Why do people say awareness is "vast"?

[Dodo]

In my experience, awareness is not vast. It doesnt even feel vast. Speaking from my own direct experience, it has no objective qualities, no spacial feeling of vastness, it is the simple fact of knowing now. I can say about it that its "continuous" and "Here", "available" but to say that its vast?

I dont understand why many in the spiritual space use that as a pointer. Is it that I am not seeing something clearly? Is it that perhaps these people are just parroting words they heard from someone they consider enlightened, and not using direct experience? Or maybe they mean something other than what I mean when I say "vast". I am confucious.  I mean, is awareness vast in your experience? Please tell!

Lets prrhaps also use this thread to as accurately as possible describe that undescribable knowing in words. Because when someone says to a human "this is impossible" the human is surely going to try. 

Edited Monday at 09:54 PM by Dodo

[Princess Arabia]

There is no awareness. The end.

[Dodo]

11 minutes ago, Princess Arabia said:

There is no awareness. The end.

You aren't aware this conversation is taking place? Nocap? 

No lying here please. You lying to yourself, not me. Unless you are aa robot, but from what I've seen from you, you're not. Trust me I'm good at observing.

Dont overthink or reach for something you've read. There is awareness here, thats where the period goes, its directly evident. 

 

Edited Monday at 10:17 PM by Dodo

[UnbornTao]

Open or unrestricted perhaps - and ill-defined, in a sense. Not easy to locate its source.

[Princess Arabia]

1 minute ago, Dodo said:

You aren't aware this conversation is taking place? Nocap? 

No lying here please. You lying to yourself, not me. Unless you are aa robot, but from what I've seen from you, you're not. Trust me I'm good at observing. 

Awareness is encapsulated within the dream of separation. Need other to be aware of something. There are no others. I'm not aware of this conversation. Conversation is simply just conversating all on it's own.

"You lying to yourself", from your words is two. Me and a self. No such thing.

[Dodo]

24 minutes ago, UnbornTao said:

Open or unrestricted perhaps - and ill-defined, in a sense. Not easy to locate its source.

Interesting, I am operating under the model of reality where that knowing IS the source. 

Can't confirm or deny, but I havent spontaneously combusted yet, thats a good sign! 

All I have of reality is concepts and perceiving. All those arise in knowing and are known by knowing. No knowing, no experience, hence why I call it the source. 

[Dodo]

30 minutes ago, Princess Arabia said:

Awareness is encapsulated within the dream of separation. Need other to be aware of something. There are no others. I'm not aware of this conversation. Conversation is simply just conversating all on it's own.

"You lying to yourself", from your words is two. Me and a self. No such thing.

Surely that too, is known. The dream is within awareness. Take a step back. Surely you aren't typing a random string of letters. There is sense to what you type, a certain intelligence, a certain... knowing.. 

Lets not be combative but lets be brutally honest about what is appearing. Its not appearing in darkness, there is the light of knowing.

 I CANT say much that is absolutely true about this moment with confidence, but that there is knowing, that I'm certain. And I already mentioned, that the knowing itself has no spacial dimensions,  so its not an object to be put inside the "dream of separation" as you call it. 

Edited Monday at 10:55 PM by Dodo

[Princess Arabia]

2 minutes ago, Dodo said:

The dream is within awareness

The dream is awareness itself. This won't get anywhere so i excuse myself. Great post, though. No sense in me trying to convince; it can't see otherwise. It can't see outside of. Knowing is also the dream. 

[Hojo]

You can feel really big or really small depending on your perception. Even right now you can make your body feel really big or really small on command. Vast means feels really big. Your entire fov can feel like its the size of the universe and not change at all.

Edited yesterday at 12:32 AM by Hojo

[Natasha Tori Maru]

I think a lot of this sort of a descriptor 'vast' comes from the contemplation that we cannot find a beginning and an end to our awareness.

I have heard this dialogue before 'let us try to find the beginning of awareness, or an end. Is there a border?' 

I take it the term 'vast' is said as 'immense' or 'great extent' 

[aurum]

Because they are regurgitating things that sound deep and spiritual.

Edited yesterday at 01:19 AM by aurum

[Natasha Tori Maru]

3 hours ago, Dodo said:

In I dont understand why many in the spiritual space use that as a pointer. Is it that I am not seeing something clearly? Is it that perhaps these people are just parroting words they heard from someone they consider enlightened, and not using direct experience? Or maybe they mean something other than what I mean when I say "vast". I am confucious.  I mean, is awareness vast in your experience? Please tell!

I think it is a pointer used to highlight that what you are is not what you think - 'the self' - by calling attention to something being aware of thoughts, feelings, perceptions. I hear it from Rupert Spira frequently, in particular. I think it is just a teaching technique to change perspective and illustrate the lower case self. The 'vast' is probably a way to instil the thought that you are MORE than the body, the thoughts, the perceptions and its 'limitations'.

[tuku747]

 

 

[UnbornTao]

11 hours ago, Dodo said:

Interesting, I am operating under the model of reality where that knowing IS the source. 

Can't confirm or deny, but I havent spontaneously combusted yet, thats a good sign! 

All I have of reality is concepts and perceiving. All those arise in knowing and are known by knowing. No knowing, no experience, hence why I call it the source. 

Okay, sounds good. I'd say it depends on what distinction you're using for knowing - awareness could be called a form of knowing, and yet it's prior to intellect and mental understanding.

Don't combust, though. 

[Ajay0]

Perhaps this is a perception that comes upon enlightenment when all the karmic blinkers or filters of the mind are eliminated. 

You can check out this thread of mine on Gary Weber , who upon enlightenment, perceived consciousness to be omnipresent.

 

[gettoefl]

Quote

7 Where can I go from Awareness?
    What to do to escape your Presence?
8 If I go up to heaven, you are there;
    if I make my bed in hades, there you are too.
9 If I soar on the wings of the dawn,
    if I propel myself to the furthest galaxy,
10 even there your hand ever steers me,
    your right hand holds me close.
11 If I exclaim, “Surely the darkness will conceal me
    as the light become absent from me,”
12 yet even the darkness will not be dark to you;
    the night is shining bright like day,
    for darkness is the same as light to you.

- Psalm 139

 

[zurew]

Its also called "spaciousness".

To me - it refers to the temporary  state where you dont have any thoughts and not having thoughts feels incredibly liberating.

[Ishanga]

There is Basic Awareness via the 5 senses, yes they don't tell Us Everything, every little detail but they tell Us enough to allow us to live another day, and if Our Thinking Process was not so identified with they would be enhanced for each individual, almost as good as dogs or cats when it comes to smell, sight and hearing.. Since our neurological system is the most complex and integrated that too allows us a sense of Awareness that most living things do not have..

Then there is Spiritual Awareness which is not via the 5 senses, it is in this area that they say Awareness is Vast, because now Your not just Aware of the Physical realm but the Spiritual One which is everything that is non physical in nature.. You are made up of 5 Bodies, Physical, Mental, Energy, Etheric, Bliss Body, each one is more subtle than the previous one, Energy is the most subtle on the physical side, after that the Etheric is half physical half non physical, Bliss Body is not physical in nature.. So if Your intouch with those last 3 to a high degree, Your Awareness is the size of the Universe!

[Jwayne]

Awareness has the 'illusion' (i.e. in individuality) of expanding - and so, as it grows, it 'feels' to vast (e.g. bigger). 

I say illusion because, strictly speaking, the reality of awareness isn't changing or growing, but the 'impurities' (that block proper functioning of perception) are decreasing and/or becoming weaker.