In 1969 I was 18 years young and aimless. I was simply drifting from one experience to the next. One of those experiences involved my first and really my last experience with LSD. The dose was well calculated by a friend who had an understanding regarding the nature of the drug. He knew how to obtain clean LSD and he knew the proper dose necessary to cause the dissolution of the ego. And he knew that a quiet natural environment was essential. (I do not recommend the use of any mind-altering substances. The ego does not surrender easily.) I want to keep the story short. It was a mind-altering experience.
I experienced non-duality. The ideas I used to experience the day to day, the way I thought about life were briefly dissolved. I experienced myself as a timeless energetic expression of a deeper reality. In reflection, I recognize that the way I thought about life became the way I experienced life. It was a profound experience that stuck with me, causing me to have a desire to find that kind of open mindedness again. The seeds of deep realization that were planted in this singular experience set me in search of myself.
The full story is naturally long. Suffice it to say, I now, in moments of Self-awareness, naturally experience the ease and joy inherent in non-dual being.
The subject/object way I have been taught to think of life is dissolving. The struggles I usually experience are fading into what may be considered surrender. There is a letting go.
I don’t always give my energy to the illusion of duality. I sometimes find myself able to stop the struggle with objects and allow the profound experience of non-duality to carry me into the place were peace and joy perpetually and naturally reside. I withdraw into my true Self.
Each of us stand on the threshold of this greater recognition of our true identity. We can find our way to this eternal place by simply, non-judgmentally asking ourselves why we think and act the way we do. The non-judgmental nature of the question will reveal, peel away the layers of misperception and allow us to be the compassionate being we are born to be.