Perceiving reality

Is it possible for humans to perceive reality? That raises the issue: what is reality? How will we recognise reality?

I am reminded of my own question throughout my life: how do I know what I know? Both Hinduism and Plato (representing one of the philosophical paradigms of the West) are not encouraging: reality is seemingly shrouded.

Hinduism does, however, offer a pathway – deep meditation. Yet, the report of Paramahansa Yogananda of his spiritual experience is confounding. Is a similar experience available to an ordinary person like me?

Drawing upon both my personal experiences with humanity, and a lot of reading, I am inclined to say that:

• we each have a unique perception of reality
• our perceptions are influenced mainly by exposures during this life
• these exposures would have a cumulative framework of reference
• our interpretations or registers of such exposures probably (should?) reflect what our souls tell us (in some subtle way)
• there may be an etheric veil between human perceptions and that which is perceived
• that what we perceive may only be a projection of what is – if it is tangible
• if reality is not material but ethereal, do we have the necessary facility to ‘capture’ it?
• would it matter were conceptions of apparent reality to be variable within normal human relations?
• material reality may require agreement for safety, sanity, scientific research, etc, leaving the ephemeral to those who could take us beyond the level of existence as we know it
• perceptions of reality may require use of the ‘third eye’
• if that is successful, how does mankind or the individual benefit while on Earth?
• if reincarnation is to allow us to purify our individual souls to enable us to return the the Ocean of Consciousness from which we arose, would that not be the aspect of reality that is relevant to us Earthlings?

Yet, the search for understanding of the meaning of existence  must continue. Perhaps that is reality.

 

Advertisement

David Bohm on Consciousness

“Deep down, the consciousness of mankind is one. This is a virtual certainty because even in the vacuum, matter is one; and if we don’t see this, it’s because we are blinding ourselves to it.

Consciousness is a coherent whole, which is never static or complete, but which is in an unending process of movement and unfoldment.

Consciousness is much more of the implicate order than is matter . . . Yet at a deeper level [matter and consciousness] are actually inseparable and interwoven , just as in the computer game the player and the screen are united by participation.

We are internally related to everything, not [just] externally related. Consciousness is an internal relationship to the whole, we take in the whole, and we act toward the whole. Whatever we have taken in determines basically what we are. Wholeness is a kind of attitude or approach to the whole of life. If we can have a coherent approach to reality then reality will respond coherently to us.”

From a very young age I wondered how I know what I know. It had to be consciousness, right? What then is consciousness? Do the above quotes help in understanding what it is? I am not sure.

Then, there is the following extract from ‘The physicist as mystic’ by David Lewis in ‘Forbidden History’ by Douglas Kenyon (ed).

“In his plasma experiments at the Berkeley Laboratory, Bohm found that individual electrons act as part of an interconnected whole.

In plasma, a gas composed of electrons and positive ions in high concentration, electrons more or less assume the nature of a self-regulating organism, as if they were intelligent. Bohm found, to his amazement, that the subatomic sea he created was conscious.”

Reality, at this level, is most confusing.