Page 3 - Metaphysical questions of life

Metaphysical ques ons of life

In everyone’s thoughts, there arises the need to find answers to the
fundamental ques ons about life in this world. One may ask what is
really real and what is false? Is ma er real? Is spirit real? Is there gross
ma er and subtle ma er? Is there something beyond gross and subtle
ma er? Is there actually a spiritual world? Does God exist? Is

knowledge of God and eternal life just fairy tales to comfort sen -
mental persons? What is my duty in life? Do I experience reality or am
I always in an illusory state of blind ignorance? These are some of the
ques ons that may arise in the mind of genuine searchers of the truth.

Metaphysics is concerned with the nature of existence and being and
the world. In the Bhagavad-gita, Lord Krishna answers the five basic

truths of life: who is God, who am I, what is the material nature, what
is me, and what is my duty in life. The answers to these ques ons are
necessary to successfully achieve self-realiza on: understanding one-
self in rela on to God, to all other living en es, material nature, me
and performance of one’s eternal duty as a liberated soul.

Can one a ain knowledge by philosophical specula on?

The answer is a resounding NO! The search for real knowledge and the
truth of existence is illusive. This is due to four inescapable defects of

every human being. These are: mistakes, illusion, imperfect senses
and a chea ng propensity. No one can deny that these four defects
are commonly found in all human beings. Mistakes are possible be-
cause our senses are limited and imperfect. Most mistakes are due to

imperfect hearing, seeing, tas ng, touching and smelling by which we
accept a thing to be something else. For example, one may mistake a
rope for a snake in the dark or vis versa.

If one becomes convinced that the mistaken percep on is true, then
he becomes subject to illusion by which he believes something to be
true that was never true (the rope was never a snake). The classic ex-

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