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Reality vs Imagination

"To be here now, free yourself of the past."
-Byron Katie

Presence is the capacity to be here, now, rather than lost in imagination.

How to tell the difference 

The difference between reality and imagination is self-evident, because in the apparent world of imagination:
 
You can see, but not with your eyes.
You can hear, but not with your ears.
You can smell, yet not with your nose...

For example, think of the song happy birthday. You can hear the tune, yet solely within the mind's eye, not with your actual ears. 
Recall what a friend of yours looks like. You can see their face and body, even though you're not actually looking at them with your eyes.
Now imagine the smell of lavender, notice the capacity to "know" the scent, without presently smelling it.

Identical to a dream, it has no actual existence in the here and now. 

All forms of imagination, including what we call past and future, "live" in the mind's eye.

This is what's meant by the difference between reality (this present moment) and what has happened or what's to come: the colourless, materialness, nothingness of the mind's eye: imagination.
​
Why differentiating the two as a practice is beneficial

In the pure awareness of the present moment, suffering isn't possible. 

Suffering is only possible when we are lost in the mind's eye; when we confuse the dreams of past and future for what is real, now.

Anxiety, anger, despair, or sadness are only possible when we are recalling or projecting in the mental realm and confusing it for what's real (what's actually happening, here and now).

The Work of Byron Katie

There are many ways to support coming back to the here and now, where life is happening. Awareness of body-sensations, attention on the 5 senses, mindful breathing, etc.

I've personally found that the above can be 

​
​Lost meaning, I am now confusing the dream of what we call past or the dream of what we call future with what's actually ​happening now.


Being able to differentiate between reality and imagination is the way out of suffering.


We remember particular events because of the meaning we attached to it at the time of the occurrence.

The 5 senses are a knowing in the world of the mind, rather than a direct experience

When our life energy, our attention as it were, is fuelling the mental world rather than awake in our present experience the effect is that we are literally cut off from life. 

When all of ones attention is in the here and not, there is no problem. 


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  • Home
  • About
    • The Work
    • Susan V
    • The Work in Zimbabwe
  • Work With Me
    • Individual sessions
    • calendar + payment
  • Events
    • Events
    • ONLINE: May 11-14
  • Contact
    • Contact
    • newsletter