Self-Conscious Vs Self-Aware (Help Me Make This Important Distinction)

[UnconsciousHuman]

This is my current understanding:

Self-Conscious:

• Being preoccupied with thoughts about who one is, how they are perceived, and how they look, how they behave. This is commonly described as being insecure or having low self-esteem. Following along with their thoughts and not being observant of the thoughts themselves.

Self-Aware: 

• Observing one's inner emotions and reactions, observing the thoughts, sensations, feelings, and images that arise in one's field of perception.

 

One could be aware of one's self-conscious tendencies, and that would be described as self-awareness of self-consciousness. 

 

Any insights on this distinction or anything related to this, from the reader, are greatly appreciated.

 

 

Edited February 1, 2020 by UnconsciousHuman

[Preetom]

21 minutes ago, UnconsciousHuman said:

Self-Aware: 

• Observing one's inner emotions and reactions, observing thoughts, sensations, feelings and images that arise in one's field of perception.

 

NO NO NO

what you described is still self/ego-consciousness with a sneaky layer of half-assed stoicism/witness/detached feel to it. 

Self-awareness is entirely different ballgame. You'll get its true feel if you've gotten deeper into self inquiry practice.

Quote

Self-Conscious:

Being preoccupied with thoughts about who one is, how they are perceived, and how they look, how they behave. This is commonly described as being insecure or having low self-esteem.

And this is auto pilot or default state.

Edited February 1, 2020 by Preetom

[UnconsciousHuman]

@Preetom said:

Quote

NO NO NO

what you described is still self/ego-consciousness with a sneaky layer of half-assed stoicism/witness/detached feel to it. 

Self-awareness is entirely different ballgame. You'll get its true feel if you've gotten deeper into self inquiry practice.

And this is auto pilot or default state.

Could you elaborate? Seeing my thoughts and seeing the emotional biases I have and being detached from that Is not self-awareness but ego? 

Elaborate! Hehe, I really want to get down to the heart of this. 

Edited February 1, 2020 by UnconsciousHuman

[Preetom]

2 hours ago, UnconsciousHuman said:

Could you elaborate? Seeing my thoughts and seeing the emotional biases I have and being detached from that Is not self-awareness but ego? 

Elaborate! Hehe, I really want to get down to the heart of this. 

Here we go. I'll describe it in 3 stages, the way I see it.

Stage 1: The Unconscious Ego/self (Auto pilot/default mode)

This is the default stage. The self/ego is completely lost in its experience. Completely believing all its beliefs and patterns without even knowing it is a victim of it's own products. For example, the addict ego going for a drink, the angry ego getting furious in a whim, the religious fanatic going through his/her religious routine etc.. without any idea how it happened.

Stage 2: The Conscious Ego/self (Introspection/witnessing/judging)

This is the stage where the ego feels itself to be conscious and being aware of it's own thoughts, emotions, patterns. Now this ego can have a WIDE range of relationships with the things it is aware of. It can judge its products, watch its products, try to separate or go into it's products or even make decision of simply 'watching' it's products non judgmentally. It's all the working of the same ego. By products, I mean all it's contents of thoughts, feelings etc. So in your vocabulary, it can either be a dysfunctional ego lost in it's self contents and feeling low self esteem or a functional mature ego which witnesses  and tries to stay detached and unaffected from it's contents. 

But none of these stages are real Self-awareness.

Stage 3: True Self-Awareness (Nondual, being aware of absolutely nothing but 'I' alone)

Words CANNOT explain it. ANYTHING said about this, is a misdirection and not the actual deal. You can only taste it first hand. How? Its when you cease knowing ANYTHING other than yourself. Every single 2nd and 3rd person are gone aka all thoughts, feelings, sensations, time, space, beliefs etc. 

When you are 'aware' of 'I' alone, that is Self-Awareness, that is enlightenment. The Self is always in awareness. It's not something it does, it IS Self-awareness itself. 

If you practice self-inquiry, this is the place you end up eventually if you're diligent. Nothing can be said about this stage. There is absolutely no knowledge of anything other than 'I'. There is no sense of time, space, body, nothing, everything, consciousness, being, fear, motive, objectivity... Yet you remain (that too as an after thought)

That's my take on this issue

 

 

Edited February 1, 2020 by Preetom

[UnconsciousHuman]

@Preetom Thanks for taking the time to write that.  

Question:

I'm assuming one needs to develop to the 2nd stage (ego is aware of its own contents) in order to transcend it himself.

Is this the case?

Personal question:

Have you become aware in the way you speak of in the third level? 

Edited February 1, 2020 by UnconsciousHuman

[Preetom]

25 minutes ago, UnconsciousHuman said:

Question:

I'm assuming one needs to develop to the 2nd stage (ego is aware of its own contents) in order to transcend it himself.

Is this the case?

Yes usually that is the case, or else everyone would be enlightened already. But almost all people misunderstand this stage and end up nesting in the objective witnessing in the name of spiritual development their entire lives.

You will need to be more and more aware and also intuitively wake up to the fact that all these insights, sense of causality, spiritual/non-spiritual goodies are still things other than yourself, the real first person. From that recognition, there comes a simultaneous withdrawal of attention from 'things' and sinking into the Self. At that point, you are no longer aware 'of' ; but simply aware(that which cannot be symbolized/conceptualized)

25 minutes ago, UnconsciousHuman said:

Personal question:

Have you become aware in the way you speak of in the third level? 

That which will either accept or deny having the 3rd stage Self-awareness, is NOT the self. It is the conscious ego; an arbitrary, fictional product of imagination. So what can I say man? Can you see the dilemma? 

If you're still wondering, then for your idle curiosity: Yes! how else do you think I know about the nature of Self-awareness?

 

Edited February 1, 2020 by Preetom

[mandyjw]

One thing to really watch as you move throw the stages that judging yourself... having an ideal that you hold yourself and others to in your head, is a very pervasive belief.