Advaita Vedanta (nondual meditation) and the illusion of the separate self/ego

[StillnessEgoless]

Which current or past magicians have involved nondual teachings to reveal the greatest illusion-the false separate self. Have seen Derek Delgaudio and Derren Brown go into these teachings but not deeply since they are not known as Advaita teachers like say Byron Katie, Sadhguru, Tolle, Spira, etc and of course in the past Buddha, Lao Tzu, Jesus Christ, etc What do you consider is the future of combining the two-Advaita and conjuring? "There is no such thing as experience of reality."-Sri Nisergadatta Maharaj

 

[DakotaW4]

I'm working on a routine now that's based around a Vedic astrology reading that ends with a horoscope and birthday reveal, along with some other fun things to heighten it. I plan to go into the meaning of different concepts like SatChitAnanda and Karma or Maya. I've never heard any magicians go into these things really but I think adding a spiritual undertone to your mentalism acts would really enhance it and give someone something genuine to think about.

 

[Paavan B.]

Hey there!

A while ago at university I wrote a Masters' thesis comparatively exploring advaita vedānta (as argued for by Adi Shankarācārya) and Schopenhauer's version of transcendental idealism. I didn't link it to magic at all but am hugely interested in the crossover between philosophy and magic, including ancient Indian philosophy. (And small plug, in 2020 I wrote an essay collection that touched on this among other things.)

I think Derek's show is great — one other person's work to look at is Nate Staniforth's. He's released a few books and courses for magicians, but a while back he also wrote a biography for lay audiences called Here is Real Magic, part of which covered his time travelling around India. The way he talks about experiencing a sense of wonder, whether via witnessing a magic trick or otherwise, definitely connects (for me at least) to the vedāntin's discussion of māyā and breaking through the veil of māyā and experiencing an underlying substratum of consciousness or bliss (cit/ānanda).

Re Vedic astrology readings + adding a spiritual undertone to your mentalism acts — have you seen Invisible Readings by Enrique Enirquez? Highly recommend reading this one!

 

[KailynHull]

I see it's been a while since anyone posted, but I’ve been thinking about how this ties into magic performance—especially when trying to quiet the ego so the performance flows naturally. Has anyone found a link between practicing self-inquiry meditation and experiencing more authentic moments in their routines? I’d love to hear how others balance inner stillness with the energy needed for performing.

 

[MilagrosSimon]

I’ve had similar thoughts pop up during card practice—like the sense of “me” doing it fades and it’s just the hands moving. Super weird but kind of freeing too.

 

[MilagrosSimon]

It's interesting how magicians like Derek Delgaudio and Derren Brown explore nondual teachings, revealing the illusion of the separate self in a subtle way—different from the direct approach of Sadhguru or Byron Katie. I recently came across a boshan lu—a Bronze Mountain Boshan Incense Burner—online at a specialty store. The intricate design and the way the incense smoke flows from it made me reflect on how, just like magic, the boundaries we think are real can dissolve.