Day 299 -Explanation of the Story of the Sage, the Ascetic, and the Hunter

Day 299 -Explanation of the Story of the Sage, the Ascetic, and the Hunter

The Sage’s Realization

The story continues with the sage recounting his experiences. While residing in the heart of another person, he encountered his own relatives and lived with them for sixteen years. This reality seemed true to him until an ascetic visited, prompting him to question whether the experiences of good and evil in the world truly corresponded to actions. The ascetic’s response surprised the sage and revealed the illusory nature of all experiences, likening them to a dream.

The Ascetic’s Teaching on Reality and Illusion

The ascetic explained that everything, including people, places, and objects, is a product of consciousness. He stated that the apparent causal relationships and experiences of pleasure or pain are mere projections in consciousness, and they arise based on one's beliefs or mental conditioning. The world and its beings exist in the heart of a macrocosmic entity, and disturbances in that consciousness can affect the experiences of individuals, like natural calamities. Hence, the reality experienced is interdependent and subjective.

Enlightenment and the Materialization of Dreams

Upon hearing the ascetic's teaching, the sage was enlightened and realized the illusory nature of his existence. When he tried to leave to find his original body, he found himself bound within the dream-like reality he was experiencing. The ascetic revealed that a great fire had destroyed both the sage's original body and the one he had entered, leaving him to exist in the present dream-world. The sage then understood that his dream had materialized into waking state reality, indicating that the boundaries between dreams and reality are fluid.

The Ascetic’s Prophecy and the Future Encounter with the Hunter

The ascetic prophesied that the sage would one day become the guru of a hunter. He described how the future would unfold, with the sage and the ascetic surviving a famine, living in a forest, and later encountering a hunter who would seek enlightenment. This prophecy was fulfilled as the sage recounted these teachings to the hunter, explaining the illusory nature of dreams and the world.

The Nature of Reality and Consciousness

The sage shared that upon realizing the nature of reality, he was free from desires for life or death and existed in a state of equanimity. He recognized that the entire world, including mountains, rivers, and even himself, were mere appearances in the infinite consciousness. Everything existed as notions within consciousness, without true separation. He concluded that the world is a manifestation of pure consciousness and not a separate entity.

The Hunter’s Realization and Ongoing Practice

The hunter was initially unsettled by the sage's teachings, finding it difficult to accept that everything might be unreal. The sage encouraged him to continue practicing self-knowledge, as only through persistent effort could one fully establish this truth in their consciousness. The hunter was advised to internalize the understanding that all experiences are interdependent and exist only as projections in consciousness.