If you read the "Yoga Vasistha" or have read the "Tripura Rahasya," which are the fundamental texts of the Advaita teaching, you will often encounter expressions such as: the world is a manifestation of consciousness; the world manifests and becomes exactly as you conceive it in your thoughts. At first, this looks like a certain philosophy, but then, if you reflect deeply, you begin to discover that it is an entirely new paradigm of life.
For a long time, we existed and lived in ignorance, seduced by a materialistic, atheistic view of life, the world, and physical laws. But there has always been knowledge passed down by great saints, initiates, and divine beings. The knowledge that was transmitted is very different from the linear picture of the world that we have assimilated for a long time. According to this knowledge, it is said that there are three views on the existence of the universe, on the theory of the creation of the universe.
Srishti-Drishti-Vada: The Theory of Gradual Creation
The linear picture of the world—the Big Bang theory, the beginning of cause-and-effect—is the lowest picture of the universe. It is also necessary, but up to a certain level, for "kindergarten." Newtonian physics, cause-and-effect relationships—this is the first theory of creation, the so-called theory of gradual creation. The first is called Srishti-Drishti-Vada.
Drishti-Srishti-Vada: Consciousness Creates Reality
The second theory, more complex, is called Drishti-Srishti-Vada. This theory directly connects consciousness and reality, stating that the world is created instantaneously, every moment, every second, by the power of our mind. That is, we are not passive subjects of the historical process, nor are we objects of the historical process; rather, we are all potentially subjects of a psycho-historical process. In other words, history actually depends on our consciousness. History is, in fact, psycho-history. It is created by the minds of people and their collective karmic vision. If people's vision changes, historical processes will also proceed differently, and the laws of physics will change. Because everything is determined by consciousness.
For example, in many sacred texts, there is an expression like this:
"Gods see a river as nectar. Asuras see the river as a weapon. Humans see it as water, familiar to us. Animals or fish see it as a habitat, a place to live. Pretas (hungry ghosts) see the river as pus and excrement, something impure. And the beings of hell see the river as molten lava, into which they fear to fall."
Depending on the vision, the same river can be different. In the same way, depending on our vision, the laws of physics, cause-and-effect relationships, and the general interpretation of reality can vary.
Vasistha says this constantly; Dattatreya says it constantly in his instructions. Vasistha instructs Rama, Dattatreya instructs Parashurama. They lived at roughly the same time, and they speak in almost identical words:
"Think: the world is not as you are used to seeing it. The world is different. But you do not understand this because your mind does not yet grasp its inner essence. The world in itself is empty, illusory; it is like a mirage in water, it is like a dream."
Just as in a dream, a person's body consists of the dream, the houses they enter all consist of the dream, and the people also all consist of the psychic subjective matter of subtle imagination. In a dream, everything consists of one material. Thus, the saints say that our physical world also consists of consciousness first and foremost, but this consciousness appears to us as gross matter.
Ajata-Vada: The World Was Never Created
Finally, there is a third theory of the view on the existence of the universe. This is an even more complex theory. It states that the world was never created at all, that the world never existed from the very beginning. And what we consider the existence of the world is simply our point of view, and not the deepest one. This theory is called Ajata-Vada.
Gradual Understanding of the Three Levels
Understanding these three levels—views on the existence and origin of the universe—is not available to us immediately. First, we get used to the theory of gradual creation, as taught in school physics lessons: the Big Bang theory, developing galaxies, suns. And from the sun, various masses are separated, which, while rotating, form planetary foundations for planets and future satellites. Then condensation occurs: water; life originates in the water; amphibians come out onto land, become mammals, primates; natural selection, interspecific struggle, inheritance of various traits, loss of some traits, appearance of others; evolution in the process of natural selection; mammals appear, and so man appeared, the ape... and so on. And finally, Homo sapiens, man developed. And so the entire ladder of human evolution emerged. But when we deepen our consciousness further, we can understand that this is simply one of the digestible points of view, acceptable for a certain level, nothing more.
Vasistha clearly says that the world is created every moment in our consciousness, in our vision. If we quickly change our vision, the structure of the world can change, and all history, all views of the past, and even our memory—absolutely everything can change.
Practical Examples of Reality Changed by Consciousness
When we approach the second type of view on the structure of the universe, we discover that the world is non-linear, the world is multivariant, and historical processes are determined by the dominant view of a specific mass of the population or the living beings inhabiting it. That is, if the global point of view on history becomes different, that history will be. The power of the mind will displace old historical processes; even artifacts—archaeological, historical, documentary evidence—will disappear, and new ones will appear. This is hard to understand, but it truly exists. This is a deeper point of view.
For example, there was a healer named Grabovoi; he is currently in another place. Nevertheless, he wrote that by the power of consciousness, he managed to change people's destinies and historical processes. For example, there was a deceased person he tried to resurrect. The deceased person was buried, there was a headstone, and an entry in a ledger. By the power of sankalpa and certain practices, he tried to resurrect this person. What happened? The entry in the ledger disappeared, the grave number was lost and couldn't be found, and then suddenly this person was met somewhere; he didn't remember the period of where he had been. Certain facts occurred. These certain facts were simply called resurrection. But I believe it wasn't resurrection. It was simply a shift of a certain local point of space toward an alternative course of causes and effects where this person existed. Of course, society turned out to be unprepared for such radical views. Moreover, this wasn't kept secret but was easily popularized in every way, for which he paid the price. Usually, spiritual knowledge is always kept secret. If it is opened too widely to unprepared masses, one might be crucified, like Christ. Nevertheless, such a point of view is gradually leaking out now. It is changing views on the world. Consciousness determines reality.
The Illusory Nature of the World: Real-Life Examples
Finally, there is an even higher third point of view held by very great souls and saints; it says that the world is not even created every moment by consciousness, but that the world does not exist at all—there is only consciousness. This is difficult even for us practitioners to accept. It is psychologically difficult, even impossible. This point of view says that—we can give an example here: suppose there is a stone. From afar you look, and the stone seems to be the figure of a girl; your imagination has run wild, and it seems to you as if she is standing there, holding a flower. And looking closer—there's a dog nearby. You think: there stands a girl with a flower and a dog. You become convinced of this picture. But you come closer and suddenly see there is no girl; it's just the play of light and shadow. In much the same way, the saints say, the world is the same. Our world does not actually exist. It is our imagination running wild, and we see many things here, feel them, perceive them. But none of this exists, just like the girl with the dog in the stone. There is simply a certain substance, and our consciousness can give it any form.
Once I was traveling to a seminar in Berdyansk. From afar, through the car window, I saw something red, with four limbs—a red dog standing by the roadside, not moving. But when we drove closer, I saw it was a chair with a jar of honey on it. It was very funny to me how that could be. The mind can project one thing, but in reality, it's something completely different—there was no dog.
Our entire universe is like that view when we think there is some red dog there, but in fact, it was never there; it is something else entirely, it was never created. To us, it seems existing, real, and developing. Но initially, it is only imagination, a projection of our consciousness that has gone too far and in which we have become strongly convinced.
Traditionally, in canonical sacred texts, such an example is associated with a rope and a snake. They say a rope is lying there, but in the dark, it seems to be a snake; a person walks by, and it scares everyone. Someone thinks the snake will lung at them. But if you come there in the morning, you can see that there was never a snake there to begin with, but simply a rope. The rope seems to us to be a snake, but when we clarify our knowledge, we begin to think, maybe it's not a snake, we begin to read lectures about it, practice, convince ourselves it doesn't bite at all. We still cannot understand that it was originally a rope, and there was no snake at all—we made it up. Но because the power of our mind's inertia is such that it cannot understand this immediately, it needs to convince itself that it doesn't bite and so on, put forward a hypothesis and justify it logically.
Responsibility for Reality
Thus, if we accept the second point of view—psycho-history, alternative history, non-linearity, multivariance—we can understand that our consciousness is capable of influencing the world around us. As soon as we figure this out, suddenly we have levers of power-will operation over history and reality; that is, we suddenly "get it." Immediately then, we wonder: what kind of world do we want to create? If it turns out the world is not separate from our consciousness, if it is a manifestation of our mind. If our consciousness creates reality, then everything could be different. Then the question arises: what would we do for this world? How would we want to see it? What needs to be done for this? Then we can understand that the world is like a canvas that we can paint with any colors and in any configurations. There is no predetermined past, there are no limitations on the future. Everything depends on us. Whatever colors we take and whatever contours we apply, that is the world that will be. Suddenly we are faced with the phenomenon of personal responsibility for reality. Now reality depends on us.
In the case of a linear course of history, we bore no responsibility for history. We were taught in textbooks, we accepted it—what did we have to do with it? We are just wood chips being swept along the waves of history. But in the case where we accept the saints' point of view that the world is created by the power of consciousness, then we are immediately involved in responsibility. We are active subjects of the psycho-historical process. And then the question of our thinking arises: what should we do, what sankalpas should we express, how should we think correctly, what do we want at all?
Purification of Consciousness as the Key to Changing the World
It can often be noticed that in those places where social, national, or interreligious tension arises, cataclysms occur, earthquakes happen, wars, and great disasters. This is one example of how wrong consciousness can form wrong reality tunnels. Then one can assume that if all people begin to clear their minds, practice, and meditate, then reality will also change. Reality can become beautiful, wonderful, sacred, divine; if our minds are pure, the sacred will triumph. If our minds perceive the world through the prism of pure vision, then after some time, the Earth will also become a Pure Land; laws will improve, life expectancy will increase, people's health will improve, and climatic conditions will become milder. The world around will become more beautiful. Wars, crimes, armies, and police will disappear—all this is possible. That is, we can live differently in completely different conditions. Even the laws of physics will change. Human genetics can change. We can live completely differently, for example, not by the limited law of humans, but by the law of the gods.
What is the key here? The key is to purify oneself, to change oneself. To give birth to a deeper, pure vision. For example, if humans see a river as water, and gods see it as nectar, why do they see it differently? Because gods have a divine consciousness, a more divine vision. This means that when we, by developing ourselves and exercising our consciousness, reach the level of divine vision, at that very moment the river will become nectar. It will cease to be just a river. And if this process covers millions, then this pure vision, these changes will also cover large areas of space.
Thus, when we pray, when we dedicate merits to the benefit of the liberation of all sentient beings, this is exactly what we intend. My well-wishes to everyone, so that our vision continues to be purified, and so that the world is also illuminated and purified further.
