We all see our lives and the world from                                      different perspectives depending upon our
upbringings, education, and life experiences. The word perspective comes from the Latin perspectum (ppp of perspicio), meaning to see through or examine. Our different perspectives are the ways each of us looks at life, that is, how we see and perceive life through our own eyes and minds.
Like our perspectives, our perceptions are individual too. For example, we may all say that on a cloudless day the sky is blue, but what I perceive as blue, another person may perceive as red (to me). We don’t really know what another person sees and perceives. We are all alone in our minds with our own perceptions.
It is with these perceptions of the mind that we are able to function on this physical realm, but it is the illusions of the perceptions of the mind, whether they be fears, prejudices, misconceptions, anxiety, brain injury, etc., that hinder us from seeing our inner knowledge and wisdom. Through self-awareness and self-study practices, we can learn to pull aside the veils of illusion and begin to “see the light” with our hearts, our consciousness, and our third eyes.
There is a lot of overlap in language between the meanings of “to see” and “to know.” A Shaman is one who knows and sees the spirit realm. Seers are prophets who have an intuitive knowledge of the divine. Buddha, which means one who knows, is the Enlightened One who sees the world as consciousness. Old Norse wise women were called spakona, seer woman. Etymologically the words vision and video also overlap with the meanings of knowledge and wisdom:
- Sanskrit: Veda – knowledge; vid – to know; vidus – wise
- German: wissen – to know
- Old Norse: Woden (the god) – inspired seer
- Old Irish:Â wat – seer
- English cognates: wise, wisdom, wizard
Seeing is believing and knowing. In the physical world, seeing with our two eyes and understanding with our minds allows us to learn and be productive in life. Beyond the superficial, practicing and learning to see from within, through the wisdom of our True Self, will allow us to expand beyond the limits of the physical world and become one with the vibrations of the light of All.
The Self, pure awareness, shines as the light within the heart, surrounded by the senses. Only seeming to think, seeming to move, the Self neither sleeps nor wakes nor dreams.
– Brihadaranyaka Upanishad
Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Do you have eyes but fail to see and ears but fail to hear?
– Mark 8:17-18
Through the Peacock's Eyes 
I have just begun my journey into Buddhism this past year. Your post is helping my understanding. I feel so much “suffering” in my heart today…I am trying to focus…and to be gentle with my heart…too much pain…
Just feel it so that you can understand it. It’s a process, often hard, but worth it! Blessings to you!
thank you…i am feeling it…that is for sure! …thank you for your thoughts! Namaste!
There is indeed a problem of language : to use it for a realm entirely different from the material one it is meant for. But you’ve gone ahead and made it work effectively !
The light in the heart is love; the one in the intellect is knowledge. To be true, they both need to authentic, authetically ours; but to be spiritually liberating, they would be infinite. The first, in the heart, is felt and perceived “vitally.” The second is known to the seeker still entangled in the mind, but in the process of disassociating from it, as a fruit to his quest.
That realm is of a totally different nature, with absolutely different laws !
Thank you Vam! Nicely stated!
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Thank you very much! Namaste!
thank you my sister
This is a wonderful post! Perception is subjective and I love the way you break this down – giving it a spiritual perspective. 🙂
Thank you! It was a bit challenging putting it together in writing, so I’m glad to hear the message is clear. Namaste!
thanks – I ‘see’ what yuu meant and see what you mean. namaste
Namaste! _/l\_
Lovely post. The journey with Self and God is the greatest adventure!
Good post! My native language is Polish and you might like to know that ‘widzieæ’ means to see and ‘wiedzieæ’ is to know, almost identical! I bet they were one and the same word once. Curious how languages reflect the inner wisdom.
Thanks for the added etymology! Yes, they are cognates with the other Indo-European languages. (My educational background is linguistics, especially historical linguistics).
A veritable smorgasbord of treasured thoughts and truths… Thank you for sharing them! Julianne you are a jewel in the crown of wisdom and sharing it! 🙂
Thank you!
The light that shines within the heart is something we do not see with our two eyes but only with our mind’s eye. There’s so much to soak into this post and I must say it’s good.
Thanks!