Have you ever considered if it’s possible to experience the true external reality of the universe? You might be surprised to learn that colours, as we perceive them, don’t actually exist as such on Earth or anywhere in the cosmos. So, what do we see then? Aren’t the objects around us of various colours? They certainly appear to be, but what we perceive isn’t an accurate representation of reality. The human eye is incapable of perceiving external objective reality. Let me provide you with an analogy to illustrate this concept.

What is violet about ultraviolet?

Imagine you wanted to catch a glimpse of ultraviolet light. As we humans are blind to this range of the electromagnetic spectrum, we would need “UV glasses” to see it. As you peer through a pair of so-called UV glasses, everything takes on a particular hue depending on which wavelengths of the visual spectrum it is designed to trigger when excited by UV rays. So, for instance, the lens may show a violet colour. But what is the actual colour of UV light? Is it violet? Clearly not; if it were, the naked human eye, being sensitive to violet light, would see it. 

Consider another scenario: Imagine you wish to observe a micro species, such as an amoeba, using a microscope. When you view it through the microscope, its size appears enlarged. You cannot see the amoeba at its actual size, and you never will with the naked eye because our eyes do not have such a high resolution. When using a magnifying lens, you are manipulating light rays so that the image of the amoeba appears magnified, but certainly not the amoeba.  While you can calculate its proportions using mathematics, you’ll never directly perceive it in its genuine dimensions. 

Bother analogies, the UV glasses and the microscope share a common denominator: they serve as portals altering our perception. Similarly, in experiencing external reality, we rely on our five sensory portals: the eye, ear, nose, tongue, and skin. The mind acts as a sixth portal, but we’ll delve into that later. These portals receive signals from the external world, which are then converted into electrical impulses and transmitted through our nerves to the brain. As confounding as it may sound, these electrical signals don’t convey qualities like colour or sound. The brain processes this data and interfaces with the mind, which eventually perceives them as sights, sounds, smells, tastes and touches. For instance, if the signal originates from the eye, it results in eye consciousness, manifesting as the colours we perceive.

Can you perceive a photon? In reality, at the most basic level, what reaches your eye is a photon of light-carrying energy. Electromagnetic energy emitted by the Sun travels through space and enters Earth’s atmosphere. Countless photons strike every square meter of the Earth’s surface each second. Upon interaction with various surfaces and chemical arrangements known as pigments, they demonstrate fascinating behaviour. Pigments absorb this energy and emit photons at different electromagnetic energy levels, unique to their chemical composition. Your eye then converts these photons’ energies into electrical signals, transmitting them to the brain. The brain transfers this information to the mind, which processes this information, leading to the perception of colour. The colour we perceive is not the photon itself, as photons do not reach anywhere beyond the retina, let alone the brain in their original form. These photons of energy are reflected off an object. Pigments manipulate the amount of energy that is reflected by altering their frequency and/or wavelength. So, how can we see the object if we cannot directly observe the photons? Eye-consciousness is the mind which perceives colours. Therefore, we must understand that what we see is really what we perceive in our minds, never the external object.

How do we see different colours?

Our experience of the external world through the eye is characterised by a variety of colours, prompting curiosity about how this process occurs. When we examine energy, we often fail to recognise its dual nature as both a particle and a wave, a concept elucidated by the quantum behaviour of photons. The wave-like behaviour of photons collapses into particle form upon observation.
Scientists typically interpret energy in terms of waves. Light, understood as energy, is thus described in terms of waves within the electromagnetic spectrum. Within this spectrum, wavelengths ranging from 400 to 700 nanometers are considered visible to the human eye. These various wavelengths stimulate the colour-sensitive cones located within the eyeball, which come in different types sensitive to specific wavelengths. The three primary types of colour cones are sensitive to wavelengths corresponding to the perception of red, green, and blue.

However, the intriguing aspect lies in the combinations and mixtures of these wavelengths, which result in perceptions of colours that may not be immediately anticipated. For instance, the combination of wavelengths corresponding to red and green produces the perception of yellow.

Moreover, the combination of red, green, and blue wavelengths results in the perception of white, a phenomenon that contrasts starkly with the inherent darkness associated with red, green, and blue individually. It’s interesting to note that black is not considered a colour; rather, it’s the perception generated by the mind when no photons are received by the eye. Many surfaces we perceive as black are not truly black; scientists have even developed nanostructured black pigments, the deepest black known to date.

How do we see shapes?

If I were to pose this rhetorical question to you, could you divert your gaze from the article you’re currently reading, glance around, and describe something you see that isn’t a colour? In our visual perception, colours dominate; whatever visual data the eye gathers and transmits to the brain, the mind interprets it primarily in terms of colour.

Contrasting colours often give rise to distinct shapes; the resulting perception of colours conjures up various shapes, which we then identify based on our stored memories.
Surrounding us is a realm of energy, and our six sensory portals provide us with diverse perceptions of this energy. At times, our experience of external reality may diverge; neuroscientists refer to this as objective reality. The attributes we attach to objects—shape, colour, smell, taste—are all constructs of the mind.

Where does beauty lie?

What is meant by a beautiful face? The fundamental components of facial beauty encompass the eyes, nose, hair, lips, ears, teeth, chin, and cheeks, among other facial features. Each of these features plays a distinct role in defining beauty. However, colours also contribute significantly to facial aesthetics beyond these physical elements. These shapes emerge from the interplay of colour contrasts on the face. But does this property belong to the object itself - the face? No, it does not.

The eye captures raw data while the mind processes it to perceive colours. Furthermore, the collective perception of the mind augmented by information from the sixth sense generates shapes and experiences beauty in the processed image. It’s evident that what we see is an image, not merely an object. Beauty, thus, is an output of the mind—it is subjective. This explains why individuals have varied tastes in life.
For instance, the dress or shirt you buy for your fiancé might not hold the same beauty for them as it did for you when you purchased it. Many exchanges occur in shops due to such differences in perception.
When it’s argued that beauty doesn’t emanate from the object and is a hallucination of the mind, many people question why they commonly experience beauty in particular objects. They might wonder why the majority find the picture of the Mona Lisa beautiful. While it’s possible to explain such common perceptions based on shared views, my question is: If beauty truly resides in the object, why do some individuals fail to see it? Shouldn’t everyone perceive the beauty of the Mona Lisa? Why do some not?

In mathematics, to disprove a statement, one must provide just a single instance where it doesn’t hold true. Conversely, a general argument demonstrating its applicability in any given situation is required to prove a statement correct. The hypothesis that beauty resides within the object can be refuted by presenting just one healthy individual who doesn’t perceive beauty in the same picture.

Why perceiving beauty is an issue

Recognising shapes and colours and associating them with memories pose no challenge. People inhabit a world where they not only create but also navigate a social reality. Being able to identify one’s mother holds far greater significance. Recognising danger through a loud sound is instinctive. Distinguishing between advice offered and a melody sung is essential for navigating this social fabric.”
Then, where does the issue lie? 

You may ask, after all, what harm is there in embracing beauty? Even when people understand that television depicts fictional characters, they still become deeply moved by movies. A cartoon character alone has the power to evoke tears. Iconic characters such as Mickey Mouse have gained fame and have been featured in numerous commercial campaigns. Nowadays, even though everyone acknowledges that three-dimensional movies and virtual reality are artificial, people still enjoy them just the same.

The brain consistently receives signals from neurons, and the raw data captured by the eye remains unchanged whether viewing a natural or virtual image. Consequently, the brain and the mind invariably undergo an effect. As a result, the mind cannot discern the naturalness or virtuality of the visual information processed by the eye. Unsurprisingly, people derive similar enjoyment from television and virtual reality as they do from real-life experiences, as the mind perceives them similarly in both scenarios. The mind process is complex and multifaceted, involving the interpretation of signals from the external world through the coordination of the eye and the brain. Let’s break down this process:

Firstly, it’s crucial to understand that the mind and the brain are distinct entities. While the brain facilitates the functioning of the mind, they are not synonymous. The mind can be defined as the process of perceiving stimuli from the external world. Stimuli refer to changes in energy.

The eye and the brain process raw data received from the external world, transmitting it as electrical signals via neurons. The brain, through its intricate network of neurons, initiates the mind with an initial signal known as Rupa, which is the primary object for the perception of colour. Vedana, Sanna, Sankhara and Vinnana, each a step in the mind process, contribute constructively leading up to perception. However, at this point, perception is limited to the mere identification of colour.

Multiple perceptions of colour, triggered by numerous Rupa objects, activate memories and associated information stored in memory. Neuroscientists refer to this phenomenon as the “Reverse inference problem,” where the mind begins with an outcome but must infer its cause. In the conventional world or social reality, the mind relies on memory to make educated guesses.

Crucially, the mind does not construct a model of the external world; rather, it constructs a model of its own based on past experiences. Memory categories are formed through repeated instances, grouping similar experiences together based on functional value rather than sensory qualities alone. For example, a currency note is perceived not as a piece of paper but as something with monetary value. Similarly, borders between countries and other societal constructs exist within our social reality.

Beauty is one such psychological category stored in memory, with each individual possessing their own memory categories to interpret beauty in any given image.

The unparalleled teacher of mankind, the Lord Buddha, shed light on why people perceive beauty and why it can be problematic. The eye does not seek to perceive; instead, the mind craves perception. When an object and the eye intersect, they evoke an effect often called colour consciousness. However, the mind doesn’t simply await the perception of colour or shape; it anticipates attributes like beauty or ugliness. Yet, mere visual stimuli of shapes and colours often fail to meet the mind’s expectations, leaving it in a perpetual state of yearning. This expecting mind isn’t merely a passive recipient of external energies but an entity filled with myriad expectations, craving the beauty it seeks.

The self-centric mind seeks fulfilment from within, although we now understand that beauty doesn’t reside in external energies. So, how does one experience beauty? Allow me to draw an analogy: Have you encountered individuals who display erratic behaviour in social reality? Consider a mother deeply attached to her son, who tragically dies in a car accident. Unable to accept the loss, her mind seeks to find her son in the world, only to be disappointed. Her mind, when faced with immense pressure and vexation, uses a very peculiar trick to conjure a hallucination, manifesting her son’s presence through another object, say, a doll. This desperate act leads others to label her as delusional.
Returning to the workings of the mind in perceiving beauty, we can now comprehend that beauty is not an inherent property of external images. It is a construct of the mind, driven by its insatiable desires. Similar to the plight of the grieving mother, the mind employs its magical capabilities to project beauty onto images, trapping itself in a vicious cycle of self-imposed expectations and illusions.
Upon closer examination of the mother’s situation, one can understand that the mind may spiral into madness in its pursuit of beauty. According to the Buddha’s teachings, those who experience the world’s beauty often harbour a degree of madness within their minds. The mother’s apparent happiness derived from her delusion is, in reality, a form of suffering rooted in the pressure created by her mind’s unreal expectations.

It begs the question: Shouldn’t we strive to help her realise the truth? Buddha, in his boundless compassion, guides those trapped by the illusion of beauty. Recognising that this pursuit is, in essence, a form of madness born from unreal expectations, one must strive to comprehend the nature of reality and the workings of the mind.
One must grasp reality’s true nature and the mind’s functioning to overcome this dilemma. The self-oriented mind’s unnecessary expectations can lead to madness, both on a mental (mind) level as well as a psychological (behavioural) level. By embracing the Buddha’s teachings on the cause-and-effect nature of the universe, we can embark on a journey toward understanding and liberation from the shackles of illusion.