There is a basic truth that I understand and constantly remind myself of:
It is only the (illusion of a) separated self that gives rise to any kind of suffering or dis-ease.
In Buddhism, this ‘illusion of the separated self’ is part of a concept known as ‘fundamental ignorance’. It refers to our ignorance of the true nature of reality from which springs the falsehood of the ‘separated self’.
Buddhism also assists our understanding of the ‘separated self’ by observing that our physical reality is a web of ‘dependent origination’. Put simply, it describes the fact that everything is dependent on everything else. Consequently, nothing exists independently of anything else.
Take yourself for instance. You, as a human mind-body, require things such as food, oxygen, water, shelter, clothing and interaction with other human beings (to name a few). Each of these in turn requires various other elements for their production, maintenance and presence.
The web of life is indeed a web of interdependence, the origin of each element dependent on every other element. Now, although we take much of this for granted, it doesn’t diminish the fact that this is indeed the nature of our physical reality.
The illusion of the separated self, however, gives rise to an ‘I’ and ‘you’, an ‘us’ and ‘them’, a ‘mine’ and ‘yours’. But the true nature of our being is that we are all merely expressions or forms of the ONE unified field or Consciousness of Being.
When our focus is on the separated self rather than the One, we find ourselves fearfully competing for limited resources, fearfully needing to protect ourselves from others and fearfully anticipating and therefore experiencing injustice (an ongoing state of fulfilling prophecy). This is why I say that it is only the separated self that ever experiences suffering, one form of which is injustice.
How then do we deal with injustice? Do we say that it is part of our illusion as the separated self and so we should ignore it? Pretend it does not exist?
No, certainly not. How then?
How does the unified One Self or state of consciousness ‘see’ injustice? How does Love/Life/God see injustice?
Simply put, when you don’t see separation, it is impossible to see injustice which is an effect of separation.
The illusion of the separated self, however, gives rise to an ‘I’ and ‘you’, an ‘us’ and ‘them’, a ‘mine’ and ‘yours’. But the true nature of our being is that we are all merely expressions or forms of the ONE unified field or Consciousness of Being.
But how do we not see as a separated self? How do we ‘see’ injustice or anything else without the powerful lens of separation? Is it possible? And is it useful to do so? Would it not turn us into unfeeling, unthinking blobs of matter that would not resist injustice? That would simply roll over and let anything happen to us?
I invite you to discover for yourself whether this is indeed true. I invite you to experience for yourself what seeing as Love/Life/One-ness is like. And I suggest that you give yourself permission to experience the power and possibilities that such true ‘seeing’ offers us so that not only do we see injustice clearly for what it truly is, we will be inspired to respond to it in ways that serve the good of all.
Join me tonight (Tuesday 6.30 pm) and this Thursday (12.30 pm) and every Tuesday and Thursday to experiencing seeing truly.
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