Regarding "the reality of the illusory world," I think of the reality of a mirage. A mirage is a real mirage, a real unreal, a real illusion, like any illusion. We live in the reality of the illusory world, and for me it's important to remind myself that it's a real illusion. It's real and it's not. I think that's what the Zen saying -- "Not one, not two; not both, not neither" -- is communicating. For me it relates to Scripture saying we are in the world but not of it. We are to know that there is Ground/Consciousness/Being/God out of which all these real illusions including our selves in physical form manifest. What's real is the Ground, and the rest is real illusion. The subject/object relationship has collapsed for me in orgastic experiences, in some experiences of feeling one with nature, and in my thinking where it has become clearer to me that at Ground Level all that is is one. Being aware that I am in the world and not of it helps me to not disengage from the world, not be totally captured or controlled by it, and to have a sense of freedom and choice which seems to make it all more livable for me.
On Feb 9, 2015 david doane wrote :
Regarding "the reality of the illusory world," I think of the reality of a mirage. A mirage is a real mirage, a real unreal, a real illusion, like any illusion. We live in the reality of the illusory world, and for me it's important to remind myself that it's a real illusion. It's real and it's not. I think that's what the Zen saying -- "Not one, not two; not both, not neither" -- is communicating. For me it relates to Scripture saying we are in the world but not of it. We are to know that there is Ground/Consciousness/Being/God out of which all these real illusions including our selves in physical form manifest. What's real is the Ground, and the rest is real illusion. The subject/object relationship has collapsed for me in orgastic experiences, in some experiences of feeling one with nature, and in my thinking where it has become clearer to me that at Ground Level all that is is one. Being aware that I am in the world and not of it helps me to not disengage from the world, not be totally captured or controlled by it, and to have a sense of freedom and choice which seems to make it all more livable for me.