God is existing everywhere, common in all. There is nothing else other than God.” With this knowledge, one attains the non-dual condition,Verse 124, Vigyan Bhairava Tantra
Non-Dualism
This verse sums up the philosophy of non-dualism. That only God exists, and nothing else exists. This is all that we really need to know -there is only God, and we are all one with God and each other. When you know this and understand this, you change. And then your life changes. If you think you are separate, you may have anxious thoughts about your survival, and your day-to-day needs. When you know that you are one with the Whole, you realize that the Whole (God) will take care of you. You also know that your survival is guaranteed. You are part of something eternal and infinite that cannot be destroyed. When you realize that you are One with God, your ego starts dissolving. You also stop fighting with life. You surrender to life, you accept whatever comes into your life, knowing that it is for your own good. This surrender or acceptance of life is important. It is your ego that fights with life. Life can be compared to a river. A river flows to the ocean. It has to. It has no other choice. In the same way, life leads us to God, to our true state. When we fight with life, we try and swim upstream. We struggle so hard, and then we realize that we have made no progress. When we surrender and accept life, we find ourselves being led rapidly to God. When we accept life, our life suddenly starts working. Instead of us struggling to achieve goals, life starts bringing us things of its own accord. The concept of surrender is often misunderstood. People sometimes feel that to surrender is to resign oneself to one’s fate in life. This is incorrect. To surrender means to accept whatever life brings us without labeling or judging it in any way. One can then seek to bring about change without being attached to the final result. For example, a close relative may fall sick and may require urgent medical help. To surrender in this situation does not mean that we do nothing. Surrender means, that one calmly accepts the situation without getting upset or worried, and then acts and takes decisions to help one’s relative. You will find that when you are calm and peaceful, and your emotions are under control, you are better able to take decisions in the best interests of all parties concerned. It is when we refuse to accept life, and we allow the external environment to disturb us, that we sometimes act in ways that we later regret.
Surrender also has a deeper meaning. It means to surrender to God’s will, and to allow the process of life to work through us. We are never separate from the Whole, we are never separate from God. Therefore, it is always in our highest interest to follow the Whole than to fight with the Whole, to follow God’s will, than our own separate will. When we surrender, we become an instrument in the hands of God, and we perform actions that are ordained of us. Ramana Maharshi used to say that we are like actors on a stage, who perform the roles that are given to us. With surrender we immediately become peaceful, and we no longer identify ourselves as the “doer”. We lose all our fears, and we understand that with God’s help there is nothing we cannot achieve, and no obstacle that we cannot overcome. When we let God into our lives, we realize that it is not necessary to worry and extensively plan our lives. Instead, we can surrender to God, and allow God to lead us through our lives. When we surrender, we develop a deep sense of trust in the process of life. Instead of thinking about the future, we live in the present moment, focussing on our response to each moment of life as it occurs . When you realize that all of life is one, you stop hurting yourself by hurting others. This is the advice that Krishna gave in the Bhagavad Gita. When there is only One, what you are doing to someone else, you are actually doing to yourself. What you cause someone else to experience, you will one day experience. If you give love, you will receive love. If you are violent, you will receive violence. You will then understand the true meaning of the famous statement of Jesus Christ
Law of Karma
Do unto others as you would have others do unto you. This is because what you are doing to others will one day be done to you. This is also called the Law of Karma by some. It is a law that you cannot avoid. You may escape the laws of your country, but you can not escape the Law of Karma.
- To practice this meditation, believe that you are one with God and all of life.
- Behave with others as if they were one with you, not as someone separate. If you thought someone else was one with you, wouldn’t you treat them differently? You would start treating everyone with love and compassion, and kindness. And then you will find that the more love you give out, the more you will receive. It is our thoughts of separation that create misery and unhappiness in our lives.
Our ego is what makes us feel separate. The ego is a very shallow thing. It has no substance. We are actually an ocean of awareness and joy. When you give up the ego, you stop being affected by life, and start accepting it fully. You become a witness, watching life take its course. Therefore, believe you are one with God. Like all beliefs, this will also turn into reality. As it does so, pain and suffering will disappear from your life, to be replaced with ever increasing joy