How the complex human biological system and its interaction with the universe proves nonduality

The human being is a conscious and complex biological system interacting with the universe every second. The universe, on the other hand, is proven to be a single reality due to its complex interactions among its components. Although scientifically, it can be proven that the human being is part of the universal reality and hence one with the universe, our subjective experience makes us feel separate. We feel we are individuals experiencing this world, and as human beings, we do not feel that oneness with the whole universe.

Let us try to explore why that is and then try to debunk that myth.

Our subjective human experience is based on being conscious, which means being able to feel and say “I am” or “I exist.” But our waking state experience is always with the body-mind mechanism; hence, we feel that “I am this body,” experiencing the world, and also separate from this world. To believe this has very strong foundations as below:

1. We feel that we voluntarily control the body, including movements, talking, eating, speaking, and so forth, but we cannot voluntarily control the universe. For example, if we say rain, it does not rain, or if we want someone else’s hand to move, it does not move.

2. If someone pinches or hurts us, we feel pain, but if someone else gets hurt, we do not feel the pain.

3. We are able to experience our mind, but we are not able to experience others' minds, so we feel that obviously we are separate, and hence each person is separate.

4. When the body moves, we experience the world wherever the body goes, and when someone else moves, we do not experience their world. Similarly, we do not experience the world that someone in New York is experiencing right now; hence, we are separate.
   

These are some of the arguments given to establish that each human being is separate and that there is no oneness. There can be several more arguments that can be given, but for the scope of establishing separateness, let us conclude on the above main arguments.

Now, first, let us try to understand what we mean by oneness so that we are clear about what we are trying to establish here. By oneness, we mean that this whole universe is one reality, in the sense that without the other components and interaction between these components of the universe, individual existence is not possible. This also means that this universe is one complex reality and hence is one living entity, and there are no individual or separate entities within it. To believe that we, as individuals, are separate has to be a myth or an illusion created by the very source that has created this universe.

Now, first, let us investigate the deep interdependence of the individual human being with the universe and then establish that the human biological system is actually an autonomous (self regulating) system driven by the universe and universal laws. Further, let us try to investigate whether the consciousness of the individual human being is separate or universal. Once these investigations are concluded, we will probably arrive at a conclusion.

While exploring the human body, we find that a vast majority of biological systems within the human body are running without the execution of any willful intervention. Some examples include the respiratory system, the immune system, the cardiovascular system, the digestive system, the endocrine system, and so forth. These systems work almost seamlessly with a deep interaction with our brain without the need for any intervention from this so-called “separate entity.” However, these systems do constantly interact with the universe – some of them stated below:

1. The human body needs oxygen almost incessantly from the atmosphere; hence, it is constantly dependent upon an environment that produces oxygen. The yoga system declares that the breath contains the prana - the subtle energy that is needed to run the various systems of the human body, although this is not scientifically proven yet.
   

2. The human body needs Vitamin D that is produced by the sun, without which the body will not survive; hence, it is directly related to the sun. In fact, various scriptures indicate a much deeper influence of the Sun on the human body, reiterating that the Sun is the very source of life on our planet, including the human body, and there is a much deeper connection of the Sun with the human body. One example is the jatharagni that is responsible for digesting our food as per Ayurveda, and this is directly related to the Sun.

3. The human body needs food and a wide variety of vitamins, minerals, and protein for its survival. This food also comes from the external environment.

4. About 60% of the human body is water, and the body needs to replenish this water continuously, and this water is supplied to us by the universe in various forms.

The above arguments prove that the body is organically connected to the universe, and it may not be too far-fetched to conclude that this body is actually a part of the universe as an organic unity. In other words, the body-mind mechanism and the universe are one organic and inseparable entity and can be termed as one reality.

Now let us try and examine the so-called willful activities that we undertake to presume that we are a separate entity:

a) Moving the body parts or moving the body such as walking, lifting our hands, jumping from a chair, etc. There is a clear conviction that we, as a separate entity, are performing these actions, but when we closely examine these actions, it is evident that these actions happen within a certain degree of freedom. This degree of freedom is given to us for maintaining the body. For example, it would be impossible for us to jump up by a 100 meters because that ability is not given to us. So in reality, the universe has given its organ (if I may use that term, or we may use any other synonym) which is the body-mind organism certain degrees of freedom to maintain itself. Such degrees of freedom are also given to other living organisms such as plants and animals to maintain their existence. For example: the mighty banyan tree can actually send roots from their branches into the ground, allowing them to spread over a distance. This can also be termed as walking. This proves that the presumption we had about being separate due to our willful acts is actually not true.

b) We experience our own mind and not someone else’s mind; hence, we are separate. First of all, what kind of experience would it be if we constantly had to experience everyone’s mind? It would be a disaster and mental torture for each one of us. Hence, would it not be wise to presume that the universal intelligence that runs across the universe has purposely arranged for each body-mind to experience its own thoughts? This is a universal arrangement for the show to go on and hence does not prove the existence of a separate entity. Moreover, there have been several instances of mind-reading between two individuals, but that is dismissed as telepathy, so it is not 100% true that we could experience our own minds only.

c) We experience our own pain when we get hurt and not someone else’s pain. In this scenario, we can use the same argument we have used in point (b) to debunk the separate entity theory. Moreover, pain is a mechanism of the body to inform itself of an impending problem with the body and to take corrective action. This can also be easily attributed to the universal intelligence that has designed the bodies in such a way that immediate action is taken when there is a problem with the body. It is more like a self-correcting algorithm embedded in our biological system.

d) When the body moves, our consciousness experiences the region around our body only; hence, we are separate. This statement has an underlying assumption that our consciousness is separate and limited, and hence our consciousness that experiences our body is separate from all the other consciousnesses that are experiencing other body minds. But if we evaluate the possibility that the consciousness that is experiencing our body mind is the same consciousness that is experiencing all body minds, then this objection falls flat. Now the question we need to ask is, “What is the evidence we have to believe that the consciousness that is experiencing this body mind is limited to this body mind?” or “Could it be that the consciousness that is experiencing this body mind is also experiencing all the other body minds?” or “Could there be only one universal consciousness?” In fact, my teacher Francis Lucille says that it is enough to be 100% sure that there is no evidence to establish that the consciousness that is experiencing our body mind is limited. We need not establish that our consciousness is unlimited or universal. So under this conclusion, once we establish that there is no evidence to prove that our consciousness is limited, then we are open to the possibility that it is, in fact, the universal consciousness that is experiencing the universe.

This further clearly establishes that there is just one reality and hence it is non-dual. It is the same reality that is the universe and that which experiences the universe.

 Disclaimer : The above essay is just a logical analysis of the non dual nature of the universe via facts and analysis as per my understanding on the subject.