2004-3-27 04:58:00
My Friends,
I thought I would make a few more comments on illusions. To see through illusion we must understand what is illusion and what is not.
A mistaken notion is not necessarily illusion. A wrong assimilation of a fact is not an illusion but can often be traced to illusion. The difficulty in understanding this is that a person has to achieve a degree of enlightenment to even understand what an illusion is -- even though people of all stages can be tricked by them.
Our first point made recently is an illusion because it can be traced to a misunderstanding of the law of cycles. To see an illusion one must trace the deception back to the principle which is misunderstood or misapplied. Usually a true illusion will deceive the vast majority of the people.
If we approach illusion on a technical basis we could name millions of them, or at least their effects. This is not what we are after. For instance, we have heard many times that death is an illusion. But if anyone really understood this then they would never die. Since we have no examples of immortals here then we can assume that no one here is able to dispel this illusion. We do not want to talk about illusions that no one on the list can assimilate or understand. What we are looking for are "Next Step" illusions for the general seeker. We have to dispel the cloud covering the next step before we can even consider step two or three etc.
If an illusion is a next step one then when a light is shined upon it, the illusion will be dispelled by those who are ready and not attached to dogma.
That said let us pick on our brave friend "AussieRuth" and examine her list:
"Proposed Illusion: Love -- I'm going to love you forever. Wrong! (Well you can love the soul for eternity, but not the body.)"
JJ:
Actually we do love each other forever and most people realize they are loving something more than a physical body. The illusion connected around love is in this statement which is accepted by about 99% of the people:
"Love cannot be defined."
If love cannot be defined then talking about any illusion connected with it is an exercise in futility.
Contemplate where the true principle of illusion is playing out here and comment.
"AussieRuth"
"Proposed Illusion: Death -- When I'm dead that's it! When someone dies, I'm never going to see them again and the list goes on and on. Wrong!"
JJ:
The far majority of the people do believe in life after death -- I believe the figure approaches around 80-90%. This is therefore not a deception that captures the attention of the majority.
How about the atheist then? Is he caught in illusion? The truth is usually the opposite of what people think. The man often becomes an atheist because he sees through a number of items that deceive tradition believers. He sees the illogic of believing in a white-haired man sitting on a throne listening to every prayer, crying over every sin and being interested in details of our lives that would bore our neighbor to tears. He decides to base his beliefs on real evidence that can be detected with his senses.
The atheist is like all of us. He is moving to his next step in his progression, but is caught up in an illusion that prevents him from seeing his next vista of truth.
The atheist is caught up in an illusion that prevents him from seeing God. Can you tell us what it is?
Hint: Many believers are also caught up in the same illusion.
"AussieRuth"
"Proposed Illusion: Money -- If I had a million dollars I would be soooooo happy! Wrong."
JJ:
How many people claim to believe that money does not bring happiness? Just about everyone. This tells us that the illusion is in the opposite direction. Here is what studies tell us about people who do make reasonable money:
Both rich and poor have their problems but it is an illusion to think that abundance will not enhance our happiness, especially if used wisely.
"AussieRuth"
"Proposed Illusion: Happiness -- The only things that can make you truly happy are -- an endless list of wants and don't haves. Wrong!"
JJ:
Illusion does cloud the path of true happiness. This subject is too vast to explore in this post.
"AussieRuth"
"Proposed Illusion: Religion -- If you believe in Jesus and God you will be saved! Ummm."
JJ:
There is illusion here and it is connected with the word "saved."
"AussieRuth"
"Proposed Illusion: Beauty -- You are only beautiful if you have blonde hair, big boobs, long legs and stay 20. Wrong! (Sorry, just had to add this one)."
JJ:
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder(s) to a large degree.
"AussieRuth"
"Proposed Illusion: Beliefs -- I cannot change my beliefs because I'm too old! Wrong!"
JJ:
Actually, according to DK some people are too old. He tells us that about 90% of the people crystallize in their mid fifties and are unable to make further progress in this life.
"AussieRuth"
"Proposed Illusion: Health. I'm sick because ... all sorts of reasons but never the right one!"
JJ:
Glamour is more of the cause of deception around health than is illusion - though illusion can effect the more highly evolved.
"AussieRuth"
"Proposed Illusion: War on Iraq -- The Americans wanted the oil! Wrong."
JJ:
But what is causing this misconception?
"AussieRuth"
"Proposed Illusion: Greenpeace -- Save the Whales, etc. Wrong."
JJ:
Actually whales and some species do need assistance whereas others are rightfully near the end of their cycle.
"AussieRuth"
"Proposed Illusion: Equal Rights -- Still not equal because a lot of men won't do their share of the housework, LOL. Wrong."
JJ:
To find the illusion here we must look at the true differences between men and women.
"AussieRuth"
"Proposed Illusion: Gays - Are only like that because of their Mums, etc. Wrong."
JJ:
There is indeed a lot of illusion associated with gays and it is held by all even the gays themselves. The principle involved relates to reincarnation and the law of cycles again. I have written quite a bit on this which can be now be found in The Archives.
"AussieRuth"
"Proposed Illusion: Death Penalty, Abortions, Euthanasia"
JJ:
But where is the illusion?
Glenys wrote:
"We have discussed this illusion quite a lot so I won't go into details but one biggie is the 'war is always wrong/peace at any price' brigade."
JJ responded with:
This is a good one, but we have to understand the principle that causes this illusionary vision. What is it that causes many to choose peace at any price? In other words, what is it that causes the deceptive conclusion?
Then Glenys wrote:
"Well, I suppose if illusion is a distorted truth, the principle would be a misunderstanding and misapplication of the Law of Love.
"On second thoughts, maybe it's more a misapplication of a subsidiary Law, the Law of Right Relations."
JJ finally responded with:
Good thought but I would submit that the core cause of the illusion relates to the angle of vision. Those who are caught in illusion here see a small piece of the picture whereas those who are free of it see the big picture.
Some who want war, even when justified, are also motivated for the right reason. Only a handful see the big picture to the extent they know when to fight and when not too:
"And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war." (Rev 19:11)
"Outside of the killings, Washington has one of the lowest crime rates in the country."
-- Marion Barry, Mayor of Washington, DC
Copyright © 2004 by J.J. Dewey, All Rights Reserved