Ordinary Consciousness And Pure Consciousness

It is a good practice to experience the difference.

Pure consciousness is open presence – ready for anything.
Ordinary consciousness is closed presence – not ready for anything.

If we don’t know pure consciousness, we remain closed in our views. When, however, we do realise pure consciousness, we don’t wander too far into the closed mindedness of ordinary consciousness.

We naturally move in and out of pure consciousness and ordinary consciousness, but may not notice this. Sometimes, we are happy for no reason! Which conscious we stay in longer depends on what we practise 🙂

In pure consciousness, there is just observation. In ordinary consciousness, we start relating. From the perspective of pure consciousness, relating can take a moment. From ordinary consciousness, we fixate on that relating, and so become caught and held – maybe for our entire life.

The practice:
Rest in being totally open to the moment,  without relating to anything. That is pure consciousness.
Now, relate to your environment, and see the I starting to identify – before words manifest.
Stop, and return to pure openness.
It’s that simple, and that familiar. It’s nothing strange.

This switching is quite natural; we do it all the time. It is only a matter of being aware both of just being there, and of not quite being there. Unfortunately, it’s all too easy to fall into a vacancy, but again, if we are just aware of that vacancy, we are back in pure consciousness.

Realise where contentment lies,
and where trouble starts.
😀