Is Consciousness just a word to describe the 5 senses?

[Phaelyn]

Originally Posted by WeRDivine

Doesn't conscious mean being aware of things?

You can also be aware if things are not there. Like be aware of no sound, no light or vision, no feeling. Like when the doctor or dentist numbs you up and asks you, "can you feel that?" And you say no.

If we leave the body, and therefore have none of the bodies senses, we are still conscious. Remember we can hear things in dreams, see things in dreams, talk to others in dreams, and none of that is done through our bodies senses.

[Phaelyn]

Originally Posted by WeRDivine

Have you ever blacked out or been under general anesthesia?

You don't exist there. You're not aware of anything.

I googled some of your questions and found this....yea sleep is crazy.

While We Sleep, Our Mind Goes on an Amazing Journey

https://transtechlab.org/while-we-sl...ive%20emotions.

[peteyzen]

Originally Posted by inavalan

When we dream, "we" are in a different state than the awake state. By default we believe that we can have access to the same senses, which we posses in what we believe are our dream bodies. The reality of our dreams reacts instantaneously to our emotions, seemingly beyond our control. If "we" become lucid, we can take conscious control and change reality the way we want.

Our perceptions are limited by our belief that they are products of our physical sensory organs.

Thank you for the explanation. What if both states are just in reality - dreams?

[Miss Hepburn]

Originally Posted by peteyzen

Thank you for the explanation.
What if both states are just in reality - dreams?

Oh stop! Don't confuse us all!

"Merrily merrily merrily, life is but a dream" ...song says so, so it must be true.

[guthrio]

Originally Posted by JustASimpleGuy

A good analogy is that of light. In the vacuum of space it does not appear there is light until an object is introduced, and then the light reveals itself via illumination of the object.

Just like light Consciousness is ever-present and all-pervasive, regardless whether a mind is present to be illumined by Consciousness.

That which we perceive as consciousness is but a reflection of Consciousness. It's akin to the reflection of a face in the mirror. If there's no mirror there's still a face.

EDIT: I'm watching a lecture on Adi Sankaracharya's Atma Bodha and this is verse 21. https://youtu.be/_cC0U43JKn8?t=1279

Due to ignorance, your mind's qualities and activities are attributed to Atma,
like when the Moon is reflected in water, the water's ripples are attributed to the Moon.

Atma = Consciousness (Moon) and what we perceive as consciousness is the Moon's reflection in the water (our minds).

This concept is at the heart of Advaita and called superimposition. We impose the ego-self upon Self. We perceive the limitless as the limited.

JASG,

.... A strange thought just occurred to me that may have bearing on the OPs question and on your concept of Advaita.

Isn't your description of Advaita exactly the superimposition upon that which cannot be described....as if we can perceive (sense) the Nameless through this Name.....like mistaking the ripples in the pond for the Moon?

The mirror has no sense of itself or what it reflects. This is the perennial mistake of man's mind as well.

Originally Posted by guthrio

JASG,

.... A strange thought just occurred to me that may have bearing on the OPs question and on your concept of Advaita.

Isn't your description of Advaita exactly the superimposition upon that which cannot be described....as if we can perceive (sense) the Nameless through this Name.....like mistaking the ripples in the pond for the Moon?

The mirror has no sense of itself or what it reflects. This is the perennial mistake of man's mind as well.

The superimposition is "I am conscious". That's a function of the ego-self (Ahamkara, I-maker). It makes That which is not its own its own. It appropriates It.

A meditation technique referred to as resting in awareness, choiceless awareness, just sitting, do nothing meditation reveals the true nature of Consciousness. It takes a bit of practice but once "touched" one realizes it's always been there, unchanging. The screen upon which the movie is projected. This is why Advaita states Consciousness is self-revealing and self-evident.

Once touched it can't be untouched even though one won't be resting in it 24x7 unless one is Enlightened, however it's always available to rest in if one pays attention. It's even present in the midst of physical and mental activity, and no, it's not a Jedi mind trick. LOL!

It's the obvious hiding in plain sight. It's the seemingly ordinary that in fact is extraordinary.

[guthrio]

Originally Posted by JustASimpleGuy

The superimposition is "I am conscious". That's a function of the ego-self (Ahamkara, I-maker). It makes That which is not its own its own. It appropriates It.

A meditation technique referred to as resting in awareness, choiceless awareness, just sitting, do nothing meditation reveals the true nature of Consciousness. It takes a bit of practice but once "touched" one realizes it's always been there, unchanging. The screen upon which the movie is projected. This is why Advaita states Consciousness is self-revealing and self-evident.

Once touched it can't be untouched even though one won't be resting in it 24x7 unless one is Enlightened, however it's always available to rest in if one pays attention. It's even present in the midst of physical and mental activity, and no, it's not a Jedi mind trick. LOL!

It's the obvious hiding in plain sight. It's the seemingly ordinary that in fact is extraordinary.

..... So well said. "These are not the droids I was looking for...."

I'll move along....

[inavalan]

Originally Posted by peteyzen

Thank you for the explanation. What if both states are just in reality - dreams?

It is a matter of nomenclature. When you die you feel like waking up to another you than the one that died, exactly as when you wake up from a dream, especially when you wake up from a lucid dream.

The dream state is actually superior to the awake state, in the way in school taking a class is superior to taking a lab, but you better make good use of both of them.

Gosh I do hope not.... I use that word a lot ....and it's awfully hard to spell ..

[Miss Hepburn]

Originally Posted by JustASimpleGuy

It takes a bit of practice but once "touched" one realizes it's always been there, unchanging.

...however it's always available to rest in if one pays attention.

It's even present in the midst of physical and mental activity, and no, it's not a Jedi mind trick. LOL!

It's the obvious hiding in plain sight. It's the seemingly ordinary that in fact is extraordinary.

These are great sentences.

When giving an example of how present some things are - I will ask,
"Who has been aware of the clicking of the clock on the wall?"
No one was. Yet it has been there the entire time!
Now, it suddenly comes into their awareness and they also can tell it was always there, like so many subtle things
that once heard, felt, seen are no longer subtle ! Voila!

(Hard to spell-- too funny!)