Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Noumena: Consciousness without an Object


Just who are we?
That which we are is consciousness. Sometimes referred to as awareness, presence, the natural state, the unconditioned mind, the Self or the unborn, consciousness is simply that which perceives the words on this page, that which hears the spoken word, that which perceives, right now, the “world”, the “body” and the “mind”.
We have a tendency to complicate this issue. We tend to believe that “awareness” is something mysterious, something that must be obtained. Somehow, we have decided that consciousness is something that must be sought through a difficult path of inquiry and practice. But, this is simply not true.
Consciousness is directly under our noses. It allows us to perceive everything that is, allows us to experience all of the objects of awareness.
Are you conscious? Of course you are. So, now you have it: you are consciousness. Your awareness of being conscious is what we refer to when we talk of “consciousness becoming aware of itself”. Pretty simple and, as it turns out, pretty profound. 

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