Understanding Delusion

1 year ago By Yogi Anoop

Understanding Delusion: How Ignorance and Intoxicants Can Create Misconceptions

Getting trapped in the maze of the mind is called delusion or misconception, which occurs when one does not recognize something in its true form. This flaw arises in people in two ways: either due to ignorance or by indulging in a substance that creates a defect in the brain.

Thousands of years ago, wise men considered ignorance as the root cause of delusion. According to them, considering a rope as a snake was a delusion. Sage Patanjali called it a misconception. However, it should be noted that no one will perceive a rope as a snake during the day. Generally, this misconception only occurs at night because one assumes that the rope is a snake. This is a flawed assumption because there is not enough evidence to support it. Moreover, the situation becomes more problematic in the absence of light.

However, when the situation changes, such as during the day when there is enough light, the person will perceive the rope only as a rope. This is because in the light, the evidence supports that it is a rope, and there is no need to rely on assumptions or estimates, which can prove to be incorrect.

This kind of sorrow gives temporary pain to a person because faults disappear when circumstances change. When circumstances are favorable, delusion ends and truth is revealed. Therefore, I do not consider this type of sorrow as pain due to ignorance.

However, when a person starts seeing an incarnated God in someone, it is a delusion grasped by ignorance. The person himself has created this delusion. The responsibility for this delusion lies solely with that person's ignorance and no one else's. The root meaning of ignorance is lack of knowledge, meaning delusion that arises due to one's own ignorance, due to one's own bad intelligence, and for which we ourselves are at fault and no one else is the cause of ignorance.

For example: considering food as God, considering a picture on a wall as God, etc.

The truth is that food is just food, attributing anything to it is one's own ignorance. The biggest fault of human beings is that they cannot be satisfied with things as they are. They cannot accept food as just food. In order to increase respect for food, people started offering it to God. But the truth is that such actions only increase ignorance and delusion and create obstacles in living life in the present. Similarly, it is a delusion to continue trying to be happy by imagining an unknown infinite power in the sky.

What can I say about others? For many years, I myself have been trying to bring back many sages who had left their bodies thousands of years ago through meditation. Is this not an illusion? What could be a bigger illusion and ignorance than this? Some people, even knowing the truth, still cling to illusions just to give themselves momentary pleasure and they lie to themselves.

Another important cause of illusion that has become very prevalent in modern times is the consumption of intoxicants. For the past few years, I have had many disciples who, due to taking some intoxicating substances, create a state of confusion in their minds. They release certain chemicals in their brains that make them see things that are not there. Such people do not see snakes in the rope but without any rope they see snakes. Seeing snakes in a rope is a common thing, I do not consider it ignorance, it is just a temporary illusion. But when someone starts seeing snakes without any object, then understand that it is drug abuse. It is very dangerous for the brain. 

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