Neti Neti — Not That, Not That
But then What Are We?
“You, your father, and your sister always have to be fucking Right. There can’t be three different ‘rights’, but you always fucking insist your view is the only one that’s right, and I always get caught in the middle of it.” -Momma 🫶
Absolutely true, 100%. Never forget or deny it. That is true and pure and beautiful.
Below, however, is heretical nonsense. Pay no mind.
What is often misconstrued in the common use of the term “consciousness” — in reference to the ‘hard problem of consciousness’, as a first person subjective, qualia experience (the taste of an apple, experience of color, etc) — is that the qualia are emergent.
That is, subjective experiences derive their qualities by way of 1) genetic-based, physiological sense organs and their data; and 2) a view shaped by our attachments and aversions to external factors.
These two physical components are then considered “responsible” for the subjective, somewhat individual “I” experience we commonly call “consciousness”, but essentially only ever describe the objects within experience, including thoughts, intellect, and memory.
This differs somewhat from how we also often use the term consciousness, as a type of primordial awareness, individual soul, or collective unconscious (Shiva, perhaps), from which all physical and psychic phenomena emerge.
So is consciousness emergent of physicality, or does physicality arise out of conscious experience?
Subjective conscious experience, defined, but broadened, may be considered as both. As the reflection of primordial awareness itself, and filtered (Maya), so to speak, by the physical nature of our brains in spacetime, ie cognition and memory within the conditions we find ourselves at any time.
And so, as this, we experience an illusory self-ness… and selfishness. And all other phenomena.
Physicality, duality, nature and observation-as-distinct… these are how we experience the both the deepest and most superficial beauty.
Nothing wrong here, haha, not even your view!
It ain’t Right, probably, but nothing wrong.
And so, no thing need be discounted! All the things!! But we can reject materialism while holding all objects more lightly.
We exist as individuals to a degree (and maybe absolutely), but only ever within, as reflective facets, and by means of awareness itself.
Conscious experience is indeed emergent… but it is your very ground from which it emerges; and you — as a you — have quite little to say about it. I learned to love that, and hope you do as well.
She surely is waiting on you.
Chidananda Rupaha, Shivo’ham, Shivo’ham.
Collectively we constitute the Holy Mother, as Existence, in Her endless Dance with Our Father, Awareness.
And so, it is completely appropriate to think of ourselves as, and call ourselves Love — our most succinct and apt identification. Tat Tvam Asi, Thou Art That.
🙏❤️🪷💎
©2023 Stephen Rains