Life is a big, shoreless, boundless ocean. In that ocean, there are many waves constantly rising and falling. Leave alone the waves, in the shores of the ocean, there is foam and froth. In that foam, there are zillions of bubbles which show up and burst. Our big, wide, solid-looking earth is one such bubble—then what else can be said of you and me who are not even a visible tiny dot on the face of this earth among lakhs of species.
This is yet another master stroke of Sri Adi Sankaracharya in the Atma Bodha. He brings to our understanding the vastness called infinity and the transience of all the worlds that exist in it.
This earth like any other planet, star or cosmic body, is like an atomic particle moving about in a universal force-field. This force-field is the support of everything that exists—the supreme lord, controller and master—and is also called consciousness.In that unimaginably expansive cosmos of consciousness, all the worlds are created, maintained and get dissolved just as bubbles.
This is the knowledge of the reality of existence. How do we experience it in our day to day lives? Whenever you have some time to spare, just sit quietly on a chair or in a neat and comfortable corner of your room, on a carpet, mattress or just a piece of cloth. Sit cross-legged in a comfortable posture, keeping the spine erect or on a chair and ensure the back is straight and relaxed.
Take a couple of deep breaths and exhale completely, consciously pushing the abdomen in as you exhale. Bring your attention to your breath. The mind is now steady. Take your mind 10 metres above your head. You will rise above your building. Go 100 metres high and you can visualise seeing the most prominent landmark in your city or town.
Go 10,000 feet higher and you are in outer space.
You keep going higher and higher as you pass through the clouds, cross the planetary system, watch the whole solar system disappear like a dot when you look from the third neighbouring galaxy. Hundred billion light years away you stand at this moment and see that there is only one uniform universe which is a mass of light, shining in dots.
Now slowly bring your mind through the same route back to where you are sitting. This meditation can do many things to the mind. Primarily, it will make it calm, but give us an enlightening experience of the smallness of the body and greatness of the consciousness—both of which we have and are.