"It is very well to think about a definition of 'Reality', " said the Master. "The reasons for this are above all to understand 'control', and the various divisions of it. Then, also, in order to classify the whole and its parts, since ideation is classification."
"Is not the nature of Reality absolutely clear then, Master?"
"It is, to each of us, yet in a feeling way, not as scientific classification. Now, Ling, what is the 'Universe'?"
"The Universe is the ALL, the perceivable and unperceivable that exists at this moment."
"A good definition indeed. You know, of course, that perception = idea + reception. Yet, in speaking of 'exist', you implied TIME unobtrusively. Was there no Time, the Universe would stop being, in a flash. There would not even be a bang, big or small. Thus Reality seems to be (your) Universe, going on-, to be-, in Time. Reality, therefore, is a structure (the universe) during a time. It is not surprising that the same definition goes for Mind and Idea, because everything in the universe is so definable. The universe is a structure in time, making up the Reality. Clearly too, all Realities for different persons are slightly different, though not in this BEING aspect."
"Why is this Master?"
"The Reality of A, excludes A himself, the Reality of B excludes B, yet includes A. We may call each Reality as the 'Outside' of each person('s Mind), the Taoist 'that'. Each Mind (Ego) thus is a different 'Inside', a different 'this', and each Outside is different in that it includes different Minds (Insides)."