Dr. Vijai S Shankar MD.PhD.
Published on www.academy-advaita.com
The Netherlands
17th May 2017
Range
“Everyone and Everything”
Everyone and everything that is known exists on earth within a range. Beliefs, behaviour, feelings, including their intensity that is known, exist within a range. The seasons in nature, which are known, exist within a range as well. The range varies from minimum to maximum.
The range of structure, texture, shape, size, taste and colour of a plant, tree, leaves, flower and fruit varies from minimum to maximum. The form, shape, type, size, behaviour and movements of animals range from minimum to maximum as well.
Similarly, the range of form, shape, type, size, language and feelings, including their intensity, behaviour and movements of humans exist in a range from minimum to maximum.
Humans believe that they can change themselves and the other as well from who he or she is to who they expect the other to be. But humans can neither choose nor decide on the particular range of form, shape, size, feelings, including their intensity, behaviour and movements of those they would love to meet, especially in marriage. This is because humans are in the range of who they are in every moment of daily life, including their behaviour, for that is their range in existence, which cannot be changed to be in an another range. Therefore, humans can neither choose nor decide the range of behaviour which they would like to meet.
The physical and mental range, which includes behaviour, exists precisely and a particular matter, vegetation, animal or a human being cannot exist in any other range than the range in which they exist.
For example, a good fruit cannot be a bad fruit and a bad fruit cannot be a good fruit. A good fruit is what it is and a bad fruit is what it is. A functioning matter cannot be a non-functioning matter and a non-functioning matter cannot be a functioning matter. A functioning matter is what it is and a non-functioning matter is what it is.
Deep understanding of knowledge, which is wisdom, reveals that a range, which cannot be other than what it is, enables humans to accept not only themselves, but also others as they are in daily life or in married life. The range gifted by life enables humans to understand daily life.
Daily life is understood because of opposites. For example, you know bad because of good and good because of bad. The range of good or bad is precisely what it is wherever it is and cannot be other than what it is or be elsewhere from where it is.
When deep understanding happens that the bad only enables you to know what is good, you become compassionate to the bad. You not only understand that the bad can neither be in another range of bad nor in a different range of good either. You also understand that you cannot change the bad to be good.
Life will evolve the bad to be good if everyone or everything that is bad is meant to evolve to be good. Therefore, it is the bad which teaches anyone to be compassionate and loving to everyone and everything unconditionally. This is because you will understand that everyone and everything, which is bad, is neither bad because of itself nor is anyone bad because of themselves.
Author: Dr. Vijai S. Shankar
© Copyright V. S. Shankar 2017
Editor’s Note:
Words appear in humility as they attempt to flow as companions to this article. Nevertheless, the words that are gifted here by the wise reveal deep understanding of all that is known and of all that is knowable in existence.
The generosity of wisdom is breath-taking. Nothing in existence, albeit illusory, is to be discounted.
Julian Capper, U.K
German Translator’s Note:
Why does bad happen at all? This is the question everybody asks himself or herself sooner or later. Dr. Shankar in this wise article “Range“ does not answer the question “Why“ – it is illusory and cannot really be answered –, but explains that all that appears bad in the mind is within a range from good to bad and vice versa. This understanding reveals duality as non-dual. Life is singular and the bad as well as the good are inseparable. What a miracle!
Marcus Stegmaier, Germany.