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Post by subsidinginsanity on Aug 14, 2012 8:34:53 GMT
Are there any branches of Buddhism that teach that the physical world is not real?
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Post by markings on Feb 10, 2013 6:22:27 GMT
No. Two ways of approaching that.
The physical world is not real only in the ultimate sense, but is most definitely real for any Buddhist (I think) in an everyday sense.
The physical world we think of as part of everyday life is not real because it is usually a conceptual representation only. It is real at the level of pure, and primary perception, i.e. before any thought processing that anlyses and classifies the experience occurs.
The thoughts distort the primary experience becasue the processing takes place against our past, kown material and because of this distortion that experience is also labelled illusionary. It is not what it is purported to be. The aim of Buddhism is to break through this processing wall and perceive the pure, unmitigated primary experience, and thus experience the true and real world.
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sparklekaz
Someone asked me.. What is your religion? I said, "All the paths that lead to the light".
Posts: 3,658
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Post by sparklekaz on Feb 12, 2013 3:53:49 GMT
I think the problem some people have, is with the use of the word illusionary. Those who have no real understanding of the buddhist use of the word illusionary take it as a literal term, which is their only point of reference. As markings has explained very nicely, it is more about how people process the world around them mentally. Everything is viewed through our own perceptions. This will vary from person to person, based upon their life up to this point. Their upbringing, the opinions of others, conditioning by society and personal preferences, likes and dislikes. How I understand it is; that to see the world clearly, is to strip away everything that we have learned, especially from other people. Let go of judgements, false knowledge i.e. information given to us by others based on their opinions rather then truth, which is described as having pre conceptions about something before even seeing it for yourself. Illusion is not about something being false, but it is saying that really what we see most of the time, is only a fraction of what it really is. By stripping away illusion, we come as close as we can get to the truth. Its something that you have to really think about, and I am sure I could have explained myself better.  But thats the beauty of it, its a growing experience. One that requires us to look within to find out who we really are. When you think about it, there is an awful lot of stripping away we have to do to find the kernal within, that is the authentic self. The real us, you, me. Especially when you consider just how much influence others have upon us, from the day we are born. Its a revelation to find out what we really think, feel without it being second hand. Thanks everyone for sharing. Love and light Kaz |
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Post by markings on Feb 13, 2013 4:21:18 GMT
It is the world of thought, and that is the one most people live in and take as real, is an illusion. The world of sensory experience is real. IOW, our interpretation of our sensory experience together with giving this interpretation some truth value, that is the problem and creates an illusory world.
There is nothing wrong with pure perception, it is real.
There is nothing wrong with interpretation, it is real and as human beings we do that.
However, we need to realize that there are interpretation rules and the outcome of this interpretation of experience is made up as we go along. It may add something in terms of socio-cultural interaction but that is just convenience and agreement. The outcome is heavily processed, distorted, adulterated, emphasized, etc., basically based on my individual and collective past. By seeing that we can see what is truly real and what we conjure up (and usually think is real).
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Post by wayne on Feb 27, 2013 21:06:13 GMT
I think the problem some people have, is with the use of the word illusionary. Those who have no real understanding of the buddhist use of the word illusionary take it as a literal term, which is their only point of reference. As markings has explained very nicely, it is more about how people process the world around them mentally. Everything is viewed through our own perceptions. This will vary from person to person, based upon their life up to this point. Their upbringing, the opinions of others, conditioning by society and personal preferences, likes and dislikes. How I understand it is; that to see the world clearly, is to strip away everything that we have learned, especially from other people. Let go of judgements, false knowledge i.e. information given to us by others based on their opinions rather then truth, which is described as having pre conceptions about something before even seeing it for yourself. Illusion is not about something being false, but it is saying that really what we see most of the time, is only a fraction of what it really is. By stripping away illusion, we come as close as we can get to the truth. Its something that you have to really think about, and I am sure I could have explained myself better. But thats the beauty of it, its a growing experience. One that requires us to look within to find out who we really are. When you think about it, there is an awful lot of stripping away we have to do to find the kernal within, that is the authentic self. The real us, you, me. Especially when you consider just how much influence others have upon us, from the day we are born. Its a revelation to find out what we really think, feel without it being second hand. Thanks everyone for sharing. Love and light Kaz |
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sparklekaz
Someone asked me.. What is your religion? I said, "All the paths that lead to the light".
Posts: 3,658
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Post by sparklekaz on Feb 28, 2013 13:26:25 GMT
Thank you Wayne.. |
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But thats the beauty of it, its a growing experience. One that requires us to look within to find out who we really are. When you think about it, there is an awful lot of stripping away we have to do to find the kernal within, that is the authentic self. The real us, you, me. Especially when you consider just how much influence others have upon us, from the day we are born. Its a revelation to find out what we really think, feel without it being second hand.
