my question uh is concerning two of the central ideas of hindu philosophy
the first idea is that of the athman that permanent self that which does not arise
therefore that which does not disintegrate that which exists in and of itself and that
which exists from its own side so we have this permanent sense of self that which is and then on
my other idea the other idea is that of the law of causality cause and effect where we say everything
in this universe is dependent originated everything comes into existence dependent
on something else so now when i think of these two ideas together that which is that which is
essential absolute that which is not dependent originated the atman and i think of the law of
causality where we say that that is dependent on the cause is always dependent on the effect and
the effect is on the cause and vice versa and when i bring these two together i see a
contradiction and that's that's something that's confusing me and the little i think you could
possibly answer this for me thank you you see this is a very philosophic question and it should be
asked that these are the things everything we kind of interact everything we kind of see
observe around us everything falls under the spell of cause and effect everything every object every
event they kind of are intertwined through the law of cause and effect the reason why i'm here
i'm able to speak to you lots of things combined together for me to be here and be speaking to you
the fact that you are here also lots of things that you gang up together for you to be here
this is the law of cause and effect that if i can use the word infects the creation in front of us
all of this creation is strongly infected if you like intertwined with the law of cause
and effect everything so this young gentleman is asking a very pertinent question he's saying if
everything is kind of intertwined with cause and effect what about this chap called the atman
because he seems to escape the net of causality how can it possibly because you said everything
so atman too this thing that you're talking about and promoting surely that too must come under the
if you like under the net be captured in the net of cause and effect this is a beautiful
question now this is the answer you see this is the whole of hinduism whole heart of esoteric
heart of hinduism he says this the world that you're so sure about that you observe around you
that is guaranteed to be kind of dictated by cause and effect but what we are promoting is that's the
reason why i use the word a deeper vision of if you like a deeper vision of what we are or what
this reality is all about he said there's a deeper dimension to this reality we saw deeper dimension
we say the world that you are so sure about this empirical world this world that can be verified
with sense data underpinning that something is dramatically different that underpins this reality
and that underpinning is not controlled by cause and effect he's ah this is terrible
his escape is escaped and this is the whole idea of the idea of the spirit the spirit cannot be
snared by any network it defies being captured intellectually art you know through various
articulation through linguistics it defies being kind of captured and the law of cause and effect
are not able to influence it at all doesn't get it's about how can that be in the beautiful way
the hindus explain if you like is it's like like a trick you might say but it's a beautiful way this
is how it says it's underpinning this reality that you're so sure about is something dramatically
different that remains crucially invisible it's invisible oh yes it remains crucially invisible
and yet it is underpinning to this reality that you are so sure about i can see you you can see me
we can touch each other everything is so sure and you know clear-cut but underpinning this something
is there which is guaranteed to be invisible that's invisible you to live with invisible yes
that's underpinning and that how do you how can you be sure about it
the only way you can verify this underpinning that we talk about is the spirit and the two
sanskrit terms that spring out to explain the word spirit when you individualize it you call
it atman when you don't individualize and says underpin the whole of this creation including you
we call the word brahman so this atman or brahman or the idea of a spirit underpinning this reality
is not something that is prepared to play bold with law of cause and effect but you say mr lakhan
you said this underpinning so that's the cause of this creation so there's a cause and effect link
there already no this is where we do the trickery if i can use the word trickery this is advaith it
says this beautiful way says the underpinning does not become the world that you see
the underpinning appears the key word is appears is the world you see
in the world of appearance causality rules the rules that rules the realm but the underpinning
is not at all dictated so even you can't even say it's the cause of the universe if you say
the spirit is the cause of the universe then the universe and spirit are linked by cause and effect
so we say they're not linked there is there is a disjoint and this this joint is so
worrying or and you know like you know i'll give a funny example just to show
one day adi shankara the the master the person who revived hinduism enter into the world although i
think this was disappeared brought up this marvelous idea of advaith vedanta what the
sadhu is says exactly what i'm just telling you the underpinning to this reality remains
crucially invisible and yet it is underpinning and yet it you can't even call it the cause of
the universe it's not there's no causal link the underpinning appears at the world around you
and the body uses maya maya is the word which says there's a disjoint between reality
and appearance there is a disjoint it straightway there's a disjoint the word maya is the one that
captures the essence of the spirit as it is and what it appears as the material world the human
beings me and you that's the apparent world underpinning and the link is not even causal
because appearance is just that it's not created so if somebody says
brahman means the world is god no that that is called you know that is not hinduism
the world of appearance is the world that we are so kind of hypnotized by but the underpinning is
guaranteed to be something dramatically different and that is not even a causal link that's why i
use the word appears doesn't become the universe brahman doesn't turn into universe then it's
closer link brahman appears is a key word and this lovely stuff that uh you know a nice story
to lighten up but those becomes very philosophical and he asked very philosophic questions
adishanka was teaching this to a king in india the world disappearance the world is called maya is an
appearance and it seems bit far-fetched is this real and this guy is calling it appearance this
is not right the king was you know scratching his beard saying this is not right and then he king
was standing on the balcony and he said adishan was a little boy you know adi shankar suddenly was
running he saw him running you know and there was a mad elephant chasing after adi shankara
so the king was watching the balcony adishanka was running sweating then he climbed up a tree
and saved himself and then mad elephant looked for him he couldn't find him went away
and adi shankara you know wiped the sweat from his brow and came down the tree
and the king was laughing his head off laughing his head off he said chankra
you were just giving this high philosophy this is the world of appearance why were you
and the answer that came from adi shankara is the height of philosophy he said oh king
this is the world of appearance even the elephant chasing me is a world of appearance
and you saw me running up the tree that too is world of appearance so you really immediately
you know turned it around saying yes in the world of appearance if you see elephant chasing you run
one part of the appearance supporting another part of appearance but they both appear and still the
king so you might think this nice colorful story to the idea idea of how there's not a causal link
between athman and the reality or the world or me there's no causal link the word is appearance is
the word appears or manifests as is something different from kosis or creates
so you must miss lakani is nice and colorful but how can we be sure about stuff like this it's too
airy fairy it's like a cop out you're saying this is not reality but reality is you can't
you can't see it it's invisible so it's a cop out surely what's the answer the answer is this
what i am talking about what every mystic every prophet of every religion has been talking about
is not something that you can justify intellectually but something they can
only be appreciated and justified by first and encounter so only we can be sure about this
thing called the athman brahman or spirit is actually getting having a first-hand encounter
and you may think it's a fuzzy experience maybe you know kind of like you know you have this kind
of fuzzy thing like you know because you said the appearance so you can another appearance no my
friend when that experience hits you for the first time you live life most intensely you can ever
imagine so this life that we are so sure about me seeing you which appears so real that appears
like a fickle and that experience the first and encounter of the spirit is if you like the
beginning of religion without it religion has not begun you have to be if you like a humble agnostic
saying i have no clue what i'm talking about but they are talking about in the scriptures called
the atman and brahman but i don't know what the hell it is unless you encounter this for yourself
you can never be certain says hindu philosophy it doesn't impose it on you he said always be
suspicious saying maybe it's true maybe it's not true i'd rather be humble agnostic
rather than say yes it's definitely written in my book upanishad keep your opnisha to yourself
unless you unc look at the brave brave nature of this religion it takes it head-on said look
until you encounter you can never be truly sure about it you hear about it sounds very poetic
very colorful so people like adi shankara or whether it's buddha being enlightened or whether
it's every prophet every mystic hits the jackpot gets a first encounter that really lifts them up
first time they live life fully people think this must be fuzzy experience
to the contrary it is the most exciting the most you know the life invigorating experience you can
imagine forget about imagination is much more dramatic you know why it's traumatic
me seeing you here how does it happen there's a subject object divide i'm the subject trying to
make sense of the object i see in front of me and there's if you like intermediaries my sense
is playing up and i'm trying to interpret this my mind playing up how do i see her like that
but this encounter the first hand is so dramatic the subject object divide is removed
no demarcation that's why so intense when i see her that's not that intense because this division
you need the sense data for this to to filter through and interpret it to use my mentor none
of that is required you bypass all of them you the demarcation within subject is demolished so the
intensity of that that's why every prophet goes yeah he goes his fuses are blown even the subject
object divide disappears so all these things that we hear about this marvelous stuff the hindus have
forgotten by the way the word atman and brahman have been left behind they are fixated on gods
and goddesses so be it i'm not vilifying them but this is if you like in order for us to understand
the satellite called atman brahman we devised all these marvelous gods and goddesses because
they become more personal much more engaging much more you know human so we can link up with them
so we have in a way using the ploy sometimes the ploy becomes so overwhelming that we forget
the deeper message the deeper measure discover the underpinning to our being
spirit atman and this i said i can explain it intellectually and try and justify it
intellectually but that's not good enough the only just the only reality is to get
first an encounter until that be humble and that will prove you to find it for yourself
you