DESIGN FOR NOTHING IN-DEPTH, SERIES NO. 1
915 words · 4 min read

In the introduction to the meditation app Waking Up, author and philosopher Sam Harris reminds us that "the purpose of meditation isn't merely to de-stress, sleep better, or learn to be a little less neurotic. The purpose is to radically transform your sense of who and what you are." After years of studying various schools of philosophy on the nature of our existence to understand our place in the universe and our true essence, nondual philosophy has been the most significant in broadening my awareness and transforming my experience of self.

As a visual thinker, the nondual reality evoked in these texts resonated most perceptively—my focus was visualizing with creative imaginings both in meditation and in action. Texts such as the "Yoga Vasistha" in Hinduism emphasize that what we perceive through our senses is a manifestation of the mind's conditioning and not the ultimate reality ("the whole world of things is the object of mind"). This idea, repeated in many nondual texts, prompted me to practice mind training, mind space design, and vision by elimination—an approach embodied in Design for Nothing.

If the mind creates the illusion of separate objects and experiences using its power of projection, what is reality? The sages point beyond the confines of time and space to an unchanging, everlasting awareness, an ever-present One Mind, as the all-encompassing reality. When put into practice, this expansive visualization of an eternally present oneness offered the most profound experience I've encountered and a peaceful spiritual state. Design for Nothing is the fruit of this realization, an approach focused on practicing visualizing beyond appearances. Design for Nothing's intention teaches a way to recreate the dynamic and limitless mental space needed to welcome the return of the invisible, complete wholeness of the One Mind and abide in its peaceful awareness.

With the science of consciousness catching up to Eastern philosophy revelations, the Design for Nothing approach calls upon a trust that nondual masters had real channeled inspiration on the nature of the self. Trust the vision and follow me on a path towards a reality you don't just understand intellectually, but one that, once practiced to a level of knowing, is beneficial in all aspects of life:

We have never been anything but a unified consciousness, which was, is, and always will be just mind. I am that. You are that. Mind is all there is. It is One. Being one is life itself. Being one, all of its parts reflect the whole and are inseparable, existing in perfect unity and harmony in oneness. It has no other, and therefore no opposite, and no enemy. We are that.  Inherent in our oneness with all, the Self embodies the essence of ultimate reality.

The nondual teachings of Advaita Vedanta say Atman (self or soul) is Brahman (ultimate reality) to represent the One Mind yet in different states of consciousness. Fundamentally, it is spirit, encompassing all. This mind has creative power, but whatever it does, all its creations stay inseparable from the One Mind, part of it, as one with the original self. Translated from the human perspective, no matter what appears separate, it stays in the mind of the One Self. Seeing them as separate is simply an error of perception that can be corrected with practice.

To the awakened mind, any form, body, or thing is but a creative thought that hasn't left the source. The Self knows thoughts are creations in its own mind and, therefore, don't become real. To expand on this, no matter what we experience, be it fear, attack, illness, anger, depression, joy, or love, these experiences are only forms of thought with no power over our true nature, which stays untouched, pure, and undisturbed. You are that, and what appears around you, to happen to you, or through you, is but an appearance. The fabric of all things felt, seen, unseen, unknown, material, living, sick, or dying is an illusion of separation from the inseparable true mind.

Over millennia, many have studied ancient texts, and thousands have awakened to this intellectual understanding. It is through meditation and actively practicing self-inquiry with the intention that the knowing state changes your perception and brings about a sense of returning home. Notable nondual sages such as Laozi, Zhuangzi, Buddha, Jesus, Adi Shankaracharya, Huang-po, and Ramana Maharshi shared glimpses into the knowing state of our true nature in their teachings.

Adi Shankaracharya (788-820 CE) revealed: 'What is an inquiry into the truth? It is the firm conviction that the self is real and all else is unreal.' The underlying call to action seriously captures my attention as we delve into these concepts. I often find myself intellectualizing these ideas, and as an artist and designer, I aim to create art that gives pointers to the invisible and shifts perceptions. I invite anyone interested in learning, practicing, and living according to nondual spiritual teachings to discuss how this might be possible.

Design for Nothing is not just a method to enhance creativity, cultivate non-attachment, or meditate on the concepts of nothingness. It's a practical tool that can foster a profound shift in your attitude toward reality. Whether you choose to practice it on your own or with my guidance, in-person or virtually, this method offers a glimpse into your true self and what is real. When curiosity evolves into conviction, and what once seemed radical becomes a state of mind you want to inhabit constantly, that is the transformation Design for Nothing aims to facilitate.