Reality

2023, April, Issue 42

If you’ve read or heard about my experiences in the death bardo, you may have been a little bit amazed at one particular aspect of that.  When I was about to return, coming out of that amazingly bright intense light of Dharmakaya, viewing the energetic dimension, as well as all the infinitely expansive multiverse, as well as our own universe, you may have been amazed by that display, those appearances you might have imagined.  You may have thought that this is what we see when we look at reality—all that stuff.

That’s not how I see it.  When I think about all the possibilities, all the stars and planets and light forms, all the storms of energy everywhere that cannot be seen by human eyes, all the matter and energy doing this tremendous dance, it does not look real to me.  It looks like an illusion, a dream, a magical display of impossibilities manifesting before our senses.  There is nothing about this place that is real to me.  It is devoid of inherent existence.  The only reason we could say that it is real is because our own mind gives it that designation.  We put labels on things, we categorize things into groups that either fit our somewhat arbitrary paradigms or not. We imagine things that are not there.

When we have a point of view, that point of view is relative; so, from my point of view, seemingly emerging from the Source, even though I could see everything from a vast perspective, my view was still relative at that point.  A relative point of view requires an independent observer.  It requires a self.  Once I began to assemble a self, the view became relative to other views.  This reality could only be said to be real from my perspective, even if I saw everything before me as an illusion.

Ultimate reality, on the other hand, is sort of like seeing all the relative views at once, from everyone’s perspective, then simply being in a bright condition, without changing anything, without elaboration or object.  Reality, once tasted, becomes ineffable from a relative point of view.  Our assumptions about matter and energy become somewhat ridiculous.  The human mind cannot grasp what is.  Since it is ineffable, there can be no grasping.

So, back up the train a little bit.  My view, seeing everything altogether, all at once, an infinite myriad of possibilities, may seem amazing; however, it is neither better nor worse than the view any other being may have.  A crustacean living in the mud at the bottom of the sea has just as valid of a view as I had.  These are both relative points of view.  All we can claim when we have a relative point of view is that we see things from our own perspective.  They’re exactly the same, not better or worse—the same.

Now, if you ponder that for a moment, ego is likely to kick in.  You might say that you can see further or have read more books than this mud-dweller.  This is ego providing validation for your own delusions.  The view from mud or a tiny insignificant speck of dust, such as the earth, is never appreciably different.  Almost everything everywhere is still ignored.

We like to think that we know everything, or know someone who can fill in the blanks; however, the entirety of all human knowledge barely scratches the surface of what is, as it is.  Reality might be what we think; however, it is also far more than we can imagine through intellect or concept.  We can see this by observing this struggle that all schools of thought go through over time.  Philosophies, science, religion, politics, really anything related to nailing things down, all change, become revised, go through revolutions, compete, adapt, fall apart, become forgotten, over and over again.  Relative reality is this way, what we think may be true will certainly be proven false at a later date, just give it time.

Relative reality is fluid, it changes—and, it is held entirely within Ultimate Reality.  So, sometimes people get hurt feelings when hearing this sort of discussion.  Nobody wants to admit that they don’t already know everything.  Ego doesn’t like that.  Some people become insulted, because they want their view to be the only view, the only correct view.  What they hear is that their view is secondary to the Ultimate.  That hurts their feelings; and, so, they stop investigating reality.  They leave their own Spiritual Path in protest.

Ultimate Reality is beyond ego and self.  It does not get hurt feelings, nor does it stomp away in protest.  When we become the light, all possibilities must appear.  It is all good, far beyond the extraordinary limitations of being human, far beyond this illusion we only think is real.

So, when I say we must awaken, what I mean is that we must encounter reality for once in our existence.  After that, we are free.  This terrible pain of thinking that you are separate from all else, this perpetuation of thinking only your point of view exists, or that you are independently existent, is a struggle nobody ever wins.  It just goes on and on, unless you awaken.

Blessings in Light,

Robert Aho