Dr. Vijai S Shankar MD.PhD.
Published on www.academy-advaita.com
The Netherlands
15 April 2021
Appearance
“Exists”
What humans perceive through their sense of sight, words, taste, smell and touch is that which appears to exist. Every man and woman takes what appears to exist to be real. This information is known as knowledge.
To wisdom, however, real means it does not change and it is permanent. Everything that is perceived and known by knowledge is real to man and woman. The appearance of the real perceived by knowledge nevertheless changes and is not permanent.
To wisdom, the appearance perceived by the senses is illusory and not real because the appearance changes and is temporary. The mirror points to what that could be which appears to the senses is.
The mirror is made up of glass. The glass reflects an appearance of anything placed before it. Every atom of glass is light and not glass. This signifies that light as glass reflects an appearance of anything placed before it.
Similarly, every speck of everything that is perceived is made up of atoms and atoms are light. This implies that light placed before a mirror appears as that which is reflected by the mirror.
Humans as man, woman and child are made up of water, air, fire, earth in time and space. This signifies that the five elements are in the moment because humans are in the moment. Their appearance in space changes over time and is therefore illusory and not real.
This has profound implications on knowledge of the appearance of things that exist in life.
Wisdom reveals that light appears as matter, which is reflected in the mind, because every atom in matter is light and not matter. Light appears as water, which is reflected in the mind because every atom in water is light and not water.
Wisdom reveals that light appears as air, which is reflected in the mind because every atom in air is light and not air. Light appears as fire, which is reflected in the mind because every atom in fire is light and not fire. Similarly, light appears as space and time.
Movement of matter, vegetation, animals and humans produces sound. This signifies that light appears as sound and they are together and not separate from each other or separate from matter, vegetation, animals and humans in space and time.
The enlightened have rightly stated that life is a play of light and sound, which are together and not separate. This signifies oneness or God.
Author: Dr. Vijai S. Shankar
© Copyright V. S. Shankar 2021
Editor’s Note:
How mysterious is that which is named as life. Every animate being that is alive values life, especially its own life, beyond anything that exists. This is demonstrated by the movements it makes or seems to make to protect that life from harm. This is instinctive movement that may be triggered in any living being from the simplest plant to an evolved human being. Furthermore, human beings walk about in a world that is illusory, with the almost invincible conviction that it is real, meaning that it is as it appears in front of them. This is the land of duality which men and women inhabit, where what I see and believe is real and what you see and believe is not, if it is not the same. We are blessed that the intelligence of life reveals in wisdom that man is already enlightened. Striving to become enlightened is the product of mind that is conditioned.
Julian Capper, UK.
German Translator‘s Note:
The mind is a magical mirror that reflects what is not present as reality and yet exists. The five elements appear as humans, animals, plants and objects of all kinds. And it is only light that reflects itself, not the five elements as real. The mind is the screen of an illusory show that life offers to man and woman, whether they like it or not. The show reflects separation, not oneness. Therefore, humans find themselves in conflict with themselves, with others, with their own and their appearance of world, which means "the world as such" to him or her. In rare cases, life brings a man or woman to realize that the content of the mirror mind is not the real, but illusory. The wise, as in this illuminating article do not reject appearances, but appreciate the function of the mind to convey an appearance perfectly designed by life to appear real while it is not. For such a human, there is no conflict of any kind, for he or she lives oneness while being fully aware that what he or she experiences in the mysterious mirror mind is illusory duality. Realizing this is the potential of every newborn child.
Marcus Stegmaier, Germany.