The two levels of falseness || On Vivekachudamani (2018)

Questioner: The entire universe, the gross and subtle objects, people, gods and goddesses, feelings, thoughts, they are all nothing but mind stuff. As I live in this world, being an entity, I am unable to see this world as non-existent; I still see differences. I am unable to wake up. I see many things and beings, not one. Everybody appears to truly exist. How can I love someone if I see him merely as an object? How do I pray with the mindset that these gods are only my mental projections? How can I be devoted to you, the Guru, if I consider you to be false and just a dream object? How to see the falseness and yet be sincere, truly loving, without conflict in this world?

Acharya Prashant: There are two levels of falsenesses. The most fundamental level is your physical existence itself. Because you exist, so you see the world, and as you exist, so you see the world. You exist as a three-dimensional body, so you see the world as a three-dimensional body. You exist as someone having shape, color, form, so you see the world as having shape, color and form. You exist for a limited time period, so you see only those things that are timebound.

At this fundamental level, everything is false. The curtains, the walls, all the bodies, sun, moon, planets—all are false. But at this most fundamental level, there is no ‘you’ to question either. The questioner is false and the question is also false. The mouth that is uttering the question, the mind that is thinking the question, the paper on which the question is written, the instruments through which the answer is reaching you, are all false. Which means, there is no point answering this question if falseness at that fundamental level is to be admitted.

Absolutely, truly speaking, no ‘you’ exists. Absolutely, truly, there is no question and no answer, no disciple and no teacher. But if we are to be at that fundamental level, then that is not useful for you. Why is that not useful? Because you are not yet there. So, if I talk of that, that would be merely a talk. Right now, there is you who is asking me a question. I cannot tell her that you are false and no question has ever been asked. So, falseness at the very physical level must be ignored for the while. The material world has to be taken as real just for the while.