The Resting of Attention vs. Being Aware of Awareness

[TDW1995]

I often wonder if it is even possible to be aware of awareness. If our true nature is awareness, then aren't we "too close to ourself" to be aware of it? Some spiritual teachers often say that this is analogous to an eye trying to see itself or a flashlight shining light on itself. Obviously, an eye or a flashlight can't see or shine light on itself, so isn't this the same way as attempting to be aware of awareness? In my experience of self-inquiry, I am seeing that awareness can only be applied to objects, thoughts, emotions, etc. And because I am starting to realize more and more than no object is my true Self, I've been attempting to "rest my attention," so that I am not focused on any "thing" within awareness. Is this what is meant of "being aware of awareness?"

[Leo Gura]

By being aware of awareness you are attempting to short-circuit the duality between subject and object to ultimately realize that the two are actually one.

Awareness is already aware of itself.

Become awareness!

Become ONE!

That's what "be aware of awareness" means.

When you look at a chair, you are not looking at a chair, the chair is looking at itself. The awareness is not coming from the human body, the awareness is baked into every object at all times.

You job here is to realize that the chair is seeing itself.

This is otherwise known as Being.

What you think of as seeing is actually Being. Being means that every thing is "seeing" itself.

Watch my video: What Is Perception?

Ego is usurping Being to create dualistic "seeing".

Stop assuming that you are seeing the chair. There is no fucking you! Just the chair. The whole room exists without you.

[TDW1995]

@Leo Gura Self-inquiry is incredibly simple yet my mind sometimes overcomplicates the practice. At moments I "feel" into the emptiness and realize that everything happens within this awareness/consciousness. It's so fundamental and simple, yet sometimes I wonder if there's something I'm overlooking. Thanks for the help! 

[Leo Gura]

@TDW1995 Just sit in silence and concentrate on the present moment until your eyes bleed.

That's all there is to it.

[TDW1995]

@Leo Gura It's as simple as that. Sounds glorious  Thanks for clearing things up.

[Leo Gura]

God is NOW!

[Preetom]

@TDW1995

The purpose of self inquiry is to pierce through the delusion of considering the self as body or a thing.

So whatever doubts you have, you need to push further until the mechanism of identifying the self with a thing is gone once and for all. You are already doing the process the process as you see more and more that anything you can know or focus on can't be you.

Edited May 20, 2020 by Preetom

[Spaceofawareness]

Some people (Loch Kelly for example) say that awareness has a natural self knowing about it, so if you can rest in this naturally self knowing awareness, that might be what they are getting at.

[TDW1995]

@Preetom Yes, I've been doing this process of elimination/Neti Neti type of self-inquiry for months. It's becoming more and more clear that there is "something" prior and more fundamental than all perceptions. 

[TDW1995]

@Spaceofawareness Thanks for that! I've had some confusion about what it means to be aware of awareness. But, the more I practice self-inquiry, the more clear it becomes that awareness comes before everything else. 

[Joker_Theory]

@Spaceofawareness thanks so much for this i just had an experience of just this openness and the feeling of freedom from this meditation thanks to you for mentioning Loch Kelly, so thank you so much!!

Also, thanks to Leo and everyone that started this website.

 

Edited May 20, 2020 by Joker_Theory

[Spaceofawareness]

@Joker_Theory you are very welcome  Loch Kelly seems to really know what he is talking about while still being very down to earth, he has broken it all down for us. 

I am glad you had a glimpse, just keep glimpsing like he says and hopefully you will become more and more familiar with being from there.

[Nahm]

On 5/19/2020 at 11:48 PM, TDW1995 said:

I often wonder if it is even possible to be aware of awareness. If our true nature is awareness, then aren't we "too close to ourself" to be aware of it? Some spiritual teachers often say that this is analogous to an eye trying to see itself or a flashlight shining light on itself. Obviously, an eye or a flashlight can't see or shine light on itself, so isn't this the same way as attempting to be aware of awareness?

Eye is one, flashlight is one. Possible / impossible, our, we, and it, are twoness.

Quote

In my experience of self-inquiry, I am seeing that awareness can only be applied to objects, thoughts, emotions, etc. And because I am starting to realize more and more than no object is my true Self, I've been attempting to "rest my attention," so that I am not focused on any "thing" within awareness. Is this what is meant of "being aware of awareness?"

Thoughts are ”things”, things are “thoughts”.

[zeroISinfinity]

Yeah become One. Nobody knows how it is. No self is not ?. 

It's unlimited Love. I am freaking out all the time. I can't ? it. God wasn't stingy trust me. There is nothing to limit this thing have to dream so big ultra big. 

I just wanted normal life. Who can ? being this thing?! 

Happy and terryfied both at same time. 

[zeroISinfinity]

Main question is do you actually become Infinite Love fully in 'sober state' with this work. For sure it is going in that direction + let alone 'other stuff'. 

 

[Member]

On 5/20/2020 at 7:01 AM, Leo Gura said:

When you look at a chair, you are not looking at a chair, the chair is looking at itself. The awareness is not coming from the human body, the awareness is baked into every object at all times. What you think of as seeing is actually Being. Being means that every thing is "seeing" itself.

Yeah, that's basically what quantum mechanics say and people don't get it.

The observer is not the human body... the 'eyes' are everywhere.

 

Edited May 21, 2020 by Member

[Ananta]

[TDW1995]

@Member To me, it sure feels like awareness comes from the body, but this is something I haven't deeply contemplated yet. Under my current paradigm, if I think of awareness being everywhere, my mind makes the conclusion that every object would have to have sentience, but I don't want to believe that. I have much contemplating to do to overcome these deeply held beliefs. 

Edited May 21, 2020 by TDW1995

[Leo Gura]

6 minutes ago, TDW1995 said:

To me, it sure feels like awareness comes from the body

Breaking this illusion is the whole aim of enlightenment/awakening/liberation.

Your initial glimpses of awakening will not result in a permanent break of this illusion. It takes lots of really deep awakening to break it.

[silene]

@TDW1995  I find it easier to let go of this narrative (essentially the subject-object duality) by meditating in darkness, when the idea of a body with awareness is replaced by a simple stream of phenomena which are self-aware: calling them sounds, feelings etc is already saying too much. But different techniques work for different folks.