The Nature Of Illusion
Bhikkhu Pesala
Like most people, you would insist that the square marked ‘A’ above is muchdarker than the square marked ‘B’. It is so obvious as to be beyond question. Label ‘B’ must be on the wrong square, or the text must be wrong. There is no way that they are the same shade. However, take another look at the front cover. Is there any difference between the two squares there? I promise that they are cut from the exact same picture. If you don’t believe me, cut holes in the cover and look through to the picture above. The squares appear very different, but they are not. That is the nature of illusion. It is so convincing, until you investigate it in the right way. Illusionists make a very good living through creating convincing illusions. They become famous if they can present illusions skilfully. People really believe, at least for a moment, that the illusionist can defy the laws of nature, read their minds, or predict what they are going to do.
This is one reason why the Buddha did not approve of displaying supernormal powers. Some might think that such things are just illusions. People flock to any guru who can do such tricks. There are always two camps: the believers and the non-believers. The believers have great faith in their guru, but the non-believers think that the guru is a charlatan and the believers are just gullible fools.
In Buddhism there are also two camps: those who understand the Dhamma, and those who do not. I will try to explain the Dhamma. Please try to understand it. Illusion is called“vipallasa”in Pali. It is of three kinds:
1. The illusion of perception,
2. The illusion of thought, and
3. The illusion of view.
The Nature of Illusion
