The world is an illusion created by the Mind!

I am Rama, I am Krishna, I am Jesus, I am Allah, I am Buddha, I am Nanak and I am Sai. Notice the common factor in all the assertions! Names may vary in different ways but “I AM” is the common factor. What this ‘I am’ constitutes. If this “I am” represents different bodies, then why the common term “I am” is used? The world over, many beings assert that I am so and so. It is common in the East or West like the South and North. Someone say, “I am the President”, yet some other says I am the Prime Minister! Hence this is the common term used the world over by all the human beings.

This term survives even the death of many billions of bodies! Hence, our ancestors, sages and saints started meditating on the meaning of “I am”. The Bible proclaims, “I AM THAT I AM”. The Hindu scriptures state “ Aham Brahmasmi” which means “I am Braman”. Then only we surmise that this term is not an ordinary one to indicate the perishing bodies which are like ‘water bubbles’. I AM, is an assertion by the immortal self and it is not related to the body or the mind. Bodies flaunt different names like John, Joseph and the like. These names are but ‘labels’ to identify the particular body, otherwise, the world will be in chaos. If all the people in a village is named after a particular deity, how the postman will serve that village? Hence, different names are assigned in the worldly way for the matter of identification and there is nothing in a name. What is important is the real occupant of the body! The legitimate occupant of all human bodies and other species is the SELF or ATMA as we term them for understanding.

Now, let us see what this “Self” is? It is the only immortal principle which is the base for the entire creation and cosmos! Billions of galaxies are formed only due to the Self, yet it is immovable since it occupies every atom in the universe without any difference. Only if there is a space apart from the Self, we can talk about movement or displacement. When everything is Atma, where it will move? Hence, it is Static, ever present without origin or end. It remains as self even when there is no creation! Yes, creation too is a cycle. After many lakhs of human years, one aeon end and there will be total destruction sane the Self. After a gap of thousands of years, nay lakhs, the creation happen again because of the ever-present Self. Of course, there was nothing before creation, none to know anything. There was total darkness and all things submerged by “Pralaya”, the final flood. These truths are derived from various epics, puranas and other evidences contained in various Hindu scriptures. The Bible too talks about a “judgement day’. It is also akin to Pralaya, the total destruction of all lives including the basic elements.

When a new creation begins, each life gets a new body according to the past merits or demerits. They are born in different continents and countries according to their evolution. Hence we find on earth, three different kinds of persons. One is pious, the other one is active, and the third one is dull and lazy. But we find that there is no one who is fully pious or fully active or fully dull. At different points of time, people exhibit different qualities. Hence each man is a combination of all the three qualities in different proportions but one quality will be predominant during most of the time by which we can categorize them. This trait is common for all the people of earth. The proportions vary due to our past deeds.

This common thread is like the invisible central thread of a garland. We see only various colors of flowers arranged around the thread in fine design but none look at the central thread which keeps the entire flower intact. This central thread is akin to the self on which the entire creation is wound or seen due to the deceptions of the mind enslaved by the senses. Yes, we all believe the mind foolishly. The mind is like a trickster or magician who goes on showing many things out of nothing. We have seen magicians taking out many impossible things out of an empty hat. The mind too connives in this manner with the senses and produces a false show of the universe on the consciousness of each being.

We have seen many cinemas in cinema halls. Prior to the innovation of internet and TV, people make a beeline to the theatres exhibiting colorful cinemas. As you occupy your seat, you notice a pure white screen there. You know it contains nothing. Within few minutes, all lights are put off and there is a beam of light projecting from the rear room to the screen at the front of the viewers. Many sides are shown with appropriate sound. Then comes the real movie wherein you notice sceneries alike actual life on earth. There are threatening floods, volcanoes and thunderstorms depicted on the screen. We reach the edge of the seats biting our nails. It was so real, so harrowing, the destructions, the cries of those caught in the tragedies. After some time, some other scenes which evoke our nicer feelings are shown. At the end of the show, the lights are on and there is only a pure white screen, absolutely unaffected by the scenes projected on it.

The world is a cosmic cinema projected by the mind on the pure consciousness(Self), Like the pure screen, the Self remains unaffected by the illusory play of the mind!