Krishna Das – Ep. 45 – Sub Ek
On this episode of Pilgrim Heart, Krishna Das talks about our illusion of separateness and the reality that all is one, “sub ek.”
In this simple phrase, “sub ek,” Maharajji summarizes the same thing wise men have always reminded us, that we are all one being. Krishna Das shows us how through practice we can dispel the illusion of separateness and begin a better way of being.
Notes
Sub Ek (Opening) – Ultimately, all of our practices are done with the aim of dissolving our sense of separateness. Most all of us think of ourselves as separate individuals from each other, which is relatively true. However, all of the great teachers and saints say that there is only one. There are no separate beings on the deeper level.
As individuals, we are like waves. A wave rises up above the surface of the ocean, unique in its form. The wave, however, is nothing more than the ocean it came from.
“You have got to recognize that spiritual practice is how we, from within the illusion of thinking we are separate, remove that illusion. How we recognize the illusory nature of those things. And, why is this important? Because we hurt while we are separate. We don’t get the things we want, we get the things we don’t want, we have high car insurance to pay.”
All of these miserable things happen to us as separate beings and they hurt because we are identifying with that person that is separate, that feels separate.”
Practice is the Key (6:10) – The only thing that breaks this illusion of separateness is practice. Practice has only one goal, to wake us up. Krishna Das discusses the value of practice and the difference it makes in our lives as individuals and societies.
Transcending Our Prison (12:30) – All we can project from our regular state of mind is what that state of mind is made out of which is full of our desires, longings, and shortcomings. That is all we can project for a happy future. We cannot see beyond our own limitations. This limited perception is not enough, which is what practice has to offer us.
Practice is the one thing that helps us experience a way of being beyond our limited state. Practice is the key, and there are many ways to go about it. Whether it is meditation, service, mindfulness, or chanting, practice allows us to see through what we have been looking at as real.
“Everything is programmed and our only real freedom is how we choose to be here now, in this moment.”
