Chinese philosophical literature , we read that : “… non-existence is the beginning of heaven and earth . ‘ Existence ’ is called the mother of individual beings …. Both are one in origin and different only in name .” ( Tao Te Ching , Richard Wilhelm Edition , 1985 English Edition , pg . 27 ) This is a creation narrative that incorporates existence and non-existence in a holistic , unified view of the cosmos , where creator and creation are one and the same . In this nondualistic vision , creation is a constant act , happening now , and we are active participants in an infinite unfolding present moment of creation .
In a nondualistic consciousness the boundaries between inner and outer reality begin to dissolve . This is the world , the entirety of existence , and we ’ re part of it , intricately wrapped up in it , always , whether we are embodied consciousness or dead flesh . From this alternative philosophical perspective , the idea that the world needs to be fixed would be nonsensical . The very fact of our existence would be proof of the perfection of things as they are . But we have been taught that there is an external reality that each of us — a metaphysical , embodied self — is exacting its will upon , and we ’ ve been taught that it ’ s actually our job to understand the world and then exact our will upon it .
When we seriously entertain the philosophy of nondualism , we are forced to confront the idea that we are literally experiencing a form of collective insanity that we call civilization . Creating change in the world has become standard operating procedure , and each of the changes seems to have a never ending set of unintended consequences attached to it that we are then forced to make new changes to adjust to . We are mortals acting like gods who have the power to see from an infinite perspective , to actually know the outcomes of an invented world that we are constantly recreating , apart from nature , around ourselves . How can we cease our collective , civilized war on the planet , each other , and the rest of the interconnected web of life on earth until we face the collective and individual insanity that our fundamental assumptions about how the world operates amount to ? Was nature really not good enough for us without us adding poisons to our food supply , exterminating native species , and inventing nuclear weapons ?