In certain spiritual circles, especially Zen and Advaita Vedanta, “not-knowing”, or “being in the unknown” is a common concept, and one that is much in vogue – even more so,  it would seem, as we enter into an age of great uncertainty and overwhelming crises. In its true meaning it is profound, and also a profound springboard for true knowledge and right action – exactly what is needed now -- but in fact it is often abused, used as a hiding place from the challenges of the world and our responsibility to act on them.

Emptiness is a filling station, not a place to hide. Stillness is the space that energizes fresh, unbiased action, not a place to stop, stagnate in one’s comfort zone, or disappear into the void. Silence is the place that gives birth to our infinite being -- inclusive, expansive and ever-evolving -- not just a place of death, annihilation or resignation but our entryway into our Oneness with all existence, all of life, all Creation.

Yes, we are all traumatized, in different ways, by our life today, but we cannot afford to hide from those traumas in denial or despair -- dumbing-down, numbing out or simply giving up. We need to dive deep into our true being – but not to stop there, for it is from that place of peace and Wholeness that we can both heal our traumas and those of the world, of others around us – who, from that place of deep knowing, are seen to be no other than our own Self. When we truly know we contain the whole of existence, we do not need to hide, nor would we even want to.

There is so much about spirituality – partly in the old traditions, partly in our own shallow or convenient interpretations – that seem to imply a retreat from knowing, feeling, acting. Yet true spirituality is only meant to be a retreat from knowing, feeling and acting in conventional, conditioned ways, in order to rest in the freshness, the unconditional depth and openness of our true being -- so that new ways of knowing, feeling and acting can then emerge which are aligned with its wisdom, its infinite potential.

Non-Duality Means All is One – We Need to Act That Way

Ironically, it is particularly in non-dual spiritual circles – those proclaiming the interconnection and Oneness of all existence – that not-knowing, stillness, silence, emptiness and similar concepts (actually referring to the Source of that Oneness!) – are taken as a license to abnegate any connection or responsibility for others or the world, to seek out one’s own private peace.

Engagement with social and ecological renewal is often seen, in such circles, as a sign that one is deluded (caring more about this “unreal” world than the sacred), but it can be a direct expression of a deep realization of interconnection and Oneness, even between the sacred and this world. This is true non-duality, expressing the truth of unity in every dimension of our lives: dissolving the false divisions between ourselves and others; spiritual awakening and social liberation; our own enlightenment, salvation, and that of the whole world.

True non-duality means that our lives are congruent with that deepest truth at the heart of our being – that we are all One, and need to treat all as our own Self, with the greatest care and reverence. True spirituality is not nihilistic, at odds with ethics and morality, but their direct [expression and] embodiment, in our relations with others around us and the larger social, ecological, economic and political systems of which we are inevitably a part.

How does this play out in our lives, and how does it not, as the case may be – and if it does not, what changes do we need to make to come into that congruence? Our spiritual journey doesn’t stop with the question “who am I?”, but goes further -- how do I express that in every dimension of my being?

So long as we are in a body, in a human society on this Earth, with physical needs we are meeting through our interactions with others and the resources of the Earth, we cannot pretend to be disconnected, disembodied; we are taking a “political position”, whether by conscious choice or default. We ourselves embody a micro-economic system embedded within the larger one of society and the planet. We cannot claim to be above and beyond that, because in fact our body is engaging in very specific patterns, which impact others and the Earth, every moment that we act, or in fact choose not to. Just because we think we “are not the body” doesn’t mean we are exempt from the larger implications, and consequences, of those patterns, which ripple out in all directions, whether we see it or not.

To think this way is simply to be in denial – not just psychologically, but socially, ecologically, economically and politically. We are all in a social, economic and political position (unless we live in a cave and eat weeds) whether we admit it or not, and in fact to be in a state of inaction can make our position even more fixed than to be in action for positive transformation, in the flow of active change and evolution, in the service of the wider existence of which we are inextricably a part.

Many people who claim to be so highly evolved that they know they “are not the body” are actually sitting on an enormous amount of social, racial and economic privilege -- feeding, clothing, entertaining, maintaining that body and privilege off the spoils of others’ labor, who do not have the privilege of maintaining “they are not the body” because they have to earn their living off the sweat of their brows.

That pretense, of disembodiment and non-connection, is not only delusional, it is often totally dependent upon that position of privilege. Here we see that spiritual delusion colludes with injustice and moral irresponsibility, an ethical lacuna, self-deception. Such positions are antithetical to the deepest spiritual truth -- that everything is connected, that everything is One Self, and needs to be treated as one would treat oneself, everything and everyone being equally sacred in that non-dual Oneness. Ironically, by sitting on our privilege we are actively denying the very Oneness with all life that we are so piously proclaiming!

“Not-Knowing” – Willful Denial or Gateway to Truth and Transformation?

Like non-duality itself, the concept of “not-knowing” can too easily be misused as a way of separating ourselves from the world, mentally as well as physically. How do we really know what is happening, how can we ever know what is true, who is there even to know; such phrases are toted out, with dismal regularity, by spiritual practitioners, often as a way of cutting short, dismissing, any discussion of sacred activism in the face of today’s crises. (Ironically, secular, post-modern relativism often has the same effect, with similar unconscious motivations behind it.)

This posture of “not-knowing” can simply be denial in disguise (or confusion unwilling to sort itself for fear of what it will see.) Masquerading as humility, and yet somehow with an air of self-righteous superiority, it becomes a convenient way of rationalizing complacency, making ignorance and inaction a virtue -- in contrast to the true meaning of the state of “not-knowing”, which actually empowers a deep and genuine openness and potential for transformation.

It is crucial to distinguish between this kind of “not-knowing” (willful ignorance based on complacency and social privilege that does not want to be challenged) and the genuine spiritual state of sacred “not-knowing”, the pure, unconditioned openness to the sacred Source of Creation, and its higher evolutionary forces, in the service of all life. The first is an abdication of the knowledge and wisdom that wants to flow through us to serve all life, while the latter is an opening, free and unhindered by our own pre-conceptions, or self-defenses, to it.
Because right knowledge precedes right action, “not-knowing”, conversely, can often serve (subconsciously) as the perfect pretext for not acting, especially in privileged classes who are least motivated to take action that might challenge their position. Often such people are highly educated – and cannot really claim non-awareness – but implicitly choose to, to avoid facing certain contradictions between their beliefs and behavior which could threaten their self-image.

In this way, the stance of “not-knowing” – which in its genuine meaning, can hold great power – becomes regressive, both spiritually and socially. It pretends to be a freedom from all positions, but in fact it can be a fixed and stagnant position, that impedes any real growth and change, in ourselves and our world. In the past we may have had the luxury to indulge in this, but now that time is over. Today our existential crises demand an evolutionary leap, both in our understanding of what true spirituality means, and the way we apply it in action, in our social systems and our interactions with the wider web of all life.

“Don’t know mind” is a staple of non-dual traditions and as such needs to be unhinged, from a position that holds us back, that hinders the fullest expression of our wisdom in action, to one of our true potential and freedom to transform ourselves and our world.

Sacred Action from the Pure Potential at the Source of Our Being

So what does “not-knowing” really mean, and what does it not mean? When is it in service of life, and when does it impede it?

“Not-knowing” can be taken either as a fixed position, which impedes us from growing or acting; or an open process, alive and receptive, that flows into higher knowing and action. As a position “not-knowing” can be counter-productive, regressive – it can be obstructive of change, which is a constant of life, as the Buddha himself reminded us. As a process, though -- an openness, pure potential, that flows into fresh insight and action, appropriate responses to what is arising in the moment – “not-knowing” is highly creative, the essential basis of all positive change, evolution, full engagement with the Wholeness of life.

These are times of great uncertainty but that uncertainty itself -- rather than being a source of paralysis that may prove fatal -- can free us, can be our liberation and salvation. We can embrace not-knowing, not as a fixed position of willful denial, a complacent attachment to our comfort zone (which will ultimately spell our self-destruction) – but the gateway to a process of revelation and transformation, of open-minded, ever-expanding horizons -- open-ended, infinite potential in action…

Action that flows from not-knowing embodies both not-knowing and knowing, and bridges the divides between them, closing the gap between stillness and movement, being and becoming, Source and its own expressions – which are all false divisions that exist only in our minds. This is true non-duality, that does not just sit on a cushion but also acts – with a love that overflows itself, in the service of all life.

The space of not-knowing is not an empty void, but one with the Source of Creation. All true creativity, healing, flows from the origin of Creation, the pure, fertile openness where all potential resides, the Source of the Whole that holds within it infinite, boundless scope, from which all possibilities can blossom.

Not-knowing is our fulcrum, and we must always be rooted in that, but so long as we are alive, we are also a part of a flow. So long as we are alive, life itself is our home; it is also part of a greater home that flows beyond life and death themselves and embraces both. To live in that home is to live in the world, and through it move beyond it – not to separate ourselves from the world, but to know ourselves as that Wholeness itself, ever-present and deathless.

Today a new knowing is rising out of “not-knowing”, it is up to us to let it guide our way. When we let go of the “old knowledge” (imposed by society and the mind), we find we’re plugged into the Source of “new” knowledge – which in fact is the timeless wisdom, silent and ever-present, at our core – that flows from a very different place, and in a very different way, than before.

We need not choose between spirituality and action; it is spirit itself, our formless Essence, that expresses itself through our actions. By surrendering to “not-knowing”, in a genuine way, we come to know who we really are – the Wholeness that embraces and heals all duality, all division. Today, at a time when division is rife at all levels, we are poised in an extraordinary position – to heal the duality both in our own minds and in our world, by embracing our true Oneness and letting it flow into action, in every dimension of our being.

Our Unity with the Source of Creation is the Key to Both Saving Our Planet and Our Ultimate Liberation

Non-dual spirituality, in its current forms, often seems to push against any responsibility or action in the world. But evolutionary non-duality is engaged with the world; it brings the spirit of essence into sacred action to transform our systems and lives into regenerative, loving, caring, equitable and just ones, in harmony with each other and the whole web of life, dissolving the false boundaries we have constructed between ourselves and nature, between inner and outer nature. As these false divisions dissolve, love naturally flows to bring into being a very different world, of selfless service, compassion-in-action, communion. This dawning Oneness is the key to both our planet’s salvation and our liberation, the key that unlocks the imagined separation between this world and the eternal sacred.

It is our mind that keeps the world “in place”, in its apparently fixed position. Behind the mind’s grip lies flow, openness, freedom. When the world appears to be falling apart, as it does today, it can actually be a blessing -- it drives us back into that freedom behind the mind, because it no longer has anything to hang onto. Just as mind and world appear at the same time, an interdependent co-arising, hanging together, and holding each other together, so they disappear at the same time – when one goes, the other goes. Either way, we are pushed back on our true openness, flow and freedom. With these we can dissolve old worlds and create new ones, but then the new world will be congruent with our true being, flowing from, and knowing itself, as that freedom itself.

Non-duality, unity, is our true nature. Today this truth is bursting forth – driven by our crises – because if we do not align with it, we will simply not survive. In the midst of all the chaos today we can see the seeds of this truth emerging, erupting into the light of the day…a true cleansing, purification of our illusion of separation and all the suffering that we have inflicted on ourselves, each other and nature in its name. As everything that is false breaks down, the deepest truth of our being is bursting through the cracks.

Nothing to hang onto is another name for freedom – both the freedom of liberation and the freedom to change things. The openness, Wholeness, of our true being, itself includes the two sides at once – spirit and matter, stillness and action, peace and passion, freedom and manifestation. There is no conflict in it, no contradiction…All seeming divisions dissolve in its seamless Oneness and flow…

There is an implicit recognition of our interconnection and Oneness with the Whole that is emerging today – we see it in the movements for ecological renewal, social justice, community aid groups, rising up everywhere, especially now in the face of the pandemic, climate crisis and eco-social collapses. Non-duality, understood in its true sense, the embrace of the Whole as our true Self – has a tremendous, vital contribution to make to this – if we take it in its true meaning, serving life rather than denying it.

Emptiness, wisdom, compassion, action, exist on a continuum; one flows from the other, and none of them are separate. This is the insight of non-duality; we do not hold ourselves apart from anything, because we are part of that flow, because we are part of that Whole.

Delusion, deception, domination and injustice cannot prevail, cannot be sustained – truth and justice will out; unity will at last overcome separation, for it is the truth of our being. Black people, indigenous people, women and youth, along with nature herself, are rising up now to proclaim the truth and reclaim the power of our true interconnection and Oneness, equality, unity-in-diversity. The spiritual traditions, especially of non-duality, should be rising up with them. If we truly understand non-duality, we can reframe our traditions so that they lend tremendous power to this movement, from the very core of our being.

We are not just the unity, that takes no forms, but the unity-in-diversity that takes all forms, that engages in transformation. That Essence that is our true nature is not just static, but effervescent, unfolding as evolution even as it is ever-present, to realize itself in all forms, in every dimension of its own Creation.

Self-realization is not just a personal, private, individual affair – you get your own, then run off, disappear -- but the movement of Self Itself to realize itself in all forms, in every dimension of our being, personal and collective. We are all part of that bigger movement, that movement of the eternal itself, to realize itself through the forms of the world, whether we recognize it or not. When we do recognize that, though, we vastly accelerate that process -- for ourselves, and all of life: conscious, co-creative evolution, that ripples through the whole web of creation, and beyond…

We are both the unity, and its own forms, engaged in that transformation -- that unity itself, that pervades all its forms, even as it transcends them. We are the diverse forms of Creation, and the Source of Creation itself…what else could we possibly be, just as the waves of the ocean are the ocean itself?

The Source that created us has never left us, high-tailed off to Heaven, or some invisible void, but exists in and through us, every moment and in every action of our lives. We are nothing but its own expression, which makes us both the emptiness and the fullness, our own passing part and the Whole of Creation. We are part of a stream of aliveness, infinite and eternal, that was never born nor dies. To act in its name is not to deny this, but affirm it in its fullest sense and meaning.

To act in the name of the sacred is not to deny its infinite, undivided nature, but affirm it in every cell of our body, in every dimension of our being.

Through the illusion of separation, we have fragmented ourselves and our world. This is true not only in society, but in spiritual circles, which have often distanced themselves from the world in their own privileged, exclusive bubbles. Authentic spirituality does not add to this fragmentation but heals it; and non-duality in particular, which holds the seeds of our Wholeness in their purest form, holds an enormous potential to help bring about that healing -- if it can grow those seeds, with true wisdom and compassion, right knowing and right action.

We have reached the critical state in which we find ourselves today precisely because society has lost its spiritual roots, the wisdom of interconnection and Oneness at the core of our being. This is the knowledge that can save us, but only if we embody it – if we forfeit it, and the precious life on Earth we have been given, we cannot claim that we did not know.