Transcription
So when we first come to this recognition, this recognition of what we essentially are, for lack of a better term, consciousness from from the point of view of of the mind, we define it as unconditional peace, quiet, joy, ever, present, etc.
So the next important question here is uh from the point of view of awareness what is it?
>> Okay.
>> So there there is
>> that's a beautiful question Raj that's a beautiful question.
>> Yeah. So there is no point of view there is
>> yes exactly exactly
>> no view from any angle or any location.
>> Exactly. And then then this intense seeking from a previous conversation you've had today, it comes to an end.
>> Yes.
>> Because then Yes. So Raj, you're right. You're right. We speak of awareness as being inherently peaceful. Uh its nature is quiet joy. It is love. It is beauty. These are all the mind's attempt to describe awareness. Why does the mind describe awareness that the nature of the of awareness say as peaceful? Because it is peaceful in contrast with the mind's usual condition of agitation. Why do we say why does the mind say that the nature of awareness is quiet joy or happiness? Because the mind is contrasting I its recognition of awareness with its normal state of suffering. Why does the mind refer to the nature of awareness as love? Because it normally lives in a state of conflict and so on. So the words the attributes of peace, joy, happiness, love, beauty and so on are the mind the best the mind can do in attempting to describe the qualities of aware of awareness and it does so with reference or in contrast with its normal condition of agitation, sorrow, conflict and so on.
Now your question, what is awareness's experience of itself? Because that that that can only be the real experience of awareness because only awareness is aware and only and therefore infinite awareness can only be known by itself. So the true experience of awareness must be awareness's experience of itself. Now what would that be? As you rightly say, awareness cannot stand apart from itself and know itself from a point of view. It it can't know itself in subject object relationship. Therefore, in awareness's experience of itself, there are no objective qualities or features. So, it there's so there's no there's no sorrow, there's no agitation, there's no conflict. And therefore, it would never describe its experience of itself with reference to those experiences because it doesn't have those experiences. So, if awareness were to describe its experience of itself, what would it say? The only thing it would say is I am because I am refers directly to the awareness of being. That is awareness is experience of itself. And it's for this reason that the the statement I am or the statement um in the Old Testament I am that I am is the highest formulation of truth. It's more it's higher than the statement um awareness is infinite awaren it's only the mind that says awareness is infinite in contrast with the mind's experience of finite things but in awareness's experience of itself it doesn't experience finite things and therefore doesn't experience itself as infinite it just has experiences its own being so I I am is is the highest expression of truth. It It's the very very best formulation of truth before the mind falls silent.
You know, there was a there was a space exploration mission a few years ago from NASA and I think it was a mission to Mars and from Mars there was a photograph taken of the Earth that was about 800 million miles away and the Earth it hardly appears as a tiny dot and I I was thinking uh from from the perspective of my localized mind. What if we could just expand our perspective? And this just came to me yesterday that uh from if there was a point of view of awareness, this this would just be another state.
It would be
>> Yes. Yes. Yes. However the universe appears, however far human beings go in their exploration of the universe
>> would just be another appearance.
>> Yeah. Yeah. It's just another point of view. You're absolutely right. It doesn't give us knowledge of the reality of the universe. The the the the knowledge of the reality of the universe can can only be it can only be the universe's knowledge of itself. It can only be infinite awareness is knowledge of itself. And as you rightly say, infinite awareness is not a point of view. It has no point of view. So, however far, wherever we look at the earth from it, we always look at it from a point of view. Awareness doesn't have a point of view. We are the points of view within awareness. We are the eyes and ears of awareness through which it looks out at itself and sees itself as a universe. And and that's why I sometimes say that that awareness knows nothing directly because in order to know something that thing must be known in subject object relationship. But awareness has no objective experience of anything because it doesn't stand apart from that thing as a separate subject of experience. In order to stand apart from an object, you have to stand as a point of view. Awareness can't do that. So awareness knows nothing but is what the mind calls everything.
>> Yes. And from that understanding it's clearly seen that awareness uh cannot be found objectively in the world in a person object or state and it cannot be uh found subjectively through the imagination.
>> Absolutely. Yes.
>> That's how seeking it comes to an end.
>> Yes. Exactly. Exactly.
>> Well, uh, thank you. I just, uh, I just wanted to have a conversation and just ask how you've been. This question, it just came up a few hours ago.
So,
>> but thank you for asking, Raj. I'm I'm very well. I had a little health scare earlier in the year, but everything is fine and I'm I'm very well. Thank you for asking. It's lovely to see you again. It's been a while. I'm glad to see you looking well and it's nice to nice to talk with you.
>> Yes. I just sent a message through Neil wishing you a happy new year. So, December, I think.
Yes.
>> Thank you, Raj.
>> Thank you.
>> Thank you.
>> Thank you.