How Can Mithya Texts Reveal Satyam Reality? – Part 12
From previous part 11, the student continued raising doubts about Vedas authority. For example, how are Veda texts superior to other sacred texts? Why should I believe Vedanta has the ultimate answers? Isn't it just another point of view?
Now, a more sophisticated objection is raised…
Student counters last reply with, “Your sacred texts and books are objects, dependent-reals. Yet you call them revelations, using them as valid means of knowledge to support your arguments. Objects as they are and belonging to the relative world, how can they speak of the Truth Absolute?”
” Yes, the books are dependent-reals, but we are living in a world of dependent-reals, world of mithyā.
Our mind and body included, belong to this order of reality.
As I said earlier, each order works within itself. What works in one does not work in the other.
For example, if you are hungry in your dream, it is only dream food that will relieve.
Food from our waking world cannot and does not have a role in a dream world.
It is the same for the books.
In a world of transaction — a relative world, a dependent existence, a dependent-real — relative knowledge alone can remove relative ignorance.
Our Upanishads and Vedic texts also belong to this relative order of reality.
They help to remove the ignorance belonging to the same relative existence.
The words peel away from us, layer upon layer of not-knowing-ness… until we can clearly see Truth of the self and the world.
Thus despite their dependent status, our books help us understand the Absolute.”
“How do I know for certain the words speak the truth? I cannot blindly believe without positive proof.”
” If we listen to what the words reveal with an alert mind, with total objectivity, allowing the words to speak for themselves — the very same texts will bless us with the vision of the truth.
We will see it works every time by releasing us instantly from all limitations and fears.
If for instance an eye doctor, after a long surgery says, ‘You can see if you open your eyes'. And the patient ever suspicious replies, ‘Promise me I can see, only then will I open my eyes'.
He does not give the surgeon a chance. He has neither faith nor trust. Without positive proof he cannot believe the surgeon's words.
When the books talk of the Absolute, they can and do work if we enter them without prejudices, aware of our limited mental capacity… willing to listen to the words… opening ourselves to the vision they convey… and taking them to be valid means of knowing.
Pending inquiry, we come to see that the scriptures reveal truth not directly, but by implication — the truth of self and everything else is One Limitless Existence Consciousness (satcitānanda).
“If you consider the sacred books as revealed texts and revelations, what about our thoughts? After all, according to your opinion, Consciousness illumines the mind. The mind gives birth to thought. Hence every thought is illumined by the One Consciousness. It is a revelation. If that is true, how will you explain the violence and cruelty that we see in the world which people inflict on each other?”
” A revelation is an idea, a thought revealing something unknown, something useful and unavailable for independent knowing.
If we are to use them as a means of knowledge, they must also conform to the definition of a valid means of knowing.
They must not be contradicted or countermanded by other means of knowledge.
They must be completely objective, without ego's influence to colour them with subjective tones.
Every thought therefore cannot be a revelation. Although we can definitely say every thought is revealed, since it is Consciousness that brings each one to light.
As for violence and hurt, they reflect the psychological order which person's mind comes under.
Violence reveals an inner turmoil, clouding the sense of discrimination and encrusted them with hatred and anger.
Wickedness also stems from past negative tendencies carried forward in the present. A turbulent childhood and other unpleasant life situations also contribute. Example a person is cheated, then takes it out on all humanity.
Again, every action has a reaction. Hatred and violence will take their toll of the perpetrator's mind and spirit.
What worse punishment can there be than deadening of one's sensitivity?
With no hope for relief or even a desire for it, one is tormented within and can't get out of it.
Violence brings its own miseries through internal or external agencies. Cause and effect rules can never be denied.
Whereas the actions that harmonise with the order we see all around — there is peace and tranquillity.
It produces a sense of well-being of both body and spirit.
Such actions make our mind positively sensitive to new realities. One is naturally concerned with others welfare and alive to others feelings. “