Unraveling Reality: Understanding Our True Existence

Have you ever stopped to ponder the nature of reality? "What is reality? How do we know that we are truly real?" These are profound questions that have puzzled philosophers and scientists for centuries. If you go too far down that rabbit hole, you might lose yourself—or worse, you might find yourself questioning the very fabric of existence.

Defining Reality

Reality can be a tricky concept. Subjective reality is what seems real to us based on our senses. For instance, two people can see the same thing and still experience it differently, each having their own true version of reality. Objective reality, on the other hand, is what is truly real, regardless of individual experience. Objective reality is discovered through scientific exploration and understanding.

How do we know that we are real? Some might argue that our conscious experience provides the fundamental evidence of our existence. Even if we were just brains in a vat, our conscious experience is the fundamental building block of thought and, for us, the most real.

The Nature of Matter

Everything that exists in the physical universe is matter. And as matter is the basis of our physical reality, we are inherently real, because we are made of matter. This raises the question: does it really matter?

The ancient non-dual Enlightened mystics defined Absolute Reality as that One underlying Constant which never changes. They believed that the non-local, non-physical mind creates experiential realities for us through our thoughts. While these experiences are real in the sense that they are experiences of our minds, they are not considered Absolute Reality. Even our dreams are ‘real’ in the sense that they are real experiences of our mind. However, we are still influenced by the subjective mind even when 'awake.'

Awakening to Absolute Reality

To truly awaken to absolute reality, one must transcend the thinking mind altogether. Once we are able to tap directly into the source of mind, infinite consciousness, we no longer need to think. Instead, we know that we are all that is and is not. Whatever the mind thinks, to the extent that it is finite, will always fall short of absolute reality, which is why it is called mystical.

The journey to understanding and experiencing reality is a deep and intricate one, filled with layers of philosophical and scientific inquiry. Whether through conscious experience, scientific exploration, or mystical insight, the path to understanding the nature of reality remains an epic quest for many.