Darsan and Illusions
In Rolf Nelson's lecture today, we discussed synesthetic perceptions, a topic we have touched on many times previously. I think our fascination with this topic is because synesthesia is a concrete example of how our perception can differ from other's and from reality. But who is to say that one reality is correct over another, especially when perception is so flawed and changing? In Darsan: Seeing the Divine Image in India , perception is used as an intense form of worship. We learn of sight as a connection with others and the divine. The act of looking at a depiction of a deity is a way of linking oneself with that god, and vice versa. Essentially, I see the god, and the god sees me. This exchange is vulnerable and opening, and Hindu culture and religion equates this sight with honesty. The Brahmanas state that "the eye is the truth" (Eck 9), because the god sees the authenticity and reality of a person. Eck presents that "In India, as...