DefinitelyNotARobot

Am I reality itself?

14 posts in this topic

What is the most fundamental truth about who I am?

I did some self-inquiry and this is where it got me.

I think many of you are spiritually more "evolved" than I am, so I would like to hear your thoughts, criticisms etc!

 

So, who or what am I?

I can't be the body. Why? There is something more fundamental to my existence than the body. Something the body can't exist without.

I can't be the mind. There is something even more fundamental to my existence than that. Something the mind can't exist without.

 

What is more fundamental than anything else? The truest truth I know?

And with truth I mean subjective truth, since I can't experience objective reality.

I thought about that for a while and I came to the conclusion that the truest truth I know is that I am.

I know that I am.

So let's start from there.

 

Life is completely subjective. Everything I "know", think and experience happens in my brain. And my brain is just interpreting information that it gets from "somewhere" else. So everything I experience is subjective. Even the sense of "I am" is subjective. But what is more fundamental than this subjective experience?

Objective reality.

If you were an observer in a universe with no objective reality then there could be no subjective reality. Why?

Because subjectivity is based on knowledge. For example: You can only imagine colors that you know. You can't have a subjective experience of a color you have never seen before. Meaning you need to KNOW colors first.

All your thoughts and emotions are based on the past. Because that is what knowledge is. Memory of the past. (I am also including genetic memory)

 

That means that "I" can't be this subjective experience either since it's depending on knowledge. And being comes prior to knowledge.

(Example: There are a lot of places on earth that nobody has seen yet. That doesn't mean that they don't exist!)

 

So what will survive even after my body, my mind and my sense of "I am" all have ceased to exist?

I have already answered it! It's objective reality! Objective reality is what I am!

But reality, contrary to this notion of "I", isn't a singular thing. And that means that there is NO "I". The word "I" assumes that there is also "another".

Reality doesn't differentiate between things. The chair I am sitting on is neither more nor less real than my body and my mind.

Saying "I" is trying to give a form to something that's formless.

 

That means that I am EVERYTHING. I AM the air I'm breathing. I AM the keyboard I'm typing this on.

I AM reality expressing itself through this human body/mind.

Meaning that there is no I. I is a single object. But I am not a single object.

 

I know that I am just using words to describe something that is beyond language.

Trying to put a label on things is just the nature of the mind I guess.

But how can I take this knowledge beyond the realm of the mind? (Except for maybe psychedelics)

I had a few moments of oneness so far, but I have to focus pretty intensely to get these.

Can I turn this experience into my everyday state?


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1 hour ago, DefinitelyNotARobot said:

And with truth I mean subjective truth, since I can't experience objective reality.

Perhaps objective truth is subjective truth? It’s the most objective observation that you’re experiencing pure subjectivity is it not? 

It seems you are approaching this through logic and reason, which can be useful in the beginning. But id like to explain my rationalistic perspective here, which is that there is no such thing is an objective reality outside of subjectivity. More specifically, claiming the objective world is “out there” is more subjectivity, and moreover, is made up of mind. It is the mind imagining how reality is, almost as if overlaying our subjective experience with a conceptual web, the concept that there’s an objective reality. 

1 hour ago, DefinitelyNotARobot said:

Life is completely subjective. Everything I "know", think and experience happens in my brain. And my brain is just interpreting information that it gets from "somewhere" else. So everything I experience is subjective. Even the sense of "I am" is subjective. But what is more fundamental than this subjective experience?

Objective reality.

It is a metaphysical jump to claim everything you know, think, and experience happens in the brain. How do you even come to know brains are a thing at all? Through subjectivity. Would you claim a dream is objective just because you experienced it? Of course not. Similarly, how can we be certain brains even exist if the only way they exist IS as experience, just like a dream? If we say dreams aren’t objective, but brains are, yet both dreams and brains are experienced we’re giving one set of experience more epistemological importance over another despite their metaphysical substance being the same. In other words, brains and dreams are all experience, are all subjectively occurring, but by what and who exactly? And anyways, to claim there is a brain outside of experience is like saying there is a dream somewhere outside of the mind. You could theorize this, but it would be more mind webbing over reality.

So what is more fundamental than your subjective experience? Literally Nothing, but with a capital N. Objective reality exists as an experience of mind, which is just more subjectivity. 

1 hour ago, DefinitelyNotARobot said:

That means that "I" can't be this subjective experience either since it's depending on knowledge. And being comes prior to knowledge.

 

True in a sense, but is Being separate from subjective experience? 

 

1 hour ago, DefinitelyNotARobot said:

Example: There are a lot of places on earth that nobody has seen yet. That doesn't mean that they don't exist!

Are you sure about this? If subjectivity were the only thing to objectively exist, *would* they really exist? If a tree falls in the woods and no one where there to hear it, does a sound exist?

 

1 hour ago, DefinitelyNotARobot said:

So what will survive even after my body, my mind and my sense of "I am" all have ceased to exist?

I have already answered it! It's objective reality! Objective reality is what I am!

And if, for the sake of argument, objective reality is none other than pure subjectivity like discussed above, what subject would survive after death? What is the subjectivity that would survive the death of subjective experience? I wonder... truly

 

1 hour ago, DefinitelyNotARobot said:

But reality, contrary to this notion of "I", isn't a singular thing. And that means that there is NO "I". The word "I" assumes that there is also "another".

 

But wait, isn’t reality actually one thing? For starters, what is an object? What creates objects? What is the mechanism defining and separating objects from one another? Here’s what I observe: at all points within reality, there are infinite distinctions. Literally everywhere. Distinctions based on size, shape, space, location, color, taste, sound, smell, feel. Reality seems to be this field of infinite amounts and varying types of distinctions. Yet... you’ll notice it’s the mind that divides and recognizes distinctions, such that if the mind where completely silent and still instead of seeing distinctions, one would see 1 single unified field of experience. Ie reality *is* a single thing. It is 1 unified field which holds within it the possibility to be divided into an infinite amount of different distinctions. In other words, the mind creates these distinct objects, they are not inherent to objective reality (which by my view is pure subjectivity since again that’s all I objectively observe)

“I” does typically assume other until you stop making distinctions. What is the I prior to all distinctions, including the mind which creates distinctions? Or maybe a better question, what is it that observes an “I” and “another?”

1 hour ago, DefinitelyNotARobot said:

Reality doesn't differentiate between things. The chair I am sitting on is neither more nor less real than my body and my mind.

Saying "I" is trying to give a form to something that's formless.

 

That means that I am EVERYTHING. I AM the air I'm breathing. I AM the keyboard I'm typing this on.

I AM reality expressing itself through this human body/mind.

Meaning that there is no I. I is a single object. But I am not a single object.

 

I know that I am just using words to describe something that is beyond language.

Right. You are trying to communicate the ineffable here. I admire it... and dig it, but from a logical perspective, Im not sure I follow how you’re deriving these conclusions. Id focus on experiencing this. 

 

1 hour ago, DefinitelyNotARobot said:

Trying to put a label on things is just the nature of the mind I guess.

It is but it’s oh so fun!

 

1 hour ago, DefinitelyNotARobot said:

But how can I take this knowledge beyond the realm of the mind? (Except for maybe psychedelics)

I had a few moments of oneness so far, but I have to focus pretty intensely to get these.

Can I turn this experience into my everyday state?

Short answer, yes. How? Id recommend getting really really really  good at focusing and shifting into states of no mind, pure objective observation of what is happening in your experience. Get so good at focusing, that the mind becomes completely still almost as if it evaporates out of your perception. And look at what reality is prior to the mind’s matrices of interpretation... how does one do this? Well meditation for one. Cant recommend a book called The Mind Illuminated enough which systematically trains attention to stabilize and expand awareness. Heard great things about Kriya yoga but personally Ive had more success with the TMI book than Kriya. Id highly recommend psychedelics. Google research and reddit will tell you how to access them. And finally, learning how to effectively contemplate. Id recommend the work of Peter Ralston here, specifically The Book of Not Knowing. 

Contemplation will help you gain insights. Meditation will help you dramatically transform your experience in the long run, as well as integrate your insights from contemplation. And psychedelics will help you do both, as well as give you extraordinary states of consciousness beyond anything a sober mind can imagine. 

Hopefully this was helpful for you in some way. Loved the thread and enjoyed responding to it ??

Also great questions!! Seems like you’re really digging deep here. At the very least, it made me try to dig deep ?

Edited by Consilience

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@Consilience Thanks for the response!

I already guessed that trying to figure this stuff out intellectually wouldn't really work since my thoughts happen in language. And reality is way more fantastical than words could really capture!

But I wanted to share this anyway! Communication can be good for spiritual growth, especially when the ego is making stuff up!

 

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Im not sure I follow how you’re deriving these conclusions

Yeah, I could have worded it a little better! What was the most fundamental similarity between me and any other thing? It's that both are reality manifesting itself!

 

I also agree with my statement, that there was an objective world outside of the subjective one, itself being subjective.

Quote

Similarly, how can we be certain brains even exist if the only way they exist IS as experience, just like a dream?

Good point! I just realize that I, myself, made quiet a few assumptions in my post! ?

 

I have a little question about the contemplation/meditation thing. I am somebody who tends to overthink stuff, meditation helps a lot, but I STILL overthink a lot of stuff. How would somebody like me balance contemplation and meditation? I should probably do more meditation and a little less contemplation, since I naturally tend to contemplate quiet a LOT. Too much contemplation can distract your from actually enjoying the moment as it is! How would you balance staying present, with contemplating stuff?

Edited by DefinitelyNotARobot
Everybody makes mistakes, don't they?

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@cetus56 I guess you're right! As I said earlier: I tend to overthink stuff quiet a lot. I should probably spend a little more time meditating instead!


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@DefinitelyNotARobot

That’s some quality contemplation & inspecting. If you’re feeling so good you’re wanting that to be ‘the everyday state’, that’s a great sign. Let go and bask in that feeling. Know that feeling. Love that feeling. 

Then zoom all the way out. Give it up, let it all go.  

What knows the passing states, is transcendent of states. 

Reality is definitely not a robot. 


MEDITATIONS TOOLS  ActualityOfBeing.com  GUIDANCE SESSIONS

NONDUALITY LOA  My Youtube Channel  THE TRUE NATURE

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@DefinitelyNotARobot I really enjoyed reading this. Thanks for sharing! :)

3 hours ago, DefinitelyNotARobot said:

I had a few moments of oneness so far, but I have to focus pretty intensely to get these.

Can I turn this experience into my everyday state?

Experience is everchanging so trying to make it something permanent is bound to cause frustration.

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I came to a similar conclusion as you after some meditation. In order for "you" to exist, the part that "isn't you" needs to exist alongside you. Therefore, the things that aren't you are as much a part of you as you. 

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29 minutes ago, Iovestar said:

I came to a similar conclusion as you after some meditation. In order for "you" to exist, the part that "isn't you" needs to exist alongside you. Therefore, the things that aren't you are as much a part of you as you. 

I was talking today about that with a friend, I read it long time ago in the tao te ching, and somehow I always remember that.


Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you?
1 Corinthians 3:16

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@DefinitelyNotARobot Far too much theoretical BS here.

Go watch my video: What Is Actuality

Pull out your hand. Look closely at it. That is reality. That is God. That is You. Look at it quietly without thinking. Become aware of awareness itself as it displays that hand.


You are God. You are Truth. You are Love. You are Infinity.

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@WelcometoReality

Quote

Experience is everchanging so trying to make it something permanent is bound to cause frustration.

I like that! I'll try to keep that in mind.

@Iovestar

True! It just depends from what level you look at it! An atom couldn't get how multiple atoms are supposed to be a single thing. It would point out that there are different atoms at different locations with different characteristics. And it would be right. But then, when that atom zooms out, it would see that all of those atoms were actually part of a single human body! It's mind (if it had one) would be blown! I think same goes for everything else too.

@Leo Gura

Quote

Pull out your hand. Look closely at it. That is reality. That is God. That is You. Look at it quietly without thinking. Become aware of awareness itself as it displays that hand.

I had an experience like this the last time I tripped! But then, when the experience faded, my mind got active again and I started trying to put it into thoughts... But I think I understand it now. Thanks!

Edited by DefinitelyNotARobot

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