In order to understand the nature of Awareness we will examine it from two points of view, they are both legitimate in their own way. Each has a function, but each can also be misunderstood and confused for the other. So from this point on we will try to separate them and make a very clear distinction between the two. One abstracted objective, and the other purely sensual subjective.
You may look at the two views, like two different dimensions that exist simultaneously. They are layered seamlessly on top of each other, and so it’s easy to confuse the one for the other. Here we will try to untangle them, and make it very clear to the observer.
1. Abstracted Objective –
Material reality as understood by the rational mind.
The way science sees it, as it is examining existence.
- Here logic, language and rationality appear to be functioning properly in describing natural phenomenon using linear thought, which means lines of text or equations.
- A conceptual construct that uses theoretical examination in collaboration with other methods of deduction to give the best possible explanation of what reality is, actually, or rather the best guess.
- Based on a few basic assumptions, which appear to be self evident, and are therefore left unquestioned.
- Information is found in exoteric form, which is clear to any reader.
- An example of such a source would be an encyclopedia.
Examples
Now you are seeing a screen which is an object it has many words that have meaning. Combined they tell a whole story. A living human made of cells and minerals is sitting there holding a phone. There is an environment, a city, a country, an earth, a universe. There appear to be Time and Space as we are able to understand them. So really we have what appears to be a “physical material”, combined with abstract terms to signify aspects of it.
- We see and feel a clear separation between ourselves and others, and we don’t feel like the whole thing, but a small part in it.
- One aspect of reality is witnessing another aspect which seems separate and has some kind of relationship with it. Object – Subject.
- It’s operating thanks to the logical brain, which is interpreting reality almost seamlessly. And so it’s very easy to think that our interpretation is accurate and exists outside our field of perception.
Function
It is a very useful dimension that allows for navigation and setting schedule together. To measure and to build complex systems.
Dangers
The conventional perspective states that the objective, cancels out the illogical irrational subjective, and is superior to it. It unfortunately denies experiential primordial reality, which is really best integrated when accepted and realized by the self personally, through experience.
Also, it’s really dictated upon circumstances in which place, culture and time we are born in, what our parents and other role models indoctrinated us with, the language, the way of thinking of the social circle we are in.
So we might end up in the wrong place at the wrong time, and have our innocent mind filled with garbage and delusion.
It’s really up to us to always remain skeptical of what we hear around us, what everybody believe is “true”, what is “common” knowledge and what is indoctrinated by our culture.
Question all the basic assumptions under which you function, and have taken for granted!
2. Sensual Subjective –
Personal mind-generated look from the inside.
Personal individual experience. Pure sensual data before rational or logical interpretation. Raw experience.
Examples
- Appears a picture comprised of some sort of data that’s witnessed before thinking about it. It is a smear of lights and colors and it’s undivided into objects, and this because we are looking through a prior lens, before knowledge allowed us to glue names and meanings onto it.
- The screen appears like this bright thing with black dots in rows.
- Even “colors, light, and dark” are not accurate to describe this phenomenon. So really there are no words to describe what we see, because it’s reality experienced before knowing words, or meaning or any way of understanding it intellectually.
- “Reality” by the way, is also a notion, which to many philosophers still remains a mystery. Does reality exist? How to prove its existence?
- So things aren’t as obvious as you might think in this marvelous subjective reality.
- Like a newborn sees it before it gets bamboozled by society.
- A miraculous show appears before us.
- There are no such notions as I or You or It. It’s all combined into one wonderful blur, yet it seems as clear as day.
- Time and space only exist as concepts here.
- So there is an eternal infinity and we are inseparable from it all.
- We have no beginnings or endings.
- Here intuition is guiding us to the right action without hesitation or thought.
- Information on this prism of experience is found in esoteric form. (understood only through personal inward investigation, continuous questioning and skeptical observation.)
Function
- It helps in uniting us, because we see no boundaries between ourselves and others, we seek to be together united as our primordial mind sees us, as part of the whole.
- We are all of the universe and the universe is of us, for all we know.
- We experience emotions and get a very clear intuition on what we ought to do, without hesitation.
- This mind is spontaneous, emotional and free of concepts.
Danger
If I mistakenly took the reality of the subjective mind and had thought I am reality and everyone, I might assume that I am the son of god, or god almighty himself.
3. The dynamics of living with both perspectives:
It’s important to make a very clear distinction between the two, because if we confuse them, things may appear to contradict each other.
Both are fundamental and important for our existence. And we can use both at the same time safely, only after we’ve understood that they are different.
So if I realize that the objective mind is a useful tool and not my subjective reality, I will be able to detach from it emotionally, and this in turn will allow the proper use of the gift of knowledge.
It takes a good look to distinguish between the two, and it is done by questioning the rational mind constantly, never believing that we’ve reached a “fact” about reality. Or that our beliefs are absolutely true.
4. The best course of action:
It’s about integrating the basic ground, with the layer of knowledge upon it, in a gentle and correct way that holds them both significant. This new knowledge takes in account the subjective reality, and it humbly directs us in a way that is allowing for us to see it’s own (knowledge) abstract nature.
Humble knowledge –
Never stating that it’s the only real thing, but simply a humble servant and a set of tools for humanity.
5. An Objective look upon Awareness
Awareness is the field of your perceptions. Sight, hearing, sensations, taste, smell, thoughts and emotions flowing simultaneously, thus forming consciousness. It all creates a sense of existing, being here present, perceiving reality, and being this miraculous conscious creature.
So perceptions are really all you got.
They are in a sense, reality as you perceive it, your personal mind-generated sense of existence.
When you think about what’s real you just tend to ignore this simple fact.
You look outwards and say “Here it’s really there outside! I can see it!”
But it is in fact a picture formed by electrophysiological activity in your brain. So it’s reality as translated by you, and not as it really is!
Not to say that there isn’t actually something outside your personal field of awareness, but simply, that what you perceive is a translation, and not at all the real material thing.
Any technical information only helps the scientist to understand how your brain works, looking at it objectively.
But it won’t help your process of self realization!
We must look within and realize the abstract ethereal nature of knowledge.
By looking at it closely and for very long we see Thought’s true nature:
A grand story.
A miraculous illusion.
6. What can we do?
To really complete this picture, we must find another layer beneath our grand knowledge of the physiological nature of the body.
A layer we have long forgotten we had.
A wisdom that requires no studying, but only a simple quiet observation, underneath labels, ideas and things.
I want to take you deeper into the subjective experiential perspective.
This will help you better navigate your own self created reality.
Because only you can look for the answers there, in your own micro-universe of nerves.
I invite you to explore your pure sensual experience without trying to “explain” anything!
7. Awareness Subjectively
Everything you’d ever known or experienced was inside your personal field of awareness.
And all the “things” you thought about and noticed “outside” were manifestations of your own internal awareness, like waves in the ocean of brain activity.
Except your mind looked at each one individually and gave it its own name and description.
So really awareness is everything you’d ever known, and it’s true nature is undivided and consecutive.
It’s the whole field of “reality” as you experience it personally.
Your own private cosmos of mind computed sensual data.
8. The nature of nothingness
So can we find Awareness sensually?
I want to introduce you to a new way of exploring the nature of awareness, using personal experiential examination.
I will use a tool that will shed all the stories from the concept of “The Individual experiencer” “You” or “I” that are separate from everything.
We will try to find the experiencer by looking for it inside your own experience.
Can you experience the experiencer? I guess not.
Because anything experienced, will be an experience and NOT the experiencer by definition.
So is the experiencer “Nothing” (Not A Thing)?
Yes! You are not a thing!
In fact, experience is all there is. And you are it!
If Everything really is the whole field known to us, then what is “Nothing” and where is it exactly?
Because anything that comes to mind will be “a something” and therefore a part of the all encompassing Everything.
Where is Nothing?
So why are we talking about something we can’t really grasp with our mind? The true Nothing I would like to show you, is not an idea of a boring empty “nothing,” like a sort of gap between things, because you are aware of it, and once you are aware of anything it becomes an object of knowledge, and in turn, a “Something”.
By definition anything you know, can’t be nothing, because if it really was “nothing” you wouldn’t had been able to put your finger on it, and say “There it is! I see it!”
Exactly like the Subconscious-mind, we know it exists, but we are not aware of it’s content.
The real Nothing is really an unknown thing that is outside of imagination.
Nonetheless it’s truly a fantastic Nothing.
This emptiness is really the space that allows for everything to appear inside it.
It’s the non-color of a mirror that reflects all colors.
The window through which we experience reality, thanks to its empty nature.
A little experiment
Try an experiment with me,
Try to think of anything that isn’t part of Everything.
You couldn’t, right?
Because the moment you think about it becomes something.
And another:
Ok now look closely at you field of vision.
Try to see past the outer boundaries of vision. What is there? if you don’t think about it, but only try to look for it.
You can’t really see it, right?
So that’s the kind of nothing we are talking about.
It isn’t black and it feels even darker like a vacuum of sort.
Imagine a dark room and a flashlight.
The flashlight only shines outwards and can’t shine on itself.
That’s like your conscious attention trying to find itself.
9. Knowing awareness
In subjective reality there are no facts!
Just pure experience.
Awareness is not an object and not a thing at all, that is separate from another.
“Objects” are the illusory separations made surgically by the operation of the focused attention.
Focused attention can only notice one “object” at a time.
The mind is helping us to navigate reality with these symbols, ideas of things and places.
From a subjective personal perspective there is just an unspeakable experience and there are no “objects” in it whatsoever.
In here even the word “Awareness” itself, means nothing.
“Awareness” can’t possibly be an object of knowledge.
In fact it’s the complete other way around:
Knowledge is a manifestation inside of awareness.
10. What’s my part in all this wiggly experience?
You are really comprised of awareness. You are inseparable from it!
In your own subjective reality as seen from your point of view, reality is you!
Don’t forget we are not talking objectively, we are looking from the inside out.
Awareness is my only reality,
My reality is a collection of experiences,
Experience is a manifestation of awareness.
I am Experience!
I am Awareness!
I am subjective reality!
11. But isn’t this written article really another story inside my awareness?
Maybe so, but it tries to point to somewhere ungraspable, to the mystery of the unspeakable Awareness.
The mystery of I.
Self Actualization Journal 