Consciousness - Mind - I am (56)
- Nisargadatta
Nisargadatta: By its very nature the mind is outward turned; it always tends to seek for the source of things among the things themselves; to be told to look for the source within, is, in a way, the beginning of a new life.
Awareness takes the place of consciousness; in consciousness there is the 'I', who is conscious while awareness is undivided; awareness is aware of itself.
Awareness takes the place of consciousness; in consciousness there is the 'I', who is conscious while awareness is undivided; awareness is aware of itself.
The 'I am' is a thought, while awareness is not a thought, there is no 'I am aware' in awareness.
Consciousness is an attribute while awareness is not; one can be aware of being conscious, but not conscious of awareness.
God is the totality of consciousness, but awareness is beyond all -- being as well as not-being.
Question: Does consciousness come down from reality or is it an attribute of matter?
Nisargadatta: Consciousness as such is the subtle counterpart of matter.
Just as inertia (tamas) and energy (rajas) are attributes of matter, so does harmony (sattva) manifest itself as consciousness.
You may consider it in a way as a form of very subtle energy. Wherever matter organises itself into a stable organism, consciousness appears spontaneously. With the destruction of the organism consciousness disappears.
Question: Please tell us squarely: are you conscious or unconscious?
Nisargadatta: The enlightened (jnani) is neither. But in his enlightenment (jnana) all is contained. Awareness contains every experience. But he who is aware is beyond every experience. He is beyond awareness itself
Question: Please tell us squarely: are you conscious or unconscious?
Nisargadatta: The enlightened (jnani) is neither. But in his enlightenment (jnana) all is contained. Awareness contains every experience. But he who is aware is beyond every experience. He is beyond awareness itself