How do I know things exist?

[tuckerwphotography]

How do I know that, say, an apple tree, slavery or New Zealand all exist if they're not presently in my direct awareness? It seems like these things are all stories that my ego has chosen to believe, but how do I know anything actually exist beyond my immediate sensorial experience in this singular moment?

[hamedsf]

you might be able to touch an apple tree but something like New Zealand is something based on a collective contract among human beings. you can't unwire it, simply because you need the name "New Zealand" in order to perceive it when somebody talks about his vacation memory in New Zealand.

for instance, something like money in reality is nothing but a piece of paper but 100 dollar bill can trigger an excitement in you when somebody gives it to you (anchored something a reward in your brain), simultaneously an animal can eat it up without giving a damn so these are internal meanings. 

[Leo Gura]

What you see is what exists.

[Enlightenment]

6 minutes ago, Leo Gura said:

What you see is what exists.

So for example, if I don't see systemic racism it doesn't exist?

[Tifecool]

35 minutes ago, Enlightenment said:

So for example, if I don't see systemic racism it doesn't exist?

If you truly don't see it. Is it there? A child that doesn't understand these things exists in a reality where these things don't exist. You get?

[Someone here]

4 hours ago, tuckerwphotography said:

but how do I know anything actually exist beyond my immediate sensorial experience in this singular moment?

Try to see it without seeing it. 

 

[Fran11]

1 hour ago, Leo Gura said:

What you see is what exists.

How does one reconcile "nothing hidden" with "things one is not yet concious of" ?

Or there's no reconciliation and one must just embrace that paradox?

Edited September 30, 2020 by Fran11

[Batman]

Existence is a function of mind. Meaning, that anything in your present experience (the "Now") which you are conscious of, is your existence. Of course, there could be infinite aspects of experience that you are not conscious of, and therefore they will now exist for you, but may exist for others. It does not negate the possibility that a certain aspect of experience might exist for you in a "future" Now, or that you will know of certain aspect of past experience that you were not conscious of in real-time.

Meaning, the existence of New Zealand (which is a legal concept of itself) is purely conceptual in your present experience. Even if you visit New Zealand and return to your home country, New Zealand return to reside in your experience as pure concept, belief, or any other mental activity you would like to classify it. This means that your experience of it has degraded to a mental activity. If it is not actual for you and you do not directly experience it, than it does not exist for you.

By the way, knowing is also a conceptual framework. You can posses in your mind conceptual knowledge of New Zealand's existence, even though you've never been there. Your only way to overcome or address this impediment is to become conscious of, or awaken to, the mesmerizing depth and mindfuckery of the distinction between direct experience and mental activities (such as thoughts, beliefs, stories and concepts). Becoming awake of the degree to which your experience is dominated by mental activities will blow your freakin' mind, and leave you with an astounding headache. But you will also mature dramatically by this awakening, ultimately allowing you to grasp better the mechanics of mind, and sharpened understanding of the saying: "The mind is a loyal servant, but a bad master".

 

Yours,

Batman 

Edited September 30, 2020 by Batman

[tuckerwphotography]

18 minutes ago, Batman said:

Becoming awake of the degree to which your experience is dominated by mental activities will blow your freakin' mind, and leave you with an astounding headache. But you will also mature dramatically by this awakening, ultimately allowing you to grasp better the mechanics of mind, and sharpened understanding of the saying: "The mind is a loyal servant, but a bad master".

@Batman Thanks for your great explanation. Yes, this is what's been unraveling in me the past few days - it's a total mindfuck (in the best possible way). 80-90% of my awareness is just focused on conceptual activity in the mind. Insane!

[Tifecool]

29 minutes ago, Batman said:

Existence is a function of mind. Meaning, that anything in your present experience (the "Now") which you are conscious of, is your existence. Of course, there could be infinite aspects of experience that you are not conscious of, and therefore they will now exist for you, but may exist for others. It does not negate the possibility that a certain aspect of experience might exist for you in a "future" Now, or that you will know of certain aspect of past experience that you were not conscious of in real-time.

Meaning, the existence of New Zealand (which is a legal concept of itself) is purely conceptual in your present experience. Even if you visit New Zealand and return to your home country, New Zealand return to reside in your experience as pure concept, belief, or any other mental activity you would like to classify it. This means that your experience of it has degraded to a mental activity. If it is not actual for you and you do not directly experience it, than it does not exist for you.

By the way, knowing is also a conceptual framework. You can posses in your mind conceptual knowledge of New Zealand's existence, even though you've never been there. Your only way to overcome or address this impediment is to become conscious of, or awaken to, the mesmerizing depth and mindfuckery of the distinction between direct experience and mental activities (such as thoughts, beliefs, stories and concepts). Becoming awake of the degree to which your experience is dominated by mental activities will blow your freakin' mind, and leave you with an astounding headache. But you will also mature dramatically by this awakening, ultimately allowing you to grasp better the mechanics of mind, and sharpened understanding of the saying: "The mind is a loyal servant, but a bad master".

 

Yours,

Batman 

Simply put ?

Enjoyed that read. 

[tsuki]

10 hours ago, Enlightenment said:

10 hours ago, Leo Gura said:

What you see is what exists.

So for example, if I don't see systemic racism it doesn't exist?

"You" is a very malleable world that can encompass a single mind, a group, whole society, or the world.
It all depends on the extent of responsibility that you decide to take.

Edited October 1, 2020 by tsuki