Halaku Khan
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This post will be a little abstract, but may be enjoyed by those who are interested in philosophy. I'll try to give a very quick and brief introduction to some concepts in Sanatana Dharma, also sometimes known as Hinduism.
It's interesting that in Hindi / Sanskrit, the word for "person" is "Vyakti".
If you look at the root, "Vyakti" means "an Expression".
Thus, even in the language that is used on a day-to-day basis, each individual is called an "Expression".
An Expression of what? Of the one sole formless Reality.
In fact, all living beings, all inanimate objects, all thoughts even, are a part of Prakriti (Creation), and the entire Prakriti is an expression of the sole formless Reality (Purusha). The sole Reality expresses Itself in infinitely varied forms and aspects.
An analogy that is frequently used is this: Imagine a perfectly still lake. That is Purusha, the sole formless Reality. Then, the wind starts blowing, creating ripples on the surface of the lake. Each ripple looks like a visible object, but in fact the ripples come from the lake, they have no independent existence. The ripples are Prakriti, or Creation. Maya, the storm of delusion, is the wind that breaks up the still surface of the Lake, the one formless Reality, into many seemingly separate ripples.
In Prakriti, the cyclic process of Creation, Preservation and Destruction goes on ceaselessly. These aspects are symbolized by the trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. These aspects are inherent in Nature. That which is born has to die. The sacred syllable "AUM" is also related to this concept. In AUM, A represents Creation, U represents Preservation, and M represents Destruction.
Besides the philosophical meaning described above, AUM also has a deep Yogic significance, which I may perhaps get into some other time, but not unless people are sincerely interested
It's interesting that in Hindi / Sanskrit, the word for "person" is "Vyakti".
If you look at the root, "Vyakti" means "an Expression".
Thus, even in the language that is used on a day-to-day basis, each individual is called an "Expression".
An Expression of what? Of the one sole formless Reality.
In fact, all living beings, all inanimate objects, all thoughts even, are a part of Prakriti (Creation), and the entire Prakriti is an expression of the sole formless Reality (Purusha). The sole Reality expresses Itself in infinitely varied forms and aspects.
An analogy that is frequently used is this: Imagine a perfectly still lake. That is Purusha, the sole formless Reality. Then, the wind starts blowing, creating ripples on the surface of the lake. Each ripple looks like a visible object, but in fact the ripples come from the lake, they have no independent existence. The ripples are Prakriti, or Creation. Maya, the storm of delusion, is the wind that breaks up the still surface of the Lake, the one formless Reality, into many seemingly separate ripples.
In Prakriti, the cyclic process of Creation, Preservation and Destruction goes on ceaselessly. These aspects are symbolized by the trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. These aspects are inherent in Nature. That which is born has to die. The sacred syllable "AUM" is also related to this concept. In AUM, A represents Creation, U represents Preservation, and M represents Destruction.
Besides the philosophical meaning described above, AUM also has a deep Yogic significance, which I may perhaps get into some other time, but not unless people are sincerely interested
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