World is the body of God

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WORLD IS THE BODY OF GOD

 

by Swami Sivananda

 

The universe is a mirror in which is reflected the being and beauty

of God. God's universe is ruled by his eternal laws. In the East, the

law of cause and effect is called the law of karma. In the New

Testament it is expressed in the words : " Whatever a man sows, that

he will also reap. " What is written is written and no man can change

the eternal plan. That which is decreed by God's will occurs on this

earth. There is system, method, order, regularity everywhere in this

universe because the universe is, ultimately governed by God.

 

This world is the body of the Lord. This world, though it really is

not, appears to be. Know that it is nothing but a reflection. When

you know the rope, the snake­knowledge disappears. Even so the world

does not really exist and yet appears to be existing through

ignorance. It disappears with the knowledge of the atman on which the

illusion of the world is superimposed. In Brahman or the absolute,

this world shines falsely, owing to ignorance. It is not true, even

as dreams under the influence of sleep. It is because of illusory

superimposition on the part of the individual that the empirical

names and forms appear to be real. When, by the power of meditation,

the effect (world) is negated as unreal, the cause (Brahman) also

ceases to be a cause. The certitude or conviction that the universe

is not the supreme Brahman is itself avidya (ignorance). Hence the

certitude that, " The universe is Brahman alone " , is emancipation.

 

The world is a spirit manifested in space and time. When you look at

the absolute, through the senses, it appears as the universe. The

puryastaka (body) is composed of the eight ­ that is mind, egoism,

intellect and the five objects of the senses (sound, sight etc.). All

these, composed of the five elements, are appearances only. So also

is time through right discrimination. In this mortal world,

everything perishes, but the ideas and the ideals do not perish.

Ideas are more enduring than objects, which are perishable, but

atman, the immortal soul endures forever. Just as the universe

appears dark to the blind, and shining to those who have eyes to see,

so it appears blissful to the sages and painful to the ignorant.

 

(Source: http://sivanandaonline.org/html/ )