On Perceived Reality

Awareness exists. Inasmuch as we rely upon thinking, the mind, to understand awareness, self is experienced and exalted centrically at the seat of consciousness to form ego. However, self exists relative to the external world, the environment as an aspect of Creation. Insofar as the body possesses physical senses permitting perception of that which is perceivable, all that is perceivable is engaged through an implicit psychological process of the mind.

Briefly, this implicit process consists of psychological filtering, categorizing, understanding, interpretation, evaluating relative to self, and consequently judging. Everything psychologically attended to, that which passes the filtering process, must be understood. Such understanding requires categorization for understanding such that interpretation is possible; that, which cannot be understood, acknowledging that it cannot be understood satisfies the comprehension process. Insofar as we understand, we must evaluate our understanding relative to our consciousness of self; e.g., is it good, bad, beneficial, etc. Inasmuch as these physical senses and implicit processes are used to form one's consciousness of self relative to the environment, it cannot be escaped. That is, this fundamental process constructs a reality based upon the environment for each individualized self as ego. This reality, termed perceived reality, forms one's existential experience as it is assumed and verified by the mind to be in totality, existence.

Despite the unity of the primary physical senses, individual construction of reality will reflect both similarity and dissimilarity. That is, while many individuals may experience the same event in the same environment, what is attended to, how it is understood and interpreted, and its evaluation will differ resulting in disparate existential experiences. Hence, as a function of this implicit process, perceived realities are as varied as the number of individuals in a population. Further confounding this process is the state of consciousness relative to self. That is, as one is not separate from the environment, one may influence and condition oneself relative to the environment; e.g., culture. As a lens, perception and resultant interpretation refract and distort one's constructed representation of the environment. The resultant experience is integrated into consciousness and thus perceived reality.

Lens is to perceived reality as eye is to sight. Therefore, perceived reality and everything experienced in and derived from it is skewed relative to the lens used in its construction. Insofar as one cannot escape perceived reality, one cannot escape the lens used in its construction. That is, one cannot escape the constructs of the mind using the mind.

Lens therefore is integrally infused with the process of constructing perceived reality. Insofar as lens reflects one's identity, self-concept, gender association, and cultural predilections among others, lens is situated in the human condition and serves that condition. That is, the influences and conditioning experienced relative to ego as sense identity, social roles, norms, values, history among other underlying factors comprising lens, serve to perpetuate one's perceived reality. Therefore, lens serve to sustain one's response as both implicit thinking and explicit behavior relative to perceived reality; e.g., one's tendency to interpret consistently the self or environment negatively and behaving commensurately. This discussion refers to the human condition wherefrom most exist and experience self. Whereupon one begins to supplant self for Self, one begins to broaden one's lens such that it becomes more greatly encompassing. Once fully realized in the Divine Condition as Self, the lens wherefrom all is perceived is all encompassing insofar as Self is a part of and not distinct from everything to be perceived. In this way, all that becomes the mind and thus perceived reality reflects more perfectly, that which is our True Nature, Awareness existing beyond the mind, beyond, perceived reality, beyond Creation. That is, once realized, self and all that it creates serves Self within Creation as a reflection of Awareness beyond Creation.

The Process of Reality

Everything that we are as self, the human condition, at the moment of perception informs our mind and thus our ego. Consequently, perception born of the mind forms implicit behavior. Implicit behavior is action of the mind usually preceding physical or explicit action and comprises: what is attended to, interpretation, evaluation, decision making, etc. A consequence of our implicit behavioral response is explicit behavior comprising expression, decisions in action, interaction, lack thereof, etc.

For those seeking transformation, the only way to transform explicit behavior rather than through its particular discipline is to intervene in the implicit behavioral response informing perceived reality. Such intervention involves deconstruction of perceived reality, which includes self, identity, culture; e.g., questions regarding why a current state exists and why one responds a particular way. Deconstruction does not occur through discipline or change as opposites; rather, awareness is the medium by which mindful deconstruction is effectual. In deconstruction, one is left with simple awareness without limitation or constraint.

Such illumination through awareness cannot help but transform both perceived reality and self. Consequently, response to such transformation cannot be avoided. As such, transformation as discussed herein is the mindful reconstruction of perceived reality precipitated by its deconstruction. Contrary to one's transformation, if one chooses to ignore that which is illuminated, the mere decision is brought about in response to a new perceived reality. In this cycle, identification with one's perceived reality has the potential to lessen throughout iterations wherefrom eventually, self is supplanted for Self in the Divine Condition.

The Perceiver and the Perceived

Insofar as the perceiver cannot escape that which influences perception as well as that which is used to perceive, the reality constructed is inescapable. As such, any reality experienced by the individual through these means, while it may reflect shared properties, is always individually derived. Being bound to one's construction of reality as perceived reality, one must react to it. It is in our reaction to it that we find ourselves as self through experience. It is this reality, born from our senses, that is experienced as real. Upon examination of the mindfully created concepts found in perceived reality, we discover relativity.

On Culture and Perceived Reality

Culture being an internalized refraction in the form of thinking and behaving of what is believed natural reflects the construction of our individual reality; i.e., perceived reality. Internalized thinking and behaving in response to and in congruence with that which is believed to be natural reflects patterns that individually, would predict your response to any perceived situation. Here I do not infer that response is necessarily limited to explicit action. Rather I contend that implicitly, we will respond to that which is perceived in what is attended to, thought, evaluation, judgment, etc. Our explicit responses, our behavior, are then founded upon such implicit processes. Anáma-Rúpam. Ω