Jadespear

...would you care to elaborate on what exactly one of these pieces is? I am thinking literally here... not figuratively. For instance... a proton is not a neutron. A proton is not the entire universe, neither is a neutron. An atom is made of both... ... why does it seem like everyone on this website seeks to mostly postulate their weird abstract ideas...? Taosim is not abstract and weird from what I understand about it. Its actually the most practical philosophy of life that I know.

Yes I do in the sense that one has to be reliant upon one's own understanding and inquiry. If one is not... then one is constantly trying to reconcile previous ideas with what one is faced with... which maybe illuminate the truth, but it's just harder that way. It's much easier to understand things in your own way, is all I was trying to say. And that, it doesn't matter what anyone says about what you realize, what you see, what you understand in the sense that you are your own authority on yourself... and everything else. Yes - I learn from other people in all things, but only to eventually incorporate their knowledge into my own understanding. ...what is there to inquire on, when you see, feel, and hear everything for yourself? We are born self honest and reliant. There is nothing really to do in this sense... unless one is so stupid as to be led by others in all matters their entire lives...

....Can anyone recall a beginning - " The tao that can be named, is not the true tao." ... perhaps there is something eternal about this statement.... something apart from all intellectual activity... something intrinsically true. In my opinion, the tao is a lot like science. It doesn't matter what you believe, think, say or do. It is what it is. It cannot be changed... named, placed, or shown... yet it is everywhere, waiting, moving, and ending; revolving and evolving. peace be with you.

There is no hope or anypoint into inquiring into these types of ideas without 100% self honesty and self reliance. It does not matter what anyone says at all... every system of though, religious, political, universal etc... may contain and highlight aspects of the whole... but are those little pieces, the whole picture?

...wouldn't it be helpful in approaching understanding "universal" subjects by first identifying common patterns, ideas, or cycles that we can see occur around us and within us? Like for example.... the cycle of birth and death - how they are interlinked continuously, or the relationship between time and space - how time changes space. Or how about the only true story of all created phenomenae - everything is created, everything sustains for awhile, everything decays at the end. ...these I think are a few of the universal themes. Also could be the law of attraction.... how we attract things to ourselves.

...I don't know what you are exactly talking about... I don't believe that being human means that I am dysfunctional... It seems like you are referring to "society" not humanity. And the word dysfunctional - carries the opposite reflected meaning, in that when you say something is not functional "dysfunctional" , you are saying it is not functioning in the way it is supposed to. Are people supposed to function in any way? Is there anyway in which to judge something's functioning? Yes. Of course there is. Being what we call " human" is meaningless unless one can actually describe the differences between a human and everything else. The differences are pretty easy to see... The state of being alive as a human does not mean we are dysfunctional. Runaway greed, endless stupidity, etc.. in short all the ills of hierarchical based social platforms are dysfunctional in their attempts to take the place in providing for us what we do not need, by continual social brainwashing, and worker slavery. Every system of thought, every idea about what should be is what is dysfunctional in regards to that all these systems do not totally replace the real nature of what it is to be human, they obscure it, twist it, and bend it to their own biases aims and intentions. In reality, there is only what is, what was, and what can be.... we are created beings with a plethora of "spiritual" skills... that if mastered would render everything that society gives us - as useless. Think about it - what if you could live in extreme weather environments, materialize your food with your mind, absorb the energies of the universe to nourish yourself rather than eat nasty food. ... I think the main end goal of being a human is to become one of these " enlightened masters" because there is really no other way to evolve but higher, and there is really no other way to be able to see the real truth of things unless you are such a person who has "elevated" abilities.

...the tao that can be named is not the eternal tao... ...I feel the same in that there is a lot of information floating around with no easily understood goal with which it is ascribed to... however, I think the common thing that everyone no matter there "label" on themselves is - feels compelled to understand things deeper... I also think that it is important to understand true meaning of words. The word "enlightenment" was ascribed by a person to the buddihst term "awakened"... I also think that it is significant to see that human beings are often pattern seeking primates as well as beings that almost always attempt to subscribe or ascribe levels of power, intelligence, etc. to everything... in order to understand it in reference to themselves... ...The one thing that is true to everyone no matter what they call themselves is that they must live. All spiritual traditions basically are attempts at making the life experience more pleasurable and less painful...which is achieved in many ways... and everyone's cognizance and outlook on the facts as they are is their own opinion.... But the facts remain. ...I think that "enlightenment" is a term so often misunderstood and misused, to the point now where it shouldn't really even be used in communication. ...What "enlightenment" - I believe, originally described - was a person or being who literally had the light in themselves able to see the true nature of life and how it unfolds... or is determined... on every level of life... every level of nature... every level of mind... an "enlightened" one can see it all.....

...what is the goal though? ...what is the point of all this "cultivation" ?

Hi there, I have also been wondering about trigrams. I understand where they come from, but that is even more thought provoking... I read once that the trigrams are the outcomes of the a2 + b2 = c2 pythagorean formula. Where a and b are yin and yang energies... and the c is the outcome .... or the result which is symbolically expressed in trigrams and hexagrams... As to the original meaning I really don't know... but what I have learned through literary study is that the trigrams represent physical phenomenon and patterns of change that occur in our world... so because taoism basically puts forth the idea that everything in existence is an outcome of the two primeval energies and qualities of yin and yang... yin being passive or giving way, while yang being creatively pursuing, generating action, etc.. All the trigrams and hexagrams represent physical processes and patterns of yin and yang interplay, exchanges, or etc. So therefore, the trigrams are not always read from bottom to top or top to bottom... they are seen as a whole. Hence we have the titles for trigrams like - the mountain, the river, the heavens, etc. What I don't really understand is why the Pythagorean ( a 2 + b2 = c 2 ).. formula for a right triangle was used to divine the symbols themselves.... ???

...what is the aim of nearly every religion? ...can one be religious without seeking? The end behooves us all The path to the middle rides the wave of undoing.

I have all of Stephen T. Chang's books about taoism and love them. I find it very intriguing that he often pays tribute to a man called The Yellow Emperor, a pioneer of taoist healing. However, further research into the origin of the man known as the yellow emperor points to a possibility that he was a being from somewhere else in the universe who landed on earth for the purpose of spreading taoist healing principles and practices, amongst other things.... Have any of you heard of The Yellow Emperor, and does anyone know where he came from?

I believe that there are definite things that cannot be changed that determine everything in the universe. For your question specifically - the law at work is the law of karma, or cause and effect. The law of karma affects everything. One's cultivation is tied to this law, therefore the more causes you put into your energy work the more effects you will see... the truer and actually more tuned you become will of course bring about mental and physical changes within you but also within your life itself, or by the external world... that is being affected by you and responsive to the karmas ( actions ) you place upon it. ...everyone's practice can be quite different... some schools of thought believe in seeking the ultimate nirvana, while others devote themselves to healing arts for others, etc.. ...in the end, eventually even the ultimate nirvana will be boring to you... hence the beauty of reincarnation. To get a glimpse upon this fact, check out Robert Monroe's books.... he was an astral traveler , who saw a lot of the astral realm and encountered a place within it that was unchanging, superlatively blissful, and all pervading love. He enjoyed it, but then his mind arose... and he saw fit to find other truths throughout his travels. He eventually encountered The Creator on his "Ultimate Journey" which he describes in his book, " The Ultimate Journey ". ...simply put - the whole idea of looking for nirvana as the ultimate aim for oneself, may provide temporary happiness from an eternal truth, much like drinking wine.... wine is always good, it will always be good, it will never fail to provide you with it's good effects... but eventually the wine gets boring, and one's consciousness will gravitate toward the almighty and everlasting... simply because it is meant to do so by evolutionary ordained by divine providence. This is of course not to say that being engrossed in heavenly bliss ( stream entry, from the buddhist perspective ) or ( the tao ) is not awesome on every level... just that it is one aspect of subjective consciousness experience... which eventually is to be understood for what it is, a truth that is there.... waiting on us all, and then moving to push forward once again.... until we dissolve our ego-consciousness into divine providence, to serve each other upon the path of life and to evolve further and further...

...you should check out first and foremost what you mean by "ego". Because, if there is any fact that we can find solace in - it is that we are here, and because we are here, there is nothing "wrong" or unclean about us - in any way. ...The "ego" consciousness that we all possess exists for a purpose. It is not like some impure thing, that is to be discarded in order to see something better, or be replaced by something else....... because those things don't ever happen. ... the "ego" consciousness serves as one's focal point and frame of reference for all phenomenon. For - if you were no longer to exist with an ego.... you would not be. In order for you to exist and understand things as an incarnated being the ego must be present. There is no other way, or force, by which one could use to avail oneself of understanding with a point of reference. ... and furthermore - "consciousness" is the state of being of conscious. It is not everything. ..." consciousness" is a collection of elements, forces, and dynamics that are present in, move through, and alter that state. One's consciousness is for more or less of explanation - always in flux. You can't change that. It's not possible. So why try? ... so long as you have your own " ego " consciosuness the rest of the world and all phenomenon outside yourself may appear as separate from you, or in relation to you, or in contradiction to your ideas, or against you physically. All of these impressions are due to you and what you have put forth as true onto the field of actual consciousness. Anything that you think, do, or say, will come back to you as part of the cause and effect law of karma. ... there is absolute truth in our universe and the way it functions, there is absolute truth in your being, that is not changeable. ... it is the very fact of the presence of this absolute truth that religions attempts to reconcile and build an entire dogmatic belief structure around. it is the very fact of the presence of it - that beckons you to understand it. It is there. You are it, and it - is you.

... I have little exposure to the concept of Kabbalah. I do not even know what the word Kabbalah means... however I did read through all of Franz Bardon's " Key to the True Kabbalah" - and from I can understand - the kabbalah is the language of light, frequency, and vibration that writes the story of the universe eternally... meaning that kabbalah is a language of light which one could use to imprint cause into reality through the laws of sacred geometry - or quantum mechaincs, whatever you want to call it. I would recommend reading the Bardon book- because there is no need to learn the hebrew language to understand what he is saying. It is also interesting to me to see how the hebrew language was written out and how integrated it is with math, physics, and universal phenomenon.... I have not seen another language as equal yet.

.... dude - here are my thoughts - Before one use such words as God, Jesus, etc, in an intellectual inquiry - one must define what exactly these words mean to oneself. ... as to the truth of it - here are my thoughts; your attitude and views are in large part determined, conditioned, and probabalistic in their origin. I would suggest taking a step BACK - and looking at how you are defining things, as well as who you are ascribing cause too...

...something as specific as this is not able to fully understood through written word. ... however - to fully understand this particular phenomenon one should contemplate seriously; the actions of one's mental, astral, and physical state. ... you are saying that you " lose concentration" - what do you mean by this? - because mental activity is linked to astral ( psychic/emotional activity) which is linked to physical activity- which is something we all feel. I would suggest that you look at your entire being, and not just one part of it. The spiritual traditions that many of us follow are rooted in a lot of aspects. The way of concentration - is but one aspect of the larger understanding of things. ... when one is focusing mental energy, the other astral and physical energies show themselves to oneself - in order to balance out the mental activity through the mechanism of the absolute interplay of the 5 cosmic elements - being - space, energy, emotion, thought, and presence. ...

... what do you mean dude>???? .. how can you say who a person is? ...can you actually see this "pure light" - you are referring to? ...whats the point of you telling this to someone?

...thanks brother. ... I being a raised christian.. albeit not intense at all....... Wonder the same - and what I eventually conclude is that, all religion enshrouds the truth that is perceived with an explanation. Which is entirely ok, as is the natural way of understanding things..... but; however good of explanation it may be does not entirely explain everything now does it? ... for the real truth, the real way of things - is also explainable, because it can be seen, and experienced. However- the dogma of religions should be taken lightly in attitude and on the approach if one is to endeavor beyond it entirely. For, in religions one does find pebbles, pools, and streams of thought that one may connect with, BUT - how do they all connect?

.... .... .... ok..... explain something simply and clearly please. Because I disagree. The comprehension of something is not entirely tied to the way that one's understanding is communicated... especially somthing complex - like invisible energies and an entire historical saga of the world's history... could be explained simply, but the simplicity would most likely lack specific detail, and hence would therefore engender a prompt for further inquiry. Wouldn't one think?

Hello, I think that I may be able to guide you into understanding this approach for yourself. In order to fully understand this topic, you will need to be able to legitimately question everything that you already think you know, believe, and perceive. When it comes to talking about religions, I think that the first thing that must be understood - is how they come to be, why, and over what timeframe.... because, when you discover that mostly every religion has an origin, lasts for awhile, and then ceases to be around... until the next religion pops up again. Also - the use and meaning of words is extremely important- to know and understand this requires historical study. So now onto it - If you look at Buddhism, it is first and foremost an "ism"... which means that it is a philosophical observance of the state of reality, the world, existence, or whatever you want to call it, and the experience of living in it as an incarnated being. .... now the history comes in - at the time of the era of the Buddha, in eastern cultures, the word " God " was very seldom used if at all... buddhism as taught by the Buddha sage Siddartha Guatama, is not an entire all encompassing theory of existence in so much as it is a collection of perceptions, experiences, etc... that are all recorded in writing or verbal speech - that are aimed at solving the Buddha's question of ending " dukkha " or " dissatisfaction ".... because the Buddha does not care about beliefs, and nonsense information. The Buddha cared to understand how to live happily and at peace with oneself and the world at large.... therefore the collection of everything that came from what he intially laid down as the basis for his "dharma" or " rightful way ".... is in large part simply an expression of his experience. ...... so Buddhism - is not about worshipping anything at all, it is entirely different. Buddhism seeks to resolve all of the sufferings of life through understanding their origin. Because to the Buddha, that is what he thought needed to be shown to the world - not theories and beliefs that do nothing but cause more " dukkha"... ... So now delving into the 4 noble truths, and 8 fold path - these statements are the foundation of all currently held Buddhist's- or people who follow the teaching. What these statements basically lay out, and what is really cool to understand about them is that they were chosen by the Buddha, for a specific purpose. They are the foundation of an " eternal dharma " or an " always true, and useful way of going about achieving whatever needs to be done in the right and true way ". Because to the Buddha - "dukkha " will somehow always sprout up regardless of time.... the Buddh'as teaching can be applied at any point in time wherever for any being who seeks to live happily and free from "dukkha". ... So the practice of understanding the other questions that arise in the due course of pondering these concepts, is something that every person for themslves must see and realize, because no one can teach it. Which is also another reason that the Buddha's 4 noble truths, and 8 fold path are somewhat open ended to explore for oneself using whatever means or way they like to do... which in the end, becomes actual meditation... - I was raised as a Christian, and so I may be able to help you I guess... But here is the summary that I basically work with when contrasting and comparing religions - Taoism - extremely old, developed circa 5,000 years ago - began as philosophy and scientific inquiry developed into symbolic religion with a dogma of a pantheon of gods associated to nature. Original held effort of Taosim - flowing with the Tao... living according to the natural law on all levels of life. Tao literally meant " way " or " method "..... Tao has now come to mean " God ". Hinduism - extremely old, developed out of Vedic religion - began as consciousness practice or seeking to see what is behind or underneath the sensual physical world... to see into the substratum of life... purpose of use of suck knowledge - to know and understand everything to not be bound to one's own ignorances.... the presupoosition here is that true knowledge provides peace of mind because when the mind is seeking all the time....it causes pain. Fruits of the efforts of hinduism - many. Hindus - are people who attempt to increase what they call the " sattvik " vibration in themselves to move closer to and eventually "become" one with the actual creator of the universe. They attempt to increase the " sattvik" vibe because it to them represents and is actually truely the vibration of purity. The other 2 vibrations they hold to exist are " rajas " = action and passion, and " tamas" - ignorance and inertia. The rajas and tamas are seen as impure because they cause strong karmic bonds to develop everywhere in the universe. Hindus properly understand the doctrine of karma as the law of how actions come to be... Buddhism - developed around same era as hinduism. The sage Siddartha Guatama, was taught and instructed in ways of meditation by a hindu. Buddhism actually does not acknowledge or even attempt to correlate the existence of a " god ". Buddhism seeks to be realistic and understand everything in terms of causes and effects and dependent origination, so that people can live peacefully - not ever in competition with each other. ... Eastern religions do not use the word " god " in their writings... and this is the most important fact that creates the divide that one will see in how they are extremely different then western religions. Because if you look at Eastern religions, they are all basically aimed at achieving peace and understanding with oneself and the world... through consciously comprehending the nature of life itself.... not through worship, praise, and whatever else that is anything that is not actually knowing the mystery of happiness, peace, etc... Western Religions - Christianity, Muslim, Islam, Judaism - The biggest difference with all of these as compared to eastern religions is the truth the pose to you - monotheism. They have gods.... but eventually all the little gods... became thought of as "one" "god". - These religions came about in a place of the world that was very contested, violent, and volatile - the fertile crescent in Mesopatamia. The background of appeasement and prostration to "higher and more powerful beings " to aid the course of humanity heavily influenced all of these religions. All of these religions stem from the patriach of Abraham - a hebrew. ..... these western religions were used historically as a means to keep people under control by whatever means necessary. ..... In actuality - lots of religions and belief systems are used as a means to keep people under control... which is why they suck in that regard. So - as one can see, what is common to all of these " endeavors " - what is the point of religion? One will find, that each religion came from a certain place, and that environment and attitude of that place more or less determined what that religion would be... however - there are vast differences that have arisen through the involvement of humanity over time... that has in some cases totally lost all of the original meaning and intent behind what they were originally trying to achieve. --- So even further to the point - underlying all of the religions everywhere - is an attempt to see truth as a means to live harmoniously and in peace , or to blind people to the truth and enslave them into servitude to a false ideal, or whatever... .... the great yin yang action of what can be when certain information is used. ... I wonder when people will release themselves from the bonds of worship, conquest, and utter stupidity.

Lets break it down from beginning easy points of relativity and then venture further out. Point 1 - Everything in the universe is made from the same basic substances. Point 2 - Everything in the universe is capable of being known through enlivened consciousness Point 3 - Everything that is capable of being known, ( the entire universe itself ) is capable of being perceived by point of location ( relativity due to semi-placement of point of moving truths,,, ie. a person sitting perceiving another person walking by ) or by absolute instanteous apprehension through the physical senses of physical, astral, or mental sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell.... Point 4 - Everything in the universe exists at the same time, in the now. The actual now- is timeless, spaceless, and is always occuring everywhere. Point 5 - You are a part of the universe, a part of everything, and a part of everywhere no matter what you do. Point 6 - "Super" consciousness could be a state where and when you realize and are aware of your connection to all other things besides your physical body, where you actual truthfully realize the true nature of life operating, coming into, lasting awhile, and dissolving over and over again all the time. "Super" consciousness is also a term that I think relates closely to what Paramhansa Yogananda coined as " Cosmic Consciousness"..... being aware of what is going on elsewhere in the cosmos, by virtue of connecting your mind to the divine mind. When a person's mind crosses over it's "border" or threshold deeper into a person's soul this " super " consciousness state of cosmic connection comes to pass. Bordering on the "mind of the universe" - the cosmic absolute mind is very dangerous and is not like an achievement to be given a trophy for. " Becoming one with God" is not a game. And all those who see enlightenment as some kind of pinnacle of personal development may be right....... in that it is the pinnacle of an embodied soul...... however....... why is there life? How is there life beyond such a realization, after such greatness is achieved? .... is there? If there isn't then why would anyone search and work so hard to come to such a place where there is nothing else that comes before, or after?....... I don't know..... maybe it's because we all feel the need to do so.... because we are all super conscious, we are all a part of the stream of life. The " super" consciousness state is like being in the space of everywhere all at one time, being the stream, the tide, the sand, the sky, the wind, the sun, and the moon continuously. " Super " Consciousness people possess the following: 1. Omnipotence - they are all powerful, as they have the ability to do use any energy 2. Omniscient - they are all knowing of all that can be known. The future is not a realm of knowing. The future is a realm of combined law, probability and possibility energized with the qualities that create reality. The future of life can be gazed upon and interpreted, but never fully known, as all "knowledge" is of a past quality, of something that has happened, or that will most likely happen based upon certain qualities and criteria of circumstances 3. Omnipresent - they are capable of being in a state of awareness of all that occurs Notice how all of the abilities of a super consciousness endowed body all rely upon it's omnipotence. All upon the light and flicker of actually being, actually existing. By being connected to the seemingly infinite and eternal reservoir of energy all else follows.............

Shad282, on 21 Aug 2016 - 4:27 PM, said: Lets break it down shall we---- First question and inference you've made - the universe is an actual "thinking thing with free will that is somehow orchestrating the events of itself and all the beings therein...." ----- Is this based in any real world example that you can see? Your statements reflect more of a theological concept vein, where the universe is like " God" and that it is a cosmic policeman that is supposed to be bringing forth morally based things to you and everyone else...... IS tHIS realllllyyy the case?????.......... Events the are suffering and painful ---- why are they painful? Why do you think that the universe is conspiring against you or anyone else...? And why are you so blatantly denying the simple truth that there are events that occur that are beyond your control to change at your present level of awareness? " We create and control our own reality...." - Are you serious? Did you create yourself? Did you create the laws of nature? Did you create the birds, animals, rocks and trees, and everything else that makes up the physical world that we live in?............... come on dude. "Isn't the universe harsh..." ----- you mean "isn't everything that I don't like, not good, and unsympathetic to my current mindest, opinion, and views"..... .... Where are you going to get with this kind of nonsense thinking? .....unfortunate and absolute judgements on temporal circumstances and situations is quite foolish.... because they will change at some point. .... Yes - life can be hard sometimes, simply because you don't like it. Doesn't mean that the "universe" is mean like a person, or anything like that... just means that it would be best in those situations to attempt to enact the changes that you want to. Life circumstances change most often through long times of effort. Wars are fought by people to free themselves from circumstances they don't like. .... The world of human civilization that we live in is mostly founded on and sustained through greed, fear, stupidity, and exploitation.... this is a fact right now. However - it does not have to remain that way. You could change it, if you really wanted to.

Oh for sure....Jonesboy. I totally agree. I was more or less just pointing out the literal and semantic clarity of our statements so as to really understand their significant meanings..... As a matter of fact.... I journey the waves of awareness and consciousness myself and sometimes feel like a " god".... however...... "god" is just a word.... Something else to consider is that everyone who seems genuinely interested in these types of pursuits... the search for truth, understanding the universe, etc. etc. all seem to be naturally moving in that direction..... I think that says something about what we are..... Have you seen your soul? I feel like I have.... it was very very very strange and a powerful experience..... Where did that come from.... it came from god. Yeah.... seeking "emptiness" and whatever else is all good as a means to live peacefully, but really in the end does that do it for you? Is that all that people actually think, see, and live with? The literal "emptiness"...... I don't know.... maybe I don't understand it the right way or for what it's worth....I'm not a buddhist. or claim to be anything besides what I am. I can tell you one thing though.... when I saw my soul... it was not empty by any means.... we are beings of luminosity and brilliance.... we are not empty things in any empty existence... it's quite the contrary. And so is life itself !!! It's not empty, look at how beautiful things are?!?! Look at the cool complexity of how everything works in the universe?!?! It's not empty..... I think the emptiness that buddhism really talks about... is just the vacancy of our personalities, minds, and thoughts, on our existence or state of being...... like being absorbed or sitting in the pure space of the universe....of pure uncorrupted bliss.... ....That state is truely something beautiful and pleasurable....

...Yes. The concept of turning into " God", becoming one with " God " etc. are all nice..... however i do not believe that we necessarily take part in any kind of process to do it.... I believe we already are it. The methods, morals, and ethos of religions throughout the world and through history all have had an agenda. Even seeking to not have an ego and be good to everyone is an agenda. However - when in the course of the universe there does exist everything that people do not consider to be divine.... Now, being that as it may. Even if you physically or intellectually realize your self to be the equivalent of this " god"... that is a one time event.... If God is the universe, you are the drop, and now you have realized that you have all the same qualities, but you have limited use..... so long as you inhabit your own " consciousness". So long as you exist as " you " in a shape or form..... you can never be " god "... no one can ever be the actual " God ". Because "God" is everywhere in everything and is beyond time and space and form. I think you could exist inside of his existence, or as a part of it if you were to dissolve your little piece of consciousness back into the source of it - back into God. " Realized people " have very direct experiences of God, they have all sorts of knowledge about everything that is, and they have what we now call "super" human capabilities...... but all of this is just small part of God. " Occult abilities of just flowers of the tao, and the beginning of all foolishness. The master rests in the root, not in the flower."

.... ok now to answer your questions... leading physicists lead to suggest that even in inanimate matter there is dark energy. Energy that cannot be totally understood yet. It is everywhere throughout all existence. Most notably in space.... so there is even energy existing in blank space. How do you know that plants are not conscious? Have you spoken to our otherwise entered into the essence of a plant? Just because they are goal directed doesn't mean they are not conscious. In fact it points to the exact opposite. They are goal directed - or driven by instinct because they posess intelligence different from ours, to carry out their evolved purpose... absorbing light, transforming it into energy, and exhaling... it's like they are perfect little natural machines. Maybe you should check out the following link - http://www.pri.org/stories/2014-01-09/new-research-plant-intelligence-may-forever-change-how-you-think-about-plants The conscious that we generally speak of, could be called our "self-conscious" this is only one type of conscious I believe. Everything in existence is imbued with conscious qualities that allow it to understand and do something within the space that they are provided, find, or create for themselves.... ...Ah yes, the old " reality is an illusion, the world is an illusion, you and I, we are an illusion...concept". What the hell is this? I mean for real? An illusion is something placed upon a reality.... a real thing that exists. You and I, and everything else exists.... there is no illusion. The only illusion that I believe people that talk like this are referring to, is the illusion that this world, that our bodies, that everything else that we can see is the only world, or the only place to be.... and also that we are somehow living out temporary experiences inside an illusory reality....which is only an illusion because it is placed up against our ontop of some " eternal " unchanging reality.... ....But are you an illusion? Pinch yourself and tell me you don't feel it. Think to yourself and tell me you don't hear it. Listen to the wind and tell me you don't hear it. Is the sun, the moon, the stars, everything that we see an illusion..... come on man.... this way of thinking is just not logical in the strictest sense of the word. Yes, things change, but just because they do doesn't mean they're not real for a time...nor does it mean that there could be or could not be something beyond what we can currently see, hear, know, touch and understand.