People around the world were excited when the personal computer became accessible to consumers so that they could store and process information. But in the last few years, technology has taken a still greater leap. Using a portable laptop, we can now connect with all available knowledge on other computers. A computer can now link us to the latest news, stock reports, airline ticket agents, home shopping, the latest medical breakthrough, and other information in every sphere of knowledge.
The connectedness to information that we experience with computers is a small sample of the powerful connections we can make with our empowered souls and with everything and everyone around us.
HUMAN SEPARATENESS
Walls of division separate people. If we are born in one part of the world, we say, “I am a citizen of this country or that country”. If we are born into a certain religion, we say, “I am a follower of such and such religion”. Religions are man-made. There was no Buddhism before Buddha. There was no Christianity before Jesus. It was the followers of the great saints, mystics, and prophets who organised their teachings into a religion. Most often, we become a member of a religion based on our parents’ beliefs. Similarly, if we are born in a certain state or country, we live in the way dictated by the customs of that region, considering people of other regions different than us.
Another dividing factor is language. When people in different religions use different words for the same concept, it becomes an excuse for thinking that the other religion is not as good as one’s own. For example, each religion has its own name for God, based on the language or culture in which the religion originated. God is named Allah by the Muslims, Wah-i-guru by the Sikhs, Paramatma by the Hindus, God or the Lord by the Christians and the Jews. No matter the language, all the words refer to the same God. Yet we make these differences in language a source of contention and separation. What we forget is that God existed before language was created.
WE ARE ALL THE SAME
As human beings, we put boundaries around ourselves, and in the process, we limit ourselves. Behind the divisions that we create on the physical plane is a unifying force connecting all life. We are all a part of God. We are soul. We are consciousness. It is only at the physical level that we make divisions. The soul is a part of God, the Creator. For us to be able to truly understand ourselves, we need to recognize all the divisions as walls that surround our true selves. These walls are keeping us away from truth. These walls need to be brought down in order for us to truly understand the oneness of all life.
The soul is light and love. If we could look down on humanity from a higher vantage point we would see a light illuminating each soul, just as when we fly in an airplane at night and look down at the earth we see a myriad of lights. The light in each soul is one and the same. God sees no distinction in any of the lights because they are all made of the same essence as the Creator. What differs is but the outer human form surrounding it. When we realize our soul, we attain the same consciousness as God.
The empowered soul has respect and reverence for all forms of life. When we tap into the soul, our hearts expand to invoke a connectedness with all living creatures.
The soul looks at everything from a broad view. It sees how human beings, plants, animals, the natural resources, and the earth’s cycles are all dependent on each other. The soul sees that in order for life to continue, we must be mindful of ecological balance.
CONNECTING WITH OUR SOUL
When we talk about being connected with our soul, we are actually talking about self-realisation. We are embodied souls – souls wearing a mind and a body. Thus, connecting with our soul involves a process of shifting our vision to see that we are not merely a mind and a body. When we identify with our soul through meditation, we empower it to guide our lives. We then think, speak, and act from the level of the soul.
Thinking, speaking, and acting from the central guiding power of our soul transforms our lives. How we look at the world and how we respond to it is no longer colored by the veil of our ego; rather, the vibrant living power of God in everything becomes crystal clear. The soul responds to people and nature as moving lights of God. The empowered soul experiences universal connection with all beings. Becoming aware of this unifying force can help us realize our essential unity.
The author is the head of the Sawan Kirpal Ruhani Mission.
