The universe is a mirror in which is reflected the being and beauty of
God.
God's
universe is ruled by his eternal laws. In the East, the law of cause and effect
is called the law of karma. In the New Testament it is expressed in the words :
"Whatever a man sows, that he will also reap." What is written is
written and no man can change the eternal plan.
That
which is decreed by God's will occurs on this earth. There is system, method,
order, regularity everywhere in this universe because the universe is,
ultimately governed by God.
This world is the body of the Lord. This world, though it really is not,
appears to be. Know that it is nothing but a reflection. When you know the
rope, the snake knowledge disappears.
Even so
the world does not really exist and yet appears to be existing through
ignorance. It disappears with the knowledge of the atman on which the illusion
of the world is superimposed.
In
Brahman or the absolute, this world shines falsely, owing to ignorance. It is
not true, even as dreams under the influence of sleep. It is because of
illusory superimposition on the part of the individual that the empirical names
and forms appear to be real.
When,
by the power of meditation, the effect (world) is negated as unreal, the cause
(Brahman) also ceases to be a cause. The certitude or conviction that the
universe is not the supreme Brahman is itself avidya (ignorance). Hence the certitude that, "The
universe is Brahman alone", is emancipation.
The world is a spirit manifested in space and time. When you look at the
absolute, through the senses, it appears as the universe.
The body
is composed of the eight that is mind, egoism, intellect and the five objects
of the senses (sound, sight etc.). All these, composed of the five elements,
are appearances only. So also is time through right discrimination.
In this mortal world, everything perishes, but
the ideas and the ideals do not perish. Ideas are more enduring than objects,
which are perishable, but atman, the
immortal soul endures forever.
Just as the universe appears dark to the blind, and shining to those who
have eyes to see, so it appears blissful to the sages and painful to the
ignorant.
Peace, Love, Harmony