Interdependent Originations and our Situation in the World

In this article I am writing about the  interdependent originations and our situation in the world , based on the teachings of Master Padmasambhava at a recent conference.[1]

Overcoming the Illusion of Separation in the Mind

Master Padmasambhava taught us about the interdependent originations of everything manifesting in the world of form: everything is interconnected.

Everything is also always flowing in what the masters call 'the river of life' because every created being has an inherent drive to become more; life never stands still. However, there are countless causes interacting with each other at any given moment, producing effects that can be perceived by our senses.

Therefore, the idea of a single cause producing a certain effect is an illusion created by the ‘separate mind’. There are never any single causes of events; rather, there are always interdependent origins or 'causes' of phenomena in this world.

Spiritual students must understand this because, in order to progress on the spiritual path, it is necessary to access a consciousness beyond the ego's dualistic consciousness.

The separate mind only connects to sensory appearances: 'When we see beings and things as separate from ourselves, we align our minds with the sensory perceptions and external influences.'. »[2]

At this level of consciousness, we are unable to grasp the truth that everything is interconnected; we can only accept that we live in a world of separate beings.

This leads us to believe that we can only change our situation by altering external circumstances and other people.

We believe that, if we want to change our situation in the world, we must act upon the external world and change other people's minds.

 However, as Master Padmasambhava says, «by doing this we are only limiting our power’s mind».

If we Change our Minds, we change our Situation.

But do we have the power to change anything in this world? If we connect our consciousness to the Christ Mind within us and shift our identification from the outer self to our spiritual awareness of the 'I Am' presence — the 'conscious you' — then there is something we can do.

«We are no longer limited by the physical body and can use the three levels of our mind to transform the origins of the situation.»[3]

Everything is consciousness. «If we are unable to change the situation affecting us, there is one thing we can change. We can change our position within it.» .[4]

This does not mean that we can change the external circumstances resulting from the free will of eight billion human beings, but by changing the way we interact with the whole, we can attract a new manifestation of our situation by flowing with the River of Life.

Depending on the interdependent originations at the time, the external situation can change or not. However, as Master Padmasambhava says, «If we change our mindset, we will unfold in relation to that situation. Therefore, we will move and flow with life, and it will develop differently because we have changed our mindset..»[5]

The interdependent originations clearly show us that we are all part of the whole. Therefore, when we change our minds, this change also affects the whole, meaning that our situation will not remain the same. Some obstacles may disappear, adapting to our new state of consciousness.

As Master Gautama taught us, it is impossible to predict exactly how a situation will unfold when we change our minds. However, since external conditions are a product of the mind, changing our minds means we will not experience the situation in the same way as before.

Sometimes, this is all that is needed.

[1]  Raising Above Superiority/Inferiority Duality, conference through the messenger Kim Michaels, June 2025

[2] Padmasambhava’s discourse, from my notes on the discourse.

[3] Ibid.

[4] Ibid.

[5] Ibid.