Practising Right Discrimination

How can we practise and cultivate Viveka, the ability to discriminate between reality and illusion?

We know that under the influence of feelings like fear and anger we have a distorted view of the world. Cultivating calmness and tolerance helps us to see things more as they really are.

Then, the world looks flat, the sky appears to be blue, matter appears to be solid. Careful investigation has revealed much more of the truth underlying these appearances.

So these methods are steps in the cultivation of viveka, right discrimination, and we can always continue to learn valuable lessons from them.

The ultimate goal of the practice of the non-dual teachings is knowledge of the Ultimate reality that abides beyond all theories and appearances.

The teaching is that reality is unchanging and unchangeable. Anything that changes can only be a fragment of total reality, and total reality is only divided up into parts by experiencing minds. So anything that changes must be at least in part appearance.
Guided by the non-dual teachings on the oneness of reality, we can learn to discover the real abiding in the apparent, by applying the test of unchangeability in our reflective contemplation.

In practical life, we cultivate discrimination by making decisions according to what will help us in the quest. We can practice right discrimination in what we read, watch, eat, the company we keep and what we choose to do with our leisure time.

We can practice discrimination during our study and reflection times, and eventually throughout conscious living. If we have grasped the distinction between things as they appear, and reality in itself, we will have understood that the apparently obvious reality of the ordinary, in fact conceals a great mystery. Then life becomes a true school and a new richness and fascination opens up for us.

There is more on the meaning of right discrimination in the non dual theory section.

Read more on practicing right discrimination in this book extract.

We can develop viveka through meditation practices such as the ‘dismissing thoughts’ practice in this set.