Awareness? Self-Consciousness?

ajani_mgo

I was wondering about the Dharma again... Then I was comparing the times where I felt truly aware and the times I felt self-conscious...

On logical basis, it seems only right to say that both seem to be about the same thing isn't it? About paying heed to things in general, and a heightened senstivity (sort of - for the guy practising it consciously)...

But then I realized that actually awareness felt like something more from within, about your mind, about your feelings, while self-consciousness is more of external factors, and you learn nothing from it generally.

Awareness constitutes a slight tinge of self-consciousness when you are aware of the world around you, doesn't it though? Or does self-consciousness only count when it is out of fear for something e.g. embarrassment?

Comments? :rockon:

not1not2

I don't know if this helps, but I've heard that the general distinction between awareness & consciousness is that awareness is 'without object' and consciousness is 'with object'. So, in this sense, self-consciousness is basically awareness in which the object is our our concern over projections of how others may regard us. Or in another sense of self-conscious it is awareness in which the object is the continuity of sense impressions based around our body, thoughts & feelings.

However, it is possible to have a consciousness where the 'object' is our sense of openness or vastness. There is also the 'object' of our experience of release from grasping at things such as self-consciousness, and even our sense of openness & vastness.

_/\_
metta

Magwang

::

I'll give you same response I once gave to a Scientologist who stopped me on the street and asked me what I knew about awareness:





"Huh?"




:

not1not2

Magwang wrote:

::

I'll give you same response I once gave to a Scientologist who stopped me on the street and asked me what I knew about awareness:





"Huh?"




:

Assuming you were responding to my post, I would say our mind is basically like the clear blue sky. All of our conscious perceptions and fears are like clouds in the sky, obscuring, but without lasting substance. And these clouds do nothing to change the nature of the clear blue sky. So, if we quit clamming up whenever we have a moment of self-consciousness because we fear we have lost the basic nature of mind, this can eliminate the suffering nature of these moments.

Sorry to get all convoluted. If you were responding to the original post, then nevermind.

_/\_
metta