Here, I would like to quote a passage from Plato: “All men are by nature equal, made all of the same earth by one Workman”. My understanding of Plato’s words is that the very essence or property of every human being is equal, coming from the same source and Creator (we refer to God or Oneness). This is not only true for humans but also for all creatures and all things in this earth and universe; we share the same Creator, the One Divine Consciousness., the Ocean of Divine Consciousness.
Further, the Flower Garland Sutra scripture states: One source gives rise to the myriad things. The myriad of things return to that one source. Yet Genesis 1:27 tells us: so, God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female, he created them. All of the three quotes above have, in numerous ways, implored humanity to awaken to a single understanding: we share One Limitless Being, the being of everything, the IS-ness of everything, is the Unity of Being. The Unity of Being, seeing (sees) the Unity of Being in all people, creatures, and objects. Therefore, there is oneness of existence, that all things exist inseparably, are one - undivided in their being. We share our being with everyone and everything. This is the understanding that we shall uphold.
In fact, if we think carefully, how could these quotes be valid in reality since each of us is an independent individual, and all things are also independent of each other? Everyone has a different look and appearance, thinking, emotion, and feeling. How can we have the same ocean of awareness, the same source of Divine consciousness? Somehow, this is nearly impossible in our experience.
Well, the so-called 「truth」 for you must conform to your experience and reality, or it may be hard to convince yourself. The so-called「truth」 shall make rational sense of beliefs grounded in any experience that belongs to a unified understanding.
Let’s take a step back and think about it. We try to revisit the whole process of our life, from the time we were born until now, what experiences can prove that we have the same source of Divine consciousness? Essentially, the very essence or property of every human being is equal and comes from the same source. For instance, everyone has five senses: eyes for sight, ears for sound, nose for smell, tongue (mouth) for taste, and skin (body) for touch. We are — all of us — equipped with the five sense organs that have similar functions. For example, when we look at the sky, the ability of our eyes shares a common recognition that the sky is blue; when we look at the clouds, we immediately see it as white. Everyone has the same recognition; when we look at the grass, we see the colour of the grass is green and when we taste the chilli on our tongue, the taste of chilli is hot and likewise, the taste of ice cream is sweet, and sour plum is sour. These experiences prove that our five senses — the ability to see, smell, hear, taste, and touch—are what we all have in common. I call it the “innate abilities of perception”, where the innate ability of being able to perceive is our common ground, the most primitive essence of our common existence. This innate perceptual ability comes from the same root source, the source of Divine consciousness, which prompts us to have a common perception with our five senses.
A. The innate ability of “being able to perceive” is common between human beings and all creatures
Let's take a look at the following evidence that proves the overlap of innate abilities of perception between human beings and all creatures:
1) The Innate Ability of Auditory Perception
All creatures, such as eagles, dogs, and dolphins, possess an auditory spectrum that overlaps with that of human beings. This indicates that the innate ability of auditory perception between humans and all creatures is overlapping. All creatures and humans come from the same root source. The following figure (1) shows the auditory spectrum of different species and humans:
Figure 1: The frequency range of speech and hearing in human and creatures (left), the frequency range of hearing in humans and other creatures (right) (Image source: [1])
2) The Innate Ability of Visual Perception
The spectra of birds, bees, dogs, cats and humans are overlapped with each other, indicating that evidence of visual perception in all living things stems from the same root source. Figures (2, 3) depict the overlapping spectra of some animals and humans. For example, in Figure (2), the visual spectrum seen by a puppy is similar to that of a human, whereby the puppy’s visual spectrum is slightly dimmer compared to that of a human. There is also a high degree of spectral overlap between kittens and humans. Figure (3) describes the overlapping spectra of bees and humans. Essentially, a bee’s spectral range is about 300 to 650 nanometers, while a human’s spectral range is about 380 to 700 nanometers. The bees and humans share a high degree of spectral overlap, whereby bees can see ultraviolet light but not red light.
Figure 2. The visible light spectrum for dogs (left) and a comparison of colours visible to humans and cats (right). (Image source: [2,3])
Figure 3. A comparison of the visible light spectrum for human (top) and bee vision (bottom).
3) The Innate Ability of Olfactory Perception
The sense of smell in different species overlaps with that of humans. Some species, such as dogs, mice, etc., have a stronger sense of smell that can detect more odours, while others may have a weaker sense than humans. Fundamentally, the smell sense in animals and humans has a certain degree of overlap. Figure (4) shows the number of odorants among different species and humans. For example, dogs and humans have a 50% overlap in the number of odorants, while the overlap rate between mice and humans is 85%.
Figure 4. The spectrum of the number of odors in different species and human (image source: [5]).
Here, we conclude that the sensory abilities of different species and humans are highly overlapping. The ability to perceive, i.e., to see, smell, hear, taste and touch — is what we all have in common. These pieces of evidence are sufficient to prove that all creatures and humans have the same source of Divine consciousness, the same ocean of awareness.
B. The Genetic Similarity Between Humans and All Creatures
Genes are made up of DNA. Gene is the most basic functional unit of heredity. The genes are the building block of a cell, and the cell is the building block of an organism. From the perspective of genetic science, there is a high degree of DNA similarity between humans and other species.
All human beings are 99 percent identical in their genetic makeup. Thus, the differences between us that we regard as significant depend on only 1 or 2 percent of our DNA. We also share roughly 90 percent of our DNA with mice, dogs, cattle, and elephants. Coming closer, the DNA of human beings and chimpanzees is 90 percent identical (see Figure 5). Here, we share the information provided by National Geographic about the DNA similarity between humans and other species:
Figure 5: The DNA similarity between humans and other species (image source: [6]).
The scientific evidence illustrated above implored that all creatures come from the same source. If we go deeper to uncover the matter, the smallest unit is quark. Scientists have discovered six types of quarks so far. They observed the findings through particle collision experiments in which electrons collide with protons. However, I believe when technology advances, there will be a smaller particle than a quark. I think, even in the end, we can find nothing, only “Void” or "Emptiness" exists. However, the nature of “Emptiness" is not something the brain can understand, comprehend, or capture. In fact, we can conclude that “Emptiness” is a common existence in all living and non-living things. Emptiness is the substance of our nature, the true substance of the universe. But how can we understand “Emptiness”? Emptiness does not mean “nothingness”. Science proves that "Energy Exists in the Vacuum of Space" [7]. In the study of quantum mechanics, scientists have discovered that light wave particles exist in a vacuum, which means that a vacuum is not empty but filled with light wave particles [8]. The above sharing is to reinforce the idea that “nothingness” is not a total emptiness as what our brains can grasp or understand.
Until now, we still cannot fully understand “Void” or “Emptiness”, that’s why we labelled unseen matter as dark matter. So far, science can prove that there is energy in the vacuum. The real meaning of Emptiness is what scientists are trying to uncover and understand entirely. As far as we can see now, the most primitive nature of the universe is darkness or Emptiness. According to physicists, the universe is composed of 96% darkness (Emptiness) and only 4% is occupied by the galaxies and planetary such as the earth, solar system, and billions of stars in the universe. In fact, human senses have certain limitations, whereby human vision can only see this 4% makeup of the entire universe and the rest of the darkness (Emptiness) we called it “dark matter”.
I agree with the findings that reality is essentially Emptiness, which goes beyond the five senses, and the ability to comprehend or conceive of it. We call it Emptiness because nothing can ever explain it. Reality itself is emptiness because we can't possibly fit it into our minds. This Emptiness is what Lao Tzu stated in the Tao Te Ching: The Nameless is the beginning of heaven and earth; It was from the Nameless that Heaven and Earth sprang; The Named is but the Mother that rears the ten thousand creatures, each after its kind.
Emptiness itself is hard to comprehend intellectually. Thus, we have used various evidence or clues to prove that Emptiness is not a total absence of a nonexistent object. As previously explained, through our five senses - our innate ability to perceive - we share the same source of Divine consciousness, originating from the same root source. We share this ocean of Divine consciousness and also in all creatures. From this understanding, we can infer that all things and beings come from the same root source. At least, in our experience, we can understand and observe this. Therefore, the so-called "Emptiness" is our commonality, the most fundamental essence which Lao Tzu called “Tao”. Tao is the beginning of Heaven and Earth, the Mother of all creatures, that we called as “God” or “Laomu”. Laomu gives birth to Heaven and Earth, moves the sun and moon, and nurtures all things. Lao Tzu stated in the Tao Te Ching: "The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao. The name that can be named is not the eternal name. The Tao is both named and nameless. As nameless, it is the origin of all things; as named, it is the Mother of myriad things."
The Mother of All Things — Laomu, is the most primitive source of everything that exists on this planet and universe. Each one of us, as well as all things, comes from Laomu. Laomu is the origin of Heaven and Earth, all creatures, including human beings. The Divine essence that the Laomu bestows upon each of us is equal and the same in all. Not only humans, but every living thing has the same essence directly emanated by Laomu, which is why we have life. The life given by the Laomu to all creatures, including humans, is a Divine gift, equal, supreme, eternal, unifying and has free will. Life is most supreme, dignified and noble. Life is invaluable, equal to all and second to none [10].
In humans, this essence is called conscience. Every person in the world has the same conscience, which originated from Laomu. Not only humans, but all living things have a conscience and share this essence given by the Laomu. Conscience is the expression of the Tao within the human consciousness; the Tao is Laomu. Thus, Tao is inherent or immanent in all humankind and all living things. Therefore, over 8 billion people in the world are our brothers and sisters, our closest siblings. Not only are we siblings, but all living things, are our brothers and sisters, because we originate from the same source: the Tao, the Laomu.
"One World Family” advocates for this concept because we seem to have forgotten the most fundamental understanding, that over 8 billion humans are our closest family, our closest siblings, all originating from the same source, the One Divine Consciousness [11].
Certainly, ever since landing on this earth, we cannot deny that every person has different cultures, lifestyles, languages, religions or beliefs, and skin colours, but these are all established after landing on this earth. Our essence of life is the same, originating from the Laomu.
The Universal Belief in One Divinity is based on the most basic recognition that life is a Divine gift. Our Divine Nature is equal. The essence of the Divine Nature bestowed on us by the Laomu is the greatest gift, which is why we have life. Life is most supreme, dignified, and noble. Life is invaluable, equal to all and second to none. Although we cannot see, touch, or hear this essence, it has certain characteristics. These characteristics are what the sages told us that human nature is inherently kind, truthful, joyful, loving, and beautiful. This intrinsic nature is also blissful, harmonious, and beautiful. Since these characteristics are our inherent true nature, these are the qualities that we are longing for that feel palpable to us at each moment of our lives. We long for happiness, joy, beauty, and love because it is the nature of our true being. Happiness, harmony, and unity are the root of life expressed as “Great Love and Great Beauty”. The truly magnificent life is to live with conscience, kindness, altruism, love, harmony, beauty and unity. Only then the highest happiness, satisfaction, and joy can be experienced.
Achieving “One World Family” and realizing “The Universal Belief in One Divinity” is to restore the world to its primordial state, at which the value of life is based on respect and compassion for life. This is the primordial lifestyle we have forgotten. The so-called new world, the world after COVID-19, the new era, the new normal, and the brand-new beginning are striving to achieve “One World Family”. This is the mission and task that all human beings must accomplish together. The way for humanity to survive sustainably is to move towards “One World Family” and practice “The Universal Belief in One Divinity” — Shaping the world to become harmonious, beautiful and united — in being, love and consciousness. This is the technology of true beauty and hope, unfolding the being of conscience consciousness. This is the true awakening of our human-ness and our awakening to the oneness of being.