The Experience of Awareness: Recognizing Our True Nature

In the midst of our daily lives, we are constantly immersed in a flow of thoughts, feelings, and sensory perceptions. We often become so entangled with these changing experiences that we overlook the simple fact of being aware. Have we ever paused to consider that which is aware of all these experiences? Have we ever turned our attention toward the awareness itself, which is ever-present and in which all phenomena appear and disappear?

What Does It Mean to Be Aware of Awareness?

Typically, our attention is directed outward, toward the objects of experience: the thoughts that pass through our minds, the emotions we feel, the sights we see, the sounds we hear. We become so captivated by this endless stream of experiences that we seldom give attention to the awareness that knows them. It’s as if we are so absorbed in watching a movie that we forget the screen on which it is playing.

To be aware of awareness is to shift our attention from the content of experience to the awareness that is its constant substratum. This awareness is not something we need to create or attain; it is always present, like the silent background of a symphony upon which all notes are played.

The Direct Recognition of Awareness

How can we become aware of awareness itself? This does not require any complex technique or prolonged meditation. It is a simple and immediate recognition of what is already present.

Here is an invitation:

1. Pause for a Moment: Let go of all activities and thoughts just for now.
2. Turn Your Attention Inward: Instead of focusing on external objects or internal thoughts and feelings, direct your attention toward that which is aware.
3. Ask Yourself: “What is it that is aware of my experience?”
4. Rest as That Awareness: Without trying to analyze or conceptualize, simply allow yourself to be the awareness that you already are.

In this simple shift, we discover that awareness is not an object we can perceive. It has no form, no boundaries, no qualities we can define. Yet it is undeniably present and is the very essence of our experience.

The Liberating Recognition of Our True Self

When we recognize ourselves as this aware presence, our identity shifts from a limited, separate self to the boundless space of awareness itself. This realization has profound implications:

• Inner Peace: Since awareness itself is untouched by the coming and going of experiences, we find a deeper layer of peace and stability within ourselves.
• Freedom from Identification: We realize that we are not the thoughts, feelings, or sensations we experience. These arise and dissolve within us but do not define us.
• Connection with All: As awareness, the perceived separation between ‘self’ and ‘other’ dissolves. We recognize that the same field of awareness that is our own essence is also the essence of all beings.

Living from Awareness

This recognition is not merely an intellectual understanding but a living experience that transforms our daily life. When we live from the awareness of awareness:

• We Respond Rather Than React: No longer fully identified with our conditioned patterns, we have the freedom to respond to situations with clarity and compassion.
• We Experience Greater Empathy: Seeing ourselves in others, we naturally extend kindness and understanding toward them.
• We Abide in the Present Moment: Awareness is ever-present, here and now. Resting in this presence, we are less prone to worries about the future or regrets about the past.

The Simplicity of Being

The beauty of being aware of awareness is its utter simplicity. It doesn’t require special circumstances, silent retreats, or years of study. At any moment, regardless of what we are doing, we can return to this recognition.

Whether walking, working, conversing, or resting, we can be aware of being aware. This simple remembrance continually brings us back to our true nature and deepens our experience of life.

Conclusion

Becoming aware of awareness is the awakening to who we truly are. It is the recognition that we are not limited to the transient and changeable but are the eternal and unchanging awareness in which all experiences appear.

By recognizing ourselves as this awareness, we discover an infinite source of peace, love, and wisdom within. This insight has the power to transform not only our own lives but also our relationships and interactions with the world around us.

Let this be an invitation to return, moment by moment, to the simple awareness of being aware. In this recognition, we find the fulfillment and freedom we may have long sought outside ourselves but that has always been present within