Are we simply who we believe and experience ourselves to be right now, or are we far greater than that?.

Let’s find out through honest observation of how we and everyone else exist.

We all have a valid sense of self or “I,” but alongside this, we harbor a misconception of that "I" as possessing a unique, independent essence that defines who we are. We feel and believe that we've always been this self, full of our ownessence. But is this a fact or fiction? Or is it merely the first step toward a correct understanding of how amazing we truly are? We see the self as a singular entity, existing under its own power, not as a product of the entirety of existence and its essence. Most people accept this, but should we?

If we were such independent selves, full of our own essence and not created by everything else, but established by our own efforts, we should be able to determine whether we exist as the mind, the body, a combination of both, or as something separate from either. However, the closer we examine ourselves or others, the more this kind of self we believe in is not found. This isn’t just true for ourselves but for all phenomena, revealing something far more profound than our imagination could ever invent.

What Honest Observation Reveals About Ourselves and Others.

Are We Truly Singular Entities? 

Despite what we believe and experience, we are not singular unchanging entities. Our bodies and minds aren't standalone; they are like puzzles, composed of countless ever-changing physical parts and fleeting moments of consciousness, each emerging from the last. Our bodies and minds lack any individual nature capable of bringing them into existence by their own power, effort, or will. Instead, they originate from the universal nature, comprising countless physical and non-physical elements. Thus, there’s no difference between what our minds call “the universe” and our “bodies and minds.” Another question arises: If there is no difference between the entirety of existence and us, who lives through each of us? It is the whole of existence that experiences itself through every one of us and all living beings. 

Everyone is the total sum of all physical and non-physical elements that have existed before. We are the continuum of the universe and the universe is us.

Is the Body a Unique, Permanent "You"?. 

Your DNA and body are not singular or unchanging entities. They are a combination of countless atoms—carbon, nitrogen, calcium, oxygen, phosphorus, hydrogen, and more. Today, your mind labels these elements as “my body” or “me,” but they are the same elements that formed the first cells nearly 4 billion years ago. These elements have constituted the bodies of countless plants, animals, and people before you. They aren’t yours or theirs; they are part of the ever-recycling continuum of nature. The shape may change, but the essence and origin remain the same. So, your body isn’t a standalone, unchanging "you."

Is the Mind a Permanent, Unchanging "You"?

The mind is not a fixed, unchanging entity. Each moment of perception, feeling, and thought is made up of countless shorter moments, forming a continuous flow of consciousness. Each moment is a product of the one before it, reliant on it for existence. Thus, the mind, too, is not a singular, unchanging "you." Another question arises: If the body and mind are not one, self-generated entity, is there a “you” that exists independently of the body and mind? When we search honestly, we find that no such independent "me" exists, no soul or separate self. If there were such a "me" or a soul, the body and mind would belong to someone else and be experienced by someone else’s mind. But our experience is of the body and mind, and that complex of physical and non-physical parts that our mind labels "me." So, without the body and mind, there is no separate "me." 

Therefore, all people share an identical essence of the whole of existence. Our common understanding of ourselves as separate, unique individuals contradicts the facts of existence. Each of us is the whole, and the whole is each of us.

Our Misconception of the Self.

We now see that our previous belief in an independent self lacks a valid foundation. It’s unscientific, illogical, and simply ignorant. With more wisdom grounded in reality, we understand that living beings—and all phenomena, including bodies, minds, and objects—do not possess individual selves. They exist selflessly, as nothing is singular or self-generated instead everything is full of the same universal nature and essence recycled since the beginning of time.

This understanding is supported by science and logic. Physicists continue to discover finer components of matter but still struggle to grasp its ultimate selfless nature. Recognizing the absence of an independent self brings us closer to the truth of how everything exists, which irradicates the root cause of all unhappiness, conflict, and wars.

Clarifying How Everything Exists.

Phenomena do exist, but how? 

They are not singular entities, nor do they exist independently. Everything, from our bodies to the smallest particles of atoms and quarks, lacks an individual nature capable of self-generation. All things exist because of the interconnected nature and essence of everything else. Furthermore, everything depends on our minds for conceptualization. Labels like “me,” “universe,” and “them” originate in our minds, not from the phenomena themselves. Most people get this backward, thinking labels come from the things they describe. But a simple observation proves that these labels exist only in our minds.

When we look at our bodies and others, how do they appear to us? They seem to possess a self, established in their own right, without relying on a conceptualizing consciousness. This common appearance, although incorrect, is experienced by most people and animals, revealing our unfamiliarity with the facts of existence. This appearance of separation and difference is called duality, a form of ignorance that contradicts our true nature, which is non-dualistic.

What Are We Seeking?.

We are seeking to analyze the inherent nature (the true nature) of whatever we observe—ourselves, other people, or any object. We aren’t analyzing mere appearances but the underlying essence. We are looking to find an independent, unchanging, self-generated entity. 

It’s not that we come to understand that the object does not exist, but rather that its essence—the self—is not found. This analysis doesn’t deny the existence of people or phenomena but challenges our belief in their independent and different nature from everything else. All phenomena exist, but not in the way we think they do. 

The more familiar we become with the true interdependence of all things, the more we recognize that what we perceive as duality (subject vs. object) is a false appearance. Eventually, we may directly realize the oneness of existence, in which no false distinction remains. In this state, we see that everyone and everything shares the same existence, the same self. 

Summary of how everything exist and the boundless benefits of it.

This is the ultimate nature of all living beings and things. This is how everything exists, has always existed, and will always exist. We just need to recognize this truth to find peace and happiness previously unimaginable. If we remove the ignorance that misconceives phenomena as having their own self, we can eliminate afflictive emotions like lust, hatred, greed, racism, violence, and war. We discover harmony, inner peace and happiness that was previously unattainable without this understanding. We recognize a sure path to world peace, justice, and prosperity for all.

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