Philosophy Now Forum

Dontaskme wrote:Awareness is not a thing.

I'm not using "thing" in some technical sense. I'm using it more like a variable. You believe that awareness occurs, right? I'm simply asking you what sort of <<whatever>> you take it to be ontologically.

bahman wrote:We cannot have a relationship with God

Why? Is She dating someone else?

Terrapin Station wrote:

Dontaskme wrote:Awareness is not a thing.

I'm not using "thing" in some technical sense. I'm using it more like a variable. You believe that awareness occurs, right? I'm simply asking you what sort of <<whatever>> you take it to be ontologically.

Awareness doesn't occur. Awareness just is right here and now as this silent empty imageless beingness reflecting itself as every thing.

There is nothing behind an image of light...just as there is nothing behind an image of your face in a mirror.

Light is wide awake as a dimensionless seeing apart from which nothing is, while what is seen is asleep. It's just two sides of the same coin so to speak.

Nothing ever happened to awareness just as nothing ever happened to the dreamer having a dream.. all sorts of craziness can occur in a dream but it's not's happening to the dreamer. But there is no dream without a dreamer. All is illusion appearing real.

Dontaskme wrote:Awareness doesn't occur. Awareness just is right here and now

What I mean by "occur" is that it's "here and now." So what I'm asking you is what sort of <<whatever>> it is in your view ontologically?

Terrapin Station wrote:

Dontaskme wrote:Awareness doesn't occur. Awareness just is right here and now

What I mean by "occur" is that it's "here and now." So what I'm asking you is what sort of <<whatever>> it is in your view ontologically?

I'm not sure what you are saying.

Are you asking me what awareness is?

Dontaskme wrote:

Terrapin Station wrote:

Dontaskme wrote:Awareness doesn't occur. Awareness just is right here and now

What I mean by "occur" is that it's "here and now." So what I'm asking you is what sort of <<whatever>> it is in your view ontologically?

I'm not sure what you are saying.

Are you asking me what awareness is?

Yes, in the sense of "what is is made of" or "what is it a property of," "where is it located" etc.

Terrapin Station wrote:Yes, in the sense of "what is is made of" or "what is it a property of," "where is it located" etc.

I don't know.

Dontaskme wrote:

Terrapin Station wrote:Yes, in the sense of "what is is made of" or "what is it a property of," "where is it located" etc.

I don't know.

My interest in philosophy is curiosity about those sorts of questions. I don't want to just know "surface structure," but I want to know what that stuff really is, I want to question whether I really know it, how I know it, and so on.

So "awareness is here and now." Okay, but I want to know what awareness is, and if I don't know, I want to try to figure it out, or at least work on figuring out how I might be able to figure it out.

Terrapin Station wrote:My interest in philosophy is curiosity about those sorts of questions. I don't want to just know "surface structure," but I want to know what that stuff really is, I want to question whether I really know it, how I know it, and so on.

You know you are awareness, but no one can know what awareness is, or what it's made of.

It would be like asking ..what is space or light made of.

Terrapin Station wrote:So "awareness is here and now." Okay, but I want to know what awareness is, and if I don't know, I want to try to figure it out, or at least work on figuring out how I might be able to figure it out.

Dontaskme wrote:You know you are awareness, but no one can know what awareness is, or what it's made of.

It would be like asking ..what is space or light made of.

We do ask that and there are various answers for it.

Anyway, so you're saying that awareness is identical to me/us, but that we don't know what it is and can't know?

Terrapin Station wrote: We do ask that and there are various answers for it.

Yes, and we answer it by saying there is no answer.

Terrapin Station wrote:Anyway, so you're saying that awareness is identical to me/us, but that we don't know what it is and can't know?

Well there is no actual me/us except an idea...and I've no idea what an idea is made of... do you?

Even the idea we/us are awareness is just an idea. We have no way of knowing what we are or who we are only that we are. What can we do with nothing? except give it a name.

Dontaskme wrote:

Terrapin Station wrote:We do ask that and there are various answers for it.

Yes, and we answer it by saying there is no answer.

Haha--that's not "various," but it can be one of "various."

Well there is no actual me/us except an idea...and I've no idea what an idea is made of... do you? Even the idea we/us are awareness is just an idea. We have no way of knowing what we are or who we are only that we are. What can we do with nothing? except give it a name.

Re "Do I?" Yes. But I'm trying to figure out your views. I don't know if you're so interested in mine. So is awareness just an idea?

Terrapin Station wrote:Re "Do I?" Yes. But I'm trying to figure out your views. So is awareness just an idea?

My view on awareness is that awareness is an idea..but also it's not an idea, in that the idea is an illusory state of the mind. Awareness fundamentally is this ever present timeless and thoughtless state. A state of Oneness. Oneness means that nothing is created but is just a reflection of light. A reflection is not in parts but always exists as one herenow, nowhere.

It's only a thought that separates oneness, but it's an illusory divide since a thought is none other that this oneness thinking.

Terrapin Station wrote:I don't know if you're so interested in mine.

Yes, I am.

Dontaskme, do you understand how it might be confusing if someone says, "This is an idea and it's not an an idea," "This is here but it's nowhere," "This is a state of mind, but it's thoughtless," etc.?

Terrapin Station wrote:Dontaskme, do you understand how it might be confusing if someone says, "This is an idea and it's not an an idea," "This is here but it's nowhere," "This is a state of mind, but it's thoughtless," etc.?

Depends what the listener wants to hear ...what do you personally want from this particular conversation?

You asked...

So is awareness just an idea?

So I gave you my answer which manifested as an idea and then put that idea into words for you to read as a response.