Surge 88
The Trap of the Seen
It has always been a problem for the human mind to encounter the dazzling names and forms1 of this created universe and yet remain unmoved. The world of the ‘seen’ is just too tempting to remain at peace. “Oh it is beautiful,” is followed in no time by, “Well, I want it”. All material pursuits are basically going after possessions possible in this visible world, which our mind labels as objects of desire. Our ego is attached to these objects. No wonder somebody expanded the three letters that make the word EGO as – Earth Guide Only2. It cannot guide us towards the heavens, the divine.
The extrovert mind is also fascinated by numbers. It feels happy to imagine, “Maximum customers buy my product; my house is the biggest; my car is the best; the largest number want to read my book,” and so on. M K Gandhi wrote:
Strength of numbers
is the delight of the timid.
The valiant in spirit
glory in fighting alone3.
The unseen is called the spirit. “Unseen am I to most people, for the delusory power of maya veils them. People who are charmed by this creation do not know me, for I am unborn and changeless4.” The words of Shri Krishna drive home the point. Whether you are spiritual in the usual sense or not, this distinction between the seen and the unseen can be very relevant to you. You are creative when your ego is silent. You take a leap in your understanding when your attachments to the seen subside. The hidden courage in you expresses when you do not care for quantity but go for quality. In the language of philosophers, there is an invisible source of everything in our material world. Reconnect to that source and regain great powers of that source. Invite the ego, and you ensure separation from your source5.
“Particles themselves are not responsible for their own creation6,” observes modern quantum physics. “That which is seen hath not come from that which doth appear7,” observed Saint Paul, one of the authors of the New Testament. Physicists and mystics thus appeal to us together to explore hidden possibilities within us, in our life filled with mysteries. A glimpse of this truth frees us from despair, gives us new hope and even supplies energy to surge forth in the field chosen by our heart.
The Creation is no doubt wonderful. As a field of infinite possibilities, it is whole (poorna) in itself. The Source is magnificent too. As the fountain of infinite possibilities, it too is whole (poorna) in its own right. Take the whole out of the whole (or add the whole to the whole), the whole alone remains. Division, separation and misery accompany the part, created by ego. Oneness, Aloneness and bliss are experienced when we reconnect to the Source.
Swami Chidananda
Varanasi,
Monday, April 16, 2012
End Notes:
1 naama-roopa, names and forms, implying all that is seen or perceived.
2 Wisdom of the Ages, Wayne Dyer, published by Thorsons, London – page 216
3 ibid page 215
4 Bhagavad-Geeta 7.25
5 Wisdom of the Ages, page 217
6, 7 Quoted by Dyer in his book referred to above, page 215