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| ~ ∞ ~ On Reality and Actuality 2/2 - Awaken the Living Awareness Within ~ ∞ ~ |
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In the previous chapters, we learned the difference between knowledge and wisdom; consciousness and awareness; soul and spirit; Life and life. These distinctions come in handy when we briefly delve into the topic of reality. In a beautiful and fascinating way, these terms come together in this chapter – you see, previously we learned that our Souls are not contained within the limits of our bodies, but instead our bodies are contained within the limitlessness of our Souls – this is a key insight to keep in mind.
The same applies when we talk about reality – our reality is not contained within the limits of our definitions, but instead our reality is contained within the limitlessness of our Spirit. This brings us to an important point: reality is not just singular but plural, which means that there are multiple realities – each of us inhabit our own reality, and somewhere in-between these realities converge to form a consensus reality – more on this later. In other words, reality is multi-faceted and elusive – there are layers of realities within other realities – see?
Reality itself is not a concept, nor is it some abstract theoretical construct; but of course it can be, if one so insists – but then it would not be real, would it? This brings us to another important point: our sense of reality is very much learned – we learn it from our families, our schools, our cultures; we are steeped in a particular perception of reality from the moment we are born.
Indeed, our whole lives we are told who we are by our society and our culture; we are force-fed beliefs about what is real and what is not – like a sponge we absorb everything without ever stopping to think and consider and question. This is how our perception of reality is learned – it is structured by language and by cultural paradigms. Out of all this, we accumulate a fixed perception of reality.
This is where the term ‘consensus reality’ comes into play. You see, just in the same way as endless interconnected pieces come together to form life – like the colors of the spectrum, so in the same way does consensus reality: it is a spectrum of interconnected experiences. Consensus reality, therefore, refers to an agreed-upon concepts of reality which people in the world, or a culture or group believe are real (or treat as real), usually based upon their common experiences as they believe them to be.
These beliefs are so deeply ingrained in us that if someone challenges those beliefs, cognitive dissonance can happen, which results in a defensive outburst. This is where we go off the rails – big time; not only is our individual perception of reality skewed, but also our collective perception, as well – largely guided by those beliefs ingrained in us, you see?
On a deeper level, this means that our collective perception of reality is programmed to validate the beliefs we hold. In other words, consensus reality is a self-fulfilling prophecy, a limitation, a box – it defines our expectations, and because we only perceive what we expect to perceive, it limits us.
There is a certain irony in this truth: consensus reality endures because there is an audience for it, and yet, deep down in our core, in our hearts and minds, at the very core of our humanity, we all know that concensus reality is just that – a collection of agreed-upon concepts and beliefs.
This brings us to an important conclusion: ultimately, reality is our immediate experience within the present moment, and yet, paradoxically enough, the reality that is described in spiritual and religious texts all around the world is totally different from what we understand as reality in our day-to-day lives. This would suggest that there is a deeper, underlying Reality inviting us all into a deeper and more profound relationship with “All That Is.”
Reality is all around us and within us, but our perception of it is limited, which is another way of saying that Reality is more than what we perceive it to be; more than what we think it is. What we see as nature is not nature itself in its entirety, but a projection of our limited method of perception. This means that we cannot see the actuality of Reality, but we can experience it from within ourselves – see?
Against this backdrop, we can easily draw the conclusion that Reality is everything and nothing at the same time. Indeed, if we look deeper, we can find that everything is nothing – and nothing is everything, and everything is everything at the same time.
You see, Reality is an interconnected whole, which means that the whole of humanity is a microcosm of a larger Cosmic structure, but our individual experiences don’t exactly account for the whole. In other words, reality is a spectrum of interconnected experiences, and our perceptual experiences are filtered through our sensory system and brain to produce a limited perception of Reality.
That said, we can conclude this chapter with the following words: this book delves deeper into this underlying Reality, and you are more than welcome to join this incredible journey with me as your guide. Because language cannot ever describe the true essence of our existence, we are forced to use signs and symbols in an effort to re-connect with the Life-force that runs through everything.
As such, there are very few ways to express something that is very much inexpressible, and so we need some tools to help us on our way; the best available tools in our toolbox are ideas, concepts, and analogies – their purpose is to make us see ourselves in a new way, to see beyond the conditioned mind and to realize that what is truly Real is the Spirit that lives within you, as you.
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~ ॐ ~ Sambodhi Padmasamadhi ~ ∞ ~
Get the Book: Awaken the Living Awareness Within – Discover the Keys to Happiness, Inner Peace & Harmony
~ ॐ ~ Sambodhi Padmasamadhi ~ ∞ ~
Get the Book: Awaken the Living Awareness Within – Discover the Keys to Happiness, Inner Peace & Harmony
[ Click » here « to read the next part: On Change and Transformation 1/2 – Prologue: Part X ]
Extra Material: Video: You're It - Alan Watts. Video description: "An inspiring and profound speech from the late Alan Watts. Speech extract from 'Zen Bones and Tales' by Alan Watts"
