The World Out There

[Guest guest]

< But that there is a " world out there " is due to

< preoccupation by thought. There is no direct experience

< of " the world out there " . Like the " them " of the paranoid

< schizophrenic, it is not actual, but a construct.

 

< Bill

 

Michael wrote:

<<<

 

My current view is that I really don't know if there is

a " world out there " even though I go through daily

living as if there truly is. When I pause to consider

this matter, it seems to me that the world I experience

is indeed entirely " subjective " in the sense of being

made up by my (this) body's sensory and mental responses

and reactions to it.

 

For example, Alan Watts posed the question, " Hold your

hand up to face the sun. Do you experience the *sun* or

a *warm palm*. " My experience is " warm palm " so it

seems to me that there is a world " out there " relative

to this body because if I were to change the angle of my

hand relative to the sun, a different sensation would

arise (e.g., the back of my hand would become warm,

etc). Another experience which appears to validate this

is when I take out my contact lens. Suddenly the world

appears very fuzzy. Put them in again and the world

becomes clear. So it seems to me that I " know " the

world in terms of my psychophysical make up and this

psychophysical make up in turn knows itself in terms of

itself as well. The " eyes " know/interpret the body in

terms of their constitution, the 'hand " knows the body

via touch, and so on...each constructing a house of

images and sensations which form the bodily image.

 

The bottom line is, I'm confused so my question is, am I

missing or assuming something here? Is it erroneous

logic, etc. Sure would appreciate some clarity.

 

>>>

 

What you are calling " the world " is effectively a

collection of " models " . So, for example, you explain

to yourself what the sun *is* in terms of a model you

have of the sun. You see that model validated by such

experiments as changing the angle of your hand. This

is quite clearly shown in the way you say: " ...each

[sense modality] constructing a house of images and

sensations which form the bodily image. "

 

Ironically, then, your world " out there " is inside of

you in the form of the myriad model fragments that

serve as " explanations " of the sensory experiences you

have via your various senes modalities.

 

So when you wonder about " if there is a 'world out there' " ,

you are in effect wondering about the validity of the

patchwork of model fragments you use.

 

Now for the tricky part: If you rotate your hand around

you expect that the opposite side of your hand will

become warm. That expectation is based on the model

you have. That expectation can operate totally

unconsciously. It is not like you have to think:

" OK, so the sun is *over there*, the light rays are

arriving in this direction and impingning upon my

hand accordingly so that if I *rotate* my hand thusly

then the light rays will be impinging upon my hand

in such-and-such different way... etc. " No, you just

know that if you turn your hand around it will warm

the other side.

 

But it is a different matter if one gets into *thinking

about* the " world out there " , and constructing theories

about how one should behave to best accord to the notion(s)

of the world as thought about.

 

Notice that the likes of Nisargadatta, Krishnamurti, and

Ramana repeatedly dismiss questions that would raise issues

of affairs in the world. Why is that?

 

Because what is going on in " the world " has nothing to

do with " how I am " , with how my beingness naturally

unfolds from within, or even with how I am not a being

per se, etc. etc.

 

In other words, however one considers the notion of a

" world out there " , it has no signficance to how I am

living this moment. This is because whatever notion of

a " world out there " you may want to suggest is in the

end really just a model (nothing out there at all, but

thought constructs in your head, so to speak), and there

is no model that is relevant to being present with What Is.

 

 

 

Bill