'I' is knowing your aware. Another way of putting it, being aware that your aware. It's a trick of the mind.
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What came before the Big Bang?
- Thread starter yoda89
- Start date
'I' is knowing your aware. Another way of putting it, being aware that your aware. It's a trick of the mind.
godnotgod
Thou art That
godnotgod
Thou art That
Agreed.... what the.....
So the deal is this: you don't need "I" for consciousness to exist.
Well thats not how any of the definitions read so I dont know about that. Consciousness means something specific that plants single cells or rocks don't have. What is described is just awareness which is why I likeithe term pure awareness, awareness minus the self.
Thief
Rogue Theologian
The same item that keeps asking .....what is 'I'?
godnotgod
Thou art That
You really have got to ignore the definitions, as they are created by other deluded "I"s, and put forth in all seriousness. You need to find this out for yourself, and it takes time. The single most important thing in doing so is to pay attention to how the mind works. Then, one day, you will actually catch it inventing itself as "I". You see, the problem is that we think it is we who have this thing called consciousness, and that is why you say what you do about rocks, plants, etc. You think there must be an agent of consciousness called "I", but in reality, "I" cannot exist without consciousness. Once you find out that "I" is the illusion, and consciousness the sea from which it springs, you will have a different view. Once you learn to see without an "I" that sees, it will be seen that consciousness is what remains, pure and constant. It is consciousness which sees, not "I". You, rocks, plants, single cells all are a total action of a conscious universe. We only fool ourselves into thinking that it is we who are the doers. That is the ego talking. Once the ego is quieted down, another force comes into play. Zennists call that force 'Big Mind'. But because of the constant noise and clamor for attention of the ego, Big Mind is not readily apparent. It only comes into play when conditions are right, and 'monkey mind', as the thinking mind is called, must be subdued, not by force, but by non-attachment, so that it becomes quiet of its own accord, like mud settling in a pond, thereby allowing a clear view.
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godnotgod
Thou art That
Thief
Rogue Theologian
Well. That is not what is meant by Consciousness in Vedanta.
Consciousness without Being is meaningless a d Being without Consciousness is no Being.
Pray tell me what you mean by 'Being' in your Avatar line?
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That is because there is a confusion in mind between "i am this body" awareness and "i am" awareness.
"I am" awareness is fullness (some also call it emptiness). It being dense and without partition, it is not "i am this body" awareness.
Those who are slumber-less Seer of deep sleep, know that infinite, blissful, desireless, and timeless, awareness as one's nature (called prajna in sanskrit). Knowing this, Vishnu says aham brahmasmi (I am Brahman). And it is not any different from "i am that i am" .
Confusion reigns because we mostly impose english language idea of "i am this body" on pre Word "i am". Without experiencing "i am" this may not be correctly intuited. Or one can meditate on deep sleep awareness, which is infinite, peaceful, and devoid of duality. Buddhists abide in same Prajna.
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Being is possible without consciousness. Being is a person or thing that exists or a state of existing. For example "We don't know how the universe came into being". Everything is being what it is. Being is a fact of existing in a state of time which doesn't require any action.
I like the term wu wei from Tao which is often referred to as "non-doing" and wu wei wu as "effortless doing". The true effortless doing is without ego or even thought.
What your saying is consciousness is what I am referring to as things being. All things are being without need for thought and is desireless, is of the true nature, the essence of existing. 'I am' is close but at the same time is a recognition of self.
"I am" doesn't have to mean consciousness,
consciousness doesn't mean one is totally awake to know one's awareness,
consciousness doesn't mean one is totally cognizent of one's surroundings,
consciousness doesn't mean one is totally conscious of one's existance,
consciousness doesn't mean one is totally aware of one's gnosis,
but it helps.
~
'mud
consciousness doesn't mean one is totally awake to know one's awareness,
consciousness doesn't mean one is totally cognizent of one's surroundings,
consciousness doesn't mean one is totally conscious of one's existance,
consciousness doesn't mean one is totally aware of one's gnosis,
but it helps.
~
'mud
I hate to be a bother but would you mind pointing to what definition of consciousness your using. Just so I know we are speaking the same language.
hey Idav,
I guess you caught the misuse of the word, didn't you ?
I guess you're conscious then, but what does the word really mean ?
In reference to the "I am" expression of existent "being",
what is consciousness, or existence ?
~
I think this is an example of "word salad"
~
'mud
I guess you caught the misuse of the word, didn't you ?
I guess you're conscious then, but what does the word really mean ?
In reference to the "I am" expression of existent "being",
what is consciousness, or existence ?
~
I think this is an example of "word salad"
~
'mud
Then i better stop.
All provocative questions to say the least.hey Idav,
I guess you caught the misuse of the word, didn't you ?
I guess you're conscious then, but what does the word really mean ?
In reference to the "I am" expression of existent "being",
what is consciousness, or existence ?
~
I think this is an example of "word salad"
~
'mud
Not at all. I am plenty curious how people mean the word cause the eastern types use it plenty so it is always helpful.
This is where eastern wisdom is different... And it becomes a clash of words.
Just a small example. For you deep sleep is an un-conscious state. But Vedanta teaches that it is actually dense prajna, dense consciousness, without any contrast or partition or a second, and therefore mind cognises nothing.
The Self Realised sage, on the other hand, remains slumberless and Sees its own infinite sea of consciousness, wherefrom dream and waking worlds emerge successively.
Mind is conscious in dream and in waking, since there is contrast -- beginning with division of the single infinite consciousness into an 'i' and a world.
But the "I Am" is the division-less awareness of the deep sleep that enlightened sages see.