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nymph-hunter t1_j374mpz wrote

Reply to comment by kfpswf in The Persistent Problem of Consciousness: an astronaut's epiphany by simsquatched

An experiential insight of how the mind works can do wonders on how you live your life but it's just that, a better understanding of what you really are. It's super important imho, but even if you were the most accomplished monk, I don't see how you can draw from that ontological conclusions about the nature of reality.

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kfpswf t1_j377b5l wrote

Everything is a subjective experience, so if the ontology of reality is inexorably changed for me, it still counts. Spiritual endeavour are about finding equanimity in your existence, and defining a purpose for yourself. Not postulating theories of science.

I love Advaita Vedanta for this. It separates the world into a transactional reality, which is the world we're all so familiar with, and a transcendental reality, that is completely subjective, indescribable. So all my spiritual realizations are placed in the bucket of transcendental reality. And scientists can happily go about making discoveries in the transactional reality without ever affecting my "beliefs".

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nymph-hunter t1_j37a3j7 wrote

Thanks for the distinction, I use the terms 'conceptual' and 'nonconceptual' realities when talking about these matters and I'm pretty sure we are pointing to the same thing.

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