My yoga teacher brought in a friend of hers to do part of our required hours (by Yoga Alliance) on philosophy and meditation. His explanation of the non-duality of Buddhist philosophy and how it plays out in the 'eightfold path' (right speech, right livelihood, right intention, right action, etc.) was very different than I've heard before. He said, basically, that we should not do, say, think anything that increases separation in any way. Instead of separation I've always thought of the path in terms suffering. I shouldn't do, say or think anything that increases the suffering of any other sentient being. But maybe the term separation goes even further.
We see ourselves as divided and separated from experience. We see ourselves as experiencers of “that, out there.” And when that, out there, seems to please or protect us, we call it good. Similarly, when it appears threatening or strange or terrifying, we call it evil. Thus our feeling of separateness is precisely what creates notions of good and evil in the first place.
–Steve Hagen, from Buddhism: It’s Not What You Think
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