Questions for reflection and discussion
- Give one or two examples of Śāriputra’s problem of the chairs from your own life.
- In the context of spiritual life, what does becoming androgynous mean? What might you need
to do to become more androgynous? - In what way is conceptual thought dualistic?
- “So in the case of distraction and attention, integration is the entry into non-duality” (page 109).
How might this apply to your own meditation practice? - Why can’t we progress spiritually without paying attention to the needs of others (page 110)?
- “Only transcendental individuality is strong enough to resist the pressure; to remain unaffected by
the group’s opinion” (page 111).
Reflect on this and identify some of its implications in your own life. - On page 113, Sangharakshita gives six examples of more down-to-earth doorways to nonduality. Comment on how any two of these might be relevant to your own situation. Also, can
you think of any other down-to- earth doors to non-duality that might be relevant to you? - Vimalakīrti’s ‘thunderlike’ silence is “more powerful, more expressive, than any words” (page
114). In what sorts of situations might we be able to experience this type of silence?