

Absolute Freedom cannot be found within the experience of separation, which is

where all spiritual teachers and teachings function.
The individual has never, would never, and could never do anything to rid itself of
itself or uncover the reality of itself or what is.
What effect does working with the consequence of separation have? Spirituality and
the spiritual path do have effects in the experience of the individual. They can
make that experience better or worse (both only temporarily) and more or less
functional. Just as therapy can. Spirituality bases its function on the assumption
of there being something wrong with the person — the seeker. Which is in agreement
with the assumptions the person has about itself, that there is something wrong
with it. Spiritual teachings confirm this false assumption and tells the
individual, what they can, could or should do, to be a better person, to find what
is looked for. None of these approaches recognize the real cause of the discontent:
the experience of separation, the individual.

There is nothing missing and no need to find anything. When the dream ends, no one
wakes up. The dream was the dreamers only reality. When it ends, there is no one
left to wake up.

Non dualism has no judgment, as it does not recognize the free will (the individual
experiences itself to have) as real. So there is no one to be responsible. Free
will and personal responsibility are simply aspects of the illusory experience of
the individual. This is a description, pointing out common misunderstandings, which
arise because the suggestions and descriptions of non dualism are so foreign to the
logic which arises out of the experience that “I am real” and “I do everything”.
Even the idea of “being no one” can be falsely understood as having to do with a
real experience or real knowing. Real experience or real knowing are consequences
of the illusory individual. Non dualism points to the unknowing emptiness,
appearing as what is, which is beyond experience and knowing.
There is nothing to find, except “there is nothing to find”, which is never the
result of seeking. There is no value in seeking, contrary to the seekers experience
and value system.

Non dualism points to the completeness which is beyond words or understanding. It

points to the wholeness, which is not effected by the experience of separation. It
points to the unconditional love, which is already everything. It points to the
unbounded absolute freedom, which is so free, it can appear as separation seeking
freedom. There is only what is — everything — never anything else and this
everything is the absolute freedom longed for already.

THIS IS ABOUT NOTHING

J: There is no way to say „what is“ is about nothing, because there is no one to
tell and no one who wants to know. No one wants to hear this. For the individual
the experience is: this is about something.R: You say there is no choice, you also
say there is no consciousness. With consciousness one always needs to be conscious
of something, an awareness of something. And of „this“ you cannot be aware. I ask –
is it not crazy that „this“ is all there is and one cannot access it.J: There is no
accessing it and there is no not accessing it. It simply is. „What is“ cannot be
gotten and cannot be lost, it is unknowing.R: Sounds like a paradox. You cannot get
it, you cannot lose it? What kind of relationship do you have to „this“!

J: Well
that is the thing – there is no relationship in „what is“.
R: Because there is no awareness of it?J: No, because there is no distance. For a
relationship you need distance to it.
R: (Pause) That is pretty cool.
J: This is all about nothing. Which is covered over by the experience „this is
about something“ which is a pretty dissatisfying experience. Trying to find a
something that it is about. And – it is not about anything. It is completely empty.
And „what is“ is completely empty includes a seemingly „it is about something“ so
everything that is appearing, everything that is, is not a misplaced everything, it
is just empty. It is not about really anything.

R: What does that mean „it is empty“?J: Well, it means it is not about something
which the person is experiencing.R: Like that it is going somewhere?J: Well, coming
from somewhere, going somewhere, that there is the need of finding something, that
something is really happening. So if you are asking somebody what difference it
makes if you die now or in ten years, most people will say „a huge difference!

“
because things can change, one can have experiences. And all this is seeing what is
happening from the perspective of that the appearance is all there is. So from that
perspective the individual feels like it is the appearance, that being everything,
the appearance is all there is. So being the appearance something real could
happen. But the reality is, the appearance is real and unreal, doesn't have any
real effect because nothing is really happening. So if there would be no individual
there it would be recognized, that dying now or dying in ten years makes no
difference because nothing really happens. The individual thinks that they are
taking it with them. They imagine that there is a continuum that will go on after
they die so whatever they experienced has some reality that belongs to a continuum.
When there is no one experiencing this is about something, then there is obvious
(to no one) that „what is“ is about nothing, isn't something that happens. It is
always all nothing, it is just covered over by the experience that it is something
or about something. So when the „about something“ stops happening, nothing actually
changes. Because the „something happening“ is also nothing, makes no difference.
„What is“ doesn't care if there is an individual that thinks it is about something
or if there is not an individual, it makes absolute no difference because the
reality is: everything that is appearing, is nothing appearing that way. It is all
about nothing.R: But isn't that a cold universe?J: No, the cold universe is the
individuals world. Where it is about something, where it is hard and full of need,
and lack, that is cold. What is left - when that is no longer - is really beauty,
is unconditional love, what is natural actually.R: But total uncaring it sounds
like.J: It is the end of anxious caring. The caring becomes broader, so it is
recognized that the individual is looking for nothing but doesn't want nothing,
cannot have nothing, cannot know nothing. And that is really tragic because that
can lead to a lot of suffering and unhappiness. But here is a bigger picture, that
all the need where that comes from is also nothing, pointless and useless. So in a
big sense there is a caring and a understanding or a compassion for the whole
suffering but for the individual experience, it is such a self masturbatory
exercise of the individual going up and down and up and down in its own world of
need which is going nowhere. So it is hard to care about that.R: And then on top of
it there is no person anyway.J: It doesn't matter, yes there isn't one but that is
also just nothing appearing as a person or appearing as no person. Nothing makes a
difference. It just doesn't matter because it is not happening, it is not real.R:
And then the bottom drops out when this is seen?J: No, the bottom drops out when
there is no one left feeling like there is a bottom. Because nobody „sees“ nothing.
It is the end of looking. And it is not a recognition. There are all these insights
or realizations that there is nothing left inside, that there is no such thing as
an individual, never was, everything and nothing are the same thing, that
everything is empty and there is no story. Those still seemed to me like something
happened and it is still an experienced happening. They are like peepholes into
another reality, but they are still peepholes. When all of that ends and there is
nothing, that is just something completely else. Because when there is recognized
that there is no „me“, that is like something you can talk about, that is like
something you can recognize, something that there is no one and never was one. But
when the bottom drops out then there is nothing, it is not like there is nothing
left, it is like there never was anything. So „there is nothing happening“ is not a
recognition, not a realization because there is no one to have it.R: And where does
the „something“ fit in? All that is appearing? Is that all nothing appearing as
something? But doesn't that mean that „Nothing“ is in a way stronger than the
something?J: No.R: There is a balance between something and nothing?J: There is no
balance, it is all the same thing. It is all empty. There is not nothing somewhere
else or then something somewhere else. If there were, there would be something
happening.R: What is the difference between nothing and empty?J: No difference, it
is the same thing.R: But again: there is much more nothing than there is something.
J: No. Everything. Is. Empty.R: So there is just empty nothingness.J: … appearing
as something "everythingness".R: What to do with that?J: Who would do anything with
that?R: The one who thinks they have to pay a rent and worrying about ending up on
the street.J: Well that is something seemingly happening.R: Yeah, it feels very
much something happening to the one worrying about ending up on the street.J: With
the individual, when there is the experience of it being about something than all
of that shows up as being meaningful. Of course all of this seems to happen but it
doesn't mean anything. It either does or it doesn't happen.R: But if somebody takes
that to heart they think „it doesn't matter anyhow“ and their children have nothing
to eat. So isn't that a reckless advise to give to a person?J: I am not giving any
advice. There is no point to get, there is nothing to take away from this. This has
nothing to do with the experience that this is about something. There is no
relationship.R: But if this is heard by somebody …J: Nobody gives this. If somebody
misunderstands it and decides they can do all sort of things, then that's what
happens.R: It is a powerful insight that this is all about nothing.J: Huge. And it
is not an insight.R: What is it then?J: The end of insights. The end of this being
about something. That is the „bottom falling out“, that this being about something
and all that is left is free fall.R: But when nothing can be done with it, it is a
completely useless message.J: Completely useless.R: No easing of pain, no
motivation of sports, no relief of worry. But I did see deep relaxation in people.
J: I think this is „known“ by everybody. And there is an unraveling. „Known“ is not
the right word.R: So what is your advise how to go on in everyday life?J: The point
is, there never was anybody who made a choice in the first place. It just seemingly
goes on as it always did and actually nothing goes on.R: But is there no glory in
the psyche to experience, a little bit maybe?J: There is nothing in it for the
individual. The one thing that is recognized when the bottom falls out is, that the
individual is exceptional arrogant thinking it is about something. Because it being
about something is really a being about me. Me, me, me, me. What I think is
important, what I feel is important, what I do is important, where I go is
important, it is all so important, but really important.R: So the me is totally
oblivious? And then it is just erased, swoosh gone?J: Well sort of except it was
never anyway. So it is the end of something which never happened. This is a
completely unwantable message. It is just not want able.R: It is like being trapped
in a house of mirrors and being told that everything, all the reflections you see
of yourself is an illusion because there is no self and there is no way out and
there is nothing you can do and really all of this is not happening. Really one
goes mad, don't you see that? Just madness.J: Well I think what you are talking
about is a subtle recognition of the reality what is pointed to and the
hopelessness of the individual to do anything about it or anything with it.R: This
is an unkind universe, to me.J: The individual is trapped in its own dream.R:
Without a dreamer.J: No, the individual is it's own dream so when the individual is
no longer then there is no one that ever dreamed. No dream, no dreamer.R: What is
left then?J: Everything. This, just as it is, what is. Which is all there ever is.
R: So it was actually never really different, just seen a bit askew.J: The
experience of this being about something makes this for the individual appear as
about something it is not. There is nothing to get, there is nowhere to go because
there is nothing to find because there is nothing lost.
R: That is quite diametral what I feel my me is about.J: It is. Absolutely. The
individual, the me is the experience it is about something and the reality is, it
is about nothing.R: … when the me wants to go and get, „here I come!

“ and be on a
„solution finding mission“.J: Solution to a problem which is unreal.R: That is
depressing.J: To the individual it is a quite tragic message. But really all what
the message is doing is exposing the tragedy of the individual in the first place.
Actually it is not really doing anything, it is just simply a description.R: But in
describing it, a veil can be lifted.J: Or not. Or there is the recognition there
never was a veil.PauseIt is difficult to get my head around the fact that no one
wants to hear this and everybody wants to hear this. It cannot be said because it
is too everything and too nothing.R: So there is the big price available and it
cannot be claimed.J: There is no big price. But there is suffering, there is
discontent.R: When it is really really seen that nothing can be done, that one
cannot lift itself out on its own boot-straps, will it then fall away?J: Could be.
The end of the story is the end of the story when it is obvious it is all about
nothing. This is the end of it being about something.R: Is there anything else you
need to say.J: No, I need a drink of water.R: Me too. So this is still happening.
J: (laughs) Apparently.

THE SEARCH

Why am I here? What is the purpose and meaning of life? What happens when I die?
How do I find happiness, peace, fulfillment?

These questions every person has answered in one way or another with hope and
belief. The imagined future. Some of these self-serving answers can be seen in
religion, faith, higher consciousness, Higher Self with a capital S, enlightenment
knowledge and knowing among others names.
Every apparent answer points to a special "what will be", never to the ordinary
original what is. What will be is also called the search.
All apparent answers point away from what is, confirming the reality of the
questioner and its questions. This apparent confirmation of the question and
therefore questioner does nothing to give the individual - the questioner - the
happiness, peace and fulfillment it is looking for. There is no answer to any of
the questions because the questioner is an illusion. The search and the appearance
of an individual in the body are the same thing.
The person is a construct, a contraction, a center to the psychic cloud of
unknowing, of everything. The center, the subsequent interaction is the person and
its illusory life of meaning and purpose. The result is necessarily the search for
hope, meaning and purpose. The search is a search for the answer to the problem of
itself.
The search is completely hopeless.

SEPARATION

The separate sense is on a mission, it is searching for the impossible to know the
end of itself, the end of the fear of death, the end of separation. The non- dual
reality. In this search it will always fail. The situation for the sense of self is
completely hopeless. As is its efforts to control its life by repeating the
pleasurable and avoiding the painful which is the simple description of its entire
life. There is no free will - that is another illusion.

The good news is, there is no such thing as separation. What the separate sense of
self is looking for is all there is. There is only that. This. This is not
particular or exclusive. It is everything exactly as it is. Everything is an
expression of wholeness, everything is the end of the sense of separation which the
separate sense is looking for but in looking the separate sense can only register
something, the particular.
When this reality is recognized, it is seen that there is no separation, that the
sense of separation was simply a dream, that it never happened, there is no and
never was a separate self in the whole of everything. Everything paradise is
perfect and complete. But nothing changes, as there never was separation. The
appearance is no longer informed by the search for the end of the fear of death and
the neurotic outcroppings of that search, but everything is still, everything. In
the absence of the search there is a unknowable wonder that this what is, can be,
just that it appears, a quiet awesomeness that is this meaningless purposeless
explosion of everything, which is an anarchy of love. Absolute freedom appearing as
whatever is.
In sharing this, it may be recognized, resonated with. Sometimes there is the
registration, that this is undeniable although there is no recognition, simply
a refreshing understanding that seems to ring true somewhere and the straightjacket
"me" may loosen or even fall away completely.
As the message is that there is nothing to find, it is already this, the separate
sense of self has no part to play in the recognition. There is either an impersonal
willingness or there is not.
It, this, is everything, completely impersonal and has nothing to do with what the
separate sense feels or thinks.

NON DUALISM turns the way one normally thinks of enlightenment and spirituality on
its head. Non Duality is a revolution. The simplicity of the message is absolutely
undeniable. It reveals, that the search for enlightenment is in itself the
continuation and confirmation of the separation.

Non Duality is a description of what can not be described, hence the negative non.
Or what it is not, there are not two. The “two” being pointed to are all the
opposites of existence, perception or the basis for experience.It is obvious there
is experience and perception so what is “not two”? And why can it not be said? “Not
two” is pointing to the reality that perception and the experience of two is not
what it seems to be. Experience seems to be the basis of what is. Non Duality
acknowledges that fact but says perception and experience are distorted, made
exclusive, by the experience of what is as personal.The experience of being a
person results in a transformation of all experience, that it is personal. That,
what is happening, is happening to me. This veils the reality that experience being
non dual in nature, is in reality empty. It is not happening to me, it is just
happening.How does this happen? The experience of being a person is the result of
the body being experienced as the center of what is happening. This experience of
being the center has a gravity or pressure to it. In reality the gravity or
pressure is simply a feeling which happens, with no claim of center or of being
personal, it has the flavor of “here”. The pressure of here incites a false claim,
that this gravity or pressure is personal, that it signifies a center. This
assumption or false claim is the beginning of the person and the personal story.
This changes the impersonal everything or what is seemingly happening being
obviously center less to: this is happening to “me”, a center.The consequence of
the assumption of an "I" is the personal story. This assumption or false claim is a
reaction. The entire personal life which flows out of this false claim is also a
reaction. A reaction to a reaction to a reaction... A reaction experiencing itself
as the cause. As a cause it assumes free will and choice, meaning and purpose.Of
course free will and choice as well as meaning and purpose only make sense when the
person is a cause, as a reaction, they are meaningless.This illusion of the
personal, the illusion of the separate person, which hides the reality that what is
seemingly happening is not really “two”, is the impersonal appearing personal.
Timelessness appearing as time. This illusion that defines itself by experience
hides the fact, that experience as the basis of everything is empty. That knowing -
for example I am - is not a cause but a reaction, hiding the reality that there is
no “I” or “am”.There is no real cause and what is, is not a result. The known is an
appearance. An appearance is what it is, but it is not, what it seems to be. As
long as the appearance is perceived as exclusively real, it is being taken for what
it is not. What is, is empty. All appearance is empty.“What is” is not logical, is
not a conclusion. It is indescribable because there is no other to compare it to.
The appearance is describable, it is the “is not” which is indescribable. As what
is, is simultaneous “is” and “is not”, it is beyond description. Although what is
is not describable, there are words that seems to arise: paradise, perfect,
awesome, pure, free, absolute, infinite, love.