I am therefore the universe is.

My concept  of myself is an "Amness" wrapped up  in layers of  impressions, experiences and  identities. Like a sedimentary rock, layer by layer added  as time goes by . I am deeply humbled by the sheer vastness of this manifold universe and yet awestruck by my ability to comprehend parts thereof. Like Einstein said, "the most incomprehensible aspect of the universe is that it is comprehensible" I keep trying to make sense of it all. To look for a method in this madness called life. To look for some order in this chaotic but extraordinary world.  I wonder how can I ever have any sort of control on the direction and momentum of this juggernaut ?  My aims and aspirations often times seem to have no coherence with  what has been preordained, and the suspense can sometimes kill.  Attempts to discover  the " whats , hows and whens" get overwhelmed by the total silence when the "why" pops up.  After being numbed by the sheer incomprehensibility of the universe and myself, my thinking gets limited to the welfare and sustenance of this   "restriction  " called myself.  As do most of the fortunate ones who dont let existential issues adulterate their unbridled romance with the  mundane. This restricted  locus of consciousness then embarks on a quest for gratification of itself . A few disappointments later, the why comes back with a renewed vengeance. The program of consciousness might have an inherent default setting that precludes any queries about itself.  Like the finger that touches everything unable to touch itself.  Can the sensation of touch ever be touched ? Ouch.  Touched a raw nerve.  I quickly exit the "touch me not " zone. A touchy affair. Best avoided. A call from a patient brings back semblance of control.  And a purpose, albeit temporary .  Relieving a person in pain, a very noble, divine act. I am filled with a sense of propriety, a sense of superiority as I watch the lady of the house burying herself in  apparently meaningless chores.  I realise, the different wrappings become a  cause of comparison and  subsequently  generate an ego that momentarily satiates this "why". Caress the present layer, and stem this onslaught of existential probity. Is this ego a vestige ? An oversight of evolution ?  Does  it need a separate evolutionary process?   The ego rebels and suddenly, asserts itself like never before.  The universe exists because I am perceiving it. The quantum world supports this viewpoint perfectly. Nothing exists until  it is observed . I am the cognising entity that creates and sustains the entire universe. Brilliant. I am the centre and creator of my universe. Wow. Suddenly, one of the four universal truths of the Upanishads flashes in front of my eyes. " Aham Brahmaasami" The brahma dwells within myself.  Brahma is the awareness that cognises. The master program that simultaneously cognises the self and the universe. The awareness that can cognise the fact that it is cognising . This awareness manifesting simultaneously as the observer, observed and observation.   Consciousness  that can generate a conviction in this apparition of identities that it has created. The finger , until it touches something,  merely has the potential to perceive . If there is nothing to touch, it is left with no option but find a way to touch itself. Eureka. Creation is merely awareness becoming aware of itself by touching itself. The finger has nothing to touch so it creates an imaginary extension of itself to touch, and exults in its perceptive abilities. The "why" melts away into an epiphany. Doing something  purposelessly  also can have a purpose .  Cause effect have an existence only in chronology. They are meaningless when simultaneous.  An empty pot hanging in the  air .  The pot merely generating a sense of separateness for the air it segregates. The pot breaks. What happens to the air whilst it was in the pot before the pot broke and after it broke ?  Nothing ever happens. Just the sense of separateness ends. The layers that separated "amness" as a separate entity peeled off. The eternal question remains " can I peel these layers voluntarily ?"  " Can the air within connect with the air without with the pot being intact ?" Dr. Deepak M. Ranade