<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body style="overflow-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;">Perfectly stated ad very helpful indeed!<br id="lineBreakAtBeginningOfMessage"><div><br><blockquote type="cite"><div>On Feb 10, 2025, at 8:01 PM, Yasskin Marc via Thespiritexpress <thespiritexpress@lists.mcn.org> wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><div><meta charset="UTF-8"><blockquote type="cite" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none;"><div><div style="overflow-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;"><div><div><div><blockquote type="cite"><div><div><div><div style="display: block; margin-bottom: 2px;"><div style="display: block;"><div style="display: block;"><div><div><div><div style="width: 345px; min-width: 0px; margin: 0px 24px;"><div style="font-family: source-serif-pro, georgia, cambria, "times new roman", times, serif;"><h1 style="margin: 0px 0px 24px; font-family: sohne, "helvetica neue", helvetica, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 38px; letter-spacing: -0.014em; font-style: normal; font-weight: 700; font-size: 32px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; text-decoration: none; color: rgb(36, 36, 36);">The World Is Just Your World: Nisargadatta Maharaj, Peter Berger, and the Illusion of Reality</h1><div dir="auto" style="font-family: source-serif-pro, georgia, cambria, "times new roman", times, serif;"><div style="font-family: source-serif-pro, georgia, cambria, "times new roman", times, serif;"><p style="margin: 1.56em 0px; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; line-height: 28px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; font-family: source-serif-pro, georgia, cambria, "times new roman", times, serif; font-size: 18px; color: rgb(36, 36, 36);">Whenever someone asked the Indian guru <strong style="font-weight: 700; font-family: source-serif-pro, georgia, cambria, "times new roman", times, serif;">Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj</strong> about <em style="font-style: italic; font-family: source-serif-pro, georgia, cambria, "times new roman", times, serif;">the world</em> — <em style="font-style: italic; font-family: source-serif-pro, georgia, cambria, "times new roman", times, serif;">Why is the world like this? Why is there suffering?</em> — his response was never direct. Instead, he would begin by asking:</p><blockquote style="margin: 0px; padding-left: 23px; font-family: source-serif-pro, georgia, cambria, "times new roman", times, serif;"><p style="margin: 1.56em 0px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 28px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; font-family: source-serif-pro, georgia, cambria, "times new roman", times, serif; font-style: italic; font-size: 18px; color: rgb(36, 36, 36);">“Which world are you referring to?”</p></blockquote></div><div style="font-family: source-serif-pro, georgia, cambria, "times new roman", times, serif;"><span id="cid:ii_194f2c1d354696f12f01"><IMG_4168.jpeg></span></div><br></div></div>With this question, he made a crucial distinction: there isn’t just one “world.” There is <strong style="font-weight: 700; font-family: source-serif-pro, georgia, cambria, "times new roman", times, serif;">your world</strong> — the world of your thoughts, emotions, and personal experiences — and then there is <strong style="font-weight: 700; font-family: source-serif-pro, georgia, cambria, "times new roman", times, serif;">the physical world</strong>, the objective reality of matter. Most people assume they are talking about a single, external reality, but in truth, <strong style="font-weight: 700; font-family: source-serif-pro, georgia, cambria, "times new roman", times, serif;">what we experience as “the world” is entirely personal</strong>. It is shaped by our minds, beliefs, and conditioning.<div><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><p style="margin: 1.56em 0px; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; line-height: 28px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; font-family: source-serif-pro, georgia, cambria, "times new roman", times, serif; font-size: 18px; color: rgb(36, 36, 36);">This perspective finds an interesting parallel in the work of sociologist <strong style="font-weight: 700; font-family: source-serif-pro, georgia, cambria, "times new roman", times, serif;">Peter Berger</strong>, whose concept of <strong style="font-weight: 700; font-family: source-serif-pro, georgia, cambria, "times new roman", times, serif;">nomos</strong> describes how societies construct shared realities. If Nisargadatta Maharaj’s focus was on <strong style="font-weight: 700; font-family: source-serif-pro, georgia, cambria, "times new roman", times, serif;">the individual mind’s projection</strong>, Berger explored how entire societies build <strong style="font-weight: 700; font-family: source-serif-pro, georgia, cambria, "times new roman", times, serif;">collective worlds</strong> — ones that feel just as real and absolute as an individual’s personal reality.</p><p style="margin: 1.56em 0px; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; line-height: 28px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; font-family: source-serif-pro, georgia, cambria, "times new roman", times, serif; font-size: 18px; color: rgb(36, 36, 36);">Together, these perspectives suggest something profound: <em style="font-style: italic; font-family: source-serif-pro, georgia, cambria, "times new roman", times, serif;">the world is not something “out there” — it is something we create, both individually and collectively.</em>Recognizing this can free us from unnecessary suffering and allow us to engage with life from a place of deeper awareness.</p><h1 style="margin: 1.2em 0px; font-family: sohne, "helvetica neue", helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-style: normal; line-height: 24px; letter-spacing: 0px; font-weight: 600; font-size: 20px; color: rgb(36, 36, 36);">Why the World Is Personal</h1><div style="margin: 0.67em 0px; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; line-height: 28px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; font-family: source-serif-pro, georgia, cambria, "times new roman", times, serif; font-size: 18px; color: rgb(36, 36, 36);">Nisargadatta Maharaj insisted that what we experience as “the world” is <strong style="font-weight: 700; font-family: source-serif-pro, georgia, cambria, "times new roman", times, serif;">not an external, fixed reality, but a projection of our mind</strong>. Two people can be in the same physical environment yet live in completely different “worlds” based on their <strong style="font-weight: 700; font-family: source-serif-pro, georgia, cambria, "times new roman", times, serif;">perceptions, beliefs, and emotional states</strong>.</div><p style="margin: 1.56em 0px; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; line-height: 28px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; font-family: source-serif-pro, georgia, cambria, "times new roman", times, serif; font-size: 18px; color: rgb(36, 36, 36);">For example, imagine two people walking through the same city:</p><ul style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; list-style: none;"><li style="font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; line-height: 28px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; font-family: source-serif-pro, georgia, cambria, "times new roman", times, serif; list-style-type: disc; margin-left: 30px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 18px; margin-top: 1.56em; color: rgb(36, 36, 36);">One is feeling anxious, overwhelmed by work stress, and irritated by the noise and crowds.</li><li style="font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; line-height: 28px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; font-family: source-serif-pro, georgia, cambria, "times new roman", times, serif; list-style-type: disc; margin-left: 30px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 18px; margin-top: 1.34em; color: rgb(36, 36, 36);">The other is feeling peaceful, appreciating the energy of the city, and noticing small details that bring joy.</li></ul><p style="margin: 1.56em 0px; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; line-height: 28px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; font-family: source-serif-pro, georgia, cambria, "times new roman", times, serif; font-size: 18px; color: rgb(36, 36, 36);">Even though they are in <strong style="font-weight: 700; font-family: source-serif-pro, georgia, cambria, "times new roman", times, serif;">the same physical world</strong>, they are living in <strong style="font-weight: 700; font-family: source-serif-pro, georgia, cambria, "times new roman", times, serif;">completely different personal worlds</strong>.</p><p style="margin: 1.56em 0px; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; line-height: 28px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; font-family: source-serif-pro, georgia, cambria, "times new roman", times, serif; font-size: 18px; color: rgb(36, 36, 36);">Maharaj described this world-making process as a <strong style="font-weight: 700; font-family: source-serif-pro, georgia, cambria, "times new roman", times, serif;">mental habit</strong>. We accumulate experiences, create memories, and attach meanings to things — soon, we mistake this <strong style="font-weight: 700; font-family: source-serif-pro, georgia, cambria, "times new roman", times, serif;">personal filter</strong> for reality itself. His key insight is that <strong style="font-weight: 700; font-family: source-serif-pro, georgia, cambria, "times new roman", times, serif;">the world is not something you live in; it’s a fiction you create</strong>.</p><h1 style="margin: 1.2em 0px; font-family: sohne, "helvetica neue", helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-style: normal; line-height: 24px; letter-spacing: 0px; font-weight: 600; font-size: 20px; color: rgb(36, 36, 36);">Berger’s Nomos: How We Internalize Reality</h1><div style="margin: 0.67em 0px; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; line-height: 28px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; font-family: source-serif-pro, georgia, cambria, "times new roman", times, serif; font-size: 18px; color: rgb(36, 36, 36);">While Nisargadatta focused on <strong style="font-weight: 700; font-family: source-serif-pro, georgia, cambria, "times new roman", times, serif;">the mind’s role in shaping personal reality</strong>, Peter Berger explored how <strong style="font-weight: 700; font-family: source-serif-pro, georgia, cambria, "times new roman", times, serif;">society constructs a shared world</strong> that feels just as real. His concept of <strong style="font-weight: 700; font-family: source-serif-pro, georgia, cambria, "times new roman", times, serif;">nomos</strong> describes the set of social rules, institutions, and belief systems that provide structure and meaning to human life.</div><p style="margin: 1.56em 0px; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; line-height: 28px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; font-family: source-serif-pro, georgia, cambria, "times new roman", times, serif; font-size: 18px; color: rgb(36, 36, 36);">Berger argued that from birth, people are <strong style="font-weight: 700; font-family: source-serif-pro, georgia, cambria, "times new roman", times, serif;">socialized into a specific version of reality</strong>. This happens through <strong style="font-weight: 700; font-family: source-serif-pro, georgia, cambria, "times new roman", times, serif;">parents, education, culture, religion, and law</strong>, all of which shape the way we see the world. Over time, what was originally a <strong style="font-weight: 700; font-family: source-serif-pro, georgia, cambria, "times new roman", times, serif;">learned perspective</strong>becomes something we take for granted as absolute.</p><p style="margin: 1.56em 0px; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; line-height: 28px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; font-family: source-serif-pro, georgia, cambria, "times new roman", times, serif; font-size: 18px; color: rgb(36, 36, 36);">For instance:</p><ul style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; list-style: none;"><li style="font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; line-height: 28px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; font-family: source-serif-pro, georgia, cambria, "times new roman", times, serif; list-style-type: disc; margin-left: 30px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 18px; margin-top: 1.56em; color: rgb(36, 36, 36);">A person raised in a deeply religious environment may see life as a moral journey shaped by divine will.</li><li style="font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; line-height: 28px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; font-family: source-serif-pro, georgia, cambria, "times new roman", times, serif; list-style-type: disc; margin-left: 30px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 18px; margin-top: 1.34em; color: rgb(36, 36, 36);">A person raised in a highly individualistic society may see life as a competition for personal success.</li></ul><p style="margin: 1.56em 0px; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; line-height: 28px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; font-family: source-serif-pro, georgia, cambria, "times new roman", times, serif; font-size: 18px; color: rgb(36, 36, 36);">Even though these perspectives are <strong style="font-weight: 700; font-family: source-serif-pro, georgia, cambria, "times new roman", times, serif;">not inherent realities but social constructs</strong>, they become “real” to the person who has internalized them. Just as Nisargadatta explains how <strong style="font-weight: 700; font-family: source-serif-pro, georgia, cambria, "times new roman", times, serif;">personal perception shapes individual reality</strong>, Berger shows how <strong style="font-weight: 700; font-family: source-serif-pro, georgia, cambria, "times new roman", times, serif;">social institutions shape collective reality</strong>— both leading people to mistake their “world” for something objective.</p><h1 style="margin: 1.2em 0px; font-family: sohne, "helvetica neue", helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-style: normal; line-height: 24px; letter-spacing: 0px; font-weight: 600; font-size: 20px; color: rgb(36, 36, 36);">Nomos Is Not “Bad” — But It Is Fragile</h1><div style="margin: 0.67em 0px; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; line-height: 28px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; font-family: source-serif-pro, georgia, cambria, "times new roman", times, serif; font-size: 18px; color: rgb(36, 36, 36);">Berger did not argue that nomos is inherently bad. In fact, he saw it as <strong style="font-weight: 700; font-family: source-serif-pro, georgia, cambria, "times new roman", times, serif;">necessary for social stability</strong> — without it, people would experience <strong style="font-weight: 700; font-family: source-serif-pro, georgia, cambria, "times new roman", times, serif;">anomie (a state of normlessness and existential disorientation).</strong> Nomos helps societies function by providing order and meaning.</div><p style="margin: 1.56em 0px; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; line-height: 28px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; font-family: source-serif-pro, georgia, cambria, "times new roman", times, serif; font-size: 18px; color: rgb(36, 36, 36);">However, he also recognized that <strong style="font-weight: 700; font-family: source-serif-pro, georgia, cambria, "times new roman", times, serif;">nomos is artificial and fragile</strong>. It only exists as long as people <strong style="font-weight: 700; font-family: source-serif-pro, georgia, cambria, "times new roman", times, serif;">believe in it and reinforce it through social interaction</strong>. When someone questions or breaks away from their social reality — through personal crisis, travel, or deep philosophical inquiry — it can be deeply unsettling.</p><p style="margin: 1.56em 0px; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; line-height: 28px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; font-family: source-serif-pro, georgia, cambria, "times new roman", times, serif; font-size: 18px; color: rgb(36, 36, 36);">This is where Berger’s analysis aligns with Nisargadatta’s teaching: both show that <strong style="font-weight: 700; font-family: source-serif-pro, georgia, cambria, "times new roman", times, serif;">what we take to be “the world” is just one version of reality</strong>, and recognizing this can lead to either fear or liberation.</p><h1 style="margin: 1.2em 0px; font-family: sohne, "helvetica neue", helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-style: normal; line-height: 24px; letter-spacing: 0px; font-weight: 600; font-size: 20px; color: rgb(36, 36, 36);">Bridging the Two Perspectives: Abiding in Awareness</h1><div style="margin: 0.67em 0px; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; line-height: 28px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; font-family: source-serif-pro, georgia, cambria, "times new roman", times, serif; font-size: 18px; color: rgb(36, 36, 36);">So if both <strong style="font-weight: 700; font-family: source-serif-pro, georgia, cambria, "times new roman", times, serif;">our personal world (Nisargadatta) and our shared world (Berger) are constructed</strong>, how should we engage with life? Rather than getting lost in illusion or fighting against it, Maharaj suggests something simpler: <strong style="font-weight: 700; font-family: source-serif-pro, georgia, cambria, "times new roman", times, serif;">abide in awareness</strong>.</div><p style="margin: 1.56em 0px; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; line-height: 28px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; font-family: source-serif-pro, georgia, cambria, "times new roman", times, serif; font-size: 18px; color: rgb(36, 36, 36);">Instead of clinging to our mental projections or social identities, we can step back and <strong style="font-weight: 700; font-family: source-serif-pro, georgia, cambria, "times new roman", times, serif;">observe the one constant behind all experiences — awareness itself</strong>.</p><h1 style="margin: 1.2em 0px; font-family: sohne, "helvetica neue", helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-style: normal; line-height: 24px; letter-spacing: 0px; font-weight: 600; font-size: 20px; color: rgb(36, 36, 36);">How to Apply This in Daily Life: Meditation as the Key Practice</h1><div style="margin: 0.67em 0px; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; line-height: 28px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; font-family: source-serif-pro, georgia, cambria, "times new roman", times, serif; font-size: 18px; color: rgb(36, 36, 36);">Realizing that the world is <strong style="font-weight: 700; font-family: source-serif-pro, georgia, cambria, "times new roman", times, serif;">not fixed but a mental and social construct</strong> can transform the way we live. Here’s how to integrate this understanding into daily life:</div><h1 style="margin: 1.2em 0px; font-family: sohne, "helvetica neue", helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-style: normal; line-height: 24px; letter-spacing: 0px; font-weight: 600; font-size: 20px; color: rgb(36, 36, 36);">1. When You Feel Stuck, Ask: “Which World Am I Referring To?”</h1><ul style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; list-style: none;"><li style="font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; line-height: 28px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; font-family: source-serif-pro, georgia, cambria, "times new roman", times, serif; list-style-type: disc; margin-left: 30px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 18px; margin-top: 0.67em; color: rgb(36, 36, 36);">If something is upsetting you, pause and ask: <em style="font-style: italic; font-family: source-serif-pro, georgia, cambria, "times new roman", times, serif;">Am I reacting to the actual world, or to my interpretation of it?</em></li><li style="font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; line-height: 28px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; font-family: source-serif-pro, georgia, cambria, "times new roman", times, serif; list-style-type: disc; margin-left: 30px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 18px; margin-top: 1.34em; color: rgb(36, 36, 36);">Recognizing this difference can help you <strong style="font-weight: 700; font-family: source-serif-pro, georgia, cambria, "times new roman", times, serif;">detach from unnecessary suffering</strong>.</li></ul><h1 style="margin: 1.2em 0px; font-family: sohne, "helvetica neue", helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-style: normal; line-height: 24px; letter-spacing: 0px; font-weight: 600; font-size: 20px; color: rgb(36, 36, 36);">2. Observe How Awareness Is Always Free</h1><ul style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; list-style: none;"><li style="font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; line-height: 28px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; font-family: source-serif-pro, georgia, cambria, "times new roman", times, serif; list-style-type: disc; margin-left: 30px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 18px; margin-top: 0.67em; color: rgb(36, 36, 36);">Meditation allows you to notice that <strong style="font-weight: 700; font-family: source-serif-pro, georgia, cambria, "times new roman", times, serif;">no matter what happens in your personal or social world, awareness itself remains untouched</strong>.</li><li style="font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; line-height: 28px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; font-family: source-serif-pro, georgia, cambria, "times new roman", times, serif; list-style-type: disc; margin-left: 30px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 18px; margin-top: 1.34em; color: rgb(36, 36, 36);">Thoughts, emotions, and social roles come and go, but the observer — pure consciousness — remains constant.</li><li style="font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; line-height: 28px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; font-family: source-serif-pro, georgia, cambria, "times new roman", times, serif; list-style-type: disc; margin-left: 30px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 18px; margin-top: 1.34em; color: rgb(36, 36, 36);">Instead of getting caught in the illusion of “the world,” turn inward and <strong style="font-weight: 700; font-family: source-serif-pro, georgia, cambria, "times new roman", times, serif;">abide in the awareness that perceives it.</strong></li></ul><h1 style="margin: 1.2em 0px; font-family: sohne, "helvetica neue", helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-style: normal; line-height: 24px; letter-spacing: 0px; font-weight: 600; font-size: 20px; color: rgb(36, 36, 36);">3. Challenge Socially Constructed Realities</h1><ul style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; list-style: none;"><li style="font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; line-height: 28px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; font-family: source-serif-pro, georgia, cambria, "times new roman", times, serif; list-style-type: disc; margin-left: 30px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 18px; margin-top: 0.67em; color: rgb(36, 36, 36);">Notice how much of your reality has been shaped by <strong style="font-weight: 700; font-family: source-serif-pro, georgia, cambria, "times new roman", times, serif;">culture, education, and social expectations</strong>.</li><li style="font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; line-height: 28px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; font-family: source-serif-pro, georgia, cambria, "times new roman", times, serif; list-style-type: disc; margin-left: 30px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 18px; margin-top: 1.34em; color: rgb(36, 36, 36);">Ask yourself: <em style="font-style: italic; font-family: source-serif-pro, georgia, cambria, "times new roman", times, serif;">Do I truly believe this, or was I taught to believe it?</em></li><li style="font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; line-height: 28px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; font-family: source-serif-pro, georgia, cambria, "times new roman", times, serif; list-style-type: disc; margin-left: 30px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 18px; margin-top: 1.34em; color: rgb(36, 36, 36);">This doesn’t mean rejecting society — it means engaging with it <strong style="font-weight: 700; font-family: source-serif-pro, georgia, cambria, "times new roman", times, serif;">more consciously</strong>.</li></ul><h1 style="margin: 1.2em 0px; font-family: sohne, "helvetica neue", helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-style: normal; line-height: 24px; letter-spacing: 0px; font-weight: 600; font-size: 20px; color: rgb(36, 36, 36);">4. Play the Game, But Don’t Take It Too Seriously</h1><ul style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; list-style: none;"><li style="font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; line-height: 28px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; font-family: source-serif-pro, georgia, cambria, "times new roman", times, serif; list-style-type: disc; margin-left: 30px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 18px; margin-top: 0.67em; color: rgb(36, 36, 36);">You don’t have to withdraw from life — just don’t get lost in it.</li><li style="font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; line-height: 28px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; font-family: source-serif-pro, georgia, cambria, "times new roman", times, serif; list-style-type: disc; margin-left: 30px; padding-left: 0px; font-size: 18px; margin-top: 1.34em; color: rgb(36, 36, 36);">Engage in work, relationships, and personal growth, but <strong style="font-weight: 700; font-family: source-serif-pro, georgia, cambria, "times new roman", times, serif;">remember that none of these define who you truly are</strong>.</li></ul><h1 style="margin: 1.2em 0px; font-family: sohne, "helvetica neue", helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-style: normal; line-height: 24px; letter-spacing: 0px; font-weight: 600; font-size: 20px; color: rgb(36, 36, 36);">Conclusion: Waking Up to a Bigger Truth</h1><div style="margin: 0.67em 0px; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; line-height: 28px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; font-family: source-serif-pro, georgia, cambria, "times new roman", times, serif; font-size: 18px; color: rgb(36, 36, 36);">Both <strong style="font-weight: 700; font-family: source-serif-pro, georgia, cambria, "times new roman", times, serif;">Nisargadatta Maharaj</strong> and <strong style="font-weight: 700; font-family: source-serif-pro, georgia, cambria, "times new roman", times, serif;">Peter Berger</strong> reveal a powerful truth: the world we experience is <strong style="font-weight: 700; font-family: source-serif-pro, georgia, cambria, "times new roman", times, serif;">not absolute</strong> — it is shaped by our mind (personal world) and by society (shared world). This realization can feel unsettling at first, but it also points to a profound freedom.</div><p style="margin: 1.56em 0px; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; line-height: 28px; letter-spacing: -0.003em; font-family: source-serif-pro, georgia, cambria, "times new roman", times, serif; font-size: 18px; color: rgb(36, 36, 36);">Instead of being trapped in <strong style="font-weight: 700; font-family: source-serif-pro, georgia, cambria, "times new roman", times, serif;">your world</strong>, or blindly following <strong style="font-weight: 700; font-family: source-serif-pro, georgia, cambria, "times new roman", times, serif;">the world</strong>, you can step back and <strong style="font-weight: 700; font-family: source-serif-pro, georgia, cambria, "times new roman", times, serif;">watch the whole thing unfold</strong> — not with fear, but with clarity. And when you do, you might just discover that <strong style="font-weight: 700; font-family: source-serif-pro, georgia, cambria, "times new roman", times, serif;">what you truly are is beyond all worlds — the pure awareness in which all worlds appear.</strong></p></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div></div><div><div style="width: 393px; height: 48px; border-top-width: 1px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-color: rgb(242, 242, 242);"><div><div></div></div><div><div><div style="display: inline-block;"><button style="background: none; margin: 0px; border: 0px; padding: 4px 0px;"></button></div></div></div><div><div><div style="display: inline-block;"><div style="display: inline-block;"><button style="background: none; margin: 0px; color: inherit; font-size: inherit; border: inherit; font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: inherit; font-weight: inherit; padding: 8px 2px;"></button></div></div></div></div></div></div><div><div style="width: 345px; min-width: 0px; margin: 0px 24px; font-family: medium-content-sans-serif-font, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, "segoe ui", roboto, oxygen, ubuntu, cantarell, "open sans", "helvetica neue", sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; text-decoration: none;"><div style="margin-bottom: 26px; margin-top: 6px; font-family: medium-content-sans-serif-font, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, "segoe ui", roboto, oxygen, ubuntu, cantarell, "open sans", "helvetica neue", sans-serif;"><div style="margin-top: 8px; font-family: medium-content-sans-serif-font, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, "segoe ui", roboto, oxygen, ubuntu, cantarell, "open sans", "helvetica neue", sans-serif;"><a href="https://medium.com/tag/meditation?source=post_page-----4e7e7c944077--------------------------------" style="text-decoration: none; padding: 0px; border: medium; margin-right: 8px; font-family: medium-content-sans-serif-font, -apple-system, blinkmacsystemfont, "segoe ui", roboto, oxygen, ubuntu, cantarell, "open sans", "helvetica neue", sans-serif; color: inherit;"></a></div></div></div></div><br></div></div></div></blockquote></div></div></div></div></div></blockquote><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"></div></blockquote></div><br></body></html>