What is Consciousness?

[melanie]

The mind is an aspect of Consciousness.

Consciousness is an aspect of Awareness.

The difference between Consciousness and Awareness.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=hwyuQbIb0Xs





The quest for truth is not for everyone, of course, and that's good.
For most it is fine just to go along and believe what we're told,
to accept as verity what we see on TV and take the authority of someone higher in the pecking order.
This preserves the order of society and protects governments from anarchy.
But still, there will always be a few(mystics & sages) who will take immense inner satisfaction at knowing without doubt,
that the curiosity arising in the mind has been resolved.

Then.. when the mind has been satisfied, it can stop its ceaseless chatter and just be still.
In this stillness arises the peace that passeth understanding and a contentment we have never known in this lifetime.
A warm sweetness arises and we wonder, what was all the drama about.
Oh creator...Causes of all Causes
With this breath
I acknowledge your presence
You are my Beloved.

(Now .. that's what I call Pure Real Magic)

[melanie]

The 'you' that appears in Consciousness as a separate (i) is an Illusion.
All there IS is No-thing ''appearing'' as Every-thing.

The ''local mind'' the (i) thought when it is asleep... Is sleeping.
It needs sleep .. because it needs to rest due to incessant movements of thought(mind chatter)
The thought of a separate (i) is an already known movement in Consciousness.
Consciousness 'the witness' .. is always awake (and never sleeps).
While you are sleeping perhaps a noise awakens you.
Who was listening to the noise?
....The macro brain ? Of the All Knowing..All Perceiving.. All Pervading.. All Encompassing.. Pure Eternal Awareness(Unconsciousness) ?

Know as ...The unknowing knowing known...One with the knowing.

'' If 'you' say you know.......you don't....... '' .....That was Some quote said by somebody or other...

In other words we are always in a state of ''NOT KNOWING''
(Progressive Revelation)

What we do know.. IS only a thought.. a movement of the mind within consciousness, already known.

http://www.closertotruth.com/topic/H...Conscious-/137

[Drifter]

Brahman being pure consciousness there cannot be any true creation. Matter cannot be created or destroyed, nor can energy. Krishna states this in an absolute law of conservation: that which exists cannot cease to exist and that which is non-existent cannot come into existence (nAsato vidyate bhAvo nAbhAvo vidyate sataH).
If there is any creation it is only a transformation of one form into another. But Brahman, which is infinite, cannot transform either – this was stated before as ‘Brahman cannot create, since creation involves an action.’ This can be also be stated in terms of cause-effect relationships, which are only possible in the realm of time. Even the concept of time is the product of creation. That which is beyond time - that which is beyond any cause-effect relationships - cannot be the cause of any universe.
Hence Vedanta declares that creation is only apparent and not real. gauDapAda puts this neatly and says that what we call creation is the ‘svAbhAvika’ – natural state of Brahman, just as existence in varieties of name and form for gold is its very nature (or to put it more technically, gold is malleable and corrosion-resistant enough to be made into varieties of ornamental forms). If you know the essence of one ornament, you know the Gold. If you know gold, you know the truth of all gold-ornaments. Similarly if you know Brahman, you know the whole creation, the world of names and forms.
Hence when the student says to his teacher, “Sir, please teach me that, knowing which I know everything” – “kasmino bhaghavo vij~nAte sarvam idam vij~nAtam bhavati”, the teacher says it is not an objective science, but yet it is the science of every object in the whole universe and that it is Brahman, knowing which you have essentially known everything. I do not need to know this ring, that ring, this bangle, and that bangle etc. – that is all superficial knowledge (or knowledge of superimpositions on gold) – there are unlimited numbers of ornaments. However, once I know that all are nothing but gold and gold alone, which remains unchanged in all changes, then essentially I know all those ornaments in the past, all those in the present and all those that will be there in the future. Knowing that which is changeless in all changes is Brahman, the very material cause for the universe of names and forms, I have known the essence of all that was there in the past, all that is there now and all that will be there in future. As Einstein puts it “Once I have known the mind of God, the rest are all details”.
Thus, at the level of vyavahAra, the world appears to be real but from the absolute point of view there is no creation. The appearance of a multitude of forms with names is just the Glory of Ishvara as Krishna declares ‘ pashyam me yogamaishvaram’. Creation is just the names and forms without any substantive other than Brahman. Just as ring, bangle, necklace, etc are the name and form without any substantive other than gold. Therefore all that you see is nothing but Brahman in varieties of names and forms (sarvaM khalvidam brahma – all this is Brahman) and there is nothing other than Brahman (neha nAnAsti ki~nchana). From the point of negation, what I am negating at the seat of meditation as ‘I am not this, not this’ etc. are only the superficial names and forms that are superimposed on Brahman. In the process of negation, I have to see the substantive of all this; this and that are nothing but Brahman. Since Brahman is not an object to see, ‘seeing’ here means an understanding as in the statement ‘Yes, I see your point.’ From the analysis of the perceptual process also we have concluded that all objects are perceived only as thoughts in our minds and the mind is illumined by the consciousness that I am. Thus, thoughts and objects out there are like the perturbations of waves on the surface of the Deep Ocean of consciousness that I am. The whole analysis is self-consistent and logical too, yet points to the truth that is beyond logic or perceptual knowledge.
Let us summarize now the nature of Brahman from the Vedantic perspective...

[AntonioLao]

Mathematically speaking, absolute consciousness is made of a complete set of 8 directional invariance properties such that for every right there is always a left, for every future there is always a past, and for every top there is always a bottom. Taken 3 at a time creates all 8 directional properties.

[Drifter]

Consciousness is not an object apart from science.
It is a Science that is inclusive of all objects.

The Error of Science.

There is absolutely no room for complacency, much less for pride, in the thought that the intellectual efforts of the past two or three centuries have culminated in a vast increase in human knowledge, in a remarkable leap forward in technology, in political freedom, , in the conquest of disease, victory over famines and progress in other directions conducive to the peace and happiness of mankind. There are still large gaps in our knowledge,especially in the knowledge of the human mind, which if not filled up. at least to the extent possible now, might result in the undoing in a day all that has been achieved with the sweating labor og hundreds of years.

Leaving apart the lacunae in our knowledge of the physical universe---the increasing problems posed by astronomy, the real nature of time and space, the basic substance of the nebulae or the ultimate form of matter---it is no exageration to say that our present knowledge of the mind and its instruments, the brain and the nervous system, is still in its infancy, utterly insignificant as compared to the information we have gathered about the physical world. This disproportion in the knowledge of the two worlds in which we live, the outer and the inner, makes us a giant in one direction and a dwarf in the other, a clear sign of abnormality that can only have serious repercussions on our thoughts and actions, and thereby on our whole life and the environment that we create for ourselves.

[melanie]

"If we are to reach pure awareness, we must be pure,
to be pure, we must purify ourselves, pure purification
requires the 47 steps, the 47 steps must be proceeded
by the pure intention, pure intention comes only after
pure seeking, pure seeking arrives only after pure suffering,
pure suffering is not possible, suffering is payment for impurity"



Excerpt from the Ashtavakra Gita.

"Heart of Awareness."

My Child,
Because you think you are the body,
For a long time you have been bound.
Know you are pure awareness.
With this knowledge as your sword
Cut through your chains.
And be happy!

For you are already free,
Without action or flaw,
Luminous and bright.
You are bound
Only by the habit of meditation.

Your nature is pure awareness.
You are flowing in all things,
And all things are flowing in you.
But beware,
The narrowness of the mind!

You are always the same,
Unfathomable awareness,
Limitless and free,
Serene and unperturbed.
Desire only your own awareness.

Whatever takes form is false.
Only the formless endures.
When you understand
The truth of this teaching,
You will not be born again.

For God is infinite,
Within the body and without,
Like a mirror,
And the image in a mirror.

As the air is everywhere,
Flowing around a pot
And filling it,
So God is everywhere,
Filling all things
And flowing through them forever.
~

[melanie]

" I AM a being of Violet Fire ~ I AM the Purity God Desires "

[AntonioLao]

The wavelength of violet light is 436 nanometers. It might be the shortest of the visible spectrum. Since its frequency is inversely proportional, it might be the hottest of the visible spectrum. Beyond the violet is the UV or ultraviolet light which causes sunburns.

[Drifter]

SUNGAZING: Open The Pineal Gland, Improve Your Eyesight, Eat Less Food
Staring at the Sun:
My journey with the ancient practice of sun gazing, began in Arizona, a little over three years ago. I had discovered an incredible diet that was to save my life, by the same man who recommended sun gazing. His name was Vinny Pinto, and he ran a Yahoo group that focused on a man named Hira Ratan Manek. He was originally from India, and is commonly referred to as HRM.
HRM has literally subsisted, and lived off of the sun's energy since June 18th, 1995. That is right, he has not eaten solid food in 12 years. He has been studied by various researchers, such as the Thomas Jefferson University, and the University of Pennsylvania. Not only have they found his claims to be true, but medical evidence suggests this man is more healthy than a normal person of his age. This year he is 76.
How does he do it? The ancient practice of sun gazing. Doctor's found his neurons were active, and not dying. His pineal gland is actually growing, not shrinking, which is very unusual in someone over the age of fifty. The greatest average in someone over fifty, is a pineal size of 6×6 mm, HRM's is 8×11 mm.
http://www.lockergnome.com/shadowmyth/2007/08/29/why-i-stare-at-the-sun/
--------------------------------
SUNLIGHT WILL HELP HEAL YOUR EYES
"Gazing directly into the sun actually improves sight and aids in overcoming disease,," wrote Dr. Herbert Shelton.
WITHOUT SUNLIGHT YOU WILL DIE"Without sunshine, there would be no life possible on earth," writes Dr. Edwin Flatto. The sun provides the basis for all life on earth.
The sun is the source of energy for all plants, and indirectly, for all animals. Sunlight purifies water, air and the surfaces of objects.
"Shut up the strongest man in a dark dungeon, and he becomes pale like a corpse, his blood loses its vitality, and he is liable to scrofulous disease. He loses the power of resisting disease influences," wrote Dr. Thomas Low Nichols.
"Take away the sunlight and all life on earth would soon perish. Deprived of sunlight, man loses physical vigor and strength and will develop a disinclination for activity," wrote Dr. Herbert Shelton. Shelton wrote that the "jailbird" who has been locked in his cell for sometime with a lack of sunlight, is in line for disease and will waste away.
Feed two animals the same diet but keep one in a dark closet and allow the other to be out in the sunshine. The animal that's kept in the closet will be weak, stunted and die prematurely.
FOR BEST RESULTS WHEN EXPOSED TO SUNLIGHT, DO NOT USE EYEGLASSES, SUNGLASSES, SUNLAMPS, SUNSCREENS, SUNTAN LOTIONS OR TANNING PILLS
Eyeglasses and contact lenses rob you of energy by blocking some of the ultra violet rays that travel through the eyes to the pineal gland, writes Patricia McCormac.
After discontinuing wearing his eyeglasses, Dr. John Ott writes that he exposed his eyes to the sunlight without lenses. His vision was much improved. He recommended similar therapy to his friends and they received similar improvement in their vision. Ott writes that nothing should block out the full spectrum of sunlight, no glasses of any kind to block the ultra violet rays, and especially, no dark glasses.
Sunglasses block healing ultra-violet light and thus contribute to the increased incidence of blindness and eye disease in this country, writes Dr. Jacob Liberman.
Suntan lotions should not be used because they can cause cancer, writes Dr. Zane R. Kime.
"Artificial sun-lamps can do irreparable damage. None of the lamps, regardless of the price, contain more than a few of the rays found in the sun. The ultra-violet rays, because of their short length in artificial lamps, can be very harmful," writes Dr. William Esser.
Sunscreen may actually increase the risk of cancer, so proposed California researchers in a paper published in January, 1993, in the Annals of Epidemiology. The researchers contended that UVB- blocking sunscreens had contributed to increasing skin-cancer rates, by disabling the body's natural alarm mechanism: sunburn. The researchers also posited that because UVB rays are the main source of vitamin D, and because vitamin D may inhibit the progression of melanoma, and because sunscreens block UVB rays- sunscreens might promote vitamin D deficiencies and cause melanomas. (UVB is the shorter wavelength of ultraviolet light that damages the skin. UVA is the longer of the two types of ultraviolet light that reaches the earth. UVA is responsible for tanning.)
In a study in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute in January,1993, researchers from the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center applied three common types of sunscreen to mice and then exposed most of them to sunlamps twice a week for three weeks. Melanoma cells were then injected into all the mice. The mice exposed to the ultraviolet (UV) rays, even if they were treated with sunscreen, had a higher incidence of melanoma than those not exposed to UV rays. The researchers theorized that sunscreens may allow enough UV to penetrate the skin to suppress the immune response and/or damage DNA, thus allowing tumors to develop.

[Drifter]

Hira is quite the researcher, with empirical documentation of the ultra-violet "manna-machination".

http://lightworkers.org/blog/38699/sungazing-open-the-pineal-gland-improve-your-eyesight-eat-less-food