Mixing Up Mind And Consciousness

Our mind is that which translates experience related to our environment. The mind builds up memories to which we (consciousness) refer. We are not the mind; we have a mind. If we can see it, we cannot be it.

Consciousness is just a word for ethereal awareness, which goes by many names.

This mind-programming is how we, in a body, relate and react to the outer world. In ordinary human terms, the mind is a reactive thing, so we are a reactive thing. 🙂 In this way, we become a part of the collective thinking; ‘part’ because the collective isn’t a wholesome entity – it has factions, partialities and frictions that keep everyone separated. We don’t all think the same way, thank goodness. 🙂

All the while, impartial consciousness looks on.

Whatever consciousness sees, it cannot be.
We can see thoughts,
so we are not those thoughts.

We cannot see or find consciousness
because that is what we are.

What has happened is that consciousness adopts thoughts, and believes them to be what we are. This adoption of thoughts obscures consciousness’s natural functioning.

It is only through understanding and the practice of meditation that consciousness is realised as pure. It just is – empty of contaminating thoughts. Pure consciousness does not find fault; ideas come about in the mind through desire, aversion and ignorance.

Wisdom is understanding that, in the very first instant of these negative emotions, pure consciousness is present … just before we either go in for the attack, run away or freeze by referring to partial memories, instead of understanding that which truly unites us.

If religion is used as a weapon by both believers and non-believers, there will be disharmony. The teachings of religions are just an introduction that, once realised, can be dropped without fault-finding.

In pure consciousness, there is no religion, no images, no god, no buddha … nada! Nothing for the mind to worry about. That is the moment of beautiful communication – a smile of recognition that illuminates the nature of reality.