Consciousness, Awareness, and Attention
Exploring reintegration for healing and wellbeing
Part One: Setting the stage
In the vast majority of what we read about consciousness and awareness, they’re treated as synonymous and are often substituted for each other, sometimes to the exclusion of the other. But are they the same?
Most people don’t study about consciousness or related topics at all. For them, the conflation of consciousness and awareness is not a problem. Others read about consciousness and awareness in the context of spirituality or religion. Here most English-speaking authors and translators of writings from languages of the Far East into English use the terms interchangeably. It appears that many in this field do not, at a minimum, consider the conflation of consciousness and awareness as problematic. But is that true?
There is one exception that has stayed with me since I first studied the works of J. Krishnamurti three decades ago. He viewed consciousness as synonymous with its contents (our thoughts, functions, and relationships) and viewed the subconscious in the same way, but more or less voluntarily hidden from view.
Krishnamurti spoke of the mind in a way that seemed to relate more to the intellect. Meanwhile, awareness was not to be confused with consciousness nor concentration with attention. He would on occasion speak about “full consciousness” and “full attention” and often of “choiceless awareness”. I don’t recall a single time that he mentioned cosmic consciousness or pure awareness.
Philosophers of mind, scientists, and psychologists have yet to settle on specific definitions. There are so many applications and alternative definitions that Wikipedia spends 37 pages and cites 188 sources on the subject of consciousness. I will spare you even a scant summary as it serves no purpose in the matter at hand.
Rather, the point is that there is no definitive answer to whether awareness and consciousness must be defined as the same. The question is, does it matter? In most cases, no.
But when it comes to understanding this world full of chaos, our role in it, and how we can work with Life to transform this world I believe it can help to consider Consciousness, Awareness, and Attention as a Trinity of sorts, One Whole with three roles to play. A wholeness that has effectively and experientially been torn asunder and is now in dire need of reintegration. The world is crying out for that, can you hear it?
“When we look at what is taking place in the world, we begin to understand that there is no outer and inner process; there is only one unitary process, it is a whole, total movement, the inner movement expressing itself as the outer and the outer reacting again on the inner.”
J. Krishnamurti, Freedom from the Known
I’m inviting you to explore what it means to reintegrate consciousness, awareness, and attention. But first, let me define the salient terminology.
· Consciousness: Our fundamental capacity to sense both interior and exterior circumstances and events. This includes what is customarily considered the subconscious. Consciousness is primary to the functioning of instincts and essential for sympathetic and parasympathetic responses.
· Awareness: Our capacity to access information regarding the sensations of consciousness. Awareness is derived from consciousness, a fully inclusive mirror of sorts imbued with intelligence. Awareness is primary to intuition.
· Attention: Our capacity to focus on and define bits of information accessed via awareness. Attention is definitive by nature and primary to intellect.
· Psyche: The totality of your inner life — the mind, heart, will, and imagination; our thoughts, desires, passions, and dreams; the center that categorizes and qualifies to control, coding everything entering into memory with feelings of attraction, repulsion, or indifference.
The road to hell is paved with good intentions
I have set the stage and clarified some definitions in preparation for exploring the reintegration of consciousness, awareness, and attention. Enough to create a map of sorts with signposts to help us keep our bearings.
All well and fine, but the fact is the territory is vast and already populated with abstractions and representations. There can be no promise that more “signposts” will do anything other than add to an already existing state of confusion. I cannot guarantee “smooth sailing” through oceans of emotion or a “scenic hike” along a well-traveled path. I can honestly only assure you that this undertaking can be messy and uncomfortable. And you will have no one but yourself to rely on.
I dearly want to protect you. I want so much for you to take up this challenge and be successful. I am tempted to give background from my own life’s journey to assure you it will change your life. But although we are all on this earth in human form and have been psychologically molded in much the same fashion it’s foolish for me to assume that doing so could do anything but encourage imitation. And that is highly problematic since it is our fear-based desire for security that drives our conflicted imitations (self-images) with their opposing goals and motivations, that contribute already to what sometimes feels like hell on earth.
What we take to be ourselves is in reality a collection of images that are available for selection depending on the situation before us. A process that is almost always ungoverned, directed as it is by a divided and conflicted psyche.
I cannot and will not try to give you hope. That would only serve to direct attention to dead memories of the past, to assess the potential of my proposition; or to an imagined future, a distracting illusion which may become a futile attempt to escape from your fears. But this task requires your full attention to be in the present, where life is happening and the only thing certain is uncertainty. My intention does not matter if it is not willingly committed to being honest and open.
After all of this, if you are still feeling inclined to explore further, I commend your courage. But don’t be flattered. Courage without commitment comes and goes. It may help you move forward but there is something deeper to consider.
Take a break and just be with all of your feelings and thoughts as they are at the moment. Do not chase after them, analyze them, or judge them in any way. Just sit with the totality of them without attempting to escape or rationalize them. Let them just be, coming and going as they may. Simply attend to them while resting in the silence of awareness, the field where all appearances arise and recede. Just sit, eyes open or closed, taking it all in as a whole. If a moment arises that has room for a brief inquiry ask yourself, “Am I willing to honestly engage in this exploration, open to new revelations?”
There is no right or wrong answer here. There is no answer which means you pass a test to see if you can or may proceed. There are only variations on three responses possible: yes, no, or maybe. And I, for one, respect them all.
Your commitment does not require dedication of time or money. I don’t ask, nor require, either one from you. If you choose to move ahead from here the only time needed is how much you are willing to give to reading what I have to share, along with some silent contemplation as seems fitting.
Don’t concern yourself with taking notes or remembering every detail. Let what resonates guide you at the moment and trust that when needed again it will be there, in one form or another, giving you access without stress or effort.
Here I have attempted to prepare the ground for you, a place to stand long enough to decide where you will go next. And go you will go, either way. The path I am pointing to is no path at all because the truth is always already present, it is only a question of our willingness to see it. Truth is encountered in everyday life and made evident in our relationships, both external and internal, with others and with ourselves. You cannot escape it, the only choice you can make is to react, observe, or respond.
That is enough to ponder for today. I invite you to peruse part two: “Understanding Yourself”
