What is meant by pure consciousness?

[Allan Curry]

Namaskar

Jonathan Bricklin writes:

>I'm willing to make a leap of faith, but this requires a leap of logic I
>can't seem to move on.  How does "consciousness-without-an-object" void of
>any
>kind of sense data make sense to you?  Consciousness, like desire, can be
>contemplated apart from the content of any one given object, and each
>moment of consciousness may be a relativized emanation from the one
>unchanging consciousness--unchanged, because, as unrelativized, it is at
>once all moments that ever were or will be, but what is this *pure*
>consciousness you speak of?   A Zen koan?  Like one hand clapping?
>

    What makes sense to any given human intellect does not
    circumscribe what is, in my view. This is not to say
    reality is absurd, just unthinkable. Don't advaitins
    hold that Brahman is consciousness (or awareness if you
    prefer that term) and that "there is no other"? What
    would consciousness with no other be but
    consciousness-without-an-object? It seems to make pretty
    OK sense to me and it also seems to be not an altogether
    wrong description of the actual occurence of awareness
    in the sleep state.


>    Consciousness, like desire, can be contemplated apart
>    from the content of any one given object, and each
>    moment of consciousness may be a relativized emanation
>    from the one unchanging consciousness--unchanged,
>    because, as unrelativized, it is at once all moments
>    that ever were or will be, but what is this *pure*
>    consciousness you speak of?

    I can't agree that consciousness can be contemplated
    because it cannot be made into an object whereas desire
    is an object (according to Bhagavad Gita anyway). If I
    understand you here (which is very questionable), I'd
    say "pure" consciousness (ie. without-an-object) *is*
    the unchanging consciousness you mention. It does always
    *seem* to be exactly the same absolutely new core of
    every moment of experience whenever experience is
    experienced completely (this ever-newness is bliss and
    it is always that way). Sometimes the body and world
    appear in it (consciousness), sometimes they do not.
    The problems seem to start with the identification of
    consciousness with the body/mind in such a way as to
    create the apparent separation between self and
    non-self, subject and object. If that identification
    doesn't occur then the mere appearance or disappearance
    of the body/thought/world is not a problem. Appearances
    in consiousness *are* consciousness if they are not
    artificially turned into objects as a result of
    identifying a false subject which is actually just
    another part of the total appearance in consciousness.
    The whole manifestation is an appearance in
    consciousness and the personal self is not the true
    subject but rather just another appearance in it.

    I hope whatever I've said that's just personal opinion
    will not be too misleading and will be quickly corrected
    where necessary.

May God bless us all with understanding...

-Allan