Is there more than one experience present now?
No. Only one experience is present now.
By virtue of the clarity that affirms, "there is only one experience present now," it is evident that there is a oneness to this present experience. That means that right now we are experiencing a substantial oneness of Reality, which unites and is the basis of all apparent things.
If such a genuine affirmation can be made of our direct experience, then all that is necessary for us to live in and as perfect non-duality is to continue allowing the truth of our oneness to be self-evident. And we do this simply by allowing experience to be what it already is; one, seamless whole. This allowing, therefore, is not really a 'doing.' The nature of experience is already what it is. There is no need or use in trying to make what is, what is, to make oneness, one.
If, however, we answered 'yes' to the question, and therefore believe that more than one experience is present now, we have a choice; stick to the belief, or open an investigation into its validity.
Fancy an investigation? I thought so. You wouldn't still be reading this if your beliefs were heavily guarded. So then, we can begin with this claim that multiple separate experiences are present now.
How are all these seemingly separate experiences appearing together right now? What is connecting them all together in this nowness?
If we say, "there are twelve experiences present now," how is it that we are able to experience all twelve at once? It must be that they are all appearing together, simultaneously. The fact that the twelve experiences are together implies an underlying unity that unifies the apparent twelve.
What accounts for this unity? It is the medium of pure experiencing itself. We experience the seemingly numerous experiences. There is one all-pervasive experiencing of what appears to be numerous distinct experiences.
Just as the multiplicity of objects in a movie indicate the one, all-encompassing screen out of which they are made, the seeming multiplicity of experiences indicate one, all-encompassing medium out of which they are made; the medium of experiencing.
Pure experiencing is that in which all seemingly distinct experiences arise, and that out of which they are made. It is 'pure' in the sense that this experiencing I refer to here is the essential substance of experiencing itself, which is irreducible and indivisible.
Experience is always one, seamless whole. Now, what about our self, that which is conscious? Where do we fit in?
When we say, "there is one experience here," do we not include our self in this one experience?
If we try to run our finger along our self, consciousness, and onto experiencing, do we cross a real border? Or is it one continuum all the way?
If we believe we have found a border, that divides consciousness and experiencing, notice that such a border can only appear to exist if there is an underlying medium in which the thing we are naming "consciousness," the border, and the thing we are naming ‘experiencing’ are co-existing.
In this moment, they are all experienced together. Consciousness is experienced, the seeming border is experienced and experiencing is experienced. What unites these apparent three? What is the medium in which they appear?
Consciousness, Experiencing.
At this point, we can understand that consciousness and experiencing are really two names for the same substance.
Consciousness experiences itself. Experiencing is conscious of itself. These are two formulations for the same seamless intimacy of what is here, now.
What are the implications of understanding directly and experientially that there is only oneness here?
If only oneness is here, there is no experience of an 'other.' That is, right now there is no evidence of a boundary, beyond which this oneness comes in contact with something that is not itself. It only knows and experiences itself. It is infinite.
There is nothing more we can ever have. Nor anything more we could want. It is all we are.
That infinity of oneness is happiness itself.
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