“For every individual is a unique manifestation of the Whole, as every branch is a particular outreaching of the tree. To manifest individuality, every branch must have a sensitive connection with the tree, just as our independently moving and differentiated fingers must have a sensitive connection with the whole body. The point, which can hardly be repeated too often, is that differentiation is not separation. The head and the feet are different, but not separate, and though man is not connected to the universe by exactly the same physical relation as branch to tree or feet to head, he is nonetheless connected – and by physical relations of fascinating complexity. The death of the individual is not disconnection but simply withdrawal. The corps is like a footprint or an echo – the dissolving trace of something which the Self has ceased to do.” 1
Alan Watts
Given our perceptual bias toward foreground features and movements at the expense of the background, our grasp of reality is inherently limited to the phenomenal world. 2 Our preoccupation with unfolding events has confined us within a frame of separation, leading to self-guarding against others and a sense of existential isolation, akin to a child lost in a solitary forest. The perpetual strife between individuals, nations, and diverse entities attests to this separation.
Yet, this worldly perspective is an incomplete understanding of reality. Throughout history, philosophers have discerned a broader picture by designating the background with varied names—the absolute, the permanent, the indestructible, the thing in itself, the world of will, the Unmanifested, and the One in unity. This holistic understanding contrasts with the multifaceted nature of phenomena.
Can we sense a deeper dimension to our existence and the world around us? A growing inner pull suggests it is time to unveil the illusion of our defined reality. It is time to elevate our awareness by redirecting attention away from worldly pursuits that have engrossed us for so long. Echoing Tolle, it is time to focus on space. 3 Liberating ourselves from excessive materialistic fixation, with which we’ve disproportionately identified, is imperative.
The initial step involves recognizing that there is no actual separation, as every phenomenon emanates from the same source—the One, the whole. Emphasizing Watts’s perspective, a distinction does not denote separation. Each element is a distinct manifestation with individuality yet interconnected with the same source, much like leaves to a tree, body parts to the whole body, and men to the universe.
Jay
Note:
1.
Alan Watts, The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are, 1915
Random House Vintage Books Edition, 1988
p79, Chapter 3. How to Be a Genuine Fake
2.
Essay: Perceiving Unity in Distinction: On the Illusion of Separation
3.
Eckhart Tolle, The Power of Now, published by Hodder & Stoughton, 1999
Page 113, Chapter 7. Portals into the Unmanifested
Leading by Reading 