Day 257 - The Nature of Reality and Illusion: Sikhidhvaja's Questions and Kumbha's Answers

Day 257 - The Nature of Reality and Illusion: Sikhidhvaja's Questions and Kumbha's Answers

The Illusion of Sorrow and the Unreal Nature of the World

Sikhidhvaja asked Kumbha why, if everything from the Creator to the material world is unreal, does real sorrow exist. Kumbha explained that sorrow, like everything else, is a result of delusion. It expands and solidifies through repeated affirmation—just like water turning into ice. This solidified illusion gives rise to experiences like sorrow. Once ignorance is dispelled, the original state of unity is revealed, and the perception of diversity disappears, leading to the realization that all suffering was merely an illusion.

Kumbha emphasized that the Creator and creation are not real entities, just appearances born of ignorance. The diversity we experience in life is like a mirage—unreal, and once examined, it disappears. Therefore, the supreme consciousness is pure, and the idea of a Creator or creation is unfounded.

Is Brahman the Cause of Creation?

Sikhidhvaja asked why it couldn't be said that Brahman (the infinite consciousness) is the cause of creation. Kumbha responded that Brahman is one without a second, without cause or effect, and has no motivation or need to create anything. Therefore, Brahman is not the doer, the creator, or the cause of anything. The world of diversity is nothing more than a delusion, and Brahman remains untouched by creation.

In this context, experience and the experiencer (the ego) are also illusions. Since the world has no real cause, it is unreal, and so is the idea of an individual self who experiences it.

The Realization of Awakening

Sikhidhvaja, enlightened by Kumbha’s words, declared that he now understood that since there is no cause, Brahman is not a creator and the mind and ego-sense do not exist. He realized his true nature as pure consciousness and expressed his gratitude, affirming that there was no object of consciousness, only the self.

On the Nature of the Seer, the Seen, and Sight

After this realization, Sikhidhvaja asked how the division between the seer, the seen, and the act of seeing could arise in an indivisible reality. Kumbha explained that what we perceive as division is an illusion. At the end of the world cycle, what remains is the pure essence of consciousness, which is neither light nor darkness but infinite peace. This essence is beyond intellectual comprehension and is known as Brahman or nirvana. The universe, with all its diversity, is no more than a speck of dust floating in this infinite consciousness.

The Unity of All in Consciousness

Kumbha emphasized that the universal self (or Brahman) and the universe are not distinct from each other, just like waves are not separate from the ocean. There is no causal relationship between the infinite consciousness and the universe because the universe is merely a reflection of consciousness. In truth, there is no cause for the world; it simply appears to exist.

The essence of all is consciousness, which pervades everything and holds all things together. However, this consciousness is so subtle and indivisible that it cannot be classified as one thing or another. It is not the cause of the world, nor is it the effect. It is pure experiencing itself, beyond description.