Who knows what is real and what is not
There is the relative plane and there is The Absolute.
The relative plane exists only because of The Absolute. Or in other words, the relative plane is a shadow… or many reflections of the Absolute.
Imagine God is looking at himself in a Mirror. The image in the mirror is not God, but a reflection of God. That image is the relative. So it’s “real,” but it wouldn’t exist without God… “We are made in God’s image;” think about how that applies.
The relative plane is all the physical and non-physical stuff of the universe, and the human “me” feeling; otherwise known as ego.
In the relative plane, there are many little truths. And the amount of perspectives on any given topic are only limited by the imagination itself. Imagine you and a friend or eating a new cuisine that both of you have never tried before. Your friend says, “it’s too salty!” You say, “it tastes great!”
Which one is it? Is it too salty, or does it taste great? How can you really know?
This is an example of two little truths. Your little truth is it tastes great. Your friend’s little truth is it’s too salty.
But how do you define what is Absolutely Real? What is the Big Truth?
When you ask, “who” defines what’s real? There’s a problem. “Who,” or a somebody, will not be able to define what is Absolute. Because the “who” sense is like the “me” sense — it’s egoic and doesn’t have the ability to know Absolute Truth.
So the person that knows what is really Real is the person that doesn’t exist.
When there’s no longer a “me” feeling, Truth is known. Even if there’s a tiny feeling of “me,” then there’s relativity. If there is no “me,” then there’s Absolute.
