When you ask a physicist what “ultimate reality” is like, he or she is likely to reply, “We can describe accurately, and that’s enough. The laws are the reality.” The Buddha does the same. He says, “This is the way the universe is. If you want to know more, go see for yourself.”

This is not heady philosophy; it has some surprisingly practical implications. One is that we see life as we are. The world of our experience is partly of our, own making, colored and distorted by the past experiences that each person identifies with a personal ego. My relationship with you is not with you as you see yourself, but with you as I see you: a waxworks creation in my mind. As a result, two people can share the same house and literally live in different worlds.