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The End of Duality
“What’s all the fuss about regarding death?” Ask Ramesh Balsekar
Over five days in 2009, one of the world’s leading Masters of Advaita, Ramesh Balsekar spoke on one central theme in his talks:
‘The End of Duality’ or, in other words, the end of the pleasures and pains of daily living.
Those talks, considered to be among his finest and most provocative, are presented here in this book.
Over five days in 2009, one of the world’s leading Masters of Advaita, Ramesh Balsekar spoke on one central theme in his talks:
‘The End of Duality’ or, in other words, the end of the pleasures and pains of daily living.
Those talks, considered to be among his finest and most provocative, are presented here in this book.
86 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2009
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16 people want to read
About the author
Ramesh S. Balsekar
167 books73 followersRamesh S. Balsekar was a disciple of the late Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, a renowned Advaita master. From early childhood, Balsekar was drawn to Advaita, a nondual teaching, particularly the teachings of Ramana Maharshi and Wei Wu Wei. He wrote more than 20 books, was president of the Bank of India, and received guests daily in his home in Mumbai until shortly before his death.
Balsekar taught from the tradition of Advaita Vedanta nondualism. His teaching begins with the idea of an ultimate Source, Brahman, from which creation arises. Once creation has arisen, the world and life operate mechanistically according to both Divine and natural laws. While people believe that they are actually doing things and making choices, free will is in fact an illusion. All that happens is caused by this one source, and the actual identity of this source is pure Consciousness, which is incapable of choosing or doing.
Balsekar taught from the tradition of Advaita Vedanta nondualism. His teaching begins with the idea of an ultimate Source, Brahman, from which creation arises. Once creation has arisen, the world and life operate mechanistically according to both Divine and natural laws. While people believe that they are actually doing things and making choices, free will is in fact an illusion. All that happens is caused by this one source, and the actual identity of this source is pure Consciousness, which is incapable of choosing or doing.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 29, 2015
I have read many books containing Ramesh Balsekar's essays and talks. I love all of Ramesh's books, but this one truly is a rare gem. It contains five beautiful "talks". The first two talks took place days before his wife Sharda passed away, and the next three took place days after her death and just a few months before Ramesh passed away. In these talks a topic Ramesh rarely discussed is covered in-depth.."The End of Duality" or in other words "death". I would encourage anyone who enjoys Ramesh's teachings to read this book and am confident you will find it to be a unique treasure.
March 13, 2019
I picked this up on a random occasion & thought it could be a good intro to Advaita and I’m glad I did.
While not an Advaita bible, this is a very well put together short read. You can clearly see Ramesh’s skills as an approachable spiritual speaker.
The book is a series of talks on the concept of death & its relation to “duality”, meaning seeing life as simply the existence of pain & pleasure. The end of the duality becomes death or as Ramesh puts it, “Freedom”. (This does not mean suicide. He discusses suicide & does not condone it). This of course is radically different from Buddhist teachings of Nirvana & reincarnation, of which I’m more familiar.
For him free-will is an illusion. We are not in control in any way, even in our dreams. While not the first to declare this, his argument comes from the notion that Will & Existence are cosmic forces of which we are vessels. This needs further reading, however his views on the pursuit of happiness & the need to help others were the highlight of this book in my opinion.
As just a curious reader, I enjoyed this small volume. Whether I agree or have digested it fully is still a process.
While not an Advaita bible, this is a very well put together short read. You can clearly see Ramesh’s skills as an approachable spiritual speaker.
The book is a series of talks on the concept of death & its relation to “duality”, meaning seeing life as simply the existence of pain & pleasure. The end of the duality becomes death or as Ramesh puts it, “Freedom”. (This does not mean suicide. He discusses suicide & does not condone it). This of course is radically different from Buddhist teachings of Nirvana & reincarnation, of which I’m more familiar.
For him free-will is an illusion. We are not in control in any way, even in our dreams. While not the first to declare this, his argument comes from the notion that Will & Existence are cosmic forces of which we are vessels. This needs further reading, however his views on the pursuit of happiness & the need to help others were the highlight of this book in my opinion.
As just a curious reader, I enjoyed this small volume. Whether I agree or have digested it fully is still a process.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews