The answer to all non-duality questions is in one simple statement that I found in Anita Sanchez’s book, The Four Sacred Gifts.
In this book, she very pregnantly points out that feeling separate is very easy to do. It’s very easy to fall into a state of feeling separate, and of course, in our world, you’re taught from day one that you’re separate.
When you’re there, it’s painful. It’s painful and alone. But more important than that, when we’re in this state where we feel separate, we don’t take responsibility for the things that we do. We feel that things just happen to us or around us. We feel to be a victim, and we don’t take responsibility.
That certainly makes sense. When we feel separate then we are not in a state of care of all the things around us. She says that in a native tribe, the Elders would then say, “We are living as if we have no relations.”
And that’s the answer to all non-duality questions right there: you’re living as if you have no relations.
There are so many things in our world that make us feel separate. Like the statement, “You’re born alone, you die alone.” It’s a common sarcastic statements that people like to make, but that’s not true.
When you’re born, there is barely a separation between you and your mother. Your DNA, your molecules are still the same. Your food comes from your mother. You’re constantly being held—well, you should constantly be being held. But more than that, if you think you were born alone then you are acting as if you have no relations.
You might be sitting in your house all by yourself right now, but you’re not. Your house is full of little bugs and tiny bacteria hiding in the corners. Little life beings everywhere.
You can even see it when the sun comes slanting through the window in just a particular way. The sun hits the air and you can see all the molecules of dust flying around.
The air seems invisible, but it is full of so much stuff.
More than likely in your bathroom, there’s bacteria growing all over the place, living beings. Maybe you better go clean that [laughter].
You’re surrounded with life everywhere. There is life all throughout your building; there is life outside your building.
And there’s the past and the present too. Your house didn’t just appear out of nowhere. It was built by people, and if it’s got wood in it, then there’s all the tree beings in your house. If it has metal in it, there’s all the mineral beings in your house.
We are constantly intermeshed with all of our relations. The only thing that matters is whether we notice this or not. This feeling of being by yourself, of being alone even, is simply a projection and an imagination in your mind. You’re acting as if you have no relations.
From the day you are born you have relations. You couldn’t have been born without relations. When we die, we’re surrounded by beings. There are eight billion people, right? Even if you’re all by yourself on a hill, there’s still eight billion people.
There are animals, birds and bees everywhere. There’s the sun being—that’s our relation. What about the air being—that’s our relation. What about the gravity being—that’s our relation.
Then think of all the non-duality questions that we have.
“I’m trying to get rid of my negative thoughts.” You’re acting as if you have no relations. You’re acting as if the only thing that matters is you. The second you start relating with things, the second you start noticing and appreciating your relations, being with your relations, this obsession with your thoughts just goes away.
Question: “Who am I?” Answer: “You’re acting as if you have no relations.” You can’t even ask this question if you are in full relation with everything. You are the singularity interacting with all these things. You’re interlaced with all these things.
Think it through. What are your non-duality questions? Then answer that with, “You’re acting as if you have no relationship.”
The second you put yourself in relation with everything, all non-duality questions go away because duality goes away. We are all who we are—we’re in relation. We’re a moving, breathing, awake being. We are intwined with all the little air molecules twiddling around us at all times, little bugs running through our houses, breezes.
We have rock beings around us everywhere—our house has wall beings and ceiling beings, and there are birds flying around outside my house. It’s a very poignant and human way to say that we’re connected to everything. You’re connected to everything.
Stop turning everything an inanimate object and duality is gone. We are intertwined with billions of life beings, and you are one of them.
All your questions answered, as promised.