Existence Explained
EXISTENCE EXPLAINED The Science Behind Consciousness and Enlightenment And How To Benefit From It BY DAVID M REYNOLDS Preface We live our lives under the constant influence of thoughts, emotions, desires, and assumptions — many of which we never question. From the moment we’re born, we inherit a sense of “self” that feels fixed, solid, and in control. But what if that sense of self is an illusion? What if the stories we tell ourselves about who we are, what we want, and why we suffer are based on a misunderstanding of how the mind truly works? This book began with a simple yet unsettling realization: our brains are not designed to make us happy, to show us the truth, or even to give us control. They are designed to help our genes survive. Once I understood this — through the lens of biology, neuroscience, and psychology — everything else began to fall into place. In these pages, I bring together the work of leading scientists lik...