Thoughts on Oneness

“But what about enlightenment? Can we imagine it? Imagine it for ourselves? How about a world where people are spiritually awake? That is really what enlightenment is—being spiritually awake, realizing what is, having true knowledge of higher realities.  Knowing our Self and knowing the world for what it is – one omnipresent Ultimate Reality, one Supreme Consciousness, beyond, within, through, and as everyone and everything. One.” Yogacharya Ellen Grace O’Brian in The Jewel of Abundance

I have been reflecting on Oneness, that basic principle of yoga philosophy that states that there is only one source and substance for all that is, including each of us.  In yoga, Supreme Consciousness is that Source of everything including ourselves.  The attributes of Supreme Consciousness are omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence: It is all powerful, all-knowing, and everywhere present. As Yogacharya O’Brian wrote in her book The Jewel of Abundance, which is quoted above, can we imagine enlightenment for ourselves, what it would be like if we were spiritually awake, knowing our Self and knowing the world for what it is as an expression of Supreme Consciousness?

 Why is this important, this reflection on Oneness?  I believe we have all had experiences of feeling a connection to something this is infinitely larger than ourselves.  Perhaps this experience of connection happened when we were in a beautiful spot in nature, or just hanging out with a baby.  Perhaps we have had this experience during the peak flow of meditation. Whenever we have felt it, it’s usually a wonderful experience that may feel like coming home.  Walking on the spiritual path, our job becomes to begin to live from that experience, to bring that sensibility into our everyday life.  But what does that look like? 

I have had several prior conversations on The Yoga Hour that discuss this in more depth.  Here are some links to prior episodes on this topic that you might enjoy.

 In the episode from 7/22/21, “Live a Life of Oneness”, I explore with Jeremy David Engels, PhD, author of the book The Ethics of Oneness: Emerson, Whitman, and Bhagavad Gita, the question: What does it mean practically to live a life committed to Oneness?

In “The Ultimate Unity of All Beings” from 2/9/23, Zen priest and author of the book The Other Side of Nothing: The Zen Ethics of Time, Space, and Being, Brad Warner and I discuss the difficulty of grasping the realization that everything in the universe forms a single integrated whole.  This conversation was interesting because we were coming at the same question of Oneness from two different perspectives, yoga and Zen.

In “Transform Your Life with Kriya Yoga” from 03/9/23, Yogacharya O’Brian and I discuss Bhagavad Gita verse 2.54, which Yogananda translated as: “What are the characteristics of the sage who possesses ever calm wisdom and who is steeped in samadhi (ecstasy)? How does this man of steady wisdom speak and sit and walk?” In other words, how does an enlightened person live their life? What does that look like?

I hope you enjoy these conversations and take some time to reflect on your own experiences of Oneness.