Monday, May 25, 2009

Self-sustaining Consciousness


One of the primary characteristics of consciousness is intention. Consciousness is not automatic or involuntary. Consciousness is not willful. Will is the sum of energy possessed by a separate self, a measure of power exercised by a fragment of oneself. Will is a preliminary stage of development of a higher power over oneself, self-mastery. What I refer to as intention is the potential of one’s whole being to act, not a fragment of oneself. Consciousness is one’s whole being. Consciousness is what unifies one’s being, what connects every part of oneself and forms a whole.


Emotions are reactions that arise from thoughts. Emotions are a preliminary stage of developing the energy of which we consist into a self-sustaining energetic body. Learn to get a feel for being present. Paying attention is a continuous feeling of being conscious. You can’t be present unless you feel present.


Make the physical body still. Close your eyes. Withdraw from external distractions. Pay attention.


Observe the chronic thought process, recognize its potential and pose the question, "Who am I?" The aim is to develop self-sustaining consciousness.


Consciousness is a non-conceptual knowing and a feeling. With the mind we learn to perform a higher function of knowing ourselves, and with the heart we learn to perform a higher function of feeling ourselves.


A characteristic of consciousness is self-sustenance, perpetual motion. That means genuine independence. Consciousness means self-mastery and self-knowledge.

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Desire is a Symptom of Unconsciousness

We begin to formulate a desire in the following way: "I want…" Before naming a specific desire, we establish (however vaguely) a notion of ourselves, a notion of the "self" who desires. We say that "I" desire. Who or what am "I" that desires?

"I" am the self-reference of thought. The self-reference identifies myself. I define "identification" as a majority investment of energy. Within the physical body there is a certain amount of subtle energy. That energy is organized in various ways. For example, thought is an organization of subtle internal energy. The thought process is a subtle organization of the energy of which we consist. Emotions are another organization of subtle energy. In as much as the energy of which we consist is organized within the physical body, we identify with the physical body. The majority of our energy (the sum of it) is vested within the physical body. That is identification, as I’ve defined the term. In as much as a large amount of our internal energy is vested into the thought process, we identify ourselves with thought in the form of the self-reference, "I." Identification is a center of gravity within the larger being who we are. Identification means perceiving ourselves (and the world around us) from that center. That center may be the physical body, the thought process, an emotion, or a combination of the three. At any given time we tend to identify ourselves in one way more than another.

In as much as thought remains a continuous involuntary process, identification remains involuntary. Identification happens to us. It is not "I" that identifies but rather I am identified. We fall into identification. Identification is an unconscious process. Through conscious development we gain intentional control over ourselves.

There is the physical body who we are, and there is the energy of which we consist that interpenetrates the physical body, and there is the organization of energy that is our thought process within which we identify ourselves as "I."

There are instinctive feelings that arise within the physical body as reactions to its environment, and there are emotions that arise as reactions to thought. Emotions arise as reactions to our identification with the thought process. There are three basic emotions (and instinctive feelings): fear, desire and aversion. Instinctive feelings are an aspect of our physical survival mechanism, guiding our physical behavior and warning us of dangers. Emotions are an aspect of identification with thought. Emotions are characteristics of the separate "self" that is our identification with the self-reference, "I." Emotions reinforce the "survival" or perpetuation of the separate "self," the separative perspective generated by thought.

A desire may be instinctive or emotional. Instinctive desires are natural and necessary for the survival and functioning of the physical organism. Emotions are often confused with instinctive desires. The desire for food may become emotional rather than instinctive. The desire for sex may become emotional rather than instinctive. When emotional desires interfere with instinctive desires, there is imbalance and conflict within the organism. We eat too much, for example, or we become obsessed with sex.

The problem of emotional desire is the problem of identification, that is identification with thought as the self-reference, "I." Identification with the self-reference, identification within thought, creates a separative perspective, a sense of being separate. From that sense of being separate, emotional reactions arise. Emotional fears arise. From our psychologically separative identification we experience the fear of being separate, the fear of being vulnerable, the fear of insecurity, of lacking something. From fear arise desires for belonging, for security and fulfillment. This is the origin of the formulation, "I want…"

What I refer to as consciousness begins as a sense of being present, prior to thought. Elementary consciousness is bodily awareness, a sense of oneself as being alongside sensory impressions. Consciousness is a feeling of being. Consciousness is not a state of identification with thought. In fact, the state of identification with thought is a state of unconsciousness. We are not born fully conscious, only potentially so. A human being possesses the potential to develop consciousness.

Desire is a symptom of unconsciousness. The pursuit of desire reinforces the state of identification, unconsciousness. Recognizing what desire is, recognizing the origin of desire, is the beginning of conscious development. Consciousness develops through a process of detachment and self-enquiry.