Letters from Sri Ramanasramam, by Suri Nagamma

Bhagavan said, “It is said that Brahman is real, and
world an illusion; again it is said that the whole universe is
an image of Brahman. The question arises: how are these
two statements to be reconciled? In the sadhak stage, you
have got to say that the world is an illusion. There is no
other way, because when a man forgets that he is the
Brahman, who is real, permanent and omnipresent, and
deludes himself into thinking that he is a body in the universe
which is filled with bodies that are transitory, and labours
under that delusion, you have got to remind him that the
world is unreal and a delusion. Why? Because, his vision
which has forgotten its own Self, is dwelling in the external
material universe and will not turn inward to introspection
unless you impress on him that all this external, material
universe is unreal. When once he realises his own Self, and
also that there is nothing other than his own Self, he will
come to look upon the whole universe as Brahman. There is
no universe without his Self. So long as a man does not see
his own Self which is the origin of all, but looks only at the
external world as real and permanent, you have to tell him
that all this external universe is an illusion. You cannot help
it. Take a paper. We see only the script, and nobody notices
the paper on which the script is written. The paper is there,
whether the script on it is there or not. To those who look
upon the script as real, you have to say that it is unreal, an
illusion, since it rests upon the paper. The wise man looks
upon both the paper and script as one. So also with Brahman
and the universe.

“It is the same in the case of the cinema. The screen is
always there; the pictures come and go, but do not affect the
screen. What does the screen care whether the pictures appear
or disappear? The pictures depend upon the screen. But what
use are they to it? The man who looks only at the pictures on
the screen and not the screen itself, is troubled by the pains
and pleasures that occur in the story. But the man who views
the screen, realises that the images are all shadows and not
something apart and distinct from the screen. So also with
the world. It is all a shadow play,” said Bhagavan. The
questioner took leave and went away, happy at the reply.