Why Reality is an Illusion (Part 2)

Last Updated on March 2, 2024 by The Unbounded Thinker

In the First Part of Why Reality is An Illusion, I argued that reality is an illusion shaped by our belief systems, senses, levels of consciousness/dimensions, emotions, and the information we’ve been exposed to. In this article, I will discuss how Out-of-Body Experiences (OBEs) and Near-Death Experiences (NDEs) show that reality is an illusion.

I’ve had several Out-of-Body experiences that forced me to question the nature of physical reality and eventually realize that it is an illusion.

While I am out of the body I usually observe my surroundings and it surprises me to see that they seem almost different from what I perceive when I’m in my body even though they’re technically the same surroundings.

For instance, my bedroom appears bigger and walls around me take on a surreal quality. They seem to possess a super-elasticity that defies the laws of physics. When I reach out to touch them, they yield effortlessly, stretching and distorting as if made of rubber. Sometimes the walls become translucent and I can pass through them effortlessly.

Although I mostly have my OBEs at night, I find myself able to see clearly. It’s as if the moon is shining so brightly that its light illuminates everything, including the darkest corners of my room.

Moreover, I sometimes hear strange but beautiful, luring sounds of children, and I see people who notice my presence and others who mind their own business.

Sometimes, I see old possessions merged with new ones. For instance, I remember seeing my old phone merged with my new phone.

I have studied other people’s OBEs to identify similarities with my experiences and I found that many people also notice that their normal surroundings appear different in OBEs.

My OBEs and other people’s experiences forced me to conclude with certainty that physical reality is an illusion and our bodies affect how we perceive reality. We see things differently when we are in the body because it is limited by space and time. When we are out of the body, reality appears differently because we are liberated from the constraints of time, space, and matter. 

People who have NDEs also describe a different experience of reality. Particularly, they claim to experience a sense of timelessness where everything happens at once. For instance, when describing her NDE, Anita Moorjani, author of Dying To Be Me, writes, “I realized that time doesn’t move in a linear fashion unless we’re using the filter of our physical bodies and minds. Once we’re no longer limited by our earthly senses, every moment exists simultaneously.”

Additionally, Near-death experiencers describe a vast, expansive space or a sense of boundlessness beyond physical constraints that makes them feel as if they have become everything or they exist in everything.

For these reasons, NDEs and OBEs prove that there is no absolute reality. They show that reality changes when we are outside of our bodies.

When we are in the body, we see a reality that allows us to easily navigate through physical reality. When we get out of the body, physical reality becomes useless to us, and for this reason, we experience a different reality. Mainly, we experience a different physical reality because we stop perceiving reality through a distorted lens.

To make a long story short, whatever you think is reality is not the absolute reality. It’s just an illusion created by the body to ensure its survival in the physical realm. This illusion is a shadow of a greater reality that will always elude our grasp. It is a fleeting mirage you’ll only experience in the short period you’ll live in your body.

Consciousness is the absolute reality. Consciousness is the only reality.