Non-Duality Questions, Non-Duality Answers is an organic, interactive exploration of non-duality—the understanding that in life there is no separation, only seamless Oneness. Structured around reader questions, this book invites you to participate in the argument for non-separation, inquire about the nature of the self and the experience of liberation, and understand how non-dual awareness can impact your life. With this work, spiritual seekers will gain clarity on what non-duality is—and what it isn’t.
Since time immemorial, key questions about the nature of existence have nagged at our consciousness: What am I? Why am I here? Is this really all there is? And for years, non-duality author and humanistic psychologist Richard Sylvester received questions like these, along with deeply personal inquiries on non-duality and intimate spiritual experiences, from people seeking honest answers. Now those questions and responses are available to you.
You may have sought answers to these fundamental inquiries in religion, solitude, the company of family and friends, or conversations with gurus, priests, and philosophers. Even so, you may be living with lingering doubts about what you’ve been conditioned to believe, feeling “lost on the path” or otherwise frustrated with organized religion or the indirectness and prescriptiveness of spiritual teachings. With Non-Duality Questions, Non-Duality Answers, you’ll find that self-inquiry can help you end the cycle of inadequacy and searching—that liberation through non-dual awareness is possible—and that no query is too strange or too grand for the discussion of life, non-separation, and enlightenment at hand.
Designed to answer questions as they arise, this book sheds spirituality and non-duality of its complex prescriptions. With a unique blend of patience, compassion, respect, provocation, and humor, Sylvester shows that we are all united in our worrying and striving, and gives you a glimpse of the Oneness that is so hard to describe but is so easily felt.
Industry Reviews
"Humanist psychologist and lecturer Sylvester boldly dares to answer, in his own brash fashion, the big questions of existence throughout this argument for non-duality, spiritual liberation, and oneness. ... For those curious about [non-duality] and what it really means, this book will be a welcome guide."
--Publishers Weekly
"It is rare these days to find an unequivocal non-dual communication. Attempting to describe that which is beyond understanding, process, or path is hardly ever embarked upon. However, Richard undertakes this task in his own inimitable style. He also includes relevant stories and perceptions about the human condition gleaned from a rich and varied experience."
--Tony Parsons, author of The Open Secret
"Richard Sylvester fields a spectrum of questions that covers personal journeys and non-duality culture. He barely breathes on questions and ... they disappear. To try to say what remains would invite more questions, yet it is present on every page."
--Jerry Katz, editor of One
"The reader is guided on an exceptional journey into the unknowable by an expert in psychology and spiritual traditions who awakened from the dream of separation."
--Christian Salvesen, MA, author of Advaita
"What if, instead of struggling and straining to realize oneness, or working hard to become 'totally present, ' there was a much easier way? Humanistic psychologist and non-duality expert Richard Sylvester suggests that there is: we can just forget the struggle and relax. In order to do that, we have to let go of the stories we tell ourselves. ... Compassionate, provocative, and even humorous, Sylvester's answers to the fundamental questions that often leave spiritual seekers frustrated provide clarity on what non-duality is and what it isn't; they paint a compelling picture of what a life lived in non-dual awareness could be like, and offer confirmation that liberation through non-dual awareness is within reach."
--Foreword Reviews
