Nondual awareness and pure consciousness: Concepts, phenomenology, and neurophysiological correlates

Nondual awareness (NDA) refers to an experiential state in which awareness remains present while the ordinary distinction between subject and object becomes attenuated or absent. Pure consciousness (PC) is commonly described as a content-minimized, or reportedly content-free, expression of NDA, wherein only awareness is experienced and is often discussed in relation to minimal phenomenal experience (MPE). This chapter reviews major theoretical frameworks that have been proposed to account for NDA and PC, including non-representational reflexivity models, predictive processing approaches, enactive perspectives, and dimensional accounts of content-minimized experience. It further examines the phenomenological features frequently associated with these states, including selflessness, contentlessness, timelessness, spacelessness, reflexivity, epistemicity, and experiential unity. Current neuroscientific and psychophysiological findings are also reviewed, with particular attention to large-scale brain network dynamics, electrophysiological markers, and autonomic correlates reported during advanced meditative states. Beyond formal contemplative practice, the chapter discusses reports suggesting that nondual or content-minimized experiences may occur during dreamless sleep and psychedelic-induced mystical states. Finally, an integrative neurophenomenological framework is outlined to synthesize current theoretical and empirical perspectives while highlighting ongoing conceptual and methodological challenges in the scientific study of NDA and PC.