An analogy for consciousness

[BIggleswerth]

I'm trying to understand consciousness.

I noticed that I tend to get stuck on thoughts that bubble up, and this is hindering progress in my life.

One time I imagined all trains of thought as adjacent streams, and by hopping between streams I can choose what to focus on and not get stuck.

Another time I imagined myself as a single stream with all thoughts and feelings flowing as debris down river. The debris are obstacles for swimming up the river. Sometimes you get stuck on the debris (thoughts) and you flow down the river deeper into unawareness. The more I acknowledge the thoughts and let them go, the more I swim up the river towards open awareness.

I don't think either of these analogies are very accurate but perhaps useful. I'm wondering if there is another more accurate analogy I can use that would be more useful to me. My mind tends to need to rationalize everything, including training my awareness.

[Leo Gura]

Look around the room. Everything you see is consciousness.

No analogy needed when you are neck-deep in water.

You can't really analogize consciousness because since everything is consciousness, your analogy is itself consciousness.

[bejapuskas]

@BIggleswerth  Post a picture of the I that is being confused 

[Jack River]

Fosho!

What does this ‘analogy’ arise “in” or as? 

[BIggleswerth]

24 minutes ago, Leo Gura said:

Look around the room. Everything you see is consciousness.

No analogy needed when you are neck-deep in water.

You can't really analogize consciousness because since everything is consciousness, your analogy is itself consciousness.

What if the goal is to not understand consciousness on the deepest level but to reach equanimity. I feel like so much of the time I forget that it's a choice to focus on what's important to me including the present moment, rather than what bubbles into my mind.

 

@Jack River a form of awareness ?

 

Edited February 9, 2019 by BIggleswerth

[Jack River]

17 minutes ago, BIggleswerth said:

What if the goal is to not understand consciousness on the deepest level but to reach equanimity. 

Either way SELF KNOWLEDGE reveals the ever present unmanifest/manifest as one indivisible whole. 

We can first explore this subject/object split or we can explore what that manifests “in” or AS 

17 minutes ago, BIggleswerth said:

I feel like so much of the time I forget that it's a choice to focus on what's important to me including the present moment, rather than what bubbles into my mind.

Fosho..

Definitely helps to be able to discern between consciousness and what it modulates as. 

Edited February 9, 2019 by Jack River

[Leo Gura]

30 minutes ago, BIggleswerth said:

What if the goal is to not understand consciousness on the deepest level but to reach equanimity.

You will only reach equanimity when you are fully conscious of what consciousness. And that is only possible directly, without analogy.

Analogy, metaphor, and symbols are the only things separating you from God consciousness. You are going 1 step too far. You must take the zeroth step to reach yourself.