Dr. Vijai S Shankar MD.PhD.
Published on www.academy-advaita.com
The Netherlands
10th May 2016
Do
“A belief”
Man believes that he can do and that others can do as well. Man wants to do and wishes to do as well and it is also the same with others. The mind is conditioned to this belief as the truth and it is the truth to man.
History records also indicate that man can do and to reason and logic it is the truth. Historical records of scriptures and statements by the enlightened indicate that man is not the doer, which cannot be understood by reason and logic by every man.
But historical records that man can do cannot be denied and so too that man is not the doer, written in scriptures and declared by the enlightened in historical records, cannot be denied either. So how is the historical record that man can do and cannot do to be understood?
The historical record has to be deeply understood with reason and logic to set the record straight.
Man does not do seeing, but yet seeing happens to man. Man does not do hearing, but yet hearing happens to man. Man does not do tasting, but yet taste happens to man. Man does not do smelling, but yet smell happens to man. Man does not do touching, but yet touch happens to man.
Man does not do walking, but yet walking happens to man since he was a child, and nobody taught the first primitive, human child to walk. Man does not know when his next step will be; the next step just happens.
Man does not do speaking, but yet speaking happens to man since he was a child, and nobody taught the first primitive, human child to speak. Man does not know when or what his primary word and next word will be; the primary and the next word just happen.
Man does not do thinking, but yet thinking happens to man since he was a child and nobody taught the first primitive, human child to think. Man does not know when or what his primary thought and next thought will be; the primary and the next thought just happen.
Furthermore, an act cannot be seen in its entirety in life. Neither can speaking nor thinking be seen as an act in its entirety in life.
Therefore, the historical scriptures and the declaration by the enlightened are obviously true by deep reason and logic. This proves that the historical belief that man can do is illusory and not real.
By this wise understanding that life happens as the way it is meant to happen, man will trust life and will be contented and at ease not only with himself, but with others as well, in every moment of his or her daily life.
Author: Dr. Vijai S. Shankar
© Copyright V. S. Shankar 2016
Editor’s Note:
The companions of ‘I do’ are many; there are no companions of ‘life happens the way it is meant to happen’. The belief of conditioned mind that ‘I do’ is accompanied by the belief that ‘I can do’, ‘I wish to do’ and ‘I must do’. Its companions come in pairs, such as: hope and fear; success and failure; triumph and despair; victory and defeat; joy and grief; friend and enemy; confidence and doubt. All illusory though. The understanding that ‘life happens the way it is meant to happen’, the gift of wisdom, has no companions. It is eternity.
Julian Capper, UK
German Translator’s Note:
„To do“ is the most persistent illusion in our lifes. We don’t believe that man is not the doer, when we hear it proclaimed by the enlightened. Then, if we are lucky, we begin to doubt our multiplied beliefs that „I do“, „you do“, „he does“, „she does“, „it does“, „we do“, „you do“ and „they do“. Every single thought which happens to us in daily life is challenged and becomes a challenge. The guidance of the wise, as it happens here in this article, is a priceless gift for every one of us to provide a deeper understanding based on reason and logic.
Marcus Stegmaier, Germany.