We are discussing how Martin Luther King, Jr. and Père Chenu agree that dualism is a “strange” and “unbiblical” (or unJewish) way to look at ourselves and the world.
King says religion succumbs to fear when it separates matter and spirit, body and soul, the sacred and the profane.
Many other thinkers and activists agree. Catholic Feminist theologian Rosemary Ruether says that the foundation of patriarchy is dualism. (Thus to deconstruct dualism is to move beyond patriarchy and open the doors to women.)
Thich Nhat Hanh declared that if Christianity can recover its non-dualistic tradition, the gems and treasures it holds could come alive again.
Julian of Norwich defines mysticism as “oneing.” Oneing names mystical experience where we taste the non-dualism of God and us.
Meister Eckhart calls God “the One” and calls us to “separate ourselves from all twoness.” That is mysticism. His term for the “oneing” that is a mystical experience is “breakthrough. In breakthrough “I learn that God and I are one.”
Dorothy Soelle says that mysticism—”the truth that nothing can separate us from the love of God”–eradicates the masculine hierarchical consciousness that renders patriarchy possible.
Chenu championed the non-dualism of Thomas Aquinas and in an article in my book, Western Spirituality: Historical Roots, Ecumenical Routes, entitled “Body and Body Politic in the Creation Spirituality of Thomas Aquinas,” he writes:
Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) was a champion of creation spirituality [who] trusted the Creator and the creature to work dialectically with the spirit of creation.
On more than one occasion, Aquinas wrote that
…to take something away from the perfection of the creation is to abstract from the perfection of the creative power itself.
Chenu comments that this statement
…contains both a metaphysical and a mystical principle for Aquinas and lays open the key to his entire spirituality. For him (as for Francis of Assisi), nature is not a mere shadow of the supernatural but contains spiritual energies in itself. To study nature and existence was for Aquinas a form of prayer and meditation, indeed, a ‘liturgy’ as he insisted in his running debates with cloistered monks of his day.
To be continued.
Adapted from M. D. Chenu, O.P., “Body and Body Politic in the Creation Spirituality of Thomas Aquinas” in Matthew Fox, ed., Western Spirituality: Historical Roots, Ecumenical Routes, pp. 192f.
Also: Fox, Christian Mystics, pp. 277-279, 325, 329-333.
To read the transcript of Matthew Fox’s video teaching, click HERE.
Banner Image: “Mahamudra: One aware about two.” Photo by Hartwig HKD on Flickr.
Queries for Contemplation
Do you agree with Chenu and Aquinas and Francis of Assisi that nature is not a mere shadow of the supernatural but contains spiritual energies in itself? What follows from that?
Recommended Reading
Western Spirituality: Historical Roots, Ecumenical Routes
In this book, Fox gathers scholars from various cultures and traditions such as Helen Kenik, Jon Sobrino, Nicolas Berdyaev, Rosemary Ruether, M. D. Chenu, Mary Jose Hobday, Ronald Miller, Monika Hellwig, James Kenney, Justin O’Brien and others to approach creation spirituality from many traditions and many angles.
“An exciting and important book…a pleasant alternative to the oppressive burden of the fall/redemption tradition.” ~ New Review of Books and Religion
9 thoughts on “Why Non-Dualism Is Important, MLK & Chenu, continued”
Matthew on Dualism:
King says religion succumbs to fear when it separates matter and spirit, body and soul, the sacred and the profane.” Many other thinkers and activists agree. And then he goes on to list a number of non-dualistic spiritual teachers, etc. Such as:
Catholic Feminist theologian, Rosemary Ruether says that the foundation of patriarchy is dualism. (Thus to deconstruct dualism is to move beyond patriarchy and open the doors to women.)
Thich Nhat Hanh declared that if Christianity needs recover its non-dualistic tradition, the gems and treasures it holds could come alive again.
Julian of Norwich defines mysticism as “oneing.” Oneing names mystical experience where we taste the non-dualism of God and us.
Meister Eckhart calls God “the One” and calls us to “separate ourselves from all twoness.” That is mysticism. His term for the “oneing” that is a mystical experience is “breakthrough. In breakthrough “I learn that God and I are one.”
Dorothy Soelle says that mysticism—”the truth that nothing can separate us from the love of God”–eradicates the masculine hierarchical consciousness that renders patriarchy possible.
Chenu championed the non-dualism of Thomas Aquinas and in an article in your book, Western Spirituality: Historical Roots, Ecumenical Routes, entitled “Body and Body Politic in the Creation Spirituality of Thomas Aquinas,” he writes: “Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) was a champion of creation spirituality [who] trusted the Creator and the creature to work dialectically with the spirit of creation. On more than one occasion, Aquinas wrote that: “…to take something away from the perfection of the creation is to abstract from the perfection of the creative power itself.” Chenu comments that this statement …contains both a metaphysical and a mystical principle for Aquinas and lays open the key to his entire spirituality. For him (as for Francis of Assisi), nature is not a mere shadow of the supernatural but contains spiritual energies in itself. To study nature and existence was for Aquinas a form of prayer and meditation, indeed, a ‘liturgy’ as he insisted in his running debates with cloistered monks of his day.
Mysticism is being and living in the sacred mystery of the Eucharist. “Hold, lift, eat, this is my body of LOVE, broken open for you, my blood of LOVE poured out for you.” At first it may taste earthy and bitter, yet as one surrenders and acccepts the mystery of the sacred hidden within all… the sweetness unfolds and the fragrance slowly emerges… One body, One cup, One love. Can we hold, lift, eat and drink all that seems paradoxal… as a mystery and blessing of the sacredness of being Oned With the love of God?
Nouwen writes, “At times we embrace this with a resounding YES, at other times we cry out with our whole being NO… in both responses we experience something radically new, that goes beyond anything we have imagined. This mysterious, sacred something breaks through all human calculations, expectations and self-invented predictions. It asks for the most radical trust in the Spirit of God’s unconditional love… an intimacey in which there are no power struggles, no mutually agreed upon promises, no guarantees… only pure, unrestrained and unlimited LOVE.”
The Eucharist to be leaned into and lived out again and again is being accepting, willing, trusting and surrendered to… holding and being held, to lifting and being lifted, to being broken open further into giveness and wholeness, and to being poured out and poured into… in our journey of becoming “Oned With” this Love of God, as One Body, One Cup, One Love!
Jeanette, Today you begin your comment with: “Mysticism is being and living in the sacred mystery of the Eucharist.” Then you begin the last paragraph of your comment with: “The Eucharist to be leaned into and lived out again and again is being accepting, willing, trusting and surrendered to…” What you wrote in those two paragraphs was very beautiful. What interested me however is, what do you believe “about” the Eucharist? Most Protestants believe that the elements of the Eucharist are purely symbolic, while Catholics and a few others believe that the “Real Presence” of the body and blood of Christ are actually in the elements of communion. Given the teachings of Creation Spirituality, and our understanding of the Cosmic Christ, and our understanding of a panentheistic God, we too can see the Cosmic Christ and the panentheistic God in the elements of communion, as we see them in everything in creation !!!
All is made of light and the same energy, whether gross physical matter or spirit. Our obsession with matter alone and that which is physical and that can be seen as such, is a source of great difficulty for us. Our dualistic perceptions will continue as long as we cannot ‘see’ the unseen and cannot ‘hear’ the unheard.
Our gross sensory perceptions alone are incomplete and imperfect ways to view, observe and experience the ‘all of existence’. We need to go beyond what we know intellectually and physically as being ‘true’ and experience the ‘oneing’ and divine consciousness of truth.
How can we ever truly experience ‘physical nature as we see and know it’, if we cannot understand the nature of ourselves that we cannot see and do not yet know? To believe that we can is dualistic is it not? Nothing exists apart from us. In everything we should be able to see ourselves, even in the unseen. — BB.
Bill, Today you write: “Our gross sensory perceptions alone are incomplete and imperfect ways to view, observe and experience the ‘all of existence’. We need to go beyond what we know intellectually and physically as being ‘true’ and experience the ‘oneing’ and divine consciousness of truth.” I totally agree with your comment, Bill. Our sight does not allow us to see all the light in the spectrum, such as infrared and ultraviolet light, and we know we can’t smell a lot of things that dogs can smell, and they can also hear things that we can’t hear. As you say: “Our gross sensory perceptions alone are incomplete and imperfect ways to view, observe and experience the ‘all of existence’”–and I say that where sensory perception–and I would add reason–are incomplete, there is intuition! Our gut-feeling-senses, and / or intuitions can lead us beyond what we can intellectually know.
As a young adult as I was experiencing life and searching for meaning, I realize now I was graced by an intuitive appreciation for the mystics, their spiritual experiences, and their writings in all the major spiritual traditions. Fortunately, my faith and spiritual journey in life continues to be inspired by modern mystics and prophets such as the contemplatives Thomas Merton, Thomas Keating (centering prayer.org), Richard Rohr (coc.org), Matthew Fox (Creation Spirituality), and others; Divine Feminine Spirituality; Indigenous Spirituality; Sacred Earth Spirituality; Social Justice and compassionate action of liberation theologies; and a recent developing awareness of sacred multidimensional spirituality in our multiverse Cosmos…
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Mystical awareness is a RETURN to the Truth we all, each of us, walked away from when we were convinced of the “truth” of dualism. We immersed ourselves in the experiences, convictions and language of dualistic consciousness. We glorified the intellectual/dualistic/egoic separation from our surroundings and from each other. We became tiny islands, alone and unaccountable to anyone and anything but our own rapacious desires. We became our own gods, and we destroyed anyone and anything we deemed “lesser” than ourselves. We used and brutalized each other, enslaving those weaker than us in chains, in marriage, and in poverty, justifying laws of domination, oppression and ownership. We enslaved all the natural resources to our own purposes of exploitation.
All of this violates the Truth of that which we’re continually reminded of, over and over, by mystical consciousness.
Deep down inside, many people sense that we’re tearing ourselves away from our Truth. They feel the yearning, the haunting call of mysticism, like a forgotten memory on the edges of their awareness. This is their Soul’s call to them, the deeper Spirit’s invitation for them to turn toward the healing Source and live more compassionately, more nondualistically, more within Love and Healing, with ourselves, each other, with our fragile planet, and with God.
“Mystical Oneness” is not exotic. It’s the foundation of everything.
Melinda, Today you write: “Mystical awareness is a RETURN to the Truth we all, each of us, walked away from when we were convinced of the ‘truth’ of dualism.” I can’t but help to see your two contrasting truths. You refer to mystical awareness as the Truth with a capital “T,” but the “truth” of dualism as if it isn’t truth. My own personal view that it is not either/or but both/and. The Hindu holy man, Meyer Baba, being a monist, saw the world as being ultimately an illusion, and yet he served the suffering. Once a man came to him and asked, “If suffering is ultimately an illusion, why do you bother with the suffering?” Meyer Baba’s answer was, “Whereas suffering is ultimately an illusion, yet in the realm of illusion it is suffering.” What I am saying is that I don’t want to become so caught up in the level of ONENESS that I forget to serve those who live in the realm of twoness.
Neoplatonic Oneness embraces both “duality” and “oneness” within a larger nondualistic Oneness, as is expressed within the characteristics used to describe “God.”