Our senses helplessly comprehend the Reality which is mystifying as this world. The normal person sees only the form in a thing and attributes complete authenticity to it. Simultaneously, he witnesses the unpredictability of the form, but he is unaware of it or ignorant to it. Every philosophy put forth an effort to make us understand the Reality behind the form. Further when one looks from the Reality point of view, there is no form either.
In Vedanta to make the seekers understand Reality, unique illustrations are used. Lets take an example here of the gold and the ornament. For a normal person who looks at an ornament, at the first glance sees the thing as only the ornament. But on second thought, he acknowledges that it is made of gold. His sense perception has made him to think of the thing as ornament first and then the gold. After some more contemplation, he recognizes that between the form and the gold in the ornament, the form often gets modified, while the gold remains constant. In view of the fact that gold is the vital element of all gold ornaments and since the form is only a momentary appearance leaving nothing behind, he is obligatory to admit that the gold only is eternal and that the form as ornament is merely a make shift. Thus if a person is made to understand gold in its pure formless nature by asking him to look at the ornaments from the standpoint of gold, then he sees nothing but gold in the ornaments just as a banker or a robber would. At this level even in the form it is the gold that appears and not the ornament. An “ornament” is an ornament only by principle, but at the core it is actually gold.
Taking the lesson from the above Vedantic illustration and applying to the Self and our own body, senses and mind, we can see the Self in its pure nature as gold and the others as the form. If we see the world from the view point of that pure Self, we can see the whole world as nothing but our own real Self. This is how we are helped to experience the Truth of the Upanishad dictum: “SARVAM KHALVIDAM BRAHMAA” This entire universe is verily Brahman - Chandogya Upanishad Ch. 3 Sec 14 Verse 1
Now having said that, let’s analyse further. If we try to take away our mind from the ornament, the ornament alone does not disappear it takes the gold also along with it and this creates a void and we are left helpless and are placed in the dark. But if we are taught to see the gold in the ornament and understand that the gold is the only part which is permanent, then in every succeeding view of the ornament, we will highlight only the gold in it.
Similarly, when we start seeing our body, senses and mind as the ornaments of the real Self we have only to emphasize the Self in each. The shift of our interest, from the appearance to the essence is all that is needed. Then, everything appears as gold or the real Self.
Hence we can observe that, we may not like the make or type of the ornament and dislike the way it is crafted but have we found any person who has got complaints with the gold itself???? Likewise our attitudes as rude, humble, arrogant, adamant etc are like the ornament but the true self is like gold and no one will and should have a problem with it.
In Vedanta to make the seekers understand Reality, unique illustrations are used. Lets take an example here of the gold and the ornament. For a normal person who looks at an ornament, at the first glance sees the thing as only the ornament. But on second thought, he acknowledges that it is made of gold. His sense perception has made him to think of the thing as ornament first and then the gold. After some more contemplation, he recognizes that between the form and the gold in the ornament, the form often gets modified, while the gold remains constant. In view of the fact that gold is the vital element of all gold ornaments and since the form is only a momentary appearance leaving nothing behind, he is obligatory to admit that the gold only is eternal and that the form as ornament is merely a make shift. Thus if a person is made to understand gold in its pure formless nature by asking him to look at the ornaments from the standpoint of gold, then he sees nothing but gold in the ornaments just as a banker or a robber would. At this level even in the form it is the gold that appears and not the ornament. An “ornament” is an ornament only by principle, but at the core it is actually gold.
Taking the lesson from the above Vedantic illustration and applying to the Self and our own body, senses and mind, we can see the Self in its pure nature as gold and the others as the form. If we see the world from the view point of that pure Self, we can see the whole world as nothing but our own real Self. This is how we are helped to experience the Truth of the Upanishad dictum: “SARVAM KHALVIDAM BRAHMAA” This entire universe is verily Brahman - Chandogya Upanishad Ch. 3 Sec 14 Verse 1
Now having said that, let’s analyse further. If we try to take away our mind from the ornament, the ornament alone does not disappear it takes the gold also along with it and this creates a void and we are left helpless and are placed in the dark. But if we are taught to see the gold in the ornament and understand that the gold is the only part which is permanent, then in every succeeding view of the ornament, we will highlight only the gold in it.
Similarly, when we start seeing our body, senses and mind as the ornaments of the real Self we have only to emphasize the Self in each. The shift of our interest, from the appearance to the essence is all that is needed. Then, everything appears as gold or the real Self.
Hence we can observe that, we may not like the make or type of the ornament and dislike the way it is crafted but have we found any person who has got complaints with the gold itself???? Likewise our attitudes as rude, humble, arrogant, adamant etc are like the ornament but the true self is like gold and no one will and should have a problem with it.
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