Nondual Ethics? The Case of Francis Lucille
In the modern Western spiritual scene ethics and nonduality seem like strange bedfellows¹. Nondual spiritual practice is often conceived of as nonpractice, and therefore not about ethical discipline. This is because nonduality is about transcending the efforts and evaluations of the illusory separate self, and so it is frequently thought that attempting to improve the illusion of the self, to care for other illusions, or to train or consciously transform the illusion of oneself, is, well, illusion begetting illusion.
There is some truth to this perspective. Our ethical commitments are frequently much more grounded in our “self-project” than we realize. To put it differently, our ethical concerns, whether for our own behavior or directed outwards to saving or serving the world, are often woven so tight with our concern to justify, maintain, and improve our self-image that in practice we cannot easily tell the difference.
It is often wise, then, to stop the propulsion of our ethical or salvific merry-go-round rides and take a look at how we are constructing who we are. Epictetus, the great Roman stoic, advised his students: “Until you know what to desire, it is better to desire as little as possible.”
That said, this attitude can also be problematic. Attitudes, habits, and actions which have been traditionally considered…
