Let Your Inner Light Shine!

"There is a light that shines beyond all things on earth, beyond us all, beyond the heavens, beyond the highest, the very highest heavens. This is the light that shines in your heart."
​~Chandogya Upanishad

Today’s quote points to one of the highest realizations one can have on the spiritual path: that the light of consciousness shining inside you is the same light that shines inside everyone. Written over 2,500 years ago, the Chandogya Upanishad is one of the earliest texts to describe the concept of non-duality. The basic idea being that your soul or true self (Atman) is not separate from the ultimate reality (Brahman), rather the two are one and the same.
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The sense of being a separate "me" that operates independently from the whole is seen as an illusion created by the mind. When that illusion drops away, what remains is pure being- an expansive, undivided awareness of reality. To illustrate this point, the Chandogya Upanishad uses metaphors such as a river merging into the sea and losing its name and form, just as the individual self ultimately returns to Brahman.
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It also uses the metaphor of the clay pot to demonstrate the concept of non-duality. A clay pot seems to contain space inside it. Around the pot, there is also space. This makes you think that the space inside the pot is somehow different or separate from the space outside. But what happens when you break the pot? The distinction between the two vanishes and you discover that the “inside” space and “outside” space were never truly separate. The pot only appeared to divide them. In truth, it was always one continuous space.

Another good way to describe this concept is to imagine filling many clay pots with water and then placing them outside on the ground. Imagine the afternoon sun shining down on the water-filled pots. Look closely and you'll see a tiny sun inside each one. Now, obviously there is only one sun, just as there is only one light of consciousness. Each pot appears to have its own separate light inside; however, we know that each individual light is actually a reflection of the one true light.

Therefore, do not get too caught up in judging outward appearances. All pots of water contain the same reflection, regardless of their size or shape or color. In the same way, everyone on Earth has the same light of consciousness reflected inside their hearts.