Non-duality in Action
The truth of non-duality
The truth of Non-Duality is to be only meditated upon by the mind; do not do any action from belief in Non-Duality; the idea of Non-Duality is fit to be cherished in respect of all things whatsoever, but not with respect to the Guru. (Guru Ramana Vachana Mala, 209)
Sri K. Lakshmana Sarma's footnote to this verse notes that "the teaching that in the transcendental state, where the ego is not, there is only One Pure Consciousness, is given as an antidote to the superstition that duality is real, to those whom that superstition has enslaved; these are to get freed from it by meditation on it and the Quest; the teaching is not meant to be applied to actions, because actions proceed from the contrary idea that the doer is an individual; he is sure to misapply it and thus worsen the bondage he is in; the only one who cannot misapply it is the one that does not need the teaching -- the sage. It is regrettable that this salutary injunction is not widely known. The Sadhaka must act always according to the best standard applicable to other men; that is, in conduct he must respect the distinction between moral and immoral conduct, as if duality were real. There is a vast gulf of difference between a Sage and a mere Sadhaka however eminent, and this must not be forgotten. This rule of conduct is taken from Tattvopadesa, a minor composition attributed to Bhagavatpada Acharya Sankara." (Guru Ramana Vachana Mala, Tiruvannamalai; 1998, 41)
Sri K. Lakshmana Sarma's footnote to this verse notes that "the teaching that in the transcendental state, where the ego is not, there is only One Pure Consciousness, is given as an antidote to the superstition that duality is real, to those whom that superstition has enslaved; these are to get freed from it by meditation on it and the Quest; the teaching is not meant to be applied to actions, because actions proceed from the contrary idea that the doer is an individual; he is sure to misapply it and thus worsen the bondage he is in; the only one who cannot misapply it is the one that does not need the teaching -- the sage. It is regrettable that this salutary injunction is not widely known. The Sadhaka must act always according to the best standard applicable to other men; that is, in conduct he must respect the distinction between moral and immoral conduct, as if duality were real. There is a vast gulf of difference between a Sage and a mere Sadhaka however eminent, and this must not be forgotten. This rule of conduct is taken from Tattvopadesa, a minor composition attributed to Bhagavatpada Acharya Sankara." (Guru Ramana Vachana Mala, Tiruvannamalai; 1998, 41)