Death to the Heinous and Abhorrent Term, "Higher Consciousness"! Death!

[Sunstone]

Dearly Beloved RFers.....

It's October! And you know what that means, right? That means the time has rolled around once again for Uncle Sunstone's 13th ever "ANNUAL OCTOBER RANT AGAINST THE TERM, "HIGHER CONSCIOUSNESS"!

(Note for Pendants: This is actually only the second annual rant against the term, but I started numbering with 12 -- Twelve being my favorite number, of course, and because I can.)

Just so you know.​

......
[rant] "Heinous"? "Abhorrent"? "Repugnant"? "Detestable"? "Loathsome"? "Naughty"? No. No, none of those words will do. None of them are strong enough, shocking enough, venomous enough to fully express the profound nausea and revulsion that any sensible person must feel when she or he hears the term "Higher Consciousness". By the grace of al that is sacred and holy about Colorado's nude hot springs, I swear that term grinds one's socks to smelly dust!

Consider! Please, please consider! Consider a few of the reasons that the word "consciousness" should not -- should never -- be spoken of in such a way as to fundamentally associate the nature of consciousness with the nature of mystical awareness. Gods, but doing so is a travesty, a crime, an outrage!

• Consciousness comes with biases, numerous built in, genetically-based, cognitive biases, such as the confirmation bias. Does mystical awareness come with cognitive biases? No? Then why on earth call the two things mere variations of each other? Huh? Huh?

• Consciousness is a lens through which the world is experienced. Like all lenses it at least somewhat alters, somewhat distorts what passes through it. For instance, the world as seen through consciousness contains ranks. Somethings are seen as superior to others. Somethings are seen as inferior to others. This perception of the world as involving superior and inferior things is not born out by physics. There is absolutely no natural property of matter that intrinsically ranks one configuration of matter as superior or inferior to any other configuration of matter. Yet almost the moment an object comes into consciousness, consciousness is on one level or another ranking it! How arrogant of consciousness to presume to rank an intrinsically unranked reality! How cheeky! Does mystical awareness rank things? Absolutely not! But then why, why on earth call mystical awareness a form or variation of consciousness? Why?

• Consciousness is essentially, fundamentally inhibitory. Information does not merely pass through consciousness, but is reduced in both quality and quantity as it passes through consciousness. Consciousness is, as Aldous Huxley called it, "a reducing valve". Is mystical awareness "a reducing valve"? Lands no! Mystical awareness is an expansion of awareness. An expansion! The very opposite of consciousness. But then why on earth call mystical awareness a species of consciousness?

We could easily, you and I, go on and on and on here about the differences between consciousness and mystical awareness. On and on. But already I have made my point. Already my blood pressure has exceeded the lawful limits for a fake, pretend rant. Already my Victoria's Secrets ladies lace-thong panties are twisted in a knot.

In sum, if there is any -- any -- term in the world's languages with more likelihood of stopping a bull elk in its tracks, stunning a black bear, or causing a soaring eagle to fall from the heavens, I am clueless of what that other term might be. To witness the use of "higher consciousness" is to witness a train wreck. Nay! It is to witness no mere train wreck, but rather the "Great Derailment of '89" when the Southern Pacific 109-car coal train out of Salida, Colorado skipped track off the Royal Gorge Bridge and plummeted 1014 feet into the Arkansas River far below. It is to witness THAT train wreck.

Don't do it! Just don't use "higher consciousness" when you mean "mystical awareness". Think of the children! Think of the domestic animals! In your heart, you know I'm right. [/rant]



And Now -- in a futile effort to make it up to you for insufferably ranting at you... a tune

 

[Terese]

Your argument against the existence of 'higher consciousness' is quite sound. I agree that a higher consciousness would not exist per the examples of your thread but a 'mystical awareness'. Thank you for detailing the difference between consciousness and awareness also

Though i am a bit confused about the nature between the subconscious and mystical awareness. Is it the same or different?

 

[LuisDantas]

Oh, @Sunstone , now as ever, you are a person after my own heart.

Who else could possibly understand my holy need to froth at the mouth against silly abstract concepts with barely any meaning?

 

[Sunstone]

Though i am a bit confused about the nature between the subconscious and mystical awareness. Is it the same or different?

Excellent question, Terese. Excellent question.

Let's talk about three forms of awareness. Subconscious awareness, conscious awareness, and mystical awareness. These three forms of awareness are all different from each other. So, yes, subconsciousness is indeed different from mystical awareness.

Subconscious awareness is that awareness we might have of, say, a tree that we are not consciously aware of having of the tree. There exists a sense of self in subconscious awareness.

Conscious awareness is that awareness we might have of a tree that is self-reflexive -- that is, we are aware of being aware of the tree. There exists a sense of self in conscious awareness, albeit it is not quite the same sense of self as exists in subconscious awareness.

And mystical awareness is a very rare form of awareness that is neither subconscious nor conscious. There is no sense of self in mystical awareness.​

None of these forms of awareness is superior or inferior to any other form of awareness, but "we ourselves make it so". It is a trick or bias of conscious awareness that it ranks things as superior or inferior. Thus, to speak of mystical awareness as "higher consciousness" is to speak of mystical awareness from the viewpoint of consciousness -- which is what ranks things as higher or lower.

I hope that helps.

 

[crossfire]

I'm thinking what you are calling "consciousness" here actually refers to vedana instead of vinnana. See pratityasamutpada for more. I could be mistaken, however.
Pratītyasamutpāda - Wikipedia

 

[Sunstone]

I'm thinking what you are calling "consciousness" here actually refers to vedana instead of vinnana. See pratityasamutpada for more. I could be mistaken, however.
Pratītyasamutpāda - Wikipedia

Neither category is a perfect fit for what I mean by consciousness.

 

[Valjean]

I love Buffy....

 

[lewisnotmiller]

Is the OP #woke about higher consciousness?
And does the above sentence cause offence to the Gods of Plain Speaking?
(Also known by the name Bob)

 

[Sunstone]

Is the OP #woke about higher consciousness?

I neither use nor understand "woke".

 

[lewisnotmiller]

I neither use nor understand "woke".

Me either. But Higher Consciousness and Mystical Awareness are somewhat elusive also.
Still, perhaps seeking is more important than attainment.

 

[Sunstone]

But ... Mystical Awareness [is] somewhat elusive also.

Not as I use the term. To be sure, a person must have a working brain to understand my meaning. But otherwise, I have "mystical awareness" rather precisely defined.

 

[lewisnotmiller]

Not as I use the term. To be sure, a person must have a working brain to understand my meaning. But otherwise, I have "mystical awareness" rather precisely defined.

'Tis not the concept of mystical awareness I refer, but rather it's attainment.
And I speak only for myself.

(Apologies, it's been a long day, and I appear to be in a somewhat ill-aimed mischievous mood.)

 

[Heyo]

Though i am a bit confused about the nature between the subconscious and mystical awareness. Is it the same or different?

There is no such thing as a subconscious. You are either conscious of what you are doing or you are unconscious.

 

[Sunstone]

There is no such thing as a subconscious. You are either conscious of what you are doing or you are unconscious.

Glad to know tens of thousands of psychologists and neuroscientists are mistaken.

 

[Quagmire]

So that's how that's spelled.

I always thought it was "hire consciousness" as in "pay to have someone do your thinking for you".

 

[leov]

Dearly Beloved RFers.....

It's October! And you know what that means, right? That means the time has rolled around once again for Uncle Sunstone's 13th ever "ANNUAL OCTOBER RANT AGAINST THE TERM, "HIGHER CONSCIOUSNESS"!

(Note for Pendants: This is actually only the second annual rant against the term, but I started numbering with 12 -- Twelve being my favorite number, of course, and because I can.)

Just so you know.​

......
[rant] "Heinous"? "Abhorrent"? "Repugnant"? "Detestable"? "Loathsome"? "Naughty"? No. No, none of those words will do. None of them are strong enough, shocking enough, venomous enough to fully express the profound nausea and revulsion that any sensible person must feel when she or he hears the term "Higher Consciousness". By the grace of al that is sacred and holy about Colorado's nude hot springs, I swear that term grinds one's socks to smelly dust!

Consider! Please, please consider! Consider a few of the reasons that the word "consciousness" should not -- should never -- be spoken of in such a way as to fundamentally associate the nature of consciousness with the nature of mystical awareness. Gods, but doing so is a travesty, a crime, an outrage!

• Consciousness comes with biases, numerous built in, genetically-based, cognitive biases, such as the confirmation bias. Does mystical awareness come with cognitive biases? No? Then why on earth call the two things mere variations of each other? Huh? Huh?

• Consciousness is a lens through which the world is experienced. Like all lenses it at least somewhat alters, somewhat distorts what passes through it. For instance, the world as seen through consciousness contains ranks. Somethings are seen as superior to others. Somethings are seen as inferior to others. This perception of the world as involving superior and inferior things is not born out by physics. There is absolutely no natural property of matter that intrinsically ranks one configuration of matter as superior or inferior to any other configuration of matter. Yet almost the moment an object comes into consciousness, consciousness is on one level or another ranking it! How arrogant of consciousness to presume to rank an intrinsically unranked reality! How cheeky! Does mystical awareness rank things? Absolutely not! But then why, why on earth call mystical awareness a form or variation of consciousness? Why?

• Consciousness is essentially, fundamentally inhibitory. Information does not merely pass through consciousness, but is reduced in both quality and quantity as it passes through consciousness. Consciousness is, as Aldous Huxley called it, "a reducing valve". Is mystical awareness "a reducing valve"? Lands no! Mystical awareness is an expansion of awareness. An expansion! The very opposite of consciousness. But then why on earth call mystical awareness a species of consciousness?

We could easily, you and I, go on and on and on here about the differences between consciousness and mystical awareness. On and on. But already I have made my point. Already my blood pressure has exceeded the lawful limits for a fake, pretend rant. Already my Victoria's Secrets ladies lace-thong panties are twisted in a knot.

In sum, if there is any -- any -- term in the world's languages with more likelihood of stopping a bull elk in its tracks, stunning a black bear, or causing a soaring eagle to fall from the heavens, I am clueless of what that other term might be. To witness the use of "higher consciousness" is to witness a train wreck. Nay! It is to witness no mere train wreck, but rather the "Great Derailment of '89" when the Southern Pacific 109-car coal train out of Salida, Colorado skipped track off the Royal Gorge Bridge and plummeted 1014 feet into the Arkansas River far below. It is to witness THAT train wreck.

Don't do it! Just don't use "higher consciousness" when you mean "mystical awareness". Think of the children! Think of the domestic animals! In your heart, you know I'm right. [/rant]



And Now -- in a futile effort to make it up to you for insufferably ranting at you... a tune

i know that HC exists, it is on a quest to bring human consciousness to its own level where everything may co- exist.

 

[Sunstone]

So that's how that's spelled.

I always thought it was "hire consciousness" as in "pay to have someone do your thinking for you".

Darn it! Did you really need to remind me Rick I am three months behind paying the Sri Lankan child labor sweatshop that writes my posts on this Forum for me?

 

[Sunstone]

i know that HC exists, it is on a quest to bring human consciousness to its own level where everything may co- exist.

Can you elaborate on what that has to do with the OP or this thread, please?

 

[PureX]

I think you're way over-thinking these terms. "Higher consciousness" could simply refer to an expanded realm of consciousness. As in being consciously aware of a greater range of inter-connection within the world around us, and/or with and to us. Whereas "mystical awareness" could simply refer to our being aware of our own conscious "bias" to the degree that we can recognize is as it is occurring. For example, we become consciously aware of the 'me/not me' bias in the way our brain works such that it becomes a part of the field of 'the observed'.

 

[leov]

Can you elaborate on what that has to do with the OP or this thread, please?

it can not be dead, it exists.