Inner Truth: The Cycle of Birth and Death
All five elements (earth, water, fire, air, and space) have gross and subtle aspects. The creation of the universe is nothing but existence of the elements in their gross form. Likewise, destruction of the universe (apocalypse) is nothing but reverting back of the elements to their subtle existence.
All five elements (earth, water, fire, air, and space) have gross and subtle aspects. The creation of the universe is nothing but existence of the elements in their gross form. Likewise, destruction of the universe (apocalypse) is nothing but reverting back of the elements to their subtle existence.
This cycle of the elements continues – from the formless to form, and then again to formless. Before the body is born, it exists as the subtle, formless elements. With the birth, the body becomes visible, manifest as the elements are in their gross form. But as soon as the body is incinerated after death, it is reduced to a handful of ash. The 5ft or 6ft tall body is reduced to no more than a handful of ash. And that too gets dispersed in water or earth.
Now, where has the body gone? All that has happened is that the manifest, visible body has become unmanifest, invisible. This is a consequence of the five elements that constitute our body returning to their unmanifest existence. Death is nothing but this play of manifest and unmanifest. Nothing is ever born and nothing ever dies. Nothing was created and nothing is destroyed. Manifestation, appearance, coming into being is an illusion, and destruction, disappearance is also nothing but an illusion. You were beginning-less and you will remain beginning-less, you were indestructible and you will remain indestructible, you are eternal and you will remain eternal.
In the interim, sometimes the body becomes manifest and at other times it becomes unmanifest. The game of arrival and departure from this world is an illusion happening under the directive of Māyā. A wave arises in the five elements, forming the body and then later the wave subsides back into the five elements. A wave arises in the ocean and then merges back into the ocean – so will you say that water was born in the form of a wave? A wave is simply a form of water and irrespective of whether waves are present or absent, water remains water.
The author is a guru, mystic, contemporary spiritual master. www.gurumaa.com
Have a spiritual message? Mail it to us at inbox@dnaindia.net in less than 250 words.