Book: This Terrible Love, a nonduality dreamlife

Miranda's reflections on life without the filters of separation are an intimate expression of what is commonly called nonduality. Unlike many nonduality books, this is not primarily a work of philosophical or spiritual discussions, though there are aspects of both. At its core, This Terrible Love is an emotionally resonant and heartfelt sharing of the wonder and awe of life itself, exactly as it is, when the separation that divides us from each other and the world is seen as illusory.

The book follows Miranda on her adventures as a dancer in a small troupe on a tour of Eastern Europe, and then her time at a silent retreat, capturing the profound depths of feeling and perception that arise without the imaginary boundaries of individual identity and separation. When the separate “me,” with its wants, desires, and judgements, no longer narrates a personal story, life goes on with all the diversity of appearances that seem to comprise the world. But when it’s known there are no actual separate individuals or separate things, this nonduality dreamlife paints a luminous landscape filled with more beauty and wonder than could ever be imagined. All of life becomes a love story, an unfathomably enchanting dream that has no source and can never be found in time or space

In this dream of life, there is only always ‘this.’ Simply life, lived without the interpretations that keep us from seeing the extraordinary wonder in the everyday appearances that unfold for all of us like pages in the most magical fairy tale. Life itself, replete with joy and sorrow, laughter and tears, all merging into a deep, deep peace when it’s realized there is only ever this seamless web of aliveness

Miranda also shares reflections about gurus and teachers, her intimate expression of how life feels, as well as subjects such as time, the past, our concepts about reality, thoughts, and her perspective on what is called awakening, liberation, or enlightenment.

Her words are sometimes gentle, other times swirling like a tornado; her message conveyed in both simple and direct language and poetic streams of consciousness. But no matter how she expresses herself, Miranda always points to the truth that life, just as it appears, is all there ever is --- this nonduality dreamlife filled with wonder, awe, and beauty; a miracle that feels like love.