I stole this.
And I think I will share it with you.
I liked it.
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Illusion vs. Reality
As a child I learned the rhyme "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never harm me." Behind this little ditty lies a fundamental bit of metaphysics which is one of the fault lines between eastern and western thought.
In western thought "reality" is identified as "that which can harm me", and this basic assumption is the cornerstone of most western theology. "Fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom", etc.
Yet other choices are possible. Pain is a physical experience but suffering is a perceptual choice. Some will choose to suffer over seemingly trivial matters while others will endure seemingly dreadful pain with "unnatural" serenity. Who is "being real" and who is "living in dreamland"?
The question of Maya is not so much an observation that "All is Illusion" but rather an insight into the nature of reality itself. The question is not which experiences are "real" but rather "Who Am I and Who Do I Choose to Be in relation to these experiences"? Our answers create our perceptual reality, for life lived is as "real" as it gets. One might go so far as to say: Tell me what you fear and I'll tell you who you are. |
