There is a controversy as to the meaning of illusion, in religious Schools. Illusion gives different meaning when one views and judges the worldview on the standpoint of the physical self. One has to view and judge the worldview from the standpoint of the soul, which is the true self, to know the three states are mere illusion. The soul is and substance and witness of the illusion. This is a simplest way to understand the illusion.
How does one know that the Waking experience is real? When the deep sleep [experience-less] also is as real as the Waking experience, then which of this state is truth? If one bases it on the sayings of religion and sages and saints, granting that they honestly believed in their experiences, there is still the query how do they know that these experiences were the truth? When ‘self ’, is not the physical, but it is formless soul, then it is erroneous to view and judge the three states on the base of physical self. What is ‘waking entity in deep sleep or dream if ‘the waking entity is the true self. The waking entity is within the waking experience alone, because the dream has the dream entity and dream world. Therefore, the waking entity cannot be. Therefore, all the three state has thoroughly analyzed before accepting anything as truth. The knower of the three states has to be traced in order to unfold the mystery.
Some Intellectuals, object that the differences between non-dual experience [Deep Sleep] and experience of duality [Waking or dream] are like different parts seen of same single substance. One has to inquire, otherwise how can it prove that it is the same substance, and how to know that each one is seeing the same substance?
Some claim that mystic experience always gives the same results in peace and bliss. However, they can only assume thus: it is impossible to know whether the experience of one person is the same as of another’s. To know one has to use his reason without it, it is impossible, he can only assume.
Unless one gives up the idea of world, god, religion, scriptures, karma, sin, heaven and hell as real, the ultimate truth is impossible to grasp. Truth has to be proved here and now, within this life. If this cannot be done, then one cannot know the physical existence is mere illusion.
Religion is “the truth within the Waking experience". Man and his world are reality within the Waking experience. The waking experience is mere illusion on the standpoint of the soul, which is the true self.
The truth is within the three states but it is beyond the three states. Te beyond is within the three states and beyond is without the three states. This means religionist takes their belief as truth whereas; the seeker of truth has to take reasoned judgment as truth. The ultimate truth will be the same under test everywhere in the universe. Man god and world are reality within the Waking experience. Man, god or the world ceases to exist without the Waking experience. The waking experience is unreal similar way as the dream.
No one has seen God or world in deep sleep. One does not know gods capacities, what god can do? In addition, what god cannot do in Deep Sleep? Therefore, any statement one might make about God can be made only in the waking experience. Seeker of truth should not accept anything as truth until and unless he verifies and satisfies himself through deeper inquiry, analysis and reasoning. Belief of the god is the part of the illusion; therefore, God is only a settled fact for believers. However, for a Gnani gods existence is only part of the illusion. Gnani is fully aware of the fact that, noting other then the consciousness can exists in the realm of truth.
When the experience itself is illusion, whatever, they experienced on the base of false self within the false experience is bound to be falsehood. How do the mystics or yogis know they have experienced the whole? There is the proof they have seen it? When they say, "I know from experience" they merely mean, "I think so." in realm of truth the body and the world are mere illusion created out of the soul/consciousness. Moreover, the physical entity is not the witness. The one, which sees the illusion [physical entity and world together] whole, is formless. Thus there is no physical apparatus to experience the bliss or any sort of experience. If mystics experience bliss, they cannot be egoless, for who is having the bliss? Moreover, if they retain the ego they cannot know the Ultimate truth, the whole. Whatever they experienced as reality only in illusion and illusion is myth.
How the mystic knows, that God who tells about himself in meditation is truthful! He may be telling a lie or he is in hallucination! His claim has to be verified because in reality there is no scope for duality. Since his own existence as a person is part of the illusion. Therefore, without verifying validity of his own existence, what value is there for the claim made on the base of illusory entity within the illusion?
Supposing a mystic has a vision or experience is true, but he must prove that it is really, what it purports to be, and that he is not deluded. For that, one must analyze it on the standpoint of the soul/true self to unfold the truth. All the vision and experiences is an object to the soul. Appearances and quotations have nothing to do in pursuit of truth.
