I am the ONE but its not me the person.

The greatest mystery of life is life itself. the place we live, the events that we encounter, the people we meet, the thoughts we have, the feelings that we experience ... everything is a mystery. 

We have our good days, we have our bad days. The Yin and the Yang, the dormant and the dynamic.. its an exciting world.. endless in size. People are the most interesting of its ingredients. 

There are countless number of things in this world. from sub atomic particles, to atoms, to minerals, to liquids, to more things like food, plants, eyes, hair, paper, ink, paintings, light.. and so on. The most interesting of them all is the people. They offer the maximum bang for the buck. The reason must be because unlike all other things we encounter, people seem to have a mind of their own. They behave in such a believable manner that one might even think they are aware! That precious thing called awareness is reserved for the One. and the One can only be One! Yet people we see appear to be aware. they appear to think. they appear to feel. they appear to have a consciousness! Isn't that incredible! well.. that is the reason they are the most interesting of all. They possess the greatest ability to make you focus on the world, and effectively get lost in it!

Well since it is simply not true that they can have a mind of their own with consciousness and awareness, it must appreciated that such a thing called humans exist. the most brilliant idea indeed.. this idea of people!

In the apparent journey towards understanding this complex world, a person inquires, introspects and then after realizing the truth. transforms to the true self, its the mother of all journeys, the greatest adventure of all times, the most daring, the most slippery, and astonishing travel. In the travel, the destination is the most fascinating. The journey takes the person to the true beginning, where everything started.

The truth is amazing, the person realizes that the only One in the Universe is the person itself! Well.. not really. When I understand the ultimate reality to be the simple fact that 'I am the One', the tendency is to falsely conclude that I as the person is the One. It is the 'I-I' that is the One and not me as a person. This is the most tricky endgame move that keeps me from truly getting it.

I as the person can never be the One. Its completely on the contrary. Only when I get rid of even the slightest trace of consciousness from the I as the person, can I see the One. Once this distinction is clear, the final piece of the puzzle is set in its place, and the destination is reached.

Bundle of Stimuli

Interesting things keep happening all the time. Anything that captures attention is interesting. sometimes, when nothing happens for a long time, that too captures attention and becomes interesting.

Some events make me feel good, some ticks me off. Everyday is a bundle of stimuli, every moment a bundle of stimuli. sometimes a very trusted person betrays, or a totally unexpected thing happens, I might wonder why? Why not the good events all the time? Why not life go exactly the way I like it go? Sweet thought indeed. and with sweetness comes bitterness. When some crazy person interferes with my peace, I react. I get upset. I feel betrayed, cheated etc. depending on whatever that happened. Sometimes this feeling could be jealousy. How come that guy is so smart? Now.. these thoughts makes me feel miserable. When these thoughts overwhelm, then its these feelings that dominate, they engulf. It paralyses. Its like the venom of a deadly snake. It takes over. Anger, sadness, fear, helplessness, you name it, I got it.

These thoughts, or chain of thoughts, sets me in action. I counter these. I correct these. I want to feel the Opposite of these. So I chart my course in a reactionary manner. Things begin to get better sooner or later. I take a breath, relax. things really get good. I jump up and down. But.. not for long. before yet another event, yet another crazy guy. Sounds very normal, and familiar, and would fit in to the framework of life, if not for one significant difference.

I know that this world is an illusion. None of this is real. I am the only awareness. No other consciousness is there to interact. Its me.. and this illusion. All these people are part of the illusion. the ups and downs, the good old days, the nice and cozy, as well as the tough times..every single thing is an illusion. In this illusion, why such crazy experiences? why not the good ones all the time? More relevant than before.

Need to apply some common sense here. If one needs to stimulate the nose then its possible only with something that can produce smell. A color, a light, a music, or fire, none of these can stimulate the nose. A rose could, so could a fruit, so could fresh air. Same with the ears. a sweet apple cannot simulate it. a beautiful painting has no power to touch the ear. music could, so could a loud thud!

Life as it happens , is nothing but a bundle of stimuli. some hit the body, some hit the mind. Change is the essence of life. The Mind, is more than the physical devices, its infinitely more varied. It is capable of a multitude of experience. While the nose can smell and the ear can hear, the mind can do wonderful things, it can think, smile, worry, rejoice, loose the temper, laugh, cry, feel miserable, and much much more.

A nose cannot smell something by itself. It needs a stimuli. An ear cannot hear by its own, its needs the stimuli from a vibrating instrument, the air carries these compression and rarefaction to its drums. A fine piece of music is needed to touch the ears. 

So does the mind. 

A mind cannot feel rejoiced by itself. It needs stimuli. Events create such stimuli. And for the mind to feel rejoiced, it must feel the lack of it before. Else the experience will not be perceived. Now, that again needs a different stimuli. Another event provides it. Life is nothing but experience, and experience is possible only by being aware of change. Change if it happens randomly all by itself, would result in an uninteresting experience. Hence a stimuli and the lack of control over it.

Every person, every event, every thing, is part of the illusion. I exist, that is the absolute truth.The illusion, as the name suggests is an illusion. Is such a beautiful concoction. devilish at times, divine mostly, yet together they form the fabric of life.

I breathe easy. Now I know that crazy person, doing his or her crazy thing, is part of the stimulus package, to wake me up from a boring slumber. People are the most exciting and believable stimuli. They appear to have awareness, they appear to have a mind on their own. They appear very very real. They form a very important and powerful part of the illusion. Most of them behave in a manner that makes me believe this is all too real. I thank them for acting so well.  There now.. peace returns.. momentarily.