Topics
We can perceive something because of its
properties, qualities and attributes but cannot have access to its reality and
the real existences that underlie the appearance To elucidate this let us
consider this one thing from everyday life. There lives a person named Mr. X.
It is the characteristics of Mr. X that he is a very gentle, generous and
kindhearted person who shares the problems of others. Contrary to him,
character wise, there is another person Named Mr. Y who is harsh cruel, has
superiority complex, creates troubles for others and likes to tease his fellow
beings. When we happen to mention about these two persons because of their
habits and characteristic their personalities can be easily identified but what
actually Mr. X and Y are we are not sure about that. It is quite possible that
today's Mr. X undergoes a personality transformation and become what he is not
today. This is also possible that Mr. Y changes and start helping others
becomes polite and kindhearted. One may have an idea about the personality of
same one in view of his habits and characteristics but what qualities one
actually possesses and what actually he is, it is difficult to say something
with certainty. Because the moods. Characteristics and qualities keep on
varying but the actual self; the real being of a person seldom changes. If
today Mr. X is a soft polite and kindhearted person and in future he becomes a
harsh and difficult-to-deal-with person then this, in fact, would be a change
in his qualities and characteristic only but the person would remain the same
Mr. X. He was Mr. X when he was a kind and polite person and when he became a
harsh and strict person he was still Mr. X.
Law: - Modes of identification and
recognition are predetermined. One of them is to identify something because of
its qualities and apparent characteristics and the other is to recognize
something because of its intrinsic character, its real being and the actual
self.
Example: - Let us consider the example of a
piece of iron. When we happen to mention the properties of iron, in fact, we
think about various things which possess the properties of iron. A knife is
manufactured from iron and the railway track is also manufactured from iron.
The knife manufactured from iron, besides the properties of iron has its own
properties as well. This knife is used for peeling and slicing fruits and
vegetable and can be used for many other useful and constructive things. The
same knife can also be used for stabbing someone. One of the properties of
water is that it satiates thirst. Another property of water is that because of
it we generate hydro-electrical power. Although we know about various uses of
water, what is water in actual fact? In fact, we do not yet know much about it.
Although the scientists have identified the elements which constitute the water
when compounded, the water prepared in a laboratory could not be declared as
good as the natural water.
Human knowledge, philosophies, reason and
intellect might be able to explore the properties, qualities and attributes of
one thing but to find out the real essence and the real existence underlying
the appearance is beyond the range of human conscious and intellect. What,
actually, is water? What are its real constituents? This fact is revealed upon
those who being the spiritual heirs of Holy Prophet (PBUH) are the vicegerents
of God.
When we invent something the expenses,
sometimes, exceeds billions and trillions of rupees but still the harms remains
more than the benefits sought. Our inventions lack in harmony and balance of
their constructiveness and progress. The wonderful inventions of modern age
have left us bewildered because of their enchanting novelties and it is said
that science is advancing, man has achieved the excellence and perfected his
knowledge and has conquered time and space but the fact is that all our
inventions are related with those things that already existed on the earth. Our
inventions could not benefit us as much as it was expected from them because
our knowledge is limited. What is the real substance, the real existence
underlying the appearance and the significance of an object, after its
properties were taken into consideration; we have not paid any attention to
this. Labyrinths of properties, apparent qualities and attributes cannot trap a
spiritual person. He uses them as medium of his advancement or light to guide
him. He remains in pursuit of that absolute being which is the real source and
root-cause of every energy. In the lessons of meta-physical science it is very
much stressed and its students are made to note is carefully that the
attributes are only a reflections and the reflection is always temporary in its
existence.
Wherever the attributes have been mentioned
in the holy books and divine scriptures God has declared these attributes as
His signs so that the Absolute Being existing behind the attributes could be
explored with deliberated contemplation. In different times different methods
have been determined to explore the attributes and this also is right that
religions, too, have supported these methods but no book has declared the
attributes as the ultimate target and aim.
The first and basic thing, amongst these
methods, is to concentrate, that is, for acquiring a particular knowledge one
is required to focus ones attention concentrative on one predetermined point
making one oblivious of the existing views and knowledge about that thing. For
teaching to develop ones concentrative abilities many methods like yoga,
breathing exercises, hypnotism, mesmerism, telepathy, Muraqbah (transcendental
meditation) etc. have been devised. When the purposefulness and benefits of
these exercises are taken into consideration it is concluded that one is
desirous of observing that real being within oneself which is the basis and
root-cause of every attribute. Or to say, one intends to get that perception
activated in oneself, which could enable him to behold the ultimate and real
existence underlying the attributes.
