You teach that awareness, the subjective reality that we know to exist, is whatever is hearing these words in this moment. I believe that without doubt. However, there is doubt as to whether that awareness is a boundless, infinite presence, or whether perhaps the brain is a sophisticated enough organ so that, out of the “soup” of brain cells, arises this sense of the “perceiver”. A “black box”, that creates the perceiver and that is specific to each body-mind. I am fully willing to accept that there is no evidence within science to answer the question of whether awareness is limitless, boundless eternity vs. “the black box”. I also see the wisdom of the suggestion to “check it out” and see. It seems, though, that perhaps it is not possible to truly and successfully check it out and see the truth through experience, without being 100% intellectually certain that consciousness is not limited to the body. The “black box” theory holds me back from completely accepting this truth intellectually. There is doubt. I wonder if I must disabuse myself intellectually of the possibility of the “black box” before properly seeing. If so, how might I best do that?
Regards, Jonathan.
Let’s deal with the“black box” theory. Remember that we are investigating the reality of consciousness, not the appearance of it. The question is : “What is the real entity that perceives these words right now, that which really perceives, the reality which perceives?” Is the black box the answer? Let’s assume that, in accordance with this theory, electro-chemical reactions occur in the nervous system that create thoughts and other perceptions, and the consciousness of those (a far fetched assumption). Can it be said that the black box creates these reactions? What we have in this case is a bunch of particles or wave packets dancing together according to the laws of Quantum Mechanics. But what is the reality of this show? Is it local and limited by the surface of the skin of a specific body? Even if that body could be considered to be a local, insulated and independent physical system (a very rough approximation, especially in the light of Aspect’s experiments on the EPR paradox), it is subjected to the very same laws as the other bodies in the neighborhood, which shows that it is not really independent - it is perhaps independent from the other bodies, but not from the laws of physical reality. Therefore it must be part of a larger Reality that dictates these laws. It follows that if there is a black box that really manufactures thoughts, perceptions and consciousness, it must be universal and non local. Even under this materialistic assumption the real perceiver has to be universal and non local.
Love,
Francis
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