Perception - Part 4

Compensatory Advantage in Sense Perception

In some persons, the sense of hearing is more developed than the sense of sight. Judges have acute hearing. Commanders-in-chief have acute sight. The profession itself forces them to develop the particular sense. Blind people have acute sense of hearing. If one Sense is defective, nature compensates by developing more another Sense. One of my friends knows of a blind man who can feel the nature of the color by mere touch.

Speech is even the sight of the Soul. Speech means here sound, the object of the sense of hearing. When this sense is enlightened, reflection is produced in the mind. By the mind effort to obtain external thing is made; for by the mind one sees, one hears. When one, at a time at night in the dark, cannot distinguish where sound arises (be it the neighing of horses or the braying of donkeys or the barking of dogs), he resorts there whence speech proceeds.

Super-sensory Perception

It is the mind that really sees, tastes, smells, hears and feels. When you begin to think of the picture of GOD with closed eyes, it is through the mind's eye that you see the picture. An occultist can dispense with his physical, fleshy eyes and can see directly with his mind. A devotee, being one with GOD, sees directly with the eye of seed-body. A Self Realized person sees with the eye of Knowledge of Soul.

How Soul Perceives

In the mind, will and sight are separate. In pure subconscious mind, will and seeing are one; will and sight are combined and no longer, as in the case of mind, separated from each other. Soul does not need fourfold mind (mind, intellect, ego and subconscious mind) to sense, think and reason. Soul does not need eyes to see. He is self-luminous. He gives light to everything. He imparts light to fourfold mind. He gives light and power to the Senses. He is a mass of knowledge. He knows everything through Self-knowledge. He sees within Himself through Self-knowledge the whole universe as His own.

How to Perceive Soul

Soul is not an object. It is to be felt by direct spiritual cognition. Knowledge of Soul (Existence or Truth Absolute) comes through feeling and meditation (spiritual experience, direct perception) wherein the seer, sight and seen merge into the one existence like the bubble in the ocean.

Learning on Perception ends with this part. Hope it thrown some light on our current perception of the world! :)

Reference

Mind – Its Mysteries and Control by Sri Swami Sivananda