The Real World

[Cameron Reilly]

>From my experience:

To a jnani, the world both exists and does not exist, simultaneously.

As Allan Curry correctly stated, the phenomenal manifestation of the world
'seems' to exist. It is appearance only.

The jnani sees the appearance as just that - appearance. He knows that the
underlying reality of the appearance is his own Self - the noumenon, the
Brahman.

Therefore, what is considered 'real'? Is the appearance any more or any
less real than the underlying substance?

Both can be considered real - as in the snake-in-the-rope analogy, the
snake is real to those who do not understand the underlying truth of the
rope.

When the man who knows the rope walks into the room the second time, and
out the corner of his eye he sees the appearance of the snake, the
appearance is still there but he knows without doubt that the 'snake' is,
in fact, rope.


Regards,

Cameron Reilly

>-----Original Message-----
>From:  Allan Curry [SMTP:un824 at FREENET.VICTORIA.BC.CA]
>Sent:  Monday, May 26, 1997 8:01 AM
>To:    Multiple recipients of list ADVAITA-L
>Subject:       Re: The Real World
>
>Namaste
>
>laxman shenoy writes:
>
>>The meaning we have for the world "real" in vedanta is not the same as
>>the
>>english meaning. In our discussions we are trying to assign the english
>>meaning to the vedantic concept and thus running around in circles.
>>
>>The physical world exists...the trees, the earth and the galaxy.
>>
>
>Given that Gaudapada says, "This is the highest Truth, that nothing is
ever
>born" did you perhaps mean to say "The physical world *seems* to exist" ?
>..... "the trees, the earth and the galaxy *seem* to exist" ???
>
>I always thought it was the world that was represented by the snake in the
>snake-in-the-rope analogy. Please, Advaita Vedanta experts, clear up this
>confusion... Is it true in Advaita Vedanta that "The physical world
exists"
>???
>
>HUMOR=ON
>
>Maybe God was misquoted in the Jewish bible's book of Genesis and actually
>said, " IF there was light..."   instead of "Let there be light"!  :-)
>       ^^^^
>HUMOR=OFF
>
>-Allan Curry
>