How to Live With a Conscious Mind?

Posted on by Sen.



Creation of a new reality requires some form of “change”, and this change usually would entail the dissolution of some parts (or all) of the old reality, you can call it the “consequences” of allowing a new reality. A conscious mind is more aware of the consequences of a change than an unconscious mind. By conscious mind I just mean a mind that’s more aware of life, of reality, of itself (a mind that has the capacity to be curious, intrigued and contemplative about life) and an unconscious mind is the one that has a very vague awareness of life. Hence, some unconscious minds can exhibit reckless fearlessness and thus are more likely to allow the change and be dynamic, whereas an highly conscious mind, which has not yet transcended the influence of fear, is likely to resist change because of its over-analysis. Of course, an unconscious mind is very likely to move into some form of imbalance at some point owing to a lack of depth in its perception.

A conscious mind does not automatically imply a mind free of the influence of fear, neither does it imply a mind that has a clearer understanding of life. A conscious mind is just more conscious, more aware and more observant, of reality. Thus, a conscious mind is likely to be far more fearful of life, than an unconscious mind, until it uses its awareness as the pivot to transcend the influence of fear. A mind with a high IQ does not necessarily become a more conscious mind, in fact it could well become highly unconscious by becoming lost in its technical expression. It’s difficult to explain the exact factors that makes a mind more conscious, one of the main ones of course is “sensitivity” – and this sensitivity is sometimes present since childhood, while for some it develops later in life under the influence of some external events.

The bottom-line is that a conscious mind has a much higher capacity/proability of becoming rooted in fear while engaging with physical life, and hence resisting the creation of its desired realities, until it uses its awareness to transcend fear through gaining an understanding of life, and by seeing through the influence of fear. You only fear fear as long as you keep hiding from it, as long as you try to avoid it within you, but the moment you bring your awareness to this feeling of fear you see through its limits and then you are no longer fearful of it. Also, an understanding of the working of life is essential for a conscious mind because in the absence of such an understanding it’s more likely to keep trying to “fit in” with the unconscious way of living (which would just make it feel that there is something wrong with it).

Isn’t an unconscious mind better than a conscious mind for physicality?

Unconscious living and conscious living are two different experiences of life, and frankly from an absolutely perspective one is not superior to the other (it’s like saying adulthood is superior to infancy, when in truth infancy is a required phase for adulthood, and ultimately they are just different experiences), but conscious living is the evolution that the human race per se is moving towards – it’s inevitable for the brain to grow in awareness as part of evolution/growth. So there is a phase when the majority of the brains are unconscious, then there is a phase when a few brains are conscious, leading to a phase where more and more brains become conscious until the majority becomes conscious. It’s not really an agenda, it’s just the natural evolution that’s bound to take place. Of course, the transition phase is usually what’s challenging, because the conscious brains are confused among the presence of a good majority of unconscious brains, unless they gain a deeper understanding and learn to work with their awareness to attract a reality that’s congruent with them.

Actually, this current period on earth is a pretty good platform for a conscious mind because there is already a good amount of consciousness in the populace (for example, there is a lot of freedom of expression today and more channels of information, you are not likely to get stoned to death for voicing a new perspective). I am pretty sure that it’s not possible for another world war to happen because there is a good majority of the population that has more consciousness than what was present a few decades back. There are also some conscious leaders who are coming to the helm, which is an evidence of the growing consciousness among the masses. Of course, there is also a good majority that is still lost in unconsciousness, and in that sense it’s a transition phase for human consciousness as a body.

Unconscious living can easily move into an imbalance of negativity, the history of humanity is a stark evidence of this. But in truth, it’s a phase that really can’t have been avoided, it’s all part of evolution of humanity. The more conscious humanity becomes the less imbalances it has, but that does not mean there will be no more challenges or opportunities for growth – life is an never-ending, eternal, movement of growth and there will always be challenges to work with (by challenges I don’t mean anything negative, I just mean opportunities for growth, advancement and relative improvement), but from a place of consciousness the experience of living is balanced and harmonious. It’s the difference between an imbalanced/diseased body and a balanced body, both have the job of exploring physicality but a balanced body has a much better experience of it.

Consciously transcending fear

You can transcend the influence of fear quite easily if you have the awareness to gain an understanding of fear. Quite simply, the only reason you are afraid of fear is because you never really observed it for what it is, you just became identified with it by taking your mind’s perspective to be true. For that matter, any negativity which is present in your mind can be released if you bring an awareness/understanding to it, instead of being identified with it. You need to use your awareness to see through negativity and let go of its pull on you, and this can only happen when you stop fearing this negativity, allow it to arise in you and see through its influence. Negativity only has a power over you when you are identified with it, when you believe it, when you fear it, when you defend it or when you try to suppress it. You can be aware of a certain negativity, in your mind, without being identified with it, and it won’t be long before the pattern of negativity loses hold on you, it could be anything – guilt, anxiety, stress, resentment, jealousy, worry or neediness.

A few posts that discuss how to transcend fear/negativity through awareness are – Don’t fear fear, Fearless awareness, Why do we fear the mind, The practice of relaxed awareness, Space of being, Freedom from the grip of negativity and Reducing mind momentum is the key. Transcending the influence of negativity has very little to do with practices or techniques, and more to do with gaining “understanding” of the mind, of negativity and of life’s working.

The bottom-line is to observe the movement of fear/negativity in your mind, understand it operation in you and let go being identified with it. If you feel that you can’t help being pulled into identification with your mind’s negativity it basically means that you need to grow in your understanding of the mind, of life and of negativity per se, because if you are holding on to some misguided perspectives/beliefs it becomes very difficult to let go of negativity and a better understanding can help you let go of these limiting beliefs – most of the posts on this blog are focused on giving this understanding. The more understanding you have of life, of the mind and the dynamics of negativity, the less likely you are to be gulled in by the influence of negativity in your mind. A conscious mind can only transcend the influence of negativity when it gains a deeper/better understanding of life, and of self. The more understanding you have the faster you can let go of the negativity.

Understanding is the key to alignment

The reason why traditions of Zen seem to take years to create any form of liberation in a person is because they focus more on just being “aware” without giving any “understanding”. The job of any teacher is to give out the “understanding” that they’ve attained, this makes it easy for the student to evolve quickly, instead of the student having to waste time reinventing the wheel. For example, I might have taken a few years to use my awareness to gain an understanding, but if I can give out this understanding in a few hours to someone who is receptive to it, I can cut short his/her journey towards alignment in a huge way, and this saves massive amounts of time/energy for this person. The bottom-line is to be aligned with one’s natural expression and live out an aligned life, it’s not to spend a life time being a “follower”.

As they say “the truth sets you free”, and the truth is just a synonym for the “right understanding”. You can sit in meditation for 20 years without understanding anything, just focusing on your breath to instill some temporary silence in your mind, and your mind would have the same negativity it had 20 years ago – all you end up doing is suppress the mind and your expression. Or, you can spend a month or two gaining understanding of the mind, and of the dynamics of creation in life, and be free of huge blocks of negativity within you. That’s one reason I am not big proponent of meditation as a means to freedom from negativity, especially for conscious minds, because I understand that a conscious mind has the capacity to imbue understanding, and hence “understanding” should be the channel through which a conscious mind gains freedom from negativity.


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24 Comments

  1. Anu

    Dear Sen Ji,

    It would greatly help if there was a button on you posts to print them. I am sure lots of other people would also like to have that capability.

    thanks,

  2. Ryan

    Sen, whats your opinion on a situation where you feel negative vibes but your not exactly sure what it is. Do you try to figure it out? (which leads to more confusion and more negativity for me) or take it as past negative momentum and just stay relaxed and not fear the fear.

    1. Sen Post author

      Ryan, if you just sense low vibrational energy (negative vibes) arising in you without any associated thoughts, you can just let it arise without analyzing it and just sense this energy in your body, staying allowing of it. It’s part of the release cycle, a lot of past negative energy can just arise without your mind being able to figure out what was the cause of this energy’s presence.

  3. Alchemista

    I am in awe of the clarity in your messages and am so grateful and thankful for the knowledge you share. I emailed you earlier hoping you can shed light on the interplay of observing thoughts and feeling them in the body. Many thanks to you.

  4. rafael

    Sen i have been wondering the same exact question as Ryan

  5. abet

    Sen so is this understanding separate from the “detox” process? Or do they happen simultaneously? I feel like I have a very good understanding of the mind but am still experiencing huge bouts of negativity which I thought was due to this detox process

    1. Sen Post author

      Abet, the fact that you are more allowing of the release, or detox, is because you now have an “understanding” of this process – you have an idea of what’s happening, and hence you are allowing of it. Of course, there can intense negativity in the mind during the release because the mind is affected by the negative energy that’s being released, and it’s part of the release cycle, instead of being too concerned about it, just stay open to allowing it – don’t be taken in by the fears of the mind. Also, let go of being constantly questioning if you are doing something wrong – once the release starts happening, it runs its course and empties out the negativity inevitably, the more you relax the less you feel the resistance of the release. You may get more insights from this post – Allowing the release of suppressed energy

  6. Jenny

    Wow! This describes ME! I have always been rather “sensitive” – even as a child. Many times in the past I can remember thinking “man…i WISH i was ignorant and just didn’t know any better…then I would be happy” But in reality….it wasn’t the fact that I “knew” any better, it was that I lacked a proper understanding. Thanks Sen. Your blog and your insights have really helped me!!

  7. cihan

    Great writing Sen, It makes sense what you wrote here.
    Regards
    Cihan

  8. Willy

    Sen, thanks for your wonderful blog… Am a 19yr old boy, who has been batling with negativity(fear) for a long time now. One thing i ever wanted was to get rid of this negetivity and live a natural life. I have read so many articles on d internet about how to get rid of negative thoughts but none has changed my life like your articles.. Initialy, when i came across your post i was confused. But as i read it over and over again i began 2 gain huge understandin about it. That was how it began to change my life… My awarenes/understanding about the mind has increased and am no longer supresing/inditifying with negative thoughts rather i allow it to flow without geting atached to it or geting puled by it. Thanks to you….. My question about this blog is, ‘is it a wrong thing for someone to meditate? If it is not, how do someone meditate in order to gain understanding of the mind?’

    1. Sen Post author

      Willy, if by meditation you mean just sitting and being aware of the mind, then it has a value in helping you grow in awareness so that you can start letting go of identification with patterns of negativity in it. However, if by meditation you mean doing some practices like chanting, forcefully silencing the mind through some technique, then it has very little value except to may be give you a temporary sense of relief, it doesn’t create any understanding of the mind.

  9. Samir

    “I can give out this understanding in a few hours to someone who is receptive to it, I can cut short his/her journey towards alignment in a huge way, and this saves massive amounts of time/energy for this person.”

    – Indeed. Thanks a lot Sen.

  10. Willy

    Thanks sen!

  11. Willy

    Ok sen, i now understand…

  12. Peter

    “Creation of a new reality requires some form of “change”, and this change usually would entail the dissolution of some parts (or all) of the old reality, you can call it the “consequences” of allowing a new reality.”

    This is a challenge. I am following the advice from this blog and it has been working very, very well. The mind momentum/negativity has become less and less and I feel a great calmness. But as you become more aware, I am taking decisions in a different way, but others around me don’t understand me and changing my reality leads to clashes with family members…this is just some interesting “side effect” of changing your Life!

    Thanks sen.

  13. D

    Hi Sen!

    During release, the emotional discomfort involved notwithstanding, I find myself “hurting” people I love, because of my lack of attention to them.. it’s like my internal life has become my only reality and it feels so selfish, I end feeling worse.. It’s very hard to pay close attention to what someone is saying when you have this whirlwind of emotion going on inside you, so I’ve heard things like “you’re being selfish”, “you don’t care about other people”, etc.. Would you please give me some advice regarding this?

    Also, is it normal to be overly concerned for the body, health and integrity during this phase? I think that might be a huge stumbling block for the whole thing to move forward!

    Thank you again!

    1. Sen Post author

      Dan, there is a difference between being obsessed with the process of release and allowing the process of release. Obsession of any form comes from the mind. What’s needed is that you bring some balance into your personal life by following your natural inspiration to interact with people close to you, and taking care of your own joy in the form of work that interests you and entertainment that you enjoy. Don’t be obsessed with this process, just focus on being more and more relaxed, as long as you don’t try to suppress the negativity as it arises, the release keeps happening seamlessly.

      As the negative momentum reduces in the mind, and the suppressed negative energy releases from the body, it’s natural to see a betterment in the health of the body, there is a sense of vitality that comes in and there is an inherent movement towards a healthy lifestyle. Again, you don’t have to be obsessed with health, allow the natural inspiration to take over.

  14. bernard

    thanx 4 this piece.
    Sen, u know sometimes, u will be in this air of releasing suppressed negativity and then all of a sudden something emotionally traumatic happens and u cant help but spend days thinking about this traumatic event. Can u place this pull towards this recently traumatic event conscious/unconscious? Its almost like u have regressed. Please, how do u deal when u find yourself in such a situation? Is it normal to be pulled intensively into such recent events especially when u are releasing?

    1. Sen Post author

      Bernard, use such an event as a opportunity to be more allowing and to grow in the space of being. Once you start becoming aware there is no regression there is only a furthering of maturity and space, and any event is a learning and an opportunity for a deeper release.

  15. Chris

    Dear Sen,

    Thank you for your writings,they have helped me greatly. My mind has calmed a lot and I’m able to see through fear. I am ready to live my life and I have more energy than ever,I am excited about the future.I have let go of negativity and hence my life has become generally more positive. The only thing is I have no money at the moment and no fulltime paying job,I have great enthusiasm and desire to experience but feel held back by money.Thoughts?

    Chris

    1. Sen Post author

      Chris, just focus on following your inspiration – by inspiration I mean the expression that feel aligned with you, that you find a sense of passion, joy, enjoyment, creativity, fulfillment or peace in. It’s a moment to moment living, following your inspiration for the moment, sometimes the inspiration is just to rest and do nothing, sometimes the inspiration is to work out or travel, sometimes it is to call someone or send a communication, sometimes it is to read or watch something, sometimes it is to do something creative – the inspiration keeps changing moment to moment, and you just need to keep following it. You have a desire for a financial stability, and this desire will find fruition as you continue to follow your inspiration for the moment, it’s an unfolding, and the more you follow your joy the more easily the unfolding happens.

  16. GaRY

    Sen,

    Once again thank y0u so very much for your pointers, they resonate with me very much as an aware being.

    I look forward to hearing from you in your blogs…..sweet honey to my spirit….. so simple to understand and apply. I now know not to chase after expereinces, as this leads to my ego ( false self). This is a prfound pointer for me at the right time, and I’m super grateful…

    It requires no thought…..What a great understanding we have

    Lets have a psychological revolution as Jidduo Krishnamurti so eloquently and simply states. The day will come when we can see as one, and know we are all connected. No need to fear….. Ego is scorthed and dead ….Anew is the remembernace of our true nature

    Cheers,
    Gary

  17. Asli

    Dear Sen,

    I wonder something. I also experience bursts of joy during my release, which are not like delirious-extraordinary excitements; just pure, childish bursts of joy out of no reason. I guess I was not only suppressing dark emotions but all emotions entirely, and during the release these lighter emotions also come to the surface, and they puzzle me more than the darker ones, since I am not used to feel that joyful. I am happy with this but I don’t want to be addicted to these highs, any more insights on this? Is it also possible to experience surge of positive feelings due to the release?

    1. Sen Post author

      Asli, just allow it as an experience, there is no need to either cling to it or deny it. It’s normal to experience these states of joy during the journey towards inner wholeness/balance. As long as you are not trying to cling to these states or trying to make them into some “ideal state” to be in, they will just pass naturally towards a state of true balance.

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