What is consciousness and in which forms can it appear?

[Siemens]

When I think about myself and ask who or what I am the answer is: I AM CONSCIOUSNESS!


But have you ever asked yourself what consciousness actually is? I continued thinking about the issue and realized that consciousness can realize itself through three forms, namely: Feelings, Perceptions, and Thoughts. All I ever experienced consciously was either a feeling, or a perception, or a complex of thoughts. I experienced the feeling of inner harmony; the perception of a colorful garden; or the thoughts about a diversity of subjects. It further seems to be the case that perceptions are just complex feelings. And thoughts are consciously experienced in form of perceptions.

By my understanding the soul is the thing that generates consciousness. And to approach the question: “What is consciousness?” one answer could be that a feeling (the first form of consciousness) appears if the soul vibrates in a certain frequency. Experiencing different feelings would mean to vibrate in different frequencies. If you would feel pain, for example, your soul would vibrate in a pain-frequency. If you would feel joy, your soul vibrates in another frequency, a joy-frequency.
A perception (the second form of consciousness) could be something were many feelings mix which each other to form a complex image. For example, only experiencing the color red and nothing else than red could be considered as a feeling. You feel the redness. If you feel many colors next to each other (like the pixels on a computer screen), then your experience would be a perception: you see a picture.
When, in turn, you are consciously experiencing thoughts, you experience them in a form similar to perception: You experience your thoughts in form of “hearing” your inner voice what is equivalent to hearing something with your ears. Or you see images, inner pictures, when you think, what is equivalent to visual perception.

So my question is: Can consciousness only exist in these three forms: feelings, perceptions, and thoughts (whereby perceptions are a complex of feelings and thoughts are experienced in form of inner perceptions)? Or are there other possible forms of consciousness we can experience (for example outside the material world) that are not feelings, not perceptions, and not thoughts? Have you ever consciously experienced something whereby the content of your conscious experience was neither feeling, nor perception, nor thought?

[jonesboy]

Originally Posted by Siemens

When I think about myself and ask who or what I am the answer is: I AM CONSCIOUSNESS!


But have you ever asked yourself what consciousness actually is? I continued thinking about the issue and realized that consciousness can realize itself through three forms, namely: Feelings, Perceptions, and Thoughts. All I ever experienced consciously was either a feeling, or a perception, or a complex of thoughts. I experienced the feeling of inner harmony; the perception of a colorful garden; or the thoughts about a diversity of subjects. It further seems to be the case that perceptions are just complex feelings. And thoughts are consciously experienced in form of perceptions.

By my understanding the soul is the thing that generates consciousness. And to approach the question: “What is consciousness?” one answer could be that a feeling (the first form of consciousness) appears if the soul vibrates in a certain frequency. Experiencing different feelings would mean to vibrate in different frequencies. If you would feel pain, for example, your soul would vibrate in a pain-frequency. If you would feel joy, your soul vibrates in another frequency, a joy-frequency.
A perception (the second form of consciousness) could be something were many feelings mix which each other to form a complex image. For example, only experiencing the color red and nothing else than red could be considered as a feeling. You feel the redness. If you feel many colors next to each other (like the pixels on a computer screen), then your experience would be a perception: you see a picture.
When, in turn, you are consciously experiencing thoughts, you experience them in a form similar to perception: You experience your thoughts in form of “hearing” your inner voice what is equivalent to hearing something with your ears. Or you see images, inner pictures, when you think, what is equivalent to visual perception.

So my question is: Can consciousness only exist in these three forms: feelings, perceptions, and thoughts (whereby perceptions are a complex of feelings and thoughts are experienced in form of inner perceptions)? Or are there other possible forms of consciousness we can experience (for example outside the material world) that are not feelings, not perceptions, and not thoughts? Have you ever consciously experienced something whereby the content of your conscious experience was neither feeling, nor perception, nor thought?

From a Buddhist perspective Buddha Nature has 3 aspects.

Emptiness, Clarity and Energy.

The definition of energy would be that all things in all dimensions are made up of energy.

All things are non dual.. you are one with it all.

Experiencing neither feeling, perception or thought would be emptiness. Emptiness is beyond or is not a thing.

Originally Posted by Siemens

When I think about myself and ask who or what I am the answer is: I AM CONSCIOUSNESS!


But have you ever asked yourself what consciousness actually is? I continued thinking about the issue and realized that consciousness can realize itself through three forms, namely: Feelings, Perceptions, and Thoughts. All I ever experienced consciously was either a feeling, or a perception, or a complex of thoughts. I experienced the feeling of inner harmony; the perception of a colorful garden; or the thoughts about a diversity of subjects. It further seems to be the case that perceptions are just complex feelings. And thoughts are consciously experienced in form of perceptions.

By my understanding the soul is the thing that generates consciousness. And to approach the question: “What is consciousness?” one answer could be that a feeling (the first form of consciousness) appears if the soul vibrates in a certain frequency. Experiencing different feelings would mean to vibrate in different frequencies. If you would feel pain, for example, your soul would vibrate in a pain-frequency. If you would feel joy, your soul vibrates in another frequency, a joy-frequency.
A perception (the second form of consciousness) could be something were many feelings mix which each other to form a complex image. For example, only experiencing the color red and nothing else than red could be considered as a feeling. You feel the redness. If you feel many colors next to each other (like the pixels on a computer screen), then your experience would be a perception: you see a picture.
When, in turn, you are consciously experiencing thoughts, you experience them in a form similar to perception: You experience your thoughts in form of “hearing” your inner voice what is equivalent to hearing something with your ears. Or you see images, inner pictures, when you think, what is equivalent to visual perception.

So my question is: Can consciousness only exist in these three forms: feelings, perceptions, and thoughts (whereby perceptions are a complex of feelings and thoughts are experienced in form of inner perceptions)? Or are there other possible forms of consciousness we can experience (for example outside the material world) that are not feelings, not perceptions, and not thoughts? Have you ever consciously experienced something whereby the content of your conscious experience was neither feeling, nor perception, nor thought?

One hears consciousness described in different ways. A common one is that we are awareness, and I suppose perception could be loosely substituted. Thoughts and feelings are things that we are aware of or that we perceive. I have always preferred a slightly different definition of consciousness or (me). "Consciousness is that which is aware", or perhaps that which perceives. However, this circles back to the original question. Namely, what is "that"? It seems to me that a direct definition of, or even an experience of, "that", evades me. We only know that we exist because there has to be something doing the perceiving, something being aware. Without something to perceive, whether it be form, thought, or emotion, or even formlessness, then we would lose the ability to be conscious of the fact that we exist. And then where are we? We infer our own existence from all of the things that we perceive within, but perhaps can never directly experience ourselves in their absence. Neti neti does not stop at awareness, rather the ink in the pen just runs out.
So sorry, not only can I not add anything to your list, but I am afraid I would probably take them all away and leave only a question behind. In the end, I am still stuck at "I am", and have not gotten any farther than that. But that is ok, like the block before the carver goes to work on it, there is much flexibility in what can be created from there, the possibilities are endless. I can do quite a lot starting with that.

[iamthat]

On a universal level we can say that Consciousness arises out of the combining of Spirit (purusha) and Matter (prakriti).

On an individual level we can say that we are pure Being which individualises as consciousness. When we incarnate, then consciousness extends itself into form. So we have consciousness being aware of mind (Thoughts), emotions (Feelings) and physical sensations (Perceptions).

If consciousness identifies with these thoughts, feelings and perceptions then we have a sense of "I". But consciousness is not the thoughts or the feelings or the perceptions. The fact that consciousness is aware of these things suggests that consciousness is separate from them.

If we turn our consciousness inwards then we discover that there is no "I". There is simply awareness. Our thoughts, feelings and perceptions arise within awareness and then disappear. But awareness remains.

Peace

Originally Posted by iamthat

On a universal level we can say that Consciousness arises out of the combining of Spirit (purusha) and Matter (prakriti).

On an individual level we can say that we are pure Being which individualises as consciousness. When we incarnate, then consciousness extends itself into form. So we have consciousness being aware of mind (Thoughts), emotions (Feelings) and physical sensations (Perceptions).

If consciousness identifies with these thoughts, feelings and perceptions then we have a sense of "I". But consciousness is not the thoughts or the feelings or the perceptions. The fact that consciousness is aware of these things suggests that consciousness is separate from them.

If we turn our consciousness inwards then we discover that there is no "I". There is simply awareness. Our thoughts, feelings and perceptions arise within awareness and then disappear. But awareness remains.

Peace

I am with you I am that, on everything except perhaps that last sentence.
"But Awareness remains."
Pehaps I am just being too much of a word nerd, but

a·ware·ness
/əˈwernəs/

noun
knowledge or perception of a situation or fact.

"Awareness is the ability to directly know and perceive, to feel, or to be cognizant of events. More broadly, it is the state of being conscious of something."
Awareness - Wikipedia

If thoughts, feelings, and perceptions disappear.
What is awareness aware of? Is it possible that consciousness is more of a verb, rather than a noun. Something that which "I am" does? Awareness of I am arises only when there is a "that", any that, to be aware of. To know itself at all, I am must perpetually create "that".

[iamthat]

Originally Posted by ketzer

I am with you I am that, on everything except perhaps that last sentence.
"But Awareness remains."
Pehaps I am just being too much of a word nerd, but

If thoughts, feelings, and perceptions disappear.
What is awareness aware of? Is it possible that consciousness is more of a verb, rather than a noun. Something that which "I am" does? Awareness of I am arises only when there is a "that", any that, to be aware of. To know itself at all, I am must perpetually create "that".

A valid point.

How about saying that consciousness rests in itself?

Peace

Originally Posted by iamthat

A valid point.

How about saying that consciousness rests in itself?

Peace

Well.....OK.....I'm not sure I know what that means, but it sounds nice, and it kinda makes me sleepy. Wait a minute, is this one of those Jedi mind tricks? Don't try any of your......

[FallingLeaves]

Originally Posted by Siemens

So my question is: Can consciousness only exist in these three forms: feelings, perceptions, and thoughts (whereby perceptions are a complex of feelings and thoughts are experienced in form of inner perceptions)? Or are there other possible forms of consciousness we can experience (for example outside the material world) that are not feelings, not perceptions, and not thoughts? Have you ever consciously experienced something whereby the content of your conscious experience was neither feeling, nor perception, nor thought?

it is the tendency to ask such questions and expect to find an answer outside the experiencing that keeps one from experiencing the answer.

[Unseeking Seeker]

***

Interesting question! Never really thought about it so much in terms of precise definitions! Here is my version then ...

Consciousness: Ability of an entity created by God to receive and transmit some bandwidths of vibration

Feeling may be taken as the magnetic component of thought (electrical) as an analogy corresponding to an electromagnetic wave. Thought and emotion going together ... texture of thought determining quality of emotion. For example, a Satvik thought generates a Satvik emotion. Thoughts & emotions being in sync.

Perception is interpretation of experience by consciousness of vibrations encountered, both received & transmitted. The prioritisation towards certain vibrations determines the fulcrum of consciousness or we may say, its default position.

Thought being resonation to selected vibration drawn in (reception) and modified (transmission) as of indulgence by consciousness ... indulgence being trajectories where attention of consciousness either flows or a groove where it stagnates.

Intuitive thought where there is no separate doer or ego being the I Am presence. Pure awareness of consciousness without any conscious thought association.

Consciousness then can be where it chooses to be but I’d tend to assume within the bandwidths with which it is so enabled. For instance, our in-form consciousness with the five sheaths as they say, our weakest link determines the highest enabled vibration we can safely imbibe. Ascension then being about gradual enhancement of our capacity to embrace and assimilate ... later transmit higher vibrations.

***

[Unseeking Seeker]

Originally Posted by jonesboy

From a Buddhist perspective Buddha Nature has 3 aspects.

Emptiness, Clarity and Energy.

The definition of energy would be that all things in all dimensions are made up of energy.

All things are non dual.. you are one with it all.

Experiencing neither feeling, perception or thought would be emptiness. Emptiness is beyond or is not a thing.

***

To elaborate a bit please ...

Emptiness: disassociating from attachments, fears & desires makes us empty. Yet Divine presence of Love in colourations of joy, bliss, compassion and purity fills us. We are One with It. Is this emptiness?

Clarity: direct wisdom ... yet there seem to be layers and each manifestation appearing as reality becomes illusionary at a higher vibration. Is clarity then the knowing of non duality within duality for if not how is it that even in the Oneness experience or engagement in the vibrant void of nothingness we are dissolved in the stream and yet distinct?

Energy: vibration ... manifesting everything both seen and unseen

***