What is consciousness?

[Drifter]

“In spirituality, the mind is utilized to get you to the frontier of the mind, to the edge of the mind, to that boundary between the mind and Being. Then you just leap off into Being.” — Adyashanti ~courtesy of Mel

Sow a thought and you reap an act; Sow an act and you reap a habit; Sow a habit and you reap a character; Sow a character and you reap a destiny.

- Samuel Smiles

[Drifter]

THE FOUR METHODS OF ACQUIRING KNOWLEDGE

There are only four accepted methods of comprehension -- that is to say, the realities of things are understood by these four methods.

The first method is by the senses -- that is to say, all that the eye, the ear, the taste, the smell, the touch perceive is understood by this method. Today this method is considered the most perfect by all the European philosophers: they say that the principal method of gaining knowledge is through the senses; they consider it supreme, although it is imperfect, for it commits errors. For example, the greatest of the senses is the power of sight. The sight sees the mirage as water, and it sees images reflected in mirrors as real and existent; large bodies which are distant appear to be small, and a whirling point appears as a circle. The sight believes the earth to be motionless and sees the sun in motion, and in many similar cases it makes mistakes. Therefore, we cannot trust it.

The second is the method of reason, which was that of the ancient philosophers, the pillars of wisdom; this is the method of the understanding. They proved things by reason and held firmly to logical proofs; all their arguments are arguments of reason. Notwithstanding this, they differed greatly, and their opinions were contradictory. They even changed their views -- that is to say, during twenty years they would prove the existence of a thing by logical arguments, and afterward they would deny it by logical arguments -- so much so that Plato at first logically proved the immobility of the earth and the movement of the sun; later by logical arguments he proved that the sun was the stationary center, and that the earth was moving. Afterward the Ptolemaic theory was spread abroad, and the idea of Plato was entirely forgotten, until at last a new observer again called it to life. Thus all the mathematicians disagreed, although they relied upon arguments of reason. In the same way, by logical arguments, they would prove a problem at a certain time, then afterward by arguments of the same nature they would deny it. So one of the philosophers would firmly uphold a theory for a time with strong arguments and proofs to support it, which afterward he would retract and contradict by arguments of reason. Therefore, it is evident that the method of reason is not perfect, for the differences of the ancient philosophers, the want of stability and the variations of their opinions, prove this. For if it were perfect, all ought to be united in their ideas and agreed in their opinions.

The third method of understanding is by tradition -- that is, through the text of the Holy Scriptures -- for people say, "In the Old and New Testaments, God spoke thus." This method equally is not perfect, because the traditions are understood by the reason. As the reason itself is liable to err, how can it be said that in interpreting the meaning of the traditions it will not err, for it is possible for it to make mistakes, and certainty cannot be attained. This is the method of the religious leaders; whatever they understand and comprehend from the text of the books is that which their reason understands from the text, and not necessarily the real truth; for the reason is like a balance, and the meanings contained in the text of the Holy Books are like the thing which is weighed. If the balance is untrue, how can the weight be ascertained?

Know then: that which is in the hands of people, that which they believe, is liable to error. For, in proving or disproving a thing, if a proof is brought forward which is taken from the evidence of our senses, this method, as has become evident, is not perfect; if the proofs are intellectual, the same is true; or if they are traditional, such proofs also are not perfect. Therefore, there is no standard in the hands of people upon which we can rely.

But the bounty of the Holy Spirit gives the true method of comprehension which is infallible and indubitable. This is through the help of the Holy Spirit which comes to man, and this is the condition in which certainty can alone be attained.

~Abdul l baha; Some Answered Questions

[melanie]

What is consciousness?

It is the subtle gap between nothingness and everythingness.

Beyond our ideas of right-doing and wrong-doing,
there is a field. I'll meet you there.
When the soul lies down in that grass,
the world is too full to talk about.
Ideas, language, even the phrase 'each other'
doesn't make sense any more.
Rumi



What is consciousness?

It is stepping from the known into the unknown.

When you have come to the edge of all the light you know,
and are about to step off into the darkness of the unknown,
Faith is knowing that one of two things will happen:
There will either be something solid to stand on
or you will be taught how to fly.
Anon


What is consciousness?

Consciousness is understanding what you really are.

" I suppose it is because nearly all children go to school nowadays and have things arranged for them that they seem so forlornly unable to produce their own ideas. "
--Agatha Christie

"I have never let my schooling interfere with my education."
--Mark Twain

[melanie]

What is consciousness?

There is no such thing as light and dark,
as each is it's complimentary opposite.
Without dark, light would not be known.
And vice versa.

Both one and the same.
All things are ideas and have no independent existence of there own.
Every-thing is interconnected to Every-thing else. [Whole]
All 'things' are 'concepts' .. words we make up in our mind/brain.
This is how we Interpret and make sense of our reality/logic.
So 'things' that make up our world, are a mental construct of the mind.
Without the chatter of the mind,
What is there to declare a 'thing' or a 'concept' ?

All is in Consciousness 'appearing' real but not real.
How do we define consciousness ?
It is like trying to describe emptiness by filling it up with words.
It is like trying to describe silence by talking about it.
hmm! quite a puzzle!
Fascinating non the less.
And that's what we like to do to solve the unsolvable puzzle.
Unless you ARE the puzzle.
Which of course you ARE.

melanie.

[Drifter]

Hi, all.

Could consciousness be defined as, "an abstract perception of probability?"

Look out the window at Nature. Imagine being a newborn child with this cognizance...but not having names and labels for anything. Nothing. Just observe, with a still mind. You'll get the knack in a little while. Don't let "conciousness" or the thinking mechanism, run off with you. Just witness. In Awe. No body, no mind, no persona. Just 'The Witnessing'. 'That's' Reality.
D.

[Drifter]

Hi, all.

Could consciousness be defined as, "an abstract perception of probability?"

With respect to Reality we have even greater difficulties, for whether used in the philosophic or the pragmatic senses it has had, historically, several meanings. Most commonly, at least in the western thought, this notion has been employed in relation to supposed objective existences, and this is obviously not the sense that could apply to the GREAT SPACE, which is neither objective nor subjective. We must, therefore, undertake some effort to derive the meaning that is valid for the aphorism.
Ordinarily, we think of "reality" as in contrast to the notion of "illusion," but this hardly leads to a clear understanding, since each notion becomes negatively defined by the other, and we are little,if at all, advanced to a true conception of what we feel in relation to these notions. Pragmatically, we generally have very little difficulty in differentiating between many illusions and relative realities, such as a mirage lake and a real lake, but this is not enough to define for us what we mean when these terms are extended to a metaphysical usage, For clearly, as a bare, visual, sense-impression, the mirage lake is as authentic as the real lake. We might say that as aesthetic modification of consciousness the one is as real as the other, but the distinction of reality versus illusion arises when some judgment is added to the pure aesthetic modification. But a judgment does not give reality; it gives truth or error. If the judgment produces an error, then we are obsessed by an illusion; otherwise there is no illusion. It would appear that this identification of illusion and error leads to the conclusion that the other of illusion is not reality but truth, and this opens a door for analysis that is much more fruitful.
scroll to pg. 410 for continuance http://books.google.com/books?id=ZnTfTNTXTzAC&pg=PA409&lpg=PA409&dq=with+r espect

[mkirkpatrick]

Consciousness is the "rider of the will" and emanates from the Absolute,from which reality
stems .



regards michael.

[Drifter]

Consciousness is the "rider of the will" and emanates from the Absolute,from which reality
stems .
regards michael.

[melanie]

One Light

The mind is the thinking process.
It's the nature of mind to label, define, describe, categorize, and separate. Anything you see as separate is a projection of your mind.
The appearance of separation arises with the appearance of thought.
There is no actual separation. Separation is apparitional.
The thought "my life" does not create a life fragmented from universal life. The thought "my consciousness" does not create a consciousness fragmented from universal consciousness.
The thought "my body" does not create a body fragmented from the universal body.
The universe is one.
Thought does not fragment the universe, it merely creates the appearance of fragmentation.

When white light shines through a prism, the component colors of the spectrum appear.
The component colors of the spectrum are not separate from white light. They appear separate due to the nature of the prism.
But the light is one.



When universal consciousness shines through the mind, the spectrum of the world appears.
The world is not separate from universal consciousness.
They appear separate due to the nature of the mind.
But universal consciousness, your mind and your world are one.

You are universal consciousness shining through your mind creating the appearance of your world. It's all one, and it's all you.

[Mikal]

To me consciousness holds the principles of awareness and self-responsibility. I did not always possess these principles and without them had no interest whatever in consciousness...it just was! Since attaining awareness and self-responsibility, I now live with the intention to be more ethical with the actions I take in life and a great deal of contemplation goes into my choices and decisions.