Dr. Vijai S Shankar MD.PhD. Esotera Germany 2007
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Man is alive, and he or she knows it. Man is very clear that he or she is alive; he does not doubt it. He has no need to verify it from others either. No teaching of any sort is required to know that he is alive. Man does not pray to God to know that he is alive; he is happy that he or she is alive, though he may think that he is not happy in life. But man cannot perceive and experience this aliveness. If he were clear about life, then he would certainly be happy; so he should be clear whether life is real or an illusion. Life cannot be both. If life is real, nothing can be done about it, because that which is real cannot be changed and, if life were an illusion, there would be no need for anything to be done about it. Furthermore, if life is an illusion, then man will be an illusion too, and there would be nobody real to do anything about the illusion. But man thinks that life is real; he thinks that life is real because he or she is convinced that perception and experience are real. These need to be examined as to whether they are or not.
Teaching conditions the mind to believe that life is real, and also that something can be done either to correct it, shape it or control it. Understanding de-conditions the mind to reveal life that is an illusion and that nothing can be done either to correct, shape or control it. If man is clear about life either way, he or she will be happy about it and will not depend on teaching of any sort to know if it is real or an illusion. Man is not clear and that is why he is not happy. Conditioning convinces him that he needs to be taught how to be happy, so that happiness could be perceived and experienced, while de-conditioning enables man to realize that happiness is not a consequence of any particular teaching and cannot be perceived or experienced.
Man thinks that whatever his mind perceives and experiences is real, and he equally believes that perceiving and experiencing are real functions of the mind. But is this true, or just a belief? If perceiving and experiencing are real, then the world cannot be an illusion. It needs to be put to the sword of in-depth examination. If life were real, then various forms of duality would not be possible; if life were real, then different actions would not be possible; if life were real, growth would not be possible. The life, which the conditioned mind believes is real, is an illusion of light and sound. Light is real, and this is all there is in life. Light creates an optical and auditory illusion to an illusory individual called man.
Life is a happening. What does this mean? Man knows that every day is a cycle of morning changing into afternoon, evening, night and back again as morning. He does not bring about this cycle. Light simply changes in intensity, and this gives rise to the observed phenomenon of different times of the day. The intensity changes every moment and this could only mean that life changes every moment. But the mind cannot perceive and experience this momentary change, because it is not conditioned to do so. The mind can only perceive and experience the change when it becomes obvious, because it is conditioned to do so. Everything in life is included in this light, and nothing is separate from it – including man! Since light changes its intensity every moment, this again could only mean that everything in life is constantly changing every moment! The mind cannot perceive or experience this momentary change of everything in life, because the mind is not present in the ‘present’.
For example, weather too changes every moment, and man thinks that the weather is real. But is this true? For the weather to be real it has to be present every moment of the day. If so, why does not man perceive and experience the weather every moment of the day? If it was real, he should; but this does not happen. Man perceives and experiences weather only when it becomes obvious. Why is weather not obvious every moment? If weather was real, it should be obvious every moment, but it is not: weather is perceived and experienced only when the change in weather is obvious. It happens spontaneously only at a particular moment - therefore it just cannot be real: it is an illusion. Weather is just a thought in the mind. The mind cannot perceive and experience the momentary change in weather, because it is not conditioned to do so. The mind can only perceive and experience the change in weather when it becomes obvious, because it is conditioned to do so. So, who or what determines the exact moment for the ‘weather’ to be perceived and experienced? It is life that determines when to activate the conditioned mind to make its declaration that ‘weather’ is perceived and experienced. This declaration has nothing to do with changes in the weather every moment. It is just a declaration!
Similarly, comfort and discomfort (physical and mental) change every moment. Man thinks that they are real, but is this true? For comfort and discomfort to be real, they have to be present every moment of the day. If so, why does not man perceive and experience comfort and discomfort every moment of the day? If they were real, he should; but this does not happen. Man perceives and experiences comfort and discomfort only when they become obvious. But why are comfort and discomfort not obvious every moment? If comfort and discomfort were real, they should be obvious every moment - but they are not. Comfort and discomfort are perceived and experienced only when a change in them is obvious; this happens spontaneously only at a particular moment. Therefore, comfort and discomfort just cannot be real: they are an illusion. Comfort and discomfort are merely thoughts in the mind. The mind cannot perceive and experience the momentary change in either, because it is not conditioned to do so. The mind can only perceive and experience the change in them when it becomes obvious, because it is conditioned to do so. So, it is only when the mind can perceive and experience an obvious change in the weather or in comfort that man becomes happy. And when the mind can perceive and experience an obvious change in the weather or in discomfort, he becomes unhappy. This is the reason why some are happy and some are not happy with the same weather. So, who or what is it that determines the exact moment for ‘weather’ to be perceived and experienced? It is life that determines when to activate the conditioned mind to make its declaration that ‘weather’ is perceived and experienced. This declaration has nothing to do with the changes in comfort and discomfort. It is just a declaration!
The same happens with happiness and unhappiness. Man thinks that they are real. But is this true? For happiness and unhappiness to be real, they have to be present every moment of the day. If so, why does not man perceive and experience happiness and unhappiness every moment of the day? If they were real, he should; but this does not happen. Man perceives and experiences happiness and unhappiness only when they become obvious. But why are happiness and unhappiness not obvious every moment? If happiness and unhappiness were real, they should be obvious every moment, but they are not. Happiness and unhappiness are perceived and experienced only when a change in them is obvious. This happens spontaneously only at a particular moment. Therefore, happiness and unhappiness just cannot be real: they are an illusion; they are just thoughts in the mind. The mind cannot perceive and experience the momentary change in either, because it is not conditioned to do so. The mind can only perceive and experience the change in them when it becomes obvious, because it is conditioned to do so. This applies to everything in life that man perceives and experiences. So, who or what determines the exact moment that ‘happiness’ or ‘unhappiness’ are perceived and experienced? Life determines when to activate the conditioned mind to make its declaration that ‘happiness’ or ‘unhappiness’ are perceived and experienced. This declaration has nothing to do with events. It is just a declaration!
Man thinks that only when he can perceive and experience he will be happy or unhappy. But is this true? Perception and experience have to be real for man to perceive and experience. Only if perception and experience were real happiness, unhappiness, weather, change etc. could be perceived and experienced every moment. Why do perception and experience not occur just before they become obvious? If they were real –and the function was real - it would be active every moment, and every moment would be perceived and experienced. A real experience is that which, when it happens, man never knows it has happened, and this means that a real experience is beginningless and endless. Since perception and experience happen only at a particular moment, they just cannot be real: they are an illusion. The mind cannot perceive and experience the momentary change in either, because it is not conditioned to do so. The mind can only perceive and experience the change in them when it becomes obvious, because it is conditioned to do so.
Perception and experiencing of form and shape requires special mention. The mind receives information of form and shape in the form of light rays that enter the eye. Recognition happens and perception and experience are registered in the mind. It is important to understand that the perceived and experienced form and shape are changing every moment due to transformation. This means that the information of the change is constantly relayed to the mind. This should make the mind recognize, and thereby perceive and experience, the change in the form and shape. If this happened, man would be constantly perceiving and experiencing a different form and shape every moment. But this does not happen. Man only perceives and experiences a single form and shape although the form and shape are constantly changing every moment. When the change in the form and shape becomes obvious, the mind perceives and experiences a different form and shape. This is proof that a real form and shape is not and never can be perceived and experienced, and what is perceived and experienced are merely thoughts in the mind. This is proof that shape and form too are just thoughts in the mind which create an illusion of form and shape.
Perception and experiencing of actions is very fascinating. Man believes that he or she can perceive and experience an action. But could this be possible? It is very important to understand that an action is neutral to the observer or observers. For example, a football game between teams ‘A’ and ‘B’: when team ‘A’ scores a goal, the team as well as its supporters are jubilant, while team B and its supporters are dismayed. The goal scoring is a neutral event, but generates two completely opposite perceptions and experiences. If the action were real, then the perception and experience would be identical for every observer. But this does not happen. Likewise every action at home, office or at any place is always neutral to the observer. A neutral action generates different perceptions and experiences to different members in the family.
How does this happen? The mind can never construct an action, for it is too intricate for the mind to construct in detail. Numerous movements of the body are involved in a mundane action. An action is a sophistication of a singular movement of a beginningless and endless life. The mind merely formulates an idea and believes it to be an action. Life is a singular movement. When this singular movement appears as an action to the mind, it is not an action but just an idea. Every mind has a different idea. This is the reason why a neutral event has contradictory or dissimilar reactions. This is proof that an action is just an idea. Therefore, an action that is perceived and experienced is not real and can never be. All that is perceived and experienced are different thoughts - not actions.
Man is eager to become enlightened, but he has not yet understood that enlightenment is a beginningless and endless phenomenon, which just cannot be given from one to another. If enlightenment could be given, then it would not be a beginningless and endless phenomenon. Also, if the giving of enlightenment were real, it should happen the very moment it is being given, and man need not wait for it to happen some day. But this does not happen. Most importantly, what needs to be understood is that the action of giving is neutral to the giver and to the receiver, yet one perceives and experiences ‘giving’, while the other perceives and experiences ‘receiving’. How could the action of ‘giving’ be real when it is also being perceived and experienced as ‘receiving’? The giving and receiving of enlightenment is therefore just a thought in the mind and not real perception and experience, and all experiences, spiritual or otherwise, are just dreams within the mind. This only means that perception and experiencing are not functional entities but merely thoughts in the mind! So, who or what determines the exact moment of perception and experience? Life determines when to activate the conditioned mind to make its declaration that something is perceived and experienced. This declaration has nothing to do with change. It is just a declaration!
The next thing to understand is this: why does happiness, unhappiness, weather, etc. suddenly become obvious only in a particular moment? Why is not the obvious still obvious in the moment before it is perceived and experienced as being obvious? If ‘obvious’ were real, it certainly would be ‘obvious’ every moment for perception and experience to take place. But this does not happen. The ‘obvious’ becomes obvious only at a particular moment; therefore it just cannot be real: it is an illusion. The mind cannot perceive and experience the momentary change in ‘obvious’, because it is not conditioned to do so. The mind can only perceive and experience ‘obvious’, because it is conditioned to do so. Therefore, ‘obvious’ is not a dramatic phenomenon - it is just a thought, like everything else in life. So, who or what determines the exact moment that something has become ‘obvious’? Life determines when to activate the conditioned mind to make its declaration that something is obvious. This declaration has nothing to do with change, perception or experience. It is just a declaration!
So, neither change - obvious or not - weather, comfort, discomfort, perception and experience could have made man happy or unhappy. So what makes man happy or unhappy? To understand this, firstly, man must wonder what his or her state could be when the conditioned mind does not declare that he is either happy or unhappy. It is a state of ‘not knowing’ whether he is happy or not. Man knows this just as much as he knows that he or she is alive. He does not need to be told or to confirm this from any form of outside source. Neither does his conditioned mind make this declaration, because the conditioned mind does not know what this state really means – being neither happy nor unhappy! Man unknowingly does not want this state of not knowing to change into a state of knowing – happy or unhappy! Though man wishes to be happy and not unhappy, he or she really wants neither! He searches unconsciously for a not-knowing state – a thoughtless state that is enlightenment; yet he runs after the known!
Secondly, when the conditioned mind says ‘I am unhappy’, man believes that he or she was happy just before this declaration. This is the reason why man says this should not have happened, i.e. that ‘unhappiness’ should not have happened to him or her. But he has not understood that he never knew that he was happy before the mind said ‘I am unhappy’. He was in a ‘not knowing’ state! Man just assumes that he was happy prior to the moment the mind said ‘I am unhappy’. This assumption is the deception that creates the belief that he was happy before becoming unhappy! It is the thought ‘this should not happen’ that makes man unhappy! But what has happened is not unhappiness - there is no such thing. If there were, it would have been present every moment: there is just a thought called ‘unhappiness’. Similarly, when the mind says ‘I am happy’, man believes that he or she was unhappy just before this declaration. But he has not understood that he never knew that he was unhappy before the mind said ‘I am happy’: he was in a ‘not knowing’ state! Man just assumes that he was unhappy prior to the moment the mind said ‘I am happy’. This assumption is the deception that creates the belief that he was unhappy before becoming happy! It is the thought ‘this should always happen’ that makes man happy! But what has happened is not happiness - there is no such thing. If there were, it would have been present every moment: there is just a thought called ‘happiness’. Thoughts occur anyway all the time in the conditioned mind. Their meaning however is an illusion, for thoughts are just sounds!
Perceiving and experiencing are therefore an illusion, which makes a mental dream appear real!
© Copyright V.S. Shankar 2006
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