The Human Experience
- Written by David Hall
- Category: The Human Experience
Part of human evolution has been to recognise or discover that evolution exists. It is evolution that has brought humanity to this point, and all other species to their respective points. It is a monumental discovering in the development of self awareness - to discover the source of one's being.
But there's more. If we analyse evolution, or more importantly analyse what we consider to be the limits of things, we find that really there are no limits. The limits that we have assumed are not accurate. What we describe as a specific species distinct from other species, is not the finished product. Evolution is continual. For example, what we may now label as the Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes) continues to evolve, albeit slowly. At what point would we notice that this species is diverging. There are other Fox-like Canids that have diverged from an earlier source. We can't give a fixed point where an evolutionary leap takes place, because it is continual.
And there's more. Just as the apparent limits of a species can't conclusively be defined (because a species is always in a state of change), it can be questioned whether there are any limits at all. So the species Red Fox isn't fixed and limited, and is likely to continue evolving, and each apparently individual fox may not be as fixed and limited as is assumed. What I mean is that each animal form isn't a closed circuit. There are no real closed circuits. Foxes breathe and assimilate air, eat and assimilate food, drink and assimilate water. Although the fox appears to have a defined shape that we can say, "It's a fox!" and not something else, the fox does not really have a fixed stability in its form. What we call a fox is a form developed within the overall evolution of the planet, as the planet expresses through a seeming multiplicity of forms within its own form.
What this means is that there is a 'surface' appearance of many separate animals, but the reality is one life force appearing as if it is many. There is one life force that expresses as a seeming multitude of forms, that are assumed to be separate, but on closer inspection it can be seen that they are not truly divided. There are no clear divisions of these life forms. The air that seems to separate them actually flows through them, is assimilated and expelled, in a continual flow of change and interaction.
Why is this important to point out? Because there is a general assumption that when we describe something it is distinct from something else. Although this has its uses, it should be recognised that it is not wholly accurate. Ultimately the unlimited indivisible nature of reality should be recognised, as human evolution continues.
Recognising the infinite indivisible nature of reality breaks down the barriers that hold us back. It leads to a recognition that there aren't many life forms, there is just one, an infinite one. What has seemed to be other is no longer other. And what we assumed was our identity as a human being is not that. The human body itself is not as distinct and separate as the mind thinks it is. The mind also is not separate from the one infinite indivisible life force.
- Written by David Hall
- Category: The Human Experience
We generally all experience pain and suffering, whether it's psychological or physical. We may suffer the psychological pain of loss, rejection, loneliness, abuse, anxiety or depression. Physical suffering can be experienced with body aches, injuries and illnesses of many kinds. It may be questioned why a benevolent God allows us to suffer. Let's explore this from the Non-Duality viewpoint.
In Non-Duality pain and suffering can be understood as part of the apparent interplay of opposites within the infinite singularity of Being-Consciousness-Bliss. It goes like this. Infinite Being is formless and unexpressed. For Being to be expressed contrast is necessary, so this apparent world of interplaying opposites appears to show what is like Being/God and what is not like Being/God.
Let's break that down. There is One Infinite Being. We can call this God, Being, What Is, Isness, Consciousness, The Great Spirit, The Self of selves, and so on. The nature of Being is timeless, formless, stillness, peace, completeness. It is an unmanifest singularity. For it to become manifest (as the world we now perceive) there needs to be a contrast, an opposite, so that What Is stands out from what it is not. This apparent division of What Is into 'what is like it' and 'what is not like it' can be considered the creation of the universe. The division into opposites interacts and multiplies creating the world that we now perceive. In Non-Duality tradition it is described as the apparent interplay of opposites. I call it the World of Opposites.
From Being's Oneness there appears separation and distance. From Being's timeless Stillness and Peace, there appears movement and conflict. From Being's Contentment there appears pain and suffering. And so on, with Good and evil, Right and wrong, Love and hate, Harmony and disharmony, Freedom and limitation etc. The extreme opposite of the Oneness of Being is the hardened isolated selfish ego that focuses on itself against the Whole. We call its actions evil. It is seemingly so far from the love, peace and contentment of Being-Consciousness-Bliss that the ego appears as a reversed reflection of Wholeness.
There is no-one to blame for this apparent interplay of opposites. Rather it is for the seemingly separate ego to come to the realisation that there is only ever Being-Consciousness-Bliss, and the play of opposites and separation is not what it seems. Being can never divide itself into Being and 'not being', and nothing can ever be separate from the Whole. So the separation that gives rise to the world never really happens. It only seems to happen.
The individual that seems to go out into the world as the ego and becomes hardened and far from Being/God, faces pain and suffering in the clashing world of duality. It then rejects this and turns back to the oneness of the Whole, the Heart from which it came. Though truly it never left. It only felt like it had become hardened and separate and distant from the Whole. The Wholeness and Content Completeness of Being-Consciousness-Bliss is timelessly here all along.
- Written by David Hall
- Category: The Human Experience
The human experience is like the extremity of separation. The human world is generally one of hard, cold limitation, darkness, heaviness, tension and restriction. It can be an experience of loneliness, feeling that I am separate from the whole world, and I am a being different to all other beings. It can be an experience of hate, whether there is hate from me or hate from others, seeing others as far removed from me. It can be an experience of lack, loss and despair, feeling that I need something to make me happy, feeling lost and confused. We can feel like we are a small speck in a vast world.
There's a reason for this: the appearance of separation. The world is an expression of the unmanifest Oneness of Reality. What appears as a world of many separate forms is the reflection or opposite of Reality. Oneness can't really be expressed. It's an Infinite Singularity, without any division between the seer and the seen. For the world, or rather, Oneness, to appear, it must seem to divide itself. It must appear to separate itself from itself in order to look at itself. That's what the world is - Infinite Indivisible Oneness perceiving itself as a reflection of itself. So we see a world of many separate beings and objects.
Many is the opposite of One. Separation is the opposite of Oneness. Distance is the opposite of Here. Time is the opposite of Now. The world appears as if it is the opposite of reality, a reflection of That which does not appear. From the human perspective, we experience a world far removed (or reflected) from the reality of Oneness. We experience the separate individual, the one who is separate from others. It allows the experience of loneliness, isolation, lack, need, and emptiness. It is the opposite of Infinite Oneness. Oneness is full, complete, free and unlimited, and there are no others to feel isolated from. These apparent negative feelings are the opposite of the reality of Oneness.
Our true nature is the Peace, Contentment and Completeness of Oneness. It is the human mind that falls into the belief that there is a world of separation and believes that it is a separate being in a cruel hard world. This belief is based on how the world appears, and it is a general assumption that 'I am this limited human'. The sense of being one separate from others has evolved on a planet seemingly far from the heart of Complete Oneness, blowing hot and cold with the opposites of Peace, Love and Contentment. It's a planet where the extreme opposites of the Infinite One Reality are experienced.
How do we find this Peace, Love and Contentment? Well, it's right here. It's just that the human mind doesn't notice it, because it is always present. Something that is always present doesn't move and doesn't change; it cannot be noticed. So the mind can't 'feel' this complete peace, but it can become evident when the sense of separation and restriction subsides. When we feel close to someone or a pet, when we feel close to nature, when we feel the release from difficulties, or when tensions are relaxed, the underlying Peace is revealed. We get a glimpse of the ever-present Peace. Usually, some other difficulties come along soon after or the sense of separation increases and obscures the underlying state of Peace.
But the aim would not be to have temporary glimpses of this Peace. The aim, for the spiritual seeker, should be the experience of complete Oneness. It's here already, but what's needed is for the sense of separation to be cleared out. The sense of 'me and others' needs to evaporate, be cast aside, allowing the true nature of Oneness to be freely evident. We can start by living a life of recognition that we are one, we are the whole, we are complete, no matter what appears to happen. Being kind to all others, as though they are ourselves, because there aren't truly many beings. There is only One.
- Written by David Hall
- Category: The Human Experience
The human experience of love is a closeness and togetherness. It's a warm feeling of being so close to someone that it brings happiness and joy to be around them. But what is love really, and why is it so important?
Love is Oneness, Completeness, Wholeness. When we feel love from the human perspective we tap into this oneness and completeness. To understand this, it helps to understand the human condition. Humanity has evolved in a world of competition and survival of the fittest. Through this competitive world humans have developed a deeply ingrained sense of separation. The general human experience is one of feeling separate from others, at odds with others, and getting along with some humans but not others. Through this experience of separation we encounter love and hate. Well, I call it the Continuum of Love.
The Continuum of Love is the range of love from the highest selfless love for others, through feelings of love for those close, through feelings of friendship, through feelings of indifference, to dislike, and to hate at the far end of the Continuum of Love. It's a whole range of the experience of love. Kind of. It's not the whole complete Love, which is not a love for others, but rather Love In Itself. Not love of these or those. Just Love, without the sense of separation. Love is Oneness.
You see, the sense of separation is key to understanding love. The sense of separation isn't accurate. Truly, no matter how many there seem to be, there is only ever One, an Infinite One. It is this Oneness that is Pure Love. Oneness is Complete and Whole. It is the natural state of Being. When humans feel love, it is a temporary dropping of the ingrained sense of separation, which allows the natural, true state of Love to come through. The closeness of human love is felt when there is a reduction in this sense of separation.
Most humans prefer love and unity to hate and separation, but some get so caught up in the sense of separation that the hate dominates. It is the sense of separation from others that gives rise to these feelings of closeness and distance. The closer people are to Oneness, the greater the feeling of love. When seemingly further away from Oneness, the feelings of distance, separation and difference can lead to hostility, competition and hate. But even in the physical sense there is a drive towards unity. Humans seek to have sexual relationships, where there is a physical union of sorts. The higher seeking is to have an emotional union with another, which we call "in love". And there is a higher love still, with the love and compassion for all humans and all creatures. This is a love that is closer to Pure Love.
Pure Love is that natural state of Oneness, without the sense of separation from others. We can call it Love, Joy, Peace, Wholeness, Oneness, Being, or God. It is the same One. It is the same One that all spiritual seekers seek. But it is right here. It is no distance. What prevents the natural state from being evident in the human experience is the ingrained notion of separation. So the theory is that all we need do is drop the notion of separation, and Love will be permanently experienced.
This is Enlightenment. There are numerous ways to 'reach' Oneness, though, of course, it cannot be reached, because we are already no distance from it. We are Oneness. But the notion of separation needs to be dropped for it to be revealed in the human experience. So in the human experience we can practice Oneness, by letting go of feelings of hate and dislike. If we aim for love and kindness to others, then it brings the human closer to Oneness. Then the leap from being close to being One seems a shorter leap. Ultimately the sense of 'others' needs to be dropped. There are no others. There is no separation. The separation is only in the human mind. But the mind can be 'untrained' so that the sense of separation is released.
So, even at a simple level, bringing love and kindness into the daily life can lead each human experience closer to revealing the true nature of Oneness that is right here. Then ultimately the sense of being separate must be dissolved in the Oneness of Love.