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A Series of Lessons on the Inner Teachings of the Philosophies and Religions of India1188
while apparently apart from the flower, is still of it. Another class favours the
illustration of the rays of the sun, which, while seemingly apart, are still of the
sun. These illustrations all partake of the nature of “emanations,” however,
and have a resemblance to a “manifestation.” But still another class, while
very near to those just mentioned, favours a “reflection” rather than an
emanation, admitting the existence of a “something else” as a background
to, or object of, the “reflection,” which something they call Maya, as do the
Advaitists, as we shall see later. This “reflection” class compare the relation
between Brahman and the individual souls to the reflection of the midday
Sun upon a million raindrops, each of which seems to contain a miniature
Sun, the basis of which is the Sun itself, which is not affected by its countless
“reflections.” This conception has strength, is firmly held to by many, although
it implies the existence of a “something” illusory to correspond to the
raindrops, and must also recognize that the “reflection” itself depends upon
an “emanation” of the Sun’s light and rays. But perhaps we are pushing the
figure of speech further than perfect fairness would dictate. This idea of a
“reflection” seems to exercise a hold upon many careful minds among the
Hindus. It seems to contain a hint of an underlying truth that subtly escapes
the grasp of the mind that would make it its own. The figure is sometimes
altered so that the illustration is that of the Sun casting a “reflection” of
itself into countless vessels or jars of water, and thus giving light and Spirit
presence to the water contained within the earthen jars. The illustration of
the jar as the material body, the water as the mind, and the light as the Spirit,
is a beautiful poetic conception, and one that has a close correspondence
with certain occult conceptions of the relations of the three.
And now for the conception and explanation of the Advaita school of
Vedanta, founded by Sankaracharya—the True Vedanta of the scholars—
the school of Absolute Monism—Absolute Idealism—Absolute Idealistic
Monism. What is its explanation of the existence of the phenomenal universe,
and the individual souls given by this great school? Let us listen to its report.