The truth is hidden from our eyes. It is verifiable. And, the world is clueless about it.
The world has no clue about spiritual reality. We don’t realise that while the spiritual truth is invisible to human eyes, it is also verifiable. That the material things we chase during our lifetime, like money, stand between us and true happiness. That heavenly happiness is within reach in this lifetime and does not have to wait for an after-life. That what matters is not what we do but the intent with which we do it. That one cannot benefit or harm anyone but himself. And so on….
All these points may sound strange, even insane. But spiritual truths are verifiable through routes such as specific meditation techniques. As one meditates deeply, the truth behind this facade starts emerging.
Reality is not what we see
Our senses (sights, hearing, touch, taste, and smell) simulate a reality that is not the truth. For example, if I see an apple I can go ahead and touch it. My touch appears to confirm my sight. I could smell it. Taste it. And I can hear myself chew it. All the senses confirm the reality of the apple. However, this reality has been conjured up in my brain. And my brain appears to work just like anyone else’s brain. So, another person also experiences the same reality. Because every normal person appears to experience this the same way, it must be true. Since our minds work on short-cuts and on assumptions, this “must be true” becomes the only truth we know – an everyday reality that we no longer stop to think about, let alone question or investigate. Who has the time?
In order to better understand it, perhaps we can look at it in another way. Take the example of a person immersed in a computer simulation game or a virtual reality game. The computer creates a reality that is not there. Everyone who sees this computer-generated world sees the same thing but that does not make the simulation real. Similarly, everyone senses the apple. Our senses confine us within a shared reality. We all sense the same things.
According to ancient Indian texts, matter is an unknown entity to the normal people. A bit like the programming details of the computer simulation are unknown to the person who is not technically conversant. Such a non-technical person will only see the simulation and not understand its underlying technology. And, a player of this computer game can become so engrossed in it that he forgets reality. His mind gets immersed in the game and he stops sensing anything other than the game. His mind blocks out the other senses that interfere with the perception of the simulation. The world outside the game ceases to exist for him. Now, if he is able to pull his attention back and look away from the computer screen, he would mentally come back into the world around him. He would see that he had momentarily accepted the computer simulation as his reality.
Our world, including the matter in it is like this computer simulation. We remain immersed in it. We do not pause to sense through techniques like meditation that reality is not matter but beyond it. We have no memory of that reality. Having known only the matter-generated simulation, there is nothing else we know. We confirm our sense perception with those of others. Everyone senses the same thing, so it must be real. And deep yogic perception is the rarest of rare things. No one has time for it anyway. So, the underlying truth remains nothing more than a theoretical idea discussed in some intellectual circles. But we can look away from this virtual reality, and verify that what we see is not real.
The truth out there can be perceived and verified
Meditation, done right, progressively provides this verification. One by one, the postulates in ancient Indian texts start becoming tangibly clear. This clarity comes through personal experience during the meditation. And, this validation is a very important point. Firstly, it suggests that one does not need to wait for an after-life for fact-checking what the Indian texts say. Secondly, it points to a scientific, inquiry-based, and evidence-based approach.
Here’s an example of an experience to validate reality: I have felt extended moments of freedom while being in deep state of meditation. Freedom that feels like all laws (including gravity) no longer apply. And, I have also experienced moving in and out of this freedom – depending on whether there is residual attachment left (to the body, to family, to material possessions etc.). I have been able to repeatedly move in and out of this bondage that comes from attachment like flipping a switch. Feeling attachment and thus bondage in one state; then non-attachment and complete freedom in the other state. When material and bodily attachments vanish in this deep state, the sense of freedom is palpable. It is freedom from all laws that operate in this universe, including from the body.
The above-mentioned experience validates to me that the present world binds us because we have attachments to things, people, and perhaps most of all, to our own bodies. This message of bondage is repeated many a times in Bhagwad Gita, the primary Indian spiritual text. This experience is also consistent with the broad view some religions taken on attachment to sensory gratification as a source of misery and subjugation. This is also a first-hand experience of perceiving the truth. Thus my earlier statement in the opening of this section, that material things we chase stand between us and true happiness.
True happiness also needs to be called out here. The state of freedom described above is also a deeply blissful existence that is completely independent of the vagaries of this world. Time stands still. Suddenly the degrees of freedom of motion appear to become infinite. Nothing seems to matter in this state of happiness.
But the above-described state is not stable for a person who is new to spirituality and meditation. People can get glimpses of it, or something similar, but can then find that it takes a lot of time to replicate the same experience. However, one experience is enough to transform a life. Just one. Having seen the truth that underpins our existence, a person is then blessed with a sense of objectiveness and perspective that mentally diminishes all subsequent challenges faced as momentary, insignificant, and just a phenomenon of questionable perception.
Recommended Reading
Controlling the mind: It is possible to acquire significant level of control over one’s mind and thereby lead happier lives. The approach may need to be radically different from what you might expect.
Experience Heaven in this life itself: One does not need to wait for an after-life to experience what heaven might feel like. But it needs focus, effort, and persistence.
The Advanced Meditation Exercise (TAME) : This meditation technique is an incredibly powerful way to keep the mind peaceful. It is prescribed in Bhagwad Gita, the primary book of Indian spiritual heritage. It derives its power by activating three key things in us: detachment, stillness, and transformation.
Why TAME meditation appears to work better than other techniques: TAME meditation appears to be more effective than other meditation techniques because it activates three essential elements of meditation: detachment, transformation, and stillness. Meditation needs all three.
Where do you live? Here’s another way to look at your place of residence.
The Final Frontier: It doesn’t lie in fields like deep space, advanced medicine, or quantum physics. It lies within the mind. And, the world will ultimately realize this truth.
