Non-Judgement in Buddhism & PsychologyBy Tchiki Davis, M.A., Ph.D.
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Yet in spiritual and psychological traditions, non-judgement is often described as a doorway to freedom.
Buddhism has long taught the importance of releasing judgments to see reality clearly. Psychology, too, reveals how judgment is tied to belief systems, early experiences, and unconscious processes like projection. When we understand how judgment arises, we can begin to loosen its grip—not by suppressing thoughts, but by meeting them with awareness and compassion. In this article, we will explore the Buddhist definition of non-judgement, the psychological roots of judgmental thinking, the role of projection, the experience of being judged, and the embodied nature of the inner critic. Along the way, we will uncover how practicing non-judgement leads to greater acceptance, freedom, and connection. Get The FREE Awakening eBook✓ Discover what awakening is like
✓ Learn about the four stages between awakening & enlightenment ✓ Get exercises to progress Sign up below to get our FREE eBook. What Is Non-Judgement?At its core, non-judgement is the ability to meet reality without imposing evaluations of “good” or “bad,” “right” or “wrong.” It does not mean that discernment vanishes—discernment helps us tell the difference between what is skillful or harmful, safe or unsafe. Instead, non-judgement refers to the suspension of unnecessary mental labels and harsh evaluations that distort our experience.
Non-judgement allows us to experience life directly. For example, when rain falls, the mind might immediately call it “bad weather.” Non-judgement notices simply that water is falling from the sky. In relationships, when someone forgets a promise, judgment might declare, “They don’t care about me.” Non-judgement observes what happened without attaching a global evaluation of the person’s character. This shift may seem subtle, but it changes everything. When we stop layering judgments on top of experience, we free ourselves from cycles of resentment, self-criticism, and projection. Non-judgement invites us into presence, where reality is allowed to be as it is. The Buddhist Definition of Non-JudgementIn Buddhist teachings, non-judgement is closely tied to mindfulness. The Pali word sati—often translated as mindfulness—refers to remembering to bring awareness to the present moment. But this awareness is not cold observation; it is infused with qualities of equanimity, compassion, and non-judging acceptance.
The Buddha taught that suffering arises from clinging, aversion, and ignorance. Judging is a form of both clinging and aversion: we cling to pleasant experiences by labeling them “good” and push away unpleasant ones by labeling them “bad.” These judgments strengthen attachment and resistance, keeping us caught in cycles of craving and suffering. In contrast, Buddhist practice encourages seeing things as they are. A core instruction in mindfulness meditation is to notice thoughts, emotions, and sensations without judgment—allowing them to arise, unfold, and pass away. This does not mean condoning harmful actions, but rather cultivating an open awareness that does not immediately collapse into reactivity. Zen Buddhism, in particular, emphasizes “beginner’s mind”—a state of openness in which every experience is fresh and unclouded by habitual judgments. Non-judgement, then, is not an absence of discernment but a freedom from the compulsive labeling that obscures direct perception. The Psychological Experience of JudgementFrom a psychological perspective, judgment arises from deeply ingrained beliefs and schemas—mental frameworks we develop through experience. When we label ourselves as “lazy,” “not good enough,” or “better than others,” these judgments are not objective truths but reflections of internalized belief systems.
Beliefs That Create Judgmental Thoughts Judgmental thoughts often stem from conditional beliefs about worth and value. For example:
These beliefs operate as mental filters, coloring perception. When someone else behaves in a way that contradicts our belief system, judgment arises automatically. If we hold the belief that “punctuality equals respect,” then a late friend is judged as disrespectful, regardless of context. At their root, these beliefs often reflect fears of inadequacy, rejection, or unworthiness. Judgment protects the ego by projecting these fears outward, allowing us to avoid the vulnerability of seeing them within ourselves. Projection and Judging Others Psychological projection is one of the most common ways judgment shows up. Projection occurs when we attribute to others the feelings, desires, or flaws we cannot accept in ourselves. If we feel insecure about our intelligence, we may harshly judge others as “stupid.” If we repress anger, we may view others as “hostile.” Projection creates the illusion that judgment is about others, but in truth, it is a mirror of our own inner landscape. By directing judgment outward, we avoid sitting with the discomfort of self-judgment and the raw emotions that accompany it. Sitting With the Experience of Being Judged One of the most painful human experiences is the sense of being judged—whether by ourselves or others. The sting of criticism often lingers long after words are spoken. This is because judgment is not merely cognitive; it is embodied. When we feel judged, the body reacts. The chest may tighten, the face may flush, the stomach may churn. These physiological responses often mirror early experiences of parental criticism, where the body learned to contract under scrutiny. As adults, the same reactions can arise even in subtle situations, reinforcing the inner critic. Learning non-judgement involves turning toward these sensations with awareness rather than resisting them. By breathing into the tightness, noticing the flush of heat, or allowing the knot in the stomach to be felt fully, we practice acceptance. In doing so, we transform the experience of judgment from a source of shame into an opportunity for presence and self-compassion. The Inner Critic: Origins of JudgementThe inner critic is the internalized voice of judgment. It develops early in life, often as an echo of parental or societal criticism. When children are repeatedly corrected or shamed, they may absorb these voices into their own psyche. Over time, these voices crystallize into self-critical thoughts: “I’ll never be good enough,” “I always mess things up,” “No one will like me if I fail.”
But the inner critic is not only mental—it is also embodied. The nervous system encodes patterns of reactivity that accompany judgment. A sharp internal voice might be paired with a surge of adrenaline, a racing heart, or a collapse of posture. This embodied critic can become so automatic that even minor triggers create a cascade of self-judgment and physiological stress. Psychologists note that the inner critic often masquerades as protection. By criticizing ourselves first, we hope to avoid external criticism. Yet this strategy backfires, trapping us in cycles of shame, low self-esteem, and self-sabotage. Practicing Non-Judgement: Embodying Acceptance
Cultivating non-judgement is not about silencing thoughts but about changing our relationship to them. When judgmental thoughts arise, we can notice them without identifying or fusing with them. For example, instead of “I am a failure,” we might observe, “A judgmental thought is arising.”
Mindfulness offers a powerful laboratory for this practice. By watching thoughts come and go, we see their impermanent and incontrollable nature. The body, too, becomes a field of observation: when judgment triggers contraction or withdrawal, we can soften, breathe, and allow sensations to unfold. Self-compassion for self-judgement Self-compassion practices are especially effective in loosening the grip of judgment. Speaking kindly to ourselves, placing a hand on the heart, or recalling our shared humanity helps counterbalance the harshness of the inner critic. Observing judgement in nondual awareness Over time, once we have calmed down our own reactivity and projection, we can then dive deeper into the mechanisms that make us believe judgemental thoughts and sensations. For example, once we see clearly that the sensations of feeling judged are actually neutral, not occurring inside (or outside) our body, completely impersonal, and outside of our control, then they become far less convincing. The body and mind's collaboration to convince us that we are "being judged" in the first place starts to fade. Eventually judgement can be seen to simply be a perception based on past conditioning, not a reflection of what is actually happening in the present moment. Judgement in Nondual AwarenessIn nondual awareness, the grip of judgment softens because the very framework of subject and object begins to dissolve. Judgment depends on the illusion of a separate self who is the one being judged, and an “other” who does the judging. When awareness opens beyond this dualistic structure, it becomes evident that judgment has no solid foundation. What once felt like a personal attack is revealed as an impersonal play of thoughts and sensations arising within the play of everythingness.
As insight deepens, we see that judgmental thoughts are not owned by anyone—they simply appear, linger for a time, and dissolve like clouds in the sky. The body may still register the familiar tightness or contraction, but even these sensations lose their charge when recognized as neutral energy movements rather than evidence of personal failure or rejection. What once felt sharp and cutting is now experienced as empty—empty of self, empty of meaning, empty of solidity. This shift reveals that judgment is not something happening to us but rather a conditioned pattern unfolding. It is no more “ours” than the sound of traffic outside or the rustling of leaves in the wind. In seeing this, the compulsion to resist, defend, or identify with judgment naturally fades. From this vantage point, judgment is recognized as a ghost of conditioning rather than a reality of the present moment. It arises because of memory, habit, and the nervous system’s old protective strategies, but it does not point to a truth about who we are.
Nondual View of Judgment Worksheet
Use this worksheet to explore how judgment arises, how it is experienced in the body, and how it can be reframed from a nondual perspective.
Final Thoughts on Non-JudgementJudgment is woven into the fabric of human experience, but it is not inevitable. Through the lenses of Buddhism and psychology, we see that judgment arises from conditioned beliefs, projections, and early experiences of criticism. It appears to live not only in thoughts but also in the body, shaping the inner critic and fueling cycles of shame.
Non-judgement invites us to step off this wheel. By meeting experience without labeling, sitting with the sensations of being judged, and seeing the truth of what judgemental thoughts and feelings are, we discover a deeper freedom. Non-judgement is part of our underlying essence—the unconditional acceptance that we truly are. It just takes time to see that clearly. |
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