The “Christ in you” does not mean Jesus of Nazareth (the man who lived 2000 years ago) is in you. If the “Christ in you” refers to Jesus of Nazareth (the man who lived 2000 years ago), can someone please explain to me practically what that even means? When you really start to think about it, it makes absolutely no sense.

When Jesus told his disciples in John 14:20 that he was in them and that they are in him, I believe that what he was saying here was that who he really is (beyond physical form and the finite mind) is who his disciples really are (beyond physical form and the finite mind). One of the first experiences of awakening is the recognition of the True Self which is the infinite, eternal essence of Being beyond thought and form. The True Self is Pure Awareness (Infinite Being). The True Self is also One, meaning there are not many separate true selves; there is only One of us. Schrodinger said, “Consciousness is a singular of which the plural is unknown.”

Ram Dass said something once that I believe is essentially the same thing Jesus is saying here in John 14:20 (and in other places). Ram Dass said, “If I go into the place in myself that is love, and you go into the place in yourself that is love, we are together in love. Then you and I are truly in love, the state of being love. That’s the entrance to Oneness. That’s the space I entered when I met my guru.”

From the ancient mystics to modern physics (quantum), we have learned that consciousness is fundamental, meaning consciousness is not a product of the material world, but rather, the material world (all matter and forces of the universe) arises from an infinite field of energy; a sea of Pure Consciousness. And this sea of Pure Consciousness is, fundamentally, what we are.

Some ancient names that have been given to this infinite field of energy are: “Brahman,” “Emptiness,” “The Void,” “the Tao,” “Kingdom of Heaven,” and “The Christ.” People tend to get dogmatic and defensive about the particular name, but let me assure you, when we start talking about that which is beyond all words and thought, the name we give it really doesn’t matter. Each tradition has its own name for it, and while the names are different, they all point to the same ineffable reality.

When we start to understand the nature and reality of Pure Consciousness, mystical sayings like “the Christ in you,” “we are all one in Christ,” and “Christ is all and in all” start to make sense. This is how I am in Jesus, and Jesus is in me. What Jesus is is Pure Consciousness. What I am is Pure Consciousness. This is true for everyone. And if you don’t like the phrase “Pure Consciousness,” you could just say “Spirit.” And as St. Paul pointed out, there is only One Spirit (Ephesians 4:4).