cover image Non-Duality Questions, Non-Duality Answers: Exploring Spirituality and Existence in the Modern World

Non-Duality Questions, Non-Duality Answers: Exploring Spirituality and Existence in the Modern World

Richard Sylvester. New Harbinger, $16.95 trade paper (400p) ISBN 978-1-62625-818-1

Humanist psychologist and lecturer Sylvester (Drink Tea, Eat Cake) boldly dares to answer, in his own brash fashion, the big questions of existence throughout this argument for nonduality, spiritual liberation, and oneness. In his simplest description, nonduality encompasses a certain set of beliefs such as “There is no one, there is no separation, there is nothing to find and there is no one who seeks, there is only This.” This compilation of questions on the subjects of anxiety, turmoil, suffering, God, death, fear, and despair approaches nonduality from no particular angle and in a seemingly random way. Those new to the new age movement or early on their spiritual paths might find Sylvester’s interpretations baffling. For example, Sylvester’s answer to “What is a person?” is that a person is a process, rather than an entity, an ever-changing flow of thoughts, feelings, perceptions, and sensations. In response to “How do you know there is no God?” he says there is no satisfactory answer. By the author’s own admission, few people are interested in learning about nonduality; however, for those curious about the little-understood movement and what it really means, this book will be a welcome guide. (Sept.)