That's the illusion. What the body/mind sees and interacts with is its own vast and mysterious unified field of being. We can call it "THAT," or "the Vastness," or "Oneness," or "God" in order to point it out, but it is beyond the mind's comprehension, and no words or thoughts can remotely describe it. THAT is what "what is" is, and THAT is what sees "what is." We could say that THAT includes both the observer and the observed, but even that statement implies a subtle separation into two imaginary states, and there is no such separation.
I am always amused by people who think that Buddhism and other paths of nonduality are forms of atheism. They usually jump to this conclusion because the Buddha never talked about God and the word "God" is rarely mentioned in eastern religions. You may have heard the following story, but it's worth repeating:
One time a layman asked for an audience with the Buddha and said to him, "I only have one question that I desperately need answered, a question that has consumed me for many years. Is there a God?" The Buddha remained totally silent, and simply looked at the man. After several long moments, the man's face suddenly lit up and shone with radiance. Filled with joy and gratitude, he bowed to the ground before the Buddha and said, "Thank you, thank you, thank you." He then got up and enthusiastically took his leave of the Buddha still radiating his happiness and joy.
The Buddha's disciples were mystified at what they had seen, and one his disciples said, "What did that man understand from your silence that made him so happy?" The Buddha replied, "Sometimes a horse only has to see the shadow of the whip."
This response came from an earlier teaching of the Buddha during which he said, "There are four kinds of horses. Some horses have to be whipped strongly to get them to move in the correct direction; some horses have to be whipped modestly; a few horses only need to feel the lightest flickering touch of the whip; but the finest horses are so sensitive that they only need to see the shadow of the whip."
I am always amused by people who think that Buddhism and other paths of nonduality are forms of atheism. They usually jump to this conclusion because the Buddha never talked about God and the word "God" is rarely mentioned in eastern religions. You may have heard the following story, but it's worth repeating:
One time a layman asked for an audience with the Buddha and said to him, "I only have one question that I desperately need answered, a question that has consumed me for many years. Is there a God?" The Buddha remained totally silent, and simply looked at the man. After several long moments, the man's face suddenly lit up and shone with radiance. Filled with joy and gratitude, he bowed to the ground before the Buddha and said, "Thank you, thank you, thank you." He then got up and enthusiastically took his leave of the Buddha still radiating his happiness and joy.
The Buddha's disciples were mystified at what they had seen, and one his disciples said, "What did that man understand from your silence that made him so happy?" The Buddha replied, "Sometimes a horse only has to see the shadow of the whip."
This response came from an earlier teaching of the Buddha during which he said, "There are four kinds of horses. Some horses have to be whipped strongly to get them to move in the correct direction; some horses have to be whipped modestly; a few horses only need to feel the lightest flickering touch of the whip; but the finest horses are so sensitive that they only need to see the shadow of the whip."
