Is Consciousness A Brain Function?

[Memeito]

If not, why is it difficult to be aware of what is happening around me, when I'm doing various things as opposed to being relatively easy to be aware when I'm just sitting and doing nothing?

For example if I sit alone in a quiet room, I can easily get in a state of hyper-awareness - I am aware of my body, my thoughts, my surroundings, etc. - I am totally present in the moment...

However, if I go to a crowded place, like a supermarket or a mall, I find it really hard to be aware, there's simply a sensory overload, there's so much stuff happening around me that if I try to become aware, my mind feels overwhelmed like it is multitasking and I start to bump into people, or do weird things... However, if I stop trying to be aware, I can function normal on "autopilot" without doing anything strange...It's like I can't be aware and doing more things at the same time.

 

 

[Shin]

You are less aware of your body because your awareness is more focused on other stimulus, which ultimately is also you (everything is awareness).

That said, you can choose to remain focused in the present and see all these things more clearly, without getting lost in them, but that will require patience and will.
Mindfullness work is required, if you can't be even be conscious in small tasks (shower,cooking,cleaning,walking,waiting), how can you expect being conscious when you're bombarded with stimulus (argument,noise,work etc...) ?

Just do the task that you have to do without thinking, and when a thought come, be aware of it without indentify to it.
With time you'll be able to be aware even in situations that would usually trigger you into deep inconscious behaviors.

Nothing can take your awareness, because even when you're totally inconscious, that's still awareness.

If you can think of a moment where you were totally inconcsious, then you were aware, otherwise there would be nothing to remember, it's just that you were identified with a thought/situation, which is still YOU, even if for now it's seems silly or crazy.

 

Edited April 27, 2017 by Shin

[Leo Gura]

Just requires much more practice.

There are subtle but important distinctions to be made here between what your mind consciously knows and awareness itself. Awareness is still happening in sensory overload, you're just caught up in the illusion more. Like when watching a movie, it sucks you in.

Might help to start to think of awareness as being. Or awareness as the physical substance of reality, instead of atoms. Rather than something your mind is doing. Mind itself is being awared.