The Infinite Void (Ultimate Awareness, Absolute Truth, God, etc.) is the Director of this "movie" called life that we are all experiencing. But reality gets more complex when we inquire into what we are in relation to the Universal Director, and what part we actually play in this movie.
One can read any number of ancient holy texts such as the Bhagavad Gita or the Tao Te Ching--or read the words of Enlightened Beings such as Ramakrishna, Ramana Maharshi, and Buddha--in order to uncover our true nature.
Words are imperfect symbols that can only hint at the Absolute Truth that we are speaking of. But to put it simply, while God is the Director of this movie, God is also all of the actors.
Not only is God all of the actors, but also every cause, effect, outcome, action, etc. Anything that happens to us is caused by God. There are no accidents in this life, and we have no choices--despite what the world has told us.
Furthermore, since God is every actor and role in this movie, we are all God. So then the question becomes what is our Eternal Divine Nature? And what parts of us are just temporal illusions? (Basically everything in the Universe with name and form is illusory) Ramakrishna confirms this: "Unalloyed love of God is the essential thing. All else is unreal."
The illusory parts of our beings are the body and the mind--which of course includes the ego. We are what Ramana Maharshi calls The Self. The Self is called the Atman in Hinduism. It may also be referred to as Pure Awareness, Sat chi ananda, Pure Being, etc.
This Pure Awareness is what is truly You and what is truly I; it is God itself.
No matter whether you are a spiritually advanced being or a worldly being who engages in unhealthy practices that are not spiritual, YOU are still The Self. It is all that you are and all that you will ever be.
The paradoxical thing about what we call Enlightenment (Realization) is that we are all already Enlightened or Realized. But we are blocked from experiencing this pure nature of Truth. And what is it that blocks us?
We are blocked by all of our worldly desires, our attachments, thoughts, memories, and our imagination.
Our bodies are Divine Receptors capable of undoing all of these impurities and allowing us to be The Self alone. But many of us destroy this divine receptor by eating the wrong food, using drugs (which includes caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol), and by not engaging in daily spiritual practice such as meditation, hatha yoga, chanting, prayer, pranyama, etc.
All we can do is start right HERE where we are. One may not be able to dramatically alter their life initially due to karmic commitments. But simply starting with short meditation, a mantra, hatha yoga, and prayer can have profound effects.
There is SO much more that can be said, and not enough space here to say it. But in conclusion, do Not take this life seriously. It's only a movie. Do Not take your job, or other responsibilities seriously. God is the actor that is doing them all. You aren't doing anything but watching this life go by--because all you are is the Eternal Witness; the SELF.
Blessings to you all. Peace to all, Life to all, Love to all.
Sat Nam
-Acintya Bhakti
