Unity as a Way of Thinking

By editor in Ethics, principles and philosophy April 8, 2025

One of the key concepts in the Teaching is unity. It is the cornerstone on which almost everything else is based, as the world in its entirety is inconceivable without this concept. The idea of unity, in one form or another, is familiar to every person, regardless of their level of knowledge and awareness. Even children understand that humans are one with nature — we are entirely dependent on the environment in which we exist. Our material body is an organism that requires very specific conditions for life, and the slightest deviations can lead to its demise. If we consider how many conditions had to align for intelligent life to exist on Earth, it might seem miraculous. At this level, practically everyone understands unity — just as cells are one with the human body, a person is one with the world. Understanding this single aspect makes a person more cautious; they begin to cherish the world they live in and treat it with care: “Live as if you were holding the whole world in the palms of your hands like a handful of water; do not spill it out.” (The Walker VI, 53).

I will take a step forward and move beyond the planet to the scale of the Universe because unity extends much further, and the conditions for life on Earth are governed by far more global laws. In the Teaching, we speak of the unity of man with the Universe. The first thing that comes to mind is, again, unity based on the “cell-organism” principle. This principle is certainly true, but it is only one of its facets. We remember that the Teaching considers the Universe to be a living being that moves along its evolutionary path. Having reached a certain level, the Creator transformed into a substance known in the Teaching as Spirit. Then, part of the Spirit transformed into energy — a denser substance relative to the first. Finally, part of the energy transformed into an even denser substance — matter. This was the beginning of our Universe as we know it. The three planes of the Universe exist simultaneously and are closely intertwined, and the last of them — matter — it is precisely that physical world that is most easily explored by the means available to science. The division into three planes was necessary so that, through evolution within these planes, the Spirit could become more perfect, and the Universe could reach a qualitatively new level. Evolution follows a single general principle — moving from less organised forms to more highly organised ones, and among the latter, to the emergence of thinking forms capable of awareness. At this stage, matter becomes a tool and a vessel for its core essence — a knowing, thinking, and sentient being. The development of this being leads to the evolution of the Spirit. In discussing this, we arrive at another aspect of unity — the understanding that the three planes are unified and inseparable, and that everything that happens in one is instantly reflected in all the others.

This can be imagined as a kind of Matrix, beautifully depicted in the film of the same name. Imagine a virtual reality where a person controls an avatar through which they perceive the virtual world as the only existing reality. In this case, the virtual world would be like matter, where the avatar is their “first body”; the physical body would be like energy — their “second body”; and finally, their very personality is the Spirit. Any changes occurring with the first, virtual body immediately affect the second body, and naturally, the events that take place shape the personality (Spirit) in one way or another. Thus, we can view our life on Earth, in the material world, as existence within a Matrix created for one sole purpose: in the language of computer games — to “level up” the character’s personality to develop the necessary qualities for spiritual evolution. Once certain qualities are acquired, a person no longer needs an avatar; they “wake up” from the virtual reality and begin to act in the “second body” in the world of energy, and later, in the final plane — the world of Spirit. Moreover, before a person gains the right to act permanently in the “second body,” they go through a required number of “avatars,” in other words, reincarnate, until the necessary qualities are cultivated. All of this is a single, coordinated, and inseparable process: “Spirit has no limits: it is all, merging with all in all. Remember that you are the Spirit; the flesh has gone out of it and will return to it.” (The Walker VI, 55-56). This teaches that one should treat the life of their physical body without excessive fanaticism. The body is a tool — an extremely important one, but still just a tool for something greater. Therefore, prioritising material wealth over spiritual wealth is senseless. Understanding this, people would not commit dishonorable or vile acts just to satisfy the desires of their physical body. After all, the “avatar” is merely a temporary tool, and from the “virtual reality” into the real one, a person can take only one thing: their personality, and nothing else. Moreover, the time spent in an “avatar” is quite limited and measured in decades, whereas the time a person spends in the world of energy between reincarnations is much longer. This can be compared to a person spending a few days in virtual reality and a year outside it, yet placing all their focus on the “game” rather than real life. They would indulge their virtual body at the expense of their real one, resorting to various virtual tricks for pleasure, all while knowing that their real body was suffering. After several days of “playing”, they would wake up sick, mutilated, and endure long suffering and healing, with the distant prospect of even dying. Such behavior would raise doubts about their sanity. And yet, people behave exactly this way. They bet on the “game” and commit various vile acts that maim the energy body and, worse still, harm the Spirit, endangering themselves and the future of all humanity. Such a person would make you want to shake them and say, “Realise what you are doing and come to your senses!” This is the second aspect of Unity that I would like to draw attention to, and it expands one’s thinking to an entirely new scale.

The third aspect is even more global. The evolution of the Spirit will ultimately lead to the formation of a single substance into which all Spirit will transform. At this stage, the division into sentient particles will no longer exist, and all will merge into a single personality on the scale of the Universe. When I discussed this with someone, they asked me, “So, does that mean my personality will be lost?” to which I replied, “Not that your personality will be lost, but rather that other personalities will become part of you, like memories of the millions of lives you have lived. You will not lose what you have, but you will gain something incomparably greater.” This made them happy, and they left satisfied, understanding how much awaited them. The essence of this process is profound, and it is not only something that awaits us in the future but also something we already have today. Unity implies that separation into particles is merely conditional and temporary: “The raindrops merge – and the ocean is born.” (Evangelon, 66). Being drops, we are already the ocean: each of us is both a particle of the Universe and the Universe itself at the same time. Each person is the active mind and spirit of the Universe in its entirety. The only thing that has changed is the focus. It is as if, for a moment, we stopped perceiving ourselves as a whole person and instead looked at ourselves through the eyes of a single cell, from within. This is exactly what happens — we see the world and ourselves through the eyes of a cell. But we can shift our focus and perceive ourselves fully. I am the entire Universe, the entire Creator. Not only is the drop part of the ocean, but the ocean is contained within the drop. Not only am I a part of everything, but everything around me, the entire Universe, is merely a part of my personality. All the people around me are also parts of my personality, and I will absorb them when the time comes. I act everywhere while remaining within myself, and at the same time, I am present in everything. The laws within the Universe are established by me, and the responsibility for everything also lies with me.

For someone who is trying on the identity of the Universe (the Creator) for the first time and attempting to shift their focus, this may sound somewhat grandiose. But in reality, it does not elevate a person — it simply places them where they have always been. And when someone from the Teaching says that they relate to people and the world as to themselves, they mean it literally. In the direct sense, it is them. More narrow principles, such as “treat others as you would like to be treated” — that is, mercy and the desire to help others — are merely a limited aspect of this awareness. Perceiving the world as a part of oneself, as part of one’s personality, means wanting to care for the world in the broadest sense, not even as one’s home, but as one’s body, which requires care, maintenance, and, in many ways, healing. Such awareness allows for the eradication of most problems — for no one would wish harm upon themselves, envy themselves, deceive themselves, cause themselves pain, or consider one part of themselves inferior to another. That would be absurd. By absorbing the world into ourselves, we nurture the best in it and try to overcome the worst; we become more tolerant of our own flaws reflected in others, yet at the same time, we remain attentive and strict toward imperfections, desiring to correct them; we can rejoice in our successes achieved by other fragments of ourselves and will help them in this.

Such a perception allows one to radically rethink and improve their attitude toward everything around them. People of the Teaching live not only for the world but as the world itself. From this follows the fourth aspect of Unity, which is more practical: a person is always in a nourishing environment — for the world nourishes and supports itself. All the forces needed, even for the most complex and seemingly unattainable things, are already inherently present within a person. There is nothing a person cannot do if it is necessary. Everything around them strives to help them achieve their ultimate goal — the transformation of the Universe. Therefore, there is absolutely nothing that could hinder them, except themselves.

Resistance exists only within the person, both at the cellular level and at the level of the Universe. Yet its strength is such that it can be overcome. In the Teaching, this force of resistance is called the Dragon, and it is necessary for evolution as a driving mechanism: by overcoming it, the Spirit develops. And within this principle lies a blessing: “Resistance to the Dragon gives strength, for resistance itself is a good, and Good contains within itself the fullness of strength” (Eosphor VII, 14). It is like a vaccine, meant not to implant a disease but to generate immunity to it. And herein lies another aspect of Unity — even evil exists for the sake of good, so that it may be eradicated. The need to divide the world into “white” and “black” as two warring sides disappears. The struggle between them takes place, but only at the necessary level and in the necessary proportions. There is as much “evil” in evil as there is in a dumbbell that a weightlifter lifts to become stronger. If they drop it on their foot, it is hardly the dumbbell’s fault.

Seeing these aspects of Unity, I cannot help but rejoice. For they transform the world — for me, for all my fragments, and for me within other fragments. I will wait for all that is mine to return to me in a new form. And if we speak of the path to oneself, which all people so eagerly seek, then in the Teaching, this phrase takes on its fullest and clearest meaning: for all is one, and there is no path other than the path to oneself.