A Brief Analysis of "Reality is the Projection of Consciousness"

Xuefeng

November 22, 2007

The statement "Reality is the projection of consciousness" is one of the core concepts in Western spiritual literature. From the perspective of personal practice and cultivation, this assertion holds value and positive significance, aligning with the values of Lifechanyuan.

The meaning of this phrase is that the universe and all things within it are reflections of the Greatest Creator's consciousness. The reality that humanity faces is a creation of human consciousness. Everything an individual encounters is a projection of their own consciousness, a reflection of their own mind. If something does not exist in one’s consciousness, it will not exist in reality either. In other words, each person creates their own reality. For example, our parents, children, siblings, family, friends, nation, environment, economic status, social status, enemies, etc., are all results of the projections of our consciousness.

This assertion has a very positive aspect. It offers guidance for our practice and cultivation, and for improving the overall level of human civilization. It helps us to break free from dissatisfaction with objective reality and instead focus on refining our consciousness, allowing us to calmly deal with ourselves and society. It also helps us understand that to have a beautiful future, we must first have a beautiful consciousness. If our consciousness is chaotic and disorderly, our future will inevitably be chaotic and disorderly as well. If our consciousness is filled with jealousy, resentment, and hatred, our future will certainly be a world full of jealousy, resentment, and hatred.

However, this statement is intended for collective consciousness and individual practice and cultivation. When we use this statement to criticize, pick on, or attack others, it turns into the opposite and becomes pure idealism.

Let me provide an example to illustrate. Guiyuan celestial said: "If there is no 'jealousy' and 'ugliness' in your heart, how could you see ugliness? The reason you see jealousy and ugliness is precisely because you project these things onto others, and through that mirror, you see the real you. It's that simple."

Is Guiyuan celestial correct? Certainly not.

"Reality is the projection of consciousness" does not mean that all objective reality is the projection of one's consciousness. In other words, objective reality is not created by the consciousness of a single individual. Instead, it is the result of the collective projection of countless people and beings, including those from the past, present, and future, as well as gods, angels, and other group consciousnesses. For example, computers, televisions, mobile phones, cars, airplanes, houses, roads, household facilities, and tools are all reflections of collective consciousness, not the result of an individual's projection.

This means that regardless of whether something exists in our consciousness, it still exists in objective reality. For instance, "dog feces" exist in reality regardless of whether they exist in our consciousness. Dog feces are not a projection of human consciousness. On the contrary, it is the existence of this reality that reflects into our consciousness, forming the concept of "dog feces."

Similarly, regardless of whether "Guiyuan celestial" exists in our consciousness, "Guiyuan celestial" exists in reality. "Guiyuan celestial" is not a projection of someone's consciousness. If we say "all reality is the projection of one's own consciousness," then parents would become their own children, which is absurd, ridiculous, and laughable.

Guiyuan celestial's statement, "If there is no 'jealousy' and 'ugliness' in your heart, how could you see ugliness? The reason you see jealousy and ugliness is precisely because you project these things onto others, and through that mirror, you see the real you," is a misunderstanding and misapplication of the assertion "Reality is the projection of consciousness." A person who has no "jealousy" and "ugliness" in their consciousness will naturally react to "jealousy" and "ugliness" when they see these traits in others because objective reality has reflected these into their consciousness. This is similar to someone who has never seen a mobile phone before; they have no concept of a mobile phone in their consciousness. However, when they see a mobile phone for the first time, the concept of a mobile phone forms in their consciousness. The mobile phone is not a projection of their consciousness but a projection of the consciousness of its designer and creator.

Any theory or viewpoint is only applicable to a specific environment or space-time and is only valid under certain conditions. When the environment, space-time, or conditions change, it ceases to be a truth and should not be used indiscriminately. Otherwise, it becomes distorted.

Objective reality is indeed the projection of consciousness, but it is not the projection of an individual’s consciousness—it is the projection of group consciousness. Consciousness creates reality, and reality, in turn, influences consciousness. This is a two-way process, not a one-way process. Both pure idealism and pure materialism distort the truth and are erroneous.