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CHAPTER 2 : THE REAL WORLD
What is reality? This is a basic question in traditional philosophy although postmodernists have all but given up this kind of quest. Here Guruji shows no such inclination and gives some uncanny possible answers. Remember that Jain philosophy is nonabsolutist in approaching this question. There is not just one timeless answer.
The idea that reality is formed by the interaction of matter and spirit is basic to the mystical or Gnostic viewpoint. In this sense, the so-called real world is never entirely what it appears to be since spirit or the hidden, unseen dimension of the physical world, is constantly surprising us. Without this uncertainty factor in life, experience would be less interesting.
The following stories express the surprise element in life which may or may not work in one's favor. You should "expect the unexpected" in these stories, as they say when you are travelling in India.
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