The time has come for nondualism. As a fundamentally unifying concept, nondualism may seem out of place in an age of rising nationalism and bitter deglobalization, but our current debates over tribalism and universalism all grant nondualism an informative relevance. Nondualism rejects both separation and identity, thereby encouraging unity-in-difference. Yet “nondualism” as a word occupies a large semantic field. Nondual theists advocate the unity of humankind and God, while nondual atheists advocate the inseparability of all persons, without reference to a divinity. Ecological nondualism asserts that we are in nature and nature is in us, while monistic nondualists assert that only God exists and all difference is illusion. Edited by Jon Paul Sydnor and Anthony Watson, and guided by scholars from different religions and specializations, Nondualism: An Interreligious Exploration explores the semantic field that nondualism occupies. The collection elicits the expansive potential of the concept, clarifies agreement and disagreement, and considers current applications. In every case, nondualism is universal in its relevance yet always distinctive in its contribution.
Introduction by Jon Paul Sydnor Part One: What is Nondualism? Chapter 1. What is Advaita (Not-Two)? by Anantanand Rambachan Chapter 2. Beyond Binaries: Varieties of Nondualism in Process Thought by Wm. Andrew Schwartz Chapter 3. The Plurality of Nonduality: Toward a Tripartite Typology by Fabian Völker Chapter 4. Buddhist Musings on Nondualism by Karma Lekshe Tsomo Part Two: Re-imagining Our Traditions Through Nondualism Chapter 5. The Trinity as an Instance of Agapic Nondualism: Re-interpreting the Christian Tradition by Jon Paul Sydnor Chapter 6. Islam and the Unity of Being by Mukhtar Ali Chapter 7. Nondual Heresy or Clear Insight? The Imiaslavie Controversy on Athos and Nyingma Buddhological Reflection in Tibet by Thomas Cattoi Chapter 8. Beyond Reductionism: A Jewish Example of Nondualism and the Convergence of Religion and Ecology by Natan Margalit Chapter 9. Dealing with Dualism: Catholic Nondualist Approaches by Joyce Ann Konigsburg Chapter 10. Nondualism and Christian-Jewish Relations: Toward a Nondualist Covenantal Theology by Yujia (Sam) Zhai Part Three: The Ethical Implications of Nondualism Chapter 11. When You Reach the Top of the Mountain, You’re Only Halfway There: Reflections on Nonduality in the Teaching of Sri Ramakrishna in Dialogue with Zen by Jeffery D. Long Chapter 12. Queer Interventions into Othering, Stereotype, and Wealth Inequity by Jennifer Wade Chapter 13. A Ru (Confucian) Theology of Nondualism in Light of Kongzi and Wang Yangming by Bin Song Chapter 14. Liberty to the Captives: From Spiritual Renewal in Prison to Oneness with the Infinite by Charles Atkins Afterword: The High Price of Nondualism by Francis X. Clooney, SJ
Jon Paul Sydnor is professor of world religions at Emmanuel College. Anthony J. Watson is research fellow in the Department of Nestorian Studies at the Kazakhstan National Academy of Sciences and International Institute of Central Asian Studies.
Reviews for Nondualism: An Interreligious Exploration
This collection is essential reading for scholars of nondualism in all its varieties, from ancient Hindu and Buddhist ontologies and epistemologies to all manner of theo-ethical thinking that refuses to be constrained by binaries. This fascinating conversation across many traditions brings clarity to the types and patterns of nondualism circulating in contemporary scholarship.--Michelle Voss, Toronto School of Theology
