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The Guide of the Soul lifts him to the cosmic sphere and imparts on him a new vision to see beyond the realm of the Earth. It is a celestial wonderland where billions and billions of stars have formed island universes. As they pass by the constellations lying along the arms of the Milky Way galaxy, where the sun is only an
ordinary star among billions such other stars in the galaxy, they watch nebulous objects where thousands and thousands of such galaxies have clustered together. Along the paths of the constellations there are cosmic objects of many shapes resembling the shapes of innumerable sponges, corals and mollusc from Proterozoic and Palaeozoic era. Like snails, limpets, oysters, ammonoids, squid, they are sprawling on a cosmic shore.
The Guide tells the journeyman that the Milky Way galaxy, inside which they are flying, itself is moving towards the centre of a large cluster of galaxies, which attracts many galaxies around it. This cluster, in turn, is a member of a group of clusters of galaxies which form a super-cluster. Such super cluster is so big that light would take hundreds of millions of years to travel across it. There are many such super-clusters, which form the realm of the universe observable by the help of the scientific vision he has imparted on the journeyman. In this cosmic sphere too, like the cycles of life and death on the Earth, things are being born and then dying in order to maintain a perpetual wheel of life, death and regeneration everywhere. The materials from stars dying in one place are fuelling the cradles of births in other places. The same is true for galaxies, clusters of galaxies, super-clusters of clusters and so on. Without death and decay everywhere there will exist no life, and universe will not be able to create its grand design –from the tinniest of the structures to the largest objects one may observe. The universe self-creates itself from itself, while the creator and its creations are inseparably bound as One. Only through annihilation and regeneration universe can sustain an Eternal Cosmic Design, which is the source of all beauties and perfections in the world. Even in apparent chaos and ugliness this design remains hidden as the destiny of all. The desire to escape this cycle of life and death is only a sign of ignorance of the unenlightened mind. There exists no path of escape from the universe in which the Creator and his creations are inseparably bound together. In the universe everything exist in order to support the existence of the other. Even the tinniest is entangled with the largest in an inseparable wholeness. Life’s meaning is to play its assigned role in the cosmic design and bring forth the eternal beauty where one finds oneself. Thus by showing compassion to all existing beings, and knowing that all exist as parts of the One, life’s meaning is to reveal the beauty of existence and experience the power of love that has created all. In the experience of this love and beauty lies the path to overcome illusions, which brings forth the experience of suffering. |
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A MODERN ODYSSEY | Introduction | Prelude | Village Life | Captivation and Suffering | Forest Path | Philosophers’ Path | Cosmic Journey | In the Cyber city | Sermon in the Marketplace |
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