Do we construct our own reality?

It's like the old question, "if a tree falls in the forest and there's nobody there to hear it, does it make a sound?" Do you and I create each other and everybody else? I have created you and you me. The Eskarena1 I have created is not the Eskarena1 that anybody else has created and not the Eskarana1 that you have created yourself. Eastern mystics tend to say that the world is an illusion. Years ago, I just couldn't see this, but then one day (about 20 years ago)in a meditative trance, I suddenly gained an awareness of this truth... The moment that I had started that meditation had gone and would never return, the moment that I would end my meditation had not yet come. This may sound very simple in words, but it was an actual experience of time being non-existent. I could see the illusion of the (physical) world. All things desired and being pursued took my mind out of the moment of now, and all the exciting plans I had made for the future, were nothing in comparison to this profound realisation of what I termed "real reality". I remembered Buddha's words, "Desire is at the root of all suffering" and could see the truth in them. So what did I do about it? A typical Zen response I suppose. I just carried on with my life the way I had lived it before in the same, yet un-same world. But I felt as if I had looked into some great secret. The profundity of the experience has worn off over the years and has been replaced with something else that I cannot put into words. I can't say that I am at peace, because that is not what it's all about - its about something much "bigger" than myself and the greatest satisfaction is to give it away to others and to meet others who understand where I am coming from. It's a nothing-ness that is something and its greatest value is realised when it's shared.

I believe that it is a combination of both. There are certain scientific rules that the maker has created that can't be transcended. However, I do believe as do the creators of such movies and books as The Secret, that we are responsible for our own success and that the things we think about come into existence unless there are obstacles stopping us that we somehow put there ourselves.

i feel, a part of our life is being shaped by our ancestors in the sense that we inherit our status from them. however, the other part is a culmination of what and how we shape ourselves. that is irrespective of our inherited tags. in this respect we can construct or reconstruct. thank you.

The one side of the coin is that almost all of us have their own imaginary world -dreams, subconsious reconstrustions, daydreaming...this is most passive. We cam also actively reconstruct our own reality. To make our thoughts to manifest themselves in material forms. There are some esoteric techniques and visualisation is one of them. The pararel worlds interact.They are unity.

yes I think our reality is different from someone else's reality so many things concour to build it : our past, the country we live in, our owns experiences Like, don't you think you see differently now than when you were 8 or even 15 ... our reality changes all the time ... it evolves think about daltonian people - those who see red as green and vice versa - they see things differently than we do ... and the blinds - especially those born blind - they feel the world around them and they have they own "visual" representation of it in their mind Also our senses, impede our perception of reality ... there are colors we don't see - infrareds, ultraviolets ... - and sounds we don't hear, dogs have a different "hearing world" than us ... don't you think our reality woul dbe differnet if we could see all the spectrum and hear ultrasonic sounds ... it probably woul d change a lot on how we perceive the world There was that famous philospher - Plato - who told about the Allegory of the cave : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plato's_allegory_of_the_cave showing that we never really know the "real reality" of the objects but only the effects it has on our minds ... What do you think?

Hiii, Yes I think we as individuals all construct our own realities, wether it being a good or bad one, we all have the freedom to decide and choose our own lifes path, I think it is up to you on an individual basis, no one else can decide for you unless you let them or attract it to yourself... Peace!!!

What are you smoking today Eskarena? LOL Way too deep for my thoughts. I was thinking more like "reality sucks sometimes" more then interaction, independence and objectives of reality! LOL