Contrast
In our human experience, our lives are organized by comparison and contrast. This process of differentiation allows us to survive, and to navigate the apparent complexities of existence. In most cases, contrasts are more crucial to us than comparisons. That is, differences are more important than similarities.
For example, imagine two identical glasses of clear liquid sitting on a table. You are told one of them contains pure water, and you are thirsty. At this point, differences would be more important to you than similarities. The glasses are identical, same amount of liquid, same appearance of liquid, etc. But what makes one of them water and the other NOT water? Differences. And you'd begin to look for those differences. Different smell? Texture? Reactions? Chemical composition?
At the foundation of this thinking is our belief in identity. Why is it important to know which glass contains water? Because water is crucial for my body, but other substances could harm it. We believe we are in a body, or we believe we ARE a body.
We follow the same thinking dynamic in our human relationships. We can make an effort to see sameness, but it seems like wasted thinking. Our identities seem to be defined by differences, not similarities. In fact, every aspect of individuality could be expressed as, "I am _______, but you are NOT _______." I am male; you are not. I am 42 years old; you are not. I reside at this address; you do not. I work at this job; you do not. I have these hobbies; you do not. Our human identity is literally defined by a continual process of differentiation that seems to afford us an individual identity.
And this appears to conform to reality.
But is it? Is it real? Are we truly separate, unique, self-contained individuals? Or is this merely a belief that we have accepted as a truth?
The spiritual path asks us to begin to take note of our oneness. That which unites us, rather than that which divides us. "I am __________, and you are also _________." And, gradually, gently, the realization begins to dawn on us, that the features that unite us are more important than the ones that seem to separate us. As we divest value from our separate identities, we begin to open our mind to the possibility that identity does not have to be defined by individuation.
This possibility opens up myriad questions and other possibilities.
For example, imagine two identical glasses of clear liquid sitting on a table. You are told one of them contains pure water, and you are thirsty. At this point, differences would be more important to you than similarities. The glasses are identical, same amount of liquid, same appearance of liquid, etc. But what makes one of them water and the other NOT water? Differences. And you'd begin to look for those differences. Different smell? Texture? Reactions? Chemical composition?
At the foundation of this thinking is our belief in identity. Why is it important to know which glass contains water? Because water is crucial for my body, but other substances could harm it. We believe we are in a body, or we believe we ARE a body.
We follow the same thinking dynamic in our human relationships. We can make an effort to see sameness, but it seems like wasted thinking. Our identities seem to be defined by differences, not similarities. In fact, every aspect of individuality could be expressed as, "I am _______, but you are NOT _______." I am male; you are not. I am 42 years old; you are not. I reside at this address; you do not. I work at this job; you do not. I have these hobbies; you do not. Our human identity is literally defined by a continual process of differentiation that seems to afford us an individual identity.
And this appears to conform to reality.
But is it? Is it real? Are we truly separate, unique, self-contained individuals? Or is this merely a belief that we have accepted as a truth?
The spiritual path asks us to begin to take note of our oneness. That which unites us, rather than that which divides us. "I am __________, and you are also _________." And, gradually, gently, the realization begins to dawn on us, that the features that unite us are more important than the ones that seem to separate us. As we divest value from our separate identities, we begin to open our mind to the possibility that identity does not have to be defined by individuation.
This possibility opens up myriad questions and other possibilities.
posted by AWB @ 2/12/2006 04:43:00 AM
3 Comments:
At 10:32 PM,
Unknown said…
So...I take it uniqueness doesn't matter! Rather it is the levels of community that we are willing to have with the other inhabitants of this place. Therefore, the ultimate goal is oneness, wholeness, completeness. Can this be achieved in a closet by myself? Can I grow toward this deep form of spirituality without interacting with anyone or anything? How much of my spiritual journey is my own?
At 10:35 PM,
Unknown said…
Random comment. You taught me a new word that I actually looked up in the dictionary--individuation:o)
At 5:17 AM,
AWB said…
In non-dualism, Oneness is not a goal; it is Reality. So more accurately, the goal is to get to the point where we can accept our Oneness by coming to see that our uniqueness is illusion. This is something that is done in Mind, which is outside time and space and merely reflected here in the earth format. Our life paths appear to be individual, but that's only because we desire duality! Each person's path seems to be unique here. So one person may gain insight in a solitary closet, while another may make progress through interactions. Everything that seems to be our 'own' whether a trait, a possession, a circumstance, or a path can reflect either duality or Oneness, depending on our willingness (and readiness) to see It.
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