Dr. Vijai S Shankar MD.PhD.
Published on www.academy-advaita.com
The Netherlands
12 October 2019
Art (5)
“Intelligence in life”
Artificial or superficial literature does not lead man to his true identity. There is, however, a deeper literature that leads man to his true identity, which can never be known or become the known.
This literature belongs to an enlightened being. This literature happens the moment man understands that all languages are merely sounds and that these sounds project illusory words with their meaning to create an illusory art, called mental life!
The moment it is understood that literature is nothing but sound, man will spontaneously, uncontrollably and unpredictably slip into creative or deep literature, which is a thoughtless state existing in the timeless ‘now’ and the nameless ‘here’.
With this deep literature man has no identity. Man no longer remains a man; he becomes a mystic – the mysterious one, an enlightened being! Enlightenment is ‘real’ art!
Thinking and speaking, like writing, happen to man. He cannot bring about thinking or speaking just as he cannot bring about painting etc. Man cannot bring them about because they are manifested by the intelligence of life in the moment as an illusion of a singular movement of life.
Thinking and speaking are subtle and gross sounds respectively that happen to man and this gives rise to an auditory illusion of words and meanings. Thoughts are in constant movement within the mind intermittently.
Thoughts occur spontaneously, uncontrollably and unpredictably to man. He cannot pinpoint precisely when thinking or speaking will happen to him or what he will think or speak.
This is why thinking and speaking are very sophisticated forms of art. They have been developed from rudimentary sounds emitted by vegetation and the animal kingdom.
Vegetation and the animal kingdom do not have any control over the sounds that they make and so too man has no control over what he thinks or speaks. If he did have control, then he would most certainly think and speak what he would like to think or speak.
If such were the case, then there would never be a possibility of a drama taking place. Man would be bored and life would not have an artistic flavour. It would still be art but without the zest!
If man were able to think, then he would very well know how to stop it! He could be thoughtless eternally and enlightenment, which is a thoughtless state, would be at man’s beckoning!
This is just not possible because man cannot get enlightened even if he wants to get enlightened. The enlightened do not know that they are enlightened.
Author: Dr. Vijai S. Shankar.
© Copyright V. S. Shankar 2019
Editor’s Note:
In every generation there have been and are now men and women of every station who seek to understand the origin and meaning of life and to know who they really are, their real identity. The intelligence of life has provided many opportunities for help in this quest. Many have dedicated their lives for this. These opportunities have attracted speakers, writers and thinkers who offer their understanding of illusion and reality, both the many driven by personal ambition – the ego – and the few who are enlightened. The realisation that man is not the doer, including the doing of traditional, spiritual practices, may release man from chains of adamant. The enlightened are without chains.
Julian Capper.UK