This reminded me of a book I read called The Four Agreements. Basically it talked about how since birth we are constantly agreeing with what is deemed acceptable(good looking, good tasting etc.) in our environment. And I believe the first agreement was word, which would be like when your parents told you something was unacceptable or something.
Yeah I would say so, I liked it because a lot of parts really made think and reflect on the events in my life. I think it's based on ancient Toltec philosophy.
link has daily lessons on ACIM this one is for July 3, 2014... can be read also audio upper right arrow click exerpt: You live by symbols. You have made up names for everything you see. Each one becomes a separate entity, identified by its own name. By this you carve it out of unity. By this you designate its special attributes, and set it off from other things by emphasizing space surrounding it. This space you lay between all things to which you give a different name; all happenings in terms of place and time; all bodies which are greeted by a name. This space you see as setting off all things from one another is the means by which the world's perception is achieved. You see something where nothing is, and see as well nothing where there is unity; a space between all things, between all things and you. Thus do you think that you have given life in separation. By this split you think you are established as a unity which functions with an independent will. What are these names by which the world becomes a series of discrete events, of things ununified, of bodies kept apart and holding bits of mind as separate awarenesses? You gave these names to them, establishing perception as you wished to have perception be. The nameless things were given names, and thus reality was given them as well. For what is named is given meaning and will then be seen as meaningful; a cause of true effect, with consequence inherent in itself. http://acim.org/Lessons/lesson.html?daily_lesson=184
Objective reality exist with or without our perception of it. We receive this objectivity subjectively. We can influence the objective world through our interaction with it.
agree but depends on the definition of this seeming "reality"... it only applies if one buys into the perception that if something in the physical was, then it was real... even though at some point the "form" consciousness took completely vanished... Zen says, "1000 yrs of forest, 1000 yrs of city" rinse & repeat.. so what "real" about that? same old dramas on this mud ball spinning through space that too many think is the "real world" just because the holes in their heads (eyes/ears) can perceive some temporary forms or sound vibrations... Amazing! but the good news is that the 2012 phenomenon has actuall revved up psychological time as we "know" end result is more beings in human form are waking up from this shared perception we call the "waking state". Peace
I see it that whats outside of us is real and we all see it the same way. Our existence unfolds into it and not the other way around.
I'm gonna bump this thread because I think more people can benefit from the discussions on here. And I just want everyone to know, when I made this thread, I was going through a very difficult time in my life, but all of these Ideas I still hold very dear to me. Thanks to everyone who contributed
Not that I want to poop on your parade, but an illusion isn't just a creation of the brain/mind. An illusion is a distortion or trickery of our senses, which in turn teaches us how our brain works. That's the meaning of an illusion. I saw you said how color is an illusion, but its more like a sense.. or subsense of vision. All animals that have color vision do so due to pigments in their cells that are photosensitive. When light strikes an object, it reflects back a very specific wavelength. That wavelength then enters the eye and can only pass through pigmentation that matches that wavelength. Meaning when you look at a blue ball, a wavelength the correlates to blue is reflected back. There really isn't blue color in the wavelength of light itself, but that wavelength can only pass through pigmentation that is blue. When it does, that information gets passed along to the brain and there's no reason to believe it gets passed down in a way that isn't what it is. You're free to believe it, but I'm the type of person who isn't going to believe in something that you can never prove or disprove.. and color being an illusion is one of those things. Now there can be illusion in color. Things like a blue sky, blue eyes, sunrises and sunsets, neon lights, things like that where the color you perceive is coming directly from light and not light reflected off an object. There are other illusions that involve color too, and since there can be illusion within color.. then color as a whole isn't an illusion. Everyone perceives differently, we all have our own relative perception.. but with enough research and work we could get an idea of how someone else perceives. Like with color, say you and I are looking at a red wall.. I might look at it and see a smooth red, but you might not. If you have double the amount of cone cells with red pigment in it, you'd be able to see many more shades of red, probably even be able to see patches where there was less red paint or paint streaks cause you're able to take in more red.. but there is no reason to believe that the red you and I see is anything else but red.
Yeah i've had a lot more time to think about this, and you're right, an illusion isn't just a creation of the mind, I think the government plays a HUGE role in the way we perceive reality, not trying to go into a complex conspiracy theory though. But everyday more that I spend out in the world, in society, how much I realize how everything isn't really what it seems to be, all these materialistic things that society is so obsessed with just makes no sense to me, like do people really enjoy those things, or have they just agreed their whole lives those are what fill you with joy, I don't know, this whole subject is too abstract to put in full coherent words.
Have not checked this board or this topic in awhile but it is timely as I just watched this great movie on youtube that addresses exactly your sentiments about govt. materialism and society... we have all been programmed / duped into thinking that "material" "stuff" "things" will make us feel better, look better, smell better, be happier, sexier or whatever. As Woody Harrelson mentions towards the end of the documentary, the real power is not in voting for this or that politician but with the dollar in your pocket. We need to take control back from corporate America which owns the government. The Federal Reserve is not even Federal, it is owned by anonymous fat cat bankers that loan the govt. money with interest so the govt. can keep getting deeper in dept. but that's just one item in this video. A must watch imo.
Deep thread. Now clear some space out so i can space out. IMO when it comes to reality everybody perceives it differently. Everything we see, hear, feel, taste enters the brain and then the brain processes this data as best as it can. example, The light is a signal (wave form) and the brain is the receiver of that signal. So if that reciver is some how damaged or say upgraded the signal is recieved differetly. To the damaged brain the light is a different color, to the upgraded brain the light is bright and strong. Both are correct, and both are wrong. Depends on what brain your observing. The problem with trying to define reality or obtaining proof that its even there is were all using different receivers. The signals are everywhere and wont change their frequencies, but the way our brains receive them continue to change. You can literally walk around in your dreams and touch physically solid objects, at these moments thats your reality.That shit is real as this laptop im typing on. If left there long enough it will become the only reality you know. But you wake up and notice it was a dream. Then you physically walk around this world and touch solid objects. Two different realities that were indeed real when YOU were observing them. Quantum theory says shit can be in two places at one time but we gone leave that alone for the moment.
In this very moment there are no problems. There is no labeling of identifies. Creating problems is only a means of the ego to survive. The ego is driven by fear and its the part of you that isn't real and that resists the natural flow of the universe. It creates all suffering. Don't be conditioned by fear but accept what is.
Illusion? IMO it is a needed experience for our conscious development to take to other worlds/dimensions
I can feel that. like the illusion of fear being a tool to train the sub conscience. By overcoming certain fears and realizing that they are indeed illusions, you pass a certain conscious threshold. And passing that threshold is needed to travel higher in transcendence. Or the illusion of separation being a tool to teach you that even though in fact a person might be alone the "FEELINGS" of sadness, depression, loneliness are an illusion that can be eliminated by being around others. Same goes for the person that enjoys the company of a lot of people. The "FEELINGS" of comfort, happiness, and joy are an illusion that dissipates when the individual is alone. The psychological goldie lox zone would be to understand that theses "FEELINGS" are MOST of the time illusions that can go every-witcha-way Dig this brothas and sistahs, if I stand on the edge of a sky scraper and look down some would say that my "INSTINCTUAL" fear would send all kind of wild chemicals to my brain causing me to dread the situation. But what if im conscious enough to understand that i can stand up there all i want as long as i dont take another step forward. The chemicals will subside and the "INSTINCTUAL" illusion is gone. I'm like you Peflora, I like to think that the belief that other worlds/dimensions dont exist is an illusion that needs to be eliminated in order for us to experience it. The monk has extraordinary experiences while here in this psychical plane. Could you imagine what he will see when he dies? It's mind blowing.
If life is an illusion wouldn't your beliefs also be an illusion since they're a product of this life?
While I enjoyed the film Ethos, I am very biased towards Zinn, Chomsky and most definitely the moron known as Michael Moore. I like Woody though.