What does it mean by dualism, non dualism and the middle approach of it ? Can some explain by giving examples.

Answer 1

Dualism means the jeeva (living entity) and sarira (the physical body ) are two separate entities. Or the jeeva and the Brahman which created it are two separately existing entities and they don't merge.
Non dualism of Sri sankara states that Brahman or the creator himself manifests as jeeva and sarira so there is no second entity
The qualified dualism of sri ramanuja insists that vishnu/narayana is the sole god and jeeva is created and maintained by him and will merge with him as and when he chooses

Answer 2

Assume you're talking about the mind-body problem here.

Dualism (often called 'Cartesian dualism' or 'substance dualism') is the belief that the mind and body are separate. People who believe this usually believe that the mind survives when the body dies. It's sometimes called 'substance dualism' because these people generally believe that the mind is made of a fundamentally different 'substance' to the body - so the body is a physical object made of physical things (i.e. atoms) while the mind is a 'mind' object made of some other substance (what substance this is isn't usually clear).

The dualist view is also sometimes called the 'Ghost in the Machine' view, as it posits some kind of ethereal soul-type thing floating around inside your body.

Non-dualists don't believe this (obviously) and have some different explanation as to what the mind is. Two popular approaches are 'functionalism' and 'behaviouralism' - try looking up articles on wikipedia (for example) for an introductory explanation to these.

Don't know of any particular middle approaches. I suppose some people might believe that the mind survives death, but is still a physical object. Or there's Roger Penrose who maintains that the mind can only be explained by some weird physical law we haven't yet discovered - you could say that his answer to the dualism question is that we don't know enough about the mind to even answer to the question yet!

Answer 3

Dualism means two.

Examples: self and other; wave and ocean; female and male

Nondualism means not two.

Examples: a couple; the NumberlessOne; wave and ocean appear to be separate when attention is focused on either as a means to define it; yet the essential substance of both the wave and the ocean is the same as they are both water in different forms.

- what are called opposites are mutually dependent extremes of the same thing; they are opposing ends of the same 'measuring stick'.


The middle approach or middle way is the 'mean' or centre between extremes; and since this is a living universe this 'middle way' is the realm where the unfolding flow of the interaction of extremes manifests (like a 'standing wave'; it is a dynamic equilibrium) - it is governed by what is called the Golden Rule and every wisdom tradition has its version of:

"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you"

Example: what you see around you at this moment is the dynamic balance of the energies of the living universe - it is stable as it is governed by its inherent order (the Golden Rule and other such laws) yet it is always changing as it flows - in the middle approach the journey is the destination.

Another example is the relationship of any couple as any couple demonstrates that their relationship is an unfolding process; if the 'middle approach' is not honoured then the coupling will break down at some point and the partners separate.

May You Be Richly Blessed,
James

Answer 4

There are answers here on dualism and non dualism that are pretty straightforward. The Middle Way is following the philosophy of Bhuddism. There is no black and white...it is all gray...every situation must be dealt with in it's own way. For example, a man kills another man with a gun...a dualist would say, that man took another's life, that is wrong, he will be punished. Someone following the middle path would say, that man killed another...why? and they would go on to understand why and deal with it that way...all the time knowing that the next time a man is killed it will be a different situation. Following the middle path also means living in this moment...not concentrating on the past or dreaming of the future.

Answer 5

To put it simply, we live in a society that sees black and white, good and evil, love and hate and a whole multitude of dualities. The non-dualistic view would be to view these aspects as the same but on varying degrees on a spectrum, such as hate equates to less love. Finding the middle approach is to be objective and embrace the best of each, finding balance. An example might be most any political issue. Instead of being gun-ho for either extreme, see what is best in each and find the point of balance.

Answer 6

Dualism= there are two ways, usually mutually exclusive
Nondualism= there are not two ways, usually taken to mean there is only one way.
Middle approach= there are a plurality of ways
Now, what does "it" in your question mean?