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Chapter 2 The Manifested and Un-Manifested Physical Universe (portion)

At the risk of sounding coarse, I would like to suggest that you not accept what is written. Observe yourself and if you find that what is written applies to you then accept it. Be courageous; make a commitment and strive to live by it.

When you set out on a voyage of discovery, it is most important to have an open mind, be aware and observant. On a voyage of discovery you should not have any preconceived notions Why? If you have preconceived notions, then instead of seeing what is, you will only confirm your own preconceived notions. This is exactly what happened to Columbus when he set out from Spain on a voyage to discover India.

When he set sail, Columbus was certain that he was headed towards India. So when he reached land, he concluded that he had arrived in India and thus the indigenous people were initially called Indians and the country was eventually named West Indies. Because of Columbus' preconceived notion that he had reached India, the indigenous people were mistakenly identified as Indians.
If Columbus did not have the preconceived notion that he was going to reach India when he sailed west from Europe, then he may have learned that he had discovered a new continent hitherto unknown to much of the world.

Columbus proved that to become famous, one need not know where one is going. When Columbus set sail from Spain, he did not know where he was headed, when he reached land, he did not know where he arrived and when he returned to Spain, he did not know where he had been.

The search for one's true identity is the most important journey of discovery anyone can undertake. The great voyages of discovery that mariners like, Columbus, Magellan, Vaso da Gama, Captain Cook etc. undertook pale in comparison to the journey to discover Truth and one's true identity. If we wish to discover Truth then we need to recognize the illusory nature of the Universe we share and experience.

All of us live in more than one universe simultaneously. The physical Universe in which we work and live is the manifested physical universe. But this manifested physical universe descends from and functions within a much larger un-manifested physical universe. The distinction between the two will become evident with the discussion below.

On any given day we have many thoughts flowing through our mind. It is fair to state that most of us do not express in words all the thoughts that enter our minds. So in any given day we receive and think many more thoughts than we express in words. How many actions do we perform in any given day compared to the words we speak? The actions we perform are very few compared to the words we speak. Indeed quite often we do not even do what we say we will.

If words and deeds represent the manifested physical universe then for the purposes of this discussion, thoughts represent the un-manifested physical universe. You cannot say nor do anything without first thinking about it. Thoughts are the source of all words and deeds. So the un-manifested universe of thoughts is the source of the manifested universe of words and deeds. The universe of unmanifested thoughts is many times larger than the manifested universe of words and actions. How much larger? To get some idea, check yourself to see how many thoughts you have in one day compared to the words you speak and actions you perform? I am sure you will agree that you have at least ten times, if not hundreds of times, as many thoughts as you express in words and deeds.

The manifested physical universe is completely surrounded by and operates within the un-manifested physical universe of thoughts which flow through and/or are contained within your mind. This is in keeping with the Principle, "Whatever exists, lives within its Source". For a full discussion of this Principle please refer to my book, The Journey of Life Eternal.

Our thoughts are not our mind. So how much larger is the mind and what is it made of? Our mind is not our consciousness. Consciousness is the source of Mind and functions through the mind. Nothing can exist without consciousness. Do not take my word for it. Observe yourself. When you are unconscious as in deep sleep, are you aware of the world around you? Consciousness is the source of all that we experience and everything that we experience, including our mind, lives and moves within our consciousness. So the question is what are you conscious of?

The manifested physical universe does not represent the Truth. To seek reality and/or Truth in the manifested physical universe is to seek it in vain.

Draw your own conclusions from the discussion that follows:
If you ask most people, "What do you prefer: Truth or Lies?" they will say that they prefer Truth. If you will ask them, "Do you have more faith in Truth or Lies?", again they will choose Truth over Lies. Yet, when caught in a bind, many people will try to lie their way out of a situation rather than tell the truth and face the consequences. This proves that people in general have more faith in lies than in Truth. Yet most people deceive themselves into believing that they have more faith in Truth than in lies. Why is that?
This is because of the nature of the human mind. The human mind has a natural tendency to seek satisfaction and escape responsibility by not facing the consequences of its decisions. It creates illusions that make it feel secure and satisfied. Notice that most children do not have to be taught to lie. As part of the process of growing up, they learn that when they tell the truth, they are usually punished. So, when they become older, when they do something wrong, lying to escape punishment comes naturally to many children. Consequently most children have to be taught to become responsible, tell the truth and face the consequences of their actions. Many undisciplined children slip back into living a lie when they become adults and do not practice what they claim to believe in.

We fall into this trap, because among other things when we sense a loss of control, we become afraid, and more often than not, when we are afraid we resort to lying. Lying enables us to maintain the illusion of control. This is a classic clash between the ego or personality and our real Self commonly referred to as the Soul.

Also because the human mind tends to seek satisfaction and escape responsibility many people seldom say what they mean and seldom mean what they say. Therefore, it is no surprise that many of us are confused and our lives are in disarray and full of disharmony. This is reflected in society in general, including our government and business institutions. Notice how many people plead the Fifth Amendment when they are called before Congress or have to testify in a court of law -- and many of those who plead the Fifth are supposed to be our leaders and outstanding citizens. Are they really?

Even if you do not wish to lie, when someone asks your opinion, how often do you tell them what you really think?
We are constantly exposed to lies. Most advertisements distort the facts to such an extent that the message that is finally broadcasted is a lie. Notice how many printed ads contain clauses in fine print and how many radio commercials have disclaimers that are read so fast that one can barely understand what is said.

Is it possible to find Truth in the manifested universe even if you personally do not lie, but are constantly lied to? How much more difficult will it be to find the Truth if you also live a lie?

Because most people do not say what they mean and do not mean what they say, to seek the Truth in the Manifested Universe is to seek it in vain. Also as explained in Chapter I, because of the nature of the human mind, i.e. its basis of fear, its tendency to create illusions and to escape responsibility, to seek Truth within the human mind is also to look for it in vain. Is it any wonder then that there is so much confusion, unrest and conflict in society in general and the world at large?

To read the rest of the chapter you will need to refer to the Youth Edition of the book The Journey of Life Eternal: From the Source Unto the Source

Bahram R. Shahmardaan, PhD
Author: The Journey of Life Eternal
Youth Edition of The Journey of Life Eternal
Love and Hate: Manifesting Love and Transforming Hate.

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