TODAY'S CONSIDERATIONS
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CONSCIOUSNESS and AWARENESS
Of all of the “non-dual subject matter” discussed and written about over the centuries, there is likely no other single topic which has been talked about and written more than . . . consciousness or “the consciousness.” Yes, a series was just shared here that dealt with what Maharaj called “the pure, universal consciousness” as opposed to “the blocked or contaminated consciousness.”
Yet consciousness has been undeservedly idealized, praised, admired, extolled, applauded, acclaimed and even glorified. For a period of time, even Maharaj joined in and the same happened here before the understanding matured and manifested wholly.
In the book written here on the topic of CONSCIOUSNESS / AWARENESS, the message regarding that subject has also “evolved” just as happened with Maharaj’s pointers on those areas of interest.
Yet even as the understanding was shifting from an embryonic to a developed state, seekers were cautioned that the general state of manifested consciousness is often as dualistic as anything else which evolves from dual-minded persons.
The result of that: widespread instability among humans. Recall that Yeshu’a (erroneously
referred to as “Jesus” by his self-identified “followers” who actually do not
follow his example and actually do not understand his final, non-dual teachings at all) said: "A dual-mined person is unstable in all ways."
It was noted in 2007 that the book CONSCIOUSNESS / AWARENESS is not for the novice, not for those at the “wet charcoal” stage, not for those at the “dry charcoal” stage, and not even for those at the “gunpowder stage.” It is for those who have already experienced that “explosion” which reveals all lies to be lies and that blows away the belief in any and all concepts. It is for those who are ready for the complete, unadulterated understanding.
Just as Maharaj advised seekers to “stop reading I AM THAT which was only for an earlier time and to listen now to the later talks,” the same can be said about some of the books here which were written prior to the blossoming of the understanding.
Might some of the content in the earlier books be relevant for those traversing the earliest steps along “the path”? Of course, but in this series, I’ll be sharing the elements of the later understanding.
Before moving into the deeper discussion of consciousness and awareness, the reader is invited to take into contemplation and consideration the following pointers on “Consciousness” and on “Awareness” which were offered by Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj (with some commentaries added). The contemplation can provide stimuli for considering far more about consciousness and awareness than most will ever consider:
CONSCIOUSNESS
“Understand then, that it is this conscious presence that you are, so long as the body is there. Once your body is gone, along with the vital breath, consciousness also will leave. Only that which was prior to the appearance of this body-cum-consciousness, the Absolute, the ever-present, is your true identity. That is what we all really are. That is reality. It is here and now. Where is the question of anyone reaching for it?”
Maharaj was asked, “Where does consciousness come from?” He answered, “It never comes or goes; it just appears to have come.”
He was also asked, “Where is the seat of consciousness.” He replied, “In every particle of the juice of the body.”
Maharaj made clear that, if the understanding comes, no “person” will remain who could try to meddle in the play of consciousness. He also affirmed that there is no omniscient creator that is meddling in the play. All is merely happening spontaneously. How did he define “spirituality” then? “Spirituality” is merely understanding that (1) a spontaneous play is happening, (2) recognizing the play is a fraud, and then (3) finding the basis of the play.
AWARENESS
“I told the consciousness, ‘It is you who is suffering, not I’.”
“Awareness is not aware of its awareness.”
Maharaj explained that “That Which He Truly Is” was prior to consciousness. He made clear that there is no “he” to experience anything or do anything and that what persons take to be an experience is actually just the consciousness experiencing itself.
He explained that the realized understand that the “world,” indeed the entire “universe,” exists in consciousness alone. Neither “the world” nor “the universe” is real, and both only seem to appear in consciousness.
Understanding that, he was able to take his stand in the Absolute. In the Absolute, no consciousness of the “I-Amness” or the “Beingness” or the “Is-ness” happens. In the Absolute, there are neither thoughts nor words nor deeds. The Absolute is prior to all of that … is prior to consciousness.
Among the non-realized, the consciousness has become identified with the space or form. A few move beyond body identification. Fewer still reach an understanding of what lies beyond the body-mind-personality identities. Even fewer will come to know “the source” which is beyond all acculturation, programming, and conditioning of the consciousness.
“I am really not manifested. Can you live like that, as the non-manifest?”
Next, to be understood is this: there is nothing special or unique about consciousness or awareness or “the Absolute.”
ON CONSCIOUSNESS / CONSCIOUS-ENERGY
Consciousness is actually just one of the many forms of energy (such as mechanical, electrical, chemical, electromagnetic, thermal, sound, nuclear, conscious-energy, etc.)
Here, now, it is more often than not referred to as what it really is: “conscious energy.” Moreover, conscious-energy is meaningless if not manifested within a space, be that space within an acorn which “innately knows how to make an oak tree and an oak forest"; within birds which “innately know how to build a nest and how to procreate”; and within humans that “innately know how to eat and digest and breathe and procreate and masturbate, ad infinitum.
Conscious energy has no capacity for conscious-of-ness unless manifested within some space. If conscious-energy in not manifested within a confined space, then it will be conscious-of nothing.
In its typical manifested form, it is the root of duality in that it "sees" all in a dualistic subject-object fashion: “I (subject) see you (object)”; “I (subject) see others (object)”; “I (subject) see differences (object).”
AWARENESS
Awareness in a “dormant” form of energy which cannot be aware of anything unless conscious-energy is manifested and freed of all of the blockages and distortions and delusions which come when conscious-energy manifests within a “human space” (that is, within a “composite unity”).
Those blockages and distortions and delusions come after conscious-energy manifests and after an ignorance-and-insanity-filled “mind” begins to form as a result of a human having been exposed to and accumulating and storing in the "mind" what has been taught and learned via ignorant and insane programming, conditioning, domestication, acculturation, brainwashing, and indoctrination.
THE ABSOLUTE
By definition, “absolute” simply means “free from imperfections”; “complete”; “not mixed or adulterated”; “pure” (as used in the previous series when reference was made to “the pure, universal consciousness / conscious energy”); and “free rather than restricted.”
As for “The Absolute” in non-dual terms, it is nothing more than a limitless expanse of energy which has not been manifested within a space and which is, therefore, uncontaminated, unconditional, unconditioned, unqualified, unlimited, pure, unadulterated, and unambiguous.
Again, if that energy which has the potential to be both conscious-of and aware-of (if manifested and if not blocked by the effects of ignorant and insane programming and conditioning and domestication and acculturation and indoctrination and brainwashing), then it is uncontaminated, unconditional, unconditioned, unqualified, unlimited, pure, unadulterated, and unambiguous.
However, because all humans begin accumulating a body of “learned ignorance” because all are exposed early on to ignorant and insane programming, conditioning, domestication, acculturation, brainwashing, and indoctrination, then the undeservedly-lauded “consciousness” is soon contaminated and made conditional, conditioned, qualified, limited, impure, adulterated, and ambiguous.
What else did Maharaj offer?
“Now transcendence of the consciousness has also occurred. With the appearance of consciousness, the Absolute knows it is, ‘I Am’.”
Even this primary concept, "I-am-ness," is dishonest, just because it is still only a concept. Finally, one has to transcend that also and be in the nirvikalpa state, which means the concept-free state. Then you have no concept at all, not even of ‘I am.’ In that state one does not know that one is.”
To be continued.
Please enter into the silence of contemplation.
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THE EXPLANATION
Yeshu'a (Jesus) and Pope John Paul II and Pope Francis were spot on:
"No one shall ever see 'the kingdom of heaven.' It is within"
and
"Heaven and earth shall fade away."
and
"Heaven and hell are not geographic places
"There is no hell."
