How can you determine if what you see in a vision

July 20, 2006

is real or not?

I've never had a vision, but I've had family members who have had some visions and stuff, and I was wondering about how one can determine if that vision is real or not. It seems that a lot of people who experience visions have neurological problems or that is often the diagnosis of physicians, scientists, and psychologists. So should people trust the visions they have (good or bad)? How do they form any basis of trust in them, how do they determine if it's real or not?

The only thing I can think of is when a vision tells you something will happen and that thing happens after the vision is over.

Is there any other way?

July 20, 2006

is real or not?

I've never had a vision, but I've had family members who have had some visions and stuff, and I was wondering about how one can determine if that vision is real or not. It seems that a lot of people who experience visions have neurological problems or that is often the diagnosis of physicians, scientists, and psychologists. So should people trust the visions they have (good or bad)? How do they form any basis of trust in them, how do they determine if it's real or not?

The only thing I can think of is when a vision tells you something will happen and that thing happens after the vision is over.

Is there any other way?

If the vision was not a spiritual vision, then just ignore it and go one with your life.

If it was a spiritual vision then just take note and go on with your life.

Put your attention to the practical platform and don't put much weight on these visions.

For some people, visions are a dime a dozen.

Chant Hare Krishna and don't focus on these visions.

July 20, 2006

If the vision was not a spiritual vision, then just ignore it and go one with your life.
If it was a spiritual vision then just take note and go on with your life.

Put your attention to the practical platform and don't put much weight on these visions.

For some people, visions are a dime a dozen.

Chant Hare Krishna and don't focus on these visions.

Then how do you know God exists? How do you know that you're not deluding yourself?

I've heard a lot of reasons why God exists, but they are not satisfactory. The only way to know is through direct experience, and if that direct experience itself is illusory, then one can only claim there is no proof of God whatsoever.

I'm sorry, I disagree with the notion to ignore these visions, and simply go on with life. One must examine whether these visions are real or not, as they form the basis upon which we can determine whether the spiritual world is real or not.

You think the Vedic seers wrote all that they wrote without having visions? Their enlightened experiences were put down as scripture, and these experiences and their realizations about reality are why we even chant, meditate, or pray. If these realizations are delusions, then there is no need to chant as it's a waste of time and it's willful self-delusion.

July 20, 2006

If the vision was not a spiritual vision, then just ignore it and go one with your life.
If it was a spiritual vision then just take note and go on with your life.

Put your attention to the practical platform and don't put much weight on these visions.

For some people, visions are a dime a dozen.

Chant Hare Krishna and don't focus on these visions.

Also, how do you know that it's not a neurological symptom and you are going mad?

You can't just ignore visions, on a practical or mystical level. To do so would be foolish. The smart thing to do is to evaluate whether the vision that is had is real or not.

That said, how do we determine when the visions are real or not?

Spiritual visions of gods and goddesses are not necessarily any different from astral travel, encounters with odd beings, seeing the future, etc. The same foundation exists for all these, and must be evaluated in order to determine your state of mind and the purpose in continuing spiritual endeavours.

July 20, 2006

There are many kinds of visionary experiences but not all are of same spiritual importance.

I had what I believe to be genuine spiritual experience after practicing very intense traditional yogic sadhana of meditation on paramatma in a form of Vishnu.

I remember entering spiritual dimension by leaving material and even subtle astral body. Ascension was incredible and uncomparable to anything I've experienced before or since. I found myself surrounded by enlightened saints radiating bliss and divine wisdom and at the same time I was aware of material plane but I saw it as a small insignificant blue globe far bellow in a darkness of space.

How do I know it was for real?

You can convince yourself that nothing you percieve is real and as some gyanis do but from the standpoint of visistadvaita and dvaita we come to conclusion that reality means awareness and clear perception of phenomenon.

My awareness of this spiritual dimension was higher then that of material plane but at the same time I wasn't oblivious of this material dimension like in a dream or even in lucid dreaming where awareness is clouded and percieved dreamworld is controlled by movement of lower manas.

This was separate, independent world with it's inhabitants and laws incomprehensible to material consciousness. I had to drop not only material but also subtle astral body to enter this spiritual realm and when I did I felt incredible power and bliss.

How can we confirm authenticity of spiritual experiences of other sadhakas?

Since not all experiences are on the same level we'll find it impossible to directly evaluate some phenomena but there are cases when others can witness visible manifestation of spiritual experiences. The other way is to find whether someone's experience is in accordance with scriptures.

Once , during very intense and painfull Kundalini process I felt my soul separating from the body and at the same time my friend (who was working on the other side of the city) saw my doppleganger. It was daylight, at close distance and this copy was even wearing same clothes. Doppleganger smiled and vanished into thin air after minute or two after my friend tried to approach him finding his/my behaviour very strange

All these experiences were just glimpses. You can't bring down bliss and wisdom from higher planes just by visiting them once or twice. They serve to encourage you and inspire you to work harder here and now. In some cases they may even cause problem nad create delusions of grandeur which is main cause of spiritual downfall for many yogis. You have a right to know about higher planes form direct experience and if you work hard to get it you will know how to appreciate it even more but once you return you will have to face same old you with same old problems. It won't transform you into saint but it will give you push in a right direction.

In my case, I did not desire an experience. I was just doing paramatma meditation and 32 rounds of mahamantra every day during period of six months while observing total brahamcarya because I was young , ethusiastic and it simply felt good. Experience was perhaps reward but for me sadhana itself was actually fulfilling enough.

In any case, it took tremendous effort. Genuine experiences do not come cheap, you cannot just demand them from God. You'll need to work hard with right attitude. I would even say that if some spiritual experience come without genuine effort, caused by some traumatic event or drug intake it will in most cases create mentaly unstable personality.

Haribol.