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

20th August 2018

Mystery

“Life”


Mystery means something that is difficult to understand or explain, for example, the nature of life. The nature of life is a mystery to man. The nature of life, which has different actions and thoughts separate from each other, is explained by knowledge that they are due to cause and effect.

Knowledge, however, does not explain the cause of the first cause in life or the cause of the first effect in life.

Knowledge that has evolved in humans merely assumes that cause and effect are the nature of life. It is unable to explain either the nature of life or the cause of cause and effect in life. 

Though knowledge that has evolved assumes cause and effect as the nature in life, knowledge does not enable man to be calm, steady and patient in life. Knowledge trusts the mind and not life as it is.

Life is nevertheless a mystery to knowledge and it tries to solve the mystery of life in order to be calm and steady in life. Knowledge, however, has not been successful in solving the mystery of life.

Wisdom lives the mystery of life and does not try to solve the mystery of life. 

Wisdom enables man to be calm, steady and patient, with trust in life, in every moment. So what is the wisdom of mystery of life that enables man to be calm, steady and patient, with trust in life, in every moment is to be pondered.

Knowledge reveals that whatever happens in the moment in life is due to cause and effect. But knowledge is yet to determine the cause of any moment in life. Knowledge takes a moment for granted and does not know the cause of any moment in life.

It is obvious to wisdom that, if the cause of a moment is not known, the cause of anything that happens within the moment cannot be known either. This obvious conclusion by wisdom is not understood by knowledge. Therefore, knowledge continues to solve the mystery of life that happens every moment.

Wisdom, however, reveals that every moment in life renews itself and in between a moment in the mind and in life is moment as well. This signifies that a moment in life and in the mind is eternal.

Wisdom also reveals that, intermittently in the mind, sound is transformed as illusory words, which imply cause and effect and duality. Wisdom also reveals that whatever is within the moment as cause and effect and duality is what it is, albeit illusory and cannot be other than what is in the moment. 

Wisdom realises that life is a mysterious, illusory flow. Therefore, wisdom lives the mysterious flow of life that happens every moment and does not try to solve the flow at any moment. 

The enlightened live life that happens to them and do not try to solve the mystery of life. This is because they realise that problems and solutions are included in the mysterious flow of life and they will happen if they are meant to happen.

The enlightened are calm, steady and patient and trust life in every moment.

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

Editor’s Note:
Steadiness, calmness and patience are qualities sought after by human beings. When these features are reflected in daily activities and relationships, they are readily recognised and welcomed. When they are not, efforts are made, both spiritual and even medicinal, to achieve them. Deep understanding of life, however, is offered in this article by the wisdom of enlightened beings such that man’s trust in every moment of his or her life, as it is meant to be, is strengthened.
Julian Capper, UK. 

German Translator`s Note:
While the educated have tried for millennia and continue to try to solve the mystery of life, or at least to understand at least bit by bit, the enlightened have made no effort to continue to divide life into partially explainable and sometimes mysterious. The wise, like Dr. Shankar in this article "Mystery", acknowledge that really every aspect of daily life is a mystery. The mind will never explain this mystery as a whole. Therefore, knowledge about the mystery of life always remains incomplete and contradictory. By enlightenment the mystery is lived and not tried to solve it. As a natural consequence of the wise understanding that the mystery of live cannot be solved, one lives unconditionally in every moment in trust to the mystery of illusory flow of life. 
Marcus Stegmaier, Germany

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