You Are Not Book.indb - Stephen H. Wolinsky Ph. D.

CHApTER 17
The Bhakti Illusion
FOrMs Are seeds
Plato hypothesized (conjectured) about the existence of
forms, or perfect prototypes, which we cannot see with
our eyes. These forms, are the “originals,” but what we
see, be it a tree, a person, or a table, is merely a “copy” of this
perfect original prototype. However, even if we take Plato’s
hypothesis as true, still, all forms are seeds of their copies, and
hence lead only to the ripening of more fruit (copies).
One of the greatest spiritual illusions is to worship an “outer
object” or deity, “as if” it, the outer statue, picture, deity, or
“energy” can then give you something.
This is like the old story of the statue maker who makes
an image of God and then worships the image—forgetting
who made the image.
I was once with Nisargadatta Maharaj when an Indian
man came in and began talking about how he was a devotee
of the mother, and how he worships the mother and “gets”
things like peace, etc. Maharaj asked him, “Who came first,
you or the mother?” The man replied, “The mother came first,
she created me and I worship her; and she will give me grace,
bliss, and liberation.” Maharaj shouted, “NO, first you had to
be there; then came the mother. No you, no mother; so why
don’t you worship yourself which is prior to the mother?”
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