Acceptance of What Is (Epictetus) 

**Epictetus**
Do not demand that events happen as you wish, but wish them to happen as they do, and you will always prosper.

What disturbs men are not things themselves but the opinions they form about them. In the face of any painful thought, be ready to say: "This is merely an impression and not at all what it appears to be." When you see someone crying, be cautious that your imagination does not carry you away, persuading you that this person is truly miserable because of external circumstances. Instead, discern this: what troubles them is not the event itself—since another might remain unshaken—but the opinion they hold about it.

We must train ourselves in small matters first and then progress to greater challenges. "I have a headache,"—do not say, "Alas!" "My ear hurts,"—do not exclaim in despair. This does not mean forbidding all expressions of discomfort but ensuring that sorrow does not take root within. Trust in these principles, and walk your path freely. Strength is not about physical invincibility like that of an animal. True invincibility is being undisturbed by what lies beyond our control. (Discourses, Book I)

What is a Stoic? Show me a man who is ill and yet happy, in danger and yet serene, dying and yet content. Let me see this individual who shapes himself toward such a model. Such a soul seeks to align its will with divine will, never lamenting God or man, never failing in its endeavors, never being obstructed or overcome by envy or anger. Such a soul becomes godlike in a mortal body, aspiring to the divine company of Zeus. (Discourses, Book II)

**Marcus Aurelius**
What should you focus all your care upon? Accepting everything that happens as necessary and flowing from the same principle and source as yourself. Surrender willingly to fate, allowing it to weave the thread of your life. Adapt yourself to the events that destiny assigns to you. Love whatever happens to you, for it is uniquely suited to you.

You can rid yourself of many troubles by recognizing that they exist only in your opinion of them. If you focus on living only in the present, without letting the past haunt you or the future unsettle you, you will live with noble serenity. You already have access to the peace you seek, provided you relinquish the past to memory and the future to providence. (Meditations)

**Arnaud Desjardins**
Acceptance is the pure and simple vision of what is, here and now. It is the refusal to resist reality as it unfolds. In this very moment, what is—simply is. Intervention is only possible regarding what may or may not happen in the next second or minute. Acceptance means embracing relative reality, moment by moment, without conflict. (Dialogue à deux voies)

The guiding principle must always be: "Not what should be, but what is." Only through engagement with relative reality can one be led to absolute reality. There is no other path. (The Way of the Heart)

Nonduality in Spinoza: God and Nature as One Reality

Benedictus de Spinoza, a 17th-century philosopher, is often regarded as one of the key figures in Western metaphysics whose ideas bear strong nondualistic elements. In his major work, *Ethics*, Spinoza challenges the dualistic separation of God and Nature that was prevalent in his time. Rather than viewing God and the world as separate entities, Spinoza proposes that everything in existence is part of one infinite substance, which he calls **God, or Nature** (*Deus sive Natura*). This idea has clear parallels with nondualistic philosophies, like the advaita (nondual) tradition in Hinduism, which emphasizes an underlying unity in all existence.

For Spinoza, God is not a separate, external creator who stands apart from the world. Instead, God is *immanent*—present within all things and inseparable from the world. This means that every part of the universe is a manifestation of God or Nature. Spinoza argues that there is only one substance in existence, and this single substance expresses itself in an infinite number of ways, as all the diverse things we perceive around us. This leads to a profound view of unity: *Deus sive Natura* suggests that everything—every object, thought, and form of energy—is a part of the same, undivided reality.

In *Ethics*, Spinoza defines God as "a being absolutely infinite," which means that God includes all aspects of reality, embodying both thought and extension (mind and matter). Thus, Spinoza’s God is not limited or personalized but is rather the infinite source and substance of all that is. This view resonates with nonduality because it denies any real division between spirit and matter, creator and creation, or even self and other. Spinoza sees every finite thing as an expression of this single, boundless reality.

Spinoza’s concept of *Deus sive Natura* carries profound ethical implications as well. Since everything is part of the same divine essence, Spinoza suggests that understanding and loving Nature (or God) leads to an experience of inner peace and unity. By embracing the understanding that all things are one, Spinoza believes that we can overcome the illusions of separation that cause fear, desire, and suffering. True freedom, according to Spinoza, lies in aligning with this understanding of unity, and realizing that our individual lives are part of an infinite, unbroken whole.

Through this lens, Spinoza’s philosophy can be seen as a path toward realizing nonduality in the Western tradition. His emphasis on understanding and harmony with Nature, on the unity of mind and matter, and on the dissolution of the ego’s sense of separation from the whole, closely resembles the insights found in nondual teachings from Eastern philosophy. In sum, Spinoza’s *Deus sive Natura* is an invitation to recognize that God and Nature are not two, but one and the same reality, infinitely expressing itself in every part of existence. This vision remains as radical and inspiring today as it was in Spinoza’s time.