A boy of 18 years writes:// Here is a small analogy that had come up in my mind with regards to the different states of reality-With respect to us,when we are on land, there appear to be many seas and oceans. It’s evident from the fact that there is a water body in kanyakumari and another waterbody on the beach of vizag. Also another water body located near another country. The sea water appears to be salty where as the ocean water seems to be fresh. It’s only logical to assume these are different from each other.Yet, when seen from the standpoint of space, these all water bodies are just one. The don’t even have any parts or division and all are one huge water body. The duality of it is only visible from the standpoint of land.In the same way there is duality seen from the vyavaharika view point, but from the standpoint of paramarthika it’s only one. //Seeing this, I was reminded of the river and ocean identity taught in the Chandogya Upanishad, Chapter 6, as part of the the teaching of the Truth, Tat tvam asi. The rivers have distinct names but then once they merge with the ocean, the names and forms that form their distinct identities are no longer there. So the Upanishad teaches that the rivers have their origin that is their source in the ocean and finally end up as non different from the ocean upon merging with the source. Thus while the difference or duality is only and appearance, aupadhika, the truth is the non dual. https://www.mapsofindia.com/world-map/ocean.htmlWe give many names to the One mammoth water body. We transact, often even fight, with each other over ‘ownership’ of this or that part of that One. When we view the Whole, our perspective changes.
