ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Abhasavada

Abhasavada means "the theory of reflection" or "theory of apparentism" in Sanskrit.

Imagine you are standing in front of a mirror. The image you see in the mirror is a reflection of yourself, but it is not actually you - it just looks like you. In the same way, according to abhasavada, the world we perceive around us is not actually real, but rather just appears to be real.

Abhasavada believes that the world we see is like a reflection in a mirror, a distorted and illusory version of reality. The theory holds that the true reality is not available to our senses and can only be known through introspection and meditation.

In other words, Abhasavada suggests that the world we see is only a reflection of a higher, deeper reality that we can't access directly. It's like looking at a picture of a beautiful beach - we can see the picture, and it looks nice, but we cannot feel the sand between our toes or smell the salty air. Similarly, we can only experience a shadow of reality, not the true substance of it.

Abhasavada is a philosophical concept that is often associated with the Advaita Vedanta philosophy of Hinduism. As a result, it is an integral part of Indian philosophy and spiritual traditions.