Self-help, Spiritually, Non-fiction
Date Published: April 7, 2020
Do you want your life to change?
The good news is that it all begins right in your mind.
By opening your mind, you can change your life in 180 degrees, making the phrase “Everything is in your head” more important than ever before.
The perception of reality steers our thoughts, feelings, the choices we make and the way we live our life.
It is the underlying reason why our lives are the way they are.
People who never examine their point of view of the world miss the chance to significantly change their lives.
What shapes our perception is the country we live in, society, culture, religion, parents, teachers, and publications like the internet, television, movies, radio, newspapers, and literature.
Many people are misguided by their perceptions, which constantly get them into problems.
This book, Perception vs. Truth, was born as a result of that insight. As the name suggests, much of the reality we take for granted in our lives simply isn’t true. Perception vs. Truth is a wake-up call for all of us. It is a fascinating read, full of interesting insights. It is a spring to quench one’s thirst for knowledge and understanding. It can open your mind to different ways of thinking, new feelings, and novel behavior.
Perception vs. Truth is a reminder that our lives can change just by changing the way we're perceiving it.
Wisdom of Water
Wisdom
of Water means that whatever I write, I’m not necessarily trying to say
something concrete. You may say that I am painting with
words. My writing is a set of different perspectives on each situation. I am not trying to make a specific point; I just wish to
maintain awareness of many different and diverse points of view. Everything is
valid; everything is circumstantial according to one’s own point of view.
Wisdom of Water means not getting stuck on words, definitions, etc.
Like water, life seeks balance. And so do we. When we understand that there are
endless ways to view each situation, and we use our ability to learn from any
outcome, we become like water—we maintain our balance, and gradually, over
time, we become wiser than before.
***
Spiritual Search
If
you have an unexplainable yearning to know the nature of the world in which you
live, then Perception vs. Truth is
the book for you. To know the world is to know the “I” that you are. It is
called self-knowledge, and it can only be known by one’s own wisdom.
Never be satisfied with the answers that come from others. Somehow,
we learn to place more faith in the wisdom of others than we do our own. Listen
to people, but use their answers as a guideline only.
Perception vs.
Truth is about being aware and
acknowledging yourself, and by doing so, life will become simple. Enjoy the
adventure of your own self and discover the depths within, which can give you the answers you seek. Each of us is the expert
of his or her life. Remember, whatever
comes from deep within comes in the form of intuition, and you have to become
more aware of that intuition, and learn to trust it.
Finally, Perception vs. Truth
talks about the Promised Land, which we all reside in.
***
Introduction
Illusion
Some
say that the vast majority of humans are sleepwalkers—people who live while
sleeping. It would be truer to say that they live within an illusion—an
illusion of their own individual creation.
Illusion, as one does not know what reality is facing him.
What is the source of it? And how is it created?
If
we presume that life is like a dream, we could say that in order to dream,
there is a need for a dreamer. There is a correlation between what one thinks
and believes, and what one is actually experiencing. The term “illusion” is
used because one does not fully comprehend the nature of his/her reality;
therefore, we may refer to him/her as being “asleep.” One needs to be “awake”
in order to understand. One has to realize that the common denominator in
everything that is happening to him/her is simply oneself.
Once you are awakened to the fact that the cause of everything is
within you, all your decisions you will make will be directly related to your
perspective. Your own perceptions will be determined by this viewpoint. One who
succeeds in having no viewpoint at all ought to have a very broad and profound
perception. “Ought to” because it is impossible to adopt “no viewpoint” without
actually having one. Any effort on someone’s part will constitute adopting a
viewpoint; therefore, one is always condemned to remain as he/she is.
Although this paradox seems like a maze with no way out, this is
where true liberation resides. True understanding leads to surrender, which in
turn leads to freedom. However, when a person wears a mask (a personality,
ego), that person cannot be free. Unknowingly, this person values their mask
more than their freedom.
The difficulty is how to be free from the mask; free of conditioning.
When
someone surrenders to the truth, they stop being dominated by their persona and
their viewpoint. A person can give many reasons for liking something but the
truth is, we discover what we like; we don’t choose what we like.
Who
you truly are and what you love in life is not a matter of choice.
***
Truthfulness
Everything
we imagine can be as real to us as something solid that we are able to see,
touch, smell, and feel. Many times, we imagine that we know things, but when we
put it to the test, we may discover that we are assuming rather than knowing.
Being aware of this may help us to understand that much of our suffering
relates to our imagined reality.
Our truthfulness is the sword to cut through our web of illusion.
Acknowledging this can help us to distinguish between what we imagine is
happening and what is actually happening.
When we examine our thoughts, we can save ourselves a lot of
unnecessary suffering such as worries, anxieties, fears, and the like.
***
A Bond that Requires No Words
Anyone
who has experienced parenting or has ever had a pet is able to understand the
meaning of connection—a bond without words. At times, among close friends and
certain relatives, we are able to feel this bond. For example, parents learn to
sense their baby’s needs, while others learn to sense their dog or cat’s needs.
We sense another’s needs when no words are spoken. This connection
is based on sensations that we experience when we are around them.
At times we know things in an “intuitive way” but cannot explain
how we know them… Every so often, we get tangled up with words when we try to
verbalize what we know. We only have the feeling of knowing and nothing more.
So, we learn that we are able to take a giant leap and feel this
connection with life in its entirety. That is, with all the connotations the
word “life” implies. Once we learn to cultivate such a bond with life, we are
able to sense and feel each of life’s heartbeats and urges—as individual
components that make up part of a whole.
Such a bond is conveyed without words. It is a perception outside
the realm of words; it cannot be spoken or written. But we still need words, so
each word, spoken or written, simply points in the direction of “no words.”
Occasionally, one word can suffice to describe a whole book.
But there is only one word which can describe an entire life and
that word is, “I.”
***
The Principle of Simplicity
The
principle of simplicity says that simple is simple.
In other words, when things are truly simple, there is nothing to think
about: no ‘ifs’, no ‘buts’—there are no questions and there is no need for
answers.
In true simplicity, there are no thoughts involved, which is why
simplicity is beyond our minds. We have grown accustomed to thinking to a great
extent about everything, until “simple” becomes complicated.
Everything seems complicated until we get to know it. But once we
know, it doesn’t really matter how complicated it is; suddenly it becomes
simple.
Every human being in the world would like to experience life without
fear, anger, blame, shame, sadness, anxiety, or worry. And yet, most of us
can’t even imagine that could be possible. How could it be?
But
maybe there is another way of looking at life; a way where one experiences a
constant state of love toward everything.
***
The Essence
When
one asks if God exists, the question points a finger at the one who has asked.
The question itself holds the answer. Otherwise, why ask it?
The question, “Is it true?” shows how true “It” is, or else the
question would not have been asked.
When you ask yourself, “Who am I?” The answer is always, “I am what
I am.”
You might not understand the answer, but you would certainly know
that you are who you are. “You” are an existing fact, or else the question
would not have been asked.
Now, imagine yourself entering a world like Alice’s Wonderland, a
world in which everything is not what it seems. Set your mind free: Be light
and fluid and try to get a glimpse of what lies beyond.
View this book as if it was written for you personally, from the
one who is “I” to the one who is “YOU.” While reading this book, don’t
try to understand; just view it as fluid with no set boundaries. That is to
say, don’t analyze what is written, but rather pay attention to the feelings
evoked within yourself as a result of reading.
It is intended for meditation and contemplation and to embrace a
different insight from the one you have become accustomed to.
You are a miracle (a human being is his/her own surprise).
Be open to seeing yourself as a mere “perception” without holding judgment
about what you consider good or bad.
In order for you to change your reality, you have to accept all
responsibility for what happens to you. You should address only the existential
and the essential—anything else is of little importance.
You need to come to one decision in order to end all the confusion.
And this decision is to accept life for what it is. Without any “ifs,” without
any excuses, and without any reasons; simply accept your responsibility and
fully acknowledge the consequences of what happens in your life.
Knowing that everything begins with you, strive to be the best way
you possibly can.
***
Be
no one from nowhere: Have no name, no title, no past, no future, no history, no
tradition, no ideology, no state, and no definition. Out of this nothingness,
you have complete freedom to view things as they truly are.
If you wish to meet the new, you must first let go of the old!
***
Gold
In order for you to be able to say that you see gold,
You must learn to identify gold.
In order to identify gold,
You must know gold.
In order to know gold,
You must relate to the gold within
yourself.
Only thus can you say that you see and identify gold.
You must realize the truth within
yourself
In order to be able to see it outside of yourself.
***
I
“I”
represents everything in the world.
“I” is the world.
What is interesting is that everyone’s “I” is the same “I.”
Mind that your world is your responsibility…
And now:
Like the gardener who cultivates his garden, so do “I” nurture my
world so that it can be beautiful and disseminate abundant fragrances. And so,
after each action, “I” sit and look at my handiwork.
Like the gardener, “I” cultivate the world, but “I” also know how
to allow myself to relax and receive feedback.
Like the gardener, who, when pierced by a thorn, knows deep within
that there was no malicious intent, so “I” learn to respect thorns and be aware
of them.
Most importantly, when “I” become full with the world, “I” learn to
let things be; “I” gather into myself to rest and recharge.
I am cautious not to let my work drown me. That is to say, I
protect my boundaries, going into and out of the world as I see fit.
***
The Meaning
“If a man has a ‘what for,’ he will tolerate
any ‘how’.” (Nietzsche)
One may experience difficulty in searching for meaning within the
single framework of one’s self. But if one looks beyond one’s self, in a much
broader context, it is easier for one to find that sense—that meaning one is
looking for.
We are here for one another.
We are meant for one another.
We need one another.
We depend on one another.
We are responsible for one another.
The one and the other are one and the same.
In
the modern world, most of us no longer living in a community. We live each for
ourselves and for our family, and even this situation is deteriorating. We have
become estranged from one another. We may be successful by certain criteria:
school, work, and family, but we have lost the meaning, the significance, which
is the connection between us all. The more we drift away from one another, the
more we lose our connection to life.
As long as we continue on this path, we are condemned to live a
life of suffering and solitude. True happiness is concealed within our unity,
and it is there that we will find meaning. We each hold a part of life’s
puzzle; we each contain gifts, and together we can complete the puzzle.
Success without others is no success at all. As a united team,
everything is a success. As long as we realize ourselves beyond our small ego,
the gratification we will encounter will be immense.
We will be immersed in love and benevolence.
About the Author
Eyal Cohen was born in 1968. At the age of thirty, after a powerful and life-changing experience, his perception of reality was transformed completely, and over the next twelve years, he immersed himself in study as he sought to understand what had happened to him. He delved into the philosophies and wisdom behind the teachings of Buddhism, Zen, Taoism, Sufism, Mystic Judaism, Mystic Christianity, and more; and he tried to understand the state of the world by researching numerous leading thinkers of past and present times, such as Noam Chomsky, Friedrich Nietzsche, Socrates, Confucius, to name but a few.
His years of research, combined with his own experiences and knowledge, gave him a unique way of looking at life and the world that we live in. It was this unique perspective that gave birth to the book Perception vs. Truth.
In his first book, Eyal talks about how transformation can be achieved by working on the mind, our thoughts, and beliefs.
Among his associates who are living a “normal life,” Eyal is considered as a “strange, calm character.” He evades frameworks, commitments, and circles of society where there is no room for the free or the different. He surrounded with friends and people who wish to know, taste, and understand the secret of his relaxed charm.
Eyal is like a haven of rest to come to talk, and spend time with. He carries within him intriguing knowledge, which he knows very well to explain. He communicate the truth that he has come to know and understand.
It takes great courage and perseverance to free ourselves from the illusory reality—this confusing world that causes so many problems and so much suffering. We need to open our minds and examine our perceptions and beliefs in depth. The feelings of peace, joy, and freedom are indicators that we on the right track. The book Perception vs. Truth is a means to examine our beliefs about reality and the stories that we tell ourselves, which create our perception of reality and hence create our experiences in life.
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