A Word about Consciousness

     There is an entire field of philosophical inquiry into the nature of human consciousness, but I am defining it here as the capacity to think abstractly, to be able to conceptualize a past, present, and future, and to be aware that I am aware. As far as we know, this is unique to the human species, and to be able to imagine ourselves in yesterday and project ourselves into the future is at once, a gift and a curse. It gives us power over all other sentient beings and at the same time, it makes us more vulnerable to an illusion. One such illusion is when we see something ugly and we think “ugly” is real; when we see something beautiful, and we think “beautiful” is real. The things that we encounter through our senses we consider to be real. The illusion is that we believe that “what we think” is necessarily true outside the parameters of our own consciousness.
     I can, for example, tell myself that I will achieve enlightenment in record time, however unlikely that may be. And for no other reason than that I thought it, I can believe it to be a fact. Now it may happen. I may actually achieve enlightenment quickly by some standard, but the thought itself is just a thought, ephemeral as a rainbow. There is nothing inherently wrong with having this, or any other thought. However, it is valuable to remember that outside my mind, a thought has the reality of a dream.
     You’re probably nodding your head in agreement. It’s common sense when we lay it all out and look at it. Yet we routinely base our behavior on the mistaken belief that what we think is somehow real. Through some mysterious alchemy the thought becomes more than just chemical charges jumping from synapse to synapse (an obvious oversimplification of the brain’s biochemistry). We begin to pile one metamorphosed idea upon another and before long we’ve even forgotten the origin of what has become a living, breathing prejudice.
     If I tell myself that all Muslim’s are terrorists I will first begin see evidence of this in otherwise neutral phenomena, and then I will begin to react to this “evidence,” and finally, act as if the original thought were true in the world outside my chamber door. Or, if through the process of a lengthy mental scenario - aided perhaps by alcohol, drugs, or just an over indulgence in my own storytelling - I decide that my neighbor is plotting to poison my dog, I am liable to treat this unsuspecting, and probably innocent friend, as though he is actually a suspect in my imaginary crime. I will believe my story, not because I’m bad or insane, but because one aspect of human consciousness is that we are wired to always interpret our own view of things as the truth.
     Always? Well, unless of course I am mindful of this process, and through a constant awareness, remain in touch with the fact that the subject matter of my thinking is under the control of a myriad of biological, chemical, and psychological factors. In short, it’s not objective.
     Take the time to realize this now. Look closely at what you think, the beliefs you hold. How many of them are based on evidence you have experienced? How many are the result of listening to someone else, reading what another has to say on a subject, or blindly accepting what your teachers have said or written? How many are based on fears, prejudices, anger, and ego or pride? I’m not suggesting that everything we think is false; I’m saying we should not take it for granted that a thought represents a truth.
     The process of human consciousness is a miraculous tool. We are able to plan for a future, learn from the past, and do either one while choosing new colors for the children’s bedroom. It is however a sword with two edges. It allows us to create, imagine, and project anything, but what we think is self-referential and this is the edge that cuts us. A wise man once said, “Never believe what you think.”
     One purpose for meditation is to break through these illusions and our affliction of an attachment to self; to rest in the equanimity of the vast, open nature of our true-Self. The Buddha is reported to have said just before he died, “All component things must grow old and be dissolved again. Seek you for that which is permanent, and work out your salvation with diligence."