THE REAL NATURE OF MAN

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Posted by: " Uttishthata " uttishthata

Thu Aug 30, 2007 8:05 pm (PST)

 

THE REAL NATURE OF MAN - Swami Vivekananda

The different philosophies seem to agree that this Atman, whatever

it be, has neither form nor shape, and that which has neither form

nor shape must be omnipresent. Time begins with mind, space also is

in the mind. Causation cannot stand without time. Without the idea

of succession there cannot be any idea of causation. Time, space and

causation, therefore, are in the mind, and as this Atman is beyond

the mind and formless, it must be beyond time, beyond space, and

beyond causation. Now, if it is beyond time, space, and causation,

it must be infinite. Then comes the highest speculation in our

philosophy. The infinite cannot be two. If the soul be infinite,

there can be only one Soul, and all ideas of various souls -- you

having one soul, and I having another and so forth -- are not real.

The Real Man, therefore, is one and infinite, the omnipresent

Spirit. And the apparent man is only a limitation of that Real Man.

In that sense the mythologies are true that the apparent man,

however great he may be, is only a dim reflection of the Real Man

who is beyond. The Real Man, the Spirit, being beyond cause and

effect, not bound by time and space, must, therefore, be free. He

was never bound, and could not be bound. The apparent man, the

reflection, is limited by time, space, and causation, and is,

therefore, bound. Or in the language of some of our philosophers, he

appears to be bound, but really is not. This is the reality in our

souls, this omnipresence, this spiritual nature, this infinity.

Every soul is infinite, therefore there is no question of birth and

death. Some children were being examined. The examiner put them

rather hard questions, and among them was this one: " Why does not

the earth fall? " He wanted to evoke answers about gravitation. Most

of the children could not answer at all; a few answered that it was

gravitation or something. One bright little girl answered it by

putting another question: " Where should it fall? " The question is

nonsense. Where should the earth fall? There is no falling or rising

for the earth. In infinite space there is no up or down; that is

only in the relative. Where is the going or coming for the infinite?

Whence should it come and whither should it go?

 

To be continued..

 

The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda Volume 2 [ Page : 78 ]

(Delivered in London)

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QUOTE OF THE DAY:

To realize the spirit as spirit is practical religion. Everything

else is good so far as it leads to this one grand idea.

- Swami Vivekananda