Is the World Real or Just an Illusion?

Is the world real, or is it just an Illusion? This talk addresses a common misconception about the nature of reality: Many classic Advaita texts say that the world is an illusion, but does that mean that it is not real?

Rupert says that the only reason we have problems with this is that in our culture, we believe that reality means physical things. The question is not whether the world is real or not. It is absolutely real. The war in Ukraine is real. The Caribbean beach we dream of is real. The suffering we feel is real. The question is, what is its reality? What does that question mean? It means not how does it appear to be — it means what is it really, in spite of the way it appears?

Yes, the world is an illusion — that is, it is not what it appears to be. But all illusions have a reality to them, and that reality is absolutely real. Moreover, there is nothing to an illusion other than its reality. All there is to the world is infinite being.

As the Sufis say: Wherever you look, there is only the face of God.

This clip is from Rupert's retreat at the Mercy Center (March 18-25, 2022).

00:00 Reality Is Made of More Than Matter
01:09 Is the World Real?
02:40 Breaking False Beliefs About Reality
03:50 Illusion Does Not Mean Unreal
04:16 What Is Reality Made Of?
05:34 The True Nature Of Reality

––

ACCESS FULL VIDEO ARCHIVE
You can watch or listen to 1000s of hours of teachings, guided meditations and answers in Rupert's full video archive here:

––

RETREATS (Weekend, 5-day, 7-day)
Rupert holds regular retreats, roughly once per month, either in-person and online. Many in-person retreats can also be attended from the comfort of your home via livestream.

ONLINE RETREAT SCHEDULE

IN-PERSON RETREATS SCHEDULE (Also Available to Join Online via Live Stream)

––

WEEKLY WEBINARS (2 hours)
Rupert's webinars take place most Sunday and Thursday evenings, from 4pm UK time. In the first twenty to thirty minutes, Rupert leads a spontaneous meditation. The remaining time is open for attendees to discuss their questions with Rupert. Attendance is By Donation.

WEEKLY WEBINAR SCHEDULE

––

FREE CONTENT, EVENTS & NEW RELEASES
To be notified of free content, events (online and in-person), books and other new releases, please sign up to Rupert's free newsletter:

––

BROWSE RUPERT’S BOOKS

––

LISTEN TO RUPERT’S PODCAST

––

JOIN RUPERT’S FACEBOOK GROUP

––

FOLLOW RUPERT ON MEDIUM

––

SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS

––

SUBSCRIBE TO RUPERT’S YOUTUBE

––

#rupertspira #nonduality #happiness #natureofreality #consciousness #awareness #meditation #guidedmeditation

RS22044c

[jorgetfreitas]

Lose your interest in the superficial things contained in life and, in return, you will find the depth of life contained in all things.
Thank you Rupert, you were simple and clear.

[roxana]

The best analogy for the world is gold in forms of ring, necklace, bracelet, etc. There is nothing a ring apart from gold, there is nothing necklace apart from gold, all there is, is gold manifesting in different shapes. All the world is Consciousness manifesting in the forms if matter. 💜💜💜💜

[aswinp]

Reality is an illusion but the experience of the illusion is real

[NLspartan]

One day, my friend offered to take shrooms and I decided to join in. During the trip, I had a realization about my understanding of nonduality. I pointed at the buildings across the canal and said to my friend, "Isn't it incredible that everything we see isn't even real?" This was a riddle I often used to reflect on nonduality. However, as I said it, I realized that I didn't actually believe or experience what I was saying. My friend responded cautiously, "Well, everything we see is real." This made me realize that my philosophy was not in alignment with my awakening experience. I began to view the concept of nonduality differently. I came to understand that there is a distinction between what we call the "world" and what we call the Earth. The "world" can be thought of as an illusion, a projection of our perception. However, by adjusting our perception to reality, we can see the real world. On the other hand, the Earth can be seen as a conscious being, similar to ourselves. Its physical manifestation can be thought of as the crystallization of consciousness. I hope this perspective helps.

[TheAffrojutty]

Beautiful to have this simplicity given to us by Rupert. However to truly ‘know’ this in the heart will take more than listening to this 5 min explanation. An intellectual understanding yes but to undo the inherent beliefs we have about reality takes ‘time’ 🙏❤️

[kateevans]

Rupert at his clearest, most concise…..shining with knowledge and understanding, take what he is giving and let it melt your heart. 🙏🏼💖🙏🏼

[Janardhanpersonal]

Worlds best and no 1 Spiritual teacher Guru ever before in the history of this planet.

[nurayylmaz]

'Whereever you turn, there is only the face of God.' This is actually a verse (Ayah Al-Baqarah)/(the Cow 2:115) from the Quran. I really like the way you look at enlightenment and spiritualism, Rupert. Thank you so much.🙏

[I-Am-Aware]

So clear. Thank you, Rupert, for doing such an amazing job of sharing insights that Beings might not otherwise realize. From Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj to a seeker: "Call it a dream and be done with it." 🙏

[PaulLangan]

Rupert's wisdom. Distillation in simple terms. Comprehension. Love. Awareness.

[cosmiccreator]

💫 Such wonderful clarity! 🙌 Oh thank you and bless you beloved! 🥰🙏💐

[shinjitsumasayoshi]

You are not born to this world, the world is born into you - Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj. You are that witness conciseness unborn, deathless and continues

[HemPat]

So beautifully explained. Thank you Rupert. 🙏😊

[innerlight]

So true what he says about Ramana and Nisargadatta!ॐ ❤
I have a huge amount of respect for Ramana and infinite love for Nisargadatta, the earnest study of his teaching, gave shape to my non-dual understanding.

[NoRaengs]

This is what I needed. Now I clearly know the difference between illusion and not real. Indescribably grateful to Rupert

[EXoTjC]

we are consciousnesses within consciousness, dreams within dreams

[jonathansturm]

Twenty years? Psh, I spent 51 years from the age of 21 to reach the point where your explanation makes perfect sense in a few brief minutes. Aided and abetted by reading George Berkley, Baruch Spinoza, René Descartes, the Sufis, the Roman Stoics and many other thinkers. Stirring stuff!

[consciousnessbasedcosmos]

What Rupert says if of course true. The world is real but not physically so. The fact that cannot be disputed is no one has ever experienced physical things directly. All we have ever known and can can ever experience is our own consciousness.
Having said that, we cannot force ourselves to experience the world as if in a dream which is how real sages experience the world. To them the waking world is no different from a dream, only longer. Its not just a concept or an idea, but really experienced as such.
This transition will only happen when the ego is totally dissolved. When the ego is destroyed, whatever it has constructed will be destroyed too. Chief among these is the belief in the physical reality of the world.

[RT-frtn]

Thank you Rupert for explaining it so well... and for being so candid that you too had grappled with it 😉. I struggle with it 🤦‍♀ and this really clarified with the screen metaphor. Thank you for posting this 🙏 Rima

[WillDanceAloneU]

Simply. Beautiful. God distilled in a few minutes: "Wherever you look, right there is the face of god." And what is looking, too, is god. For there's no-thing looking. And no-thing being looked at.