#110 Two Verses About Illusion
The entire universe is not real. It is like an illusion or magic show. “What is real about an illusion?” From believing this firmly, one abides in Peace.Verse 133, Vigyan Bhairava Tantra
The Self is unchangeable. Where is there knowledge or activity? External existence or objects are dependent of knowledge. Therefore this world is void.Verse 134, Vigyan Bhairava Tantra
Verses 1 33 and 1 34 are not two separate meditations. They are one. meditation. The universe is not real, it is an illusion. What we are seeing is an illusion. This is a point that has been made earlier in the text, and it is an important point to understand. Do not believe everything the senses show you. This is the first point to understand. Because we believe in the information the senses give us, we are attached to this world. We get affected by all the events of our lives. We react positively or negatively to events, depending on how we judge them .
This verse asks us to change our belief. Do not believe that the world is real. Instead believe it is unreal, it is an illusion. When we believe this firmly, we immediately become peaceful, as the verse says. When we believe the world is not real, we become detached from it. External events no longer affect us. The mind falls silent. The mind keeps thinking because it gets affected or agitated by external events. When we believe the external world is an illusion, the mind falls silent. When the world is not real, what is there to think about? Why think about things that are not real? The mind on its own falls silent. We then, become a witness. We watch the events of life as we watch a movie – totally unaffected by the outcome. When the mind falls silent, we reach our highest state. When you realize the world is an illusion, you are no longer addicted to your desires. You may still have desires, but you are no longer attached to results. You do not care whether a particular desire materializes or not. You are now happy or joyful because you have now decided to be so. You are no longer happy or unhappy as a response to situations in life. You have now become a master – a master over yourself and a master over life. To practice this verse, anytime you feel you are being affected by an external event, say to yourself- “This world is not real. It is an illusion.” You will immediately feel peaceful. Practicing this meditation requires courage. If you told a mother who had just lost her child, “Don’t worry, this world is not real”, she might have a mouthful of things to say to you. But this is something you must understand deeply in order to practice this meditation – nothing real ever dies. This is a point many masters have made. The Essence of your loved ones Have on after their bodies pass away. The essence of anything is God. God never dies. The different parts of God only change form. Your loved ones never become extinct. They are always alive in a different form. The second point to understand is that nothing unreal ever survives. Whatever we see being destroyed is unreal. It is an illusion. It doesn’t really exist. It is like watching a movie. When the movie ends, you know no one was destroyed, no one was actually killed.
You are the Self. You are God. The body is confined By its natural properties. It comes, It lingers awhile, It goes. But the Self neither comes nor goes. So why grieve for the body? If the body lasted till the end of time, Or vanished today, What would you win or Jose? You are pure awareness.ASHTAVAKRA GITA
Verse 1 34 gives one particular reason why this world is unreal or void. It is not a separate meditation. The external world is dependent on knowledge. Knowledge of the world means the law of cause and effect. Because of cause and effect, there is change, there is activity. Everything in this world is dependent on cause and effect. The Real Self (God) is beyond cause and effect. It is not dependent on any cause to exist. It is the Observer. Therefore, the nature of the external world is completely different from God. Hence, it is an illusion, or it is void.