From this position,
reality is defined by what we observe through the
senses, for many feel that the only way to validate a truth is to either
see, hear, touch, taste or smell elements that support the idea. Because of
the logical standards taught in Western society, people are very trusting of
the information gathered through their senses; just by living in this
physical world, we grow dependent upon our perception, relying on it to feed
us the truth and designate our reality.
It is necessary to take into
consideration the context of where and when these views have developed. New
technology has an impact on all aspects of our lives in the modern world:
social, community, science, work, education, transportation and much more.
Some would argue that the scientific advances that surround us have made
people very dependent on physical materials, drawing us away from our
minds' true states. Logical thought and scientific procedures have emerged
as the force of the intellect, shaping the way we perceive our surroundings
by planting seeds of what to expect from the objects around us (i.e. that
they stay within our spacial realm of three dimensions, are light and dark in
the correct areas, and other such assumptions). In these ways, the
definition of reality from a modern, Western angle conforms to our
intellectual expectations and base of knowledge, limited by the boundaries
of our abilities of sensory perception.
Kensur Yeshey Tupden, a
Tibetan Buddhist scholar, explains that "true existence" (matter we see)
is accepted in conventional views, but only because we have been taught to
observe and accept them in a certain way: "Thus, we perceive true
existence
because of predispositions for conceiving things this way. That which
apprehends true existence due to these predispositions obscures and is
obscured from seeing reality."
