First of all thank you for your talks. I seem to understand what you say, but to me, all of this is just an interesting concept. How to go beyond concepts? For example, “I” exist only when I am awake. In deep sleep, there is no mind, hence there is no “I”. This implies this “I” is a construct of the mind. But all of this is only a concept, which my mind finds it amusing. Please clarify my confusion or lack of understanding.
Thank you and Regards R.K.
Dear R. K.,
Your confusion originates from your belief that “I” or consciousness is a concept. Consciousness is that which is aware of these words right here, right now. That which is aware of the thoughts is also aware of the body sensations and of the external sense perceptions. It is not a thought. A thought cannot be aware of other thoughts, because there is at the most one thought present in the mind at any given time. Therefore consciousness is not a concept but a fact, an experience.
When you make the statement: “in deep sleep, there is no I”, (no consciousness), do you make this statement from experience or from conceptual inference? Obviously not from experience, since this would require the presence of a consciousness monitoring the absence of “I” which you are asserting. Therefore your statement is not of a fact, but of a concept.
Thank you for your question.
Looking forward to seeing you some day.
Affectionately,
Francis
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