Nondual Relationships

A. H. Almaas and Karen Johnson Interview by Rick Archer on Buddha at The Gas Pump

This interview discusses how the Diamond Approach is evolving, what differentiates it from other traditions, and the most recent developments of the past 15 years.

The nature of true intimacy and connection

•  When two human beings in touch with their true humanness acknowledge each other in their fullness and totality, it creates a powerful connection that transcends duality.
•  True intimacy in a relationship comes from recognizing our fundamental unity with others and being willing to be alone in our own nature.
•  Being personal with someone means acknowledging, recognizing, and experiencing who they are, tuning into their qualities and capacities, and responding to them in a way that makes them feel seen and understood.
•  The ability to be personal with a particular person is a quality of consciousness that can be developed, allowing universal non-dual consciousness to manifest in a personalized way.
•  Awakening is not just about inner identity, but also about how that identity is expressed and manifested in personal relationships and interactions with the world.
•  In a relationship, it's important to be interested in what's real and true between two people, even if it's not always comfortable or what we want, in order to optimize the growth and potential that can come through the connection.
•  A true relationship can exist even before individuals understand the concept of non-duality, characterized by emotional authenticity, honesty, and presence.
•  Some people can have a deep connection where they are not just soulmates, but actually one soul occupying different bodies, making it easy for them to be one in various ways.
•  The experience of a "one soul" relationship goes beyond a soulmate connection, where one can feel the presence and communication of another person even when not physically together.

Profound connections and spiritual awakenings

•  Relationships have the potential to facilitate dual awakening, where the individuals involved experience growth, change, and expansion together, ultimately becoming one vortex of being.
•  Letting go completely of a relationship and embracing the unknown can lead to new beginnings and the rebuilding of a connection on a different level.
•  Many people don't realize that relationships can go through a complete death and rebirth, resulting in a different kind of energy, connectivity, and love.
•  The dynamic flow and unlocking of new perspectives can be facilitated by the unique dynamics and supercharged energy of a deep and intimate relationship.
•  In non-dual relationships, individuals can experience oneness as both a unified presence and as the non-dual universe, revealing rich possibilities for personal and spiritual growth.
•  The relationship between Rumi and Shams is an example of a profound connection where they were seen as two individuals, but Rumi's perspective suggests that they were actually one.
•  There is a mysterious soul connection between certain individuals that can lead to simultaneous spiritual awakenings and transformations.

Non-dual relationships and personal growth

•  Non-dual relationships may seem contradictory, but historically, many non-dualists were also deeply devoted and engaged in emotional love and relationships.
•  Non-dual experience suggests that everything is a creation of consciousness, with no real people or cars, all unified as one fabric.