2022-10-14 Conditioned Consciousness (5 of 5) Aware Without Clinging

2:42AM Oct 15, 2022

Speakers:

Gil Fronsdal

Keywords:

consciousness

clinging

awareness

conscious

broad

mind

tight

preoccupied

attachment

entangled

important

feel

aware

influenced

park

discover

variable

caught

irritation

knowing

So then we come to the last talk, the topic of conditioned consciousness. And our connection to being aware to being conscious, is quite variable. And sometimes we have no connection at all, we can be so caught up in something so preoccupied so besides ourselves that we're besides ourselves, or we lose ourselves in what we're doing, we or we can end up saying I didn't, I don't know what I was thinking or what I was doing. I didn't even know what I was saying, when I said it, we can be so wrapped up in something that the very idea that we can be aware and conscious is far from the mind far from what we're preoccupied with. And it's possible to be in states where it's just like, so obvious that we're conscious, it's like this, like the main game in town is being aware and conscious may be in a relaxing, wonderful day off, laying under a tree in the park and looking up at the clouds and the sky. And, and there's not much to see, but it's, there's a clear sense of wow, I'm aware, I'm present, I'm conscious, I'm alive, this is quite something and, and the sense of consciousness there is really strong. And then from that place of being in a day off, when the park looking at the sky, we might do something might happen in the park, that we feel, we feel we lose some of that openness, that lightness, that kind of all, because we get caught in something, maybe the ice cream truck goes by, and that's enough to kind of oh, that's like, brings up all kinds of memories from childhood and, and you get absorbed in that and the fact that clouds and sky disappears, the fact that you're kind of have capacity for consciousness disappears over the idea that memories are the idea of wanting ice cream, or someone gets up on a soapbox, not too far away in the park and starts pontificating loudly about political views that are abhorrent to you. And you feel the contraction of the heart contraction of the mind and, and irritation and, and with that, if you try to notice what's happened to that consciousness, you notice the conscious self might feel contracted or tight or, or there might even be resistance in the mind to even notice that the content you're aware in consciousness, because the strong pull into the world of irritation or anger or fear or whatever it might be connected to that. So that our connection to consciousness or connection to being aware, is quite variable. And but I think that having said saying it that way is little bit off, for very veterans off, it implies that consciousness is something the stationary static thing that we can have variable how we touch it, or know it would rather what consciousness is, is it it is shaped by the state of the mind. So the in the park looking at the sky, consciousness that what we feel is consciousness or awareness has been expanded has been created as been imagined constructed to be broad. When we get preoccupied and tight, then that sense of awareness what awareness is, has become tight and constructed. There's not an awareness that somehow exists offline or outside, that's broad and spacious. The conscious has to become that way. And this is a theory. But it's just as valid as a theory that there is this thing called consciousness which is always broad, and we lose touch with it. In my suggestion is that we're still in touch with it, but maybe, but we are in touch with something now that a conscious and unconscious of this become contracted and tight and narrow. So in this way, is continuing this idea that our sense our idea of what consciousness is what awareness is, is variable. And it's influenced by all kinds of things. It's included, influenced by the degree of the agitation, but the degree of, of peace or calm that we have, it's, it's

influenced by how much cleaning we have, and how much freedom we have. And so Do we contribute to that creation of consciousness by the state of our mind. And if this particular states of mind are valuable and useful, then we want to kind of create the conditions for that to be there. And open expansive free consciousness is invaluable. Because it's a protection from clinging to protection from greed, hate and delusion is protection from fear. Oftentimes, it's a space within which the best qualities of who we are, have a chance to surface love can come, for example, there have been anger or blame. And it's almost like the more consciousness is made to be broad and open and receptive. The more space there is for some of the deeper, beautiful workings over hearts of our minds. So to begin appreciating our contribution to the how we experience consciousness, how we experience awareness, and to use that awareness that's more light, we're open more nonreactive to be aware of how we cling how we tight how we resist. And that's a fascinating way to an alternative to get collapsing into our clinging, getting sucked into it, rather to know it, so we can be clinging, and we can know it. And the image I like to have is someone you know, a tight fist that doesn't want to release itself. And a hand comes from underneath it, and just holds it gently just gives it support takes its weight. And as its as that fist feels the support, then it begins to relax to this this awareness that can no attachment can no clinging it's kinda like there to offer support there to hold it, there to be its friend to accompany it. So that the clinging is not condemned is not fought with it's not denied not trying to push it away. But so the clinging has a chance to unclean so that the way that we're entangled can be unentangled can disentangle itself. And this way in which this broader more economists knowing that's independent of what is known, it's not entangled with what's known can meet then the clinging is one of the great powers of this Buddhist practice. It meets it. And if you're patient, you will, you can discover that you don't have to do the onion clinging, you don't have to do the letting go. This to know to know with non clinging allows what's what's clematis allows the clinging the attachments, we have to slowly thaw to slowly unwind to slowly release. And so in this way, and this lesson becomes more and more important. The further we go in dharma practice that as as we get more and more concentrated, more still more mindful, the mindfulness and meditation gets stronger, the more and more important it becomes not to be the one who lets go will not be the one who unclear things, but rather to just allow the knowing to be the tenderizer that the dissolving agent just know just know without any reactivity. So that's becomes more more important because we keep practicing. Early in practice like the beginning of a sitting, please by all means Relax, relax your body let go of what is easy to let go of. But then over time, hopefully you'll discover how wonderful how smile producing it is to know without attachment to know without being caught into or glued to what is being known.

What is being known is allowed to be as it is and you can settle back and know it No way that knowing maybe will be smiled producing for you. How lucky we are to be able to know this way, how delightful to know this way. How wonderful to know in a way that can bring forth all kinds of gifts for the world. And may it be May it be that you will discover something about a liberated awareness that allows you to be a gift of full of your full gift giftedness for this world. So thank you very much, and I look forward to being back here on Monday.