Tagged: collective
What is there beyond duality?….Non-existence? what EXISTS then?
A question from a reader.
What exists is your perception.
Duality is a perception which rejects by conveniently separating experiences in life. Let me give the classical example:
There is a glass of water. The water fills up the middle of the glass.
Is the glass half full or half empty?
The example above in the traditional consciousness, is full of duality. You are made to choose between two apparently opposite states (fullness and emptiness.)
In life “at the office” this is the type of indoctrination that we go through and we apply the same to everything in our perception of life.
If you perceive the glass “half full,” you get the label of being a “positive thinker.” Otherwise, you are “negative.”
Do you see how duality is still there? (Positive vs. negative.)
Moreover, a workshop in “positive thinking” will be created so our rejection to the other half (negative thinking) is granted. When there is rejection of one side of duality, paradoxically, we will experience that rejected side as well, for our perception of duality is just a perception and life itself is… oneness.
Be aware of your thoughts. Don’t label them or judge them. Be in tune with your feelings and be part of the Totality.
That is why, when someone talks about the law of karma under the perception of duality, by labeling actions as “good” and “bad” that is a very infantile way of looking at things. Actions are neither “good or bad” by themselves. That is why, in the oneness of life our intentions are important, our feelings… for that drives the action. We cannot pretend to “act good” when our feelings are not like that. That is why, to act in accordance with the need of the time, to be in tune with the Universe and Nature is in itself what may need to be done without further labeling.
The common good.
A Human being will not be able to experience that while trapped in the duality of individuality vs. the collective.
That is why, it was mentioned that we need to go beyond that perception of duality.
Basically, there is no need to take sides, to be in favor of something or against. That is duality. Our society may pursue this duality, but a “life walker” should be able to be there without being there…out of duality. 🙂
In the example of the half empty and half full glass of water, someone’s perception could be to observe a glass with water and air. It is neither empty nor full.
That mind will not take sides by labeling empty as “bad” and full as “good.” That is the origin of rejection.
It simply, “is what it is” without any further labeling or judgment.
When we truly understand that we are dealing with perceptions in life and what matters is not what our senses are able to perceive but rather how do we feel about our perception, then our consciousness may start changing.
Do I reject? Do I separate? Do I take sides?
I am caught in duality, if so.
To perceive something and enjoy that perception while it lasts, is to maintain that joy like a little child; who is joyfully riding in a train in Disneyland’s “Magic kingdom:” The scenes will change continuously and the child will just smile throughout the ride… enjoying the experience while it lasts. 🙂
Reader Remark: The paradox of individuality and Oneness
Om shanti brother.
Brother, you said, “That “subtle energy of life,” is not divided in many pieces. It is One. However, because it is expressed through many beings; it gives the appearance that it is embodied in many beings. In other words, our bodies give that energy the appearance of individuality, which is further expressed by a personality.”
Well, brother, please explain how you have arrived at this conclusion. If it is the same life energy running through different bodies, how can we account for different sanskars of different souls/ people?
Yes, we ‘identify’ a soul by the body he/she/ it is occupying; and we also know that each soul is unique and there will be a world of difference between some souls.
It still sounds ok that we are all ‘leaves’ of the same tree and that we are individuals having the same life energy (with different ‘concentrations’). Even not a single leaf of any tree is the exact replica of another leaf of the same tree. They may look alike, but they will have some minute differences in their form.
If “preordained roles are enacted through human beings/ souls’ – our present understanding is that a soul should have the capacity to play a role assigned to it and the capacities of souls do differ.
That shows that the souls are separate. It is like, we are all ‘birds’ flying together, but are flying on our own.
And, we are the individual droplets of life, ‘flowing together’ thus making it a stream of life.
That is why, when all of us are interlinked and connected, what we give unto others reverberates and comes back to us. Treating ‘others’ with love will make us also experience love.
Even now, the more we practise soul consciousness, the more we can easily link our intellect to any soul in the world and can pass on our thoughts/ feelings to them INSTANTLY. Most of us are experienced in this aspect. And we can also ‘feel/ experience’ the stage the other soul is having at that particular moment.
This shows that we are individual souls having different stages of soul consciousness/ purity at any point of time and that we can experience anyone’s company in a second. All we need to have is the stage of soul consciousness, the only aspect that will enable the ‘meeting’ of a soul to another soul or many souls as well as the Supreme Soul.
regards,
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Thank you for your well thought out note!
I am afraid that we will be dealing into the corners of too much thinking… But I truly appreciate your question!
Dear soul,
We are dealing with the paradox of individuality and Oneness. You see individuality. I see Oneness.
Who is right?
Both.
Who is wrong?
Both.
🙂
We are dealing with duality of concepts. Our understanding goes according to our consciousness. It is not that a particular consciousness is “higher” than another, but just a different perspective.
There is a Drama. It is One not many. However, it manifests as “many” for it runs through different actors.
If you go watch a play in the theater, you perceive actors acting different roles, however; their roles are already scripted to fit the writings of the Director of the play.
Let us say, you watch the movie “Saturday night fever” (1977) starring John Travolta.
Now, here is a simple description of the plot: “Saturday Night Fever is a 1977 American dance film directed by John Badham and starring John Travolta as Tony Manero, an immature young man whose weekends are spent visiting a local Brooklyn discothèque…’
John Travolta is not Tony Manero. Just as a soul is not the role.
However, John Travolta is there acting, because of the forces of the destiny. He was “selected” to act in that movie.
We simplify by saying it is the movie director who selected him. In Sakar Murlis, that director is God.
However, we know that the “sanskaras” which Travolta demonstrated to be selected are not really “his.” It is part of the role playing in that soul. Those sanskaras are nothing else that the expression of being numberwise. Every actor displays a set of sanskaras which are determined by the Drama for they are needed at a particular time.
Also, we know that the writing of the movie director is not really his writing, but came through him.
Who was behind all of that?
The Drama.
Who is the Drama?
The interplay of being an non-being, the interplay of duality which makes the Drama tick. The “sankaras” which express in the world of action as “karma.”
It is the spider web of the Drama, the “subtle energy of life.”
Souls without roles to play are like stones sitting in the pavement. “Sleeping beauties” if you like.
A Soul can give life to a body, but roles give that body “something to be.”
John Travolta without his role of Tony Manero, wouldn’t be known at all. It is that role what made the difference.
Therefore, if the Drama is one but expressing many things through actors; why do we just see the separation of different actors?
If the tree is one; why do we like to be caught up only in the manifestation, that is in looking at how different the leaves are?
A soul may be individual but the “sleeping beauty” does not make the Drama tick. The roles do that- Drama. Please see how that individuality of the soul is meaningless without the Drama.
The Drama is One flowing through the individuality of the souls.
Best wishes!
The duality of individuality and collectivism
Anthony Strano in my opinion, has deep insights in applying Godly knowledge into practical aspects of life. His gift is to put practical gyan in easy to understand terms for westerners while keeping it “practical,” down to Earth.
In this video he explains the balancing act on dualistic concepts; the idea of “individuality,” with the “opposite” idea or concept of “collectivism.”
Going deeply into it, individuality is just a concept for in all practical purposes we are part of something greater than ourselves rather than self sufficient islands. The problem is when any of those 2 opposite concepts is taken in extremes, then we have problems. We need to see those 2 concepts as complementary of each other.
The balancing act is not another idea or concept, but rather an ego-less nature, which could be easily observed in the behavior of birds as the video shows.
There is so much to learn from those who do not think.
Lack of ego means being individuality and collectivism all at the same time. That is perfect balance, that means that there is no confrontation.
Exploring the Depth of Living 