Understanding clear view is like this:

I. A handshake that never ends (where our arms extend out into infinity).
Commentary: When we decide to view ourselves as connected to an inconceivable network of people and possibilities, we shake hands and link with spiritual champions and mentors. This link engenders connection – inclusivity, friendship, and peace. It extends through us and out to infinite spaces and is an open invitation to all. Simultaneously, as we vow to learn and hold this view and vow to teach this view to those who are open to learning it, we literally reach out into as yet uncharted territory and infuse it with friendship. Essentially, our first handshake is about forming a bond with all the mentors who have come before us. It starts with a wish to become acquainted with our lineage – and later flowers into a genuine friendship.
How does this happen? When we ignite and then reinforce our sincere wish for clear view, it is initially because our lives don’t make sense. Given the choice, we would probably all prefer to live lives that make sense rather than lives that are confusing and frustrating. Wishing for clear view is a kind of prayer to make sense of our lives – a prayer that is inevitably heard by the spiritual champions and mentors that inhabit such a view. If we call persistently enough, someone will answer the phone. When the prayer for clear view is answered, we experience our first handshake with the mentor, and the connection is forged – a channel through which energy and information can flow. These precious beings inhabiting clear view are like infinite reservoirs – fountains of clear thought, speech, and action that we can drawn upon forever, once our own commitment to become a reservoir of clarity for others has been sealed in our hearts.

II. A handshake with every single person that exists all at once.
Commentary: When we decide to view ourselves as connected to an inconceivable network of people and possibilities, we shake hands with countless beings, and becoming friends with them, we naturally extend an invitation to play. We do this, because as we begin to relate to others with more intimacy and sensitivity, we begin to feel their pain as our own, and we begin to understand not only our inherent connectivity, but also our literal dependence on the state of health of the entire “hand-shake network”. The more we consistently offer these invitations to play and collaborate, we literally lighten the burden of all of our friends.
When we consistently practice inhabiting the view that everything we experience originates in other people and factors, the mundane starts to become magical. We remember that every breath we inhale depends on the presence and quality of the air, that every word we speak depends on all the other people in society speaking that language, that every single experience is only possible due to gravity, our parents, the sun, electricity, doctors, teachers, garbage collectors – that our lives are only possible because of these (and billions of other) causes and conditions. When we actually sit down to contemplate, visualize, and feel our connection to all these things, it is as though we are shaking all hands everywhere – like plugging ourselves in to a net of subatomic fibers connecting every single particle in the universe. One tiny change or movement affects the entire unit – and the existence of each part depends entirely upon all other parts. Realizing this, the only thing that makes sense to do is to devote our every thought, word, and action to the service and benefit of all others with whom we are infinitely interwoven – our friends, spread out all over the place!

III. A handshake with our right and left hand connected to every single person that exists – simultaneously shaking the other person’s right and left hand.
Commentary: When we decide to view ourselves as connected to an inconceivable network of people and possibilities, we begin to stimulate all of our energies – masculine and feminine, sun and moon, active and passive, heating and cooling. If we were to bring our “whole selves” to the table, it’s obvious that we would be more prepared for play or more capable to respond constructively to adversity. Demonstrating elite skill or unwavering perseverance, we also encourage our friends to participate fully in their own lives, setting off a chain reaction akin to extending the same type of invitation to countless others.
What would it feel like to “use both hands”, then? In a way, we’ve already been doing this – for example, is life happening “only in our minds”? On the other hand, is it happening “only in our bodies”? Of course not! We are constantly experiencing “inner” and “outer” processes – the “subtle” and the “manifest” are ever-present and simultaneously occurring. The only question is of improving and refining the coordination between these processes. For example, how can we develop coordination and synchronization in our body, speech, and mind? How often do we do what we say we will do? How well can we execute an idea? “Using both hands” is a commitment to fully engage with life and to deepen our competence in order to better serve and benefit others.

IV. An embrace around the circumference of Earth, where we hold hands and extend our arms to form a protective ring around the planet.
Commentary: When we decide to view ourselves as connected to an inconceivable network of people and possibilities, we foster the flow of protective and ennobling energy. We imagine ourselves as doing the ultimate deed for countless beings and embrace our planet, with open arms, as a force for good – educating it, empowering it, and purifying it – thereby shielding it from harmful actions that have their roots in fear and ignorance.
The force of the realization of our precious connection to others motivates us to protect, serve, benefit, and educate whomsoever we can in whatever ways are possible. When we identify with others as parts of ourselves, we naturally feel their joys and sorrows as our own. In so doing, we celebrate what is to be celebrated, but more importantly, naturally take action to eradicate the root causes of the fear and ignorance that stifle our friends’ development.
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