Beyond Words or a New Word: A Cross-Disciplinary Analysis of the Concept of Nonduality

Nonduality is a descriptive term that can be used to characterize ontological and epistemological phenomena, and its deductive rationale and/or direct realization holds soteriological value among several influential religious traditions. In other words, a meaningful interpretation that ‘all is one’, or, more aptly, that reality cannot be divided into pluralistic structures, is thought to be essential to being released from existential ignorance. The present research seeks to trace the transmission of the concept of nonduality through two pertinent religious traditions—the Vedantic school of Advaita and the later Mahayana schools into and through Tibetan Buddhism—as well as during the present epoch, particularly as it has come to be domesticated through medicalized instruments and language. In doing so, I do not take an evaluative stance as to whether the usage of terms like ‘nondual awareness’ or ‘nondual embodiment’ represent an improper deviation from its classical understanding. Instead, I observe the resonance that this framework has come to share with other relevant terms and the positionality of various researchers, including myself, that would allow for the popularization of metaphysical terms which have been culturally associated with the global East. My first chapter lays the foundation for this analysis through historicizing its traditional context, while the second chapter offers a presentation of how this construct is being measured through the use of scientific styles of writing. The third chapter presents the paradox of quantitatively evaluating nonduality, suggests various reasons for the naturalization of the term so that it may be experimentally studied, considers recent narratives that contextualize its resurgence, and reflects on the significance of contemplative studies for researchers. The introduction and conclusion support periphery implications of this critical analysis.