Duality versus non-duality is the key distinction being made in A Course in Miracles (acim). The metaphysical and psychotherapy principles are based in helping you understand how to choose non-duality because that is the choice needing to be made. Until you grasp this type of perception and correct choosing, it can seem frustrating and impossible to achieve; however, the process is learning the principles and then applying them. You also have to remember that the part of you feeling frustrated is the ego, judgments of duality, which the principle of non-duality withdraws belief from when put into practice.
Frustration is an emotion the ego uses to keep you stuck in duality because if you start choosing Love (non-duality), that’s death to it. As with all emotions, frustration is a judgment being used to defend the ego’s idea of separation and protect its position. Ultimately, it is the choice for attack on yourself because you are not at peace which is your true nature; and, you only attack from having already chosen to feel guilty.
Choosing internal dialogue composed of duality defenses is the basis of the ego’s thought system where it asks you to choose between two things (guilt or fear) in your mind. A very common mis-perception is about what you are choosing between and in this article we’re going to discuss the choice between duality and non-duality from the perspective of ACIM.
Duality is Fear and Guilt:
Duality is the ego’s false kingdom ruled by fear as the ego’s substitute for Love, and guilt as the reason you are fearful. The dualistic system asks you to make choices, which seem like opposites, but are really between the two roles of victim and victimizer within the same system.
The victim feels guilty over what did happen (past), or fearful of what will happen (future). The victimizer feels guilty over what did happen (past), or fearful of what will happen (future). That is choice within the same dualistic system. Either role, as the first dualistic choice, still presents another dualistic choice between fear and guilt which further fragments the mind.
By definition dualism is: (a) the division of something conceptually into two opposed or contrasting aspects; and, (b) a system of thought as a reality in terms of two independent principles. Victim and victimizer are the aspects in part (a); and fear and guilt are the reality principles in part (b). Principles of fear and guilt are the fundamental truths of the ego in dualism.
Students of ACIM think the choice is between Love and fear which is not the case. They are not dualistic or within the same thought system as the second part of the definition says they must be. It’s why the Course refers to the ego wrong mind and the ego right mind since fear and guilt are independent principles within the same thought system.
Fear as a substitute for Love is ego right mind. You have to replace the Love of God. Guilt is the ego wrong mind. You must feel guilty and afraid of punishment for what you did in separating. One pretends to love and one openly hurts.
Non-Dualism is Love:
The one principle (fundamental truth) of non-dualism is Love. When you put the word “non” in front of dualism, it means “not getting involved with.” The definition of non-dualism would then be to not get involved with opposed or contrasting principles; and, since the system of thought contains only one principle, Love, there’s nothing to choose between. Therefore, Love cannot recognize duality.
Love, as ACIM refers to it, is pure non-dualism and it cannot fathom the choice of hurting yourself (victim) or hurt another (victimizer), because the “you” being referred to in Love is only Oneness and the Sameness and attacking itself is inconceivable. That would be the definition of insanity.
The Course says you have this third choice which is the choice for Love, or non-duality. Instead of denying this One Truth, deny the dualistic miscreations of fear and guilt. This One Choice ends conflict in all situations.