A quote from the Buddha:
Regard the fleeting world like this:
Like stars fading and vanishing at dawn;
Like bubbles in a fast moving stream;
Like morning dewdrops evaporating on blades of grass;
Like a candle flickering in the strong wind;
Echoes, mirages and phantoms,
Hallucinations and like a dream.
Regarding the world like a dream is also recommended by Hinduism. Adi Sankara, many centuries ago, proved conclusively by flawless argument that the world and life we experience is nothing more than a dream. I think it is the Brahma Sutra Bhasya in which Sankara proves this conclusively and in the same book he recommends the practices that lead to awakening and Nirvana.
But even if we are not interested in Nirvana in this lifetime (and most of us are not) can we make practical use of this teaching. I have been experimenting with this concept for the past few days and can report the following:
- I am subject to thinking morbid thoughts due to an ill considered attempt to do practice Mindfulness of Death. This is a Buddhist meditation practice and is very powerful and leads to spiritual growth. But I did it without supervision by an enlightened master and as a result I am, at times now, subject to an intense fear of death.
The teaching that all is a dream except my own Atman helps me deal with this fear. I can allow the arisings to come and go without being caught up with it.
This teaching should help senior people to deal with anxiety. You can go through the book above and if you find it too difficult then maybe the following website based on Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi’s teachings will help:
https://www.happinessofbeing.com/ - Another benefit is that I can witness the thoughts and feelings that arise, as I go through the day, in a detached way. I can allow the thoughts and feelings to come and go and not get caught up in them. I lead a somewhat lonely life and am thrown into my own company at most times. Telling myself that all is dreamlike helps me stay balanced and free of fruitless thinking.
- A related benefit is that when undesirable events and circumstances arise, they can be viewed in the same way as being dreamlike and not real. This should help me deal with the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune in a balanced and constructive way.
Obviously the teaching that the world is dreamlike is a tool or a skilful means to lead us to Nirvana. I am not making a determined bid for Nirvana in this lifetime. But I don’t think I am misusing these concepts to deal with the challenges of life in a better way.
As the Bhagavad Gita says: Even a little bit of Dharma saves one from terrible fear.
But it is necessary, to save yourself from terrible fear, to contemplate these truths repeatedly. Read the book or go through the website above over and over. The shortest and easiest book I have read that discusses these subjects can be downloaded (at no cost) from the link below. You may find it better suited for you:
https://www.happinessofbeing.com/path_ramana
I’ll end here. Please let me have your comments and explore the site for more articles. Feedback from my readers keeps me going.
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