How to Be One With the Universe: Seeing Beyond the Individual Self
When we say that humans are social creatures, it doesn’t just mean that we like to gather and communicate. It means that through the many selves, a society emerges. Without society, we would have no language, and thus no thoughts.
So while there is a great deal we can learn about ourselves when we close our eyes and turn our attention inward, it is also important to understand that we are so much more than ourselves.
We are the external influences that shaped our lives and our thinking. We are our surroundings. We are our ancestors. We are the plants we breathe and the foods we consume. To put it more plainly, we are the relationship between ourselves and all life on this planet.
Even if we disagree with someone else, we are the disagreement. We are the stance in opposition to that other person. It is thanks to the cruelty we reject that we can be kind. It is thanks to selfishness that we can know our generosity. And it is thanks to loss that we can appreciate the love we had.
Understanding Interconnected Oneness and Dissolving the Illusion of Separation
Within bad are the seeds of good. Thus, there is no bad. When we start to see how everything negative has the potential for a positive response and a wise relationship, we start to see the interconnected oneness all around us.
Focus on relationships over the illusory individual and isolated events. No person, thing or place is separate from everything else. This is a false way of seeing. In truth, everything, including yourself, exists in relationship to everything else.
When we realize we are the oneness of the universe, we stop falling for the illusion of separateness and isolation. All self-pressure, self-consciousness and self-doubt fade away as we realize there is no self.
Controlling Our Relationship with Existence
Even in negative circumstances, a positive response is always possible. No matter what unfortunate circumstances occur, we can exist in a wise and positive relationship to it. We cannot control everything, but we can always control our relationship with the universe around us.
How Does Individuality Fit into Oneness?
Having seen how we are the relationship between all life and how to be one with the universe in our daily interactions, a central question arises: what happens to our individual sense of self?
Recommended reading: How to find myself spiritually
The universe exists on many planes of reality. On one hand, it’s entirely empty space because all matter is made up of empty space. On the other hand, there is no empty space because energy and quantum fields pervade the entire universe. And then there is the illusion that there is stuff and there is space, and the things appear separate and independent from one another.
Any three of these interpretations are going to be incomplete and misleading. Only when we see the whole does some semblance of truth start to emerge. Our existence is no different.
We are the universe, we don’t exist at all the way we appear. And, we think we are separate and independent.
So on one hand, we exist as differentiated consciousness. On the other hand, we exist as universal consciousness. Both are true. But both are incomplete pictures.
To understand the universe, or ourselves, on the level of mind will always be a reductionist approach — limited, incomplete, and false. True understanding comes from sensing, not labeling.
When we popped into existence at birth, the universe had already been humming along for eternity. We are the mere temporary expressions of this magnificent universe. Our illusory individuality is very real and necessary for our survival and for the universe to keep unfolding like an ever-blossoming lotus flower. Our separate sense of self created by the ego, is simultaneously real, limited, and nonreal.
Balancing Individual Experience and Universal Consciousness
Oneness is the deeper truth, but still incomplete. When the logical mind merges with our expansive heart, a clearer picture of our wholeness emerges. We must honor these bodies and minds we temporarily preside over, but we are also the entire universe, the creation and the creator. Only when we open both eyes can we start to see clearly.
There are four common mistakes in our thinking that nearly all of us make and that contribute to our suffering. These misguided thoughts that stem from false beliefs cause us to inadvertently harm ourselves, our communities, and our planet.
When oneness guides our individuality, and when our egos recognize our oneness, only then can our lives blossom like the lotus flower. Losing sight of either eliminates our depth of perception, leading us to live shallow and meaningless lives.
Recommended reading: Can I reach enlightenment if I have a family?
When we live purely as individuals we feel alone, we have a fearful ego, and we suffer the stresses and pressures of modern life.
So without neglecting either reality, by staying present and alert to all of the layers of meaning at once — something which cannot be understood by the mind’s one-word-at-a-time analysis — only then can we develop the deepest understanding, beyond words, of who we truly are. Only then can we become our true self — a being of love and peace.
Awakening to Reality As It Is
Infinity cannot be reduced, interpreted or dissected. No label can capture it. It can only be felt and sensed. This is awakening to reality as it is. Start to pay attention to the energy all around you, the empty space that pervades you, the silence underlying sounds, and the stillness always present within your consciousness that is able to perceive the constant change all around you. This is how we can remain at peace no matter what the superficial illusion of matter appears to be doing at any given moment.
Returning to Oneness
Step past the illusion of separation and discover the quiet presence underneath all life. This moving documentary offers a visual and philosophical exploration into nonduality, mindfulness, and realizing the interconnected universe within us all.
