We remain as infinite consciousness, simultaneously the consciousness within which everything appears. You simply remain as this infinite ocean of consciousness. That’s all you’ve ever really been. But forms arise within it, just as waves arise on the ocean. The waves are constantly changing, and in the same way, the waves of form that appear are also constantly changing. Yet they arise within the awareness and beingness that is totally stable — that has always been the same, and that is what you remain as. The forms arising can change. One moment there’s a car going by; the next, there’s the sound of the wind.

When you were a little child, before the age of two, there would have simply been the innocent awareness of everything appearing. Because at that stage you knew yourself to be this infinite ocean of awareness, nothing would disturb you. There was just this peaceful resting as the infinite ocean that is present here in this moment. Then the forms appeared. There could have been the same kinds of things we experience now: a car going by, the wind blowing, rain falling, playing with toys, or talking and playing with family members.

It’s very innocent in the beginning. It’s totally effortless because everything is simply happening on its own. And in truth, it remains like that. It’s just that a secondary mode is introduced to us, initially by parents and family members. They begin referring to the body-mind by name. Gradually, there’s a realization of what they’re doing. You notice that they refer to each other as though they exist as separate entities in time and space, and then they invite you to participate in that game.

At first, you play along with full knowledge of what you are. You remain in the knowing that you are the infinite ocean of beingness. But at the same time, they may ask things like, “Would you like a drink of water?” “Do you feel tired?” “Are you hungry?” or “Should we go to the park?” These invitations into the dualistic mode begin from birth, but it takes about two years for the program to become fully installed — to the point where we identify with the human body, the mind, the emotions, and the sensations.

By then, the subject-object mode, or individuality, has been installed as a kind of program. It’s really like a filter, because you remain as the infinite being. You never move from there. It’s simply that you become familiar with functioning as an individual in time and space. You can return to your natural state: The Infinite Ocean of Consciousness.

To go deeper into this exploration, we invite you to attend our next event to discover how to uncover the unconscious patterns and filters that shape identity, perception, and experience.

With love,
David Bingham