On Consciousness

There are millions of 'I’s; not one 'I'.

No aggregate is permanent. Personality is a stream, a series of little parts leading to a mental concept of 'I'.

A belief in body/mind totality : i.e. 'myself' is a most powerful fetter and results in possessiveness, etc. It cannot be removed or overcome by discussion / teaching.

The mind is interpreting all the time; it is not getting direct knowledge. The whole viewpoint (of a person) may be a false interpretation; failure to see things as they (truly) are.

Perception deceives us – it needs refinement because it is subject to perversions and illusions.

Ancient Buddhism identified 521 mental factors of concomitance – what we call the human personality. A state of consciousness can only arise when certain factors are present. Different states or functions of consciousness are the result of various combinations of factors or lack of particular factors.

One of the benefits of our practice: Empty mind of all contents to see things as they truly are. It is possible to truly see a thing.

Vritti means a succession of mental moments. Through a succession of mental moments one is given the illusion that time has passed. The total impression of many minute instances is a continuity. However this concept is false.

Thoughts are conditioned – one cannot have an original thought. No thoughts exist independent of the world. Experience gathered by the five sense and the mind are the basis for all thought. Experience comes from contact. If there is no contact there can be no experience and no awareness.

No two types of consciousness can exist together – one must be arrested; interrupted.

Most of our perceptions are unknown to us.

If consciousness did not appear in the mother’s womb, there would be no mentality.

Consciousness (mind) arises out of conditions. Apart from conditions there is no arising of consciousness.

Consciousness cannot arise without a concept. Doors of perception give rise to consciousness: always grasping.

A dog scratching – just keeps on scratching without knowing there is anything else. The opposite of freedom of consciousness.

The universe may be studied by studying the body and mind: the great universe and the little universe.

There is nowhere to go: you cannot escape from your mind, the storehouse of all action. It is in the here and now that changes for the better must be made.

There must be a raising of the consciousness before people can solve the problems of the world.