Consciousness and Immortality

Hey everyone,

I have been meditating for a few months now and feel great doing it however I am kinda stuck right now.

The question "What is consciousness?" is puzzling me. Reading many spiritual books throughout these months and all say that consciousness is your true Being and that it is immortal and formless. How can I see that for myself?

I know that my true Being is my consciousness but I don't know how to realize that consciousness is immortal and formless. I just know it is the observer. I can't observe the observer but that doesn't mean that the observer is immortal. For example, you have eyes on your face which can see all around you but it can't see your own face/eyes. Does that mean your eyes and face are immortal and formless? No.

I'm not really sure where to take my contemplation further to truly realize my immortality. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

Hi, welcome to Spiritual Forums.

Feeling puzzled is due to trying to understand something intellectually, whereas--when it comes to the true nature of Consciousness--it is not something that may be understood by the human intellect. It simply is not possible. Therein lies your sense of confusion.

Immortality cannot be known by that which perceives duality; it is only known by the Divine Self. In this sense, no human being has ever realized the Absolute, not even the so-called "enlightened masters," for it is not actually the human that realizes Oneness. It is the Oneness Itself that "recognizes" Itself, so to speak. (This understanding is where the old saying "It takes one to know one" arises from. It takes Oneness to know Oneness. It cannot really be known by the human ego, and the human ego never actually "dies" or ceases to be as long as there is human experience, even for those like the Buddha. There is only metaphorically an "ego death.")

The "you" who is the seeker that asks the question will never "understand" Immortality in a sense of, "Okay, it is done! I have realized it! I have nothing else to do." However, direct inner experience of the "observer" of Pure Awareness does indeed, in a sense, create a "wake" behind itself-- a powerful rippling effect--so that in space/time all aspects of Consciousness are waking up to the fact that, in truth, there is no real separation and that the Infinite and Eternal already IS.

The fact that you already realize a sense that your True Being is Consciousness (and that your mind even possesses such an abstract philosophical concept as "immortality") is actually "proof" in itself that you have already had direct inner experience/recognition of it. However, greater surrender to What-Is (not the "what-is" that the human mind perceives, but the Divine What-Is) does indeed give one a greater appreciation and expansive awareness of Universal Consciousness.

A part of your awareness is desperately trying to understand the question "What is Consciousness?" intellectually. That is a stalemate approach. Simply learn to be happy in abiding in the awareness of Being, which is an awareness of the Eternal Now. Understand that there is only NOW, and that this NOW is in fact Infinite, Eternal and Immortal. Divine Truth can only be "realized" (remembered) through JOY. Therefore, focus more on your well-being, your inner peace, your Higher Self, and in this way you are indeed in alignment with your True Being.

Bless you and best wishes. Namaste.

Originally Posted by Sourcerer

Hi, welcome to Spiritual Forums.

Feeling puzzled is due to trying to understand something intellectually, whereas--when it comes to the true nature of Consciousness--it is not something that may be understood by the human intellect. It simply is not possible. Therein lies your sense of confusion.

Immortality cannot be known by that which perceives duality; it is only known by the Divine Self. In this sense, no human being has ever realized the Absolute, not even the so-called "enlightened masters," for it is not actually the human that realizes Oneness. It is the Oneness Itself that "recognizes" Itself, so to speak. (This understanding is where the old saying "It takes one to know one" arises from. It takes Oneness to know Oneness. It cannot really be known by the human ego, and the human ego never actually "dies" or ceases to be as long as there is human experience, even for those like the Buddha. There is only metaphorically an "ego death.")

The "you" who is the seeker that asks the question will never "understand" Immortality in a sense of, "Okay, it is done! I have realized it! I have nothing else to do." However, direct inner experience of the "observer" of Pure Awareness does indeed, in a sense, create a "wake" behind itself-- a powerful rippling effect--so that in space/time all aspects of Consciousness are waking up to the fact that, in truth, there is no real separation and that the Infinite and Eternal already IS.

The fact that you already realize a sense that your True Being is Consciousness (and that your mind even possesses such an abstract philosophical concept as "immortality") is actually "proof" in itself that you have already had direct inner experience/recognition of it. However, greater surrender to What-Is (not the "what-is" that the human mind perceives, but the Divine What-Is) does indeed give one a greater appreciation and expansive awareness of Universal Consciousness.

A part of your awareness is desperately trying to understand the question "What is Consciousness?" intellectually. That is a stalemate approach. Simply learn to be happy in abiding in the awareness of Being, which is an awareness of the Eternal Now. Understand that there is only NOW, and that this NOW is in fact Infinite, Eternal and Immortal. Divine Truth can only be "realized" (remembered) through JOY. Therefore, focus more on your well-being, your inner peace, your Higher Self, and in this way you are indeed in alignment with your True Being.

Bless you and best wishes. Namaste.

Thank you so much! This helped me realize consciousness and its formless presence yesterday. Basically you realize that unlike the human eyes which observe outside but observe can't itself, consciousness is both the observer and observed, i.e. consciousness is the only thing aware of its Self and since you don't have an outside observer to consciousness you realize it isn't objective; there is nothing to look at other than presence/nothing itself. As soon as you say "I" or "I am" you are back in the ego/mind but consciousness is before that, therefore there is no "I". So there is a realization but the mind will doubt it so it's not really a realization in the form of "OHHHHH NOW I KNOW!" but more something you realize without thinking or speaking.

Originally Posted by Sazafraz

Thank you so much! This helped me realize consciousness and its formless presence yesterday. Basically you realize that unlike the human eyes which observe outside but observe can't itself, consciousness is both the observer and observed, i.e. consciousness is the only thing aware of its Self and since you don't have an outside observer to consciousness you realize it isn't objective; there is nothing to look at other than presence/nothing itself. As soon as you say "I" or "I am" you are back in the ego/mind but consciousness is before that, therefore there is no "I". So there is a realization but the mind will doubt it so it's not really a realization in the form of "OHHHHH NOW I KNOW!" but more something you realize without thinking or speaking.

YES!!!