REALITY AND ILLUSION

Whatever “is” is real and whatever is not but appears is “illusion”. This duality exists out of this simple statement. Somehow reality and illusion interchange so rapidly that it is impossible to understand what is real and what is illusory. One understands the truth that there is illusion in this world. However at the same time it is impossible to understand the fact that if illusion is not real how can it exist? One can go crazy with words. As if this were not enough one equates reality and truth as if the were interchangeable words. Since childhood we are told to speak the truth. Little does one realizes that “speak” and “truth” these two words cannot exist together. We cannot speak truth. If we open our mouth to speak we start talking what we do not want to convey. There is no word in any language which can convey “what Is”. This is the helplessness of any language. Words can neither tell the truth nor convey a lie. How to tell about anything “which is not “? All the nouns in any language are in fact verbs because everything is continuously changing. Noun shows a state and anything and everything is changing continuously. Change is constant.

What do the words do then? They only indicate. Indicate what? Nothing and everything at the same time. They indicate reality and illusion but do not tell anything about them. Illusion covers reality and reality covers illusion. The world exists like a circle, which is apparent, when one rotates a point of light in darkness. A circle of light is present as well as absent. Just utter the word “I” and see if you have any locus standi. You are a change, body mind and spirit included.
Who watches this change?

Thus nobody has been able to tell what is reality and what is illusion. Nobody is likely to tell that in future because to tools with which to tell this are illusory. Just for the smooth working of society we have invented the concepts of reality and illusion. We call reality the truth and call illusion a lie. People swear by God to tell the truth and nothing but the truth without ever realizing that they do not know anything about either God or truth. The statements given after such comic oath are taken as truths and change people’s lives for better or worse.

One must realize that reality and illusion are the two sides of the same coin. Its like a person who is on his death bed and every single physician who has seen him has concluded that he has few days to live. In comes a master and tells the person that nothing is the matter and he will be walking about in a few days. Lo and behold ! It happens likewise. Now who told a lie and who spoke the truth? A truth was killing the person but a lie saved his life. While the master was assuring he was telling a lie but afterwards the same lie got converted into truth.

If we want to establish reality as a cause and effect relationship nothing could be farther from truth because the universe is synchronous. While you are reading this the stars are exploding atoms are uniting to form molecules people are moving all over the world, everything happening at the same time. To say that a flower bloomed after the sunrise and to say a flower bloomed as the sun was rising are two entirely different perspectives.

People have declared themselves to be in possession of truth and have thought about themselves as the last messiah or some such thing. People have murdered other people for not accepting their version of truth camouflaged as religion. On the contrary when all of see the sun rising in the east and setting in the west somebody telling us that the earth moves round the sun has endured imprisonment and torture. Who has seen earth moving round the sun? Very few people have actually seen the earth to be round. Now we accept it as the truth. However it is wise to assume that anything appearing real may be an illusion or anything appearing as illusion might be real.

Change being constant we must appreciate that reality is change. Fundamental truth is a stupid lie as the fundamentals are changing really. Reality is hiding behind illusion and illusion is hiding behind reality. Tai Chi tells us that. We become very healthily unsure of our stand. One question like, “what is the time?” elicits continuously different answers. In fact it is unanswerable.

Now who will say I know the truth ? One must understand all three things simultaneously. “I”, Know and Truth. Therefore be aware and realize the duality of reality and illusion.