We tend to think of the universe as something outside us, vast and mysterious, while seeing ourselves as separate individuals living within it. We observe its stars, planets, mountains and oceans with a sense of wonder, rarely considering that we too are part of the same unfolding reality.
But there is another way of looking at it. We are not merely living in the universe. We are an expression of it.
Consider the human body. We breathe without consciously deciding to breathe. Our heart beats, blood circulates, food is digested, wounds heal and billions of cells perform their functions without our direction. We are aware of only a fraction of what is happening within us, yet this extraordinary activity continues every moment.
We describe these as biological processes, and scientifically that is correct. However, behind them is an extraordinary order that enables countless processes to work together seamlessly.
Look beyond the human body and a similar order appears in nature. Seeds develop into plants, birds migrate across vast distances, ecosystems sustain intricate relationships, the earth follows its orbit and seasons move through their cycles. Life continuously adapts and evolves.
What appears to be a collection of separate processes may therefore be part of a deeper order. The opening verse of the Īśa Upanishad offers a profound perspective: Īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam — all this, whatever exists in the universe, is pervaded by the Divine.
The significance of this statement goes beyond the idea that the Divine is present everywhere. It suggests that the Divine is not separate from creation, but pervades everything that exists.
If so, we too are part of that reality and carry within us an essence of the Divine. The elements that constitute our bodies come from nature. The air we breathe, the water we drink and the food that sustains us are part of larger natural cycles. Our bodies are continuously exchanging matter and energy with the world around us.
We are not objects placed inside the universe. We are processes of the universe.
The Chandogya Upanishad takes this insight further with the famous statement Tat tvam asi — “That thou art.” It points towards the possibility that the deepest reality we seek to understand is not separate from our own being.
This invites us to enquire whether the consciousness through which we experience the world is connected to a deeper, universal consciousness. If we are a microcosm of the macrocosm, perhaps the same underlying intelligence that operates throughout the universe is also expressing itself within us at a deeper level.
Our conscious mind experiences itself as an individual, however, most of what sustains our existence happens beyond conscious control. The body grows, repairs and renews itself. The brain processes vast amounts of information. Life responds, adapts and evolves. We participate in these processes without directing them.
This offers a different way of understanding self-knowledge. In the Upanishadic tradition, knowing oneself was not merely about understanding one's personality, behaviour or emotions. It was an enquiry into the nature of reality itself.
Modern science explores the universe largely by looking outward, while spiritual enquiry turns attention inward. They are different approaches, and one need not be used to prove the other. Yet both arise from the human desire to understand reality and our place within it.
Seen this way, human life is more than an isolated journey of survival, achievement and experience. We are part of a larger unfolding process and, uniquely, we have the capacity to become conscious of that process.
The individual is not merely a smaller version of the universe. It carries within itself the same underlying reality that gives order to the whole.
The journey of self-discovery, therefore, may be more profound than discovering who we are as individuals. It may be an enquiry into what we truly are beneath the identity we have constructed.
The universe is not merely around us. It is expressing itself through us. And through our consciousness, existence has found a way to become aware of itself.
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