The Duality — Nonduality Spectrum

The Nonduality Circus — Is This an Emerging New Fad?

[Updated December 12, 2023] Over 100 nonduality teachers and speakers are on YouTube these days, with more coming online all the time.

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Nonduality is Not New

Emptiness (sunyata) has been a core teaching in Mahayana Buddhism since at least Nagarjuna (~300 CE). The similar Advaita (nondual) Vedanta school of Hinduism has been around since at least Gaudapada’s time (6th c CE). The earliest Zen/Chan Buddhism writings also date back the 6th c CE, such as the Xin Xin Ming, which I re-interpreted here. And Tibetan Dzogchen (10th c CE) introduced its own perspective on emptiness (or oneness) as an essential characteristic of Buddhahood.

Western transcendentalists picked up those traditions in the mid-1800s, and growing numbers of Eastern teachers came to the West starting in the early 1900s. The 1960s and 70s saw an explosion of Western seekers going to Asia and Eastern gurus coming to the West.

(For example, I read Be Here Now by Ram Das in 1973 when I was 18 years old. I read a lot of J. Krishnamurti (1895–1986), but I had not yet heard of Ramana Maharshi (1879–1950) or Nisagardatta (1897–1981). I also learned Transcendental Meditation back then, which is a type of Advaita Vedanta/nonduality practice.)

But Nonduality is Very New

Jerry Katz (in this interview on YouTube) said the word “nonduality” was largely unheard of in the West when Jerry founded nonduality.com in 1997 and the Nonduality Salon in 1998 (which is now a Facebook group).

Nonduality may not be everywhere yet, but it is getting close. The internet is enabling spiritual seekers from anywhere in the world to access teachers from everywhere in the world. With that explosion of interest, it is not surprising that nonduality has become a 4-Ring Circus (based on my categories below).

The Circus analogy came to my attention when I came across Walter Driscoll’s nonduality interview program on YouTube (linked in section [5] below). I was blown away by all the nondualists he was interviewing, most of whom I had never heard of.

I already had previously collected a list of nondualists from a Facebook group where someone asked who people’s favorite nonduality teachers/speakers were. The Facebook (FB) list, and now Walter Driscoll’s interviews, surprised me because:

1. The FB list demonstrated the huge diversity of interpretations people have of nonduality. (I personally would not consider some teachers suggested on FB to be nondualists.)
2. Despite my interest in this topic, I had never heard of most of the nondualists on the FB list and different interview programs, suggesting the booming number of nondualists these days. The number of new “nondual” names I am coming across each week is overwhelming!
3. I did not resonate with 90% of the nondualists I have come across when I heard them on YouTube, showing the highly personal nature of contemporary spirituality.

Along with other sources, I added to my list of nonduality teachers/speakers. I have listened (on YouTube) to all the people on this list. I only heard most of them once or twice — enough to get a sense of their message and decide how to categorize them.

I organize my list (below) in 4 categories:

• [1] RADICAL NONDUALISTS — “Just This”
• [2] MODERN NONDUALISTS — “Letting Go of the Ego”
• [3] TRADITIONAL NONDUALISTS — Advaita, Buddhism, & Taoism
• [4] QUALIFIED NONDUALISTS — Spiritual Dimensions

I also include a list of nonduality interview and conference programs on YouTube (#[5]). Nondualists who have no significant presence on YouTube are not included on these lists.

Teachers, Speakers, or Sharers

Many Radical and Modern Nondualists reject the label “teacher”. That is because a “teacher” implies a “student”, which is a duality. They prefer to call what they do a “sharing”, or that is “simply what is happening”.

I understand their perspective on this. But to me, anyone who opens their mouth on nonduality is teaching. Words are inherently dualistic. There is no way around that, which is why some Hindu sages, such as Ramana Maharshi, spent most of their lives just sitting in silence.

An Explosion of Nonduality Speakers

The most surprising thing to me is the substantial number of “liberated” Radical and Modern Nondualists. They dominate my list, and their numbers are growing. But nondual “liberation” or “self-realization” seems to come in many forms. It is a form of “awakening” or “enlightenment”.

The most common definition of nondual liberation or self-realization is that it is a shift in our identity from our narrow ego self to our universal no-self. The universal no-self is described in many ways but is ultimately indescribable (ineffable) and beyond understanding by our ego-mind. Another common definition of nondual awakening is the silencing of our mind. That silence is the absolute.

Jerry Katz (in the video linked above), suggested 7 levels of life realization: 1 — Body Realization (infancy); 2 — Mind Realization; 3 — Emotional Realization 4 — Integration of the above (adulthood) — sense of oneness with life/world 5 — Self Realization — sense of oneness of the self and the divine 6 — “I Am” Realization — nonduality with a subtle sense of self 7 — Beyond the “I Am” — nonduality with no-self and no-thing (emptiness)

Levels #4 through #7 are versions of spiritual awakening. With levels #4 and #5, the oneness awakening still has a sense of duality — of 2 things becoming one. In level #6 duality fades, and in level #7 it completely disappears into nonduality.

He suggests that level #7 is the pure Radical Nonduality perspective. (He described himself as being in level #6.)

The thing I have noticed is that people come to that level #7 perspective in different ways. For some speakers, it seems to be an entirely intellectual understanding. Most speakers appear to be at varying levels between an intellectual and a subjective knowing of nonduality. That applies to all of the speakers listed below, not just those in the Radical Nonduality camp, who are often criticized for their rigid attitudes.

Nonduality, while only one “thing”, seems to be unique for each individual. That causes contradictions and occasional debates. For example, some insist that no one is ever “awakened”, while others say we are all already “enlightened”. For some, their mind is perfectly silent, but for others, the mind is forever active.

Awakening can come after many years of practice, or without any preparation or knowledge. It can be sudden and overwhelming, or it can be so gradual that we do not notice it. It can be permanent, or it can be part of a cycle of positive and negative emotional experiences. It can be the end of suffering, or simply a different perspective on suffering, which continues.

Thus, each teacher/speaker has a unique perspective and voice that they bring to nonduality. Unfortunately, some imply that their view is the one and only truth. But most are not like that.

Radical Nondualists (list #1)

Most of those on the Radical Nondualists list (#[1]) have the same, simple message that there is only what appears to be happening now, and nothing else. As mentioned above, most Radical Nondualists insist they are not teachers, and their “sharing” is not teaching. Tony Parsons says that fact alone makes their perspective different from all others.

They largely agree with one another on the nature of reality and nonduality. That agreement mutually supports their view as nonduality being the one ultimate truth. Some have a superiority complex in that regard, although we can see that tendency across all 4 categories.

I heard one Radical Nonduality discussion in which they mentioned how just talking about their “nondual experience” strengthens or reinforces their sense of nothing being everything (or empty fulfillness, or nondual liberation) — even though there is really no experiencer who is experiencing nothing, everything, emptiness, fulfillment, or liberation.

In a way, that discussion reminded me of how I would imagine two born-again Christians might talk about and reinforce each other’s spiritual experiences.

Other Nondualists (Lists #2, 3 & 4)

For everyone on all 4 of the lists below, there seems to be a need to talk about their nondual or spiritual liberation (or self-realization), which I find curious.

Unlike the Radical Nondualists (list #1), the others (lists #2, 3, & 4) are more likely to differ in the perspectives, words, and metaphors they use, leading to more contentious debates. That begins with the Modern Nondualists list (#[2]) who are more accepting of a dualistic experience that is real in some way. But they are likely to differ in how they describe reality/duality and its relationship to the absolute/nonduality.

Disagreements are even greater among Traditional Nondualists (#[3]). Hinduism and Buddhism, for example, have a long history of complicated philosophical debates, for example. And New Age spiritualists, which I focus on in the Qualified Nondualists list (#[4]), are all over the universe in the diversity of their experiences and views about reality!

Here are a few additional notes about the list below:

• More detailed category descriptions are below the list of names in each group.
• Some nondualists could fall into more than the one category I put them in. If you think I mis-categorized anyone, or if you think I should add anyone, either leave a comment or send me an email <[email protected]>.
• You can easily find all these people on YouTube by searching on the names I used below, followed by the word “nonduality”. Additional suggested search terms for some are in (parentheses).
• Quite a few nonduality speakers have either retired or passed on. But they still have many older (and valuable) talks on YouTube, so I include them here.
• I will add to this list as I check out the 40+ nonduality speakers I have yet to hear on the nonduality interview and conference sites (#[5] below). Most of them are Radical or Modern Nondualists.
• The Traditional and Qualified Nondualist lists could both be much longer because those approaches have been around longer than Radical and Modern Nonduality. They are limited due to my time and interests.
• key: (*) = deceased, but recordings are available on YouTube (+) = nondualists I currently listen to

[1] RADICAL NONDUALISTS — Just This

1. Andreas Muller +
2. Anna Brown
3. Casey Non-Duality
4. Claudia Filkov (in German)
5. ChrisNoThing
6. Dan Litvak
7. Ella May Sophia
8. Emerson Non-Duality
9. Ere Non-Duality
10. Frank McCaughey
11. Gajai Agnes Magnes
12. Izzy Cloke
13. Jim Newman
14. Julia Nonduality
15. Kenny McGrath
16. Kenneth Madden +
17. Kyle Secor
18. Lisa Lennon
19. Maxx Verhamme
20. Mei Long
21. Michael Jeffreys
22. Naho Owada
23. Neil Denham
24. Nkosiyazi Khwela +
25. Paul Hedderman
26. Paul Morgan-Somers
27. Rajeev Lochan Tripathi
28. Richard Sylvester
29. Robert Wolfe
30. Rosa Boom
31. Rosemarijn (Rose) Roes +
32. Sander Schevers
33. Simcha Lev
34. Suzanne Chang
35. Tim Cliss
36. Tony Parson +

Radical Nondualists (aka Neo-Advaita) take the extreme position that nothing exists, and nothing has ever existed (ajata or ajatavida in Hinduism). “Verbing” (talking, eating, walking, ...) appears to happen, but that is an illusion and not “real”. The message is quite simple: there are no teachers, no teachings, and no students; there is only “just this”. Perhaps that is why their numbers are growing these days. Some teachers of Hindu Advaita (nondual) Vedanta can also sound very radical, especially when talking about ajata. — Radical Nonduality is relatively new and is mostly associated with Tony Parsons. It has also been called the “Ramana Effect”, referring to the influence of Ramana Maharshi (1879–1950). I put most of Ramana’s students in #[3] below, because while some of his quotes sound very radical, his overall teaching is broader than that. — I have heard people say that Radical Nonduality teachings are the most ridiculous thing they have ever heard. Yet, they continually return to it for more. But it is still a small, niche spiritual approach, compared to the less ridiculous nonduality teachings in traditional Eastern religions and those who speak about different spiritual dimensions. — There are many criticisms of Radical Nonduality by Modern Nondualists (see #[2] below) and Traditional Nondualists (see #[3] below). One thing I see is that Radical Nonduality speakers say there is nothing one can do to achieve “nondual liberation”, but most (not all) of them have had many years of deep spiritual practice prior to their own awakening.

[2] MODERN NONDUALISTS — Letting Go of the Ego

1. Adyashanti
2. Alan Shelton
3. Angelo Dilullo
4. Ariana Nonduality
5. Benjamin Smythe
6. Caverly Morgan
7. Cheryl Abram
8. Daniel Shai
9. David Bingham
10. Deepak Chopra
11. Eckhart Tolle
12. Eric Putkonen
13. Francis Lucille
14. Frank Yang
15. Fred Davis
16. Gangaji
17. Gilbert Schultz
18. Hans Christian Lundholm
19. Helen Hamilton
20. Howard Chance
21. Ilona Ciunate
22. J. Krishnamurti *
23. Jean Klein *
24. Jeff Foster
25. Jerry Katz
26. Jez Alborough
27. John Troy
28. John Wheeler
29. Knowe Rata
30. Lisa Cairns
31. Loch Kelly
32. Louise Kay
33. Lucialorn
34. Magdi Badawy
35. Many Ramsdell
36. Maryam Magdaleina
37. Michael Markham
38. Peter Brown *
39. Peter Dziuban
40. Peter Russell
41. Richard Lang +
42. Richard Ty Trevino
43. Rikesh (“no-1 & not-2”)
44. Robert Saltzman
45. Ron Ario
46. Rupert Spira
47. Sailor Bob Adamson
48. Shai Tubali
49. Shar Jason
50. Shakti Caterina Maggi (also in Italian)
51. Steve Ford
52. Terrence Stephens
53. Theo Live
54. Walter Driscoll
55. Yari

Modern Nondualists share the fundamental no-self and nothingness belief with Radical Nonduality, but they accept a degree of dualistic reality that individuals experience, and which can be talked about. There is some form of knowledge that can be transmitted by a teacher to a student to realize nondual liberation. — They often borrow concepts from traditional religions (#[3] below) but are often reinterpreted in a secular manner. These are among the more popular nonduality teachers today because their message is more accessible to a general audience compared to Radical Nondualists. — Some Modern Nondualists are former Radical Nondualists who have moved away from those more extreme teachings, including Jeff Foster and Ariana Nonduality. Some, such as Robert Saltzman, are critical of Radical Nonduality. The main criticism is that Radical Nondualists dismiss the reality of our human experience, even if it is an illusion. — Louis Kay is a former Qualified Nondualist (a New Age spiritual channeler, type #[4] below). She no longer channels and is now a Modern Nonduality teacher and so is included above.

[3] TRADITIONAL NONDUALISTS — Advaita, Buddhism, & Taoism

1. Akilesh Ayyar
2. Ajahn Brahm
3. Alan Watts *
4. Andrew Hewson
5. Billy Doyle
6. Chuck Hillig
7. Colin Drake
8. David Goodman
9. Gary Weber
10. Gautam Sachdeva
11. Hassan Al-Saidy
12. Jackson Peterson
13. Jason Barrick
14. Jason Gregory
15. Kazuaki Tanahashi
16. Michael James (Ramana) +
17. Mooji
18. Nisargadatta Maharaj *
19. Pravrajika Divyanandaprana
20. Rahul Singh
21. Ram Das *
22. Ramesh Balsekar *
23. Roger Castillo
24. Shunyamurti
25. Sri M
26. Steven Wolinsky
27. Swami Sarvapriyananda
28. Swami Tadatmananda
29. Tom Das
30. Tony Nader
31. Vishuddha Das
32. Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche
33. …and there are many Dharma Talks from different Zen centers on YouTube, usually with different speakers each week

Traditional Nondualists place their approaches within the core teachings of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Taoism. Beyond that, however, some are like Modern Nonduality (#[2] above), and others are like Qualified Nonduality (#[4] below, emphasizing relative reality/duality teachings more than the nonduality truth). Each tradition (and school within a tradition) has a range of philosophies and practices to realize the emptiness of reality (sunyata in Buddhism) and the no-self (anatta in Buddhism). So, it can be complex. — This list would be much longer if I included the many Hindu and Buddhist monks, nuns, and gurus online (both past and present). For more people from that perspective, see the link to Bhudda at the Gaspump in #[5] below. I also did not include Esoteric Jewish, Christian, and Muslim teachers because I know nothing about those traditions. — Traditional Nondualists from Hindu Advaita Vedanta are extremely critical of Radical Nondualists. They complain that Radical Nondualists: (1) Emphasize insight while ignore the long history of real-world practices that can lead to awakening, especially devotion (bhakti) and surrender; and they (2) Have a superficial assumption that their initial awakening is the end of the road, whereas others have shown there is always more. — Despite the apparent division between Traditional Nondualists and Radical Nondualists, there are quite a few on the Traditional list above who I listen to regularly.

[4] QUALIFIED NONDUALITY — Spiritual Dimensions

1. Barry Long
2. Bonnie Greenwell
3. Craig Holiday
4. Daniel Scranton
5. David Buckland
6. David Hoffmeister
7. Dawn Garland
8. Dorothy Rowe
9. Hale Dwoskin
10. Igor Kufayev
11. Jac O’Keefe
12. Kenneth Cohen (qigong)
13. Lincoln Gergar
14. Lynn Marie Lumiere
15. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi *
16. Michael Mirdad
17. Michael Taft
18. Pamela Aaralyn
19. Christopher Wallis
20. Sean Webb
21. Tim Freke
22. and many more …

Qualified Nondualists reflect the Hindu concept (vishishita advaita, literally, “qualified nonduality”) for teachings that equally acknowledge the reality of the relative world of separate forms, which are manifestations (or parts) of the nondual absolute. That contrasts with the previous categories in which only the absolute nondual is real and everything else is an illusion or dream of the absolute. (For more, see this description of Qualified Nonduality on YouTube.) — Spiritual Dimensions are easier to place into this category because of their emphasis on the variety of alternative realities we can experience. Those listed above are considered nondualists by either me or others, but they combine nonduality with dualistic topics. Many focus almost entirely on duality topics, with only occasional forays into nonduality. — Duality topics are alternative spiritual ways of experiencing our relative existence as separate beings (as opposed to oneness). That includes higher and lower dimensional planes, supernatural beings (devas, spirit guides, various gods and deities, a higher self, & ETs/aliens), energy practices (kundalini, Qigong, Reiki, & other subtle energies healing modalities), siddhi and psychic powers (channeling, telepathy, mediumship, and past & future lives), esoteric Judaism/Christianity/Islam, creating our reality (manifesting), and quantum science perspectives, among others. — Although he comes from the Advaita Vedanta tradition (as in #[3]), I put Maharishi Mahesh Yogi on this list because he emphasized living 200%: 100% in the absolute (nonduality), and 100% in the relative (duality). To me, that is Qualified Nonduality (vishishita advaita). Siddhi powers (like levitation) were also a major aspect of his teachings. — Radical Nondualists often say that anything is possible in the illusion of our apparent reality. Coming full circle, Qualified Nondualists explore that anythingness. The Qualified Nondualists list above is a sampling and could be far longer.

[5] NONDUALITY INTERVIEW PROGRAMS — on YouTube

These YouTube programs interview nondualists across the full range of types listed above. Other spiritually oriented programs only occasionally interview nondualists.

1. Counscious.tv, with Iain & Renate McNay
2. Walter Driscoll #nonduality
3. Bedside Manner with Howard Chance
4. The Sedona Method (Letting Go series), with Hale Dwoskin
5. Suma Gowda interviews nondualists, among others
6. David Bingham interviews people he has guided to self-realization
7. The Nonduality Podcast, with Nic Higham & Paul Dobson
8. Buddha at the Gas Pump (Batgap) — Nonduality interviews, hosted by Rich Archer

• Rich Archer has interviewed several hundreds people on his long-running Batgap program on YouTube. Of those, about 100 are in the “Nonduality” category on his website (linked above). Depending on one’s definition, other nondualism categories on his site could include Advaita Vedanta, Buddhism/Zen, Daoism, Kashmir Shaivism, the Law of One, and Ramana-based. Many interviewees appear in more than one of his categories/lists. — Also, many on the Batgap Nonduality list are bloggers, authors, and teachers with limited or no YouTube presence (which keeps them off my lists above).

In addition, the following YouTube channels hosted events in the past with many Radical and Modern nondualists:

1. Who’s Driving the Dreambus? (2003 conference with Radical and Modern Nondualists)
2. Nothing Media (Emerson Nonduality used to host this channel of interviews and talks with Radical and Modern Nondualists)

The Duality — Nonduality Spectrum

The list above aligns with the “Duality — Nonduality Spectrum” that I previously proposed.

The Radical Nondualists list is the same as #6 on the Spectrum (see chart below). The Modern Nondualists list is in between #5 and #6 on the Spectrum, borrowing from each.

The Traditional Nondualists list is the same as #5. And I see the Qualified Nondualists list as largely the same as #3 and #4 on the Spectrum. The first two categories on the Spectrum, #1 and #2, are duality-dominated teachings and are less relevant to nonduality teachings in the lists above.

For more on the Duality — Nonduality Spectrum, see:

Related Resources

• For more on Modern Nonduality and how it compares to Radical Nonduality, see:

• For more on alternative dimensions of reality, which is how I define Qualified Nonduality, see:

• For more on Nonduality (Advaita) in general, see this collection of articles:

• Note that the articles in that collection are behind the Medium paywall. For paywall-free access to my articles, go to www.AlanLew.com, linked below.

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