Introduction:
Awareness: IT is That which is Absolute, fills all space, is complete in Itself, to which there is no second and which is continuously present in everything, in every being and everywhere. It is homogeneous in nature. It is known as “Brahman in Vedanta”
Awareness is pure Consciousness.
There is no full proof scientific definition of Awareness in general.
Awareness is that, in which all experiences appear. It is that with which all experiences are made.
The common name is “I ” or “Self”. According to Vedas (Sacred Texts of ancient India), Brahman is Infinite being. All these refer to “THAT” in which experience appears. With which it is known and out of which it is made. Conventional view is that our thoughts and feelings, perceptions appear in ourselves through awareness.
Please read the following Paragraph carefully:
If we observe carefully, we will see these thoughts appear in some kind of Field. They appear in that space. Consciousness is not though a space but say a field or space like. Now may we close our eyes and allow our thoughts to move freely wherever it goes according to previous experiences. Think for a moment. It can be observed minutely. Does my attention ever leave the field of Awareness? Thoughts inside “I AM” and sound outside “I AM” are not separate. They are linked. Allow our attention to go wherever it goes and have a single question. Does ever my attention leave the Awareness? Try to leave the field out. Imagine out of box now, such as that experience which you have not experienced earlier. or remember that you landed on the Mars. New sets of perceptions appear. Now, are these new perceptions inside Awareness or outside Awareness? Is there any feeling, perceptions outside Awareness? Can we leave our Awareness where there is no feeling?
Now question arises. Q-1) What is the nature of Universe? Q-2) How Awareness can be derived from matter? Both are contradictory. For question no. 1): Science do not ever acknowledge that we have answer. For question no. 2): How is Awareness derived from Matter (from brain arises consciousness…but brain is matter). We presumed that the stuff called matter is Universe and then we ask how Awareness derived from matter. Now, the question is how the Universe has come up?
Awareness is our experience.
Now therefore, Awareness is our subject to be known, the field of study. We are aware of what we have experienced. What is the nature of that knowing that is more important. Until we know the nature of knowing with which our experience is known, or until we know the nature of the Awareness where our experience appears we cannot know anything that is true about the body, mind and beyond.
We must first know what the nature of Awareness is.
Now if we ask ourselves” Am I aware”? Then comes the answer “yes”. There is some gap between two thoughts. What happens is that after putting the first question “Am I aware” question makes some pause and ask the system to get the reply and there it collapses and reply the answer “yes”. During this gap of time, awareness tests itself momentarily. In the pause between the question, I am aware that I am aware. Awareness knows itself. That is the pause, and it is Awareness itself who replies yes, I am aware. I AM AWARE THAT I AM AWARE.
“No mind” : What is it?
Think of that which is not objective and see.
Awareness recognizes its own Being. Only awareness knows that it is awareness. No mind is the answer. Although thought is made of awareness only, yet it cannot know the stuff it is made of. Awareness is a field which is aware that it is a field adding a space like quality. It is empty from the point of view of objective. It is free from objective. It is like a screen of awareness where all the experiences appear. There is single Awareness (NON DUAL).
Awareness is fundamental:
We can say it is Universal Consciousness. It has no border, it has no shape, no form, not distinguishable, the single infinite, indivisible entity (The whole, the ONE).
Now, imagine a scene of dream. Dream breaks, then what remains in mind? What was in dream? Where is the scene seen? Seen by whom?
In the study of Awareness, there is a breakthrough by Upanishads: NON-DUAL VEDANTA (ADVAITA VEDANTA). It is not about mystical experiences too. It is about daily experiences like awaking, dreaming and deep sleep. Now let us apply some logical thoughts and investigate.
Vedanta is an investigation to find out who or what we are? When we will realize that we are not limited to this body of flesh and blood, but we are immortal Awareness.
It is a journey from not knowing to knowing. There are methodologies to understand, to establish logics. We may refer the text “DIG DRISHYA VIVEKA“ which has been written some 700 years back.
- We see the world through eyes. Eyes are distinct from what it sees. Here, eyes are the seer.
- I am aware of the eyes, that eyes are object. Mind is seer and eyes are now object. Eyes and mind are separate.
Let us think deeply. Mind is the observer of the body, because it observes through all sense organs. it is seer here. Let us observe Mind now. Mind itself which constitutes our thoughts, feeling, emotions, ideas are changing, which are never static. I am aware that whether,
- I am happy or not.
- I understand or do not understand.
- I like or do not like.
- I love or do not love.
- I hate or do not hate.
- I am angry or not angry.
Now that I am distinct from this Body and Mind. So, Who Am I?
Answer is:– I Am the Awareness. I Am the Witness of the Body and Mind. This Self, this pure Subject, is not an object. It cannot be known. I AM always Awareness, not something else.
When I am Body and Mind: Following lines are true for all practical purposes. But true Identity is Awareness means pure Consciousness.
The whole universe is our father; the entire universe is our mother:
Conclusion:
The knowing of consciousness with which we experience, cannot be divided into parts. Trace the “I” to its origin after removing all experiences to the essence of nature of our minds, we will land into same Consciousness. Our finite minds overlap, and we call that the outside world and part of minds which do not overlap, we call it that thoughts and feelings. Our minds are the elements of the Universal consciousness. We do share the world of same Consciousness.
List of Books: Recommended For Interested Readers:
- Thought As a System: By DAVID BOHM
- BIOCENTRISM: – How life and consciousness are the keys to Understanding the True Nature of The Universe: By Robert Lanza, MD with BOB BERMAN
- Beyond Biocentrism- Rethinking Time, Space, Consciousness and the illusion of Death. By Robert Lanza, MD with BOB BERMAN
- Entangled Minds- Extra Sensory Experiences in A Quantum Reality. By DEAN RADIN.
- Expand Your Consciousness through DAVID K MILLER
- QUANTUM ENIGMA -Physics Encounter Consciousness: By Bruce Rosen Blum and Fred Kuttner.
- Back to the Truth: 5000 years of ADVAITA by Dennis Waite.**
- THE TEN PRINCIPAL UPANISHADS: Translated by Shree Purohit** Swami and W.B.Yeats
- Brahma Sutra Bhasya of Sankaracharya: Translated by Swami Gambhirananda.**
- EIGHT UPANISADS -VOL-1 with commentary of Sankaracharya, Translated by SWAMI GAMBHIRANANDA.
- A-U-M Awakening to Reality: By Dennis Waite***
- Panchadasi: Swami Vidyaranya:
- Information available on internet.
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Nice write up on consciousness.
😊🙏🙏💖
So beautiful, so deep!
Thank you, Sir for your comments, which inspires me.
Regards🙏😊🤝
Simply put “Negate” everything that is born out of intellect and experience the immortal scion that is unknown, unexplainable except the experiential awareness. What remains there in lies the true essence of cosmic play. Aham brahmaasmi 🙏
Thank you so much adding your valuable insights. Your statement fulfils the essence of the Text. Negate everything and then what remain is THAT YOU ARE! Very happy to see your notes/reply/comment.
Best wishes.😊🤝🙏
👏👏👏🙏
🙏❤️😊🤝
Thank you so much for your reply.
Regards and best wishes.
ARUN from India🙏
“Awareness is pure Consciousness.”
Does this mean there is always feeling included?
🙏🙏Thanks
Feeling of happiness or sadness is not component of Pure Consciousness. All feelings appear in consciousness.
When the fluctuations of mind become still, then that still mind can be compared to Consciousness.
Please follow the explanations very carefully. Points to be noted are:
We see the world through eyes. Eyes are distinct from what it sees. Here, eyes are the seer.
I am aware of the eyes , that eyes are object. Mind is seer and eyes are now object. Eyes and mind are separate.
Let us think deeply. Mind is the observer of the body , because it observes through all sense organs. it is seer here. Let us observe Mind now. Mind itself which constitutes our thoughts, feeling ,emotions , ideas are changing, which are never static. I am aware that whether,
I am happy or not.
I understand or do not understand.
I like or do not like.
I love or do not love.
I hate or do not hate.
I am angry or not angry.
All above are expressions of our mind. These are wave of thoughts. So, I am aware of all the changes in my mind. Therefore, I am the witness of the mind. Hence mind is seen by Me. Evidently, I am distinct from the MIND. I am not the mind, but witness of the mind. Seer and seen are different. I am that who illumines my MIND.
Now that I am distinct from this Body and Mind . So, Who Am I?
Answer is :– I Am the Consciousness. I Am the Witness of the Body and Mind. This Consciousness Self, this pure Subject, is not an object. It cannot be known. I AM always Awareness, Consciousness, not something else.
The world is nothing but a mere vibration of Consciousness in space. It seems to Exist even as a Goblin seems to exist in the eyes of the ignorant. All this is But Maya. For here there is no contradiction between the infinite Consciousness and the apparent existence of the Universe. It is like marvellous dream of a person who is awake”.
Thank you so much for your questions.
Thank you