Understanding the Three Principles—and Ourselves

The three principles are not a method or a program for improving one’s life. They are a profound yet simple understanding of how we experience life and who we are beyond our thoughts, feelings, and beliefs.

– By Natasha Swerdloff

Exploring The Three Principles is a journey of discovery that requires neither special abilities, techniques, nor spiritual ambitions. All you need is curiosity and openness, and you will discover that what you long for is not far away, but already within you.

When we begin to take an interest in the three principles, we may think we are faced with a new philosophy or a new system that can help us get our lives in order. But that is not what the principles point to.

They are not a technique we need to learn. Nor are they a way to escape the human experience of ups and downs. They are a simple description of how the experience of life arises within us. This happens through forces we are born with, which are at work within us whether we are aware of them or not.

Thought, consciousness, and life force are the three fundamental principles or forces behind all human experience. We experience life through thoughts that take shape in our consciousness, and underlying it all is the living, intelligent energy that animates everything. These forces are at work within us all the time, whether we are aware of it or not.

There's no vaccine against being human

But this understanding doesn’t just explain how we function. It also points to something deeper: that who we truly are goes far beyond thoughts, feelings, and personality. That within us there is a calmness, a clarity, an intelligence, and a love that don’t come and go—but are always present. Just beneath the surface.

We might think that once we understand the three principles, we’ll stop having problems—that we’ll no longer feel sad, frustrated, afraid, or angry. But that’s not how it works. The three principles aren’t a vaccine against being human.

Understanding does not take away our emotions. Nor does it turn us into more “spiritual” versions of ourselves who walk around smiling all the time. What it does is far more powerful: It helps us recognize what it means to be human and to know who we are behind all our thoughts, feelings, and experiences.

When we begin to understand where our experience comes from, we’re no longer so afraid of facing difficulties. We find the courage to be present in life, just as it is right now—without having to correct, fix, or run away. What seemed like a problem settles on its own once we understand how the mind works.

Insight—something we discover

The path to greater freedom and clarity begins with seeing something in a new way. Understanding grows within us in the form of insights that emerge little by little.

Not in the form of steps we take to improve ourselves, but as moments when we see something new. Moments when something falls away and something deeper comes to the fore. We realize that we’ve always been part of something bigger—we just didn’t notice it.

At first, it may seem as though these principles are something we must understand with our minds. But the more we calm down and listen inwardly, the more we feel a sense of being at home within ourselves. And suddenly we realize that we have never been away. We realize that, at our core, wearethought, consciousness, and life energy.

As I said, that doesn’t mean the human aspects of life lose their meaning and value. We’re here to be human—alive, not perfect. Real people with thoughts, feelings, relationships, and choices.

We are both human and infinite

With deeper understanding, and with more love and ease, we can more readily experience the present moment. By understanding our own design, we can be fully present in human life, exactly as it is, while knowing that we are connected to something greater.

Because we are both the infinite and the human. One does not exclude the other. When we know who we are beyond our thoughts, life becomes more authentic, warm, and free. 

The freedom that comes with this understanding may make us want to share it with others. That’s only natural. We feel a love for the truth and a natural impulse from within to point others in the direction of what we have seen. We can do this without trying to convince others—but also without belittling ourselves or hiding behind false humility. We stand by what we know.

Returning to Ourselves

So these three principles aren’t about learning something new. They’re about remembering what we already know. They’re about returning to the peace, clarity, and love that we’ve all encountered within ourselves before, and that await us just beneath our thoughts.

When we see this—even for just a moment—we find peace. Not because the outside world changes, but because we see our existence with fresh eyes and realize that peace and clarityareour very essence.

Living with this understanding does not, therefore, make life problem-free. Rather, it is an awakening that leads us deeper into the human condition—a gentle realization that we are all connected to something deeper, something imperishable, that is always with us.

When we see this, life becomes easier, more beautiful, richer, and more meaningful. Not because we change anything, but because we see with clarity.