You are not a person experiencing awareness
You are awareness experiencing a person
Rumi said it in another way - "You are not a drop in the ocean. You are the entire ocean in a drop!"
The essence of Wheeler's teaching is advaita vedanta - dvaita means dual, a-dvaita means non-dual. The vedic theology of advaita sees divinity, not as a separate Divine Being but as the core essence of everything that exists. Divinity is the consciousness or intelligence that permeates everywhere and provides the guidance from within. Wheeler challenges the viewer's belief in personal identity—name, memories, body, birth, death, describing them as mere stories or illusions. He invites the viewer to recognize their true essence as pure, timeless awareness. Wheeler uses the metaphor of the wave upon the ocean - individual identity is like a wave on the ocean. While it seems separate, it's inseparably part of the ocean.
Wheeler then guides viewers through self-inquiry - to look past roles, thoughts, emotions, and bodily sensations, and ask - who is aware of them? He points out that the awareness is constant and unchanging. He then explains how thoughts and feelings are simply transient phenomena, like the passing of clouds or storms. The unchanging sky within which the transient processes occur is like their awareness - constant, unchanging.
The stumbling block to the recognition of one's true nature is the ego, a mental story built from thoughts and memories, a fluctuating sense of self. Ego develops when a growing child begins to see the people around as separate beings and then identifies itself as another separate being. That sets the stage for all the isolation and self centered pursuits that follow. By stepping back and identifying with awareness instead of content, one can loosen the grip of ego and anxiety. This allows life and its experiences (stress, joy, decisions) to flow naturally and effortlessly.
Every object in this material realm, from the smallest subatomic particle to the largest astronomical object, moves in harmony with every other object around it. The same is true of all the myriad lifeforms around us. They find their natural harmony without any apparent central control. Wheeler emphasizes this point - life operates smoothly without a central control. Like a river flowing or a car driven on autopilot, awareness doesn't need a narrator. Recognizing the unity of awareness leads to deeper empathy and connection, as perceived boundaries dissolve. One does not become diminished. Instead, one is revealed as vast.
In the last part of the video, Wheeler explains how one can directly experience this - essentially pointers on how to enter a meditative state and connect with one's awareness.
- Sit in a comfortable position, with no disturbances and the eyes closed
- Notice your breath—don't control it, just observe.
- Shift focus to the awareness that is noticing the breath.
- Realize that identifying with awareness reveals the truth
You are awareness experiencing being human, not a human experiencing awareness
Your True Self Was Never Born, You Cannot Truly Die
While the body is born and dies, awareness has no beginning or end.
Once this truth is seen, fear of death loses its grip
At the end, Wheeler clarifies that this is not about renouncing life or detaching from experience - it's about living fully, free from ego-based suffering.
If you are interested is exploring vedantic ideas further, read my paper on dharma.
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