Pointing to myself

Renee Lehman

(11/2020) "I am Pointing to Myself." This is a famous quote by Thich Nhat Hanh. "Really?" you ask. Everywhere you look and listen, it seems that most people are speaking about the divisiveness, opposition, and disagreement in our country. This disagreement has even led to hostility between people.

I often see that this discord occurs because we as a culture begin from the concept of duality. What do I mean by duality? Duality can be defined as: the division of something conceptually into two opposed or contrasted aspects, or the state of being so divided (Websters dictionary). There it is – two opposed aspects, two contrasted aspects. In our man-made world, we begin from the number TWO. How does this concept show up? It shows up as: You and I are separate from each other. You and I are different from each other. However, this is a man-made construct/law. This is NOT a Natural law/ Universal law.

Universal Law states that everything starts with the number ONE. It is important to declare Oneness. But you may ask, how do you know Oneness? When you think of your body, you may think that the different systems work separately. I mean, you see a different specialist for each system in your body. However, your body’s systems are working as one within your body, 24/7. Let me give you an every-day-life example:

Let us say that you normally walk 3 miles/day for exercise. Then one day you injure your knee. When you walk, you now limp. You cannot complete your normal exercise routine. After several days of walking with a limp, your low back begins to hurt, your bowel movements are not as regular, you are not sleeping as well, and your stress level has increased. One thing changes within your body and everything else changes! Everything in your body is connected to everything else in your body.

Now let us talk about this scientifically. Today, modern quantum physics tells us everything is energy (or Qi). It also talks about a unified field; that, at the deepest level of reality, in the energy field, everything in creation is connected. Separation is an illusion. Who we are, is pure consciousness or Oneness, expressing itself in different forms at different times in our evolution.

David Bohm, PhD, American-born quantum physicist, philosopher and neuropsychologist (one of the most significant theoretical physicists of the 20th century and born in Wilkes-Barre, PA!), said: "In some sense man is a microcosm of the universe; therefore what man is, is a clue to the universe. We are enfolded in the universe." He also said, "Deep down, the consciousness of mankind is one."

So, ask yourself the following question: "Where do you come from?" You come from the Oneness. The Oneness that has no beginning or end. It is the potential of all things; manifests all things; disintegrates all things; is at one with all things. Change is Oneness’s constant. Oneness is the essence of peace and harmony. Therefore, flow in peace and harmony by remembering the Oneness of all things.

Scientists like Albert Einstein and David Bohm arrived at a similar conclusion through scientific research: Everything is energy, and in the energy field, everything is connected.

If you are still having trouble grasping this concept, it’s easy to understand why. As David Bohm said, "We often find that we cannot easily give up the tendency to hold rigidly to patterns of thought built up over a long time. We are then caught up in what may be called absolute necessity. This kind of thought leaves no room at all intellectually for any other possibility, while emotionally and physically, it means we take a stance in our feelings, in our bodies, and indeed, in our whole culture, of holding back or resisting. This stance implies that under no circumstances whatsoever can we allow ourselves to give up certain things or change them."

Going back to the conversation about duality, you may ask the question: "What about the Yin Yang symbol discussed in Traditional Chinese Medicine? This looks like the number TWO."

Yin and Yang ARE two opposite YET complementary energies. Yes, they are opposites, and they are totally interdependent. What does this mean? They cannot exist without each other. They are never separate and isolated. For example: Night is Yin, Day is Yang. You cannot have nighttime without having daytime. Both create a totality, a complete whole, a representation of oneness. So, on a physical level, it may appear, as you and I are separate. However, on the energetic level, we are totally connected, we are interdependent. We are one.

When you are watching someone on TV, when you are conversing with someone, when you see someone who has differing views, consider pointing to them and say, I am Pointing to Myself, because you are!

When this concept of oneness is extended to us and out interactions with each other, consider the following statement attributed to the Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu:

"If there is to be peace in the world,
There must be peace in the nations.
If there is to be peace in the nations,
There must be peace in the cities.
If there is to be peace in the cities,
There must be peace between neighbors.
If there is to be peace between neighbors,
There must be peace in the home.
If there is to be peace in the home,
There must be peace in the heart."

"A human being is a part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feeling as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty." – Albert Einstein

Renee Lehman is a licensed acupuncturist and physical therapist with over 30 years of health care experience. Her office is located at 249B York Street in Gettysburg. She can be reached at 717-752-5728.