- Jan 4, 2019
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I’ve been reflecting on the story of Adam and Eve and thought it might be interesting to explore it through the lens of nondualism and seeing reality as it is. I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Here’s my take:
The story of Adam and Eve can be seen as an allegory for the moment when humanity shifted from simply being present in the flow of reality to seeing the world through the lens of separation—dualism.
Think about the Garden of Eden. It represents pure presence, unity, and wholeness. Adam and Eve are in harmony with life, not questioning or labeling it. They’re living in what nonduality calls reality as it is—a state of being where there’s no self vs. other, no good vs. evil, just the seamless unfolding of life.
Then comes the serpent, which can symbolize the emergence of conceptual thought or ego. The serpent tempts them with the idea of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, which introduces judgment, labeling, and dualistic thinking. By eating the fruit, Adam and Eve begin to see the world in terms of opposites: right/wrong, good/bad, me/you, us/them. This act of labeling creates a sense of separation from the oneness of the garden.
The "banishment from Eden" isn’t about punishment—it’s about the shift from living in the freedom of direct experience to living in a mental construct of reality. Instead of just being, we start to live through the filter of concepts, judgments, and stories, which veil the simple truth of what is.
But here’s the hopeful part: Eden isn’t gone. It’s still here, right now, as the reality beneath all those mental filters. The invitation of nondualism is to stop eating the “fruit” of judgment and step back into the garden—not as a physical place, but as the recognition of reality as it is. Freedom is always here and now, once we let go of the illusion of separation.
What do you think? Is the story of Adam and Eve an allegory for the human experience of duality and the possibility of awakening to reality as it is? Curious to hear your thoughts
Here’s my take:
The story of Adam and Eve can be seen as an allegory for the moment when humanity shifted from simply being present in the flow of reality to seeing the world through the lens of separation—dualism.
Think about the Garden of Eden. It represents pure presence, unity, and wholeness. Adam and Eve are in harmony with life, not questioning or labeling it. They’re living in what nonduality calls reality as it is—a state of being where there’s no self vs. other, no good vs. evil, just the seamless unfolding of life.
Then comes the serpent, which can symbolize the emergence of conceptual thought or ego. The serpent tempts them with the idea of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, which introduces judgment, labeling, and dualistic thinking. By eating the fruit, Adam and Eve begin to see the world in terms of opposites: right/wrong, good/bad, me/you, us/them. This act of labeling creates a sense of separation from the oneness of the garden.
The "banishment from Eden" isn’t about punishment—it’s about the shift from living in the freedom of direct experience to living in a mental construct of reality. Instead of just being, we start to live through the filter of concepts, judgments, and stories, which veil the simple truth of what is.
But here’s the hopeful part: Eden isn’t gone. It’s still here, right now, as the reality beneath all those mental filters. The invitation of nondualism is to stop eating the “fruit” of judgment and step back into the garden—not as a physical place, but as the recognition of reality as it is. Freedom is always here and now, once we let go of the illusion of separation.
What do you think? Is the story of Adam and Eve an allegory for the human experience of duality and the possibility of awakening to reality as it is? Curious to hear your thoughts
