FROM A SITE VISITOR: Please explain consciousness as opposed to awareness. Thank you. Harish
F.: Hello, again, Harish. Now the discussion begun in Tuesday’s post will continue. In the no-concept, non-dual reality, there is nothing “opposed to” anything else, but the terms are pointers used in explanations of energy manifested, energy not manifested, pure energy, corrupted energy, and energy unmanifested. Know first, though, that since reality is non-dual, consciousness/awareness is not two, just as I Am/I Am That is not two. That said, “attributes” can nevertheless be pointed to for the sake of discussion and understanding.
In the consideration offered in the 1 May 2007 post, did you find an understanding in the “light analogy”? Those who missed the analogy can review this summary:
A storm approached; skies darken. Along a walkway, lights on posts came on automatically. Water puddled and the lights cast diagonal reflections that appeared to become a thousand smaller lights. The reflections were not the real light, were they? The appearance of a thousand different lights was also a misperception. The actual light fixtures in the background were the source of the perceived perceptions, but they are only a temporary combination of elements that happened as a result of human conduct. Ultimately, behind/beyond the light bulb and the supposed reflections and the supposed smaller lights was a form of energy that actually allowed the entire scene to happen.
In that analogy, the bulb temporarily Is because of human behavior, just as an act of friction involving two humans made possible the temporary Is-ness of the short-term manifestation of consciousness presently being called “Harish.” Because that bulb (consciousness) Is, the reflections seem to be. Yet neither the consciousness (bulb) nor the perceived reflections are real; that is, neither are That Which Is permanent. The bulb (consciousness) will someday not be as the elements combined as the space called "a bulb" will return to the pool of universal elements. When the consciousness (bulb) is manifested no more, then the reflections that only appear to be real will no longer be perceived at all. What remains? The energy that made possible the temporarily manifested consciousness (the lit bulb), which had made it possible for false reflections to seem real and which made it possible for the false smaller lights to seem real.
That Which Is behind and beyond the bulb—the Awareness—allowed the consciousness to be temporarily manifested. The temporary manifestation of consciousness generated the temporary misperceptions. Thus: “Those alone who understand that I, the Absolute, am beyond the states of being and non-being realize my true nature, and all others are fools.”
Here's another analogy that might provide more clarify for some seekers regarding the nature of reality beyond Self-Realization:
Consider glue sticks. Happenings by humans result in elements being combined and result in the temporary manifestation of glue sticks. Glue can be described as “sticky” but, ultimately, “stickiness” is why it can be sticky. Similarly, Consciousness is what allows consciousness of to happen, but Awareness is why the Consciousness can happen. (To extend the metaphor, and possibly the understanding, Awareness is the “stickiness” that allows the sticky glue of Consciousness to happen. The sticky glue is temporary; "stickiness" is the nature of the glue that is eternal.)
NOTE: The full treatment of this subject matter is book-length. All aspects of Consciousness/Awareness are explained completely in the soon-to-be-released book, CONSCIOUSNESS/AWARENESS: The Nature of Reality Beyond Self-Realization (Peace Every Day When Abiding as The Absolute). For now, here’s an excerpt from the book, which is only for those who have already Self-Realized. The “glue stick” passages might provide some clarity for you:
Realize that glue, while a temporary combination of physical elements, has no independent and eternal existence apart from that fundamental background of “stickiness.” Similarly, Consciousness, while manifested via a temporary combination of physical elements, has no independent existence apart from its fundamental background of Awareness.
To illustrate, look at this picture taken from a window of the apartment used during stays in Tuscany:
F.: Hello, again, Harish. Now the discussion begun in Tuesday’s post will continue. In the no-concept, non-dual reality, there is nothing “opposed to” anything else, but the terms are pointers used in explanations of energy manifested, energy not manifested, pure energy, corrupted energy, and energy unmanifested. Know first, though, that since reality is non-dual, consciousness/awareness is not two, just as I Am/I Am That is not two. That said, “attributes” can nevertheless be pointed to for the sake of discussion and understanding.
In the consideration offered in the 1 May 2007 post, did you find an understanding in the “light analogy”? Those who missed the analogy can review this summary:
A storm approached; skies darken. Along a walkway, lights on posts came on automatically. Water puddled and the lights cast diagonal reflections that appeared to become a thousand smaller lights. The reflections were not the real light, were they? The appearance of a thousand different lights was also a misperception. The actual light fixtures in the background were the source of the perceived perceptions, but they are only a temporary combination of elements that happened as a result of human conduct. Ultimately, behind/beyond the light bulb and the supposed reflections and the supposed smaller lights was a form of energy that actually allowed the entire scene to happen.
In that analogy, the bulb temporarily Is because of human behavior, just as an act of friction involving two humans made possible the temporary Is-ness of the short-term manifestation of consciousness presently being called “Harish.” Because that bulb (consciousness) Is, the reflections seem to be. Yet neither the consciousness (bulb) nor the perceived reflections are real; that is, neither are That Which Is permanent. The bulb (consciousness) will someday not be as the elements combined as the space called "a bulb" will return to the pool of universal elements. When the consciousness (bulb) is manifested no more, then the reflections that only appear to be real will no longer be perceived at all. What remains? The energy that made possible the temporarily manifested consciousness (the lit bulb), which had made it possible for false reflections to seem real and which made it possible for the false smaller lights to seem real.
That Which Is behind and beyond the bulb—the Awareness—allowed the consciousness to be temporarily manifested. The temporary manifestation of consciousness generated the temporary misperceptions. Thus: “Those alone who understand that I, the Absolute, am beyond the states of being and non-being realize my true nature, and all others are fools.”
Here's another analogy that might provide more clarify for some seekers regarding the nature of reality beyond Self-Realization:
Consider glue sticks. Happenings by humans result in elements being combined and result in the temporary manifestation of glue sticks. Glue can be described as “sticky” but, ultimately, “stickiness” is why it can be sticky. Similarly, Consciousness is what allows consciousness of to happen, but Awareness is why the Consciousness can happen. (To extend the metaphor, and possibly the understanding, Awareness is the “stickiness” that allows the sticky glue of Consciousness to happen. The sticky glue is temporary; "stickiness" is the nature of the glue that is eternal.)
NOTE: The full treatment of this subject matter is book-length. All aspects of Consciousness/Awareness are explained completely in the soon-to-be-released book, CONSCIOUSNESS/AWARENESS: The Nature of Reality Beyond Self-Realization (Peace Every Day When Abiding as The Absolute). For now, here’s an excerpt from the book, which is only for those who have already Self-Realized. The “glue stick” passages might provide some clarity for you:
Realize that glue, while a temporary combination of physical elements, has no independent and eternal existence apart from that fundamental background of “stickiness.” Similarly, Consciousness, while manifested via a temporary combination of physical elements, has no independent existence apart from its fundamental background of Awareness.
To illustrate, look at this picture taken from a window of the apartment used during stays in Tuscany:
In the foreground, preparation is being made to harvest crops; a new house is being built; some people are driving to work; down the road to the right, people are waiting to catch the local bus to the mercato in nearby Villafranca; someone is making a delivery in the white van approaching from the right. In the foreground part of the picture, drivers are conscious of obstacles and intersections and traffic signs and lane markers. It appears that there are do-ers and it seems that they are doing. Take the background to include the portion illustrating trees, mountains, clouds and sky. Beingness, rather than doingness, appears to be happening there.
Now, you’re invited to study the picture and (a) determine the ways in which the foreground might represent Consciousness manifest and (b) determine what the background might reveal about Awareness. Please enter the silence of contemplation. (To be continued)
