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To be clear. Death is only an illusion to the ego. But death is the end of THIS personal consciousness. So best give it our best shot. Surrendering to the oneness that is all life, that is the goal that eases the delusion of loss. Yet, as humans, we experience loss - the most natural recycling of life and consciousness - as greatly painful. So we should. It is in our nature. Let us develop deep compassion for the beautiful beings that we are.

I think it is not so simple. It is not so much that one must identify with their personal traditions in order to be more connected to the universal. It greatly depends upon what one has learned from one's tradition. If the lessons have been about the universality at the heart of all traditions, then great. If not, the particular becomes a crutch for holding up a weak ego, often in today's world with the expectation that others must validate one's identity. With the intention to learn the deepest lessons that most traditions have at their heart, then maybe one can find the joy in one's own tradition, as well as the joy in others' traditions, for the shared connections through compassion, kindness and generosity.

On walking a forested trail, I felt beauty and suddenly realized my eyes were not just mine, but rather those of a conscious universe desiring to experience this beautiful world.