The Illusion of Perception - The Direct Path of Non-Duality

Any form of perception is an illusion, an appearance and sometimes even a hallucination. Escaping the perceptual illusion is even more than escaping that appearance, it means becoming aware of our underlying assumptions about the nature of reality. Only then can we transcend misperception and re-vision the very nature of reality.

The main assumption of the perceptual illusion, that which encompasses all of the underlying assumptions, is the assumption of duality.  

The seperate mind assumes beginning and end, inside and outside, creator and creation, here and there, moving and still, separation and connection, even existence and nonexistence and countless other forms of perceived dualities. All of the contents of the perceptual illusion cements the assumption that reality is dual.  

We are mostly unaware of this main assumption, yet it inescapably taints our conception of reality.

Dualistic assumptions of the illusion of perception:

• The assumption that everything that exists has to have a beginning and an ending.

• The assumption that everything that exists has an inside and outside. Ultimately, it is assumed that the universe is a universal inside. But if there is a boundary to the universe, what is outside of that boundary?  Sooner or later we have to run out of boundaries, and then we are left with no outside, just an inside everywhere.  On the other hand, if there is no boundary to the universe, of course, there isn’t, how can we even say there is an inside and outside?  An inside and outside of what?

• The assumption that everything has a cause for its existence. The causal explanation, everything that exists has to have a cause. The creation explanation, everything that exists must in some way have been created. 

• The assumption that there must be an original intention, that everything that emerges must be going towards something, and must have a purpose or potential for its emergence which is already in place.

• The assumption that everything has a nature or quality. All that it really has is a combination of sensory and cognitive qualities in relationship.

• The assumption that everything that exists is restricted to one nature or one quality. Quantum mechanics has determined, through the famous double slit experiment, that light behaves as both a wave and a particle. Most physicists view this as an anomaly and rationalise it by describing light as a probability wave. But actually, in a-perceptual reality, probably nothing existing is confined to a single nature. Upon perception every phenomenon is separate, and has one, distinctive nature, but when further investigated some phenomena reveal multiple aspects, natures or behaviours, depending on what the experimenter is looking for. But every perceived phenomenon is really a force field, a thought or feeling, never separate, never material, never only one fixed thing.

• The assumption that everything that exists has a location, and that this location is fixed, determinable and observable. It implies the existence of space, yet the phenomena space arises in connection with perception. 

The exploration of these perceptual assumptions is the subject and the essence of the direct path of non-duality.

It encourages a clear seeing of your experience rather than any kind of effort or discipline, and leads you to an experiential understanding of your own essential being and the peace and fulfilment that are inherent within it.

You can connect with Rolf for mindful dialogue and contemplations sessions about the essential, non-dual understanding that lies at the heart of all the great religious and spiritual traditions.