For those who are separated from their beloved, even a single day stretches into the length of a year. In the realm of dreams, one may feel, “I have died, I have been born anew, another is now my father”—so swiftly and vividly does the mind weave its tapestry of experience. Even for pleasures not yet tasted, the thought of enjoyment arises; and once something has been enjoyed, the thought of not having enjoyed it can appear—such is evident among gamblers and others who chase after fleeting delights. Emptiness fills itself, and adversity can seem like celebration; separation and gain become indistinguishable in states of intoxication, dreaming, and similar conditions. Just as sharpness resides within a tiny mustard seed, or as one’s own pillar stands firm, or as a child constructs a web of toys within, so too is this visible world nothing other than that—an internal play of consciousness. For the one who is truly unborn and peaceful, who is there to be bound or liberated, and from where could such bondage or freedom arise? Worlds appear in a flash after the bewilderment of death, just as all forms arise for the living when the eyes open. These worlds are made up of directions, time, calculation, space, nature, and action—countless manifestations that endure until the end of a cosmic cycle. Even things not actually experienced or seen can become memories in an instant, much like recalling one’s own death in a dream. Thus, this endless illusion shines in the sky of consciousness, and the city we call the world is nothing but a projection, without walls or substance. The sense of “I,” the world, and even the memory of creation itself all arise, produced by the repeated habit of distant imagination and its reversal. Knowledge, therefore, is twofold: of what is experienced and what is not; at first, it acts as a cause, but in truth, it is consciousness alone that operates. The state of having experienced something does not arise within consciousness regarding what has not been experienced—just as the memory of a father does not occur in someone who is not his son, whether in dream or illusion. Sometimes, setting aside even the state of memory, a mere appearance shines forth, first as the form of the Lord of creation, and then in other forms, one after another. O slender one, this visible universe, beginning with the three worlds, remains in the memory of some as something experienced, while for others it does not remain as a memory at all. For some, it appears only as an appearance, without recollection, because the rulership of the atomic consciousness arises—like the chance meeting of a crow and a palm fruit. That which is utterly forgotten as the seen is called liberation; in that state, neither the desired nor the undesired exist for anyone. Without attaining absolute non-existence—apart from the persistence of the sense of “I” and the world—liberation, which is the very nature of non-arising, does not truly arise. The illusion of a snake in a rope, though always of the nature of non-arising and peaceful, does not cease as long as the association of the word and meaning “snake” persists. That which is only half-quieted is not truly quieted, for when something else arises, another goblin appears at the end of the first, even for the wise. This worldly existence seems substantial and ultimate, but upon investigation, it is found to lack a true cause; whatever appears here, disappears as well. In the creation of the forms of the Brahmin and Brahmin woman, memory is said to be the cause. But how could that memory arise without something to be remembered? There, the memory of the Grandfather, Brahmā, is the cause, and his memory as well; but such memory could not have existed before, as the previous birth was liberated. Previously, there could not possibly be a memory to recall; yet, by the very nature of consciousness, the state of being born from the lotus arises. Another lord of creatures arises, thinking, “I did not exist before,” just as, by coincidence, someone appears, made only of a flash of awareness. Thus, when the world arises, nothing ever truly arises at any time; what is called “arising” is merely established in the sky of consciousness. The supreme state is the twofold cause of this memory; the relationship of cause and effect is but the one sky of consciousness. The existence of cause and effect depends on auxiliary causes; the unity of cause and effect does not cease merely due to the absence of those causes. Understand that this is the form of the great consciousness; awareness arises from recollection. The relation of cause and effect here is only apparent, so the word is not truly real. Thus, nothing has truly arisen—not even the visible world or the threefold universe; consciousness-space remains established in consciousness-space, only within itself. Ah, indeed, you have granted me the supreme vision, O Devi; the beauty of forms in the world shines like the radiance of dawn in the light of seeing. As far as I am matured in this vision, without repeated practice, O Devi, dispel this curiosity of mine. Where that Brahmin lived in his house together with his wife, lead me to observe that creation, that mountain village. Relying on the supreme, pure vision composed of both inert and conscious forms, abandon this appearance and release the impurity of existence. Then, without doubt, you will attain the sky-like Self, established in space—just as the thought of a man on earth is a city within the sky. Let us observe him thus situated, along with the creation that follows; in this way, through the gateway of that vision, the body is indeed the supreme barrier. With this body, O Devi, another world is attained—or perhaps not. Why should I explain the reasoning here, since it is grasped only by grace? These worlds, though formless, are perceived as possessing form, due to mistaken apprehension; you have understood them by the notion of golden waves. Even in the forest of waves appearing as forms in gold, there is no real wave-nature; just so, in the form of the world, world-nature does not exist in the realm of consciousness. This world is only space; it is Brahman alone, not something truly visible. Whatever is seen here is merely a speck of dust in the ocean. Brahman alone sees Brahman; not anything else. Brahman sees Brahman. Its nature is thus, known by names such as creation and so forth. There is no arising of cause and effect between Brahman and the world, for all causes and their auxiliaries are absent.