THE awakening to the Self is recorded for those whose inner darkness has been worn away by strong effort, who has reached restfulness, from whom passion has departed, who seek perfect Freedom. Among all causes, wisdom is the only cause of perfect Freedom; as cookery without fire, so perfect Freedom cannot be accomplished without wisdom. Works cannot destroy unwisdom, as these two are not contraries; but wisdom destroys unwisdom, as light the host of darkness. At first wrapped in unwisdom, when unwisdom is destroyed the pure Self shines forth of itself, like the radiant sun when the clouds have passed. When life that was darkened by unwisdom is made clear by the coming of wisdom, unwisdom sinks away of itself, as when water is cleared by astringent juice. This world is like a dream, crowded with loves and hates; in its own time it shines like a reality; but on awakening it becomes unreal. This passing world shines as real, like the silver imagined in a pearl-shell, as long as the Eternal is not known, the secondless substance of all. In the real conscious Self, the all-penetrating everlasting pervader, all manifested things exist, as all bracelets exist in gold. Just like the ether, the Lord of the senses, the Radiant, clothed in many vestures, seems divided because ÂTMA BODHA
