Vedanta holds that evil cannot exist outside God, because God is the material cause of the universe. The example is of the spider weaving its web from its saliva. The spider, the cause, is not different from its web, the effect; just as Brahman is not different from the universe.
Vedanta discards a separate existence for evil and considers evil to be only a relative viewpoint. For example, poison is generally considered to be bad; but it is also good in a certain context: many life – saving drugs are poisons. Likewise, vitamins may be good, even lifesaving; but consumed in excess they can be fatal.
Therefore, good and evil are only relative. All is an appearance, including evil. And the enormous positive energy generated in you can make you go beyond evil and see the truth as Advaita, as the one non-dual reality.
Vedanta says that God is energy and intelligence, and that the world, which is matter, is nothing but a part of God.
(Source: Excerpts from an article written in Times of India by Sri Sri Ravishankar)
2 comments:
While I generally agree with the above sentiments, The first paragraph is incorrect. The spider is different from the web. It is the web that is non-different from the spider. When the Christians say that God is separate from His creation they are correct. They are wrong to imagine that the creation is separate from God. In general, many people today have a difficult time distinguishing the part from the whole. There are those who see the part as some sort of impurity and foolishly wish to destroy it. In actuality, the part and the whole are both different and the same simultaneously. Even the non-dual perception of the truth as Advaita is only a partial perception of the truth. Duality and non-duality exist simultaneously.
Namaste NeonBlue,
*When the Christians say that God is separate from His creation they are correct.*
If you read some traditional scriptures like Vivek Chudamani (choodamani), then there is an eg of Snake and Rope, which is one of the best eg explaining non-duality
A boy sees a snake in darkness. So accidentally he hit the light switch. Then he realized that it is not a snake but the rope.
There was always a rope. Rope alone exists. So only brahman exits.
1. Till we see snake, we either run away or try to catch it (to earn something out of it).
2. As soon as you realize that it is a rope, you are at peace.
now...
1. From the rope, snake has originated. So the Snake is related to the rope and rope is related to the snake.
2. Rope has no relation with the snake. Rope is not responsible for the origin of the snake (the blurred vision of the observer is responsible)
3. Snake is superimposed on the rope. Snake cannot exist independently. A rope can.
4. Snake is not different from the rope.
5. There is no relation of snake and rope. (snake never existed)
illusion i.e. mithya: it does not exists in relative or absolute reality, but we can experience it.
Conclusion: God is not separate from rope (as technically there is no snake but only the rope). So the world we see and feel is nothing but the God (brahman).
AUM
Sujal
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