Is it possible that reality is not what you think?...yes?/no?...lol
- Thread starter southflorida
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sac beh
Member
Oh boy, um, I think the discussion can't really get past the weird word usage that GMT points out here:
You're taking the fact that under one definition reality is an illusion (in the sense that our perceptions are finite, thus the world we construct in our minds at any given moment is incomplete) and then through sleight-of-hand making illusion mean something quite different and in fact contradictory to some of your other statements.
Like here:
I know what you're trying to say, which is not what science is doing. But in the way that you're saying it, it sounds as if indeed science is doing what you're saying, but it just comes down to the deceptive word usage.
So I motion to table the matter until illusion/reality have a more meaningful definition. And I'm keeping my vote secret.
You're taking the fact that under one definition reality is an illusion (in the sense that our perceptions are finite, thus the world we construct in our minds at any given moment is incomplete) and then through sleight-of-hand making illusion mean something quite different and in fact contradictory to some of your other statements.
Like here:
I know what you're trying to say, which is not what science is doing. But in the way that you're saying it, it sounds as if indeed science is doing what you're saying, but it just comes down to the deceptive word usage.
So I motion to table the matter until illusion/reality have a more meaningful definition. And I'm keeping my vote secret.
statusquo
Member
These two quotes definitely capture a good chunk of my thoughts regarding the topic. It seems we are in agreement, no?
I agree with everything you said. Just to be clear, I do not deny the objective existence of objects I just think that we as humans don't experience objective reality for a number of reasons. In regards to distinctions, I agree. That is why our language is so unique. Since we can have concepts, we are able to categorize "things" (in the general sense) and construct a reality. For example, Chimps can learn many words however they are merely placeholders for something tangible/in the immediate environment so it would have to create a new "word" for every object it ever encountered. Instead of being able to compartmentalize a bunch of information into one word (concept), take 'dog' for example, the chimp would has to create a separate word to refer to each individual specific dog/breed. This idea of distinction and composition is captured in the philosophical debate regarding mereological composition.
Originally Posted by GMT
No again, reality is not illusionary. If its an illusion, by definition, it isn't real. Therefore reality cannot be illusionary, your perception of it can be, but the terms reality and illusion describe separate conditions.
When I say reality is an illusion, I don't mean that there isn't an objective reality existing. I merely mean that the reality that we experience is not the same as the objective 'background' reality.
Originally Posted by southfloridaand it is nice to see science moving in the direction of trying to prove the illusion that we perceive as reality.
This is most certainly not what science does. IMO, science just finds ever increasingly accurate models for natural phenomena but we will never gain absolute knowledge. Even if we understand everything within our capable perception - there will still be plenty out there in the universe/potential other universes that we don't "know" (aka have a really accurate model for).
GMT...from my perspective, this is a paradox, and it can't be
grasped by the self-mind, intellect. Reality is created when
Consciousness uses Distinction (as a function of consciousness)
to create reality. Distinction is reality. And it is real. But, the
nature of consciousness and distinction is NOTHING/INFINITY which
are the exact same thing, since both have no beginning and no
end, and can't be grasped by the self-mind/intellect, simply because
the min-intellect relates one thing to another. And NOTHING/INFINITY
is ABSOLUTE, meaning no-distinction and nothing to relate to, and
this is why it is not graspable by the mind.
So, while reality is real, its true nature is NOTHING, or INFINITE.
Basically reality is Nothing appearing to be Something, and to me
this is what a real illusion is.
The Primary Thing that allows to grasp this on some level is the
function of DISTINCTION, because this is how Nothing/Infinity
manifests EVERYTHING, and this can be observed by us, as human
beings. Since we are this consciousness, and thus distinction, we
are creating 100% of the reality we are perceiving.
Everything is a Distinction, except Nothing/Infinity/Distinction, which
are Absolutes, and themselves are not distinctions. In other words
there is no such distinction as Nothing/Infinity or Distinction.
We cannot grasp these things, they are unbelievable for the mind!
These two quotes definitely capture a good chunk of my thoughts regarding the topic. It seems we are in agreement, no?
...obviously it is not what science does, it just seems they are
moving in this direction, because they are searching for the
nature, or the foundation of the Universe, and obviously they
will never find it in the labarotory, because all they are doing are
finding new distinctions, and the true natureof the Universe is
NO-DISTINCTION
I agree with everything you said. Just to be clear, I do not deny the objective existence of objects I just think that we as humans don't experience objective reality for a number of reasons. In regards to distinctions, I agree. That is why our language is so unique. Since we can have concepts, we are able to categorize "things" (in the general sense) and construct a reality. For example, Chimps can learn many words however they are merely placeholders for something tangible/in the immediate environment so it would have to create a new "word" for every object it ever encountered. Instead of being able to compartmentalize a bunch of information into one word (concept), take 'dog' for example, the chimp would has to create a separate word to refer to each individual specific dog/breed. This idea of distinction and composition is captured in the philosophical debate regarding mereological composition.
Originally Posted by GMT
No again, reality is not illusionary. If its an illusion, by definition, it isn't real. Therefore reality cannot be illusionary, your perception of it can be, but the terms reality and illusion describe separate conditions.
When I say reality is an illusion, I don't mean that there isn't an objective reality existing. I merely mean that the reality that we experience is not the same as the objective 'background' reality.
Originally Posted by southfloridaand it is nice to see science moving in the direction of trying to prove the illusion that we perceive as reality.
This is most certainly not what science does. IMO, science just finds ever increasingly accurate models for natural phenomena but we will never gain absolute knowledge. Even if we understand everything within our capable perception - there will still be plenty out there in the universe/potential other universes that we don't "know" (aka have a really accurate model for).
...yes we are in agreement. But the first part that is bold, from my
perspective, we as humans do experience objective reality, because
a distinction-object is what it is, for-itself and as-itself. For example,
if you an me go to the zoo, we will see objective reality, and if one
of us climbs into the cage with a very hungry lion, we will see this
objective reality and definitely experience it
...the paradox, is this: the objective reality that we as humans
experience is the DISTINCTION-OBJECTS, that we observe as distinct
from other distinct-objects. So while we do know what something
is, because we perceive it as distinct/different from other distinct
objects...what we DON'T KNOW is what something IS for-itself
and as-itself...and this is a distinction we as humans rarely make.
...this is the paradox that you are observing, but probably have
not been making the "connection" with. This paradox is that
Consciousness and Distinction are Absolute, and are not distinct,
but through distinction-objects, consciousness is creating the
reality that we, as this Consciousness and Distinction ourselves
are observing. This is not something to be believed, because it is
unbelievable, but it is something that can be experienced, simply
because we are this consciousness, and can be directly conscious
of ourselves as Nothing/Infinity.
The mind can't grasp this because it is the distinction-mind, and
is designed only to perceive a very limited amount of data, and
it can only perceive something in relation to something else, so
this ABSOLUTE domain, is not something it has access to or can grasp.
But, it is fun to talk about it, and to at least try, even though in the
end we will always fail to explain to ourselves what the true nature
of reality and our experience is...simply because it is not a distinction,
and we can only perceive/grasp things that are distinct.
...so as I explained in the post to GMT, one of the major paradoxes
is that Nothing is manifesting Something, but the true nature of
everything that is manifested, is NOTHING/INFINITY, which are the
same thing...something that has no beginning and no end.
...the best way to explain this using words is like this: Consciousness
which is Nothing/Infinity is not somewhere, it just is, is-is, and
it was before distinctions, and will be after distinctions, and it is
not empty space, because empty space is a distinction, it is
NOTHING or INFINITY which are absolutely the same thing.
...this is as close as it can be described in words, but we can all
experience this infinity/nothing for ourselves directly, because we
are this infinity/nothing right NOW, we have always been this, and
will always be this, and it can't be any other way, simply because
of one overlooked thing...we are a DISTINCTION, and as a distinction
we are an element of Consciousness, and while we are DISTINCT
we are NOT SEPARATE...and this is a VERY important distinction
...and about the scientists, I wrote an answer to sac beh in the next
posts, so I will not post it here. But, yes, this is NOT what their goal is,
but the direction they are heading in, from my perspective.
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...true, but I'm not saying that -- that is their goal, but I am trying
to say that -- that is the DIRECTION they seem to be moving from
my perspective, because they are trying to find the true nature, or
the foundation of the universe.
They want to know where it beggins...
...the funny thing is that the Universe is infinite, and thus has no
foundation, and has no beginning and no end, and so its foundation
is NOTHING/INFINITY which basically are the same, and both mean
no beginning and no end
...so no matter how hard they will search, they will never find the
foundation, or the true nature of the Universe, simple because there
is NOTHING to find!
...but you do have to give them credit, they are making GOOD MONEY
trying to find something that can't be found...lmao
lol, again I have to start with NO!
you are confusing yourself. reality is not nothing. we are not nothing. perception is not nothing. illusions are not nothing. nothing is nothing. something is something. if we percieve something wrongly, the illusion is inaccurate, but the illusion of the reality is something as is the something that we fail to percieve. removing the illusion, removing the perception, removing the self even does not remove the reality. you can talk about the reality we percieve, but that reality is not reality at all, it is a miscomprehension. it is a perception of reality, and while the perception is real, the reality is real, the illusion may be considered real by the one who percieves it, but you cannot equate the reality to the illusionary perception. we do not create reality, we percieve illusion. The meanings of the words are clearly defined, you only get into a muddle when you fail to understand the meaning of the words that you are using. Conciousness is required for perception, but not for reality. something really exists, we are not absolutely sure what, but it does, and so do we. our perceptions are the product of us, we are a product of reality, reality is not a product of us.
you are confusing yourself. reality is not nothing. we are not nothing. perception is not nothing. illusions are not nothing. nothing is nothing. something is something. if we percieve something wrongly, the illusion is inaccurate, but the illusion of the reality is something as is the something that we fail to percieve. removing the illusion, removing the perception, removing the self even does not remove the reality. you can talk about the reality we percieve, but that reality is not reality at all, it is a miscomprehension. it is a perception of reality, and while the perception is real, the reality is real, the illusion may be considered real by the one who percieves it, but you cannot equate the reality to the illusionary perception. we do not create reality, we percieve illusion. The meanings of the words are clearly defined, you only get into a muddle when you fail to understand the meaning of the words that you are using. Conciousness is required for perception, but not for reality. something really exists, we are not absolutely sure what, but it does, and so do we. our perceptions are the product of us, we are a product of reality, reality is not a product of us.
statusquo
Member
Well articulated southflorida. I feel like the infinite nature of space and time (the universe, at least for us) is often downplayed however it makes more sense to me than what religious people or scientists say. Religious people say the first cause is God, only the omnipotent can be a first cause etc etc. All empty and fallacious arguments but scientists are just as bad when it comes to the first cause. Don't get me wrong they do a great job of explaining things right after the first cause - or initial inception point of the universe and the alleged beginning of space time - but to say that the universe and existence just started spontaneously is just as ridiculous as the religious explanation.
I believe that existence and spacetime are infinite and cyclical. This sidesteps the problem of the first cause issue and the idea of cyclical time fits in quite nicely with 4d time, determinism, parity in the laws of physics and intuition; nature has cycles all over out of necessity given finite resources (nitrogen cycle, water cycle, nutrient cycle etc etc). Currently we are in the cycle where the cosmological arrow (expansion of space), the entropic arrow (entropy increasing) and the radiative arrow (radiation emanates from a center point outwards) are all moving in the same direction we refer to as "the future". These are the three arrows that govern time. Eventually, if one believes in infinite/cyclical time, we will reach a turning point where all of these arrows will reverse in a big crunch towards a singularity/blackhole and then it would reverse with another big bang etc etc.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Crunch
And I really like how you described nothing/infinity. People often use the argument that infinity is an incoherent/incomprehensible concept so it's wrong. Well maybe this is the case but infinity makes a lot more sense to me - there is no end game. We will never have absolute knowledge and will constantly uncover more mysteries as our ability to gather and process data increases. Anyways I am rambling again, I have a lot more to say that ties all these things together but it would take far too long haha. Sorry to waste your guys' time ^_^ and K+ Southflorida.
Edit: @ GMT in regards to reality being a product of us, I don't mean humans. It merely refers to an observer. Reality, without an observer and perception, would just be a quantum state of all probabilities: i.e. nothing and infinity. The act of observing has an effect on the system being observed and is necessary for the formation of a reality. Quantum experiments yield some very intriguing results and make it seem that it is the mere measurement/observation in the double-slit experiment that determines the particle or wave nature of the light - i.e. the observation results in a reality and until then it exists in a quantum state of all probabilities. The slit experiment, wheeler's delayed choice experiment, Schroedinger's cats and other thought experiments all seem to lean towards an observer dependent reality, at least IMO. This is a very condensed sentence summary of a much bigger paper haha. Although I posted it earlier, I'll do it again ^_^ Robert Lanza "A New Theory of the Universe".
Double edit @GMTs last post: although lexicographically the definitions of infinity and nothing differ, they are essentially one in the same. Instead of thinking of it linearly with infinity on one end and nothing on the other, think of it more like a circle with infinity and nothing right next to each other at the top separated by one whole rotation. I think if you, and people in general, don't have a problem with saying that we have a finite universe and that our plane/level of existence is the objective and/or only one, I think you should be able to conceive of the universe as infinite. To say that there is some arbitrary 'wall' distinguishing existence and our universe with the nothingness on 'the other side'...I think this is on equal ground with infinity. There is plenty of scientific theory and empirical facts supporting both suppositions, however, and I am open to new approaches to these metaphysical issues. Might be pragmatically fruitless, although I deeply disagree with this, it's gotta be better than cable =P
I believe that existence and spacetime are infinite and cyclical. This sidesteps the problem of the first cause issue and the idea of cyclical time fits in quite nicely with 4d time, determinism, parity in the laws of physics and intuition; nature has cycles all over out of necessity given finite resources (nitrogen cycle, water cycle, nutrient cycle etc etc). Currently we are in the cycle where the cosmological arrow (expansion of space), the entropic arrow (entropy increasing) and the radiative arrow (radiation emanates from a center point outwards) are all moving in the same direction we refer to as "the future". These are the three arrows that govern time. Eventually, if one believes in infinite/cyclical time, we will reach a turning point where all of these arrows will reverse in a big crunch towards a singularity/blackhole and then it would reverse with another big bang etc etc.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Crunch
And I really like how you described nothing/infinity. People often use the argument that infinity is an incoherent/incomprehensible concept so it's wrong. Well maybe this is the case but infinity makes a lot more sense to me - there is no end game. We will never have absolute knowledge and will constantly uncover more mysteries as our ability to gather and process data increases. Anyways I am rambling again, I have a lot more to say that ties all these things together but it would take far too long haha. Sorry to waste your guys' time ^_^ and K+ Southflorida.
Edit: @ GMT in regards to reality being a product of us, I don't mean humans. It merely refers to an observer. Reality, without an observer and perception, would just be a quantum state of all probabilities: i.e. nothing and infinity. The act of observing has an effect on the system being observed and is necessary for the formation of a reality. Quantum experiments yield some very intriguing results and make it seem that it is the mere measurement/observation in the double-slit experiment that determines the particle or wave nature of the light - i.e. the observation results in a reality and until then it exists in a quantum state of all probabilities. The slit experiment, wheeler's delayed choice experiment, Schroedinger's cats and other thought experiments all seem to lean towards an observer dependent reality, at least IMO. This is a very condensed sentence summary of a much bigger paper haha. Although I posted it earlier, I'll do it again ^_^ Robert Lanza "A New Theory of the Universe".
Double edit @GMTs last post: although lexicographically the definitions of infinity and nothing differ, they are essentially one in the same. Instead of thinking of it linearly with infinity on one end and nothing on the other, think of it more like a circle with infinity and nothing right next to each other at the top separated by one whole rotation. I think if you, and people in general, don't have a problem with saying that we have a finite universe and that our plane/level of existence is the objective and/or only one, I think you should be able to conceive of the universe as infinite. To say that there is some arbitrary 'wall' distinguishing existence and our universe with the nothingness on 'the other side'...I think this is on equal ground with infinity. There is plenty of scientific theory and empirical facts supporting both suppositions, however, and I am open to new approaches to these metaphysical issues. Might be pragmatically fruitless, although I deeply disagree with this, it's gotta be better than cable =P
Okay, GMT, I guess I will have to break it all down a little more, to
explain my perspective on all this.
Infinity and nothing are both absolutely the same thing, there is
no distinction between them, and they are not distinctions themselves.
They both have no beggining and no end, and this is why they
are Absolutes, they include everything into themselves.
Nothing is not "no thing" or "empty space" or an "absence of a thing"
or anything of that sort. Nothing is nothing...it is NO-DISTINCTION.
...before the FIRST distinction...what was there? NOTHING
the foundation, or the true nature of reality is NOTHING. Reality
is reality, it is what it is, and yes, it is real. But the paradox, is that
the foundation, the true nature of reality is NOTHING.
this is an absolute truth because in order for a distinction to
manifest...and thus create reality...there first has to be nothing,
there simply is no other way.
Distinction = Reality, this is a fact simply. We only perceive objects
because they are DISTINCT from other objects, if everything was
one distinction, there would be nothing. Just think about that. If
everything was only water...or milk...or trichomes...or whatever
there would be NO-DISTINCTION, and this would be NOTHING...lol
This is tough to grasp in the beginning, but once you observe that
absolutely everything that you perceive in your reality is a distinction,
and if there was no distinction, no difference between one thing and
another, you would not be able to perceive it.
...the primary question is: What was there before the FIRST distinction?
This points straight the the truth and the foundation of everything!
And obviously, at least to me, the answer is NOTHING!
if you remove the self, or perception, which are both distinctions,
there will be no reality, there will be NOTHING, which is the foundation
and the true nature of everything. So the paradox, is that while
we do perceive reality, and the objects that we do perceive are
there, the foundation, the true nature, or WHAT makes it all possible
is NOTHING. Because in order for something to exist, which is by
definition a DISTINCTION, there first has to be NOTHING, which
is no-distinction.
So before distinction, which is SECONDARY, there is nothing, which
is PRIMARY. If you are not grasping this, it is because it takes a little
contemplation, since it can't be grasped by the intellect, this has to
be experienced, otherwise the mind will try to DENY these distinctions,
and because of that, it will not PERCEIVE it.
We perceive DISTINCTIONS, things that are different from each other,
and you can only know what something is, in relation to what it's NOT.
You can't know what something is for-itself, and as-itself, this is
not-known, and can't be known. You know something by perceiving
the difference, and seeing it as DISTINCT from everything that is
around it, and realtive to it. There are NO exceptions!
Consciousness and Distinction are Primary! Perception of distinction
is SECONDARY. This perception of the distinction is reality, so it
is also SECONDARY. The paradox is that we as human BEINGS are
this consciousness, and are creating these DISTINCTIONS, so our
true nature is NOTHING, but we are creating SOMETHING/REALITY
by manifesting DISTINCTIONS and then perceiving them through
our perceptions, which are also DISTINCTIONS. They are the
distinctions sight, sound, smell, feel, etc.
EVERYTHING is distinction, but the true nature and foundation
of distinction is nothing, because distinction is a function of
Consciousness, and thus is not distinct from it.
And what we perceive as reality is basically the work of consciousness
and distinction, that are simultaneously manifesting what it "itself"
is observing through us. And since we are this Consciousness/Being,
basically we are Consciousness that is observing itself through
Distinctions. So it is Nothing observing Nothing, and making it
look like it is Something. And this is Real, as in it is objectively there
and can be perceived (seen, felt, touched, etc.) but still the
true nature of this is that Consciousness is perceiving (seeing, feeling, touching, etc) ITSELF...lol
It just has to go through this weird-ass process because it is
Nothing, Nodual, Not-Separate, and because of this in order to
observe itself, it has to do this through DISTINCTIONS, and making
things different/distinct from each other.
But, the most important thing to grasp, is that while everything is
DISTINCT, it is NOT separate, it is nondual, it is only distinct and
different, but is all one EXPERIENCE, and this is why The Present
Moment, the Here and Now, is also an Absolute, and is also this
Consciousness.
Just think about this question: Have you ever been ANYWHERE
except in the present moment? Even if you thought about the
past, or imagined the future, you still ALWAYS have done this
in the PRESENT MOMENT/THE HERE AND NOW, and there is no
exceptions to this...this is ABSOLUTE TRUTH.
So the Present Moment/Consciousness/Distinction are what create
Everything that we call reality...and all these Absolute truths are
at their core...NOTHING/INFINITY, which as I explained in the
beginning the same thing...no beginning...no end...and this part
can only be personally experienced...it can't be believed by the
mind/intellect...because the mind/intellect is a distinction that is
relative to what it is NOT.
...if you read through this slowly, you will see the structure of this
whole process, and it is something I have experienced, it is not
a "concept" that I created using my self-mind. I don't believe it
as a human through the mind/intellect, because it is not
believable, and the mind/intellect obviously wasn't designed
to perceive the truth. Truth can only be experienced, and this is
why when contemplating this, it is a good idea to observe your
experience as it is happening in the PRESENT MOMENT.
The here and now is the first key to these absolute truths. At least,
imo...it is the easiest thing to observe and grasp, and from there it
slowly becomes something that you are more and more conscious of.
A
arcticsun
I work in a mental hospital, I spent this whole night with a psycotic person strapped to a bed who was hysterical and had really bad hallucinations.
Ive worked long enough at this mental hospital to learn that "reality" is not as "real" as I thought it was. Something may be true and false at the same time!
Ive worked long enough at this mental hospital to learn that "reality" is not as "real" as I thought it was. Something may be true and false at the same time!
...it is very important to understand that all this is more DISTINCTIONS
and in the end they are not the foundation or the true nature
of what we are.
...the primary "thing" is nothing, no-distinction, because as soon
as there is two distinctions, there is "something."
...the interesting thing to notice, and this is also a paradox, is that
one distinction, is still no-distinction...lol...and this is why it is
called nondual, there is no second distinction.
...this shows that the first distinction is distinction, and everything
else is SECONDARY distinctions.
...it is really interesting stuff, and in my other thread, I describe
how we create fear, anger, and desire, and that at the core, they
are not simply emotions, they are activities we do, and they
have components that are created by the illusion of past and
future, and if one realizes that there is no such thing, one
can't create fear, anger, or desire. It is easier to see in that
thread how we create something that we think simply happens to us.
https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=193252
the illusion of past/future is the primary cause of all suffering and
strugle for our false-self that is attached to these two illusory
phychological concepts. Once a human being becomes truly
aware that there is only the Present Moment, the Here and Now,
the majority/or even all of the suffering/struggle ends!
the first step to understanding what the true nature and foundation
of reality is, and not just accepting what our culture thinks it is, and
the way it defines it.
My definition is simple, reality = distinctions.
Reality is created by one thing being different, or distinct from another.
There are NO exceptions to this...this is how it is. Once this is
noticed by a human beings, then the next obvious step is the
observation that we ARE the ones that are creating distinctions.
...for example, before you started growing and found out about
the different types of marijuana, you thought of it as pot, weed,
or whatever, that was your distinction.
...and now after growing it, think of all the DISTINCTIONS that you
have made about what marijuana is for you!
...this basically points toward the fact, that you are the one creating
distinctions...right? I mean, obviously, you learned a few things
from others, but think about how many DISTINCTIONS you made
yourself from growing it.
This also points to the fact that while we are DISTINCT from one
another...we are NOT separate, we are ONE...because if you make
DISTINCTIONS, and thus create your reality, and you can explain
this distinction to another, and he/she can also observe and make
this distinction their own...they can use this distinction to create
the same reality as you.
So while all distinctions are distinct and different from each other,
they are not separate, which shows that Consciousness which is
nondual...is creating reality through distinctions.
A
arcticsun
Reality consists of one thing... Belief!
Belief is only a distinction, and you can believe all you want that the
bus won't kill you if you jump in front of it, while it is travelling 60 km
per hour, but we both know your belief will not help you much...lol
Well seems to me that it's impossible to just "stop" from making distinctions as this seems to be a reflex action of the mind that can be done conciously or unconsciously. Therefore the only way to stop the distinctions is to kill one's self.
Bettysmith
Member
FWIW Dmt is naturally occurring within your brain. So how would smoking DMT harm your health? If simply smoking is the issue, it can be ingested in other ways which lengthen the trip vastly.
DMT is a miraculous substance.
A
arcticsun
Depends how you define living, believe in reincarnation and you are fine
Buddhists would say.. this body or that body doesnt matter, intelligence is immortal
Bettysmith
Member
Depends how you define living, believe in reincarnation and you are fine
Buddhists would say.. this body or that body doesnt matter, intelligence is immortal
All fine and dandy, until your brain stops functioning.
...lol...you made a good distinction
...but, on a more serious note, as a human being with a self, the only
way to stop making distinctions, and to become the one nondual
consciousness that we are is to become conscious that we are
everything. Obviously this is not easily done, because the self is
a survival mechanism and uses the mind very well to hold on to
all the attachments that this mind has attached to. Whatever we
have identified with/attached to, and consider to be ourselves, we
will do everything in our power to make sure "it" survives.
This is why "perception" is a survival tool. It sees everything in relation
to the "self" that we think we are. The question that the "false-ego-self"
always asks is "what does this THING mean in relation to me?"
...is it valuable or is it dangerous, or whatever? But, it will always
view this thing in relation to itself. This is how the self-mind works,
and what it was designed for. Everyone can observe this on themselves
quite easily.
So the first step, is to learn to observe things for-themselves and
as-themselves, and not as "what they mean to my "self?"
Once this is done, it becomes obvious, that we don't know what
something is inherently, we only know what that it is different or
distinct from other things around it.
This is how Consciousness uses Distinction to create Everything.
And this is one of the ways to become conscious, and to stop
making distinctions, by becoming everything. Once this is
accomplished there will be no-distinction, and you can experience
what you are at the core, your true nature, your foundation, which
is NOTHING/INFINITY.
This may sound crazy, but it is the Absolute Truth. And, obviously
this is something that a person that has a serious desire to experience
the truth for themselves can experience. It is not done by believing
something, it is done through direct experience. Contemplation is
obviously the first step, because at this moment right now, you
are this consciousness anyway, it can't be any other way.
This is the truth for two simple reasons. You are living in the Present
Moment, and have always lived in the present moment, and you are
making DISTINCTIONS, which are a function of Consciousness, and
the way it creates reality that we perceive.
These two things are enough to realize, and to have an insight that
we are all Consciouseness, every human being, and basically everything
else that there "is" is this one nondual consciosuness.
Because while there are distinctions, there is really no separation
between distinctions. Separation is a distinction itself, and is simply
a concept. While distinction is not a concept, but an absolute truth.
This might sound crazy, but all these things can be realized by anyone
that is willing to contemplate about two things...one that we are
in the Present Moment, and second, we don't really know wtf we "are."
