Hey thanks so much for sharing that video. To my eye Abe is completely aligned with the nondual insight, but I totally get how that can be kinda tricky to see at first. Everything said in that video is 100% aligned to my eye.
First off, nonduality is the single simplest thing I think anyone can "know." It's literally the truth of our own being and can be noticed now and always. But paradoxically it's one of the most challenging things to communicate using language that I've ever encountered. It is literally beyond conception, beyond language. So just keep this in mind when reading my explanations or anyone else's.
Nondual teachings are merely attempting to point out how our actual, *experiential reality* is structured. This is done by "pointing out" aspects of our experience to notice. These are called "pointings" or "pointers."
Nondual teachings are merely pointers to help us notice what's going on, right here, right now. They are NOT intended to serve as a philosophy or metaphysical explanation of the world. However, due to the philosophizing and conceptualizing nature or the human mind, people inevitably turn the insights from nondual investigations into all sorts of philosophy and whatnot. It's also inevitable for this to occur to a certain extent in the communication of nonduality, because we use concepts to communicate. Just know this is a distraction from the true core of the teachings. I strongly suggest not getting too wrapped up in this type of conceptualizing that you may find online, or even interspersed in my own text attempting to talk about this. Nonduality is, literally by definition, beyond concepts, philosophy, metaphysics. It's beyond everything. It's the space in which all this appears.
I can't emphasize this enough: **nonduality, or, the truth of our being, is completely beyond concepts or conceptualization.** It is the space in which this conceptualization appears. Because it's inherently beyond concept, it's so, so tricky to communicate within a conceptual language framework. But that's all we have so we just have to do the best we can with it without getting to wrapped up in the concepts themselves.
Nondual teachings or pointings are intended to prompt the seeker to turn inward and examine their own experience. When we do this, we find that the world and all experience appears inside our own consciousness. It's useful to think of this consciousness as your own soul. The soul—your own consciousness—is the one experiencing, learning, and expanding from all this life experience. Notice right now how the entire world appears in your own consciousness. This is what Abe, in your video, is referring to when they say "the nonphysical energy that is really you." We aren't actually the body that appears in consciousness. We are that actual nonphysical consciousness itself.
The sun rises, the wind blows, the children play, people fight, all experience occurs here. But not just "outer" experience. "Inner" experience also happens here. In the same space of awareness that all this outer experience appears, all the inner experience also appears. Inner bodily sensations, feelings, emotions, thoughts, dreaming, etc all appear in this same space. We conventionally conceptualize a separation within this space (inner/outer) but that's purely conceptual, and upon closer inspection, we see that there's no division, it's all happening in consciousness. It's one big show, put on by us.
When we look even closer, we find that the sense of what we "truly are," as Abe puts it, is hidden in that conscious experience. You can notice right now that "you" or "your soul" or "your consciousness" is aware of everything that is happening. This even includes being aware of a body and a sense of self. In this big open space of awareness, the body appears and moves around, and the sense of self is also experienced. The thought "I exist" or "I am" is totally obvious. But obvious to whom? When we look closer, we find that what we are, experientially, is that soul/consciousness/aware presence that is aware of everything happening. The trees blow in the wind, the body moves around and does things, thoughts appear, etc., it's all just one big happening, and we are aware of it all.
Starting around 18-24 months old, we start to identify with certain aspects of that experience and say "that's me." I'm the body in the scene moving around, those thoughts represent *my* thoughts, etc etc. But upon further investigation we can notice that actually we're the awareness noticing all those things. We are that nonphysical aware energy. But we mistakenly identify ourselves with just part of the scene (the bodymind). We say "that's me!," "I'm that one part of the experience." But that is simply a conceptual overlay on top of the truth of the matter when we look closer. So we live our lives thinking we are the little physical body that's going to die. That's simply a little misunderstanding that nondual teachings are helping to resolve. The sense of "I" is being noticed by something. What is that?
Consciousness/nonduality/soul is beyond identification, beyond, concept, beyond philosophy. It's the space in which all that appears. So anyone giving some philosophical or metaphysical explanation is missing the point. That explanation itself is contained in experience.
When we notice this, right now, we see that we were never, ever the body. It was simply a confusion. The body can be sorta likened to your avatar in a video game. It lets you explore, learn, expand, but it's not "you" in the truest sense. It's something that appears in you. Think of a dream at night. It's exactly like that. And you are so right, in the deepest most uncompromising nondual teachings, the ego is not judged at all. It's not put down at all. It's perfect as it is. As is everything!
So, when identification (ego) with the individual bodymind is present, our perception adjusts to see the world through that lens. When we notice what's really going on, that egoic bodymind-centered perception can stop and what is then revealed, basically by default and without effort, is **"seeing with the eyes of source,"** as Abe puts it. It's seeing with our true eyes. When we see with those eyes, the relative judgement of the body-perspective stops and loving compassion steps in.
You can kinda think of this as you are the dreamer of all experience (inside and outside). Just like in a night dream. The body appears in a dream at night, and other bodies appear too. The protagonist in the dream has thoughts, thinks everything is real, etc etc. But when we wake up, we find out it was all us! We aren't actually the body in the dream, we are the entire dream, or, the dreamer of the dream.
Reality (consciousness) is not conceptual nor can it be reduced to concepts. Concepts, philosophy, metaphysics, are all forms of thought that can appear in our experience. The emotions, beliefs, the body itself, they all come and go. But all the time we remain, present, loving, and aware.
There is so much misunderstanding out there. Nonduality by definition is never "determinism" or any sort of "-ism." Determinism is a thought that appears in awareness just like any other metaphysical position. You can notice this right now. Don't get turned off by the fact that many people interested in nonduality use determinism as a teaching point or have somehow adopted determinism as a belief system. If they have, they are missing the point.
Think of your sense of self. Where is it? Is it associated with the body? Is it behind the eyes? Who is aware of it? As you ponder this and think about responses, what is aware of that process? What is it, in your actual experience right now, that is aware? What is aware of the sense of "I?" What is aware of the flowers blooming and the birds seeing?
I hope this helps a little. Nonduality is an exceedingly subtle teaching. I certainly can't explain it all right here. But I hope I've made a small contribution to clearing up some confusion, and at the least didn't create any more. All the nondual teachings are trying to do is turn us inward to notice how things are right now. It's not a belief system whatsoever. It's just how reality is.
Much love. Hope this helps.