Dr. Vijai S Shankar MD.PhD.
Published on www.academy-advaita.com
The Netherlands
25th March 2016
What is time?
“Eternal moving movement”
Man is convinced that time is required to do anything and also that everything is accomplished because of time. Man, however, is not aware of numerical time in life and needs to refer to his watch for the information of what time it is. Time does not inform itself to man; he needs to be informed by a watch – what time it is.
Man is also convinced that the past, present and the future are periods of time in space. Man is surely convinced what time is, because he is convinced what: a second is, a minute is, an hour is, a day is, a week is, a month is and also what a year is. Man is even convinced that a month has 31, 30, 28 days and every 4 years a particular month even has 29 days and a particular year even has 366 days. He knows this numerical time-scale as thoughts and is convinced that thoughts of time in the mind indicate actuality.
Now, these numerical numbers denote a period in space, no matter how small or big. It is important to understand, however, that space cannot be divided, and so too there is no actual, distinct division between one second and the next, one minute and the next, one hour and the next, one day and the next, one week and the next, one month and the next and one year and the next. The divisions are imagined in the mind as actual.
Numerical time, however, is absent within a moment, because numerical time within a moment has not yet been determined. As a moment is followed by the next, it implies that numerical time is absent in every moment in life.Similarly, time is absent within a moment in the mind. This implies that numerical time within the mind is imagined as an actuality; an imagination, however, is illusory and not an actuality.
Now, numerical time within the mind does not denote periods of space, but denotes only a number, because a numerical in mathematics denotes a number and not a period of space. This implies that the past, present and the future is an imagination of space and time, but not an actuality.
A moment in life is followed by the next moment and there is no distinct, actual division of one moment from the next. This implies that a moment in life is a movement of eternity. Similarly, a moment in mind is followed by the next moment and there is no distinct, actual division of one moment from the next, which implies that a moment in mind is a movement of eternity as well.An eternal, moving moment is all there is both in life and in the mind. This implies that numerical time is illusory and so too the past, present and future. The present is a moving moment of eternity, which is the timeless and thoughtless ‘here and now’.
The eternal, moving moment has been evolving and sophisticating as well in the evolutionary process, and the sophisticated, moving moment precisely appears as the doer, doing and the done.The understanding that time is a sophisticating, moving movement and anything and everything that is meant to get done gets done precisely by life, as it is meant to be, albeit illusory, reveals enlightenment.
Author: Dr. Vijai S. Shankar
© Copyright V.S. Shankar 2016
Editor’s Note:
Man has been more than happy to rely on his substitute moment of eternity to guide him through the days of his life – the time-piece or clock. Ingeniously, this has taken the forms of moving sand, water or intricate mechanical devices.
Perhaps his happiness can be characterised by the famous White Rabbit who, on consulting his large time-piece, exclaimed: ‘I’m late, I’m late for a very important date – no time to say ‘hallo’ ‘goodbye’, I’m late, I’m late, I’m late!’ Alas, poor rabbit. Understanding of time that is revealed by this article, however, no longer imprisons man in the time warp that is his life. Suddenly, unexpectedly and unpredictably the heart opens and the mind is set free to step into eternity by reading this article. Such a gift of love for humanity by life, such precision.
Julian Capper. UK.
German Translator’s Note:
Time is what makes man impatient, worried, uncomfortable. However, the wise have rightly declared that the Now is all there is and it is timeless. This article explains the fact that we always live in a timeless zone eternally. Numerical time is meticulously shown to be illusory. In the Now there is neither impatience nor worries nor discomfort. If only man would understand the illusion of thoughts of time. Thank you, Dr. Shankar, for yet another chance of understanding.
Marcus Stegmaier, Germany.