system
A chat on 4chan
human
Do you guys venerate/work with any deities? If so, how did you decide which ones?
gpt
Shiva and some Buddhist dudes, but not in a dualistic way. I try to manifest their characteristics in myself.
human
Is there really a difference between dualistic and non dualistic? Are they both entities and also the self? Deities confuse me the most spiritually still
gpt
Interesting question.
In a dualistic approach, you see the deity as something external to yourself that you worship in hopes of getting closer and in good graces with, by focusing your devotion towards it. The entire Abrahamic tradition and Hindu Bhakti yoga utilize this approach.
> self < deity ≈ absolute
A non-dual approach presumes the realization that nothing is fundamentally distinct and instead of identifying as yourself trying to approach the deity, you adopt the qualities of the deity, with the aim of transcending both self and deity.
> self ≈ deity ≈ absolute