How does the Enneagram fit in with Non-Duality?
You might be wondering how the Enneagram, a tool often used to label personality types and subject to TikTok memes, can relate to the profound philosophy of non-duality, which suggests that in essence, everything is one inseparable whole (non-dual = not two).
In general, they seem like disparate fields of inquiry. Non-duality asks you to inquire into the nature of your false, separate self and realize your truest nature as pure awareness, whereas personality systems seem to merely assign a label to that separate self and create yet another limited, identity. For the most part, personality systems highlight our differences, whereas non-duality highlights our sameness.
Responding to Rupert Spira’s Video:
I recently came across a video by the non-dual teacher Rupert Spira addressing a question about this very topic.
I thought that Rupert gave an insightful answer about the limitations of personality systems in discovering our true nature. However, I thought that his response failed to appreciate how the Enneagram can be seen and used as more than a personality system, and therefore, it can be a useful spiritual tool for Self-Realization.
Watch the video for an understanding of how the Enneagram can be properly understood and used in the context of non-duality.
Hint: It all comes down to the Enneagram’s linkage of outer personality tendencies to the inner root of the separate, ego self: FEAR and DESIRE.