Page 195 - Matter: The Other Name for Illusion

The idea that we perceive the world in
our brains is not a philosophical speculation:

The true facts about matter are not something that has been discovered for
the first time, although it is true that in the past they were discussed only in the
form of a philosophical speculation. However, the facts have now been
scientifically proved.
Many thinkers, religious scholars and scientists throughout history have
brought this subject up and explained that we merely have experience of

copies of matter. For instance, ancient Greek philosophers such as Pythagoras,
the Elea School and Plato-with his allegory of the cave-have looked at the
subject from that aspect. Documents that have come down to us show that false
religions such as Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, and Taoism, as well as Judaism
and Christianity, two of the true religions based on Divine revelation, have all
discussed the matter. Prominent Islamic scholars such as Imam Rabbani,
Muhyiddin Ibn al-'Arabi and Mawlana Jami have also discussed the essence of
matter in the same way. However, it is the Irish philosopher Berkeley whose
ideas on the subject need to be given the most detailed discussion.

Berkeley said that we knew only the copy version of matter that formed
in our minds. He came in for fierce attacks from the materialists of the time
who believed that matter enjoyed an absolute existence, and who tried to
silence him by insults and slander.
However, because of the lack of scientific facts at the time when they lived,
neither Berkeley nor other thinkers were able to support their views with
empirical evidence. As a consequence, it was not possible for the matter to be

completely understood or widely discussed, particularly given the pressure
from those who held the opposite view. Some of these incorrectly evaluated the
truth they had discovered, and even though they came close to the truth, they
were unable to draw the correct conclusions. Others with hidden agendas tried
to drag the matter in a completely erroneous direction.

The Essence of Matter is a Scientific Fact:

In our time, however, "that we know matter as it is perceived in the mind,"
is no longer a matter of philosophical speculation, but has turned into a fact

backed up by scientific proof. Advances in the world of science have revealed
the functioning of man's sensory organs. As we saw at the beginning of this

Replies To Objections Regarding The Reality Of Matter 193