An American teacher remarked: “Nothing limits achievement like small thinking; nothing expands possibilities like unleashed imagination.” The universe that we all see is an ever-expanding entity and is the handiwork of what we refer to as the ‘super-power’. No, not one that has geographical boundaries here on earth, but the one that we know as God! And I believe He was able to do it simply because He unleashed his imagination. So the way I put it is, if He can do it, so can I!!
“Only in men’s imagination does every truth find an effective and undeniable existence. Imagination, not invention, is the supreme master of art as of life.” (Joseph Conrad). Just look at a rock pile. It ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral… the theoretician believes in logic and believes that he despises dreams, intuition, and poetry. He does not recognize that these three fairies have only disguised themselves in order to dazzle him… he does not know that he owes his greatest discoveries to them.
Thus the greatest spiritual truth is encapsulated in just one word: Imagination! Imagination is understood better than the abstract tones of intuition, the complex significance of dreams, and the figurative hand-shake of poetry! The truth of the matter is that all these words and concepts are pathways leading to the same destination.
Even the Gita says that at the highest level of truth, the entire universe of phenomena, including the gods themselves, is unreal — the world is Maya, illusion, a dream, a mirage, a fragment of the imagination. The only reality is Brahman… and this reality can also be defined as a heightened form of imagination. It is imagination that connects with the ultimate reality which in fact is the Nirvana that we always talk of.
It is vital to understand that Nirvana is not something that happens after a person has physically ceased to exist. Nirvana can be experienced by the living provided we become fully aware of the significance of ‘imagination’. In a down-to-earth language this happens when a person goes about his daily routine adding creative elements at every conceivable place. Initially the creative inputs where imagination is stretched will be low. But as you persist and practice, their quantitative percentage will multiply and with each step you will find yourself nearer to sublimation.
I suggest that you read the above paragraph thoroughly again and try to comprehend the reality of imagination! It is only when you unleash your imagination that you will be one with your real self. You will be one with God.
[Arvind Passey]
[2006]
Published in PrepTalk, 2006
