I am currently pondering on the idea that life is an illusion. I mean, I can easily accept that perception of things is what creates our experience of reality, but how far does the illusion really extend?
If I can change things, like the scenario and outcome, of my dreams when lucid dreaming, how come I can't do that in the so-called "awake" stage?
I'm working through Atisha's Seven Points on Mind Training, and the second one is to treat all phenomena as if they are dreams. Clearly, they are not exactly the same thing as the dreams we experience in the sleeping state, so what's the go?
Anyway, I'm Googling the fruit out out of this and I hope to come up with some answers. I've even asked my Mensa friends. Maybe I'll ask the monks in some of the Buddhist groups I'm in!
Here's a link to more on this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reality_in_Buddhism
And also: http://www.rinpoche.com/teachings/sevenpoints.htm
If I can change things, like the scenario and outcome, of my dreams when lucid dreaming, how come I can't do that in the so-called "awake" stage?
I'm working through Atisha's Seven Points on Mind Training, and the second one is to treat all phenomena as if they are dreams. Clearly, they are not exactly the same thing as the dreams we experience in the sleeping state, so what's the go?
Anyway, I'm Googling the fruit out out of this and I hope to come up with some answers. I've even asked my Mensa friends. Maybe I'll ask the monks in some of the Buddhist groups I'm in!
Here's a link to more on this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reality_in_Buddhism
And also: http://www.rinpoche.com/teachings/sevenpoints.htm
Hi CJ, this may be a bit naughty to post, but there's a book called "Doors of Perception", which involves the author having altered perceptions through mescaline consumption (legal during his time).
ReplyDeleteThe hypothesis at the time was that there's actually more information in your environment and mind, but your brain (especially frontal lobes) blocks out a lot of it so you're more likely to focus on the relevant stimuli as cavemen, etc etc, and that only in certain states (hypnagogic hallucinations, drugs, extreme meditation) in which this filtration process is temporarily attenuated.
Hope study's going well with you!
Hello,
DeleteI am very late to reply, sorry. I went a bit AWOL when I went through pregnancy and had the baby.
Thank you for the recommendation. I agree with what you are saying. I haven't thought that much more about it since posting this, maybe been busy with other things.
Thanks.
CJ