The Path to the Guru by Scott Teitsworth

Author:Scott Teitsworth
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Spirituality/Hinduism
Publisher: Inner Traditions / Bear & Company
Published: 2014-05-25T16:00:00+00:00

VERSE 16

WHAT IS UNREAL CANNOT HAVE BEING, AND NON-BEING CANNOT BE REAL; THE CONCLUSION IN REGARD TO BOTH THESE HAS BEEN KNOWN TO PHILOSOPHERS.

Religious neophytes often make a lot of noise over whether other people “believe” or not. You must be a “true believer” to be among the saved. This verse points out a simple truth that such beginners have overlooked. Krishna might be asking: “If a thing exists, does not believing in it make it cease to exist? On the other hand, if something doesn’t exist, does believing in it make it come into being?” Certainly there is an operational existence for such false beliefs insofar as they motivate behavior, but the philosopher will not be fooled. In other words, fear of an imaginary God may make a person behave according to an established code of conduct, but it’s a pathetic and unsatisfying motivator all the same. Krishna wants us to act as free human beings and would never stoop to such lowbrow pressure tactics.

Either something exists or it doesn’t. To an Indian philosopher, for a thing to exist it must persist forever, and if it doesn’t persist, that is evidence it doesn’t truly exist. Its existence is mere appearance. The search for lasting value in a world of temporal flux is the story of the spiritual quest.

Since the root of virtually all conflict is belief, the implications of this verse are staggering. This simple understanding mitigates aggression and supports peaceful and harmonious interaction with others, regardless of their beliefs.

When people ask if you believe in God, what they’re really saying is “Do you believe in a very large angry parent-figure who will punish you eternally if you don’t comply with our (my) way of interpreting events?” Because we learned very early in life that we don’t have a say, that other people make the important decisions, we’ve learned to defer our dharma to outside “authorities.” Religious and political leaders more or less consciously assume the role of surrogate parents to provide the expected discipline and not coincidentally pocket the fee. Trusting souls follow the well-intentioned training of their childhood and play right into the hands of these betrayers of trust. Few are the leaders, and fewer still their followers, who say, with Krishna, “Follow your intuitive promptings based on all you’ve learned, and act in accordance with your own best understanding, for this is the true light of the world. Learn to heed your authentic inner voice, because it’s the voice of God sounding within you.”

This verse is usually “fixed” by commentators to read something like “What is unreal cannot have being, and what is real cannot ever cease being.” The translation by Nataraja Guru above is technically correct and equally symmetrical.

Without pounding this to death, it is safe to say that the philosophic notion here is that reality is eternal, while unreality can never be. Keeping these separate is one main thrust of Samkhyan thought.

Verse 16 closes the first natural section of Krishna’s teaching. It is related

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