Angel
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Appearance and Reality
Once, Zhuang Zhou dreamed he was a butterfly, a butterfly flitting and fluttering about, happy with himself and doing as he pleased.
He didn't know that he was Zhuang Zhou.
Suddenly he woke up and there he was, solid and unmistakable Zhuang Zhou.
But he didn't know if he was Zhuang Zhou who had dreamt he was a butterfly, or a butterfly dreaming that he was Zhuang Zhou.
Between Zhuang Zhou and the butterfly there must be some distinction!
This is called the Transformation of Things.
— Zhuangzi, chapter 2 (Watson translation)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhuangzi_(book)
Once, Zhuang Zhou dreamed he was a butterfly, a butterfly flitting and fluttering about, happy with himself and doing as he pleased.
He didn't know that he was Zhuang Zhou.
Suddenly he woke up and there he was, solid and unmistakable Zhuang Zhou.
But he didn't know if he was Zhuang Zhou who had dreamt he was a butterfly, or a butterfly dreaming that he was Zhuang Zhou.
Between Zhuang Zhou and the butterfly there must be some distinction!
This is called the Transformation of Things.
— Zhuangzi, chapter 2 (Watson translation)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhuangzi_(book)
Those of us who have enjoyed an education in the Humanities recognize at once in the title of this thread a central theme in World Literature, and those of us who have studied Philosophy recognize in it the foundational question of both Eastern and Western traditions, and finally those of us who have studied neither the Humanities in general nor Philosophy in particular have no doubt become acquainted with the theme announced in the thread title by way of personal experience, and in the event have developed their own take on the implied distinction.
Now I have posted no videos or articles (save the famous Zhuangzi anecdote) in this OP in deference to those who have complained of my posting videos and articles, and instead appeal to members' personal exploration of the thread theme in inviting them to post their beliefs about Appearance and Reality, and in addition, if available, the reasons they hold their beliefs.
If one reads through the threads in the "Beliefs and Skepticism" forum, one will find frequent use of the term "Reality" -- often to point out someone else's error as regards Reality. So it does not seem an extravagant request to ask members to share with us here what they mean by the term.
It may indeed be extravagant to ask for their reasons for believing Reality is what they hold it to be, but a belief without a justification is not worth very much after all.
Naturally I have my own beliefs about Appearance and Reality, but to avoid initial reactionary posts and to encourage considered good-faith posts, I shall postpone making my own beliefs known until the occasion arises in subsequent posts.
Challenges to beliefs are welcome, inasmuch as only in the testing of beliefs is their merit shown.
The photo is of Marilyn Monroe, and I think it illustrates the theme of this thread rather well, in that the distortion in the funhouse mirror merely points up the distortion in the life of Norma Jeane Mortenson that led to her untimely death by drug overdose at age 36.
Please do not quote the entire OP on the first page. Save DP bandwidth.
Namaste