1. Modern science says that all sentient beings and non-sentient objects are made of the same building blocks called atoms. So we are fundamentally the same!
2. All human beings have the same physical bodily structures (eyes, ears, nose, and so on), same challenges (from childhood to old age), same needs (emotional, physical) and so on. So we are all the same!
3. Human beings and other sentient beings (especially mammals) have the same physical structure (eyes, ears, nose, and so on), same challenges (from childhood to old age), same needs (emotional, physical), and so on. So we are all the same!

The 'sameness' approaches outlined above can be tools for generating compassion, which results in a positive state of mind. However, note that the concept of Oneness outlined in Three Properties (that the beings, the objects and the mental phenomena appearing in our experience do not have their own independent existence; that they occur in us just like a dream occurs in us) is quite distinct from the 'sameness' approaches described above.

The idea below was taught in a class called 'Cultivation of Compassion' at Stanford in 2012:

The concept of 'interconnectedness' outlined above can be a tool for developing gratitude, which results in a positive state of mind. However, note that the concept of Oneness outlined in Three Properties (that the beings, the objects and the mental phenomena appearing in our experience do not have their own independent existence; that they occur in us just like a dream occurs in us) is quite distinct from the concept of 'interconnectedness' described above.

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