To Yuyutsu.

What you referenced wasn't just a thought. It was an observation. My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor your thoughts mine. Your consideration that this is a universal perspective would not change the hard reality that you don't have access to anyone's thoughts except your own, and that can be observed by the surprise of how another person thinks, speaks, or acts. If it was just a shared illusion, then it wouldn't be as readily seen and observed how different most of us are. Even brothers and sister, who have many similarities and know each other from growing up together can be so different, and wonder where one brother gets their inspiration, or how they come up with what they do.

No I know better then just to say these are my thoughts. Because at least these ones are backed up by observations and experience.

That said. You also gave one line in your reply, that can be considered and put to the test.

<<Scripture then outlines the path to overcome this illusion and realise our true identity, which is God.>>

Which scripture do you refer to. It sounds like a different religion then I acknowledge as coming from God. But none the less if your point is true that all religions are from God, and the illusion is that we are not God, then give from your understanding the path to break away from this illusion. It doesn't have to be Christian scripture for this point. But it should be something that can be put to the test by things already seen in our lives, or a new path to keep in mind and consider later on.

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Here is one other hurdle to consider though. It is another observation. I've seen my life as I've lived it, and counted the failures that I am aware of. If the measure to be close to God depends on me and me alone, then there is no hope. If I am God only by realizing that I am God then the journey is not fruitful. I am a failure too many times to not know it. And handicapped too often to not recognize and appreciate when others help me stand in the world. God has helped me too, for which I am very thankful for. And it is another observation to show that I am not God. Nor that without God's help I would not be able to find Him on my own.

......

None the less. State by your understanding the path to over come this illusion of being separate. If it holds met its or has a basis to be challenged and tested instead of just believed, then I'll consider the path. I won't accept it, not yet anyways, because if the illusion is so great no one can see that it's an illusion, then testing to see if there's truth in that path or if it is just another philosophy among all the philosophies will take time.

My advise again though is to keep it simple.

Dear Not_Now.Soon,

You have no need to access [what-seems-to-be] others' thoughts.

There's the parable of the multi-billionaire who made a deal with God: "I know it's against the rules, but please allow me to carry just one sack of gold with me to heaven and I'll donate all the rest to your church". When he entered heaven with a heavy sack of gold on his back, everyone there wondered: "why would this crazy person carry such a burden of paving stones on his back?".

Our thoughts are useless in heaven, just a burden! The human brain through which thoughts flow, is designed to maintain and flourish the human organism, not to discover the truth.

Some are gifted by God to read other people's thoughts, but it's rare and not necessary, unless of course you have that particular calling.

«then give from your understanding the path to break away from this illusion.»

Jesus said: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself."

True, but how can one love another which is not oneself as if they were oneself?
- Only by losing one's false identity as a separate single human and realising that God and others are identical with oneself, then only you love God and others exactly as thyself, for you realise that they ARE you.

Great, but HOW?

The Bhagavad-Gita speaks of four different methods, then one's path consists of some personal combination of these four. However, a
prerequisite for success in any of the methods is to live a righteous and wholesome life - no human endeavour can succeed otherwise, be it material or spiritual. The methods are:

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1. Knowledge: including study of scripture, but also constant self-inspection, contemplation and ruthless analysis of the nature of one's mind. This method is said to be the most difficult and suits only the most intellectually gifted.
2. Devotion: loving absorption in God or a representation thereof (for a Christian, this would be Jesus). Singing to God, dancing before God, offering Him food and flowers, praying fervently, addressing Him constantly, telling Him everything, etc. This is said to be relatively the easiest method.
3. Action: carrying out all one's normal duties diligently while dedicating one's actions to God and not expecting any results in return.
4. Concentration/meditation: training the mind to focus and not swerve, then eventually when one focuses on God one can get to know Him.

You should be able to find a wealth of all those four methods within Christianity, perhaps not all in your local church but certainly within the monastic traditions. I do believe that many Christian saints have realised God.

It is true that without God's help you would get nowhere, but God has helped you so far and will continue to help you so long as you make a sincere effort.

The common mistake is to believe that the help comes from a different entity outside yourself, and indeed it comes not from the limited entity whom you presently believe yourself to be, but it comes from your true self, which is God.

I presume that you accept John 14:9 - "Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father" and John 14:11 - "Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me", but you consider Jesus to be different and yourself unworthy. If you do feel unworthy, then that's where repentance comes in!

The Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita tell us that the only difference between us and Jesus is that Jesus already knew that he is God while we are yet to discover the same.

Yuyutsu,

<<The Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita tell us that the only difference between us and Jesus is that Jesus already knew that he is God while we are yet to discover the same.>>

The Christian Scriptures provide a very different picture of the nature of human beings. We are not discovering we are God.

Instead, we KNOW we need a Saviour because we, as human beings, recognise we were dead in transgressions and sins before Jesus, the Saviour, set Christians free from "the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient" (Ephesians 2:1-2)

Most people I speak with don't want the word SIN mentioned because it is not a problem to them. However, the big problem for all humanity is our sinful nature from birth. We then live among those who are disobedient to God, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we are by nature deserving of God's wrath (Eph 2:3).

Those who don't know and serve God are not discovering that we are God, as you say, they are not even seeking God because they are "dead in their sins", with passionate desires and inclinations of their sinful nature.

One Christian writer used Ephesians 2:1-5 to provide this penetrating assessment:

"The reason we need a Savior is not just that we are in the doghouse with God and need to be forgiven for offending his glory. We need a Savior because we are in the morgue. In the doghouse you might whimper. You might say you are sorry. You might make some good resolutions. You might decide to cast yourself on the mercy of God. But what can you do if you are in the morgue?"

Through the Grace of God, the dead do not die.
They live forever , in God's mind, and in ours.
God is more powerful than death. The adventure
ahead is not dark but light.