I am sitting here watching the late morning sunshine stream through the windows, the question seemingly pervading my mind being of the nature of what is the difference between real and the unreal when all that we are aware off utilizing our bodily functions, sensory instruments and mental constructs is nothing but the juggling compositions of the five gross elements and their subtle essences. Definitely I, the subject and experiencer of all that I see and sense around me, is only a well formulated ego pattern constituting of likes and dislikes, judgments and opinions, prejudices and past theories such that, all of it is but an illusion of reality. And that which is sensed and experienced, the objects of my perception are again part of the very illusion which my mind creates in an attempt at modeling reality. So then, what may be real and how may we understand it if none of the instruments and faculties available to us are capable of its comprehension?
Such being my thoughts and line of contemplation for a considerably long time now, I happened to arrive at an interesting and isolated place, far away from the bustle of men and their mental passions. Mahakut as it is known, is a two thousand year old temple complex unlike any other habitat of spiritual peace that I may have encountered in the recent past. There is a presence of sublime energy coursing through the entire reserve which no doubt has been contributed by the countless number of seekers’ penance and piety that has been offered at this spot on earth over the centuries. The architecture and the design would hold the eye and intellect in rapture for hours together, but here is where the idea of reality struck me. I was asked if I was amazed at the sight of the structures, sculptures and bas-reliefs, which I answered in denial because of the realization that what meets the eye is not real, but the sheer experience of the place invoked the divinity within, a sense of satori that filled my whole being with a joy unknown to the material mind. I know with absolute faith that what I am experiencing here is something akin to the real but what that might be, is the question still unanswered.
The whole place has a deserted feel to it, as if people have places more worthy of habitation than this stone city of numerous temples, gigantic lingas and weathered mysteries of rock that are trying to say something profound to the humanity that is deviating from the chosen path. But the abandoned state shows that no one is listening, or at least no one seems to have time for anything profounder than their daily lives and routines. The most interesting fact I encountered here is the enchanting route to the sanctum sanctorum of a temple dedicated to dakshineshwar, or Shiva in the aspect of knowledge, which is carefully hidden underneath the stone foundations of the temple complex. One must completely submerge under water in the temple pond, and an entrance can be located through which the body must be squeezed through, until he or she resurfaces into the small sanctorum. After waiting for a few minutes the eyes get adjusted to the darkness inside and the rock form of the idol, the small linga and the sacred bull can be seen and felt. Rest assured, spending time inside there which is unrestricted by anybody or anything is close to a feeling of an eternity of peace which the soul basks in. Suffice to say that at that instant there was nothing more I wanted in life, for everything that existed till then in mind or as matter was deemed irrelevant to the higher purpose that was revealed. I guess mere words can never completely bring out the true essence of such an experience.
Maybe the answer to the question of what is real and what is not, is that it surely is not the experiencer(ego/body/mind/senses) nor the experienced(objects/theories/world) but it is the experience itself, the noesis encountered which erases both the subject as well as the object. And this cannot be defined or determined by empiric means, only to be realized; thereby the ecstasy which is brought into the life that we live can transcend all our miseries and mysteries. Mahakut showed the end and goal of our journey as the divine experience of the soul, and that everything else in life and in the world are but only means to this end. So it comes as no surprise that this experience is what we revere as God and Truth and Love, and to bathe in this feeling is the highest point of our existence, which we all live and die for.
I’m glad that every place I go and situation I find myself in keeps the remembrance in me alive, that it is the experience that leads me to the unknown and that there is nothing higher than this supreme knowledge.
Aum Tat Sat
Such being my thoughts and line of contemplation for a considerably long time now, I happened to arrive at an interesting and isolated place, far away from the bustle of men and their mental passions. Mahakut as it is known, is a two thousand year old temple complex unlike any other habitat of spiritual peace that I may have encountered in the recent past. There is a presence of sublime energy coursing through the entire reserve which no doubt has been contributed by the countless number of seekers’ penance and piety that has been offered at this spot on earth over the centuries. The architecture and the design would hold the eye and intellect in rapture for hours together, but here is where the idea of reality struck me. I was asked if I was amazed at the sight of the structures, sculptures and bas-reliefs, which I answered in denial because of the realization that what meets the eye is not real, but the sheer experience of the place invoked the divinity within, a sense of satori that filled my whole being with a joy unknown to the material mind. I know with absolute faith that what I am experiencing here is something akin to the real but what that might be, is the question still unanswered.
The whole place has a deserted feel to it, as if people have places more worthy of habitation than this stone city of numerous temples, gigantic lingas and weathered mysteries of rock that are trying to say something profound to the humanity that is deviating from the chosen path. But the abandoned state shows that no one is listening, or at least no one seems to have time for anything profounder than their daily lives and routines. The most interesting fact I encountered here is the enchanting route to the sanctum sanctorum of a temple dedicated to dakshineshwar, or Shiva in the aspect of knowledge, which is carefully hidden underneath the stone foundations of the temple complex. One must completely submerge under water in the temple pond, and an entrance can be located through which the body must be squeezed through, until he or she resurfaces into the small sanctorum. After waiting for a few minutes the eyes get adjusted to the darkness inside and the rock form of the idol, the small linga and the sacred bull can be seen and felt. Rest assured, spending time inside there which is unrestricted by anybody or anything is close to a feeling of an eternity of peace which the soul basks in. Suffice to say that at that instant there was nothing more I wanted in life, for everything that existed till then in mind or as matter was deemed irrelevant to the higher purpose that was revealed. I guess mere words can never completely bring out the true essence of such an experience.
Maybe the answer to the question of what is real and what is not, is that it surely is not the experiencer(ego/body/mind/senses) nor the experienced(objects/theories/world) but it is the experience itself, the noesis encountered which erases both the subject as well as the object. And this cannot be defined or determined by empiric means, only to be realized; thereby the ecstasy which is brought into the life that we live can transcend all our miseries and mysteries. Mahakut showed the end and goal of our journey as the divine experience of the soul, and that everything else in life and in the world are but only means to this end. So it comes as no surprise that this experience is what we revere as God and Truth and Love, and to bathe in this feeling is the highest point of our existence, which we all live and die for.
I’m glad that every place I go and situation I find myself in keeps the remembrance in me alive, that it is the experience that leads me to the unknown and that there is nothing higher than this supreme knowledge.
Aum Tat Sat
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