There are billions of people living on this planet earth, and probably
trillions more living in other regions of the universe or in other universes.
There are millions and millions of differing opinions, ideas, experiences,
and so forth. Is there anything that is common to everyone, irrespective
of their personal experience or different ideas?

Some people hypothesize that there is no common basis of understanding
or experience, and that basically everything is made up according to ones
own like or dislikes. They say that everything is a matter of personal
preference. Some people say the Truth is just what we make it up to be,
and that just as beauty is in the eyes of the beholder so also is truth in
the eyes of the beholder.

This form of thinking is rooted in individuality, and is not uncommon in a
culture that bases itself on the ideal of rugged individualism. Each of us
is, after all, unique and one of a kind. One who contemplates deeply on
this uniqueness of the self, comes to realize that there is a world of
difference between being unique and being individualistic. A unique
person is truly one of a kind, whereas an individualistic person is quite
common and ordinary. Individuality is the quality of ego, whereas
uniqueness is an inherent quality of the soul-self, the pure consciousness.
Ego is the false identification of the conscious self with the mind and
body. The soul-self, or pure consciousness, is consciousness devoid of
ego expression. When we are really not in our ego, we experience
directly the beauty of life, and that experience is always unique, it is
always ever-new, and it is not possible to copy that experience in the
memory or find a substitute for it. On the other hand, when we are in
our ego we intuitively know that our experience is limited, and the mind
and ego then react by attempting to cover up our lack. Ego reacts by
asserting itself and claims dominion over the mind, which it uses to
manufacture images to prop itself up. Ego-individualistic-self-confidence
is a very poor substitute for the soul confidence (aatam-vishwas)
inherent in the state of pure awareness (aatam-stiti). In fact, it is no
substitute at all, because there is no substitute for the state of
imageless awareness, the state of pure consciousness.

By its very nature, ego does not let us experience the universality of
Truth, because to do so would negate the existence of ego. But of
course, ego wants to believe it knows everything, so it creates its own
Truth, because to know the Truth makes the ego feel important and
powerful, even though the truth it knows is not the Truth at all but only
its own images. This is why ego holds onto its images, including its
images of universality.

There are many, many religious preachers, pundits, prophets, and
profiteers but very, very few real teachers and tellers of Truth. No one
can really tell you the Truth unless you are ready to hear it, which
means no one can teach you the Truth unless you are ready to learn it.
Emotional maturity and the desire to learn are both prerequisites.
We become emotionally mature when we begin to realize that the whole
world does not revolve around us. The less self-involved we are, the more
fit we become for self-realization. Every insight we have into the real
nature of our being increases our desire to learn more. The time comes
when our desire for Self Knowledge out weighs all other desires.
Eventually we are ready to hear the Truth from the lips of a True
Teacher.

The Truth-teacher is a facilitator and not a dictator. He or she simply
facilitates the truth-seeker in the search for Truth. A true Guide will
guide you to look within your own self and discover by direct perception
your own True Self.

It is not possible to see clearly if our perception is clouded by our
misconceptions, images, and false knowledge. As long as we are holding
onto our ego we will remain confused and unhappy. We need to drop our
ego by letting go of our images and begin with a clean slate. As the
Zen meditation says, We need to empty the picture filled with mud and
water, so that the fresh water can be poured into it. We need to empty
our mind of all our preconceived notions of Truth in order to learn the
Truth from within. When we drop our ego and images we become simple,
humble, human beings, who are eager and earnest to get to the bottom
of the matter and experience the Truth directly.

Everyone who has had a taste of divine bliss, a taste of Truth, knows
without any doubt that is absolutely real and far beyond the realm of
mind, intellect, and ego. Everyone who has had an insight into the
Nature of Truth, knows unequivocally that this Truth is Universal and has
nothing at all to do with individuality, morbidity, mortality, and
immorality.

People who are individualistic, people who are depressed and morbid,
people who are dying everyday in selfishness, and people who are living
immoral, fiendish, degrading lives do not know the real meaning of this
beautiful human life. They remain asleep in Ignorance and continue to
suffer in the duality of their nightmares and fantasies until they awaken
to the still small voice within, the whisper of their own soul beckoning
them to return home to their True Self, to reclaim their inheritance of
Supreme Ecstasy and Divine Love.