Advaita! Ajanma! | A pointer to seeing Awareness as the Self

You are aware of being conscious. But are you aware of being aware?

There is a difference. This is the hair's breadth of difference that separates heaven and earth.

From being at peace to being blown about in the wind.

Being aware of consciousness is the usual, never completely satisfying, flow of experiences, always leaving you wanting for more. While being aware of being aware is what is called Jñāna -- Self Realization.

This is the realization that what you are is just pure aware-ness.

Precisely that. Nothing more and nothing less.

Consciousness is usually of an object; of some phenomena. And the perception of a phenomena is always necessarily from a specific point of view; a point in space and time.

So, this type of consciousness is always relative and local. Because the phenomena being observed is always local and limited, the observer of the phenomena also seems local and limited.

This is the duality of subject and object that is being challenged by the wisdom of the sages. From what is considered the normal view, self is something that happens to be aware, rather than awareness itself.

From this view, all sorts of theories abound on what theself actually is -- a person, a soul, the body, the brain. At its core there is always the belief that you are some sort of entity; a sentient entity, that is separate to all other sentient entities.

When trying to comprehend the wisdom teachings from this view, the best the mind can come up with is that we are all unique and wonderful, but somehow also one. But that is clearly an obvious contradiction.

This is the mind refusing to budge from its misguided belief. To go all the way is to arrive at an absolute standpoint, which destroys all such talk and beliefs by showing them to be purely imaginary. Just baseless. Ignorant of the fundamental nature of Reality.

Of the way things actually are.

To be aware of consciousness is just to know the state that has appeared. A state of constant flux. Consciousness is the state of movement.

Prior to consciousness, there is just stillness. But both stillness and movement are included within this all encompassing Awareness.

To be aware of being aware is the direct knowledge of what the Self actually is, and in the same breath what the nature of reality is. This is the only standpoint from where all is truly One.

Indivisible and without parts. Without a trace of any separate entities; any separate selves.

This is the only standpoint where the problem of misery is resolved. Where the constant struggle of likes and dislikes, and desires and fears, is overcome.

Moksha; Liberation, is a description of what this present stream of consciousness is like from the absolute standpoint. As awareness being aware. It is a stepping back from the relative view of being conscious only of the contents of consciousness; of perceptions specific to a point in space and time.

But there's nothing to step back into other than the absolute standpoint The awareness of being aware.

Everything else is relative.

Firstly, you are aware. Only then you become aware of all the contents of consciousness. Your gaze gets hooked onto these contents. That is what attention is -- awareness of some particular appearance in consciousness.

So, honing attention into a fine edge doesn't have anything to do with being aware of being aware. That usually only makes you more acutely aware of the contents of consciousness. There may be some use of that early on, to initiate the Selfinquiry.

In turning attention to the fundamental question of, "What is all this?"

"What am I?"

The answer to this question is what the sages and all their teachings are pointing out. The answer cannot be presented by thought or experience, but only through the awareness of being aware.

In this stepping back, it can be seen that awareness is the natural state; the ground truth of what you are.

To be aware of being aware is to know Awareness as the Self. And also as the Heart -- the most fundamental nature of Reality.

The thoughts will ask how to do it. But aren't you already aware?

Apart from the contents of consciousness, besides being aware of this state of consciousness, you are also aware of the fact of being aware. Only the significance of this fact is being lost on this mind.

Because the mind is not aware! The mind is just a stream of experiences.

The thoughts and feelings based on those experiences are also just part of the stream. So, the best the stream can come up with is experiences of oneness and divinity, and from that ideas of some higher power or truth.

All of those spiritual experiences are the mind trying to conceive of You!

And all the while You are there!

Aware of these conceptions. Making them possible. Just purely aware: Aware-ness.

There is no higher power than this seemingly humble quality of being aware. This quality that is so natural to you, so truly you, inseparable from you, is what's being pointed out.

The mind can only flip between denying this quality, or deifying it. Ignoring "it", or conceiving of "it" as God. The mind can only attempt to objectify You.

But You are not an object.

You're not an "it" or a "that".

Let's clear this up right now. Are you aware of being aware? What did you just use to check that?

Which way did the mind turn?

Consider this question again slowly and see what you used to answer it in that first instance. Are you aware of being aware? Which way did attention turn?

The affirmation doesn't come from turning to thought. Not in the first instance. Thought may step in later. But notice what took place just before that.

Are you aware?

To answer this question you don't turn to anything in the mind. You turn to your own innate quality of being aware.

This is being aware of being aware!

Away from the mind and back to the Source. Knowing yourself as Awareness itself. Any idea of you being a person or entity that somehow possesses awareness contradicts this basic fact. A fact that was just verified through clear and direct Self-knowledge.

Jñāna. Knowledge that didn't make use of thoughts, or feelings, or any aspect of the mind. This fact of being aware was verified simply by being aware.

That is how simple and natural this is.

One step back, one hair's breadth away from being conscious of something, to just being aware of being aware.

Step back often. Stay here often. Till it is clear what the Self is.

What you actually are. Beyond all the theories, and thoughts, and concepts churned out by the mind, what you actually are, as a matter of fact, is this Aware-ness. Not a body, nor the brain, not the mind, nor a person, nor a soul. All these are vague concepts with no basis in Reality.

You have been fighting shadows. Now look at what is demonstrably real, and most truly you.

Since you are pure Awareness, you are timeless and unbound. You are, by nature, absolutely free.

Now, as you look upon the same relative stream of consciousness from this absolute standpoint, what do you see?

Advaita!

You see no separate subjects nor objects. Only the expanse of Awareness.

Ajanma!

Unborn. Uncreated. Intrinsic and most natural.

Only from here it can be said: The Self is All, and All is the Self.