“You” can’t be one with everything. To be one with everything, “you” cannot be. There isn’t a “one” that can “be with” “everything.” There is just one, oneness, and no one is being with it. “Everything” is it.
Living organisms, including this human body, change, grow, and evolve over time.
Businesses also change, grow, and evolve over time.
To recognize what’s necessary or unnecessary, essential or not essential, we need to listen – to ourselves and those around us while being in the present moment.
As humans, we’re constantly (and falsely) seeking the experience of oneness (non-dual); that moment where our perceived identity, the false sense of “me,” dissolves, and we are completely immersed in the present moment experience or feel one with everyone and everything.
We often call moments like that being in the zone, peak experience, or flow. We may seek it in the means of connecting to some kind of god, enlightenment, spirituality, or the use of substances — all of these moments are the direct encounter with the source of joy, peace, and freedom which arises out of the ‘no sense of self’ in that moment.
Yet, we don’t recognize that regardless of these “moments” and of anything that seems to help us get “there,” the nondual experience is always present. Oneness is always present. It is the only reality, it is the nature of Self and the world.
Seeking is the mind’s false sense of self that prevents us from recognizing the ever-present non-dual reality or oneness as our True Self.
Recognizing that the nature of the True Self is non-dual is itself the source of unconditional joy, peace, and freedom. The True Self is joy, peace, and freedom; joy, peace, and freedom are the True Self. They are not-two (non-dual).
So, how to recognize it? The most essential understanding is that there is nothing to recognize because, well, there is no “one” to recognize it (read the first five lines of this article again). Being wholesome, happy, and free is not a path but the revelation that “I already am!”
When the mind says “when… then…” is itself the mind’s process of trying to fulfill itself in time, not recognizing it is already fulfilled. When the mind uses time as a condition, it is back in the separated dual reality which creates a sense of lacking and unfulfillment in the present.
Practice at home:
Most of our waking hours are focused on the content of our experience; thoughts, sensations, and perceptions as it relates to ourselves or the world we look at. Take quiet time and space to direct your attention away from the content and towards the ‘being aware’ component of the experience. Instead of focusing on the things you are aware of, simply focus on the fact of being aware.
The less you focus the mind on thoughts, sensations, and perceptions, the less you’d have a sense of identification with them as ME or MINE. That process dissolves the mind’s seeking and separating tendencies and “gives rise” more clearly to that which is always there and ever present— your True Self is joy, peace, and freedom. They are not-two (non-dual).
This revelation of the True Self is at the core of my work because it’s the only place where all limitations dissolve and an unconditional sense of fulfillment and wholesomeness arise.
Oneness is not only for an individual to reveal unconditional fulfillment, happiness, and freedom in the present moment. It is the way to build successful teams and leadership environments – even high-performing ones!
Phil Jackson, the most awarded NBA coach in history, has created his entire coaching philosophy around Oneness by fostering spiritual practices and values of love and deep bonds between all team members. If you haven’t yet, I highly recommend that you read his book Eleven Rings. This is one of the best coaching and leadership books I have ever read!
Jacob Pacheco, Founder of Prone To Ride and one of the Dream Team members, recently shared with me; “We created a symbiotic connection between all of us on the Dream Team. We’re all pretty much connected as one.”
Oneness is always present; it doesn’t exist in nor is it affected by the continuum of time.
This present moment is already wholesome and limitless. It’s always the beginning, and it always contains all possibilities…the present moment is an opportunity to complete a full circle while also starting over.
Being spiritual and holistic is not for “alternative” people, it is for successful people and leaders who are looking to create a long-lasting impact!
Starting over
To be open to the source of all happiness is the highest religion.
– Jiddu Krishnamurti
In the last year, there has been a growing curiosity from my clients and community about the spiritual aspect of my work.
It is not uncommon that in a single session with a client, we would cover spirituality, non-duality, True Self, business, and leadership skills.
I’ve been in awe to see people who had no prior personal connection to spirituality become so curious about it. Even more importantly, witness them thrive while developing that spiritual connection and understanding.
I listened.
That part of my work has always been important to me.
And, you know, I always like to approach things from a different perspective — spirituality is not at all about spirituality, it’s about:
- Dissolving the mind’s false sense of separation with its activities; fear, self-doubt, judgment, sense of lacking and separation, stress, and more.
- To help you realize your True Self as the source of joy, peace, and freedom. There is no duality between you and happiness. Both the True Self and happiness are What Is; this ever-present reality that is already wholesome and unconditionally free.
- To dissolve and end all faces of division, separation, and conflict on the personal level, as I suggested above but also on the global level between countries. A war between countries is rooted in the exact same false sense of separation of the individual. We cannot eliminate war if we do not eliminate the mind’s false perception.
I love helping people grow as leaders in service to humanity and also helping them build businesses they love, while the spiritual aspect of the process is very essential to that growth.
Seven years ago, I spent eight months backpacking in Southeast Asia. During that time, I also studied yoga, meditation, pranayama, and eastern philosophy with local teachers. At the end of the program, one of my teachers asked me just one thing (without any question mark at the end!) “Gilad, please promise us that you’ll always keep sharing the teachings.”
I was overwhelmed. I took that responsibility very personally; it felt like I was given a very important duty that I knew I must complete for the betterment of humanity. Yet, although I was a certified teacher at that point, something about teaching yoga didn’t appeal to me, and I didn’t really know what to do with this ‘meditation and philosophy stuff’ back then.
After that trip, I went back to play basketball for one of the best teams in the league. But my heart already knew something had changed, and it was just a matter of timing until that truth would surface.
That sense of responsibility was always present, and ever since, I have seen how it has grown into all aspects of my life and work. It was part of my work all along, integrated into the process I do with leaders, business owners, and former pro athletes, but it didn’t have a space of its own.
Until now.
Starting this September, I’ll be providing space to the spiritual journey of my community by adding an option to work solely on your spiritual growth and understanding.
We will share more details later this month, but for now, you can reach out to me over email if you are curious to learn more.
This present moment is a completion of a full circle and a start over to the request of my teacher, Vipul, to keep sharing the teachings; “I was. I am. I will”
Happiness is the ever-present nature of all living beings – Spirituality, for me, is understanding and applying just that.
How can I support you with your spiritual journey?
With heart,
Gil·ad (eternal-joy)
