Dr. Vijai S Shankar MD.PhD.
Published on www.academy-advaita.com
The Netherlands

30 November 2018

Important

“Time”


Humans believe and are convinced as well that everything that they do needs numerical time-duration to do them. Humans do various things such as: work, games, meetings, travel, household duties, shopping, taking care of children, tidying the house or the garden, etc. 

Humans know that even planning to do any of the above, also requires numerical time-duration to do it. If the planning does work out, it emphasises the importance of planning. When things that humans are capable of doing do not work out as planned, it emphasises the importance of meticulous planning.

Everything that a human does involves movements. Everything that a human does is known by a thought and as a thought. Everything that a human does is not known by movements, because even a movement is known as a thought.

Most importantly, everything that a human does and can do is known because of memory and a human does not control his memory. Memory too is full of thoughts and not full of movements. Memory is full of movements as thoughts.

Now, a moment in the mind is followed by another moment. Now, in between a moment and the next in the mind is a moment as well. This implies that a thought is in the moment in the mind only intermittently and not continuously in every moment in the mind. Also, numerical time-duration present within a moment in the mind or in life is not known by humans.

It is obvious that, if thoughts were present in every moment in the mind, the mind would be unable to bear the strain of thoughts. The mind needs to rest and therefore life has manifested thoughts only intermittently in the mind.

Now, every moment happens precisely when it is meant to happen. This is because in between one moment and the next is a moment as well. This signifies that a movement is in the moment where it is meant to be present. Furthermore, the intermittent thought of the movement is present in the moment where it is meant to be present.

This signifies that, in a particular moment, there is a movement and a thought as well. Now, brain scans reveal that decisions happen seconds before man decides. The scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences reveal that human decisions are made seven seconds before humans become aware of them. 

In the study, participants could freely decide if they wanted to press a button with their right hand or left hand. The only condition was that they had to remember when they made the decision to use either their right hand or left hand. Using FMRI, researchers scanned the brains of the participants to find out if they could predict which hand the participants would use before participants were consciously aware of the decision. 

The results, by monitoring the micro patterns of activity in the front-polar cortex, were that the researchers could predict which hand the participant would choose seven seconds before the participant was aware of the decision. Wisdom reveals that this is proof that man neither decides nor predicts nor predetermines anything that he does. Wisdom reveals that even the movement of the hand to press the button happens and neither the brain nor a thought makes the movement happen in the moment. 

Wisdom further reveals that the thought of the movement happens in the moment after the movement in the moment has happened. This signifies that thoughts are later and not together with the movement in the moment.

Wisdom, therefore, reveals that everything man believes he does requires neither numerical time-duration nor planning. And also that man is a doer is illusory and not real, including anything that he does. This is because there is only movement in any moment.

Sri Ramana Maharishi has declared that what is meant to happen, albeit illusory, will happen. Sri Adi Shankaracharya has declared that man is not the doer in Nirvanashadakam. Kenopanishad verse (1.3) declares that Word and mind cannot access the Absolute One. Bhagwat Gita chapter 3 verse 27 declares that man is not the doer. 

The enlightened understand that the movement in any moment is instinct and is manifested by the intelligence in life and that it is done neither by man nor by his brain nor by a thought of planning. The enlightened have declared that what is meant to happen, albeit illusory, will happen and that life is a singular movement of light, sound and colour in eternal time, which is non-numerical.

Author: Dr. Vijai S. Shankar
© Copyright V. S. Shankar 2018

Editor’s note:
The intelligence of life, for which there is a growing appreciation and understanding, provides every detail for living for every individual and every community. This is as it is meant to be. The entirety of this provision, however, is an illusion, although this is only realized to be an illusion through the wisdom of enlightened beings. As the understanding of man grows, thus loosening the adamantine grip of the conditioned mind, he and she begin to experience a new freedom from old beliefs and ideas. The conviction in personal responsibility for successes and failures, for accuracy and error begins to dissolve and the need to repeat such slogans as ‘I’m so sorry’ and ‘it’s your fault’ may be seen for what it is. Such is man’s journey towards self-realisation.
Julian Capper, UK.

back to articles page