Oftentimes one hears or reads assertions that the mind or consciousness or spirit is the true reality and the physical or material world is an illusion, transitory, a fiction, a projection, an abstraction. This kind of thinking is common among many yogis, Buddhists, and New Agers in the mind-body arts. For example,
"The entire outside world is based on your thoughts and mental attitude. The entire world is your own projection." - Sri Swami Satchidananda, The Yoga Sutras of Pantanjali.
I fail to see the truth in these assertions. The world is much more complex, deeper, richer, fuller, and more enduring than me or my thoughts. Some parts of my "world" are indeed largely part of my own thoughts and attitudes. But, thinking that the "entire world" is my own "projection" is a pure fantasy. The world will go along just fine without me, my projections, my illusions, my dreams. The big, wide world is something that proceeds the birth and survives beyond the death of a single individual. Without the world (e.g., atoms, molecules, cells, organs, things ...) and my body, I fail to see how my thoughts, dreams, fantasies, or beliefs are even possible.
In my taiji, qigong, and yoga practice, I have found that my body and the greater world provide opportunities for many new and unexpected experiences that go beyond what I ever thought or imagined might happen. The world is real enough to stumble over, dance upon, fall down on, walk around, and breath in. These facts are proof enough for me that reality is bigger than my belly or my brain's games.
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