Wednesday, August 9, 2023
In the Upanishads there is a verse that says, “How could one understand that part of you which does the understanding?” It fascinates me that I can know that I know; but that I can also know that I don’t know. Which part of me knows; which part of me doesn’t know; and what part of me knows that I know and knows that I don’t know? This gets complicated, but think through it. We must have some sort of internal shutter. When the shutter is closed on one side, the other doesn’t “know” about it. There aren’t two of you, but life is a lot like looking into a mirror. When you look in the mirror, you conspire with the image. That “thing” is not looking back at you, although it appears to be something separate. The image in the mirror teaches us something.
We often hear that we are made in the image of God. The image is the imposter, like the images you see on a TV screen. It’s the one looking into the mirror who is real, not the one “looking back.” You and I are in the mirror so to speak, and it appears that we have a life, control, etc. But you as an individual are simply a reflection.
This whole thing is a conspiracy. There is no you, and there is no me, but there are images in the mirror so we have to play along. If truth weren’t partitioned off in this real/illusory way, how can you explain the ability to lie to yourself, make yourself laugh, or surprise yourself? There simply cannot be two. One has to be illusory, temporarily stuck in a mirror. They merge. There is no you, any more than there is an “image” of God. There is just God. Are you trapped in the mirror? Step out and the two become one.