Page 223 - Matter: The Other Name for Illusion

perceptions of the hereafter will start, and we will never feel ourselves to be in
nothingness.

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O Objection: "Can someone who understands that he can never reach
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t the world existing outside his brain continue to be tested in this
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R Reply: This is a very important subject. Some people suggest that the test
will come to an end when this truth is finally understood. However, that is a
dishonest idea. As we have already seen in other replies, the test will continue
as long as we live.
Even though God causes us to live in a way in which we can never
confront the original matter, He also links the world to all its many causes and
effects. For instance, when we are hungry we eat something. We do not say, "It
is all an illusion, so it does not matter." If we do not eat, we grow weak and
eventually die. God can remove these causes and effects whenever He wishes,
for whoever He wishes, by whatever means He wishes. We can never know
when or why He will do this. However, this is a most important truth: God
charges us with abiding by the whole of the Koran, and we continue to live in
the sphere of causes in order to abide by the divine commandments in it. For
example, God commands people to do good and avoid evil. He orders
defenseless women and children to be spared cruelty and suffering. In the
Koran God asks "Why are you not fighting in their name?" It would be
completely wrong and dishonest to adopt an attitude rejecting these
responsibilities that God has placed on our shoulders.
On the contrary, someone who is aware that it is God Who shows him
everything that goes on will feel an enormous obligation in response to every
image he sees. Unlike many people, he will always try to support good and
prevent evil. That responsibility can never be passed on to others, and no
excuses to the effect of "Let someone else do a bit, I've done all I can" are
acceptable. Someone who knows the true facts of the situation will say, "If God
is showing me this image, then He wants me to find a solution, and I am
responsible for doing so."
In conclusion, everyone must do all he can to carry out the responsibilities
laid on his shoulders in the Koran. Knowing the true nature of matter -and
coming by a view of the world in accordance with that nature- further
Replies To Objections Regarding The Reality Of Matter 221