WHAT IS REAL?

The truth, in all its splendor, in all its simplicity, in all its Glory "seems" so radical in nature, since we as the human race know ourselves as "only" a thought based entity. For it is we, who having strayed so far from our intended and natural state of Divinity, exist in a radically altered state of consciousness.

There are likely to be as many responses to this question as there are readers. Some have probably never even considered it, thinking that to ask this question is a waste of time, superfluous to their everyday life. They believe that all that can be discerned with their senses, all that appears to be material, is obviously all that there ever is. There are those in whom this question may induce deep philosophical thought. Still others may think that this question is going to lead to a religious, spiritual, or scientific analysis in the course of this text. Those seeking merely intellectual stimulus may be disappointed, whereas to those who may never have before considered the question a different viewpoint may be revealed.

The discussion here of what constitutes "reality" is not intended to stimulate excessive deep thought, but rather is presented to address the dire state and subsequent suffering currently holding most of humanity in a tight grip. The truths put forward here are not within the sole ownership of the writer, but have been penned innumerable times, and in many formats, throughout the history of mankind. The intention is to provide an alternative approach to this question in order that those who have either never questioned, or who have not understood before, may finally see, as Jesus Christ said: "the truth shall make you free."

To date, for the majority of mankind, there appears to exist only one order of reality which I will call "relative reality" or "relative truth." For our purpose here, the terms truth and reality will be treated as synonymous and interchangeable. Many believe that only objects which can be perceived by the senses constitute all of existence, and this belief would be what is termed "relative reality." This would be all that I can see, hear, smell, taste, feel or touch. The chair on which I sit, the book I read, the voice I hear, the food I smell and taste.

This material world appears to be all that can be known as "real," which is to say it appears "real" in relation to the physical senses, and therefore seemingly represents all that actually exists in this world of the relative. Furthermore, all that is received by the senses is then filtered through the lens of each individual's personal perception and colored by the storehouse of knowledge, memories, experiences, and all the conditioning of society. The conditioning of society can be political, religious, cultural, racial or regional in its origin, but this does not matter, for the mechanism of distorted perception is the same in all instances. This obscuring of "truth" can be very destructive indeed and accounts for all man-made major upheavals in our so-called "civilized" society.

The rest of this chapter and indeed much of this book will be concerned with what I will term as "absolute reality." In order for this to become clearer it is necessary to take a step back and view all that is from a completely different perspective and then understand the criteria by which all that is absolutely "true" or "real" can be defined.

There are only three main criteria to be met. The first and foremost is that all of the absolute must be eternal and as such has no beginning, no end, and is a dimension where time, as we know it, does not exist. The second is that it must be a universal, encompassing order of reality. The third criteria is that it must be changeless and therefore unaffected by what may happen in the relative realm.

These definitions may conjure up all sorts of ideas and labels depending on your own background and learning. For the Christian, the word "absolute" may be seen as that which is called "God." In other disciplines the label is different, such as Krishna, Divine, Universal Intelligence, and Brahman - to name a few. There is no deliberate intention to omit any names given to the eternal, but in this context there is no need to dwell on any particular "label." To do so would make this text lengthy indeed.

Assuredly all world religions stem from ancient texts or scriptures, and apart from differences in terminology and methods, all point toward the same absolute truths. Some quotes may be given from these ancient writings in order to illustrate this connection. Indeed, how could it be otherwise as all are using the same criteria to attempt to define that which is termed "absolute." Words, by their relative nature are of course limited, and many texts use parables, metaphors, epigrams, paradoxes etc. in an attempt to explain the unexplainable.

The teachings of Jesus, as written in the Holy Bible, consisted of parables and metaphors. The Tao Te Ching made use of a series of ingenious epigrams. The Bhagavad Gita used a simpler narrative form. The attempts of these often ambiguous teachings to convey "truth" still eludes most. Many ancient teachings have become religions and use a "middle-man" to interpret, deeming the teachings too "difficult" for many to read on their own. During the course of this text, the absolute will attempt to reveal itself through some of these methods and also by more direct explanations.

Readers can utilize this text as a kind of "compass" to further their own self enquiry into what constitutes absolute truth. The lessons of spirituality are only the "road map" pointing towards this sublime destination. It cannot be reached by the mental process of thought, as that is also relative, dependent on individual conditioning and therefore open to many differing interpretations. Instead, the mind has to become silent in order that reality and truth can be revealed to those who earnestly seek and wish to experience for themselves. In this way the absolute can be said to be known.

Of course throughout the ages, many ancient scriptures have done wonderful work in trying to convey the essence of the absolute. The most enlightened spiritual masters have used their uncommonly profound mastery of words to thereby empower the earnest "seeker" to uncover the mysteries of life itself, and some of those words will be quoted during the course of this text. All that which is absolute cannot be ultimately encapsulated within words, yet it is at a deep level of the utmost simplicity. It can be known but not "understood" in the conventional mind-identified state.

Numerous practices aim to facilitate...