**Abhasa** is a sanskrit term for "appearance" in the context of conscious experience. It holds two meanings, the phenomenality of sensation, and the circumstances of one's life. As a component of [[Consciousness]], abhasa is closely related to the concept of *[māyā](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maya_(religion))*, the great cosmic illusion of reality. Whereas *māyā* refers to a universal force, *abhasa* refers to how things appear within their context, and how emotions appear in response to casual experience. Both terms imply that the true substance of reality lies beyond the immediate senses, but abhasa applies to personal interpretations while māyā applies to the whole. Abhasa is a useful concept for engaging with difficult emotions, for practicing cognitive [[Decoupling]] in intellectual exercises, and for addressing existential [[anxiety]]. Recognizing abhasa allows us to experience [[rang tsal]], the natural fertility of the mind. By doing so we can relax into the enjoyment of experiencing how thoughts and emotions ebb and flow within us, much the same as pleasure derived from sitting beside a stream. This is a state of being, rather than non-action. Acknowledging what is appearance and what is present provides a means for accessing [[choiceless awareness]]. %% ### a general theory of meditation * according to predictive processing, wherever there’s conscious experience, there’s an underlying prior, or expectation, that’s holding it up.