The Whole World Within You: Beyond the Illusion of Separateness [Episode 47]

EPISODE TRANSCRIPT

One of the ways dualistic consciousness shows up, and one of the things that has added so much momentum to our sense of being separate—of being a self experiencing a world apart from us—is the split between subject and object. Somewhere along the way, we were all taught to believe: I am a subject, a separate individual, and there is a world of objects around me that I can encounter, interact with, and experience, but these objects are not part of me, and I am not part of them. Or maybe I’m a part of the world, but still a separate piece.

For this practice, we’re going to inquire into our experience directly to see whether it’s really true that we’re separate from the objects we perceive, or whether, in fact, all of reality is one and there’s no real separation between the experiencer and the experience, the subject and the object.

So let’s begin by settling again into meditation and noticing the meditation that’s already happening. The momentum we connected with in the previous session is still here, so we can simply tune back into it.

Guided Meditation on Direct Awareness and Presence

As we rest on this foundation of meditation, I want to invite you to become present to your experience of this moment. You are simply here, present, awake, aware, and there are certain experiences moving through you right now.

There are sensations: the sound of my voice, the feeling of sitting on your chair or cushion, your feet touching the floor, clothing against your skin, the weight of your clothing on your shoulders, the temperature of the room, whether you feel a little cool or warm.

There are also things you may be aware of visually. There is your breath moving in and out. And there are feelings or emotions: perhaps a general sense of well-being, or some underlying tension, or both. Perhaps emotional discomfort, or pleasantness, or both.

Now notice what’s happening at the level of thought. Are there thoughts coming and going—thoughts of the past, of the future, creative thoughts, worrisome thoughts? Or is there a general absence of thought, just a quietness in the mind?

Discovering Awareness as the True Self

Now become aware of the awareness that is experiencing these sensations, feelings, and thoughts—the conscious presence you are in this moment. This awareness, this perceiver, is not another object. It’s not a thing. It is the one who experiences all things. Becoming aware of your own awareness is vastly different from becoming aware of anything else because you are becoming aware of subjectivity itself, of consciousness itself.

Allow yourself to give more and more attention to this conscious presence, this experiencer that you are, without trying to know who or what you are, realizing you can’t really know it in that way. You’re simply becoming aware of your own beingness, your own consciousness.

As you continue to give more and more attention to the self, the subject, the experiencer, notice that the objects in consciousness—the thoughts, feelings, and sensations—don’t necessarily go away. You’re still aware of the sound of my voice. You’re still aware of what it feels like to be in your body. You’re still aware of light and color if your eyes are open, of warmth or coolness, of the experience of emotion. All of this continues to arise, but your primary attention is on the one experiencing these things.

Non-Dual Inquiry: Are Experience and Awareness Separate?

As you continue to rest in the awareness of awareness itself, I want to invite you to observe whether the experiences passing through your consciousness—the objects you are aware of—are actually separate from the awareness that is aware of them.

The sound of my voice arises again and again in your awareness, but is it outside of awareness? Is it separate from awareness? Or is it part of awareness?

Now notice a physical sensation. Let’s focus on the breath for a moment, a clear and tangible experience. Notice your breath moving in and out, your chest and belly rising and falling slightly. Is the experience of your breath something outside of you, outside of awareness? Or is it happening within awareness, within consciousness? Is the object separate from the subject, or is it part of the subject?

Open-Eyed Meditation: Seeing the World Within Consciousness

In a moment, I’m going to ask you to open your eyes if they’ve been closed, but not in a way that pulls you out of meditation. We’re going to do a short open-eyed meditation so we can notice something specific.

Gently open your eyes while continuing in this meditation, continuing to give your attention to the experiencer—the one having the experiences, the conscious presence that is yourself.

Now become aware of something in the room around you, some physical object. It doesn’t matter what it is; just notice it. Become aware of it. Then ask: is this object outside of awareness? Is it outside of consciousness? Or is it arising within awareness, within your consciousness?

If it’s within awareness, it is simply experience. And if it were outside of awareness, you would not be aware of it. Everything you are aware of is within awareness, which means it is within you.

This conscious presence that you are, the one you are giving attention to, cannot be aware of something outside of itself.

So allow yourself to gently notice that all of the visual objects you’re aware of right now, with your eyes open, are arising within the space of consciousness, your consciousness in this moment. They are all part of you, the consciousness that you are.

Allow yourself to simply see through the constructed idea of separation and recognize the wholeness of everything in this moment.

Resting in the Field of Pure Awareness

You can either continue the meditation with your eyes open, or, if you prefer, you can close your eyes again.

Without leaving the meditation, allow yourself to take a minute to shift positions if you need to, or stretch a little.

And now, settle back into your meditation posture.

We’re continuing to give our attention to our own awareness, our own conscious presence in this moment. And we continue to notice how everything that arises in consciousness is also part of consciousness. It is not separate from us.

Expanding Consciousness to Embrace All of Life

Become aware of the collective. Become aware of this group that we are—this we—including all the individuals in it. Notice that this group is arising within your awareness. It is not outside of you; it is within you. It is within the awareness that you are, the conscious presence that you are. Everything you are aware of is inside of you, including everyone in this group right now.

Now expand your awareness to include everyone in the entire world, our human family. Of course, you cannot know them all individually, but you have an image or sense of humanity spread across the globe, along with feelings and ideas connected to that.

For a moment, become aware of this global village of humanity. Then realize that it is all arising within your awareness. The whole world of human beings is not outside of you. It is within you. You are not separate from the world, and the world is not separate from you.

Include all the animals, all the plants, and all the seemingly inanimate parts of the world—the rocks, the mountains, the rivers, the oceans. And then extend even farther. Include all the planets, stars, and galaxies in the cosmos, and any other life forms that might exist in distant places.

All of this is arising right now within your consciousness, all part of the conscious, aware presence that you are in this moment, holding the universe within you.

Allow yourself to simply rest as the one consciousness that contains everything that exists.

[Meditation Bell]

Now allow yourself to gently ease out of the meditation.