The One Appearing as the Many

Spiritual traditions fall into two categories: the way of the individual and the pathless path of the one. Mary falls asleep in London and dreams she's Jane walking in Paris. From Jane's point of view, there seem to be a multiplicity and diversity of objects and selves and she seems to be one of those selves. From Mary's point of view, there is only the activity of her mind – no division, no objects, nothing other than herself. Mary represents infinite consciousness, and Jane is each of us as localised points of view. In the pathless path we start with the one and stay there. The one lives in eternity, the individual lives in time. The one’s knowledge of itself shines in our minds as ‘I am’, as God’s name in our hearts. Don't be seduced by the senses. See through the appearance to its reality, the one appearing as the many without ever ceasing to be itself.