What is Phenomena?

Phenomena comes from greek word phainomai (to appear). From its root we are are to understand that it is something seemingly to be. One popular definition of Phenomena is

"any state or process known through the senses rather than by intuition or reasoning "

How can this definition be right ?

There is nothing known through the senses without the mind. A passive observation where mind does not interfere in identifying the observed, naming it or trying to raionalise the observation is indeed meditation.

Descartes believed that mind is got nothing to do with the phenomena contrary to Kant. Which indirectly may mean that a phenomena is independent of the subject who visualises it. It is easier to side on Kant because any phenomena requires an observer to know its very existance. Thus if the subject observing the phenomena is to be considered, the phenomena he sees is a two stage process.

1. raw data received through the senses
Due to physical deformity or due to the object not being observable of its true nature, due to the ambience of nature around it, there is a possibility that the received data itself can be corrupted either by the subject or thus the ambience through which the object is sensed.

2. interpretation of the data by the mind
Eventhough there is no deformity, the same thing under same circumstances can be seen either as a rope or snake , depending on the subject. A wrong interpretation causes illusion as termed by Adi Sankara as Maya.

3. Interestingly there can be no real data but mind is got the power to create, observe and interpret and this we can term as hallucination, naturally induced as in sleep or externally induced as in LSD and other drugs.

Kant thus describes the active observation and contribution of the subject in the phenomena and calls this transcendental ego. Eastern \Vedantic philosophy or that of Ramana Maharishi describes the state where a phenomena is observed without the mind or the 'I' factor involved which is called Self or Brahman. By Erasing the ego you can be a seer or a Rishi (one who sees things as it is ) without the involvement of 'I-see'.

Transcendental Ego - active observance of the mind
Erasing the Ego - passive observance without the mind