AWARENESS

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For most people, awareness means mere
knowledge. We often say, "I am aware of that,"
meaning that we know something. In yoga it
also means knowledge but it simultaneously
means far more. Awareness in a general sense
means to comprehend, to know, to feel what is
happening around us. It also means to know
what is happening within us. Most people
comprehend very little of what is occurring
around and within them. This is a low state of
awareness. As we realize and relate to more

things internally as well as externally, and see
the underlying unity in everything, we naturally
develop more awareness. As this happens
we break down the barriers and limitations of
the mind. We understand more aspects and
gain insight into the many realms of existence.
Before we further expound on the meaning
of the word awareness let us first briefly
mention consciousness. Every life form is a
vehicle of consciousness. Whether it is a cell, a
plant, an animal or a human, the underlying
nature of all living organisms is consciousness.
However, each of these forms express the
potential of consciousness at different levels.
The cells and plants express consciousness at
a very rudimentary level, while man expresses
it at a far more complex level. The consciousness
is the same - the potential for
manifestation is different. Plants have feelings
(as has been scientifically proved by various
people) but no mobility. Animals have both
feelings and mobility. Man also has these, but
at the same time he has an extra attribute -
awareness. Man has the extra and all important
ability to be able to know his consciousness
and to allow it to manifest and blossom to its
fullest potential. The consciousness does not
change. It is the expression that becomes
expanded. Man can increase his awareness
and transcend limitations (or rather limitations
that most of us see and think to be fixed) and
realize higher potentialities of consciousness.
An animal, as far as we know, is unable to be
aware because of its very nature. It contains
the potential but it is totally unable to see the
potential because of the very way it is made. It
lacks the necessary equipment. Let us make an
analogy. The atmosphere around us is pervaded
by electromagnetic waves carrying
programs transmitted from a large number of
radio stations. Yet, can we pick them up directly?
Can a stone or a tree listen directly to the
symphony being broadcasted? No, this is
impossible. Our body, the stone and the tree
lack the necessary equipment. The waves are
there but we cannot tune into them. The
potential is there but we cannot use it. We are
limited by our structure. Yet a radio can pick
up the waves and enable us to listen to the
symphony. The radio has the necessary
equipment to manifest this potential contained
within the atmosphere around us. It is the
same with consciousness but in a much deeper
and ineffable sense. It is within all life forms.
Yet it is only humans (let us forget for the
moment extra-terrestrial life) that have the
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ability to know this consciousness. It is said
that consciousness sleeps in stones, dreams in
plants, begins to awaken in animals and can be
fully realized in man; man can know that he is
awake.
Let us be more specific and define what we
mean by awareness in yoga. Awareness is the
ability to stand back and to observe one's
mental and physical activities. If a man is aware
then he becomes a spectator of his activities
both internally and externally. Those who have
never experienced this will not really understand,
but those who have experienced it, even
for a few seconds, will know what we are trying
to say. Its implications are profound. If you
are able to watch what your body and mind
do, then this means that your nature transcends
the body and mind. It means that there
is something that is able to watch what is
occurring; there is something in the background
that witnesses the actions of the mind
and body. This experience alone is enough to
alter your conception of yourself. It wakes us
up to the fact that there is something in the
background - a witnessing principle. Few of
us. however, have this experience naturally
tor we tend to lose ourselves in the actions of
the body and mind. This witnessing principle
m man is called awareness in yoga.
It seems that awareness is a special privilege
of man. Animals perform actions without ever
knowing that they are doing them. Man has
this ability, though it is rarely utilized. Most of
us are totally absorbed in our thoughts and
physical bodies. So much so that we regard
our actions as our nature. By becoming aware
we are able to watch ourselves and see how
superficial our personality, composed of our
mind and body, really is. Awareness leads us
to the understanding that our nature is
something else other than mind and body.
The mind and body are only our grosser
vehicles.
Yoga tries to increase awareness so that a
person can actually watch himself, his bodily
activities and mental processes. One can watch
the thought processes as though he is watching
television. The thoughts appear like a television
program. Let us take this analogy. If we watch
television then most of us know that we are
not a part of the program, we are only members
the audience. We are not really involved.
However, if the program is interesting we can
completely lose ourselves in the drama being
enacted so that we forget we are watching. We
become part of the story. Our thinking process
is like a good film, sometimes emotional,
sometimes exciting, other times depressing.
Whatever its contents may be, it is so appealing
that most of us spend twenty-four hours every
day totally lost in the absorbing mental
processes. We are totally engrossed in the
mind show. In fact even those who are now
reading these words are most likely caught up
in the thought processes. At present are you
completely identified with your thoughts? The
answer is probably yes. And it is not so easy to
break down the magnetic appeal of the mind
and to merely watch the thoughts, to be aware.
When a television program or a movie finishes
we automatically remember that we are only
watching and that we are not involved. But
from birth all of us have been lost in the mental
show so that we never realize its superficial
nature. We see the mind, its activities and the
body as the totality of our being. Yet we have
this ability to stand back from the mental show
and watch it as an impartial witness. Each of us
has this potential, this ability, yet few of us
know it or utilize it. Yoga specifically tries to
flower this witnessing principle.
For many people this awareness doesn't
sound very inspiring, even if they believe that
it is possible. Why make such a fuss over the
trivial ability to be able to watch one's own
thoughts, they may ask. Yet if one becomes
more aware and starts to witness his activities
then incredible experiences occur. He starts
to realize things that are completely beyond
present comprehension. It can take him into a
new dimension of existence. At the moment
most people are trapped by their minds in the
same way an actor in a film is limited by his role
and the cellulose film. If he could materialize
and become a three-dimensional person then
he would be able to jump beyond his previous
two-dimensional limitations. His whole concept
of existence would alter. His role would
expand beyond that of the film, beyond that
which would even be understandable in his
film language and concepts. It is the same with
nearly all people. Our identification with the
mind and body keeps us trapped in a limited
realm of existence. We imprison ourselves, yet
we have the keys to become free again. By
jumping outside the fetters of personality,
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mind and body, we can tune in with higher and
freer dimensions of existence. The key is
awareness.
Consciousness is within each and every one
of us. There are no exceptions. We can never
create it or develop it. It is already there; all we
have to do is to tune in with it. We have to
become aware. We have to act from our basic
nature, consciousness, which lies in the background
of all our physical and mental actions.
We actually cannot expand consciousness, for
consciousness is infinite and all pervasive. How
can we expand something which is infinite and
everywhere? What we actually do is to expand
awareness. Awareness is the variable that can
be developed in all of us. It is the ability that
can be developed to tune in with consciousness,
the ability to identify with consciousness. This
is only semantics, but it defines what we mean
by these terms. Other people may use the
words in a different context, possibly as
interchangeable words, but our meaning is as
we have just explained.
It is a common misconception that consciousness
is a function of the brain and is
dependent on it. Many people think that the
brain is the master and that if there is no brain
then there will be no consciousness. Nothing
could be more incorrect. However, verbally or
rationally we cannot demonstrate this, nor do
we really want to. If you develop your awareness
you will definitely conclude this for
yourself, for how can consciousness watch the
activities of the mind or brain if the brain is the
master or basic instrument. The consciousness
must be beyond the brain in order to be able
to watch the activities of the brain and mind.
Usually consciousness is associated with and
tied to the activities of the brain and sensory
organs through our ignorance of its nature.
We are never faced with its existence for it is
disguised by our everyday activities. If we see
a book we naturally assume that it is the eyes
that have seen it. This is so obvious we never
question the truth of this assumption. But
actually this is incorrect. The eyes are only the
intermediary instruments between the outside
world and consciousness. It is consciousness
that actually sees. If we hear we tend to assume
that it is the ears that hear, but actually they
too are really only intermediaries. It is not
even the brain that sees and hears, for this is
only an instrument. In themselves, the sensory
organs and the brain are no more than
receivers, transformers and transmitters. Let
us take the analogy of the radio again. The
radio picks up electromagnetic waves and
converts them to sound vibrations which we
can hear. The radio itself cannot hear, it acts as
a mediator that picks up the waves and converts
them to a suitable form that we can hear. The
sensory organs and the brain are exactly the
same; they cannot hear, see, taste, smell or
feel. They can only pick up sensations, convert
them to suitable signals for utilization by the
brain from where they are perceived by consciousness.
Without consciousness each one
of us would be incapable of doing anything;
we would be lifeless and would know nothing.
For western philosophy the mind is the hub
of man; for yoga it is consciousness that is the
central and most basic aspect. And this consciousness
is not fettered and bound by
finitude. It is infinite and unbound. Our
deepest nature is infinite, for it is consciousness.
It is not mind. The mind is merely the
instrument of consciousness and the storehouse
of our finite personality.
Man has the ability to tune in with and know
this consciousness; he can become more aware.
.Animals have the same consciousness yet they
are unable to know it. Man has the potential to
function from consciousness by liberating
himself from the shackles of mind and body.
Of course, the mind and body perform the
same functions; nothing changes in this
respect. But a person who becomes more aware
knows himself to be consciousness and nothing
else. He identifies himself with consciousness
and not mind and body."

From : A systematic course in the ancient tantric techniques of Yoga and Kriya. Swami Satyananda Saraswati