CONSCIOUSNESS vs. AWARENESS

 

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CONSCIOUSNESS vs. AWARENESS

The Science, Part One

“Someday science will advance to the point that it will confirm the accuracy of all valid non-dual understandings.”

--Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj

 

Another question raised by a seeker during a discussion of consciousness / awareness was:  I’ll grant that the explanation of consciousness/awareness over the last few days was clearer than any before, but I’m more inclined to seek the scientific view, always.

I read an article on one of your websites and it said that Maharaj said that science would someday affirm the content of the teachings he offered. How about a bottom-line explanation from that viewpoint.

 In the expanse of space, energy can move via wave and/or particle form. Subatomic particles of specialized energy exist and are moving through that expanse freely. Because the expanse is so vast (limitless in fact), the particles are not forced together into large-quantity clusters or groupings of energy within that space.

Consciousness only happens when large-quantity clusters or groupings of energy occur in compact spaces with nervous systems.

Otherwise, the background of awareness IS and energy is moving without confinement in that vast space labeled “the Absolute.” Awareness IS, even when there is no “one” to be conscious of . . . even when awareness of Awareness is not happening. (That is what peace every day looks like: being, without awareness of any concept or anything.)

As the energy particles move, some enter the atmosphere of earth and strike plants and begin to gather there. In that limited space, the particles of specialized energy (energy able to be conscious of if manifested in something with a nervous system) gather into “tighter” groupings as a result of manifesting in a limited, confined space. Advaitins point to that happening as a step in “the manifesting of consciousness.”

Thus, the term “the manifestation of consciousness” really points to nothing more than a spontaneously-occurring gathering of atomic and subatomic particles of specialized energy into a compact grouping.

Consciousness happens only when larger groupings of particles of this specialized energy come together in a “tighter” cluster and in a more confined space than occurs in the vast space of unmanifested energy-awareness. Here’s another analogy which can illustrate the “different while not being different” aspect of the consciousness / awareness discussion:

Consider an ice cube “versus” water vapor. Really, the ice cube / water vapor is “not two,” just as “I AM THAT; I AM” is “not two” and just as “consciousness / awareness” is “not two.” Yet “aspects” exists.

When H20 atoms are compacted and close together in a smaller space, water can take on the appearance of “a cube.” When quantities of H20 are subjected to intense heat, water can take on the appearance of “vapor” and will no longer appear to be compacted into a limited space as was the case with “the cube.”

The cube takes on an aspect of being fixed, confined, restricted. The “vapor” appears to be free. The “different” aspects become apparent depending on whether the H20 appear to be limited by compaction or appears to be less limited by expansion. Similarly, the manifested consciousness in limited; the Awareness is limitless.

So the “vapors” are free to move about over a far broader area. The “cube” seems confined in a small space; the “vapors” seem free. Consider the manifested consciousness to be “the cube” (confined and compacted) and the awareness to be “the vapor” (free and not compacted).

That which is not limited is free and therefore at peace. That is also the only way that peace every day can happen: freedom is the prerequisite. The discussion of consciousness / awareness then becomes nothing more than a discussion about location and density.

(Similarly, take a ball of clay, pinch a portion of it up into a flat shape that rises from the clay but remains attached. Is the raised portion different from the ball of clay, or is it just a matter of the pinched up portion’s location and density.)

The same is true of the discussion of “THAT” and “AM-ness.” Located “here” with an aspect of density? Consciousness. Located “there” with no aspect of density? Awareness.

The Science, Part Two

The essence (awareness) is always in the background, even as consciousness is manifested. That awareness in the background can account for the disconcerting notion generated by the “trapped” and “confined” manifest consciousness that results in persons sensing that “I am not free” and “I need to be free” and “I long for more freedom.”

All of that marks the relative existence and that happen as long as consciousness is manifested and as long as abidance is happening as that consciousness rather than as the Absolute.

Are you understanding why the corrupted consciousness, and even abidance as the pure, universal consciousness, can never produce a sense of true freedom.

So, awareness is beyond both consciousness being manifested and consciousness not being manifested. Thus consciousness is what allows consciousness of to happen, but awareness is why the consciousness can happen.

Consciousness, while manifested via a temporary combination of physical elements, has no independent existence apart from its fundamental background of awareness.

(To use an earlier example for emphasis here, does that ultimately mean that “sticky” = “stickiness”? Or, is “stickiness” the essence of something that is “sticky”? “Sticky” can only happen when physical elements temporarily combine. “Stickiness,” though, is permanent and forever. Ultimately, it’s all definition, all thorns that can be used to remove thorns, and you know that the thorns are all to be tossed eventually. All else could easily fall into the realm of “entertainment.”

When the previously pure energy manifests in humans, it is soon subjected to programming, conditioning, and enculturation. “Minds” form and the endless chatter of “thoughts” soon follows, all because specialized energy happened to gather, accidently and spontaneously, into a limited space.

The more that electrons accumulate into a natural coherence within a confined space and the more that conscious-energy takes itself to be “a human,” the more frequently will abstract “thoughts” occur and the more frequently they will continue on a large-scale basis if personas are accepted as true identities.

“The Abstract” is then erroneously taken to be “The Concrete, The Real” once consciousness manifests and soon becomes corrupted consciousness. That generates false assumptions such as “I am a spouse” (or any other label that one might insert after “I Am . . . ”) when the abstract is taken to be the concrete.

By contrast, when single or elementary particles or coherent groups of energy-capable-of-being-conscious-of come together, smaller-scale abstract “thoughts” in consciousness happen.

When the energy is totally “free” and is not gathered into large groups that are confined within relatively small spaces with nervous systems and is not bastardized with programming, then no thoughts occur . . . but awareness remains.

(That is the way that peace every day and AS IF Living happen: you are, but there are no “thoughts,” no “mind,” no separation, no sense of confinement, no fighting with others who are not as “good” as your ego-states and egotism convince you that you are, and no chatter of a thousand monkeys inside your head.)

The manifested particles of energy can be freed of close confinement and compacting via the unmanifesting of consciousness. Prior to that, it is possible that particles of energy can be freed of the distorting effects of programming and conditioning and acculturation via the full realization process.

Then, the energy can function in the pure and free and uncorrupted manner in which it functioned prior to consciousness, prior to manifestation, and prior to being corrupted.

Thus, awareness Is, without consciousness of subjects and objects and without consciousness of any “thing” and without consciousness of some “thing.” After “The Nothingness” is understood, you understand that you are as you always were, are, and shall be: just being and just aware.

The effects of compacted, manifested consciousness can be transcended and the manifested energy can function as pure, free, unconfined, unlimited awareness instead. Voilà: peace every day.

We are essentially That pure, unconditioned awareness, NOW. We are not the consciousness which manifests and becomes corrupted into a “mind” that drives ego-states to experience emotional intoxication. As far as “floyd” or “you” are concerned, nothing more has happened than this, if full realization has occurred:

Bliss (which is nothing more than an undisturbed vibration) manifested and was subsequently personalized. That process has been reversed so the de-personalization of bliss occurred; then, full realization and awareness of the non-aware awareness followed.

To be continued.

Please enter into the silence of contemplation.

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Here, with those who are still driven to talk about "god," the "Son of god," the "Holy Spirit," "Buddha," "Krishna," etc., etc., etc., the invitation to them is to view those as verbs, not nouns.

THE EXPLANATION

If looked at as nouns, they point to illusions and are, therefore, a total waste of time to even discuss; if looked at as verbs which are resulting in certain sane but rare behaviors among humanity, then they are worthy of some attention during the relative existence.

Meaning? There are members of certain groups who say things such as "My concept of god in the past was of a weak god, an absentee god, A Santa Claus-type god, a mean, punishing, vindictive god, etc. Today, I am in close contact with a loving and caring god whom I worship and praise and glorify and give thanks to."

The reply to that usually goes like this: "If you are in contact with a god that wants to be worshipped and praised and glorified, then you're dealing with someone like yourself - a narcissist - and hanging out with narcissists will never bring an end to your narcissism (that narcissism evidenced by the fact that you think you are "godly").

Next, in the phrase 'loving and caring god,' any supposed god that truly had her or his act together would tell you that the totally irrelevant part of that phrase is 'god' and that the only part that is relevant is the "loving and caring" part.

"That is, a non-narcissistic their god / their goddess would say, "I care not an iota about being worshipped and praised and glorified by you or anyone else. How arrogant and insecure and needy would I have to be to want that? Forget the man-made, dreamed up noun 'god' and focus on the 'god as a verb' understanding and then go forth and let loving and caring be verbs - not adjectives - and let them generate the act of love and the act of caring and let those actions manifest through you." 

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"

--Yeshu'a (Jesus)

and 

"Heaven and earth shall fade away."

--Yeshu'a (Jesus)

and 

"Heaven and hell are not geographic places

but are states of mind, nothing more than

concepts dreamed up by men."

--Pope John Paul II 

"There is no hell."

--Pope Francis, the current pope

in an interview with journalist Eugenio Scalfari,

a writer used by the Pope to issue off the record

teachings which become a part of the Papal Magisterium.

[That said, would that the popes who have shown the courage to reject a core concept of their dogma - namely, "hell" - would find the additional courage required to question the very existence of their institution in light of the centuries-long cover-up of their history of raping children and in light of the mental and emotional and psychological scarring of billions of their members past and present.

And that need for courage also applies as questions need to be asked about why so many other sky cults are still being supported and allowed to continue to exist as well. When certain types of programming and conditioning have been shown to blind the masses, they should end. Will they? Not likely. Why?

Because what the masses think and say and do is most influenced by the international crime families which hold sway over the masses as criminals conduct their planet-wide operations. What are the major international crime families and which are the most influential and have the largest memberships?

The Mafia / La Cosa Nostra; the Catholic Church (with it 1.2 billion followers) whose Vatican Bank worked for decades with the Mafia while laundering mob earnings (for a 15% all-profit charge by the Bank); Protestant and Evangelical Churches (with over 1.2 billion followers) like the one I was raised in where the youth director molested and sexually assaulted young girls; big business which has long created environments in which people have been abused; powerful political bodies like the U.S. Congress, etc., etc., etc.)

With all of those crime families, neither the followers nor the leadership ever voluntarily step down or shut down their criminal activities. Be they gangs, organized crime families, religions, big business, politicians, etc., they all want control and they all want power and they all want money, and nothing internal will interfere with the driving forces at play.

The masses must demand that all those in charge must step down and their groups and institutions must shut down, and there's the real problem because the continuation of their crimes are enabled not as much by the people running such crime organizations as they are enabled by the masses of people who - wanting some perceived "payoff" - remain involved with them and give them money and support them and aid and abet the continued existence of those criminal enterprises and thus facilitate the ability of church criminals and political criminals and other types of criminals to continue to commit their crimes.] 

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