I really want to make an effort to examine what this state is. What is it comprised of? What can be experienced? What can’t?
I’d love to see some other people who have undergone a transformation of the mind state answer these same questions. If you or someone you know is so inclined, please answer them and either leave a comment with them or send to my contact page so I can post them here or on another page. You can do so anonymously if you want, but I’d love to have your name for future correspondence as well.
Observations of the Non-Dual State
27 Dec 2025 – Please note, this is a work in progress. I’ve answered a small portion of questions and am continuing to add more answers as time permits. 🙂
This certainly isn’t a unique state.
But where are all the other descriptions? Where are the books? Where are the charismatic teachers telling about this miraculous state they experienced by chance that has changed their lives in a way they could have never guessed was possible?
This paper will be filled with small experiments to help me learn more about the Non-Dual State and what it’s like.
I’ve been fearful of this for far too long. Fearful of change initiated by my deep investigation into this state.
If the state dwindles or goes away, so be it.
If the state increases and encompasses ‘Me” and removes “Vern” from the face of the earth, so be it.
My curiosity lately is such that I’ve been assailed with questions about why I’m ignoring this stunning state of mind. Why am I so afraid to test it? To see what its limits are? Why am I so afraid to push it and see what results?
Finally I’m at the stage where I’ll learn everything I can about it.
And we’ll see how it goes.
I asked ChatGPT for some questions that might be relevant to someone who is operating on another level of consciousness. It came up with some great questions. I’ll post them here and answer them. I will gradually add to this list over time as I come up with more and as I do more little experiments to suss out what exactly the state consists of.
When the question is answered below, I’m referring entirely to the non-dual state unless I specify. Really, the Vern state is normal with the exception of having been changed over time to include more compassion/empathy, patience, wisdom, intuition, and some other things I can’t come up with at the moment. 🙂
Here’s a list of thought-provoking and experimental questions to explore the nature, quality, and limits of this unusual state of consciousness. The questions are designed to test sensory, cognitive, emotional, physical, and existential dimensions.
Questions About the Non-Dual State of Mind that is Ever Present but Shared with the Ego-filled Self (Vern)
Sensory and Perceptual Questions
1. How does your perception of time change in this state? Does it speed up, slow down, or stop entirely?
There doesn’t seem to be any passing of time in this state. It isn’t as if time goes faster or slower, there is just absolutely no awareness of time in the state.
2. Can you feel the texture of objects? Does the sensation feel the same as in your usual state?
Yes, different textures can be felt. Smooth, rough, soft, hard, bumpy, etc. However, the description of what is being felt is never stated inside the mind. No names are used like those listed – smooth, rough, etc. It is just experienced through touch and instantly let go as it happens in the present moment.
3. Do colors appear brighter, duller, or the same? Can you describe the quality of visual perception?
Not brighter, duller, or the same. Colors are experienced in a different way. As Vern, there are many other things – parallel processing – going on in the mind and the colors are only partially (incompletely) experienced. If one looks at something colorful in the ND State it is perceived more completely, wholly, and without the mind involved in some other task which takes away from full perception.
4. Can you close your eyes and visualize a specific scene in detail?
No. If I picture my childhood home, walking in the side door and going down the steps to the basement and in the middle of that I switch to the ND State, the image vanishes and I come into the present moment here where I’m sitting in front of the computer. The memory aspect where I pull something FROM memory and hold it in the conscious mind in the ND State just doesn’t work.
5. Do sounds seem louder, softer, or more distant?
None of those. Like color, there is some slight perception that the sound is perceived differently without the noise of so many other things clouding perception as in the Ego State.
* 6. Can you distinguish between hot and cold temperatures?
I will try this with someone’s help so I don’t know which one I’m touching.
7. Can you detect subtle differences in textures or tastes that you normally wouldn’t notice?
I don’t think so. Especially because textures and tastes don’t mean anything. So I wouldn’t notice more ‘cinnamon’ for instance because the taste of cinnamon, though different from the other flavors, wouldn’t really be distinct from them because it isn’t named and compared against other flavors.
* 8. Do you feel your body’s boundaries, or does it seem to dissolve?
While closing my eyes in the state, I am not aware of where my body boundaries are except where I feel them touching something else – like my butt feels the chair and my feet soles feel the floor as I sit in this chair at my desk. There’s no magic ‘dissolving’ feeling.
With my eyes open and seeing the boundaries of my hands and arms, (I want to say something here, but can’t seem to find the words. I will do it again at another time.)
9. Can you focus on a single sound in a noisy environment, like a bird chirping?
I just tried playing 2 different songs on YouTube at the same time – Korantamaa singing Sweater Weather which I focused on and Depeche Mode’s ‘Get the Balance Right’. I was able to focus on the former without a problem, but I’m not sure I was fully in the ND State.
With music I know and have heard hundreds of times and know intimately, I cannot seem to hold the ND State for long before memory insists on joining in and giving me the words and music in my head.
10. How does your perception of pain change? Does it feel muted, intensified, or different?
Slight pain is looked at as just another sensation. It doesn’t bother the memory to pull out the name ‘pain’ and so it isn’t experienced as pain, just some sensation that isn’t pleasurable or negative.
Extreme pain, like when I rolled my ankle on a trail run about 10 days ago, was experienced mostly as just very strong sensation, but at times it broke the ND State and I felt excruciating pain. I then switched back to the ND State and stayed in it for as long as I could. I popped out one more time as the pain ramped up. Then I went back to the state and was able to maintain the state from then on. It helped that some Thai kids had some M-icin spray that deadened the pain and made the ankle tingle in a different way, masking 30% of the pain. 🙂
I think with practice, the ND State could handle almost all pain or absolutely all pain without the mind’s memory kicking in to call it pain.
11. Can you sense your heartbeat?
Yes. The mind is so empty that the pulse of the blood moving through the arms, chest, and legs, is felt slightly. I checked a few times by sitting in silence and feeling the rhythm of the heart beat and then putting my finger on my neck to see if the pulse there matched the pulsing. It did.
12. Does your vision seem sharper, blurrier, or unchanged?
I don’t notice any difference.
13. Are smells connected to memories in this state?
No. Nothing is connected to memories that are coming in through the senses except extreme pain as mentioned above.
14. Can you detect vibrations, such as the hum of an air conditioner, more acutely?
No, I don’t think so.
15. Is there any feeling of weightlessness or heaviness in your body?
A sort of weightlessness or lack of feeling in the body exists except where touching something. No heaviness.
16. Can you feel temperature changes before touching something hot or cold?
No, there’s nothing magical about this.
17. Does the sense of touch work differently? How?
Every sense organ works differently. Things are felt as they would be in the Ego State. But, there is no meaning to what is felt. There is no memory component working to identify or guess at what is being felt, or to label it with descriptive words to try to give it some meaning in the mind.
18. Do your lips get ticklish if you move a soft paper over them?
Yes, and the tickle doesn’t mean anything but the experience is felt and it has varying degrees of sensation. It ramps up from slightly to moderate to extremely. Still, the mind doesn’t move to react. If I remain doing it as I move back into the state of Vern, then I have to brush my hand on my lips to quench the tickle. It’s too much.
It seems as if this could bring me out of the Non-Dual state if I continue enough and it gets ticklish enough.
Cognitive and Analytical Questions
1. Can you do mental math, such as multiplying 23 by 47?
No. There’s no thinking possible.
2. Can you follow complex instructions, like assembling a piece of furniture?
No.
3. Are you able to imagine the future or recall detailed memories of the past?
No, there is no thought of the future or past possible, only what is going on exactly in this present moment.
4. Can you solve a riddle or a logic puzzle in this state?
No.
5. Are you aware of concepts like “self” and “other” while in this state?
No.
6. Can you read a book and comprehend the meaning of the text?
No.
7. Can you form new ideas or solutions to a problem more easily in this state?
No.
8. How well can you process abstract concepts like infinity or paradoxes?
Not at all.
9. Do you experience inner dialogue, or is the mind silent?
Silent.
10. Can you recognize and remember faces or names better in this state?
To recognize would mean that the mind’s naming convention worked and told me who it was. That doesn’t happen. Now, if someone asked a question while in the state, the mind would jump in and respond. Not that quickly, but without much lull.
11. Can you create a story or write a poem spontaneously?
Certainly not.
12. Are you aware of your own biases and how they affect your thoughts?
No, not in that state. But, in the Ego State there is a good awareness of this.
13. Can you play a strategic game, like chess, with full focus?
No.
14. Do you feel capable of learning something new, like a language or skill?
No.
15. How do you experience decision-making? Does it feel more intuitive or logical?
It takes place on a level impossible to describe. I’ve looked at this a lot. When driving a car and in the ND State, ‘Danger’ is registered just like it is in the Ego State. Danger to the organism, to someone else, to an animal or something that breathes. So, the feeling of danger never registers, but, the mind immediately senses danger and acts on a level beneath the conscious mind in this case. The hands just steer away, or the foot hits the break without thought, contemplation, anything at all. It just does it.
16. Can you mentally calculate the passage of time without a clock?
No.
Emotional and Relational Questions
1. Do you feel a sense of unconditional love toward yourself or others?
No, there is no emotional component at all to the state.
2. Can you still feel competitive or jealous in this state?
No, no emotions or feelings at all.
3. How do you experience gratitude? Is it more intense or less personal?
In the state, you cannot.
4. Does humor exist in this state? Can you laugh at a joke or make one?
No. One can smile, but there is no feeling behind the smile at all. It’s emotionless and pointless. lol.
5. Can you feel attachment to objects or people, or does it dissolve?
Zero attachments at all in the state.
6. Are you able to feel compassion for someone you dislike?
Once you drop back into the state to reset, and then go back to the Ego-filled State, yes, you can feel compassion for someone you dislike usually because all negatives (and positives) are gone in the state, so it’s a hard reset that affects everything as you start from zero in the Ego State.
7. Can you still feel embarrassment or shame?
No.
8. How does this state affect your ability to form or maintain relationships?
There would be no relationship with other people whatsoever if one maintained that state for long periods.
9. Do emotions seem fleeting, profound, or non-existent?
They never arise in the state.
10. How does forgiveness feel in this state—easier or unnecessary?
Never arises.
11. Do emotions arise in this state? If so, how do they feel compared to your usual state?
No, none.
12. Can you feel love, anger, or joy? If so, is it directed toward specific people or objects?
None of those.
13. Do you feel connected to others in a different or heightened way?
There can be a feeling of all is one, and this is part of all of that which exists, and that kind of thing. A ‘connection’ implies that there is some specialness between two or more people which also implies a less than specialness between some other people. There is no preference like that. There is no discrimination between people like that. No preferring one over the other. No connection that means anything other than this being in the ND State is part of this world which you are part of and everything that is seen and experienced through the bodily senses, is also part of.
14. Is there any sense of loneliness or separation in this state?
Zero.
15. Can you empathize with someone else’s emotional state while in the non-dual state?
Not verbally. Not with thought. But, a hug may be offered because the mind may interpret this as an instance where the body can do something for someone else – much like danger when the mind jumps in and makes the body turn the steering wheel or press the brake pedal with the foot – the mind can make the arms open for a hug. If remaining in the ND State during the hug – no emotion is felt. If come into the Ego State, then yes, immense compassion can be felt.
Please note – I’m guessing about this. I haven’t had it happen.
Physical and Motor Questions
Most of the questions in this section require some preparation. I’ll answer as I can.
1. Can you balance on one leg for 30 seconds?
2. Can you perform a simple dance move or follow a rhythm?
3. Are you able to drive a car safely and navigate traffic?
Yes.
4. Can you do complex physical activities like yoga poses or rock climbing?
Yes.
5. Are your reflexes faster, slower, or the same?
In the ND State the body has a superpower. It can catch things that are falling. This happens often in the shower when the soap slips. It is often caught before it hits the ground. Nearly always (98%?) if IN the ND State before the soap slips.
6. Can you type or write with accuracy in this state?
No, not at all.
7. Can you walk in a straight line with your eyes closed?
8. Are you aware of how your body moves, like the swing of your arms while walking?
9. Can you perform fine motor tasks, like threading a needle or tying a knot?
10. How does this state affect your endurance during physical exercise?
I have done some strenuous walking and jogging up a steep hill in the heat here in Thailand – in the Non-Dual State. The main takeaway is that there is no pain, no mental or physical pain, while pushing the body up the hill. If the Ego State is present, it’s a really difficult time-trial at max speed up the hill. If Vern is NOT present and only the ND State is there experiencing it – there is NO PAIN AT ALL. Pain doesn’t register. There is sensation. There is extreme breathing rate and volume. There is lactic acid build up in the legs on steep parts. No pain though. It’s super bizarre to experience. Vern has worked out hard his entire life. He has never not known pain when pushing to the limit. It’s a novel experience, but cannot be used for everything.
For instance, after pushing the body up the hill like that – there was a sacro-iliac pain in the lower back for a couple of weeks that wouldn’t abate.
The problem is, in the ND State the body is completely relaxed and not tensed in places that aren’t the main focus of the exercise. Meaning, the legs are ready, they are pumped and tense and can go hard.
The core – the lower back, stomach muscles and maybe adductors and abductors are not tensing up to give rigidity to the body so it can go hard with the legs like that! The result is sort of catastrophic!
Vern hasn’t yet, but one of the upcoming experiments will be to run with special attention paid to tensing up the body in crucial areas.
11. Can you mimic complex hand gestures or movements?
12. Are your senses of balance and coordination affected during rapid movement?
13. Can you perform tasks that require simultaneous actions, like dribbling a ball and running?
14. Can you replicate a series of physical movements exactly as shown by someone else?
15. How does your breathing change during physical exertion in this state?
16. Can you play a musical instrument or keep a rhythm with precision?
No.
Existential and Philosophical Questions
1. Is there a sense of purpose or meaning in this state?
2. Do you feel a connection to something greater than yourself, such as the universe or a divine presence?
No, none.
3. Is the concept of “right” and “wrong” present?
No, there are no dichotomies at all. No right/wrong, up/down, here/there, happy/sad, etc.
4. Can you describe the relationship between the ego-filled mind and the non-dual state?
Whoa. What a great question. I’m not sure it’s answerable, but I’ll look at this over the next few days and see if I can come up with anything.
Initial thoughts are that there doesn’t seem to be a relationship. I’ll do better than that. Give me some time!
5. Do you perceive reality as fundamentally different in this state? If so, how?
Reality in this state is harmless. The world is an embryonic sac. Everything is of the same stuff. There are no differences, no individuality, no dichotomy, no positive or negative feelings or feelings of any kind. There is no thought, no problems, no time, no night and day. There is no better place to be.
6. Are there any fears, such as fear of death or losing this state?
Not in the state, but outside there is a fear of losing it!
7.Does this state feel permanent, fleeting, or cyclical in nature?
It can feel rock-solid. It can feel a bit fleeting if the Ego is ready to jump back in too quickly. Like waiting at the door for an opportunity.
8. Do you perceive life and death differently in this state?
There is no awareness of life or death in this state.
9. Can you articulate what “reality” means from this perspective?
It ‘means’ nothing. Or, maybe it means that anything outside of this state is extra. Unnecessary. Maybe we can survive on earth without any of the extra. Maybe we can all get along in this state instead of in our current dysfunctional mess? In this emotionless state it highlights the fact that emotions add a lot to our lives, but also bring immense grief and suffering.
10. Is the concept of morality clearer, murkier, or irrelevant?
Irrelevant because there are no negative feelings, ideas, or thoughts. It’s a nice pure place.
11. Do you feel a sense of individuality or does it merge with a larger awareness?
In the state, one is aware that the perception of what is seen throught the eyes around one, is from a bodily state. There’s no bigger awareness feeling. There is no real sense of being an individual because other people are perceived as not unlike each other.
12. How do you interpret suffering while in this state?
Cannot feel any suffering from inside.
What happens if you SEE suffering – like a dog with fleas/ticks/mange? I will do that experiment. I know where a little puppy is living in the rainforest with her mom.
13. Do you sense the presence of free will, or does everything seem predetermined?
Wow. There is no free will because there is no Ego to move in any direction. However, there is a part of the mind that is active and appears to be doing random things – like the eyes just move around on their own, the head turns, etc.
One can also set the body in motion in some way, say running, and then drop into the Non-Dual State. The body will continue running.
14. Can you describe the “self” without relying on labels or language?
No. But the self seems to be this nebulous changing unstable self and environmentally driven entity that exists only when one isn’t thinking directly about it. When looked at directly, it is absent.
15. Is there an awareness of duality or opposites, like good and evil?
None at all.
16. How does your understanding of “truth” shift in this state?
It isn’t that truth can be seen better when in this state, but because of this state and the absence of extras going on in the mind, one can see that truth is much more objective and finite than what it appears to be inside the typical ego-driven you. The filter of our experience and who we think we are clouds our perception of truth.
17. Does time feel like an illusion, or does it remain linear?
It cannot be looked at, felt, or thought about during the state, so as thought stops, so does the notion of time.
Religion and Spiritual Beliefs
1. Can you discern the truth or falsehood of any specific religion in this state?
No. Because the state exists, one can know the truth of focusing on the breath and then Jhana are very powerful exercises that can radically change the mind.
2. Does the state affirm or deny the teachings of Buddhism?
No.
3. Do Christian concepts like God, sin, or salvation resonate differently in this state?
There is no awareness of any of these high-level concepts in the state.
4. How does animism, or the idea that all things have a spirit, feel or appear in this state?
It doesn’t appear.
5. Do you perceive religious symbols, like crosses or mandalas, as having any power or meaning?
Zero. Nothing has meaning in the state.
6. Is there a sense of a universal truth that all religions point toward?
No. If anything, there is an awareness because this state exists that religions point to no truth at all. It’s too much extra. Too much fluff. Too far from truth because it adds layers on top that cloud the truth.
7. Can you feel the presence of divine beings, angels, or spirits in this state?
No, none of that.
8. Does the concept of heaven or hell have any relevance while in this state?
Absolutely none.
9. Are concepts like karma or dharma evident or irrelevant in this state?
Non-issue. Just cannot pop up in the non-thinking mind.
*10. Can this state reveal anything about the origin or purpose of religious beliefs?
That’s quite a question. Another one that demands a LOT of thought.
God and Creation
1. Do you believe you are God in this state? If so, what does that mean?
There is no ‘i’ in this state, and there is no ‘god’ either.
2. Does the existence of God feel undeniable, or is the concept absent?
Absent. It’s just being in the moment and seeing everything as it is in something as close to ‘objective reality’ as possible for a human (seems so).
3. What created the cosmos and this world, as perceived in this state?
That question cannot arise during the state. In Vern State, it feels like something must have designed all of this.
4. Does the state suggest the universe has a creator, or is it self-existing?
Neither.
5. Are you able to sense the interconnectedness of all things in a divine way?
Not in this state, no. No interconnectedness but there is a perception that everything is of the same ‘stuff.’
6. Does this state provide clarity or confusion about the meaning of “divinity”?
Neither, it isn’t addressed.
7. Is there a feeling of being watched or guided by a higher power?
No, none of that.
8. Does the idea of pantheism (God is everything) align with your experience in this state?
No.
9. Can this state answer why the universe exists at all?
If it can, I haven’t found out yet.
10. Does the state make the concept of “creation” seem real, illusory, or irrelevant?
No higher concepts are possible in this state.
Life and Its Value
1. How important does life feel in this state—whether human, animal, or microscopic?
Life is neither something important or unimportant. No dichotomies possible in the state.
2. Is the life of an ant or bug equal to that of a human in this state?
The concept of ‘life’ is too high for this state which only deals with direct perception of the senses and what can be seen, heard, etc. Something like ‘life’ of things seen or heard is not implied or in any way thought about.
3. Does unborn life, such as a fetus, carry any particular significance in this state?
No. Nothing has any ‘significance’ in the state.
4. Is abortion perceived as right, wrong, or beyond moral judgment?
It isn’t perceived at all. Too high a concept.
5. Does the existence of life itself feel meaningful or pointless?
6. Is the continuation of life across generations important in this state?
No.
7. Can you sense a connection to the yet-to-be-born or the long-dead?
No.
8. How do you perceive death—tragic, neutral, or a part of the flow?
In the Non-Dual State there is no perception of it.
9. Does the suffering of living beings feel significant, or does it dissolve?
It isn’t known in the state.
10. Are the concepts of survival or extinction still relevant in this state?
No.
Perfection and Meaning
1. Is the world perceived as perfect in this state?
It’s like it is as it is. Nothing perfect or imperfect, just as it is. Plainly. Objectively without running it through a filter.
2. Are there any faults or imperfections in the universe, as seen from this state?
Not possible to consider faults of anything in the state.
3. Does life seem empty, devoid of meaning, or infinitely meaningful?
Not ‘life’ but, everything witnessed by the senses doesn’t mean anything. It doesn’t seem empty because that would imply there is a full – a dichotomous way of thinking, and there isn’t any of that in the state.
4. Do you feel that life is a grand illusion, or is it a profound truth?
In the state – neither.
5. Is the world as it is something to be celebrated, fixed, or transcended?
It’s to be experienced through the senses.
6. Does the universe feel random, ordered, or guided by an unseen hand?
None of those.
7. Is life pointless, or does it carry a purpose that only this state reveals?
There is no point or pointlessness. No purpose can be fathomed in this non-thinking state.
8. Does this state bring clarity or confusion about why we are here?
Neither.
9. Is this state of consciousness the pinnacle of human experience?
It may be the most basic – answering from the Vern State. In the state, there is no idea that the state is special at all, it just is.
10. Should most people seek to enter and live in this state?
Answering as Vern – Most people could benefit from having this instant reset state of the mind occur sometimes, and especially at will. Living in the state permanently seems pointless.
Suffering and Time
1. Does suffering still exist in this state? If so, what form does it take?
There is no suffering of any kind that is noticeable.
2. Are pain and pleasure equally neutral in this state?
Yes. Equally unthought of. One can only look at this by interjecting the Ego State into the Non-Dual State for a second just to try to see – is there any pain there. In the state itself it is not known what pain is or isn’t. It doesn’t seem to exist, or it doesn’t seem to ripple the consciousness at all if it does exist. The mind is in a perfect non-thinking state with Vern (Ego State) waiting at the door to enter when given an opportunity.
3. Can the state explain why suffering exists at all?
As Vern – the mind appears to add many things on top of our direct perceptions, creating a filter or lens that all perceptions go through. The mind adds likes and dislikes to perceptions and experiences along with emotions and attachments. It adds many things that cause suffering because we cannot control and direct our conscious minds and lives perfectly so we are without pain. Being without pain only seems to come in this state of perception without thought/emotion/reaction/meaning/dichotomy.
4. Is there any desire to avoid or embrace suffering in this state?
No, because there isn’t any.
5. Does this state feel eternal, or is it bound by time?
It doesn’t ‘feel’ either because time cannot be felt in the state. So ‘eternal’ (long time) cannot be felt or imagined. Time being ‘bound’ or shortened or controlled is also unimaginable and cannot be felt.
6. Does time exist at all, or is it an illusion?
No idea.
7. Can the state persist forever, or does it naturally fade?
Vern, the Ego State is always in the background waiting to intrude on the state when given any opportunity. It still isn’t clear how this works. When in the Non-Dual State it sometimes feels as if Vern is pressing for it to end so the Ego can get to work and do something. This is usually the result of stress-filled days where Vern needs to make money to keep the family’s happy life going.
8. What happens when the state “ends”—does it feel like a loss or a return?
No loss is felt. No difference in any sort of attachment lost or something gained by going back into the Ego State. It’s just a non-event. Not important enough to feel any quality change when the state goes back.
9. How does one consciously exit this state and return to the ego-self?
This is a real mystery! Trying as Vern to figure out what exactly happens here. It seems as if the Ego State is in an either strong or weak state. Let’s say like 0-100% state. If, when entering and in the Non-Dual State the Ego is around 0-20% strength, the Non-Dual State can go on for much longer. I’ve never tested HOW long, but at least 20-30 minutes, but possibly much longer.
If the Ego State is stronger and has a lot on its plate – or on its agenda – it can intrude on the Non-Dual State and interrupt and then keep going as the Ego State for a long time if it chooses. Still, if at any time the Ego State is quiet, the mind reverts to the Non-Dual State. It may then pop right back out if the Ego State is strong, or it may last a while if the Ego State is not strong.
10. Is this state something you actively enter, or does it happen spontaneously?
Either way. Vern can choose to enter it or, just by being silent, it is entered automatically because it is the baseline state – underlying state – when the Ego State shuts up. 🙂