0:02 A race car driver Mario Andredi once
0:04 said, "If you think you're in control,
0:07 you're not going fast enough." Spiritual
0:10 philosophers keep saying that control is
0:12 the illusion of the mind. Trying to
0:15 freeze frame a reality that's constantly in
0:15 in
0:19 motion. I've got some news for you. As
0:21 always, it's one bad one and one good
0:24 one. The bad news is you're falling
0:26 through the air. Nothing to hang on to,
0:30 no parachute. The good news is there's
0:32 no ground. You've been circling this
0:36 insight your whole life. The thing is,
0:38 we're all so conditioned to think in
0:43 terms of here versus there. We exist in
0:45 a constant dance between one point and
0:48 another. We compare one moment to the
0:50 next, always with the idea that we're
0:53 progressing from something to something
0:56 else. But that's all surface level. How
0:58 about you stop living in the suburbs of
1:01 your own self? All this movement, all
1:04 these places are just projections. The
1:07 real center, the real here, isn't
1:09 something you find after climbing the
1:11 next spiritual mountain or crossing the
1:14 next psychological river. It's the still
1:17 point inside you. The awareness that's
1:19 been there all along. It's easy to think
1:22 of the center as a point on a compass or
1:25 a dot in the middle of a circle, but
1:27 that's limiting. When we think about
1:30 here as the center, we're not talking
1:34 about a fixed measurable spot in space.
1:36 The center isn't something you can find
1:39 by traveling or pinpointing it on a map.
1:43 So, let's go deeper. In the infinite
1:46 circle of existence, where do you think
1:49 the center is? Is it where you are now?
1:53 Of course, but also it's everywhere. In
1:55 fact, the center of infinity has no
1:58 boundaries. It is everywhere at every
2:01 point, always now. In trauma, for
2:03 instance, people dissociate. They lose
2:06 the center. The body is here, but the
2:09 self is somewhere else. Memory
2:11 fragments. Identity gets scattered
2:14 across events. And part of healing is
2:17 reentering, returning to a here that
2:21 feels real, embodied, and grounded. On
2:23 the other hand, mystics often report the
2:27 exact opposite. Not a fragmentation, but
2:30 a total expansion. The self dissolves
2:33 and everything becomes here. They say
2:36 things like, "I was the tree. I was the
2:40 sky. I was nothing. And yet, I was all
2:42 of it.
2:43 What does that
2:46 mean? It means the localization of self
2:49 loosened. The sense of being a separate
2:52 dot on the map and awareness returned to
2:54 its unbounded
2:56 field. Both trauma and transcendence
2:59 break the illusion of a fixed
3:02 here. One disintegrates it painfully.
3:04 The other dissolves it
3:07 ecstatically. I am here is the statement
3:09 of someone who has realized there's
3:12 nowhere to go. This is it. The point
3:14 you're trying to reach, whether it's the
3:16 perfect meditation, the next
3:19 achievement, the higher state of
3:22 consciousness is already here and always has
3:24 has
3:27 been. And what is this here? We all
3:31 point to this tiny little word that we
3:33 say when someone asks us where we are.
3:37 We say, "I am here." But if we examine
3:39 it closely, it doesn't refer to a street
3:41 address or GPS
3:44 coordinates. Here is wherever you are,
3:48 and you aren't fixed. Your body moves
3:51 through space, but here follows like a
3:54 shadow. That means here isn't a place at
3:57 all. It's a function of your being. It's
3:59 this simultaneous existence that makes
4:03 being here and there so tricky. You're
4:06 always both. First, let's start with
4:08 non-locality. A concept that comes
4:10 straight from quantum physics, but
4:13 applies to consciousness, too.
4:15 Non-locality suggests that objects are
4:17 not confined to a specific
4:20 location. This means that you can in a
4:24 way be everywhere without actually
4:27 moving. The very fabric of the universe
4:30 is interconnected at a quantum level and
4:33 every point is a part of the whole.
4:35 Buddhist teachers have come up with many
4:38 ways to describe reality, but it's just one
4:38 one
4:41 reality. Sometimes all the different
4:44 Buddhist concepts and terms can seem
4:47 daunting, as if liberation is achieved
4:49 once you master a long list of complex
4:52 philosophical teachings. However, all
4:54 the teachings are essentially pointing
4:57 at the same thing. Although different
5:00 teachings emphasize different aspects of
5:04 reality, it's like trying to describe a
5:07 sunset. You might measure the light
5:09 intensity and color changes for the last
5:12 half hour before the sun
5:16 sets. You might write a poem about it,
5:19 paint a picture of it, or photograph
5:21 it. Any of these portrayals of the
5:23 sunset will end up emphasizing some
5:26 particular aspect of it.
5:28 Because by their very nature such
5:31 expressions can never capture or convey
5:34 the entire reality of the event. The
5:36 descriptions of the sunset are different
5:39 but also overlap in terms of subject
5:45 intent. In seeing reality clearly, we
5:47 end up perceiving two aspects of
5:51 reality, the absolute and relative.
5:52 very difficult to talk about these two
5:56 aspects using language and concepts
5:58 because we immediately become dualistic
6:03 about it. The absolute transcends
6:07 dualism. Let me give it a try. It's like
6:10 a finger and it is independent and free.
6:14 It's a thing unto itself, right? The
6:15 fact that it is separate from other
6:19 fingers is part of what defines it, part
6:20 of what makes it
6:23 functional. At the same time, the finger
6:24 is part of the
6:27 hand. Those things can be true
6:30 simultaneously and they reflect a
6:32 different reality of the
6:35 finger. In the same way, everything we
6:39 perceive has relative aspects as time,
6:42 space, posation,
6:45 individuality, good and bad. But there's
6:47 another way to perceive
6:51 reality. Reality has another aspect in
6:53 which we recognize that all of these
6:56 things, good and bad, the boundaries we
6:59 draw between individuals, in a way,
7:02 these are all just ideas. When we let go
7:05 of those ideas, we just see everything
7:08 as one in its essential
7:10 being. Here's an exercise that you can
7:14 try for 1 hour. Try seeing reality in
7:16 two different way. Reality has two
7:18 natures. The particular versus the
7:21 whole. The particular. Of course, it's
7:24 true that reality has individuals and
7:26 individuals interact. This is the way
7:29 that we usually experience reality. At
7:31 the same time, reality is a seamless
7:34 whole, if you will. It's just as it is.
7:36 When experienced that way, the
7:39 particulars can be true, but they don't
7:41 ruin the wholeness. Everything is
7:43 included. If you were caught up in a
7:45 drama and you were concerned about your
7:47 well-being and who was doing what and
7:49 what was going to happen next, it could
7:52 be full of angst or excitement. But if
7:54 you somehow realized that all of this
7:56 was part of a movie or novel and this
7:59 novel or this movie as a point as an
8:02 artistic arc and when you stood back you
8:04 could see it was just all part of the
8:06 story. When we're watching a movie for
8:09 instance we don't think oh no how could
8:11 that happen to that person. The
8:14 happening is just all just part of the
8:16 story. It's a very difficult concept to
8:19 get across. But in any case, what we
8:22 usually call the absolute aspect of
8:25 reality, the essential, the wholeness,
8:28 the things as it is, how we perceive
8:30 things directly when we're not
8:32 interpreting them through our mental map
8:34 or our self-interest. We just see things
8:36 in this whole
8:41 way or you are that. It's a simple but
8:44 profound statement, but let's not
8:47 romanticize it. This is more than an
8:50 inspirational quote to slap on a wall.
8:52 It's an observation of how reality
8:56 works. When we say you are that, it's
8:58 not just a reminder of your spiritual
9:00 essence. It's a key to understanding the
9:04 world as it truly is. A continuous dance
9:06 between the observer and the observed.
9:08 An endless loop where the two are inseparable.
9:10 inseparable.
9:13 You are not simply experiencing the
9:16 universe. You are the experience itself.
9:18 When the universe bends, it's your
9:22 perception that bends with it. You don't
9:24 need to travel to a mystical place to
9:27 find the center of existence. You
9:29 already are that center.
9:31 There's a fascinating account from a
9:32 woman named
9:35 Pemma, a well-known Buddhist teacher who
9:37 recounts the experience of having a
9:41 mindbending realization about being here
9:44 and there. She was on a retreat
9:46 meditating deeply on the nature of her
9:49 mind when she suddenly felt like she was
9:53 both here in the room and there in every
9:56 room, in every place, at every moment.
9:58 For her, it was as though her sense of
9:59 self had dissolved into everything around
10:00 around
10:05 her. Here and there weren't separate
10:07 anymore. They were one. The more you
10:10 explore this, the more you realize that
10:11 you're not moving through space and
10:15 time. You are space and time. Here and
10:17 there are constructs to help you
10:20 navigate the illusion of separation. But
10:23 really, the deeper you go, the more you
10:25 realize that there is no separation at
10:27 all. You are not located in space the
10:30 way a pin is stuck in a map. That's the
10:33 first lie. We've been taught to imagine
10:36 ourselves as coordinates, one body in
10:39 one room, in one city, in one country,
10:41 floating on one planet, in a vast
10:44 universe. But what if that model is
10:46 backward? What if you're not in the
10:49 universe? What if the universe is in
10:53 you? This is by no means an abstract
10:55 mysticism. In non-ucuklitian geometry,
10:58 when space is boundless and curved,
11:01 there is no absolute edge or fixed
11:04 center. Every point, yes, every single
11:07 point can be regarded as the center.
11:08 That includes where you're sitting right
11:12 now. So, in terms of cosmic geometry,
11:14 you are not on the periphery. You are
11:16 not lost in the outskirts. you are at the
11:17 the [Music]
11:18 [Music]
11:22 axis. But that's just the warm-up.
11:24 Because once you grasp that physical
11:27 space is centerless and thus center
11:30 full, you have to confront a deeper
11:32 reality. That you are not just at the
11:35 center of space, but at the center of
11:39 awareness, not your awareness. Awareness
11:42 period. You are not in awareness like a
11:44 fish and water. You are the ocean itself.
11:45 itself.
11:48 looking back at itself with borrowed
11:50 eyes. The more you try to pin down
11:53 consciousness, the more it slips through your
11:53 your
11:56 fingers. Like trying to measure the
11:58 color of wind. In an ancient Zen story,
12:01 the master said to his students, "The
12:03 sound of one hand clapping is the sound
12:04 of being
12:07 everywhere." Now, at first this sounds
12:10 nonsensical. How can one hand clap? But
12:13 the true meaning here is that the act of
12:15 clapping isn't just confined to the
12:18 sound that comes from two hands
12:22 meeting. The sound exists in all places.
12:24 The one hand clapping represents the
12:26 singularity of the moment. But when it
12:30 claps, it reverberates across time and
12:33 space. It's not just here in this
12:36 moment. It's there across the entire
12:39 universe. Think about it this way. You
12:42 know how we've all heard that space is
12:43 curved by
12:46 gravity? Well, consciousness according
12:50 to non-local theories is also curved by
12:54 experience. This means here and there
12:56 are simply different bends in the same
12:58 cosmic fabric. And there's no fixed
13:01 boundary between them. You're not just
13:03 here, you're spread out through the
13:06 entire web of existence.
13:09 There is a theoretical idea that our
13:12 entire universe would be a hologram, a
13:14 projection of data encoded on a
13:17 two-dimensional surface. In simpler
13:19 terms, our reality is like a 3D
13:22 projection from a 2D plane. So
13:25 everything we experience, all the space
13:28 and time is just an illusion. We
13:30 perceive the universe as here and there.
13:32 But in reality, it's all encoded on the
13:35 cosmic surface like the pixels on a
13:39 screen. Now, if reality is a hologram,
13:41 then the boundaries between here and
13:44 there are just tricks of
13:47 perception. You're here in your body,
13:50 but in a very real sense, you're everywhere.
13:52 everywhere.
13:54 The boundary between the center of your
13:55 experience and the edges of your
13:58 awareness is a false one. You're
14:01 projecting your sense of being here from
14:04 a greater, more expansive reality. Think
14:08 of time and space as substances like
14:11 clay. When we say we are here, it's as
14:13 though we're saying we're in a
14:14 particular moment of this flowing,
14:17 shifting substance. But the here that
14:20 you're in is not permanent. It's
14:22 continuously being shaped. The idea of
14:25 there is just the next shape that hasn't
14:28 yet been formed. In other words, here
14:31 and there are not fixed, but are a part
14:34 of a larger ongoing cosmic process of [Music]
14:35 [Music]
14:38 becoming. Suchness is the reality behind
14:41 your commentary. It's what a moment is
14:42 before your mind translates it into
14:46 something useful, dangerous, desirable,
14:48 or boring.
14:51 Suchness is the texture of this exact
14:53 moment before you touched it with a
14:56 label. It's the unedited version of
14:59 reality, the raw footage before your
15:00 mind adds
15:03 commentary. It's the dissess of the
15:05 thing before the brain jumps in
15:09 screaming that's a tree or that's
15:12 awkward. Suchness is the radical act of
15:15 letting things be as they are. The more
15:17 you try to escape the moment, the more
15:20 you decorate your present. It is the
15:25 felt presence of a moment before
15:27 interpretation. It's the quiet immediacy
15:30 of being that asks for nothing and
15:33 explains even less. Before the machinery
15:35 of thought begins carving the world into
15:38 objects, roles and outcomes, there is
15:42 only this, not this thing, but this, as
15:44 in the totality that resists being
15:47 broken down. This is terrifying to the
15:49 ego which survives by naming and
15:52 comparing. To rest in suchness is to
15:56 surrender control. It's to stop trying
15:58 to bend the moment to your preference
16:00 and let it crash into you exactly as it is.
16:01 is.
16:05 It's intimacy, the deepest kind of it.
16:07 The reason we don't live in suchness is
16:09 because we're addicted to stories. We
16:11 don't want the raw present. We want
16:15 meaning, narrative, plot. But suchness
16:18 isn't here to entertain or explain. It's
16:21 here to be. And if you stop resisting
16:24 it, you might notice it's enough. It is
16:28 not mystical, yet it is mysterious.
16:30 We shall not cease from
16:32 exploration. The end of all our
16:35 exploring will be to arrive where we
16:38 started and know the place for the first
16:41 time. So it just means that spiritual
16:44 philosophy is really homesickness, an
16:47 urge to be at home everywhere. We shape
16:50 our tools and thereafter our tools shape
16:54 us. And so does our thoughts shape us.
16:57 The thoughts of here and there bring the
16:59 vision of the dual
17:02 world. The difference between a system
17:04 and the mess is just how long you stare at
17:05 at
17:08 it. Dual world might look like the
17:11 ultimate order to our mind. But truth is
17:13 the invention of a
17:18 liar. Suchness is not true or false. It
17:20 is what remains when all the stories
