You are not your mind

[proylea]

There are many voices in the world, each one, not without significance. Most of the voices have this one thing in common, they all have there origin in the mind.
You are not your mind, you are the consciousness, the living awareness that observes the mind.
If we begin to awaken to who we really are, much that seemed important will fade away.
To begin the transition from unconsciousness to consciousness, you simply need to become aware of the mind or ego when it is active. As you identify the activities of the mind, you can begin to become present, to quieten the mind, and move from the condition where you are possessed by the mind, to a new state of being.
A place where the mind is at the disposal of you, the conscious observer.

[Jarrod]

Ayep.

The exact same thing goes for emotions.

[eputkonen]

Nor anything within awareness. Anything you can be aware of is not who you are.

[Maguru]

Originally Posted by proylea

There are many voices in the world, each one, not without significance. Most of the voices have this one thing in common, they all have there origin in the mind.
You are not your mind, you are the consciousness, the living awareness that observes the mind.
If we begin to awaken to who we really are, much that seemed important will fade away.
To begin the transition from unconsciousness to consciousness, you simply need to become aware of the mind or ego when it is active. As you identify the activities of the mind, you can begin to become present, to quieten the mind, and move from the condition where you are possessed by the mind, to a new state of being.
A place where the mind is at the disposal of you, the conscious observer.

We are not the sum total of our mind but we have a mind.

Where and how do you experience/have knowledge of/awareness of a 'conscious observer? In other words, without your mind how can the conscious observer exist?

[Maguru]

Originally Posted by eputkonen

Nor anything within awareness. Anything you can be aware of is not who you are.

In this case you will never know who you are. Awareness is everything. Without awareness what is there? A cabbage maybe?

[Anagogy]

Originally Posted by proylea

There are many voices in the world, each one, not without significance. Most of the voices have this one thing in common, they all have there origin in the mind.
You are not your mind, you are the consciousness, the living awareness that observes the mind.
If we begin to awaken to who we really are, much that seemed important will fade away.
To begin the transition from unconsciousness to consciousness, you simply need to become aware of the mind or ego when it is active. As you identify the activities of the mind, you can begin to become present, to quieten the mind, and move from the condition where you are possessed by the mind, to a new state of being.
A place where the mind is at the disposal of you, the conscious observer.

Personally, I've always seen the words mind and consciousness as synonyms.

For example a free dictionary online defines mind, the noun, as:

1. The human consciousness that originates in the brain and is manifested especially in thought, perception, emotion, will, memory, and imagination.
2. The collective conscious and unconscious processes in a sentient organism that direct and influence mental and physical behavior.
3. The principle of intelligence; the spirit of consciousness regarded as an aspect of reality.
4. The faculty of thinking, reasoning, and applying knowledge: Follow your mind, not your heart.
5. A person of great mental ability: the great minds of the century.
6.
a. Individual consciousness, memory, or recollection: I'll bear the problem in mind.
b. A person or group that embodies certain mental qualities: the medical mind; the public mind.
c. The thought processes characteristic of a person or group; psychological makeup: the criminal mind.
7. Opinion or sentiment: He changed his mind when he heard all the facts.
8. Desire or inclination: She had a mind to spend her vacation in the desert.
9. Focus of thought; attention: I can't keep my mind on work.
10. A healthy mental state; sanity: losing one's mind.

The dictionary then defines consciousness as:

1. The state or condition of being conscious.
2. A sense of one's personal or collective identity, including the attitudes, beliefs, and sensitivities held by or considered characteristic of an individual or group: Love of freedom runs deep in the national consciousness.
3.
a. Special awareness or sensitivity: class consciousness; race consciousness.
b. Alertness to or concern for a particular issue or situation: a movement aimed at raising the general public's consciousness of social injustice.
4. In psychoanalysis, the conscious.

I see pure consciousness as formless mind, which exists on a continuum of absolutely no limitation extending all the way down to the most restricted and limited form of awareness imaginable (a subatomic particle perhaps?).

So I can see and appreciate what you are saying (semantics aside) -- to transcend the limitations of the individuated thought structure our consciousness flows through (the ego in otherwords), we must return as purely as we can to the observer state, for that is what consciousness is, the observer. It is the place where limitations are both forged and dissolved.

For me, this is the object of meditation, for unlimited consciousness to become more conscious of unlimited consciousness.

[eputkonen]

Originally Posted by Maguru

In this case you will never know who you are. Awareness is everything. Without awareness what is there? A cabbage maybe?

You don't sound like you understood what I said. Any object in/of awareness is not who you are (rephrase of anything in awareness). If you "see" it...it is not you.

[Gukkor]

If the voices of the world come from the mind but not the consciousness, how is the consciousness to express itself? I say that the self is almost always ultimately in control of the mind; if one is "living on autopilot," so to speak, it is only because the self has delegated partial control to the mind, for better or worse. Thus, the self is ulimately still in control by proxy.

[Maguru]

Originally Posted by eputkonen

You don't sound like you understood what I said. Any object in/of awareness is not who you are (rephrase of anything in awareness). If you "see" it...it is not you.

Everything I see and think and am aware of, tells me who I am or maybe who I am not. But without awareness or a consciousness, how would I know?

[Jarrod]

Originally Posted by eputkonen

Nor anything within awareness. Anything you can be aware of is not who you are.

I'm not sure why, but in my experience that doesn't seem right.

[wolfgang]

anything you can be aware of is not who you are

What is it that one can be aware of?

How is one aware of that which we are aware?

[Maguru]

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If we begin to awaken to who we really are, 


I find this concept of 'who we really are' confusing. If we are not who "we really are", who are we?

[Maguru]

Deep questions, I'll have a shot

I would think that what we 'become aware of' is, life in its many forms.

Originally Posted by wolfgang

What is it that one can be aware of?

How is one aware of that which we are aware?

Perhaps we become that which we are aware of and therefore, it ceases to be awareness once we have become aware. Awareness could be the tool to expand consciousness which then becomes the whole (awareness) of who we are. When this whole consciousness becomes aware of something previously not aware of, the process repeats.

I have personally experienced this process or, closer to the point I have been aware of this process at the time it was occurring. It feels like the dawning of something in me. An awakening to something I was asleep to previously, but it was already there.

So I believe the experience brings awareness to our self, of our self and for our self, as to who we are being or have become. The whole consciousness is the awareness of that which we are aware.

[Ecce Homo]

Here’s what I love:

Originally Posted by proylea

You are not your mind

I love looking at things like this from a variety of angles. I love it that I am not my thoughts from one angle and that I am not only my thoughts but everything else that appears within consciousness from another angle. As someone said somewhere, variety is the spice of life!

Originally Posted by Maguru

So I believe the experience brings awareness to our self, of our self and for our self, as to who we are being or have become. The whole consciousness is the awareness of that which we are aware.

I especially love new agey, metaphysical, guru speak. Isn't it the coolest thing ever?!?

[Maguru]

Originally Posted by Maguru
So I believe the experience brings awareness to our self, of our self and for our self, as to who we are being or have become. The whole consciousness is the awareness of that which we are aware.

Originally Posted by Ecce Homo

I especially love new agey, metaphysical, guru speak. Isn't it the coolest thing ever?!?

Gee and I was just being myself

[Dannyboy1]

Originally Posted by Anagogy

Personally, I've always seen the words mind and consciousness as synonyms.

You're mind is not who you are. Your mind is working with the ego. It takes you out of the moment instead of experiencing the now. You must realize you are not your mind. You are the one who can observe your mind and your thoughts without judgment and decide what the right thing is to do without attachment to emotion or ego.

[Dannyboy1]

Originally Posted by Maguru

Perhaps we become that which we are aware of and therefore, it ceases to be awareness once we have become aware. Awareness could be the tool to expand consciousness which then becomes the whole (awareness) of who we are. When this whole consciousness becomes aware of something previously not aware of, the process repeats.

The problem occurs when you "think about" your awareness.

[Maguru]

Originally Posted by Dannyboy1

You're mind is not who you are. Your mind is working with the ego. It takes you out of the moment instead of experiencing the now. You must realize you are not your mind. You are the one who can observe your mind and your thoughts without judgment and decide what the right thing is to do without attachment to emotion or ego.

If you are the one 'who can observe the mind without judgement', with 'what' are you observing and not judging? In other words, how do recognize the observer if not in your mind?

Could this oberserver merely be an emotionally disconnected part of ego? If ego is emotional then ego can be unemotional also. This part of the mind can be as ill-informed as the other. I don't know for sure. I'm in two minds about it.

[Dannyboy1]

Originally Posted by Maguru

Could this oberserver merely be an emotionally disconnected part of ego? If ego is emotional then ego can be unemotional also. This part of the mind can be as ill-informed as the other. I don't know for sure. I'm in two minds about it.

It's not about recognizing. That is a form of thinking. It is about experiencing without thinking.

[Maguru]

Originally Posted by Dannyboy1

It's not about recognizing. That is a form of thinking. It is about experiencing without thinking.

How do you know you have had an experience?

[Dannyboy1]

Originally Posted by Maguru

How do you know you have had an experience?

I have moments. It happens when I accept every thought and just observe them along with everything else. My hands start to tingle when I'm close to being completely in the now.

[Ecce Homo]

Originally Posted by Maguru

How do you know you have had an experience?

Have you ever had moments where all internal commentary ceases and there is just awareness? The body does whatever it’s doing, the world around you continues to move, sounds and sights continue to be registered, but there is no inner “you” to comment on them or anything else in any way. That may or may not be what Dannyboy is referring to. I figured this kind of the thing must be pretty common. After all, doesn’t everyone notice the space between thoughts, without “thinking” about it? These days I can “will” internal silence by simply choosing it, but I like my voices. I hear voices and I’m damn proud of it!