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Metaphysical terms are impressive, but don't really get to the root of the deep questions.
1 - Exactly what is the "true nature of our reality"?
2 - How do you know what you think as being reality is in fact actually real?
3 - What happens in the brain that enables human beings to perceive things and form concepts like "reality"?
4 - In the deeper "scheme" of things, what makes you think one person's view of reality is any more or less accurate than someone else's view?
A buddhist would say that it is not possible to see things as they are as long as the mind is obscured and that a clear and radiant mind simply reflects what is.
An obscured mind ... a mind that is not clear ... a mind that has not been "purified" cannot see what is.
When one has reached that level of clarity, the notion of imposing anything on anyone is simply irrelevant.
There is not such a thing as "one persons view of reality" (in the sense that reality just IS ... it is what it is ... suchness) but there is such a thing as millions and millions of people having their own separative ego perceptions of reality and a vast majority of them wanting to be right and, in many cases, actually killing each other because their need to be right is so insistent and intense.
The arguments on this forum are a relatively benign manifestation of this insanity.
It is truly insane.
People are fighting with and even killing each other in the futile attempt to preserve their own skewed sense of what is real and what makes it more crazy is that everything, ultimately, is both transient and illusory.
Imagine if everyone took responsibility for their own purification ... their own enlightenment (lotta work though and who has the time or inclination given the "nature" of the machine / dominant culture and given the fact, that speaking very generally, people are sheeple and are victims of consensus reality? ... [but i digress]) and just let everyone else BE ... starting with themselves.
Perhaps we have a chance to wake up from this illusory nightmare if people would just relax and let be what is .. otherwise, it seems as we're kinda doomed.
Though words are spoken
to explain the Void,
The Void as such can
never be expressed.
Though we say, "The
Mind is a bright light,"
It is beyond all words
and symbols.
Although the mind is
void in essence,
All things it embraces
and contains.
All is One? That's the true nature of reality? Are you sure about that? If so, why? I understand what you're saying, and I respect your right to believe that, but frankly, as an answer, it is rather vague. If All is One, then there would be no differing views about realities, although I can see that differing views can be a part of reality. Still, being a part of reality does not address the nature of reality, or how we perceive the concept of "reality", etc. "All is One" doesn't specifically answer each of the 4 questions I asked.
Well, I think it does if you begin to understand it in its deeply scientific and spiritual aspects.
The fundamental nature of reality, as I have experienced it, is far more similar to the concept of the Force from Star Wars than not.
It does not mean that every individual thinks the same and it does not eliminate contradictions. It seems to be such on a level of frequency, not on the physical level we see everyday.
I agree with the above poster who said that we cannot possibly know all of reality from our little hole in the universe here. But, I believe we can know the "fundamental nature of reality". There is a difference, imho.
For anyone who has a Netflix subscription and who appreciates the images that i posted on page 2 of this thread by Alex Grey ...
You may appreciate this on-line Netflix documentary where he presents his body of art work that is permanently installed in NYC.
He walks you through the exhibit and speaks about each piece of work.
Not only is his artwork brilliant but the film is spiritually educationally as well so if you're open to non-dogmatic ways of relating to spirituality and listening to someone who synthesizes various mystical traditions and expresses them beautifully in his art work, you may enjoy this and it may be very illuminating. Netflix Online 'Alex Grey: The Chapel of Sacred Mirrors
Well, I think it does if you begin to understand it in its deeply scientific and spiritual aspects.
The fundamental nature of reality, as I have experienced it, is far more similar to the concept of the Force from Star Wars than not.
It does not mean that every individual thinks the same and it does not eliminate contradictions. It seems to be such on a level of frequency, not on the physical level we see everyday.
I agree with the above poster who said that we cannot possibly know all of reality from our little hole in the universe here. But, I believe we can know the "fundamental nature of reality". There is a difference, imho.
That's just been my experience.
I can only speak for myself, but I don't think I've said anything suggesting we can ever know all of reality. I had asked questions about it because those were the words used by another poster to who I was responding to.
I'm glad you agree that individual people do not think the same. That also means different people have different views about what they perceive as reality. That's not to say we don't share certain views with other people. We do. But only in a general way. Shared views can result from family, friends, the society we live in, etc. Even then there's bound to be variation from person to person even if it's not so easy to detect and verify those differences. Many such things, such as social skills, are often learned and are influenced by people around us with the basic concepts accepted by agreement. The differences are what mean the uniqueness of each individual.
You've mentioned some interesting things. You said you've experienced the fundamental nature of reality. Can you give an example what you experienced? How you know it's the fundamental nature of reality? Or do you mean it's the fundamental nature of what you perceive as your reality?
You also said, "It seems to be such on a level of frequency, not on the physical level we see everyday." What do you mean by "frequency"? Can you give an example of something that's on a level of frequency? If it isn't on the physical level, then what is it on?
While questions like that might somewhat feel like being backed into a corner, don't take it as offensive. It's not. People often say certain things to other people without including more information, meaning that other people have no idea what you mean, or just go along with it and create their own definitions which may or may not be correct.
Believe me, I have my own views as well. Maybe similar to yours, maybe not. I have no idea because I'm trying to get a better understanding of what your ideas are about.
I can only speak for myself, but I don't think I've said anything suggesting we can ever know all of reality. I had asked questions about it because those were the words used by another poster to who I was responding to.
I wasn't suggesting you believed we could know all of reality. I was just distinguishing knowing the nature of reality from knowing reality.
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I'm glad you agree that individual people do not think the same. That also means different people have different views about what they perceive as reality. That's not to say we don't share certain views with other people. We do. But only in a general way. Shared views can result from family, friends, the society we live in, etc. Even then there's bound to be variation from person to person even if it's not so easy to detect and verify those differences. Many such things, such as social skills, are often learned and are influenced by people around us with the basic concepts accepted by agreement. The differences are what mean the uniqueness of each individual.
Absolutely. The key is getting beneath all of that cultural stuff and finding the common reality. What are all the religions of the world getting at? Why do they exist? What aspect of our psychology demands institutions to address a sense of self beyond the ego?
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You've mentioned some interesting things. You said you've experienced the fundamental nature of reality. Can you give an example what you experienced? How you know it's the fundamental nature of reality? Or do you mean it's the fundamental nature of what you perceive as your reality?
I have had numerous experiences in which I have experienced the intrinsic unity of all life on an energetic level (or frequency beyond our normal range).
To go into greater detail would risk my thin layer of anonymity. I could really blow your mind with stuff that would make you question every aspect of reality as we think we know it... but I won't.
I wasn't suggesting you believed we could know all of reality. I was just distinguishing knowing the nature of reality from knowing reality.
Thank you for your comments. The statement I made was merely to clarify my own position. We all have a perception of reality, but that perception varies from person to person. I certainly don't know the nature of reality, but I do understand a little about the natural processes (which are incredibly complex) that provide us with such perceptions. It can make a person wonder just how real reality really is.
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Absolutely. The key is getting beneath all of that cultural stuff and finding the common reality. What are all the religions of the world getting at? Why do they exist? What aspect of our psychology demands institutions to address a sense of self beyond the ego?
It can help get past cultural differences by first understanding the culture in order to understand the differences. Clear communication, willingness to understand, and tact goes a long way in helping. That common reality you mention is more of recognition of similarities, or focusing on the things people share that are more alike than different. We don't have to embrace differences, but it helps to not focus only on differences and use that as a reason that can turn into rejection of someone else which can get personal and turn things into a me vs the rest of the world kind of thing.
The questions you ask about what religions are getting at, why they exist, and why part of our psychology looks to them for answers, are understandable questions. People have relied on all kinds of institutions (not just religion) for as long as humans have been around. It's not that complicated to understand. Certainly some reasons are related to social bonding within a culture, a need for mutual understanding, and to determine what is acceptable and what isn't. It all stems from the experience of the nuclear family and extending it beyond that. Elders, shamen and problem solvers were seen as possessing wisdom and answers by virtue of their experience in life. This sort of thing turned into rituals that often set the rules of acceptable behavior within a specific tribe or society. Better to have members agree together as a group to increases chance of survival for each individual living in an enviroment of various dangers. Being an outcast would be almost the same as a death sentence.
Today, such rituals have become much more complex and elaborate, blending in with that of other social institutions. At the core, religions and other social institutions can serve to provide answers and help resolve problems. However, some leaders get caught up in the role position for their own personal ambitions rather than the benefit of others. Still, the core purpose of such institutions can be beneficial. Religions can sometimes help establish acceptable behavior and help create social unity that would otherwise turn a society into complete chaos. The problem is that is doesn't always work so well today. But that doesn't mean it doesn't work at all.
Conflicts between different societies had to do with territorial access over essential resources necessary for survival, like food and water. Over the course of time, that expanded to include intangibles that are not always essential but are still deal with territorial issues, either to retain or to acquire.
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I have had numerous experiences in which I have experienced the intrinsic unity of all life on an energetic level (or frequency beyond our normal range).
To go into greater detail would risk my thin layer of anonymity. I could really blow your mind with stuff that would make you question every aspect of reality as we think we know it... but I won't.
Perhaps the mind-blowing stuff is that it blows your own mind? Somehow, I have my doubts that there's much in that regard that would come as any great surprise to me. Some people get hung up in thinking that metaphysics or science provides all the answers to everything. They don't. I tend to look at things from the perspective of science, but not as an explanation of absolutes. Rather, for me, it's more a matter of exploring what's out there, and what makes it work, kind of like putting together the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. Sometimes the pieces fit together, and sometimes they don't. I enjoy learning and understanding more about who we are as human beings and our connection to everything else.
Surely there are some experiences of yours that are simple enough to describe. What risk would that be to your thin layer of anonymity? This is an Internet forum, for pete's sake. No one's asking you to identify yourself. This particular forum is about sharing and discussing views about Religion and Philosophy. You couldn't possibly have anything more weird to say than some of the things that have already been posted here and there.
If it's as mind-blowing as you say, don't you think it's worth sharing with others? How do you know it would blow anyone else's mind if they have no idea what it is you're talking about? You've already dangled the carrot, why not just explain it? I mean, what's the worst that can happen? That people might think you're some kind of off-the-wall dunderhead? Who cares? I have my own understanding about frequencies, waves, and levels, not metaphysical, but based on science, although I have no idea if it's right or not. But certainly some of it is. Maybe similar to yours, maybe not. Most likely, I'll cover that aspect myself unless someone else beats me to it. After all, isn't that the main question of the title of this tread?
hello, i am doing a speech about the law of attraction for a class that i am taking, but i know so little of it. i understand the process, but it seems to be a little complicated when trying to inform others. oh and by the way i agree with the thoughts and the universe, the greatest inventors of our history and today, started off with a thought and then proceed into actually inventing something. without the thought, there would be no result.
We all have this comfortable view of reality as we see it from within our own little bubbles. If we realised that we were creating our own life movie as we went along, it would probably change the way we think about our world.
I think the book "illusions" by Richard Bach (same writer as Jonathan Livingstone Seagull) is very good at explaining much of reality as an illusion.
Fast for a month while eating only fruits and vegetables (mostly greens). No Meat! No MSG; NO animal or animal by products should be eaten. Drink water and only 100% juices. Exercise by walking a mile a day. Meditate on positive things in your life for ten minutes a day. This will cure all your ills with your temple.
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Originally Posted by MontanaGuy
jackdonekings wrote:
Ok, I have very high cholesterol and need to take medication to lower it and I also have so much plaque built up in my arteries that after a recent test I was told that I have a high probability of having either a stroke or heart attack within the next two to five years. Are you suggesting that if I change my attitude and adopt some sort of philosophy that my arteries will clear up and it will be like I was eighteen years old? Can you see why I am skeptical of faith healers and those who believe that I can correct these conditions by using the power of my own mind?
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The answer
