Piercing The Veil: Perceiving Reality As It Is

One of the goals of many spiritual practices is to help us perceive reality as it is, and ourselves as we are, such that we might live fuller, more complete and meaningful lives. In this talk and guided practice, we examine how to ‘pierce the veil’ of maya, of delusion, to move towards perceiving the underlying truth of unity. This allows us to soften into the natural state of pure being-presence-awareness. This is a 25 minute talk followed by a 20 minute guided practice.

Transcript

For today's class,

I would like to speak about perceiving reality clearly,

What's sometimes referred to as piercing the veil.

I'll start with a quote from Nisargadatta who was an Indian guru and considered to be a very enlightened being by many.

To take the appearance for reality is a grievous sin and the cause of all calamities.

To take the appearance as reality.

Most of us,

Whether we are aware of it or not,

Are operating under various levels of delusion,

Of misapprehending reality,

And this is the cause of so much unnecessary suffering.

And it's also the goal of many different spiritual traditions to help us move towards seeing reality more clearly as it is and ourselves as we are.

They have different terms for this misapprehending of reality.

In yoga and Indian philosophy,

They often use the Sanskrit term maya.

Maya is often translated as delusion or the veil,

And it's often talked about as though we are all walking around as though in a dream,

But we're mistaking the dream for reality.

In Buddhism,

They term this the obscurations.

The obscurations are the filters of the mind,

The conditioned habituated ways of perceiving reality that prevent us from fully perceiving reality as it is.

And so it creates this disconnect or distance between how we believe the world and ourselves to be and the reality of how we are and how the world is.

As we begin to pierce the veil,

As we begin to clear the obscurations,

We move towards perceiving reality more and more as it is.

And it's important to know that this is a broad spectrum.

It's not that you're either perceiving reality or you're not.

There's different gradations,

And ideally as we grow and as we evolve spiritually,

Our perspective is widening and becoming more and more clear.

So with each step along the path,

We begin to perceive things more and more as they are.

The ultimate goal is to be perceiving things as they are in each moment in a continual flow of experiential awareness.

And this state is what is termed the natural state in Buddhism and Taoism.

When we become fully cognizant and aware of who we are and how the world is in each moment.

When they talk about Maya,

Often what we're referring to is the attachment to form,

Which I consider to be the broadest definition of materialism.

When we start to think that all that we perceive that is in physical material form is actually real,

That it has an unchanging essence,

That when we look at a table,

We see it as always being a table.

When even through physics now,

We know that even in something that seems as solid as a table,

There are atoms and molecules that are vibrating.

And that if we step back and could look at the table over a long enough timeline,

We can see where the table came from.

If it's wood,

We can see that there were trees from which that wood came.

There were people that contributed to the forming of that wood into the shape and function of a table.

And if we look ahead,

We can see that eventually over a long enough timeline,

That table will disintegrate.

And so everything that exists in material form is impermanent and empty of in any inherent essence.

Everything in the material world is continually changing.

And so to understand that material form is not fixed and permanent is one way of starting to open our perspective to see the reality underlying all of it,

To see how everything in existence is actually connected,

And that everything in existence has come about through the interplay and interdependence of all previous actions,

Decisions,

Occurrences,

Whether by humans,

By animals,

By nature,

By the weather and climate.

And because of that,

Everything is always interconnected,

And there is something underlying that ever-changing outer reality that is a continuity,

A oneness,

A unity that is always maintaining that flow.

You know,

At times when we've had discussions on self-identity,

I've used the metaphor that is common in certain traditions of the ocean and the waves.

And so when we look out at the ocean,

We can distinguish individuated waves as they come into being,

Come to their full expression,

And then eventually crash back into the ocean.

And so the individuated waves are those perceptions that we have of seemingly individuated things and people,

Animals,

That we mistake as being independently existing beings,

When the reality is,

While we can distinguish them as being independent,

Individuated beings,

They are always inherently part of the ocean.

They are never apart from it.

And the ocean is the reality,

And the wave is simply an expression of that underlying unity.

And so when we get caught by appearances,

By the outer form,

By the outer reality,

And we mistake the appearance for reality,

This is what causes so much suffering.

Most often we find this when we look at ourselves.

It's so easy to perceive ourselves as this individuated,

Independent entity.

And we become attached to our physical form.

We become attached to our thoughts and our opinions and our conception of who we think we are,

Our sense of self-identity.

And we mistake that as real and unchanging.

And yet when we look more deeply,

We begin to realize that this body is a garment.

It's like an article of clothing that we have borrowed for a period of time,

And that will eventually need to be cast off.

When we look at our opinions and thoughts,

We realize that those two are temporary,

That they change over time.

When we look at our sense of self-identity,

If we look closely,

We can see how that has come into existence in our mind and belief system.

We can see how so much of who we think we are is actually conditioned and habituated patterns of thought,

That it's defense mechanisms to experiences that we've had,

To traumas,

To loss,

To pain.

And as we continue to look more deeply,

We see that all of that is an illusion,

That it's Maya,

And that underneath all of that perception of self,

There is a deeper underlying thread of who we are,

Of our sense of consciousness,

Our soul,

That is part of the unity of all.

We begin to see how we are all always connected,

And that there is something that transcends the outer appearance of how things appear to be.

This can also be understood through the conceptions of duality and unity.

So when we see ourselves as separate from others in the world around us,

And we have that hardened sense of self-identity,

That is the level of duality,

Of self and other.

And when we pierce the veil,

And we begin to perceive reality from that state of unity,

And see the impermanence and flow and ever-changing rhythm of life,

That is perceiving the underlying unity.

There's another quote from Nisargadatta that is actually something his guru told him,

Go back to that state of pure being where the I am is still in its purity before it got contaminated with this I am or that I am.

Your burden is a false self-identification.

Abandon them all.

And so this is an incredible piece of wisdom,

But it's also a practice.

It's a meditation practice that we carry with us throughout our day to continually come back to the state of being,

Of experiencing the pure undiluted sense of awareness of the divine of God that is our true nature.

When we move beyond thinking I am this or I am that,

Because if we pay attention to our thoughts and our speech,

So often we are putting these labels on ourselves and using terminology that makes it sound like it is an inherent part of who we are,

And that conditions the mind to continually see ourselves as separate,

As limited beings,

Instead of tapping into the unlimited nature that is our true nature.

And we can use labels that are relative distinctions of our place in our family structure or our careers or other things.

You know,

For this reason when I was practicing acupuncture and Oriental medicine,

I almost never said when people would ask what I do,

I wouldn't say I am an acupuncturist.

Instead I would say I practice acupuncture and Oriental medicine.

The difference is subtle,

But it carries a great distinction in how we label ourselves about whether it's something relative that we're simply doing in the world or I am an acupuncturist.

That creates a sense of separation and a limitedness,

Because I am so much more than an acupuncturist,

As are all of you.

We are all unlimited,

And we are all unlimited potential that can express in myriad ways and forms and things that we do in the world,

But that doesn't define us.

It's merely experiences that we have.

And so we can work towards letting go of anything after I am,

Letting go of all of the modifiers,

And just coming back to the pure state of being of I am.

It starts to shift our consciousness so that we rest in pure presence and experiential awareness.

It's related to the distinction between being and doing.

Doing is often an aspect of the mind.

The mind often makes us feel compelled to do things,

That we must do something about this or that.

It keeps our mind active and engaged in the maya,

In the delusion,

Instead of allowing ourselves to simply rest in the pure awareness of being.

And when we begin to shift our consciousness to pierce through the veil,

And we rest more and more in a state of being,

That doesn't mean that we simply become lumps or rocks that don't move and don't interact and don't have experiences.

We still act and interact in the world,

But our consciousness is resting in a state of being,

Even as we are engaged.

You know,

In Daoism,

There's a saying,

The sage does nothing,

And yet nothing is left undone.

And it's referring to this concept,

This approach to how we are in the world,

Whether we are acting from the mind and from the ego and trying to impose our will on the world,

Trying to do something,

Or whether we're resting in the state of being,

Fully aware of the underlying unity and fully awake within the dream.

And again,

This is not either-or.

That dialectic is merely to help our minds and our consciousnesses understand and begin to move along the spectrum more and more towards that state of being,

Of presence,

Of our natural state.

Yeah,

I was talking a couple weeks ago with a good friend of mine.

He studied philosophy as an undergrad,

And he brought up Albert Camus,

The philosopher,

And his concept of the alienation of humanity,

And how that sense of alienation derives from the distance between how the world works and how we think it's supposed to work.

And so this creates a distance within ourselves,

A gap.

It is actually a level of dissociation where we're perceiving more through the filters of the mind that are contorting and distorting the actual experiences of the moment,

Rather than simply resting in the experience of each moment as it is.

It reminds me of something that another friend of mine said to me probably 17 or 18 years ago that always stuck with me.

The more illusion we create between ourselves and others,

The greater the separation we have within ourselves.

And so because often we are caught by the appearance of things,

And we have beliefs about how the world is supposed to be or we are supposed to be,

Often we focus on our appearance,

How we come across to others,

How we want them to perceive us.

And that in the end creates more distance within ourselves but also within our relationships.

Whereas the more we allow ourselves to simply rest as we are and to live more authentically,

It actually creates more connection between ourselves and others,

And it brings more meaning to life.

One of the ways to work with moving towards this state of being is to use the felt sense of the body.

And this is one of the reasons why body scans and meditations that use the felt sense of the body can be so useful.

Because we take time to simply experience each moment and each sensation within the body,

Working towards letting go of the judgments that might come in of not wanting to feel something or thinking that it's indicative of something wrong or wanting things to be different.

We build up tolerance and patience to be with the experience as it is.

And as we do,

It creates a softening.

It softens the ego.

It softens the mind.

And it begins to soften the body as well.

Because so much of the tension and pain that we carry within the body comes from resisting the experiences of the moment.

And it's a practice.

Most things that are worthwhile take time and dedication.

And there can be times when it's difficult and we don't want to,

And we resist doing those things that can actually be very beneficial for us.

And so we have to make a commitment to come back,

To sit on our cushion,

To lay in our bed at night and do a body scan as we're falling asleep,

To squeeze it in wherever we can.

If we don't have time to set aside a period of time every day,

We can consciously bring it into all the things that we do.

Whatever our jobs are,

Whatever we occupy our time with,

We can continually remind ourselves to come back to the present experience of the moment,

How we're feeling in our body,

And let go of resistance.

So if you will,

Please find a comfortable posture for meditation.

We will begin with a body scan.

So if you would like to lie down,

I encourage that.

If you prefer to sit or be in a different position,

That's okay as well.

The most important thing is that you find a position,

A posture,

In which you can consciously let go of as much unnecessary tension as possible.

Once you have arrived in your posture,

Bring awareness to the movement of the breath.

Simply observing the breath as it is.

It might be long or short,

Choppy or smooth,

Shallow or deep.

Simply observe the natural movement of the inhalation and exhalation.

Begin abdominal breathing with each inhalation,

Allowing the abdomen to gently expand,

With each exhalation allowing the abdomen to gently contract.

Allow the chest and shoulders to remain relaxed and still,

And with every exhalation,

Try to release any unnecessary tension from the body.

Now continue abdominal breathing as you begin to gently guide the awareness through the body,

Starting at the top of the head,

Feeling any sensations in the scalp,

Sides of the head,

The back of the head,

The forehead,

The eyes,

The jaw.

Simply observe any sensations and allow your awareness to relax into experiencing each moment as it is,

Continuing to observe the front of the neck,

The sides of the neck,

The back of the neck,

The shoulders,

The upper arms,

The elbows,

The forearms,

The wrists,

The back of the hands,

The palms,

The thumbs,

The index finger,

The middle finger,

The ring finger,

And the little finger,

Allowing the awareness to travel from the tips of the fingers back up through the centers of both arms up to the shoulders,

To the upper back,

The mid back,

The lower back.

Bring awareness into the length of the spine as a whole.

Travel from the tailbone up through the spine,

Through the lumbar,

Thoracic,

Cervical.

Continue up to the top of the head,

The crown,

Forward to the forehead,

Down the center midline,

Crossing the forehead,

The nose,

The lips,

The chin,

Down through the throat,

To the front of the body.

Bring awareness to the chest,

The mid abdomen,

The lower abdomen,

Into the right hip,

Right thigh,

Right knee,

Right calf,

Right ankle,

Top of the right foot,

Bottom of the right foot,

Big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

And the little toe.

Travel from the tips of the toes of the right foot up through the center of the right leg to the right hip to the center of the lower abdomen,

The lower dentian,

And over to the left hip,

Left thigh,

Left knee,

Left calf,

Left ankle,

Top of the left foot,

Bottom of the left foot,

Big toe,

Second toe,

Third toe,

Fourth toe,

And the little toe.

Now allow your awareness to travel from the tips of the left toes up through the center of the left leg,

Through the left hip,

And back to the lower dentian.

Rest with your awareness in the lower dentian.

Check in with your breathing.

Notice the movement of the breath.

Notice if the breath has shifted since the beginning of the practice.

Allow the awareness to travel from the lower dentian up through the central channel to the heart,

The heart center,

Located in the middle of the chest.

Relax into the sensations in the heart center.

As you continue softening to the space of the heart center,

Become aware of a point of light within the heart center.

Rest in that light.

Allow the light to begin to expand,

Filling the heart center and expanding beyond to fill the chest,

The torso,

Lower abdomen,

Both legs,

All the way down to your toes.

Allow the light to expand out from the chest,

Through the shoulders,

The arms,

All the way down to the fingertips.

Allow to expand upwards through the neck to the head and the brain.

Feel your entire body as light.

Allow the light to expand beyond the physical body into all that surrounds you.

Become aware how the boundary of the physical body is an illusion as you rest in this light that has no beginning and no end.

Allow the light to expand beyond the physical body.

Allow the light to expand beyond the physical body.

Know that this is your true nature,

Unbounded,

Limitless light.

Bring awareness back to the felt sense of the body as a whole.

Know that this body is simply a garment,

A collection of molecules that come together to form an instrument for this divine light to experience the play of life,

Of maya.

Become aware of the solidity beneath you,

Which is also light manifest in form.

Become aware of the molecules of air around you,

Which are also light.

Feel the movement of your breath,

The movement of light.

When you are ready,

Maintain a groundedness in this still presence of the light of all-pervading consciousness as you gently and slowly begin to open your eyes,

Taking in all that you see with the knowledge that it is all light manifest in myriad form.

The goal is to move towards being ever more present and aware of this state of being,

The I am presence of consciousness.

To realize that all that exists in material form,

Including our body,

Including all that we perceive at this level of reality,

Is an impermanent and ever-changing expression and manifestation of this underlying unity and oneness of the light of consciousness,

Of God,

Of the divine.

I would like to conclude with a quote from Hazrat and Ayat Khan that echoes the quote from the beginning.

There are many virtues,

But there is one principle virtue.

Every moment passed outside of the presence of God is sin,

And every moment in his presence is virtue.

Thank you all for joining me today.

Reviews

Thank you Thomas for another wonderful talk. When you were using the table as a reminder of the impermanence of everything including our bodies I looked around the room and I could see the trees that made up the structure and all the people it took to make everything. And I could see how this house will be gone someday, just as my form will. I did have a wave of sadness come over me within the feeling of acceptance. I know this is the mind and its attachments.
The meditation was the best body scan meditation I have ever done. Your timing and rhythm made it easy to keep my awareness on each area. I would love it if that one was available as a stand alone. It would be perfect before sleep.
🙏☀️🫶

A very thoughtful and foundational perspective to consider exploring. 🙏

the quote you ended the meditation with is one of my favorites.
question: how do you define “I Am”?

Cultivating being in all of my doings, spending time with God, being aware that all that is, is all connected, like you describe that a wave is fully connected to the ocean. Experiencing oneness in the moment through the felt sense in my body makes me realize how disillusioned I can be when I describe or identify myself as being something or somebody or when I desire something or somebody or when I cling to some identity. God’s light is so powerful, thank you for shining it so brightly Thomas that I no longer identify it as yours or mine. A practice of being.

I can't find the words.... a revelation. Thank you.

Amazing Thomas! This talk and meditation seamlessly led to such an expansive feeling of awareness and joy which lasted throughout the day! Our true nature - limitless light. If we can share this with others, then we have brought something good to the world. Thank you as always 🙏

Brilliant talk! Thanks!

Thomas, this was wonderful! Your meditative technique mirrored one I just learned in the Vigyan Bhairava Tantra. Thank you 🙏🏼

Wonderful reminders of our daily illusions & delusion
Forget, remember, repeat ♥️