The Abstraction Is The Illusion

Truth is very simple, what's true in this moment doesn't require any thinking. It doesn't take any analysis whatsoever, you just look and see. Your experience in this very moment is the Truth, all it takes is being open, seeing without filters. This is true meditation, observation without bias.

So why is this so difficult for most people?

You're doing the exact opposite near constantly. You've taken this moment and turned it into an abstraction, this is the whole function of the mind. Past experiences are turned into concepts, and these are projected onto your present moment.

Understand the difference between an abstraction and Reality. There's no such thing as a tree. You will never find a “tree” because what a “tree” really is is a set of criteria that make up a concept in your mind. You will never find the tree in your mind precisely because each real tree is unique. It is impossible to reduce it to a concept. It's useful for communication, but it's a kind of magic trick. A literal “spelling” that turns an experience into a word.

Not only have we made abstractions, we're creating abstractions of abstractions. The word moon is not the Moon, that's just one level of abstraction. Then the word moon is turned into a written symbol, a representation that you can read, so that's two levels of abstraction away from the Moon now. Writing is not an inherent part of language, a child can speak long before they know how to write. The written word is only a representation of the sound a word makes, and because of the way pronunciations shift it doesn't really do that accurately.

So all these abstractions become your “reality”, and I can't really call it a reality because an abstraction is never the real thing. Now I'm not against the conceptual world, to be against it is to create another abstract concept and that only increases the grip the conceptual world has upon you. What's needed is balance, seeing the conceptual world for what it is, and bringing that in harmony with Reality. This is what an artist does, when their mental world is in harmony with their experience a miracle occurs! They bring their thoughts to life, Creation happens, and what was conceptual is made manifest. That's what a God does, is it not?

But for most, that's not how the mental realm works. Their dreams remain dreams, and in their dreaming they miss the primacy of their experience. And if you live in a world of ideas, what is it but a dream? Ideas about reality aren't Reality.

Your experience in this very moment is intensely unique. It's never been felt before, and never will be again. A priceless experience, far more sacred and holy than one can imagine. There's a depth far greater than the abstract mind can ever go. It has to be felt, to be experienced directly, not simply thought about.

The Galactic Free Press