Reality Is Not As It Seems
 

I'm posting this discussion here instead of Science & Spirituality because it's dealing with the nature of consciousness, and that's at the heart of non-duality.

The prevalent view in cognitive science today is that we construct our perception of reality in real time. But could we be misinterpreting the content of our perceptual experiences? According to some cognitive scientists, what we perceive with our brain and our senses does not reflect the true nature of reality. Thus, while evolution has shaped our perceptions to guide adaptive behavior, they argue, it has not enabled us to perceive reality as it actually is. What are the implications of such a radical finding for our understanding of the mystery of consciousness? And how do we distinguish between "normal" and "abnormal" perceptual experiences?

Cognitive scientist Donald D. Hoffman and neurologist Suzanne O’Sullivan join Steve Paulson to discuss the elusive quest to understand the fundamental nature of consciousness, and why our perception of reality is not necessarily what it seems.

New York Academy of Sciences
February 7, 2019

https://youtu.be/3MvGGjcTEpQ

Those interested in this may also want to check out https://opensciences.org/

This is a site for scientists who reject the reductionist approach to consciousness and have created a manifesto for a post-materialist science.

Peace

Closer to Truth
 

Here's another great resource.

Closer To Truth is the definitive source for Cosmos, Consciousness and Meaning. Filmed on location, Closer To Truth features leading philosophers and scientists exploring humanity’s deepest questions.

On the air continuously since 2000, Closer To Truth is broadcast weekly on PBS and public television stations in the U.S.

Robert Lawrence Kuhn is the creator, executive producer, writer and presenter of the series. Peter Getzels is the co-creator and producer / director.

Please enjoy the content we’ve uploaded to our YouTube channel and visit our website for our entire library of over 4,000 in-depth video interviews.

https://www.youtube.com/user/CloserToTruth1/videos

Hi, instead of starting a new thread - may I interject that there is a
SAND organization that has Conferences!!?
:tongue: Never knew, here:

https://www.scienceandnonduality.com/event/sand20-us

It has been cancelled, probably because if the virus, tho,
for Oct '20 in Calif., USA.
........................................

Btw, this sentence made me laugh - 'real' time..hahaha. :biggrin:
"The prevalent view in cognitive science today is that we construct
our perception of reality in real time."

Oh yeah, I've been aware of SAND for quite some time. Some of the content resonates with me and some doesn't.

And yeah, from a scientific standpoint we don't see reality as it actually is. It's all a construct in our mind and experienced by consciousness. Science is beginning to understand how the brain constructs the 3D surround sound touchy-feely presentation but still has no clue on the first person conscious experience of it. The qualia. Science, by and large, believes consciousness is an emergent quality of the complexity of the brain but can't yet explain it. The Hard Problem of consciousness as coined by David Chalmers.

Non-duality takes it a step further and posits it's all an appearance within consciousness, including mind and body. There is only Consciousness and at our core that's what we are. All of us the very same One consciousness experiencing the multiplicity through the multiplicity, hence experiencing Itself.

Mystics for eons have said, "Reality is an illusion."

I've come to understand that reality is NOT an illusion - that is a verbal absurdity - However the 'reality' we experience most certainly is an illusion, a mental construct we experience in our minds, just as you say.

What we experience isn't reality - that is just an illusion, though it is informed by reality, as filtered through and reconstructed by our sensorial and cognitive mechanisms. What we experience is a perspective of reality. Our physical cognition is a perspective - a human perspective, a personal perspective, etc. - as is our spiritual cognition, which is a VERY different perspective, but I am convinced of the very same Reality.

So why are the mystics so adamant? I'm convinced for one thing it is because much of the ego's stranglehold on identity is founded in it's conviction that the universe is ONLY as it sees it. Looked at this way it explains many things, both about the ego and about spirituality - and thus about non-duality.

The Nonduality story asserts that, within that fictional, probably made up story, the only reality is Oneness. Oneness then manifests as many separate looking things. Bearing in mind that initial assertion of the nonduality story, the manifestation of the many is an illusion.

Yes - that is the spiritual perspective.

The story is the manifestation is real however it has no inherent existence. That is it's impermanent. It has a beginning and an end, whereas the One has inherent existence with no beginning or end.

The whole "illusion" and "unreal" position taken literally is a misunderstanding of non-duality.

The real illusion is non-recognition of the underlying reality. Of thinking the impermanent is all there is and identification with that reality alone is the cause of suffering.

Well said!

Also, it is context that gives things meaning. Without context, there can be no meaning. So, physicality and spirituality ARE 'real' within their respective contexts, which also logically makes it's opposite not 'real'.

It is the power of transcendence that frees us from the prison of the physical perspective. Transcendence is openness.