He who sees all beings in his own Self, and his own Self in all beings, he does not hate anyone.
– Isha Upanishad, Verse 6
I was reminded of this and thought I would revisit it by exploring each of the three parts.
ALL BEINGS IN ME
He who sees all beings in his own self.
I find this in two ways.
First, I notice that my experience of all beings happens within and as the awake space that’s here, the awake space I fundamentally am. In that sense, I see all beings in me.
I also notice that the world is my mirror. I can take whatever story I have about anyone, turn it to be about myself, and find genuine and specific examples of how it’s true. Usually, I can find it in the moment I have the story about someone (or something), and also in other situations.
So as what I am (consciousness), I see all beings in myself, and as who I am (this human self) I also can find all beings in myself. The first is immediate noticing, the second may take some exploration.
ME IN ALL BEINGS
And his own Self in all beings.
How do I see myself in all beings? I find this too in a few different ways.
To me, they happen within and as the consciousness I am. They are literally made up of the same stuff as me, as awake space.
I also imagine that to themselves, they are the same as me. If they “have consciousness” then to themselves, they very likely are consciousness just like me. To them, the world happens within and as the consciousness they are, just as for me.
Also, whatever I imagine in them at a human level is something I know from myself. I cannot imagine it in them if I don’t already know it, consciously or not, from myself.
So in three ways, I see myself in them. To me, they happen within and as the awake space here. I imagine they, to themselves, are consciousness just like me. And whatever qualities and characteristics I see in them are ones I know from myself.
DOES NOT HATE?
He does not hate anyone.
Does this lead to not hating anyone?
In my experience, I would say yes and no.
To the extent it’s thoroughly recognized and lived, then yes. It does lead to a dissolving of the patterns we can call hate.
Hate comes from a visceral sense of separation, of me and others, of others as different from me, of being unable to recognize or see myself in the other, and that dissolves. The causes of hate is no longer there.
At the same time, parts of me likely hate. These parts of me were formed from separation consciousness and still live, at least to some extent, from separation consciousness. They suffer and are confused. These parts of me are not necessarily on board with my conscious noticing of my nature and all of the above.
So there often, in practice, both. It’s good to acknowledge. It’s good to recognize the parts of me suffering in this way, meet them with some kindness and understanding, and give them space to soften, heal, and realign.
It also helps to have a dialog with these parts of me, get to know them better, and create a more intentional partnership with them. And it helps to identify the painful stories these parts of me operate from, explore them, and find what’s genuinely more true for me.
WHO AND WHAT I AM
For me, this all has to do with who and what I am.
I find myself as consciousness and the world, as it appears to me, as consciousness. This is what I am and it’s what’s noticed in immediacy.
I imagine others are like this too, to themselves. They are consciousness and the world, to them, happens within and as the consciousness they are. They are, quite literally, a world as we all are.
As who I am, as this human self, the world is my mirror. Whatever I see in others or the world is something I can find here.
As who I am, I also find that parts of me are hurt and wounded, and live from painful and unexamined stories. These parts of me inevitably color my perception and life whether I notice or not. It makes sense to get to know these parts of me, listen to them and get to know their world, befriend them, and identify and examine the painful stories they operate from.
This helps create a more intentional partnership with them, and it helps them join the whole in a more healthy and mature way.
All of this is an ongoing process. There is no finishing line, at least not in this life. It’s an ongoing exploration.