We live in a world of appearances, and take
it for real. In one way, of course, it is real, as real as we are, but
ultimately, because it is impermanent, and changes constantly, it has no
lasting reality. Indian philosophy calls this MAYA—Illusion.
Things shimmer time like a mirage for a moment in time, then are gone.
Science has shown that what we perceive as
‘solid matter’ is not really solid at all, but just patterns of
energy, vibrating at different rates, like sound-waves or light-waves.
When we see something, what happens is that light waves impinge upon the
retina, and are transmitted via the optic-nerve to the brain, where they
are interpreted as colors; this process enables us to distinguish forms,
which otherwise we could not do. If we were ever even aware of it, we
have long ago forgotten the process of learning to interpret, being
unable to reason at that time. Do you remember what went on in your
brain as you lay in your crib, making baby-sounds and trying to focus
your sight on brightly-colored objects suspended above you by your
mother? Probably not, but it was an essential part of your development,
nevertheless. Somehow, you also learned about perspective: how people
and things at a distance were not as tiny as they seemed, though nobody
told you so. This also required interpretation, by which we function
continuously and automatically.
Everything is in process, becoming other
than it is; things break down, change and are transformed. Where does
anything begin and end?
