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How Can You Say 'All is One?'
Question: Right now there
is a deepened understanding that the being-ness, without any 'my' to
it, is underlying, embracing, and enfolding all of this. The
persistence of memories, images, voices, logical arguments, etc.,
are being witnessed as changeable phenomena.
Stephen: Yes, you are the
consciousness, the witnessing, the seeing of the changeable
phenomena. Without your presence as consciousness, there can be no
phenomena. So we can say that this consciousness that you are is the
essential prerequisite of all phenomena. Notice that consciousness
is witnessing these words right now. Without consciousness being
here now, these words do not exist. These words have no independent
existence. Without consciousness, nothing exists.
Q: There is, however, a
strong thought, almost like a rip tide, that is persistent. In fact
it is a question: how can this sense of being be described as "all
there is" or as universal, that is, something that everyone or
everything has?
S: Consciousness is not
something that everyone or everything has. Consciousness is
what everyone and everything is. Life is not something that
everyone or everything has. Life is what everyone and
everything is.
Consciousness is the essence of
all existence, all phenomena. Can anything exist if consciousness is
not here to witness it? Does the universe exist if consciousness is
not here to witness it? Does anything exist outside or separate from
consciousness? What are you in essence? What are other people in
essence? What are dogs and cats in essence? What are birds, flowers,
and trees in essence? What is the universe in essence? What is life?
Are you separate from the universe? Are you separate from life? Is
anything separate from the universe? Is anything separate from life?
Consciousness is life itself. The
universe is life itself. The universe is alive. And you are that
life. You cannot possibly be separate from universal life itself.
When does the appearance of
separation begin? Does the appearance of separation begin with
thought? Does thought actually divide the universe into separate
entities or does it just appear so? Can any thought be witnessed
without consciousness being here to witness it?
Is consciousness separate? Is
'your' consciousness separate from 'my' consciousness? When does
consciousness become separate? Is it when the thoughts 'I, me or
mine' arise? Does the thought 'mine' actually divide consciousness
or does it just appear so? Can the thought 'mine' exist if
consciousness is not here to witness it? Who is this 'me' that says
'mine'? Is this 'me' just a thought? Does the thought 'me' have any
separate existence from consciousness? Is the thought 'me' alive or
conscious?
Q: As this question, and
the variations on this question, arise, there is an equally
persistent determination, impersonal even, which recognizes that
even that question is another 'yes but' and that any thought
whatsoever is only trying to divide. But the doubt does linger.
S: Yes, thought is the
appearance of division, the appearance of separation. But upon
investigation it's noticed that thought has no independent, separate
existence. The thoughts 'I, me, and mine' appear to divide life into
separate entities— me-you, us-them, God-human, spirit-matter. There
is no real separation, only conceptual, thought-based, imaginary.
If thought does not actually
divide the universe into separate entities, then separation never
happened. All is One—or not two.
There is one universe. There is
one life. This life is all there is, and you are that.
There is one consciousness.
Consciousness is all there is, and you are that.
All is One. You are that One, I am
that One, All is that One. There is no separation.
Q: I see quite clearly the
transient nature of everything that is going on in this present
moment. It really can't have a center. There have been moments of
total quiet in the mind recently and there have also been moments of
loudness and ferocity. Some of the static seems to be "I don't get
it" or "why did I just freak out" or "how will that conversation
with the landlord go" etc. Even though it is abundantly clear that
there is no one asking these questions. But the questions are just
unpleasant.
Right now all I know for sure is
this completely untouchable seemingly empty existence. The being. I
can feel it. It's quite literally a no-brainer. I don't know what
life is. I don't know what non-duality is. I don't know what the
universe or consciousness is, or death, or even what 'everything' or
'nothing' means. I can't grasp any of that really—it has no
substance for me.
All I know is that when thoughts,
all thoughts, have been just left alone, just passing through—there
is peace. And then there is the thought that this 'not
understanding' is somehow just giving up, and that I need to feel
that life is all of this and I am life or consciousness or the
universe. Followed by another thought that I just have to throw that
all out and just let that whole train move on.
In writing this I can see that
this can go on forever, enumerating the thoughts. But I think it is
helpful to really try to see what these thoughts, strong or not,
are. At this point these thoughts seem to be really strong habits
(sometimes).
