Sometimes we struggle to know what is real and what is unreal. The question of Reality is a difficult question to answer comprehensively. Perhaps the best way to understand the nature of reality is to look at the various perspectives that offer some meaning and guidance into the true nature of reality.
Vedanta Philosophy: Maya and the Illusion of Reality
In the Vedanta school of Indian philosophy, the world is an illusion, a product of Maya. Maya is the cosmic power that conceals the true nature of reality.
= To illustrate the illusory nature of the world, Adi Shankaracharya, uses the metaphor of a rope mistaken for a snake in dim light. The rope represents the unchanging and eternal reality (Brahman), while the snake is the illusory manifestation caused by ignorance (Maya).
= In Vedanta, the illusory nature of the world is a consequence of our misplaced attachments.
= This can be reference to our misplaced life-priorities under Maya’s influence.
=Vedanta suggests knowledge and self-realization as the means to overcome Maya.
Samkhya philosophy: Purusha and Prakriti
In contrast to Vedanta, Samkhya philosophy acknowledges the reality of the world but introduces a dualistic framework to understand it.
=There are two fundamental and separate realities represented by Purusha and Prakriti.
= Purusha is the eternal, unchanging, and conscious self, while Prakriti is the cosmic energy responsible for the manifestation of the material world.
= The world is real in its diversity and complexity, but it is not the ultimate reality.
Yoga Philosophy
Yoga philosophy, allied to Samkhya, believes that through the practice of Yoga, people can transcend the fluctuations of the mind and perceive the underlying Reality beyond the veil of Prakriti.
= In Yoga philosophy, the entanglement of Purusha with Prakriti is the cause of suffering.
= The misidentification of the eternal self (Purusha) with the transient aspects of the material world (Prakriti) leads to attachment and grief.
= The path to self-realization in Yoga involves disentangling Purusha from Prakriti through disciplined practices, ultimately allowing us to realize their true nature beyond the fluctuations of the mind and the impermanence of the material world.
Practical Dimension: Watching a Movie with 3D Glasses
To understand these philosophical perspectives practically, think of watching a movie with 3D glasses. You see the captivating 3D images burst out of the screen. But these images though detailed and fascinating are not completely real and are created by the glasses you are wearing. At the same time, there is something behind these images, on the screen that is real. But you just are not able to see it fully right now.
Western perspectives on Reality
= Enlightenment philosophers like René Descartes suggested that reality could be understood through human reason and mathematical principles.
= However, Immanuel Kant challenged this certainty by proposing that our perceptions are inherently subjective.
= In the 19th and 20th centuries, Jean-Paul Sartre and Edmund Husserl highlighted the role of individual consciousness in shaping reality.
= Postmodernist philosophers, like Jean-François Lyotard and Jacques Derrida, challenged the idea of a single, objective reality, proposing that reality is fragmented and shaped by various discourses.
Intersections of Science and Philosophy
Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity introduced the idea that reality is not an absolute concept but is relative to the observer’s frame of reference.
= Einstein’s relativity theory argues that reality in Space is not fixed but is rather created by the interplay between space, time and gravity.
= This demonstrates that reality is dynamic, subject to change, and influenced by various factors.
The varied discourse extant on the question of the reality of the world tells us that there are neither easy nor conclusive answers to this question. Perhaps, a better way to answer this question is by creating a reality that is real for us by deep-diving into our life, our goals and our work.
(The author is the director of The Yoga Institute. She is also the president of the Indian Yoga Association and the International Board of Yoga.)
