Is consciousness just awareness?

[Seth]

In the sense that my level of consciousness is higher the more that I am aware of. Am I "more conscious" if I am aware of my entire body while typing?

This makes me wonder. When I lose awareness of my breath while thinking or talking does this mean I am less conscious? Does consciousness require a wider sense of awareness or am I just confused? I ask this because I'm at a point where I can be aware of these different aspects of consciousness:

existence of a thing (consciousness), consciousness as a substance, direct experience as a substance of consciousness. I ask because I'm wondering how to go deeper. My consciousness it rising to a degree where I'm noticing changes in my level of consciousness during my sleep in my dreams. Do I stabilize it or dig deeper?

PS sorry if this makes no sense I'm tired, will read any replies tomorrow morning

[Carl-Richard]

"Becoming aware of the breath" is just a trick to pull your mind away from compulsive thinking and focusing it on an object in awareness. However, awareness is much wider than the object in focus. If the mind is able to quieten itself naturally without having to constantly recalibrate its focus, then you'll start to experience the "spaciousness" of awareness, which is essentially awareness in its base form: undirected raw experience. This awareness is synonymous with consciousness. "Becoming aware" is only done in order to condition an unruly mind. If the mind subsides on its own, then there is nothing to "become" aware to. Awareness is all there is.

Edited July 16, 2020 by Carl-Richard

[WelcometoReality]

@Seth Consciousness is always conscious. It's not more or less conscious. What's trying to become more conscious is the false self trying to get there. Be consciousness and stop utilizing it.

[Seth]

@Carl-Richard I'm not sure if we're using the same vocabulary.  I think I can feel the spaciousness you're talking about. But can you elaborate on what you mean by an unruly mind. Do you just mean when someone is stuck in zombie mode?

@WelcometoReality

Again, it sounds like we're not talking on the same level.

My question was about higher and lower qualities of conscious awareness.  I hope you can address my question(s) on the level I am at.

Also, what do you mean by stop utilizing it?

Are you saying that all I need to do is stay out of zombie mode? (in other words stabilize what I already know I can will)

The kind of stuff you said I can not imagine helping anyone without some explanation lol

PS these seemingly esoteric answers are making me feel angry (which I understand is the the false self blah blah blah)

 

 

[Carl-Richard]

3 minutes ago, Seth said:

@Carl-Richard I'm not sure if we're using the same vocabulary.  I think I can feel the spaciousness you're talking about. But can you elaborate on what you mean by an unruly mind. Do you just mean when someone is stuck in zombie mode?

You would have to define what "zombie mode" means, because that is certainly outside of my vocabulary haha. An unruly mind is what most people have. It's when the mind can't stop talking to itself about the same things over and over unless it focuses its attention towards some object or task. The opposite of that would be a quiet mind that is silent even though it isn't focused on anything in particular. If your mind is constantly active and digging up memories about past events that have no relevance to your current situation, that is when you lose contact with the spaciousness of awareness, and instead your relationship to awareness becomes choppy and contracted. 

Now, whatever type of object you focus your attention on, whether it be the breath or the sensations in the body, these things are not essential to awareness. You don't become "more conscious" when you focus on an object. Your consciousness actually narrows in on a specific point and excludes other input. Only when you relax your mind, only then you will return to spaciousness. However, you can establish such a deep relationship with this spaciousness that it will eventually start to make itself present even when engaging in objects, but that isn't something you can force or control. It has to be cultivated through practice in order to manifest itself naturally. 

[VeganAwake]

@Seth  it's not a mystical mystery.

What are you experiencing right now.

That's it ....you will never find anything else than what you're experiencing right now.

The real question is...... is there actually an experiencer or just the experienced?

 

Edited July 17, 2020 by VeganAwake

[Seth]

@Carl-Richard

For me zombie mode is when I am acting mostly on auto pilot throughout the day. Then something reminds me to shift my consciousness back to a more self-reflective mode. So in my experience one CAN control the spaciousness by shifting their consciousness. Of course what "control" means isn't exactly a universally agreed upon term. So with that out of the way.

I have noticed that my shift in consciousness often times does effect the stream of thoughts that come into my head. And I admit it is a challenge to stay conscious while doing tasks that require thought. The process of thought seems to try and pull me out of conscious awareness which inevitably succeeds to put me back into what I'm calling zombie mode.

If I remember correctly, the reason I started this thread was to ask one main question which I will condense.

Should I try and reach higher levels of consciousness? (and if so where should I direct my consciousness? I can imagine this being difficult to articulate.)

or

Should I stabilize my current grasp of "higher" states of consciousness?

Also something I want to say but don't know where to put it in this reply is that I have also come to the understanding that at least at first (from what I remember) my experience with spaciousness only came after meditating for a long while (few years) using the noting technique by Shinzen Young that Leo shared in a video a long time ago. One day I thought to myself I should try and simply focus on the "fact" that experiences in general are existing in my awareness. Doing this my focus relaxed. What took practice was holding on to the higher state of consciousness while not meditating. It is funny I've only recently started practicing this. Trying to read while also being aware of the existence of experiences in general, was an interesting experience. Doing this and other mentally demanding tasks I "unlocked" this seemingly trivial thing in my consciousness. It was like a wall that allowed spaciousness to stay separate in my awareness from any object of awareness. Now that this wall was unlocked I could experience objects of me and my ego's awareness (however they should be conflated) as pure existence and consciousness as a kind of substance.

It is kind of funny in typing this I kind of answer my own question and now I just want to share my experiences with something that might be able to understand it. Don't come by many people that are interested in talking about higher levels of consciousness. Is lonely.

[Seth]

@VeganAwake You might be in the wrong thread I have no idea what you're saying. It feels like you're replying "at me" hahaha

[Carl-Richard]

13 minutes ago, Seth said:

 

And I admit it is a challenge to stay conscious while doing tasks that require thought. The process of thought seems to try and pull me out of conscious awareness which inevitably succeeds to put me back into what I'm calling zombie mode.

What is the goal you're trying to achieve when you're doing a task that requires thought? Well, the goal is to think and do what is necessary. There is nothing else you have to do.

This compulsion you have of wanting to "stay conscious" is just another thought that is interfering with the task at hand. If you're required to think, then you should think. If you're not required to think, then don't think. The former should be easy, but the latter is what requires practice. You seem to be trying to fix the latter by interrupting the former, which may be perceived as progress, but it's really just counterproductive. 

I would discourage any attempts at trying to force "consciousness" into daily activities that require your fullest attention. It's just classic neuroticism, nothing spiritual about it. If you want results, then set off time each day to where you can focus 100% on becoming aware or whatever you think is necessary. Then when you're not practicing, let it go. The worst attachment you can have is the attachment to spirituality itself. Don't make it harder for yourself than it has to

[VeganAwake]

27 minutes ago, Seth said:

@VeganAwake You might be in the wrong thread I have no idea what you're saying. It feels like you're replying "at me" hahaha

Well there is no you, so the replies are Universal.

I just want to ask one question?

What is consciousness?

Think about it?

Have you ever been unconscious? yes maybe when you sleep.

The question is who or what is conscious?

Where is that one?

 

[WelcometoReality]

4 hours ago, Seth said:

@WelcometoReality

Again, it sounds like we're not talking on the same level.

No we are not. Your talking about different states that happens within consciousness and I'm talking about consciousness which is stateless, never changing.

4 hours ago, Seth said:

Also, what do you mean by stop utilizing it?

Are you saying that all I need to do is stay out of zombie mode? (in other words stabilize what I already know I can will)

More importantly BE it. Zombiemode is a state within consciousness. Trying to stabilize it happens within consciousness. When I say be it I mean that you let zombiemode arise and pass.  Consciousness is still. Everything happens within it and it will not try to resist anything that is arising or hold onto anything that is passing.

4 hours ago, Seth said:

The kind of stuff you said I can not imagine helping anyone without some explanation lol

No it's probably not helping at all. ?

4 hours ago, Seth said:

PS these seemingly esoteric answers are making me feel angry (which I understand is the the false self blah blah blah)

It can be the false self but to be sure you can go into the anger and see what is triggering it.

[Artsu]

Consciousness, in my view, is a particular kind of awareness. It is complex, and able to hold things while it processes them.

Awareness is a broader term that could apply to things with no real sense of reality but which interact with other things.