On Being a Sinner and the Need for Salvation
The concept of being “saved” implies a separate entity that is in danger or in need of rescue. It suggests an individual who requires an external force or a transformative experience to become whole or complete. But if the separate self is a localized activity of thinking, feeling, sensing and perceiving without its own agency independent from God’s being, then the need for salvation disappears.
From the nondual point of view, feelings of lack and the yearning for salvation are expressions of the illusory separate self. They are the ego's way of perpetuating its existence by creating a narrative of incompleteness and seeking external validation or rescue. This seeking, this striving for a better self, is driven by a fundamental misunderstanding of our true nature.
“The yearning for salvation is another way the ego perpetuates its existence by creating a narrative of incompleteness and the need for external validation or rescue.”
But if we are already whole as the very consciousness within which all experience unfolds, there is no separate self to be fixed. Perceived flaws and limitations are simply aspects of the temporary manifestation.
The experience of recognition, then, is a shift in identification from the limited, egoic perspective to the aware presence of God’s being in us.
This doesn't mean that suffering ceases immediately, or that the patterns of the ego vanish overnight. However, the fundamental understanding of what is real and what is unreal creates a significant shift in perspective, and the illusory nature of lack begins to recede.
Here, salvation is not fixing a broken self. Salvation is the revelation of our true nature as the shining reality in which all being is known. ⬚
Mind Illuminates the World
In the timeless, spaceless realm of consciousness, of infinite potential, anything is possible, including the experience of a tangible, durable, physical world.
But for the world appear, for illumination to occur, consciousness must limit itself. This limitation is what creates the experience of subject-object relationships. In the case of human beings, this localization occurs through the activities of thinking, feeling, sensing and perceiving.
In reality, there are no discrete minds separate from the unified reality of consciousness.
The world is the manifestation of consciousness experiencing itself as a world through the mind. ⬚
Consciousness Is Free to Choose
Within consciousness, two possibilities arise: the understanding of reality as it is, one unified, seamless experience,* and an understanding of reality as it is not, divided into fundamentally separate parts.
When we talk about consciousness from the point of view of oneness, it is often necessary to use dualistic language to express truth and meaning.
However, when dualistic language is not informed by truth, and instead reinforces the sense of separation, then such language is in service of an untruth.
Either way, it is consciousness that chooses which point of view to take at any given moment. ⬚
*There may be gaps in perception, but consciousness is always in the gaps.
Awareness is the Seer, Mind is the Seen
Awareness is the light that illuminates all experience. Awareness is the silent witness that observes our thoughts arising and passing, our emotions shifting, our perceptions changing. As the unmovable witnessing presence, awareness, the seer, is distinct from the seen.
Thinking and perceiving occur in the mind, but the mind lacks the capacity to comprehend the infinite awareness out of which it is made. Mind is simply the ongoing flow of awareness manifesting in a particular way. All activities of the mind, the patterns and the promptings, arise within awareness and are known by awareness.
Fundamentally, awareness is always the seer while the mind is always the seen. In the midst of life’s unfolding dramas, awareness remains constant, unmoved. Aware presence is always present, always aware. It is the eternal seer, the unchanging substance from which all experience arises.
By recognizing ourselves not as a limited mind but as pixels, so to speak, in the illuminating presence of awareness, the mind is free to continue with its endeavors, but we are no longer lost in its movements. ⬚
Awareness Knowing Awareness as Awareness
When infinite awareness contracts into seemingly separate, limited forms, it is not a fragmentation but a focusing, a way for awareness to experience its own infinitude from a localized perspective.
In the grand play of self-experience, all thoughts and perceptions are made out of awareness. They are not separate entities arising from some other substance, but rather modulations, temporary patterns within awareness. Just as waves are made of the ocean, thoughts and perceptions are made of consciousness. There is no other ingredient here.
“Thoughts and perceptions are not separate entities arising from some other substance, but rather modulations, temporary patterns within awareness.”
What is happening when you look at a tree? Infinite awareness, localized as your visual perception, is interacting with awareness-at-large manifesting as the form and color of the tree. The light that allows you to see is also a manifestation of this same underlying awareness. It is only awareness perceiving awareness.
Similarly, our thoughts, seemingly private and internal, are made of this infinite awareness. They are not separate mental objects floating in a void but energetic movements, patterns of knowing flowing along the conscious stream. When we become aware of a thought, it is awareness recognizing itself in a particular form. The thinker, the thought, and the awareness of the thought are all ultimately expressions of the same underlying reality.
This understanding dissolves the sense of a truly separate perceiver and a truly external perceived. The boundaries we draw between self and other, between inner and outer, are seen as temporary appearances on the seamless screen of awareness. The entire universe, then, becomes a vast network of knowing interacting with itself.
Every encounter, every experience, is a form of self-dialogue for the One. ⬚
Aware Presence Simply Is
Awareness is the light that illuminates all experience. Awareness is the silent witness that observes thoughts arising and passing, emotions shifting, perceptions changing. As the unmovable witnessing presence, awareness, the seer, is distinct from the seen.
Thinking and perceiving occur in the mind, but the mind lacks the capacity to comprehend the infinite awareness out of which it is made. Mind is simply the ongoing flow of that awareness manifesting in a particular way. All activities of the mind, the patterns and the promptings, arise within awareness and are known by awareness.
Fundamentally, awareness is always the seer while the mind is always the seen. Throughout all experience, awareness remains constant, unmoved.
By recognizing our self not as a limited mind but as the illuminating presence of awareness, the mind is free to continue its endeavors, but we are no longer lost in its movements. ⬚
“I Am”: The Unqualified Truth
Before any thought arises, before any sensation is felt, before the world appears, there is the undeniable experience of “I am.” This awareness, this intrinsic knowing of existence, is the immersive screen upon which all subsequent experience is known. “I am” represents awareness's direct statement of itself, a self-recognition that requires no external validation or certification. It is the pure, unadulterated knowing of existence, the foundational consciousness that is the source and substance of all.
The moment anything is added to “I am,” it becomes a relative statement of the mind. “I am happy,” “I am successful,” “I am a seeker of truth”—these qualifiers, while seemingly descriptive, are temporary states, roles, or identifications that arise and pass within the unconditioned awareness. They are the mind's attempts to define and solidify a separate self within formless, unconditioned being.
Practices like prayer, meditation, or the study of sacred texts can be valuable tools on the spiritual path, but they can also become tools for enhancing the ego, for creating a sense of spiritual superiority or a refined identity. The “seeker” can become a badge of honor, a way to further solidify the illusion of a separate self striving for attainment. This is a deviation from the core nondual understanding, which suggests that the separate self, the ego, is not a real entity with its own independent existence apart from infinite awareness’s manifestation in form.
Ultimately, there is only awareness, consciousness, or God. The apparent individuality is a temporary play of light and shadow within this unified field. Qualifiers only serve to limit awareness, to confine the infinite within the limitations of the mind. “I am this” or “I am that” creates a boundary where none truly exists at the level of fundamental being. ⬚
Missing the Obvious
A spiritual journey driven by a yearning for truth can lead seekers to pursue extraordinary experiences. We might find ourselves drawn to subtle states of mind. A fascination with prophetic or mystical visions can arise. The interpretation of body-mind manifestations can be seen as signs of progress on the path.
While these experiences may hold an allure and offer glimpses beyond ordinary perception, they can be easily mistaken for understanding. In fact, the very pursuit of such states may be a subtle trap, obscuring the ever-present reality that is here in plain sight.
The core of nondual understanding points to awareness itself as the fundamental truth—the unmoving, changeless background of all experience. This awareness is not something to be attained, for it is the very "is-ness" that precedes and underlies every thought, feeling, and perception. In its essence, awareness is utterly simple, effortlessly present, and devoid of any inherent qualities or characteristics to which the mind can attach.
As such, awareness does not come and go. It is the ever-present, unmovable screen upon which life unfolds. It is the “I am” that precedes all qualifiers.
To truly recognize this is to step out of the cycles of seeking and resisting. It is to simply rest in the unchanging peace of what is already the case.
The invitation, however, is not to turn our attention away from the captivating drama of our thoughts and experiences, and to only rest in awareness. Not all all. Because when we see the world as the very expression of oneness and know that the witnessing presence is infinite awareness interacting with itself through the lens of seemingly separate, finite minds, when we truly understand this, the world naturally takes on a whole new dimension. It is to recognize the “no thing” that is everything, the silent ground that holds it all.
“When we see the world as the very expression of oneness and know that the witnessing presence is infinite awareness interacting with itself through the lens of seemingly separate, finite minds, when we truly know this, the world naturally takes on a whole new dimension.”
With the recognition of the reality of awareness, there is no story, no spectacle, no dramatic transformation. It is simply awareness consciously knowing itself, and resting in itself, naturally. ⬚
The Locus of Control
The question of the locus of control is this: does the world happen to you or do you happen to the world?
From the nondual standpoint, both beliefs are rooted in a misunderstanding of our true nature as the all-encompassing consciousness. The activity of the world, including our perceived actions and the events that unfold, are all expressions of this infinite consciousness. There is never a separate “I” exerting control or being controlled by an external “it.” It is all the play of the One.
The belief in an external locus of control—”the world happens to me”—arises from identifying with the limited perspective of the individual body-mind, feeling like a separate entity at the mercy of external circumstances. Conversely, the belief in an internal locus of control—”I happen to the world”—while seemingly empowering, can still reinforce the illusion of a separate agent with independent power.
If the source of all that is is one infinite consciousness, where else could a sense of control lie? If there is no truly separate someone experiencing a world apart from consciousness, the very question of belief in an internal or external locus of control must then pertain to consciousness itself.
Consider the analogy of a dream. Within the dream, the dreamer, a localized aspect of consciousness, might feel acted upon by dream events or there may be a sense of actively shaping the dream narrative. However, upon waking, it becomes clear that the entire dreamscape, including the dreamer and all the events, arose within and as the consciousness of the sleeper. The dream seemed to happen to the sleeper, but it was the witnessing presence that manifested the dream.
According to the nondual understanding, the world we experience is not an external reality acting upon a separate consciousness. Instead, the world, with all its apparent agency and external forces, is a manifestation within the infinite field of consciousness. Our individual experiences, including the feeling of being acted upon or being in control, are temporary patterns arising and dissolving within awareness.
Therefore, the question isn't about which locus of control is correct for a separate individual, but rather recognizing the fundamental reality in which all activity arises. The world, in its entirety, is a manifestation within consciousness. Consciousness is the background, the source, and the very substance of all that appears. The feeling of agency, whether internal or external, is part of the dream-like unfolding. ⬚