Letter # 85: "The Greatest Illusion"

Dr. Raj Bhopal, my brother and an eminent Professor of Public Health at Edinburgh University in Scotland, said to me recently, "Jas, life is a terminal disease." It's true - we are born and then age, do a few things, develop illnesses and die.
Last night, my friends and I were discussing ailments and illnesses that are creeping in at our age – pain from bulging discs, hand weakness from pinched nerves, chest pains, prostate cancer etc. Despite these reminders of mortality, we tend to either endorse the illusion that we will live forever, or fear death. Meanwhile, we distract ourselves from even thinking of death by fervently immersing ourselves in this world, which is, as described in the Holy Koran, “only a provision of vanity.” [3:185].
In a different spiritual tradition, that of the Vedas, there is a narration about Maharaja Yudhisthira, the wise king and elder brother of Arjuna of the Bhagavad Gita, being put to the test by The Great Reaper, Yamaraj. The latter asked Yudhisthira, “What is the most wonderful thing in the world?” Yudhisthira replied, “Hundreds and thousands of living forms meet death at every moment but a foolish being (ego) nonetheless thinks himself deathless … This is the most wonderful thing in this world”. [SB C7 P 121.]
This illusion of immortality is painfully dispelled when illness strikes and death looms around. At those times, turning to the Spiritual Masters often helps us to allay our fears about bodily death. Lord Krishna says, “… (the soul) is unborn, eternal, ever-existing and primeval. He is not slain when the body is slain.” [BG 2:20.] Guru Nanak assures: “Us(u) purakh ka nahi kade binas; Ja kai man(i) ptagte gun-tas” which verse means “Such a rare one will never perish; Within whose heart the Lord of Excellences appears.” [SS Asht 18, p 187.] And those who follow the spiritual logic of jnana yoga can take heart from the dialogue between Maharaj Nisargadatta and an inquirer. The latter asked, “Am I to die?” Maharaj-ji answered, “Physical destruction is meaningless. It is the clinging to sensate life that binds you. If you could experience the inner void fully, the explosion into totality would be near.” [I Am That. P 346].

God Bless; Allah Hu Akbar; May The Forces Of The Universe Bring You Harmony; Hare Krishna; Radha-Swami; and Nanak Naam Chardi Kala Tere Bhane Sarbat Dha Bhalla.

I wish to express my gratitude for your comments, which inspire me to carry on writing. Please forgive my fallibilities in presenting this material. Also, feel free to send this message on to someone that you might think would like to receive it. If you do send it on, my only request of you is that you send it as it is, in its entirety, and to not alter or modify any of the text, references or authorship information. Thus you will help to give credit or liability to where they are properly due.
Jas Bhopal
Copyright© 2008
References: "The Holy Bible" Online version; "The Koran" as translated by SV Mir Ahmed Ali 2005 ISBN 0-9761870-0-0); "The Bhagavad Gita As it Is" as translated by Srila Prabhupada ISBN 0-89213-268-X; The Srimad Bhagavatum as translated by Srila Prabhupada ISBN0-89213-259-0; "I Am That. Talks With Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj” ISBN 0-89386-022-0; The Dhammapada ISBN-10:1-84483-344-5; The Sacred Sukhmani ISBN 81-7205-098-4; Wikipedia.