Krishnamurti was asked the following question: "What is the difference between awareness and introspection? And who is aware in awareness?
Here is how i answered the same question:
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Before i begin, i would just like to mention the fact that many times in this question and answer session, it seems like all we are doing is haggling over word definitions. I know that is not the case, but i am sure it can feel that way to different people. What people need to do when they read "good spiritual" material is to read it more slowly than they do other material. Words matter, their definitions matter, and how the words are strung together matter. Sometimes it even makes a difference as to whether the word is capitalized or not. Period. That is the end of that discussion. Now onward and upward.
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When i first saw this question, i thought this would be an easy one to answer. In my mind it is clear that awareness can be either "Awareness" or "awareness", but introspection can only be "introspection". Half of the answer is right there.
And the other half of the answer is: the Self (soul, cosmos consciousness) for big letter Awareness; and the self (self-consciousness) for small letter "awareness".
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But i am sure the reader is looking for a more thorough answer than that, so let's go right to the dictionary as our starting point.
- awareness = knowledge or perception of a situation or fact.
- concern about and well-informed interest in a particular situation or development
- .introspection = the examination or observation of one's own mental and emotional processes.
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And see, there you get it again!
You can have Complete Awareness on the left side of the equation (i.e., Pure Spirit, Truth, Love, Freedom, Soul) that has Complete Awareness of Complete Awareness, but it has no "fucking idea" about the "awareness" on the right side of the equation (i.e., the universe of all things, small truth, small love, discipline, self-consciousness, etc.).
And the vice versa holds true, too. You can be fully aware of the "right side of the equation" without having a clue about the "left side of the equation".
Most of us spend most of our time on the right side of the equation; yet most of us spend at least a little of our time on the left side of the equation (even sometimes when we are not thinking).
So, therefore we must be more careful when we talk about awareness because there are two types of awarenesses, one big (Self) and one small (self).
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Now introspection on the other hand is clearly a "right hand equation" item only. Look at the definition again. Introspection is an examination or observation of one's own mental and emotional processes.
There are so many things "wrong" with that definition from a "left hand view" of things, i do not know where to begin.
Oh well, let's start out with "mental and emotional processes". There are no mental and emotional processes on the left side of the equation. Everything is "pure" as it is and nothing needs to be "examined" or "observed" either. For what purpose?
On the left side of the equation, "one is what he wants to be, and he wants to be what he is". There is nothing but peace, love, goodness, and tranquility on the left side of the equation--there is no need for "introspection" there.
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But before we talk about "introspection" in more detail, lets talk about the differences between Awareness and awareness.
This is what i can tell you about Awareness. Awareness essentially lives under a very small set of Principles. Some people call these principles the Principles of the Pure Spirit. We only are aware of three of the Principles of the Pure Spirit (there may be more), but it is a good place to start when we look at Awareness from the left side of the equation. Here are those three principles:
- The Highest Understanding is of the Eternal, Non-changing Nature of Being;
- Extreme Love and the Highest Knowledge Are One;
- The Eternal, Non-Changing Nature of the "I" Consciousness from the perspective of the "Pure Consciousness'" consciousness is Possibility.
That's it. That's all we know about the Principles of the Pure Spirit. We keep looking, but right now this is all we are working with.
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Do you see the "eternal", "non-changing" part in the above principles. That's a hard principle to achieve from the right side of the equation considering that there we are talking about the "universe of all things". If there is anything that we do know as a species, is this: "the fucking universe of all things" is changing all the fucking time!
The right side of the equation is mortal, terminal, yet alive with change. The left side of the equation simply "basks happily in the Glory of it All".
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The big question is this? Can you be both "Aware" and "aware" at the same time? It's a serious question to ask? And I will try to answer it from my own personal perspective.
No, i do not think you can be "Aware" and "aware" at the same time? It is extremely difficult to live in the universe of all things without some involvement that requires "awareness". In fact, most of us spend, most of our lives using only "awareness", rarely stepping into the boundaries of "Awareness".
One would think that if you made it to Awareness that you would never leave the property, but i don't think that really the case in most peoples' lives. Instead, it's kind of reverse, in fact. Those people with Awareness usually get "active", "very active" in passing the word about Awareness. They know it doesn't do any good to tell the people in Awareness about Awareness because those people already know about it.
It's the people outside of Awareness that we want to help (and in a meaningful way, too--without seeking any reward or payment).
Personally, i believe that i spend most of my day living with "awareness" and not "Awareness". It doesn't concern me a whole lot, because i know i have a "few Aces" in my pocket that i can pull out any time that i choose that tends to stimulate my "Awareness" when things start looking iffy. If you know what i mean.
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Finally, to end, let's go back to the subject of "introspection".
As an aware "extreme introvert" i have a pretty good understanding what introspection means. And introspection means that you are looking "inside" yourself for something, for answers, for meaning, for purpose or for whatever.
Most of us when we introspect want to either (1) find Pure Spirit; or (2) learn how to become better persons using our own definition of better. Personally, i see nothing especially wrong with the practice of "introspection". I believe "introspection" is good for society and the world and i think more and more people should try practicing this ancient theory called "introspection".
Just the same, you must remember that regardless of any good that comes out of "introspection" that good does not even come close to comparing the Good of Pure Spirit and the type of Good you can find in Awareness.
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ps. What i am trying to do is "have the best of both worlds"--Awareness and awareness. And it's not easy, folks.
