Introduction
“Every man is a divinity in disguise, a god playing the fool”
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
“One's values are profoundly changed when he is finally convinced that creation is only a vast motion picture, and that not in it, but beyond it, lies his own reality.” ~ Paramahansa Yogananda
“The universe is at root a magical illusion and a fabulous game.”
~ Alan Watts
What else is there to do but dream
Up worlds and populate them
With imaginative forms caught up
In crazy, impossible plots and toils?
What else would You do
When there’s none else but You?
~ Swami Abhayananda, from the poem None Else
“You are all gods, if you only knew it.”
~ Paramahansa Yogananda
Imagine that a being exists that is far different from us. It is so different that if any one of us met it, we would not be able to describe it. The words just would not exist. This being does not have a body; it is formless awareness of absolute bliss - pure consciousness. The best we could come up with might be, “ever-existing, ever-conscious, ever-new bliss, all-powerful, all-knowing, etc." These words would be quite inadequate, but it’s all our limited human language could do.
Imagine that this being was once the only thing that existed. Before time. Before the universe existed. All alone. Now imagine the following scenario.
Aware that it was the only thing that existed, this being decided that it might be fun to create a pretend world - a dream world, an illusionary world of light, a virtual world - in which it could play. Once this pretend world was conceived, the being entered its created playground by taking on a form. By pretending to be this form, the being was able to play in its virtual world, while still remembering its true self.
Imagine that this virtual world took the appearance of a colossal cosmos, universe upon universe, each filled with a host of roaming celestial bodies; whirling galaxies, blazing star clusters, multi-coloured nebulae dancing in interstellar space, black holes, white dwarfs, and vibrant planetary spheres endlessly orbiting mother stars. Planets, like the earth, a shining blue and white ball floating in the inky blackness of the ether; with majestic birds soaring in the azure skies; a host of animal species wandering on dry lands, through steamy rain forests and over towering snow-capped mountains; fish swimming in streams, rivers, ponds, lakes and oceans; trees, plants and flowers painting checkered canvases over elegant savannas of gold; sparkling crystal springs and waterfalls; exquisite early morning dewdrop reflections on rolling fields of green grass; resplendent arrays of stars emerging from black night skies; bewitching rain-soaked gardens; captivating golden sunsets disappearing beneath entrancing purple-pink horizons; shimmering silver moon rays; puffy white canopies of billowing clouds. Endless variety and dramatic diversity, from tumultuous roars of crashing ocean waves to the soft lilting melodies of songbirds; from dazzling dancing auroras to the blackness of night skies; from musky aromas of autumn woods to the intoxicating fragrances wafting from spring blossoms; from the restless heaving of opal-blue oceans to the peaceful serenity and mirror-like stillness of tree-sheltered ponds; from the lonely cry of loons to symphonies of geese cackling in spring skies; from driving rain storms lashing the landscape to silent gentle snowfalls making sublime blankets of white; from the gentle caressing summer breezes to the driving winds of desert sandstorms; from towering mountain peaks to the elegant intricate patterns of tiny snowflakes; from the glorious colours of tree-covered autumn mountainsides to the stunning starkness of leaf-less tree branches silhouetted by the dim glow of winter’s twilight skies; from the hard density of translucent diamonds to the soft ethereal fragility of delicate rose petals.
The miraculous, majestic splendour of the magnificent frozen-light illusion of the cosmos. The being’s magical virtual world of mystical light.
The miraculous, majestic splendour of the magnificent frozen-light illusion of the cosmos. The being’s magical virtual world of mystical light.
“Among the trillion mysteries of the cosmos, the most phenomenal is light … light remains the most subtle, the freest from material dependence, of any natural manifestation.” ~ Paramahansa Yogananda
“The analogy of light radiating from the Sun is often used by mystics to describe the ‘radiation’ of the world-appearance from God; but it must be remembered that this is an analogy only, and, though perhaps the best possible, it is an imperfect one. That ‘radiation’ is of a kind utterly unique, and its like is not to be found in anything in the heavens or on earth.” ~ Swami Abhayananda
“Light is a unique form of energy, neither wave nor particle, though it can appear in either guise. It is not a substance, but an intangible and indefinable essence that some have likened to a mental rather than a physical reality; and yet all that we perceive as the physical, ‘material’ world is made of it. This ‘stuff’ called light is miraculously endowed with the ability to transform itself into what we call ‘material’ particles; and, even though we can describe and predict this transformation, it is clearly an a priori capability that can only be described as ‘miraculous’. We may justly say, therefore, that this Light, which contains the potentiality of all forms, is God’s creative power, the substance of His imagination - though scientists prefer to call it, ‘the electromagnetic spectrum.’”
~ Swami Abhayananda
“The analogy of light radiating from the Sun is often used by mystics to describe the ‘radiation’ of the world-appearance from God; but it must be remembered that this is an analogy only, and, though perhaps the best possible, it is an imperfect one. That ‘radiation’ is of a kind utterly unique, and its like is not to be found in anything in the heavens or on earth.” ~ Swami Abhayananda
“Light is a unique form of energy, neither wave nor particle, though it can appear in either guise. It is not a substance, but an intangible and indefinable essence that some have likened to a mental rather than a physical reality; and yet all that we perceive as the physical, ‘material’ world is made of it. This ‘stuff’ called light is miraculously endowed with the ability to transform itself into what we call ‘material’ particles; and, even though we can describe and predict this transformation, it is clearly an a priori capability that can only be described as ‘miraculous’. We may justly say, therefore, that this Light, which contains the potentiality of all forms, is God’s creative power, the substance of His imagination - though scientists prefer to call it, ‘the electromagnetic spectrum.’”
~ Swami Abhayananda
Imagine that the being enjoyed its extraordinary creation, both as a silent witness as well as an active participant in the form of its duplicate. In addition, since everything in creation is imbued with the creator’s consciousness, in fact is consciousness, the being could also experience itself in the pretend forms of plants, trees and, especially through the various animal forms.
Imagine that the consciousness of the animal forms was chosen to be somewhat limited and to function largely based on group instincts, as per the being's plan.
Imagine that the being then thought it might be entertaining to enjoy its world of light through the forms of self-conscious entities imbued with free will and co-creator powers. In other words, the being decided to experience its dream world through entities that were, in effect, multiple versions of itself. To do so, the being created “souls”, unique, individualized extensions of itself, complete with free will and the power to co-create from within creation. Imagine that each of these souls had a unique quality such that the being could experience its play world from many different perspectives. Existing outside of creation, these souls had essentially the same attributes as the being itself, i.e. they were formless, infinite, immortal bliss consciousness. To play within the virtual world, each of the souls put on their own unique virtual “body-suits”. With the body-suits on, the souls became divinity in disguise and were able to play in the virtual playground as gods.
Imagine that the consciousness of the animal forms was chosen to be somewhat limited and to function largely based on group instincts, as per the being's plan.
Imagine that the being then thought it might be entertaining to enjoy its world of light through the forms of self-conscious entities imbued with free will and co-creator powers. In other words, the being decided to experience its dream world through entities that were, in effect, multiple versions of itself. To do so, the being created “souls”, unique, individualized extensions of itself, complete with free will and the power to co-create from within creation. Imagine that each of these souls had a unique quality such that the being could experience its play world from many different perspectives. Existing outside of creation, these souls had essentially the same attributes as the being itself, i.e. they were formless, infinite, immortal bliss consciousness. To play within the virtual world, each of the souls put on their own unique virtual “body-suits”. With the body-suits on, the souls became divinity in disguise and were able to play in the virtual playground as gods.
“Through our eyes, the universe is perceiving itself. Through our ears, the universe is listening to its harmonies. We are the witnesses through which the universe becomes conscious of its glory, of its magnificence.” ~ Alan Watts
Now, imagine that the souls experienced creation through five sensors located on their body-suits, providing the senses of hearing, sight, taste, touch and smell. Imagine that each body-suit also came equipped with a virtual “mind-processor” that was designed to take the stimuli fed to it from the five sensors, process this data and then generate a “localized” version of creation, based on the limited range built into the five senses. This localized version of creation was then projected outwards, in a similar manner to how the being generated its “full” version of creation, i.e. light wave projections frozen into forms. Imagine that each soul produced its own unique, localized version of creation which included the body-suit forms of other souls as they appeared within that soul’s body-suit sensor range. The actual souls themselves were silent witnesses and watched with enjoyment the play of their body-suits, in a similar fashion to a virtual reality game player of today watching his VR character play within an immersive 3-D virtual world. In this way the being was able to experience its virtual world from many perspectives. In addition, the being now had “companions” to play with.
This virtual world of the cosmos can be envisioned from different perspectives, e.g.
- As a dream world; in which the being dreams this world in a similar manner to the imaginary worlds that we create when we dream. The main difference is that the being’s dream is a conscious dream, like a daydream. All the while it is having this dream of the imaginary world and its own presence within it, the being is fully aware of its real self outside the dream. Each of the soul entities then consciously dreams its own individualized version of a localized creation.
“Saints are those who are half awake and half dreaming: on one side awake in God, and on the other side dreaming the dream of incarnation. But they quickly get out of this dream.” ~ Paramahansa Yogananda
“It is as a dream … each of the dream characters is, in reality, the dreamer, and once awakened, returns to the awareness of its true source and Self.”
~ Swami Abhayananda
“We are like the dreamer who dreams and then lives in the dream” ~ The Upanishads
“So remember, God is dreaming this world …God created us that we may dream as he does, enjoying this dream and all its contrasting experiences, as an entertainment, without being affected by it, absorbed in his eternal joy.” ~ Paramahansa Yogananda
“It is as a dream … each of the dream characters is, in reality, the dreamer, and once awakened, returns to the awareness of its true source and Self.”
~ Swami Abhayananda
“We are like the dreamer who dreams and then lives in the dream” ~ The Upanishads
“So remember, God is dreaming this world …God created us that we may dream as he does, enjoying this dream and all its contrasting experiences, as an entertainment, without being affected by it, absorbed in his eternal joy.” ~ Paramahansa Yogananda
- As a play on a stage; in which the being imagines a stupendous drama. Each soul is assigned a role in the play and dresses up in a costume. The soul-actors identify strongly with the roles they are given and enjoy playing their parts in this magnificent pageant of the ages. However, they still remember that they are actors and that their true selves exist outside of the play. If their play roles call for them to be killed, they act the part well, but when the curtain closes, they get up from the stage floor, laugh about it and get on with their real life off the stage. Of course, since each soul is a unique, individualized extension of the being, then it is the being that is actually playing all of the pretend actor roles itself.
“All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players” ~ Shakespeare
“The universe is a stage on which a world drama is being played” ~ Nisargadatta Maharaj
“Only the onlooker is real, call him Self or Atma. To the Self, the world is but a colourful show, which he enjoys as long as it lasts and forgets when it is
over. Whatever happens on the stage makes him shudder in terror or roll with laughter, yet all the time he is aware that it is but a show. Without desire or fear, he enjoys it, as it happens … When I cease caring, it dissolves.” ~ Nisargadatta Maharaj
And all the men and women merely players” ~ Shakespeare
“The universe is a stage on which a world drama is being played” ~ Nisargadatta Maharaj
“Only the onlooker is real, call him Self or Atma. To the Self, the world is but a colourful show, which he enjoys as long as it lasts and forgets when it is
over. Whatever happens on the stage makes him shudder in terror or roll with laughter, yet all the time he is aware that it is but a show. Without desire or fear, he enjoys it, as it happens … When I cease caring, it dissolves.” ~ Nisargadatta Maharaj
- As a motion picture show; in which the watcher of the movie also appears as an actor within the movie. Similar to today’s cinema movies in a theatre, light passes through a “film” containing the images of the imaginary world and the resulting light images are projected onto a screen. However, in this case, the projected light is spherical, spreading out in all directions, and the “screen” is all space. The projected light of this “cosmic motion picture show in the sky” forms the objects of the universes much like holographic displays, i.e. the light is shaped, or condensed, into the forms of the objects. The light’s rate of vibration and inherent invisible forces combine to give the light-objects the look and feel of solids and liquids, etc. While everything appears real, it is all light, immaterial and illusory. Each of the soul “actors” focuses on the portion of the overall motion picture that features himself and his localized surroundings.
“It is a staggering spectacle. I can describe it only by a distant analogy. Imagine the universe as a gigantic movie, unfolding scene after scene in time and
space - on an infinitely vast, intensely alive ethereal screen that remains entirely unaffected by the action of the drama - and you will have a dim picture of what I mean.” ~ Gopi Krishna
“The whole physical universe is a true-to-sight, true-to-hearing, true-to-smell, true-to-taste, and true-to-touch “technicolored” cosmic-dream motion picture.” ~ Paramahansa Yogananda
space - on an infinitely vast, intensely alive ethereal screen that remains entirely unaffected by the action of the drama - and you will have a dim picture of what I mean.” ~ Gopi Krishna
“The whole physical universe is a true-to-sight, true-to-hearing, true-to-smell, true-to-taste, and true-to-touch “technicolored” cosmic-dream motion picture.” ~ Paramahansa Yogananda
- As a virtual reality game; in which the player of the game is also part of the simulated virtual world. This cosmic VR game is much more advanced than today’s systems, in that (i) the simulated environment of the universe appears to extend endlessly in all directions, (ii) the player is fully immersed in the simulation, as mentioned, and (iii) the player wears a complete, fully encompassing “body-suit,” not just a headset. Each of the soul “virtual gamers” plays within the localized portion of the overall virtual world in which it finds itself, i.e. within the range that its five sensors can detect.
“Our True Energetic Selves are “mini-Me’s” of our Source Entity, who created us as fully sentient beings, i.e. we are self-aware and able to change ourselves and our environment … We and countless other True Energetic Selves … create the physical forms that we project our sentience into to explore our playground [physical universe] … The human form is a ‘wetsuit’ we use.” ~ Dr. Ulla Sarmiento, PhD, from Is Life a Virtual Reality Game, Illusion or Dream?, 2014.
"Perhaps it is time to reconsider the very nature of physical reality. Could it be that the universe and everything in it is not material stuff governed by rigid physical laws, but rather some kind of virtual reality? This would be consistent with what Heisenberg wrote: "But the atoms or elementary particles themselves are not real; they form a world of potentialities or possibilities rather than one of things or facts." And might the sole basis of this virtual reality be consciousness? Is consciousness the only thing that actually exists ... a vast unbounded consciousness (or non-physical mind) beyond space and time?"
~ Bernard Haisch, astrophysicist, from Is the Universe a Vast, Consciousness-created Virtual Reality Simulation?, 2014
"Perhaps it is time to reconsider the very nature of physical reality. Could it be that the universe and everything in it is not material stuff governed by rigid physical laws, but rather some kind of virtual reality? This would be consistent with what Heisenberg wrote: "But the atoms or elementary particles themselves are not real; they form a world of potentialities or possibilities rather than one of things or facts." And might the sole basis of this virtual reality be consciousness? Is consciousness the only thing that actually exists ... a vast unbounded consciousness (or non-physical mind) beyond space and time?"
~ Bernard Haisch, astrophysicist, from Is the Universe a Vast, Consciousness-created Virtual Reality Simulation?, 2014
As an example of a virtual world, imagine that you are a crew member of the starship Enterprise from the prescient 1960s television series, Star Trek. You program the holodeck’s computer to pretend to be Wyatt Earp and, for fun, re-enact scenes from his life, including the shootout at the O.K. Corral. The holodeck would realistically re-create the 1881 scene in Tombstone, Arizona out of holographic light waves formed into all the necessary objects and held in place with invisible electromagnetic forces. Everything would look and feel real, including all of the holographically generated “cowboys” that would be needed to re-create the shootout, i.e. Doc Holliday and the Clanton gang, etc. You, the starship crew member, would then enter the holodeck and you would look and feel just like Wyatt Earp. Part of you would remember that you were really a starship crew member, though. You would then have fun experiencing various events, including a re-creation of the shootout. Of course, no one would get killed – all of the cowboys would be made of frozen light and would be part of the immersive simulation, the virtual world. After a while, you would leave the simulated holodeck world and tell your fellow crew members what fun you had playing Wyatt Earp.
Imagine that the being’s magnificent virtual world of the cosmos worked exactly as planned. The being was able to play in its virtual world through countless, self-conscious versions of itself, like the immortal Greek gods of mythology. After a time of enjoying the phantasmagoria of the magnificent simulation, each soul would dissolve its body-suit, leave the virtual world, and attain the full consciousness of the being.
Imagine that the being’s magnificent virtual world of the cosmos worked exactly as planned. The being was able to play in its virtual world through countless, self-conscious versions of itself, like the immortal Greek gods of mythology. After a time of enjoying the phantasmagoria of the magnificent simulation, each soul would dissolve its body-suit, leave the virtual world, and attain the full consciousness of the being.
And what does all of this have to do with us? Well, we are the being’s unique, individualized extensions of itself. Immortal souls. Divinity in disguise. The Greek gods of mythology. As such, our true nature is unending bliss consciousness. But most of us do not feel anything close to that. Why not?
In order for the being to appear as a multitude of unique individualized extensions of itself within its play cosmos, it had to pretend that its one self was actually many. To make it as realistic as possible, these souls had to believe that they were separate, independent beings once they entered the virtual world of the cosmos. In addition, the being wanted its illusionary world to appear real to the souls when entering it. In other words, the being had to “fool” itself. And so it did. Each soul was “hypnotized” into thinking it was a separate being and that the virtual world was real. This “cosmic hypnosis” is commonly referred to as maya, a Sanskrit word meaning “illusion,” “magic,” “that which is not,” or “a magic show, an illusion where things appear to be present but are not what they seem."
In order for the being to appear as a multitude of unique individualized extensions of itself within its play cosmos, it had to pretend that its one self was actually many. To make it as realistic as possible, these souls had to believe that they were separate, independent beings once they entered the virtual world of the cosmos. In addition, the being wanted its illusionary world to appear real to the souls when entering it. In other words, the being had to “fool” itself. And so it did. Each soul was “hypnotized” into thinking it was a separate being and that the virtual world was real. This “cosmic hypnosis” is commonly referred to as maya, a Sanskrit word meaning “illusion,” “magic,” “that which is not,” or “a magic show, an illusion where things appear to be present but are not what they seem."
“This world is a drama performed by one actor in a multitude of roles.” ~ Swami Abhayananda
“God has created the world in play… It is God Himself who is sporting in the form of man.” ~ Ramakrishna
“It’s He alone who is born in this world.
He lives in all beings; it’s only Him everywhere.” ~ from the Svetasvatara Upanishad
“Wonder of all wonders – Thou ... creates a “me” and “Thee” where only One exists.” ~ Swami Abhayananda
“When a human form of God knows its true identity as God, then this human form may be said to be “awakened” or “enlightened.” But it is not any separate human “self” who is awake, but God who is awake in that human form of God …... Thus, in truth, there is no one who, as an individual human self, can be or become enlightened or awakened - there is only God who, in human form, may be either awake or not.” ~ Thomas J. McFarlane
“God has created the world in play… It is God Himself who is sporting in the form of man.” ~ Ramakrishna
“It’s He alone who is born in this world.
He lives in all beings; it’s only Him everywhere.” ~ from the Svetasvatara Upanishad
“Wonder of all wonders – Thou ... creates a “me” and “Thee” where only One exists.” ~ Swami Abhayananda
“When a human form of God knows its true identity as God, then this human form may be said to be “awakened” or “enlightened.” But it is not any separate human “self” who is awake, but God who is awake in that human form of God …... Thus, in truth, there is no one who, as an individual human self, can be or become enlightened or awakened - there is only God who, in human form, may be either awake or not.” ~ Thomas J. McFarlane
A key to all of this was that maya was intended to only partially hypnotize souls coming into the virtual world. Each soul was to keep partial remembrance of its true nature as the being and partial awareness that the cosmos was not real, but a playground of light. A careful balance between truth and fiction. Too little maya, and the game would not be much fun. Too much maya, and the souls would become trapped within the game.
As mentioned above, the first version of the game worked exactly as planned. Then, imagine that the being decided to make the next game more difficult. It increased the level of maya, of cosmic hypnosis, making it more difficult to retain the balance of fact and fiction. Gradually, the souls became more and more engrossed with the drama of the game until eventually they became trapped. The souls now believed that the virtual world was real and that they were not the being in disguise but were the disguise itself. The souls believed the body-suits were their true identity. They found themselves in a world they knew nothing about. They no longer knew how they got there or why they were there. The game, in which the being was playing all the roles, had indeed become much more difficult – just as anticipated.
As mentioned above, the first version of the game worked exactly as planned. Then, imagine that the being decided to make the next game more difficult. It increased the level of maya, of cosmic hypnosis, making it more difficult to retain the balance of fact and fiction. Gradually, the souls became more and more engrossed with the drama of the game until eventually they became trapped. The souls now believed that the virtual world was real and that they were not the being in disguise but were the disguise itself. The souls believed the body-suits were their true identity. They found themselves in a world they knew nothing about. They no longer knew how they got there or why they were there. The game, in which the being was playing all the roles, had indeed become much more difficult – just as anticipated.
“Now when God plays hide and pretends that he is you and I, he does it so well that it takes him a long time to remember where and how he hid himself. But that's the whole fun of it - just what he wanted to do. He doesn't want to find himself too quickly, for that would spoil the game. That is why it is so difficult for you and me to find out that we are God in disguise, pretending not to be himself.” ~ Alan Watts
“He Himself spread out the expanse of His Maya, and He Himself beholds it. He assumes so many forms, and plays so many games, and yet he remains distinct and detached from it all.” ~ Guru Nanak
“Why should He have left so many beings in utter ignorance of His love, and the resulting bliss? His maya is mysterious! To probe deeper into the question brings the subtlest truth to light, that He alone is the sole actor behind the variegated and multiple veils of maya.” ~ Papa Ramdas
“He Himself spread out the expanse of His Maya, and He Himself beholds it. He assumes so many forms, and plays so many games, and yet he remains distinct and detached from it all.” ~ Guru Nanak
“Why should He have left so many beings in utter ignorance of His love, and the resulting bliss? His maya is mysterious! To probe deeper into the question brings the subtlest truth to light, that He alone is the sole actor behind the variegated and multiple veils of maya.” ~ Papa Ramdas
As the souls, we became tricked by the powerful spell of cosmic hypnosis, the formidable magic of maya. We are now living lives like paupers rather than kings, as suffering mortals rather than euphoric immortals, as men rather than gods.
- The dream that we had been consciously dreaming gradually seemed more and more real. We forgot that we were mostly-awake conscious dreamers, watching the dream. Instead, we went right in and became trapped within the cosmic dream itself. We lost awareness of our true state outside the dream and instead became the players in the dream;
“Are you sure/That we are awake? It seems to me/That yet we sleep, we dream” ~ Shakespeare
“A man goes to sleep in this hall. He dreams he has gone on a world-tour and is travelling over hill and dale, forest and plain, desert and sea, across various continents, and after many years of weary and strenuous travel, he returns to this country, reaches Tiruvannamalai, enters the Ashram and walks into the hall. Just at that moment he wakes up and finds that he has not moved at all but has been sleeping where he lay down. He has not returned after great efforts to this hall, but was here all the time. It is exactly like that.” ~ Ramana Maharshi
“My intention to wake you up is the link [between our respective dreams]. My heart wants you awake. I see you suffer in your dream and I know that you must wake up to end your woes.” ~ Nisargadatta Maharaj
“A man goes to sleep in this hall. He dreams he has gone on a world-tour and is travelling over hill and dale, forest and plain, desert and sea, across various continents, and after many years of weary and strenuous travel, he returns to this country, reaches Tiruvannamalai, enters the Ashram and walks into the hall. Just at that moment he wakes up and finds that he has not moved at all but has been sleeping where he lay down. He has not returned after great efforts to this hall, but was here all the time. It is exactly like that.” ~ Ramana Maharshi
“My intention to wake you up is the link [between our respective dreams]. My heart wants you awake. I see you suffer in your dream and I know that you must wake up to end your woes.” ~ Nisargadatta Maharaj
- As soul-actors in the play, “the pageant of the ages”, we gradually became so identified with our pretend actor roles that we eventually forgot we were acting and that our real existence was outside of the stage. Our actor roles and costumes became our identity.
“Whatever is done, is done on the stage. Joy and sorrow, life and death, they all are real to the man in bondage; to me, they are all in the show, as unreal as the show itself. I may perceive the world just like you, but you believe to be in it, while I see it as an iridescent drop in the vast expanse of consciousness.”
~ Nisargadatta Maharaj
“Individuals are merely actors in the divine play who change roles through reincarnation; mankind's deep suffering is rooted in identifying too closely with one's current role." ~ Paramahansa Yogananda
“God has spun this eventful cosmic play on the stage of time to entertain us, but we take the shadows as serious realities.” ~ Paramahansa Yogananda
~ Nisargadatta Maharaj
“Individuals are merely actors in the divine play who change roles through reincarnation; mankind's deep suffering is rooted in identifying too closely with one's current role." ~ Paramahansa Yogananda
“God has spun this eventful cosmic play on the stage of time to entertain us, but we take the shadows as serious realities.” ~ Paramahansa Yogananda
- The cosmic motion picture that we had been watching, featuring ourselves as the main actors, gradually became more and more real. We eventually forgot that our real selves were watching the movie from the cinema seats. We became so identified with our actor roles that we now believed that the actors were our real selves. We were now fully immersed in the movie and the movie world became our world and our reality;
"This is the cosmic motion picture mechanism." A Voice spoke as though from within the light. "Shedding its beam on the white screen of your bed sheets, it is producing the picture of your body. Behold, your form is nothing but light!" I gazed at my arms and moved them back and forth, yet could not feel their weight. An ecstatic joy overwhelmed me. This cosmic stem of light, blossoming as my body, seemed a divine replica of the light beams streaming out of the projection booth in a cinema house and manifesting as pictures on the screen … my illusion of a solid body was completely dissipated, and my realization deepened that the essence of all objects is light.” ~ Paramahansa Yogananda
- The virtual reality game that we had been playing in our body-suits within the immersive virtual cosmic world gradually seemed more and more real. We eventually totally forgot that we were just playing and that our real selves existed outside of this virtual game world of the universe. We now believed that the body-suits we were wearing to play the game were our real selves and that the virtual cosmic world of the game was real;
“Have you ever had a dream, Neo, that you were so sure was real? What if you were unable to wake from that dream? How would you know the difference between the dream world and the real world?” ~ Morpheus, from the movie The Matrix, 1999.
“Once upon a time, I, Chuang Tzu, dreamt I was a butterfly, fluttering hither and thither, to all intents and purposes a butterfly. I was conscious only of my happiness as a butterfly, unaware that I was Chuang. Soon I awaked, and there I was, veritably myself again. Now I do not know whether I was then a man dreaming I was a butterfly, or whether I am now a butterfly, dreaming I am a man.” ~ Chuang Tzu (The Butterfly Dream)
“Once upon a time, I, Chuang Tzu, dreamt I was a butterfly, fluttering hither and thither, to all intents and purposes a butterfly. I was conscious only of my happiness as a butterfly, unaware that I was Chuang. Soon I awaked, and there I was, veritably myself again. Now I do not know whether I was then a man dreaming I was a butterfly, or whether I am now a butterfly, dreaming I am a man.” ~ Chuang Tzu (The Butterfly Dream)
- The Wyatt Earp role that you had assumed within the Star Trek holodeck was so much fun that you more and more identified with this pretend role and less and less with your real self as a starship crew member. You got so immersed in the drama of the wild events in the simulated life of Wyatt Earp that you eventually totally forgot your real self and actually thought that you were Wyatt Earp. The shootout at the O. K. Corral, which would normally have been just a fun game, was now deadly serious. You believed that the simulated cowboys in the re-creation had actually died in the gunfight. When you stayed in the holodeck much longer than you were expected to, your fellow crew members came to get you, but you refused to leave. You had no idea what they were talking about when they said you were a starship crew member. It should have been very clear to them that you were Wyatt Earp. Besides, they were dressed in funny uniforms - how could you believe anything they said.
- In the above example, the shootout was real or unreal depending on whether the crew member thought he was truly Wyatt Earp or whether part of his consciousness remembered that he was just playing in a simulated world of light and shadows. A similar experience occurred to the mystic Paramahansa Yogananda as a young man during World War I. Yogananda had gone to a theatre to watch newsreel footage of the carnage taking place in the trenches of France. As he walked out of the theatre, he called to the being and implored, “Lord, why dost Thou permit such suffering?” To his surprise, his consciousness was suddenly transferred to the actual battlefields and he witnessed the fighting firsthand. The being said, “Look intently! You will see that these scenes now being enacted in France are nothing but a play of chiaroscuro ... as real and as unreal as the theatre newsreel.”
- Another experience in 1915 by the twenty-two year old Yogananda also involved World War I. He had been meditating in his home in India when suddenly his consciousness was transferred to that of a captain whose ship had just been blown out of the water. Jumping into the ocean, he swam to the shore. As he got up, a bullet from an enemy rifle lodged in his chest and he dropped to the ground, dying. After a short time, his normal consciousness returned and he was greatly relieved to find himself back in his body in India. Then again, his consciousness went back into the body of the dying ship captain. Utter confusion of mind ensued. “Well, I can stop my heart… why am I crying … why am I thinking that I am dead. I have practiced death, so I know what it is to stop the heart and go beyond. I am in that Eternal Joy. But still, the body dream was so real – I said this is death that has happened to me at last – the death that I thought never would happen to me ... Then I saw that Light and I said, Cosmic Father, tell me, am I dead on the battlefield or am I sitting meditating in Calcutta? He said, ‘Neither – you have been dreaming that you are sitting and meditating and you have been dreaming that you are dead. You are neither of these two dreams. You are this Light that created those dream delusions.”…. and my delusion fled and I became that Great Light."'
The vast majority of people believe that the universe they live in is real, made of solid matter, not “frozen light”. Most believe that the bodies they occupy are their true identity - “I-am-the-body. It’s not possible that I am living in a dream, in a play, in a cosmic motion picture show, in a virtual reality world. It’s all far too real. If the world is frozen light, then if I fall down, why does the ground feel so hard? Why do I feel pain from the fall if the body is not really who I am?”
“The fool thinks, ‘I am the body’. The intelligent man thinks, ‘I am an individual soul united with the body’. But the wise man, in the greatness of his knowledge and spiritual discrimination, sees the Self as [the only] reality, and thinks, ‘I am Brahman.’” ~ Shankara
“You embrace some form saying, “I am this.” By God, you are not this or that or the other, you and spirit are the same.” ~ Rumi
“I remind you again, the only difference between the sage and yourself is you see the world and you identify with it. You think it's real. A sage sees the world and he knows it's a superimposition upon Consciousness. So he identifies with Consciousness.” ~ Robert Adams
“You embrace some form saying, “I am this.” By God, you are not this or that or the other, you and spirit are the same.” ~ Rumi
“I remind you again, the only difference between the sage and yourself is you see the world and you identify with it. You think it's real. A sage sees the world and he knows it's a superimposition upon Consciousness. So he identifies with Consciousness.” ~ Robert Adams
We live in interesting times. In the last one hundred years, our understanding of the universe has undergone astonishing revisions, based on the extraordinary findings of science, in particular quantum mechanics. The solid universe that we took for granted has now been exposed to be the frozen light, just like the mystics have said. Even though we now know this to be scientific fact, we still spend our days thinking the universe is solid.
The hypnotic power of maya is indeed very powerful. Here are a few quotes from world-renowned physicists on the nature of the universe and reality;
“Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one” ~ Albert Einstein
“The point is no longer that quantum mechanics is an extraordinarily peculiar theory, but that the world is an extraordinarily peculiar place” ~ David Mermin (physicist, Cornell University, b1935)
“If quantum mechanics hasn’t profoundly shocked you, you haven’t understood it yet. ….. Everything we call real is made of things that cannot be regarded as real." ~ Niels Bohr (physicist, Nobel Prize winner, 1885 - 1962)
“The world of physics is a world of shadows, we were not aware of it; we thought we were dealing with the real world.” ~ Erwin Schrödinger (physicist, Nobel Prize winner, 1887 - 1961)
“I remember discussions with Bohr which went through many hours till very late at night and ended almost in despair … Can nature possibly be so absurd as it seemed to us in these atomic experiments?” ~ Werner Heisenberg (physicist, Nobel Prize winner, 1901 - 1976)
“As a man who has devoted his whole life to the most clear headed science, to the study of matter, I can tell you as a result of my research about atoms this much: There is no matter as such.” ~ Max Planck (physicist, Nobel Prize winner, 1858 – 1947)
“I studied matter for 35 years only to find out it does not exist” ~ Prof. Hans-Peter Dürr (physicist, founding councillor of World Future Council, 1929 – 2014)
“The universe consists of frozen light” ~ David Bohm (highly esteemed physicist, Fellow of the Royal Society, 1917 – 1992)
“Concerning matter, we have been all wrong. What we have called matter is energy, whose vibration has been so lowered as to be perceptible to the senses. There is no matter.” ~ Albert Einstein (physicist, Nobel Prize winner, 1879 – 1955)
"I do take 100 percent seriously the idea that the world is a figment of the imagination.” ~ John Wheeler (highly regarded physicist, professor at Princeton University, 1911 – 2008)
“The point is no longer that quantum mechanics is an extraordinarily peculiar theory, but that the world is an extraordinarily peculiar place” ~ David Mermin (physicist, Cornell University, b1935)
“If quantum mechanics hasn’t profoundly shocked you, you haven’t understood it yet. ….. Everything we call real is made of things that cannot be regarded as real." ~ Niels Bohr (physicist, Nobel Prize winner, 1885 - 1962)
“The world of physics is a world of shadows, we were not aware of it; we thought we were dealing with the real world.” ~ Erwin Schrödinger (physicist, Nobel Prize winner, 1887 - 1961)
“I remember discussions with Bohr which went through many hours till very late at night and ended almost in despair … Can nature possibly be so absurd as it seemed to us in these atomic experiments?” ~ Werner Heisenberg (physicist, Nobel Prize winner, 1901 - 1976)
“As a man who has devoted his whole life to the most clear headed science, to the study of matter, I can tell you as a result of my research about atoms this much: There is no matter as such.” ~ Max Planck (physicist, Nobel Prize winner, 1858 – 1947)
“I studied matter for 35 years only to find out it does not exist” ~ Prof. Hans-Peter Dürr (physicist, founding councillor of World Future Council, 1929 – 2014)
“The universe consists of frozen light” ~ David Bohm (highly esteemed physicist, Fellow of the Royal Society, 1917 – 1992)
“Concerning matter, we have been all wrong. What we have called matter is energy, whose vibration has been so lowered as to be perceptible to the senses. There is no matter.” ~ Albert Einstein (physicist, Nobel Prize winner, 1879 – 1955)
"I do take 100 percent seriously the idea that the world is a figment of the imagination.” ~ John Wheeler (highly regarded physicist, professor at Princeton University, 1911 – 2008)
The above words from distinguished scientists sound remarkably similar to the words of the mystics;
“From science then, if it must be so, let man learn the philosophic truth that there is no material universe; its warp and woof is maya, illusion.”
~ Paramahansa Yogananda
“The science of physics, for all its denial of the supernatural reality, has done more in the last one hundred years to dispel the notion of the substantiality of the material world than all the theologians throughout history.” ~ Swami Abhayananda
“Physicists have announced it, astronomers have proclaimed it, and technicians have proven it without a doubt in their laboratories; and yet hardly anyone in the world seems to be aware of the fact that everything is made of light” ~ Swami Abhayananda
“Fundamentally, there is no reality in external objects.” ~ Buddha
“All matter is just a mass of stable light.” ~ Sri Aurobindo
“The phenomenal spheres were created by God by condensation of light, projected out of the Divine Vibration.” ~ Paramahansa Yogananda
“The world but seems to be,
Yet it is only a blending of light and shade” ~ Fakhruddin Iraqi
“Even this body which we label “I” is but a fleeting shadow, a flickering image on a passing screen … We exist in a dream-world, a projection of a dancing spray of light beams.” ~ Swami Abhayananda
~ Paramahansa Yogananda
“The science of physics, for all its denial of the supernatural reality, has done more in the last one hundred years to dispel the notion of the substantiality of the material world than all the theologians throughout history.” ~ Swami Abhayananda
“Physicists have announced it, astronomers have proclaimed it, and technicians have proven it without a doubt in their laboratories; and yet hardly anyone in the world seems to be aware of the fact that everything is made of light” ~ Swami Abhayananda
“Fundamentally, there is no reality in external objects.” ~ Buddha
“All matter is just a mass of stable light.” ~ Sri Aurobindo
“The phenomenal spheres were created by God by condensation of light, projected out of the Divine Vibration.” ~ Paramahansa Yogananda
“The world but seems to be,
Yet it is only a blending of light and shade” ~ Fakhruddin Iraqi
“Even this body which we label “I” is but a fleeting shadow, a flickering image on a passing screen … We exist in a dream-world, a projection of a dancing spray of light beams.” ~ Swami Abhayananda
Now, if you were a physicist who just found out that matter, the substance of the universe, didn’t really exist, what would be your reaction? Some physicists still live in denial and try to convince others that the old way is right (just like the church did when scientists of the day proved that the sun did not revolve around the earth). Most physicists just ignore these astounding findings and work as though nothing really happened. The physicist David Mermin has coined the expression, “Shut up and calculate!” as a moniker for this group. Some, like the great Nobel-prize winning physicist Richard Feynmann, accept the discoveries with wry humour, “Do not keep saying to yourself, if you can possibly avoid it, "But how can it be like that? Nobody knows how it can be like that.” and, “The electron is a theory we use; it is so useful in understanding the way nature works that we can almost call it real.”
Other physicists were so astounded by the implications of their findings that they searched for answers from the mystics and the mystical Vedanta writings of the East, such as the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita. This group included, among others, Nobel-prize winning physicists and quantum mechanics pioneers, Niels Bohr, Werner Heisenberg, Erwin Schrödinger, Eugene Wigner, as well as world renowned physicists David Bohm, John Wheeler and Sir Arthur Eddington.
Other physicists were so astounded by the implications of their findings that they searched for answers from the mystics and the mystical Vedanta writings of the East, such as the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita. This group included, among others, Nobel-prize winning physicists and quantum mechanics pioneers, Niels Bohr, Werner Heisenberg, Erwin Schrödinger, Eugene Wigner, as well as world renowned physicists David Bohm, John Wheeler and Sir Arthur Eddington.
“I go into the Upanishads to ask questions” ~ Niels Bohr (physicist, Nobel Prize winner, 1885 - 1962)
“Quantum theory will not look ridiculous to people who have read Vedanta” ~ Werner Heisenberg (physicist, Nobel Prize winner, 1901 - 1976)
“Quantum theory will not look ridiculous to people who have read Vedanta” ~ Werner Heisenberg (physicist, Nobel Prize winner, 1901 - 1976)
It is no longer quite so easy to dismiss these concepts, like they did centuries ago. Our universal understanding and wisdom has grown. As opposed to what we may have thought in the past, the earth is not flat; the sun does not revolve around the earth; and the earth is not made of solid matter, but is frozen light.
But it is still so hard to believe. As Feynmann says, “But how can it be like that?”
In the 5th century BCE, the atom was postulated by the Greek philosopher Democritus as the smallest unit of indivisible matter. This was thought to be true up right up until the early 1900s, when Ernest Rutherford’s experiments led to the development of the modern version of the atom’s structure, consisting of a tiny nucleus surrounded by diminutive electrons revolving around the nucleus at some distance, with empty space in between. Refinements to this model continued over the years, but the fact remains that the atom consists of essentially empty space separating tiny particles. As atoms combine into molecules and then into full size objects, the structure remains the same - all objects in the universe consist of essentially empty space. In fact, it has been calculated that matter consists of more than 99.99999999% empty space. This is indisputable - all scientists agree on this. It is high school physics. But matter does not appear that way. The table in front of you looks and feels solid. It looks solid because the very high speed vibrations of the electrons fool our eyes into seeing the table as a continuous object. The table feels solid due to inherent forces creating strong bonds between the atoms. Just as you cannot put your hand through the force field of a strong magnet, you cannot put your hand through a table.
But it is still so hard to believe. As Feynmann says, “But how can it be like that?”
In the 5th century BCE, the atom was postulated by the Greek philosopher Democritus as the smallest unit of indivisible matter. This was thought to be true up right up until the early 1900s, when Ernest Rutherford’s experiments led to the development of the modern version of the atom’s structure, consisting of a tiny nucleus surrounded by diminutive electrons revolving around the nucleus at some distance, with empty space in between. Refinements to this model continued over the years, but the fact remains that the atom consists of essentially empty space separating tiny particles. As atoms combine into molecules and then into full size objects, the structure remains the same - all objects in the universe consist of essentially empty space. In fact, it has been calculated that matter consists of more than 99.99999999% empty space. This is indisputable - all scientists agree on this. It is high school physics. But matter does not appear that way. The table in front of you looks and feels solid. It looks solid because the very high speed vibrations of the electrons fool our eyes into seeing the table as a continuous object. The table feels solid due to inherent forces creating strong bonds between the atoms. Just as you cannot put your hand through the force field of a strong magnet, you cannot put your hand through a table.
“Physics tells us that matter is composed of more than 99.99999999% empty space; how do we wrap our mind around this?” ~ Paul Levy
“For more than two thousand years, it was believed that atoms were the ultimate constituents of matter. They were pictured as tiny particles, indivisible and solid. But modern physics shows that nothing could be further from the truth.
Early in the twentieth century, physicists realized that atoms are composed of even smaller subatomic particles. An atom may be small, a mere billionth of an inch across, but these subatomic particles are a hundred-thousand times smaller still. Imagine the nucleus of an atom magnified to the size of a tennis ball. The electrons would spinning around it in orbits several miles across, making the atom itself the size of London or Manhattan. As the early twentieth-century British physicist Sir Arthur Eddington put it, matter is mostly ghostly empty space, 99.9999999999999% empty space to be a little more exact … Solid matter had, literally, disappeared into empty space.” ~ Peter Russell (scientist, psychologist, futurist, b1946)
“What we call matter is 99.9999999999999 percent empty space; the other infinitesimal part seems to be nothing more than energy wavelets and intangible forces. Subatomic wave-particles consist of intangible electrically charged impulses held in proximate “orbits” about one another by invisible forces, so as to form the appearance of much grander substantial entities. And these appearances are multiplied in infinite profusion and variety as if by some magician’s hand, to appear before our eyes as a multitudinous world of objects. And so, this material world, this phenomenal reality of ours, is a marvellous magic show.” ~ Swami Abhayananda
“Atoms are, however, 99% nothing. If an atom were the size of a huge cathedral, then the electrons would be dust particles floating around at all distances inside the building, while the nucleus, or centre of the atom, would be smaller than a sugar cube. Most of the mass of the atom is in this tiny nucleus, which is composed of neutrons and protons, which in turn are composed of quarks. However, the three quarks that make up the proton contribute only 3% of the mass of the proton. The rest is in the form of tension-energy among the quarks. So even the nucleus of the atom is close to nothing! That means you are basically nothing.” ~ Jay Alfred
“For more than two thousand years, it was believed that atoms were the ultimate constituents of matter. They were pictured as tiny particles, indivisible and solid. But modern physics shows that nothing could be further from the truth.
Early in the twentieth century, physicists realized that atoms are composed of even smaller subatomic particles. An atom may be small, a mere billionth of an inch across, but these subatomic particles are a hundred-thousand times smaller still. Imagine the nucleus of an atom magnified to the size of a tennis ball. The electrons would spinning around it in orbits several miles across, making the atom itself the size of London or Manhattan. As the early twentieth-century British physicist Sir Arthur Eddington put it, matter is mostly ghostly empty space, 99.9999999999999% empty space to be a little more exact … Solid matter had, literally, disappeared into empty space.” ~ Peter Russell (scientist, psychologist, futurist, b1946)
“What we call matter is 99.9999999999999 percent empty space; the other infinitesimal part seems to be nothing more than energy wavelets and intangible forces. Subatomic wave-particles consist of intangible electrically charged impulses held in proximate “orbits” about one another by invisible forces, so as to form the appearance of much grander substantial entities. And these appearances are multiplied in infinite profusion and variety as if by some magician’s hand, to appear before our eyes as a multitudinous world of objects. And so, this material world, this phenomenal reality of ours, is a marvellous magic show.” ~ Swami Abhayananda
“Atoms are, however, 99% nothing. If an atom were the size of a huge cathedral, then the electrons would be dust particles floating around at all distances inside the building, while the nucleus, or centre of the atom, would be smaller than a sugar cube. Most of the mass of the atom is in this tiny nucleus, which is composed of neutrons and protons, which in turn are composed of quarks. However, the three quarks that make up the proton contribute only 3% of the mass of the proton. The rest is in the form of tension-energy among the quarks. So even the nucleus of the atom is close to nothing! That means you are basically nothing.” ~ Jay Alfred
Our bodies are just like the table – they look and feel like solid objects, but they are likewise more than 99.99999999% empty space. They essentially are not there. All those anatomical diagrams showing our bodies packed with organs, bones, muscles, etc may be true, but all of those things are also essentially empty space. This is scientific fact - indisputable.
The table, your body, and all other forms in the universe are essentially shimmering energy or light.
The table, your body, and all other forms in the universe are essentially shimmering energy or light.
“The body is nothing but electrons and their subatomic magnetic companions whirling in empty space.” ~ Paramahansa Yogananda
Given the above, perhaps it is believable that our bodies and all objects within the universe are actually made of frozen light, even though they do not appear that way. Is this the magical cosmic hypnosis, the mysterious power of maya at work?
If the words of the mystics and modern science are true, then perhaps we are under the spell of maya, of cosmic hypnosis. If so, how do we wake up and get out of the dream? How to we stop identifying ourselves as the actors in the light and shadows illusion of the movie world? How to stop thinking of ourselves as the body-suits that we put on to play in the virtual world and find the door to step out of this illusory world? How do we remember that we really are the starship crew member and not Wyatt Earp? How do we escape our current role as mortals living in an unknown world of suffering and regain our true, original status as blissful souls, as immortal gods?
There is a way, a path that takes us through the maze of maya, according to the mystics, the seers, the prophets, the sages who themselves have successfully travelled this path. Some call it the Journey of Awakening.
Have other souls successfully completed this Journey of Awakening? Yes – apparently many have done so and have re-attained the full consciousness of the being beyond the virtual worlds, i.e. the being in those forms has awakened itself. Some souls choose to remain for a time within the virtual world as fully-conscious souls with the power to create their own virtual worlds, i.e. the being in those souls creates new virtual worlds from within its virtual world. And a few souls choose to put on new body-suits and return to the world of maya in order to help those still trapped inside, i.e. the being recognizes that the spell of maya that it has put on itself is so powerful that those versions of itself still under the spell need help to get out of the maze. Those few souls who do this provide an indispensable and precious gift – a light along the path for those still travelling in the darkness.
If the words of the mystics and modern science are true, then perhaps we are under the spell of maya, of cosmic hypnosis. If so, how do we wake up and get out of the dream? How to we stop identifying ourselves as the actors in the light and shadows illusion of the movie world? How to stop thinking of ourselves as the body-suits that we put on to play in the virtual world and find the door to step out of this illusory world? How do we remember that we really are the starship crew member and not Wyatt Earp? How do we escape our current role as mortals living in an unknown world of suffering and regain our true, original status as blissful souls, as immortal gods?
There is a way, a path that takes us through the maze of maya, according to the mystics, the seers, the prophets, the sages who themselves have successfully travelled this path. Some call it the Journey of Awakening.
Have other souls successfully completed this Journey of Awakening? Yes – apparently many have done so and have re-attained the full consciousness of the being beyond the virtual worlds, i.e. the being in those forms has awakened itself. Some souls choose to remain for a time within the virtual world as fully-conscious souls with the power to create their own virtual worlds, i.e. the being in those souls creates new virtual worlds from within its virtual world. And a few souls choose to put on new body-suits and return to the world of maya in order to help those still trapped inside, i.e. the being recognizes that the spell of maya that it has put on itself is so powerful that those versions of itself still under the spell need help to get out of the maze. Those few souls who do this provide an indispensable and precious gift – a light along the path for those still travelling in the darkness.
“When we awake to the Self, then we can enter back into the dream, and share our knowledge with everyone else in the dream. This is what the mystic does; he returns to the dream, the world, and tells everyone, “Hey! This is just a dream. Each of us is really that one Dreamer.” ~ Swami Abhayananda
“Some of the first human beings in whom the new consciousness emerged fully became the great teachers of humanity, such as Buddha, Lao Tzu, or Jesus, although their teachings were greatly misunderstood, especially when they turned into organized religion.” ~ Eckhart Tolle
“Every major world religion has a mystical branch. Islam’s mystical branch is Sufism. Buddhism’s most mystical branch is Zen, in Judaism it is called Kabbalah, Hinduism and Gnosticism are by their nature, essentially mystical, and in Christianity it is simply called Christian Mysticism. Some of the more well-known mystics are: Jesus, Buddha, Muhammad, Lao-tzu, Krishna, Shankara, St. Francis of Assisi, Meister Eckhart, Paramahansa Yogananda, Rumi, Ramana Maharshi, Nisargadatta Maharaj, Joel S. Goldsmith, Mary Baker Eddy, Evelyn Underhill, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Amos Bronson Alcott, Emma Curtis Hopkins, Edgar Cayce, William Shakespeare, William Blake, and many, many others whom we would never suspect as being mystics.” ~ The Center for Living Truth
“My intention to wake you up is the link [between our respective dreams]. My heart wants you awake. I see you suffer in your dream and I know that you must wake up to end your woes.” ~ Nisargadatta Maharaj
“I want to ply my boat, many times,
Across the gulf-after-death,
And return to earth’s shores
From my home in heaven.
I want to load my boat
With those waiting, thirsty ones
Who are left behind:
And carry them by the opal pool
Of iridescent joy--
Where my Father distributes
His all-desire-quenching liquid peace.
Oh! I will come again and again!
Crossing a million crags of suffering,
With bleeding feet, I will come-
If need be, a trillion times--
As long as I know
One stray brother is left behind.”
~ Paramahansa Yogananda, from his poem God’s Boatman
"A rare gem of inestimable value, the like of whom the world is yet to witness, Paramahansa Yogananda has been an ideal representative of the ancient sages and seers, the glory of India” ~ Swami Sivananda, Divine Life Society, 1952
“As a bright light shining in the midst of darkness, so was Yogananda’s presence in this world. Such a great soul comes on earth only rarely, when there is a real need among men” ~ C. Saraswati, the Shankaracharya of Kanchipuram
“Some of the first human beings in whom the new consciousness emerged fully became the great teachers of humanity, such as Buddha, Lao Tzu, or Jesus, although their teachings were greatly misunderstood, especially when they turned into organized religion.” ~ Eckhart Tolle
“Every major world religion has a mystical branch. Islam’s mystical branch is Sufism. Buddhism’s most mystical branch is Zen, in Judaism it is called Kabbalah, Hinduism and Gnosticism are by their nature, essentially mystical, and in Christianity it is simply called Christian Mysticism. Some of the more well-known mystics are: Jesus, Buddha, Muhammad, Lao-tzu, Krishna, Shankara, St. Francis of Assisi, Meister Eckhart, Paramahansa Yogananda, Rumi, Ramana Maharshi, Nisargadatta Maharaj, Joel S. Goldsmith, Mary Baker Eddy, Evelyn Underhill, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Amos Bronson Alcott, Emma Curtis Hopkins, Edgar Cayce, William Shakespeare, William Blake, and many, many others whom we would never suspect as being mystics.” ~ The Center for Living Truth
“My intention to wake you up is the link [between our respective dreams]. My heart wants you awake. I see you suffer in your dream and I know that you must wake up to end your woes.” ~ Nisargadatta Maharaj
“I want to ply my boat, many times,
Across the gulf-after-death,
And return to earth’s shores
From my home in heaven.
I want to load my boat
With those waiting, thirsty ones
Who are left behind:
And carry them by the opal pool
Of iridescent joy--
Where my Father distributes
His all-desire-quenching liquid peace.
Oh! I will come again and again!
Crossing a million crags of suffering,
With bleeding feet, I will come-
If need be, a trillion times--
As long as I know
One stray brother is left behind.”
~ Paramahansa Yogananda, from his poem God’s Boatman
"A rare gem of inestimable value, the like of whom the world is yet to witness, Paramahansa Yogananda has been an ideal representative of the ancient sages and seers, the glory of India” ~ Swami Sivananda, Divine Life Society, 1952
“As a bright light shining in the midst of darkness, so was Yogananda’s presence in this world. Such a great soul comes on earth only rarely, when there is a real need among men” ~ C. Saraswati, the Shankaracharya of Kanchipuram
.After successfully completing the journey of awakening, the odyssey of the gods, the soul regains its original state as an immortal god of bliss consciousness. The journey may take many, many lifetimes, but, according to those who have reached the end, the treasure awaiting is boundless.
“Is this living Splendor, this beaming Sun of Life, beyond the slightest touch of earthly sorrow, suffering or pain, my real Self? O wonder of wonders, am I this immortal Being, happy beyond measure.” ~ Gopi Krishna
“If only you knew what bliss I find.” ~ Rumi
“I went beyond the light into pure radiant consciousness. I became omnipresent. My individuality had merged into pure absolute bliss. I expanded. I became the universe. The feeling is indescribable. It was total bliss, total joy.” ~ Robert Adams
“You can have, or rather you will yourself be, the highest imaginable kind of happiness. All other kinds of happiness which you have spoken of as ‘pleasure’, ‘joy’, ‘happiness’, ‘bliss’, are only reflections of the Ananda which, in your true nature, you are. It is impossible to describe samadhi since it transcends the mind. It can only be experienced.” ~ Ramana Maharshi
“Then there is an ecstasy, there is that living movement of truth, which is not an end, not a culmination, but an ever-creative living, an ecstasy which cannot be described” ~ Jiddu Krishnamurti
“Those who have not found their true wealth, which is the radiant joy of Being and the deep, unshakable peace that comes with it, are beggars, even if they have great material wealth. They are looking outside for scraps of pleasure or fulfillment, for validation, security, or love, while they have a treasure within that not only includes all those things but is infinitely greater than anything the world can offer.” ~ Eckhart Tolle
“I am supremely blessed. There is no earthly joy to compare with my great bliss … How great my bliss, my infinite bliss!” ~ Swami Vidyaranya
“The treasure I have found cannot be described in words, the mind cannot conceive of it” ~ Shankara
“... an indescribable feeling of elevation, elation and joyousness … a sense of immortality, a consciousness of eternal life” ~ Richard Maurice Bucke
“To see That which is uncreated and divine, the highest good, the greatest Joy; nay, to speak the truth, That which is greater than the greatest, more beautiful than the greatest beauty, more blessed than the most blessed, more joyful than the joyfulest; aye, more perfect than any words.” ~ Philo Judaeus
“Words cannot describe the joy … Only those who experience this joy know what it is.” ~ Prajapati
“Within me there was a steady flow of undiluted bliss.” ~ Ramakrishna
“I was universally present, existing in all as all. Not only was I all that existed in this universe, I was the center of all, the divine Mind from which all emanated forth. What I experienced my Self to be is what men have always referred to as “God” ~ Swami Abhayananda
“Suddenly the breath returned to my lungs. With a disappointment almost unbearable, I realized that my infinite immensity was lost. Once more I was limited to the humiliating cage of a body, not easily accommodative to the Spirit.” ~ Paramahansa Yogananda (the young Yogananda’s first adventure in Cosmic Consciousness)
“I am beyond everything finite; I now see that the spirit, alone in space with its ever new joy, has expressed itself as a vast body of nature. I am the stars, I am the waves, I am the life of all; I am the laughter within all hearts, I am the smile on the face of flowers and in each soul. I am the wisdom and power that sustain all creation.” ~ Paramahansa Yogananda
“An oceanic joy broke upon calm endless shores of my soul. The Spirit of God, I realized, is exhaustless Bliss.” ~ Paramahansa Yogananda
“You will be conscious of an all-pervading stillness and peace … followed by the crowning experience of an abiding state of ineffable ecstasy.” ~ Papa Ramdas
“If only you knew what bliss I find.” ~ Rumi
“I went beyond the light into pure radiant consciousness. I became omnipresent. My individuality had merged into pure absolute bliss. I expanded. I became the universe. The feeling is indescribable. It was total bliss, total joy.” ~ Robert Adams
“You can have, or rather you will yourself be, the highest imaginable kind of happiness. All other kinds of happiness which you have spoken of as ‘pleasure’, ‘joy’, ‘happiness’, ‘bliss’, are only reflections of the Ananda which, in your true nature, you are. It is impossible to describe samadhi since it transcends the mind. It can only be experienced.” ~ Ramana Maharshi
“Then there is an ecstasy, there is that living movement of truth, which is not an end, not a culmination, but an ever-creative living, an ecstasy which cannot be described” ~ Jiddu Krishnamurti
“Those who have not found their true wealth, which is the radiant joy of Being and the deep, unshakable peace that comes with it, are beggars, even if they have great material wealth. They are looking outside for scraps of pleasure or fulfillment, for validation, security, or love, while they have a treasure within that not only includes all those things but is infinitely greater than anything the world can offer.” ~ Eckhart Tolle
“I am supremely blessed. There is no earthly joy to compare with my great bliss … How great my bliss, my infinite bliss!” ~ Swami Vidyaranya
“The treasure I have found cannot be described in words, the mind cannot conceive of it” ~ Shankara
“... an indescribable feeling of elevation, elation and joyousness … a sense of immortality, a consciousness of eternal life” ~ Richard Maurice Bucke
“To see That which is uncreated and divine, the highest good, the greatest Joy; nay, to speak the truth, That which is greater than the greatest, more beautiful than the greatest beauty, more blessed than the most blessed, more joyful than the joyfulest; aye, more perfect than any words.” ~ Philo Judaeus
“Words cannot describe the joy … Only those who experience this joy know what it is.” ~ Prajapati
“Within me there was a steady flow of undiluted bliss.” ~ Ramakrishna
“I was universally present, existing in all as all. Not only was I all that existed in this universe, I was the center of all, the divine Mind from which all emanated forth. What I experienced my Self to be is what men have always referred to as “God” ~ Swami Abhayananda
“Suddenly the breath returned to my lungs. With a disappointment almost unbearable, I realized that my infinite immensity was lost. Once more I was limited to the humiliating cage of a body, not easily accommodative to the Spirit.” ~ Paramahansa Yogananda (the young Yogananda’s first adventure in Cosmic Consciousness)
“I am beyond everything finite; I now see that the spirit, alone in space with its ever new joy, has expressed itself as a vast body of nature. I am the stars, I am the waves, I am the life of all; I am the laughter within all hearts, I am the smile on the face of flowers and in each soul. I am the wisdom and power that sustain all creation.” ~ Paramahansa Yogananda
“An oceanic joy broke upon calm endless shores of my soul. The Spirit of God, I realized, is exhaustless Bliss.” ~ Paramahansa Yogananda
“You will be conscious of an all-pervading stillness and peace … followed by the crowning experience of an abiding state of ineffable ecstasy.” ~ Papa Ramdas
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The thoughts expressed in this website are based on the words of the mystics – those men and women throughout history, from all backgrounds and lands and cultures, who have recovered their original status as gods and have offered direction to lost mankind. As such, they have acquired the highest knowledge and understanding available. The website includes many quotations – the direct words of the mystics. In particular, mystics of modern times are emphasized, as these mystics are conversant with modern science and can use language that mystics of ancient times could not use. For example, a Buddha, Jesus or Krishna could not talk about electromagnetic waves, motion pictures, consciousness, and relativity, as the people of their times would not have any idea what they were talking about. However, modern mystics can and did refer to these topics, which makes their input particularly interesting and relevant. As well, there is a prolific amount of written material available from some modern mystics, either written themselves, through their disciples and/or from transcribed talks and interviews. Thus, there are many quotations from Paramahansa Yogananda, Ramana Maharshi, Eckhart Tolle, Swami Abhayananda, Gopi Krishna, Jiddu Krishnamurti, Nisargadatta Maharaj and Papa Ramdas.
Ancient mystics are not left out, by any means. Those early mystics whose words were recorded and are available today are also quoted, i.e. Jesus, Buddha, Krishna, Rumi, Ibn Arabi, Shankara, Lao-Tzu, Guru Nanak, Iraqi, Meister Eckhart, et al. As well, many philosophers and poets have had many interesting things to say of relevance to the topics addressed herein. In all, almost 100 mystics, poets and philosophers have been quoted. The website includes a sub-section called Mystics, Poets and Philosophers, which provides brief biographical information on each of these individuals. Some ancient texts are also referenced.
We live in interesting times. The world of science in the last century has uncovered a universe vastly different from that defined by Newton, Kepler, Copernicus and others. In particular, quantum mechanics has made astonishing discoveries about the world we live in. These scientific discoveries are starting to sound remarkable similar to those of the mystics. In earlier times, it might have been easy to dismiss the words of the mystics and poets whose description of reality seems so different than our everyday experience. No longer. It is instructive to hear directly from the eminent physicists and cosmologists themselves on these revelations and so, once again, quotations are provided.
Understanding the universe we live in, who we are, why we are here and where we are going is now possible for anyone with an inquiring and discerning mind. And it’s a fascinating story – literally out of this world.
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Note#1 - there is some repetition built into the website, i.e. a few quotations and stories have been used on more than one website page. This has been done for a couple of reasons. First of all, this is not easy content to comprehend, particularly for those seeing such topics for the first time. Having a second or even third chance to see some of the key quotations may help. That certainly has been the case for myself over the years - repeated reading that eventually leads to understanding. Secondly, for those who jump from page to page randomly, it helps to have the pages stand alone, as best they can, so a quotation pertinent to more than one page may have been repeated.
Note#2 - the website is best viewed on a larger screen or monitor, if possible. The experience is not nearly the same on a smaller display. As such, it goes without saying that viewing on a smart phone is strongly discouraged. In fact, on smart phones and smaller tablets, the content can appear quite jumbled.
Yes, the world is going small, and for emails and texts, that's wonderful. But the world is also going big, with large screen 4K TV, projection screens, and the like. Somewhere in the middle is best in this case. I personally use a 24-27 inch monitor.
Note#2 - the website is best viewed on a larger screen or monitor, if possible. The experience is not nearly the same on a smaller display. As such, it goes without saying that viewing on a smart phone is strongly discouraged. In fact, on smart phones and smaller tablets, the content can appear quite jumbled.
Yes, the world is going small, and for emails and texts, that's wonderful. But the world is also going big, with large screen 4K TV, projection screens, and the like. Somewhere in the middle is best in this case. I personally use a 24-27 inch monitor.
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This website is divided into a number of sections, as listed below.
I – The Supreme Being – it all starts and ends with the being mentioned in this introduction. This being is known by many names, The Supreme Being, Spirit, Brahman, God, the Self, etc. In fact, this being, or Spirit, is the only reality, the only thing that really exists. All else is an imaginary creation which is an integral part of this one Spirit. We are all a part of Spirit but we have forgotten. The mystics who have directly experienced this being know. What do they have to say about Spirit? This section is divided into a number of sub-sections;
- Introduction
- Plato’s Cave
- Spirit – God beyond Creation
- Ishvara – God within Creation
- The Mystic Vision - the direct experience of Spirit
II – The Enchanted Universe – creation is the dream enchanted playground of Spirit. The universe looks and feels so real. But it is not. It is a magic play of frozen light projected from consciousness. So say the mystics. And the astounding discoveries of modern science are coming to the same conclusion. This section is divided into the following sub-sections;
- Introduction
- Basic Creation Model
- The View of Modern Science
- Helpful Creation Analogies
- Personalized Creation Model
III – Our Adventures in Wonderland – each one of us is a divinity in disguise, a unique, individualized extension of Spirit. To enter the enchanted playground, we each put on a “body-suit” that lets us experience the phantasmagoria of this virtual universe. It is really Spirit that is playing in Its playground through each of us. Originally, playing in the universe was easy and Spirit experienced It’s playground through the immortal “Greek gods” that we each were. But then Spirit made the game more difficult, much more difficult. This section includes the following sub-sections;
- Introduction
- Adventures in Wonderland
- Cosmic Hypnosis
- Ego-consciousness and God-consciousness
- Karma and Reincarnation
- Destiny and Free Will
- Why is there Suffering?
IV – The Journey of Awakening – at some point in our long travels, we become tired of this more difficult cosmic game that fools us into believing we are something that we are not. We long for our real nature as immortal gods. When this desire becomes stronger than our desire for the alluring offerings of this cosmic illusion, then we begin the process of awakening from the dream. The journey of awakening is primarily an inner passage into consciousness, not an outer voyage. This section is divided into several sub-sections;
- Introduction
- Religion and Spirituality
- Paradise Lost
- Who and Where are We?
- The Path to Awakening
- Awakening and Enlightenment
The website also includes a section entitled What’s New. It is the intent to update the website on a regular basis, by adding more information on the above topics as well as by addressing a number of related topics, such as the Enigma of Time and Space, The Mystery of Sleep, Astral and Causal Worlds, etc.
As well, the website provides the section Wrap Up, which offers brief biographical notes, contact information and final thoughts. It also includes a “mystical” endorsement.
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“The universe, like a dream, is a Whole, and operates as a Whole. Under the spell of Maya, we are deluded into believing that we are our bodies and are independent entities separate and distinct from the world of our experience. It is only through an occasional glimpse of clarity that we become awakened to the truth that we live within the one Spirit, one world-Soul, and that this body and all nature is His; that it is an illusory world made of projected light.”
~ Swami Abhayananda
“The Reality is One; though, owing to illusions It appears to be multiple names and forms ... You are that One, that Brahman.” ~ Shankara
“The light at the end of the tunnel is not an illusion. The tunnel is.” ~ Unknown
~ Swami Abhayananda
“The Reality is One; though, owing to illusions It appears to be multiple names and forms ... You are that One, that Brahman.” ~ Shankara
“The light at the end of the tunnel is not an illusion. The tunnel is.” ~ Unknown
