Perception and Reality

Thinkers across the fields of science, philosophy, and spirituality have debated for centuries whether there is an objective reality "out there" that we simply perceive, or whether our perception actively shapes the reality we experience. A. H. Almaas explains that the answer comes from the acceptance of consciousness as a fundamental omnipresent ground, the nature of everything. This eliminates the dualistic conflict between the “inside” and “out there” view of reality versus perception. Scroll down to view the video and a summary of highlights.

Summary

Objectively speaking, for most of us perception begins with our organs – our eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and skin – which gather data from the world. The brain then interprets this raw data, constructing a “picture” of reality. This suggests that we don’t directly perceive reality itself, but rather our brain’s interpretation of sensory signals being transmitted by that reality. This highlights the subjective nature of our experience, even within a supposedly objective framework. 

The scientific community itself is not entirely in agreement. The historical debate between Einstein and quantum theory, for instance, underscores this tension. Einstein struggled with the probabilistic nature of quantum mechanics, believing reality to be deterministic. While quantum theory has become dominant, its ultimate meaning remains elusive, often understood through equations rather than phenomena we can visualize. 

More recently, neuroscience has shed light on the brain’s role in perception, mapping various perceptual and cognitive processes to specific brain regions. However, this often leads to a somewhat reductionistic view, where perception is seen as a function of specific brain parts. 

The Emergence of Consciousness 

Alongside this, the field of consciousness studies has emerged, grappling with the question of what makes us conscious. Two primary theories contend: 

Epiphenomenalism: This theory suggests consciousness is an epiphenomenon of the brain, meaning it arises as a complex byproduct of intricate neural firing. As the brain’s complexity grows, so too does its capacity for consciousness. 

Emergent Property: Proposed by thinkers like Roger Wolcott Sperry, this theory posits that consciousness is an emergent property. The brain, when sufficiently complex, acts as a conduit or vehicle for the emergence of a new capacity of life—consciousness itself—which is not merely produced by the brain but arises through it. 

Spiritual Insights into Consciousness 

Spiritual traditions offer a different—some would say deeper—understanding. They suggest that consciousness is not just a capacity to be conscious but a fundamental presence, a beingness, a medium, or a continuum in its own right. One of its inherent properties is its self-awareness—it knows that it is. This is often described as “consciousness awakening to itself,” a core aspect of enlightenment or awakening. 

From this perspective, the so-called perceiver isn’t merely the self as understood by neuroscience (a construct of genetics, memory, and personal history). Instead, the perceiver is this fundamental consciousness. The brain and body are seen as transceivers or vehicles through which this consciousness functions and expresses itself. 

Deep spiritual realization can lead to the understanding that all individual consciousnesses are, at their core, the same universal or cosmic consciousness. We are all manifestations of this one, undivided subject, perceiving through countless eyes and ears. This leads to the concept of non-dual perception or the unity of being, where there’s no fundamental separation between observer and observed. 

Non-Dual Experience: Where Perception and Reality Converge 

When consciousness is experienced as omnipresent and the underlying nature of everything, it leads to two kinds of non-dual experiences: 

Located Perspective: From an individual vantage point, you realize you are a unique wave in an infinite ocean of consciousness, inseparable yet distinct. You perceive everything emerging from and being constituted by this same conscious field. The act of seeing and the emergence of forms become one and the same. There’s no separate “something out there” that you perceive, only the perception of something, and that perception is the reality of it. 

Infinite Expanse: From a broader perspective, you become this infinite expanse of consciousness itself, witnessing its own manifestations as the world. Here, you are not an individual consciousness perceiving, but the pure, boundless consciousness creating and perceiving its own forms from within itself. 

It’s important to note that while the latter view can sometimes diminish the meaning of individual action or relationship (as everything is just a projection), the former (individual consciousness as a wave in the ocean) allows for meaningful interaction and relationships. It acknowledges our uniqueness while still recognizing our fundamental unity. This individual consciousness, though a manifestation of the boundless, is crucial for perception itself. Without it, the universal consciousness would have no instrument through which to perceive specific phenomena. 

The Deeper Ground: Emptiness and Unilocal Realization 

Further exploration of this vast expanse of consciousness reveals an even deeper ground, often termed emptiness in traditions like Buddhism. This emptiness isn’t nothingness in a nihilistic sense, but a non-being that is utterly transparent, unobstructed, and fundamentally without obstruction, even by space. It’s the inherent non-existence of being, the opposite, yet inseparable, twin of presence. 

When this emptiness is realized as the ultimate nature of consciousness and everything, perception undergoes another transformation: 

Perception Without a Perceiver: From this perspective, there is no separate “perceiver.” Everything is simply pure perception occurring spontaneously, with no ‘self’ or ‘subject’—only appearance and the act of perceiving. 

Unilocal Realization: This realization goes beyond non-duality by recognizing that the unobstructed nature of emptiness means there’s no distance: no “here” or “there.” Each point of space and time is fundamentally the same point and contains all other points. It’s a sense that the entire universe exists within a single, dimensionless point, akin to the holographic model in physics where each part contains the totality. This experience fosters an intense sense of unity and intimacy, explaining the human desire for closeness—a yearning for that singular, unextended beingness. 

The Validity of Multiple Realities 

Ultimately, Almaas emphasizes that there isn’t one “correct” way to experience reality. All perspectives—from the dualistic to the non-dual, from the individual to the expansive, from the empty to the unilocal—are valid and “ultimate.” Reality itself is capable of manifesting in countless ways, adapting to our individual development, capacity, and life influences. 

Freedom, then, lies not in adhering to one specific condition or perception, but in the ability to move through and beyond them, unconfined by any single definition. This leads to a profound sense of equanimity and non-attachment, where the specific form perception takes becomes less important than the underlying reality it reveals.