Keeping the flame of the master-disciple tradition alive, the master most willingly shares his wisdom with us mortals. He helps us understand why mystics refer to the physical world as an illusion or an unreal world. We, in turn, hope that his words reach the curious reader and the seeker of truth the way the master would want the words to.
Comparing the body to a bunker and the soul the living organism in that bunker – for ordinary mortals, life on this earth is akin to living life in a bunker – a bunker that gives us no access to the outside or to life in the natural world. In such a scenario, we’d be familiar only with the surroundings and the limitations of living within the confines of the bunker. Our knowledge of the outside world would be non-existent. In this situation, if there is someone who has been able to gain access to the outside world, will know that life exists outside the present confines. For him the possibilities of a better life and bettering his life open up. Therefore, he is not wrong in describing the life within the bunker as unreal. That someone is the mystic.
The soul is an intergalactic traveller for whom the earth is one of the stop-overs in its journey to its final destination. The soul intuitively knows this. Enrobed in the physical body, weighed down by the veil of its karmic blueprint, on this earth ruled by sensory organs – the soul suffers from amnesia – its memory of its true nature and purpose is hidden from itself. It is this amnesia that partially contributes to the idea that life and life’s experiences on this earth are the ultimate reality. It is this amnesia that the mystic finds a cure for. The mystic through his experiences understands that in relation to the physical body, this world is real; in relation to the soul, this world is an illusion. Therefore, he declares this world is an unreal world.
The mystic having found the cure, tunes his physical, mental and energy bodies in a manner that provides a valid visa for the soul to reaccess the knowledge and realms that are beyond the sensory perceptions. Whereas, the ordinary human being finds no such cure. The ordinary man relies heavily on his sensory perceptions and identifies strongly with his physicality. Therefore, the limitations imposed by the physical body and experienced by the soul, reinforced by the soul’s karmic blueprint makes the self believe that this is the real world. The soul, already suffering from amnesia deludes itself into believing that the reality it perceives through the lens of these limitations is indeed the truth.
The seeker on the spiritual path has to work towards dismantling the borders erected by the physical body, allowing the soul to shake off its amnesia. The seeking soul learns to differentiate between the apparent and true reality, reaccessing knowledge that provides the soul with a valid passport to successfully complete its journey on this earth.