What is mine?

Chow: What is mine?

Old man: I do not know. I can't give meaning to something which is unreal.

Chow: What do you mean?

Old man: The idea of "my", "mine", and "me" arose out of your idea of the "I". And because the "I" is not real, thus everything that arose from it must therefore be equally unreal as well.

Chow: Why is the "I" unreal?

Old man: The "I" exist as long as you continue to identify yourself as a separate entity from the universe. Because you still think that there is the seer and the seen thus arose the idea of an "I", "mine", "me" or "you", "yours" etc. But in reality, this distinction is not there. We are one with the universe. On the plane of existence, "I" is the mirror image of "you". It is because "you" exist that "I" can. The existence of the "I" depends on the "you". They are not a "thing-in-itself". And like I've told you before, everything that connotes duality must not be real. They are nothing but a reality misapprehended.

Chow: If the "you" and "I" is not real, then why do we continue to use it everyday?

Old man: Because you still need the "you" and "I" in everyday conversations for the sake of pragmatism, just so that the world can continue to function. The problem however, is not with the word itself, the problem is your attachment to the "I".

Chow: This is absurd! If there is no "I", then obviously other words such as "my", "mine" and "me" loses its meaning!

Old man: That is correct.

Chow: So are you saying that there is no "my", no "mine" and no "me"?

Old man: That is correct.

Chow: And if there is no "my", no "mine" and no "me", then obviously "I" can't own anything!

Old man: That is correct.

Chow takes out his cellphone and place it in front of the old man.

Chow: I bought this phone yesterday and I still have the receipt with me. This is MY phone and I own it! And if I can buy a phone and limit its use exclusively to ME, then what is stopping me from owning it?

The old man takes the phone in his hands, and tossed it far out into the ocean.

Chow: What the fuck are you doing!?? That is MY phone!!

Old man: No. That is not your phone. Now it belongs to the ocean and all its inhabitants.

Chow: Thats because you fucking threw it into the fucking sea!

Old man: But if the phone is truly "yours" and "yours alone", how did I manage to throw it away?

Chow: So... So nothing is mine?

Old man: In reality, we are one with the universe. Nothing, and everything is yours.