Living in the Moment: Embracing True Awareness
Beyond the Surface: Delving into the Depths of Awareness
The last time I truly stopped to appreciate a sunset, the world melted away. The sun dipped below the horizon. It wasn’t just vast, but full, pregnant with the promise of a new day. Fluffy clouds drifted serenely across this painted canvas as if carried by the gentle breeze that wrapped me in a comforting hug. It was in that moment, bathed in the warm embrace of that sunset, that I felt truly aware.
Understanding Awareness
Are we aware totally and now? Ask this question to yourself. Last time, when you were angry, are you aware at the moment or are you aware of it only when it was over? I doubt we were mostly aware of the reactions to our anger, not the fact of anger itself. Let us explore this very deeply.
We see a flower, initially, we perceive the flower using our senses. The pattern of flower buds, the fragrance, the sunlight reflected by the flower and so on. These are immediate experiences at the moment, isn’t it? let’s call it ‘Present awareness’.
On the next level, there are our responses to the things and situations, what do you think about the flower, is it beautiful or not? . This awareness is a mind response, a description of the thing you’re observing. We can call it thought or feeling. This varies from person to person. Observe your relationship in daily life. We interact with a judgment, the likes and dislikes. So this description may be the result of our conditioning like the society we belong to, various beliefs or ideas we are clung to, experiences in the past, etc.
The important thing is that the description of a thing is not the thing. It is just we choose to see the world through that description. It gives birth to ‘me’ and the ‘thing’ I observe. We can call this kind of observing an ‘ego-centric awareness’ because it usually divides ourselves and the things we observe. Ask, is it true awareness? For me, it isn’t.
Is it possible to be aware of the moment without any judgment and reactions? Then that quality of being is called true awareness or choiceless awareness.
Buddha’s Mindfulness
Buddha often refers to mindfulness as awareness. I feel the quality of both is the same. All of the Buddha’s teachings can be understood with ‘mindfulness’. Buddhahood is to be alert here and now. It is our nature. Each of our actions has to emerge from that glowing awareness, then each act can open the door to the inner consciousness. Buddha said
“Bring your mind to noble silence. Unify your mind in noble silence. Concentrate your mind in noble silence… Enter into rapture and pleasure born of silence derived of concentration and awareness that is free from thought and fabrication.”
Witnessing
Witnessing and awareness portray two distinct realms of consciousness. In the act of witnessing, the ego is active, creating a dichotomy between subject and object. Conversely, awareness transcends such divisions, embodying a unified state where neither subject nor object exists separately. While witnessing requires conscious effort, awareness is characterized by a state of non-doing, devoid of any sense of agency.
Witnessing serves as a bridge to awareness, marking a shift from unconscious to conscious activity. True awareness entails a further evolution beyond witnessing — a state of inactivity where the boundaries between subject and object dissolve completely. Thus, while witnessing is a method towards awareness, it is not synonymous with it; rather, it represents a crucial step in the journey towards total integration and enlightenment.
