Bodhisattva 2: Tune In — Tat Tvam Asi

The title of this image pays homage to one of the Vedic mayahavakyas (great sayings) – Tat tvam asi – and to Leary’s second step towards enlightenment – TUNE IN.

“’Tune in’ meant interact harmoniously with the world around you – externalize, materialize, express your new internal perspectives.”
– Timothy Leary, FLASHBACKS (1983)

In Hinduism, tat tvam asi (literally translated as Thou Art That) expresses the relationship between the individual and the Absolute. The statement is frequently repeated in the sixth chapter of the Chandogya Upanishad (c. 600 BCE) as the teacher Uddalaka Aruni instructs his son in the nature of brahman, the supreme reality. The principle of the teaching is best illustrated by the parable wherein the Student asks the Teacher: “How then, should we treat others?” And the Teacher responds: “There is no Other.”