How does one know they are conscious?

[Lindsay]

I viewed many videos on consciousness. But how can anyone tell if they’ve awakened? I had an episode of what I thought was an “ah ha” moment, but actually I was sent to a psych ward for 2 weeks for bipolar psychosis back in March. Everything felt connected. Literally everything I perceived was connected to my inner train of thinking. I can’t really explain it. But at the time I thought I had an awakening. My family thought I was acting out of character and took me to the hospital. It took a week of meds in the ward to go back to my original way of thinking. Was it just information overload? 

[Thought Art]

22 minutes ago, Lindsay said:

I viewed many videos on consciousness. But how can anyone tell if they’ve awakened? I had an episode of what I thought was an “ah ha” moment, but actually I was sent to a psych ward for 2 weeks for bipolar psychosis back in March. Everything felt connected. Literally everything I perceived was connected to my inner train of thinking. I can’t really explain it. But at the time I thought I had an awakening. My family thought I was acting out of character and took me to the hospital. It took a week of meds in the ward to go back to my original way of thinking. Was it just information overload? 

Honestly this is what makes this work so challenging. I don't know. 

I think you know whether you are conscious when you get good results, and unconsciousness when you get bad results.

Sometimes you increase consciousness in one area, but it throws off the rest of your ability to be aware. It's hard because we are all alone in this. As long as we are keeping ourselves safe, staying grounded... How can we trust our own minds if we never work to discover our own self deceptions? This is really the foundation of actualized.org. 

The more accurate our models and perception the better. If we are getting ungrounded, scaring or hurting others then we are doing it wrong.

Basically, if our consciousness changes radically too quickly there is like a 99% change you are ungrounded.

This is bound to happen as we are questioning our own realities foundations, and with all the information that is flowing around the world right now. Knowing what is true, what is false is really the hardest thing and we need to approach this work with the respect and patience it requires.

Awareness happens through deliberate practice, constant self reflection and admitting hard truths to ourselves.  

I want to also say that this isn't a place for mental health problems and it's important to ask this question to a professional.

Out of curiosity can you explain in more detail what you were thinking and experiencing and why they felt the need to hospitalize you?

Really, a great goal I think other than 'God Consciousness' or 'infinite understanding' which in my opinion are really pipe dreams the real goal could be developing a high level of clarity, balance and integrity. All things I am working on myself. 

I think it requires a lot of self love and self discipline to admit when we are wrong or deluded. It'll be okay the more you can observe yourself. I know this from observing my own ego defences and my own self deceptions, my own delusions, transference and mistakes.

Edited July 12, 2021 by Thought Art

[TheSource]

I assume your question is: "How can I know that (e.g.) a spiritual teacher is awakened?"

I think, especially at the very beginning of your journey it's pure intuition and a good bullshit detector. Unfortunately the bullshit detector of many people will not work properly as it is blinded by the ego. Either they are paranoid "This person is after me and my money he/she, cannot be awakened". Or it's too trusting "This person is sooo fantastic he/she promises to materialize all my wishes in x amount of time".

So at the end of the day my recommendation is to grow with the teachers you are following and always verify for yourself what they are communicating. Always assume (not in a paranoid way) that they could be completely wrong.

I think it was the Buddha himself who told his disciples to not believe a word.

Are you sure you haven't had an awakening when your parents told you, you acted out of character? From the "normal" mind's point of view awakening is, well, literally losing your mind.

Edited July 12, 2021 by TheSource
typo

[Seraphim]

48 minutes ago, Lindsay said:

Everything felt connected. Literally everything I perceived was connected to my inner train of thinking. I can’t really explain it. But at the time I thought I had an awakening. My family thought I was acting out of character and took me to the hospital. It took a week of meds in the ward to go back to my original way of thinking. Was it just information overload? 

It's a short description but that does seem like a psychosis. An awakening can make it feel like everything is the Self, the absolute, but it won't change the thoughts in that way. One may get fewer thoughts and they may not be self-referential anymore like "I will do this" or in the form of words like "that looks nice" etc. But it won't feel like your individual thoughts have anything to do with other people and their thoughts, others aren't affected by or connected to your thoughts and they can't hear or see them.

After an awakening and integration of it you will become more balanced and healthy, your relationships will improve, people will think that you are sane and a good role-model, your inner problems and addictions will disappear etc.

[Nahm]

1 hour ago, Lindsay said:

I viewed many videos on consciousness. But how can anyone tell if they’ve awakened? I had an episode of what I thought was an “ah ha” moment, but actually I was sent to a psych ward for 2 weeks for bipolar psychosis back in March. Everything felt connected. Literally everything I perceived was connected to my inner train of thinking. I can’t really explain it. But at the time I thought I had an awakening. My family thought I was acting out of character and took me to the hospital. It took a week of meds in the ward to go back to my original way of thinking. Was it just information overload? 

Awakened or not is thought activity, and awakening is not a product or a result of thought activity. If ever in question that is not ‘it’. Letting go of any questioning of it, can only be of it. 

[Lindsay]

@Thought Art

53 minutes ago, Thought Art said:

Really, a great goal I think other than 'God Consciousness' or 'infinite understanding' which in my opinion are really pipe dreams the real goal could be developing a high level of clarity, balance and integrity. All things I am working on myself. 

I think it requires a lot of self love and self discipline to admit when we are wrong or deluded. It'll be okay the more you can observe yourself. I know this from observing my own ego defences and my own self deceptions, my own delusions, transference and mistakes.

I like the “developing a high level of clarity, balance, and integrity” as a goal.

I agree with you about discipline and self love. Those are my weakest qualities. 
thank you for responding. 

[Leo Gura]

1 hour ago, Lindsay said:

But how can anyone tell if they’ve awakened?

It is completely obvious and self-evident.

Consciousness knows itself by being itself. That's what consciousness is: a self-aware substance.

It's basically the same way you tell when you woke up from a dream.

[Lindsay]

@TheSource

57 minutes ago, TheSource said:

I assume your question is: "How can I know that (e.g.) a spiritual teacher is awakened?"

I think, especially at the very beginning of your journey it's pure intuition and a good bullshit detector. Unfortunately the bullshit detector of many people will not work properly as it is blinded by the ego. Either they are paranoid "This person is after me and my money he/she, cannot be awakened". Or it's too trusting "This person is sooo fantastic he/she promises to materialize all my wishes in x amount of time".

So at the end of the day my recommendation is to grow with the teachers you are following and always verify for yourself what they are communicating. Always assume (not in a paranoid way) that they could be completely wrong.

I think it was the Buddha himself who told his disciples to not believe a word.

Are you sure you haven't had an awakening when your parents told you, you acted out of character? From the "normal" mind's point of view awakening is, well, literally losing your mind.

It wasn’t my question, but it was a better question than what I originally asked. I did lose my mind. But I was feeling so much bliss and euphoria. But that could also be just mania. Now I doubt I had an awakening. I never felt like I was god. I did feel deeply interconnected to everyone and everything.

 Thank you for responding. 

 

@Seraphim

19 minutes ago, Seraphim said:

It's a short description but that does seem like a psychosis. An awakening can make it feel like everything is the Self, the absolute, but it won't change the thoughts in that way. One may get fewer thoughts and they may not be self-referential anymore like "I will do this" or in the form of words like "that looks nice" etc. But it won't feel like your individual thoughts have anything to do with other people and their thoughts, others aren't affected by or connected to your thoughts and they can't hear or see them.

After an awakening and integration of it you will become more balanced and healthy, your relationships will improve, people will think that you are sane and a good role-model, your inner problems and addictions will disappear etc.

lol thank you for confirming that I was indeed psychotic. 
 

@Nahm

15 minutes ago, Nahm said:

Awakened or not is thought activity, and awakening is not a product or a result of thought activity. If ever in question that is not ‘it’. Letting go of any questioning of it, can only be of it. 

9 minutes ago, Lindsay said:

I’m not sure I understand what you mean. I guess I don’t know how to let go. 

[Inliytened1]

1 hour ago, Lindsay said:

I viewed many videos on consciousness. But how can anyone tell if they’ve awakened? 

You won't have to ask.  You will become pure consciousness which is your true nature.  You are that now, you are merely not conscious of yourself.  Your true nature needs not validation of itself simply because it is itself.

[TheSource]

2 minutes ago, Lindsay said:

@TheSource

It wasn’t my question, but it was a better question than what I originally asked. I did lose my mind. But I was feeling so much bliss and euphoria. But that could also be just mania. Now I doubt I had an awakening. I never felt like I was god. I did feel deeply interconnected to everyone and everything.

 Thank you for responding.

Now I got your question, thanks.

So I think the answer then is: You will know that you know that you know when you know. Or in other words it's the same mechanism as you look at a color like "yellow". You just know by first hand experience that it is yellow. It's very simple actually.

[Thought Art]

1 hour ago, Leo Gura said:

It is completely obvious and self-evident.

Consciousness knows itself by being itself. That's what consciousness is: a self-aware substance.

It's basically the same way you tell when you woke up from a dream.

This is dangerous advice.

You can't know if you are deluded or not, and it's obviously not obvious given all the self deception mechanisms.

You can delude yourself and you can harm others.

Given what this person has just said about being in a mental hospital saying that makes no sense.

You can know given results you get within duality. But, even then..

There is a difference between being 'consciousness' and being sane, clear minded and aware. To me that is awakening.

Edited July 13, 2021 by Thought Art

[Leo Gura]

Self-deception is always possible.

But consciousness knows itself by being itself.

There is no contradiction.

Awakening can only be self-evident, since there exists nothing but the Self. But the Self can also delude itself easily.

[Bodhitree]

10 hours ago, Lindsay said:

 I had an episode of what I thought was an “ah ha” moment, but actually I was sent to a psych ward for 2 weeks for bipolar psychosis back in March. Everything felt connected.

Well this is part of the problem. The people who run psych wards know very little about consciousness, and so they can’t really give you guidance to move through your most high energy states. At most they can slap on some medication to make things calm down again. 

But really if you had a master’s skills you would be able to get out of that state of mind by yourself. It’s a good indication that you can still be wrapped up in the world and swept away by circumstance.