A Wisdom Archive on Dualistic

Spirituality is man’s realisation of the spirit. According to advaita , the non-dualistic philosophy of Vedanta , this spirit, which is also called the Brahman , created this entire universe through matter and energy.
 
All objects are the outcome of one primal matter. All natural forces like gravitation, and thoughts and feelings on the consciousness level, are the outcome of a primal energy called prana .

 
(See also: Self-realisation, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul )

Read more here: » Self-realisation: Matter And Energy, Brahman And Maya  

Dual Concept of Purusha and Prakriti: The Sankhya system is generally studied next to the Nyaya. It is a beautiful system of philosophy. The western philosophers also have great admiration for this system. It is more categorically dualistic. It denies that anything can be produced out of nothing. It assumes the reality of Purusha and Prakriti, the knowing Self and the objects known.
 
Excerpt from All About Hinduism by Sri Swami Sivananda
 

Read more here: » Purusha and Prakriti: Vedic Philosophy - Dual Concept of Purusha and Prakriti

The Ashtavakra Gita , also known as Ashtavakra Samhita , is a treatise that offers simple recipes for almost instant liberation. Swami Shantananda of Vasistha Guha calls it “a quantum leap into the absolute”.
 
A unique treatise on the non-dualistic advaita philosophy , the Ashtavakra Gita “guarantees to transport a seeker instantaneously from time to eternity, from the relative to the absolute and from bondage to liberation”, writes Swami Shantananda.

 
(See also: Ashtavakra Gita, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul )

Read more here: » Ashtavakra Gita: Ashtavakra's Guide To Instant Nirvana  

Christian Definition of True Reality
How does one define reality from the perspective of faith? St Anselm defines theology as "faith seeking understanding".
 
St Augustine, citing Plato, argued for the necessity of eternal, universal spiritual principles and laws on which our contingent and temporal realm of existence is based. For Augustine, God is the author and overseer of these principles and laws.
 
Making this Platonic distinction between the spiritual and material, early mediaeval Christianity came to value the spiritual realm of life far more than the material. The attendant dualistic anthropology led to an overvaluation of the development of the soul, in comparison to the body.
 

Read more here: » Christian Faith: Christian Definition of True Reality

Hinduism, Soul and God
There are several theories in Hinduism to explain this and no one knows for sure which one is correct. Besides it is all very confusing, as confusing perhaps as the theory of relativity by Einstein. According to one approach the whole universe is one self same reality. There is no distinction or duality between God and the soul except in our perception. God and the soul are one and the same. There is nothing like a soul separating itself from God and then entering the body as a separate entity. The soul has never been separated from God and would never be. The same Supreme Self acts as individual souls without undergoing any change or division. This is the Advaita or non dualistic school of philosophy. 
 

Read more here: » Hinduism, Soul and God: Are the souls different from God?

Sri Madhvacharya, the 13th century dvaita philosopher, is believed to have his divine origin from Mukhyaprana or Vayu, who had in earlier yugas been born as Hanuman, the attendant of Lord Rama and Bhimasena, celebrated in the Mahabharata as the mightiest man, the destroyer of asuras born as kings.
 
Sri Madhva was a dualist who believed in the verity of God, jeeva and matter existing eternally as distinct entities. His philosophy is a realistic and theistic philosophy. He advocated an active life emphasising duty, devotion and dedication.

 
(See also: Sri Madhvacharya, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul )

Read more here: » Sri Madhvacharya: Madhva Siddhant - Bhakti and Gnana  

Adi Sankaracharya's life was dedicated to a quest for spiritual truth. His views on Advaita are best summed up in his own words: Brahma satyam jagat mithya, Jiva brahmaiva naparah; the Brahman alone is real, the world is illusory, the individual and Universal Soul are one.
 
This pronouncement is in contrast to other thought-systems of the time, like Ramanujacharya's Vishishtadvaita which treads a middle ground by focusing on the relation between the world and God; and Madhva's dvaita or dualistic world-view.

 
(See also: Adi Sankaracharya, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul )

Read more here: » Adi Sankaracharya: Sankara's Path of Self-inquiry  

Until 3,000 years ago, all religions were pantheistic and polytheistic as Hinduism, Taoism and Shinto still are. They tolerated the religions of other tribes and cultures, recognising in their worship the same divine energies as their own, albeit with different names.
 
Why then did patriarchal, monotheistic religions arise in the Middle East 3,000 years ago, and spread in their Christian forms throughout Europe and then on to the European colonised overseas territories during the last 1,500 years? Why did these monotheistic religions fight so fiercely to eradicate nature worship in the lands they controlled? Why did Christianity promote a dualistic antagonism between the spirit and the flesh, with only the former conceived as being in the "image of God"?

 
(See also: Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul )

Read more here: » Peace on Earth: Cosmic Balance and World Peace

Jainism continues to be a living faith in India, with adherents living in nearly every state, but concentrated mainly in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. Jainism has practically no following outside the country of its birth. The core of Jaina ethics is the doctrine of ahimsa or non-injury to any living creature. Jainism does not espouse belief in a creator but divides the universe into two independent, eternal categories: Jiva (life) and ajiva (non-life).

Read more here: » Jainism: Renewing Oneself Through Confession