--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Westerners view the physical world as the…" description: "\"“Westerners view the physical world as the operative reality and the unseen, nonphysical world as an abstraction (comforting or not, depending upon our..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7bb/thomas-hoover-24631_inner-spirit_westerners-view-the-physical-world-as-th_584246.jpg" --- # Westerners view the physical world as the operative… ![“Westerners view the physical world as the operative reality and the unseen, nonphysical world as an abstraction (comforting or not, depending upon our beliefs or immediate needs, the spiritual world is said to grow less abstract to those in foxholes). But Zen takes the opposite tack; it holds that…” quote by Thomas Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7bb/thomas-hoover-24631_inner-spirit_westerners-view-the-physical-world-as-th_584246.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7bb/thomas-hoover-24631_inner-spirit_westerners-view-the-physical-world-as-th_584246.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7bb/thomas-hoover-24631_inner-spirit_westerners-view-the-physical-world-as-th_584246.jpg) > ““Westerners view the physical world as the operative reality and the unseen, nonphysical world as an abstraction (comforting or not, depending upon our beliefs or immediate needs, the spiritual world is said to grow less abstract to those in foxholes). But Zen takes the opposite tack; it holds that true reality is the fundamental unity of mind and matter, inner spirit and external world. When life is viewed in such terms, there can be no success or failure, happiness or unhappiness; life is a whole, and you are simply part of it. There are no dualities; hence there is nothing to worry about. The result is perfect tranquility.”” [Thomas Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hoover/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Zen teaches that mind and matter are inseparable, so dualities like success/failure dissolve, leading to tranquility. **In simple terms:** Reality is unified mind and matter, no dualities. Key Takeaway Embrace unity, release worry. Themes mindfulness philosophy tranquility nonduality Mood calm reflective Type philosophical spiritual When to use this quote - meditation - stress management - conflict resolution - personal growth Key Concepts Zen unity holism Questions to Reflect On - How does seeing mind and matter as one affect daily choices? - What worries persist despite this view? A Different Perspective May overlook practical distinctions needed for decision‑making. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Inner spirit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inner-spirit/) [Mind and matter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind-and-matter/) [Peace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peace/) [Physical world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/physical-world/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Success or failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success-or-failure/) [True reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/true-reality/) ## Related quotes > [Zen takes the opposite tack; it holds that true reality is the fundamental unity of mind and matter, inner spirit and external world. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hoover/zen-takes-the-opposite-tack-it-holds-that-true-reality-is-the/) [Tom Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hoover/) > [ “Besides the Four Alternatives, Zen uses the Five Categories\[FN#203\] in order to explain the relation between reality and phenomena. The first is 'Relativity in… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaiten-nukariya/besides-the-four-alternatives-zen-uses-the-five-categories-fn-203-in/) [Kaiten Nukariya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaiten-nukariya/) > [It is my conviction that basic Reality is not all that perplexing. What seems difficult to assimilate are the manifold details of Reality, not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-matheson/it-is-my-conviction-that-basic-reality-is-not-all-that-perplexing/) [Richard Matheson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-matheson/) > [“The physicists called it an adjustment of quantum emphasis. But the effect was to change the role of the observer. Of you and me.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-lawrence/the-physicists-called-it-an-adjustment-of-quantum-emphasis-but-the/) [Mark Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-lawrence/) > [Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." 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If others…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/no-one-can-help-us-to-achieve-the-intimate-isolation-by-which-we-find/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) [Browse all 75 Inner spirit quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inner-spirit/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Westerners view the physical world as the operative reality and the unseen, nonphysical world as an abstraction (comforting or not, depending upon our beliefs or immediate needs, the spiritual world is said to grow less abstract to those in foxholes). But Zen takes the opposite tack; it holds that true reality is the fundamental unity of mind and matter, inner spirit and external world. When life is viewed in such terms, there can be no success or failure, happiness or unhappiness; life is a whole, and you are simply part of it. There are no dualities; hence there is nothing to worry about. 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