Let us THINK : By Dr.King

[Quick links] [Pause]     The journey I am referring to is both the journey of our ancestors over thousands of years as well a journey that I took you along for the past several episodes talking about that. p { margin-top: 0.42cm; margin-bottom: 0.25cm; direction: ltr; color: #00000a; line-height: 120%; text-align: justify; orphans: 2; widows: 2 }p.western { font-family: "Calibri", serif; font-size: 12pt; so-language: en-US }p.cjk { font-family: ; font-size: 12pt; so-language: en-US }p.ctl { font-family: ; font-size: 14pt; so-language: ar-SA }a:link { color: #0000ff }

[Quick links] [Pause] We have been discussing about Upanishadic truths and how different people view them. I personally go by the obvious meaning of the Upanishads without resorting to any mental gimmicks. I do it not just because I revere the Upanishads but also for the reason that the idea of unification as put forth by the Upanishads has a deeper implication in our lives. p { margin-top: 0.42cm; margin-bottom: 0.25cm; direction: ltr; color: #00000a; line-height: 120%; text-align: justify; orphans: 2; widows: 2 }p.western { font-family: "Calibri", serif; font-size: 12pt; so-language: en-US }p.cjk { font-family: ; font-size: 12pt; so-language: en-US }p.ctl { font-family: ; font-size: 14pt; so-language: ar-SA }a:link { color: #0000ff }

[Quick links] [Pause]       I had a friend who believed firmly in the theory of Maya talked about by modern Advaitis. This elderly gentleman used to drive a long distance just to meet me and engage me in a lively debate. He somehow wanted to convince me that this world is an illusion and all that exists is just Atma and nothing else! p { margin-top: 0.42cm; margin-bottom: 0.25cm; direction: ltr; color: #00000a; line-height: 120%; text-align: justify; orphans: 2; widows: 2 }p.western { font-family: "Calibri", serif; font-size: 12pt; so-language: en-US }p.cjk { font-family: ; font-size: 12pt; so-language: en-US }p.ctl { font-family: ; font-size: 14pt; so-language: ar-SA }a:link { color: #0000ff }

[Quick links] [Pause] Advaitis who propagate the theory of illusion or Maya have a tough time explaining many mundane things they keep doing. Most of these people indulge in worship of some deity or sometimes even their own preceptors who are deified! p { margin-top: 0.42cm; margin-bottom: 0.25cm; direction: ltr; color: #00000a; line-height: 120%; text-align: justify; orphans: 2; widows: 2 }p.western { font-family: "Calibri", serif; font-size: 12pt; so-language: en-US }p.cjk { font-family: ; font-size: 12pt; so-language: en-US }p.ctl { font-family: ; font-size: 14pt; so-language: ar-SA }a:link { color: #0000ff }

window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);} gtag('js', new Date()); gtag('config', 'G-8HXGBD0CVC'); [Quick links] [Pause]           At a time when the world is faced with an imminent world war, and nasty menace of unending religiously motivated terrorism, let us talk something positive. p { margin-bottom: 0.25cm; direction: ltr; line-height: 115%; text-align: justify; orphans: 2; widows: 2 }p.western { font-family: serif; font-size: 14pt }p.cjk { font-family: "Segoe UI Emoji"; font-size: 14pt }p.ctl { font-family: "Segoe UI Emoji" }a:link { color: #0000ff }

[Quick links] [Pause]                One of the reasons for our confusion is our unruly mind. It obscures clarity. It keeps dragging us outward. It puts before us myriad baits and makes us forget our true nature. p { margin-top: 0.42cm; margin-bottom: 0.25cm; direction: ltr; color: #00000a; line-height: 120%; text-align: justify; orphans: 2; widows: 2 }p.western { font-family: "Calibri", serif; font-size: 12pt; so-language: en-US }p.cjk { font-family: ; font-size: 12pt; so-language: en-US }p.ctl { font-family: ; font-size: 14pt; so-language: ar-SA }a:link { color: #0000ff }

[Quick links] [Pause]   A few episodes ago I was talking about this world as a drama played by the Atma that has taken many forms. Each form has a role to play in this drama. Some of them play a sad role and some play a happy role. From the point of view of the drama there is nothing sad or happy about it. Each form is just playing its role. So, no need to worry about it. p { margin-top: 0.42cm; margin-bottom: 0.25cm; direction: ltr; color: #00000a; line-height: 120%; text-align: justify; orphans: 2; widows: 2 }p.western { font-family: "Calibri", serif; font-size: 12pt; so-language: en-US }p.cjk { font-family: ; font-size: 12pt; so-language: en-US }p.ctl { font-family: ; font-size: 14pt; so-language: ar-SA }a:link { color: #0000ff }

[Quick links] [Pause]     That definitely sounds absurd! It violates basic math and common sense. But Vedas do have such strange mathematics. p { margin-top: 0.42cm; margin-bottom: 0.25cm; direction: ltr; color: #00000a; line-height: 120%; text-align: justify; orphans: 2; widows: 2 }p.western { font-family: "Calibri", serif; font-size: 12pt; so-language: en-US }p.cjk { font-family: ; font-size: 12pt; so-language: en-US }p.ctl { font-family: ; font-size: 14pt; so-language: ar-SA }a:link { color: #0000ff }

window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);} gtag('js', new Date()); gtag('config', 'G-8HXGBD0CVC'); [Quick links] [Pause]                I have been trying to portray this world as a drama played by the Atma all throughout the previous episodes. That was not my opinion but that is what logically follows from whatever is narrated in the Upanishads.

[Quick links] [Pause]            Many devout Christians believe so. It is a different matter though, Jesus never claimed that he is God! He almost always addressed himself as ‘son of man’ or at most as ‘son of God’ but not as ‘I am God’. p { margin-top: 0.42cm; margin-bottom: 0.25cm; direction: ltr; color: #00000a; line-height: 120%; text-align: justify; orphans: 2; widows: 2 }p.western { font-family: "Calibri", serif; font-size: 12pt; so-language: en-US }p.cjk { font-family: ; font-size: 12pt; so-language: en-US }p.ctl { font-family: ; font-size: 14pt; so-language: ar-SA }a:link { color: #0000ff }

[Quick links] [Pause]               Ramana Maharshi was a great saint who lived amidst some of us till recently. He passed away in 1950. There are many people alive even today who have seen and interacted with him in a place called Arunachala in Southern India. p { margin-top: 0.42cm; margin-bottom: 0.25cm; direction: ltr; color: #00000a; line-height: 120%; text-align: justify; orphans: 2; widows: 2 }p.western { font-family: "Calibri", serif; font-size: 12pt; so-language: en-US }p.cjk { font-family: ; font-size: 12pt; so-language: en-US }p.ctl { font-family: ; font-size: 14pt; so-language: ar-SA }a:link { color: #0000ff }

[Quick links] [Pause]   We were discussing a mind game in the previous episode where an actor plays multiple roles ‘simultaneously’. What does this game have to do with the Advaita and the concept of Maya that we were discussing about in previous episodes? p { margin-top: 0.42cm; margin-bottom: 0.25cm; direction: ltr; color: #00000a; line-height: 120%; text-align: justify; orphans: 2; widows: 2 }p.western { font-family: "Calibri", serif; font-size: 12pt; so-language: en-US }p.cjk { font-family: ; font-size: 12pt; so-language: en-US }p.ctl { font-family: ; font-size: 14pt; so-language: ar-SA }a:link { color: #0000ff }

[Quick links] [Pause]       Ihave a smart neighboring kid who is just 2-year-old. She can hardly express herself clearly. But some of her utterances amaze me and show how shallow we, the ‘so called adults’ are! p { margin-top: 0.42cm; margin-bottom: 0.25cm; direction: ltr; color: #00000a; line-height: 120%; text-align: justify; orphans: 2; widows: 2 }p.western { font-family: "Calibri", serif; font-size: 12pt; so-language: en-US }p.cjk { font-family: ; font-size: 12pt; so-language: en-US }p.ctl { font-family: ; font-size: 14pt; so-language: ar-SA }a:link { color: #0000ff }

[Quick links] [Pause]   Theanalogy and explanation that I am going to discuss now apparently is first put forth by some well known Swami of Ramakrishna order, successors of Swami Vivekananda. This analogy is often used by many modern Advaita teachers to explain the concept of Maya or illusory nature of this world. The analogy is quite interesting and very close. But not quite close. Let us see how. p { margin-top: 0.42cm; margin-bottom: 0.25cm; direction: ltr; color: #00000a; line-height: 120%; text-align: justify; orphans: 2; widows: 2 }p.western { font-family: "Calibri", serif; font-size: 12pt; so-language: en-US }p.cjk { font-family: ; font-size: 12pt; so-language: en-US }p.ctl { font-family: ; font-size: 14pt; so-language: ar-SA }a:link { color: #0000ff }

[Quick links] [Pause] Theworld we know of is unfathomable, and infinite in dimension. There could even be worlds beyond the reach of our senses. Added to this, this world has an unfathomable past and hopefully future too. Can we describe this massive entity, at least the intelligent part of it, in just twelve sentences? One of the Upanishads namely the Mandukya Upanishad from the Atharva Veda seems to make exactly such a claim! What does it say? p { margin-top: 0.42cm; margin-bottom: 0.25cm; direction: ltr; color: #00000a; line-height: 120%; text-align: justify; orphans: 2; widows: 2 }p.western { font-family: "Calibri", serif; font-size: 12pt; so-language: en-US }p.cjk { font-family: ; font-size: 12pt; so-language: en-US }p.ctl { font-family: ; font-size: 14pt; so-language: ar-SA }a:link { color: #0000ff }