The Great Misconception

Summary

In this insightful dialogue, the speaker explores the concept of pure awareness, challenging the common belief that the mind, with its thoughts and images, is the source of self-awareness. They argue that awareness itself is the fundamental nature of the mind, independent of thoughts, feelings, and perceptions. The speaker emphasizes that awareness is self-luminous, inherently knowing, and precedes all other experiences. This realization can be disconcerting, as it disrupts our conditioned worldview, but it also offers a profound shift in understanding our true nature.

Takeaways

• 🧘 The speaker emphasizes the experience of pure awareness and the realization of one's true nature beyond thoughts and images.
• 🤔 The question of how one can know this truth without the mind is raised, highlighting the limitations of intellectual understanding.
• 🌀 The script discusses the nature of the mind as a mixture of thoughts and images, separate from the awareness that perceives them.
• 👁 The 'eye' or the sense of 'I' is described as the commonality in experiences, not made of thoughts or feelings but the awareness of them.
• 💡 Awareness is identified as the essential nature of the mind, which is to be aware, and is the primary experience of existence.
• 🌟 The speaker asserts that awareness is self-luminous, knowing itself by itself without the need for thoughts, sensations, or perceptions.
• 👶 The concept of an infant's awareness is explored, challenging the assumption that the body is the source of awareness.
• 🌱 The idea that awareness is primary and precedes the mind's finite forms is presented as a fundamental shift in understanding.
• 🏗️ The realization of pure awareness can lead to a restructuring of one's worldview, which can be discombobulating and challenging.
• 🚫 The script refutes the belief that awareness is limited to the body, suggesting a profound cultural and personal conditioning.
• 🔑 The experience of recognizing one's true nature as pure awareness is described as a key to unlocking a new perspective on life.

Q & A

What is the main realization the speaker had in the morning?

The speaker realized that they are pure awareness and that they are free and loving by nature.

How does the speaker describe the experience of pure awareness?

The speaker describes pure awareness as being self-aware, self-luminous, and not needing to take the shape of finite mind to know its own being.

What does the speaker mean when they say 'I am that I am'?

The phrase 'I am that I am' refers to the self-awareness of one's being, indicating that awareness is primary and knows itself by itself.

Why does the speaker say that the mind cannot truly know the experience of pure awareness?

The speaker argues that the mind, in the sense of thoughts and images, is not the true essence of awareness, which is the ability to be aware or awareness itself.

What is the role of the 'eye' in the context of this discussion?

The 'eye' in this context represents the awareness that perceives thoughts, feelings, and sensations but is not limited to or defined by them.

According to the speaker, what is the essential nature of the mind?

The essential nature of the mind, as described by the speaker, is to be aware or awareness itself, which is distinct from thoughts, images, and feelings.

How does the speaker explain the self-awareness of an infant?

The speaker suggests that the assumption that an infant is aware or not aware is based on an old habit and that awareness is not limited to the body, including that of an infant.

What does the speaker mean by 'awareness shares the limits of the body'?

This phrase refers to the common misconception that awareness is confined to the physical body, which the speaker is challenging.

What is the impact of realizing one is pure awareness on a person's worldview?

The realization can be discombobulating and challenging, as it requires a fundamental shift in understanding and a rebuilding of one's worldview based on the new insight of being pure awareness.

Why does the speaker say that this realization can evoke fear?

The realization can evoke fear because it challenges deeply ingrained beliefs and assumptions about the nature of self and reality, which can be threatening to one's established worldview.

What is the speaker's final note on the experience of realizing pure awareness?

The speaker ends on a note of excitement about the profound change in perception, suggesting that despite the challenges, this realization is a beautiful and transformative experience.

Outlines

00:00

🧘‍♂️ Self-Awareness and the Nature of Mind

The speaker discusses a profound realization of self-awareness, distinguishing between the mind filled with thoughts and images and the pure awareness that underlies these mental constructs. They explore the idea that awareness itself is the true nature of the mind, which is not limited to thoughts or sensations but is the fundamental essence that perceives and knows all experiences. The speaker emphasizes that this awareness is self-luminous and does not require external validation or transformation into thoughts or perceptions to recognize its own existence.

05:03

👶 The Misconception of Body-Centered Awareness

In this paragraph, the speaker challenges the common belief that the body is the source of awareness. They argue that awareness is not confined to the physical body and is, in fact, the primary experience that every individual has, even from birth. The speaker uses the example of an infant to illustrate that the lack of self-awareness is a misconception rooted in cultural conditioning and upbringing. They highlight the profound shift in perspective that occurs when one recognizes that awareness is not limited by the body and how this realization can be disconcerting and even frightening, yet also exciting, as it leads to a reevaluation and rebuilding of one's worldview.

Keywords

💡Awareness

Awareness refers to the state or quality of being conscious or having a perception of one's surroundings, thoughts, and feelings. In the video's context, awareness is the fundamental nature of the self that is not limited to thoughts or sensations but is the pure consciousness that perceives all experiences. The script discusses how awareness is primary and self-luminous, knowing itself without the need for external forms like thoughts or perceptions.

💡Mind

The term 'mind' in the script is used to denote the collection of thoughts, images, and feelings that are not the essence of self but rather the content that the true self, or awareness, observes. The video emphasizes that the mind is not synonymous with awareness, and that awareness is the essential nature that underlies and transcends the finite mind.

💡Experience

Experience in this context is the totality of one's conscious perception, including thoughts, feelings, and sensations. The script explores the idea that experience is known by awareness, which is the true subject of experience, rather than being limited to the content of the mind.

💡Self

The 'self' in the script is the subject of consciousness, the entity that is aware of its own existence and experiences. It is distinguished from the body and the mind's content, suggesting that the self is the pure awareness that is the essence of being.

💡Perception

Perception is the process by which the senses gather information from the environment and translate it into experiences in the mind. The script uses the term to illustrate that while the physical eye perceives, it is awareness that is truly perceiving and experiencing.

💡Thoughts

Thoughts are the mental processes of thinking, considering, or reasoning about something. In the video, thoughts are presented as part of the mind's content, distinct from the awareness that is conscious of these thoughts.

💡Feelings

Feelings are the emotional aspects of consciousness, the subjective experiences of emotions. The script discusses feelings as part of the mind's content that is known by awareness, separate from the essence of the self.

💡Sensations

Sensations are the physical feelings resulting from stimuli such as touch, temperature, or pain. The video script uses the term to highlight that while sensations are experienced, it is awareness that is the actual experiencer.

💡Infant

The script uses the term 'infant' to discuss the innate awareness that is present from birth, suggesting that awareness is not something that is learned or developed but is the fundamental nature of being.

💡Consciousness

Consciousness in the script is synonymous with awareness and is described as the self-luminous, self-aware entity that does not require the mind's content to know itself. It is the primary experience that is inherent in all beings.

💡Culture

Culture is mentioned in the context of the deeply ingrained belief that the body is the locus of awareness. The script points out that this belief is a cultural conditioning that can be challenged by recognizing the true nature of awareness.

Highlights

The realization of being free and loving as an essential part of one's nature.

Understanding pure awareness as distinct from the mind's thoughts and images.

The challenge of knowing one's true nature without relying on the mind.

The distinction between the mind's content and the awareness that perceives it.

The nature of awareness as not being limited to thoughts, feelings, or perceptions.

Awareness as the essential nature of the mind, independent of its contents.

The self-awareness of being, which illuminates and knows itself without external forms.

The primary experience of awareness existing before thoughts, sensations, and perceptions.

The universality of the experience of one's own being, common to all humans.

The oversight of the obvious experience of being due to its lack of objective qualities.

The misconception that the body is the source of awareness, rather than the awareness itself.

The cultural and upbringing-based belief that awareness is limited by the body.

The transformative impact of recognizing pure awareness on one's worldview.

The process of rebuilding one's understanding on the foundation of pure awareness.

The emotional responses to the realization of pure awareness, including fear and excitement.

The profound change in thinking about the nature of awareness and its independence from the body.

Transcripts

so so this morning I had an amazing

experience you know because yesterday I

said I want to be free and I want to be

loving and I realized I am that and so I

understand that I am being aware or pure

awareness and yet you know I was talking

to my neighbor I you can't understand it

with your mind why how do I know it's

true how do I know that's what I am I

mean it's made me a silly question I

could see the test of experience I know

that I'm not all these images I have of

myself but if I can't know this with my

mind how do I know it I don't know any

other way in my experience of knowing it

when you say how can I know this apart

from my mind but when we talk about the

mind we mean thoughts and images if you

look inside your mind now it it's a bit

of a generalization but it's a mixture

of thoughts and images yes now is a

thought aware of your experience no for

instance is a thought listening to our

conversation no a thought can't hear

right I get an image can't see yeah

right so what is it that is knowing our

experience

well that's the question but whatever it

is is you it is you that is now knowing

your experience you are knowing the

contents of your mind that is a series

of thoughts and images including

feelings sensations yes but a sensation

cannot know a thought right the

perception of this room cannot feel a

sensation what is it that is knowing all

of these I I am okay perfect I am so

what is the nature of the eye the eye is

obviously not made out of thoughts it

knows our thoughts right if the eye that

is aware of our feelings is obviously

not itself a feeling right the eye that

is perceiving this room is obviously not

itself a perception but eye is common to

each of these experiences what is its

nature to be aware of all the thoughts

and feelings and sensations and really

just you to be aware to be aware so

whatever it is that is now aware of your

experience is not what is called the

mind in the sense of thoughts images

feelings it is the or we could say it is

the essential nature of the mind which

is to be aware so it is to be aware or

awareness itself that is knowing our

thoughts sensations and perceptions but

what is it that knows the experience I

am aware it's the awareness it knows

itself

I am aware of thoughts I am aware of

feelings I am aware of perceptions and I

am aware that I am aware in other words

before I am aware of I awareness I'm

aware of thoughts sensations and

perceptions I am aware of my own being I

am that I am

in other words awareness is primary

experience is to be and know itself how

do I know that I am because the the I

that I am is aware that I am my being is

an aware being it is self aware its self

luminous it illuminates itself it knows

itself by itself it doesn't need to take

the shape of the finite mind that is

thought sensation or perception in order

to know its own being

yes residen balli Ani said God doesn't

need another self in order to know

itself consciousness doesn't need to

rise in the form of the mind in order to

know itself it knows itself by itself

through itself as its in itself that is

our primary experience and I'm

describing

everybody's before any of us know

anything we all know our own being it is

the most obvious ordinary intimate

familiar experience there is an all

seven billion of us have this experience

and know this experience but we overlook

it because it has no objective qualities

and you said the like the infant that

doesn't know it so it receives it in its

body to say the infant you know that has

maybe has a trauma when it's a young

baby doesn't know is not aware that it's

aware because it's days old but you see

you see it is never the infant

that is aware your question about the

infant being aware is based on an old

habit in spite of what we have just the

experiment that we've just walked

through there immediately an old habit

is kicking in which says it is I this

body that is aware yes and therefore

you're presuming that the infant is

either aware or not aware yes

you know the infant is not aware you the

body is not aware it is not the body

that is aware this is that this is the

the great misconception yeah we think

now the West City here we think I the

body is aware no no it is i awareness

that is aware right thank you thank you

it's a it's a profound change in the way

we think the conditioning I this body am

aware in other words the belief that

awareness shares the limits of the body

is so profound it's so woven into our

upbringing it's it's our culture is so

deeply based on this assumption that

even when we go very simply and it is it

is very simple when we go to a simple

experience and realize no it is I pure

awareness that is aware that the

implications of that

take some time to reverberate through

the body mind when we first recognize

that it's like there is a kind of crack

in the structure of our world

it's discombobulating but it takes some

time foot forum for our worldview to

completely fall apart and to be built

again on this

new understanding on the foundation of

this new understanding it's it's

discombobulating it's it's it's very

challenging it gets threatening it can

it can evoke a lot of fear

I actually feel excitement not beautiful

yeah beautiful don't when I say that

like I don't feel that you have to it's

not in everyone 98 yeah thank you