Support
During the inquiry group meeting last night, the question of support came up. One person worked with the statement "I have to support myself", and at the end someone mentioned that she had come to see that none of us are really supporting ourselves.
We are always supported by others, Earth, the Universe, Existence. Our life is interdependent with all phenomena - throughout space and time - nothing supports itself except Existence itself.
We can explore this in any area of our life. Even the most mundane aspect of our everyday life is connected with all of Existence in myriad ways.
All my physical and mental abilities are offered to me by all my ancestors - from my own parents back to the first single celled organism, and further back to the beginning of this universe. It all set the ground for this life, it is all present in this life and supporting this life. I cannot take credit for any of it.
All my learning and insights are offered to me by humanity in the past and present. At the very least, they present a mirror which helps me recognize in myself that which is already there.
My physical life is supported by humanity and the Earth in the past and present. The materials of this house, my clothes and the food I eat are produced by the evolving Earth and emerges from the full history of this Earth and Universe. All the human processing that brought it to me was made possible by humanity in the past, and innumerable humans in the present.
The whole of Existence - throughout all space and time - is supporting everything about my existence right now.
This is a beautiful realization. There is no separation between the whole of Existence and everything about me. There is mutual support in every breath, every heartbeat, every rush of blood through the veins, every movement of this body, every sensation. It is all connected - in a very tangible way - right here/now.