Reflexive Self-Consciousness
What is Reflexive Self-Consciousness?
A state of transcendent self‑awareness which confers upon the beings who attain it certain powers of adequate response and capacities of stimulus assimilation. In the East, Reflexive Self-Consciousness is called Samadhic Contemplation, or Samadhi. It has a two levels; samprajnata samadhi (with seed) and asamprajnata samadhi (without seed).
The first and basic rule for the attainment of Reflexive self‑consciousness is: THE OBSERVER IS NOT THE OBSERVED. What does this mean? Shakespeare says, ‘The eye sees not itself but by reflection.’ When we go to a mirror and look into it to see ourself, we see not ourself but a reflection of our face. A simple fact, yet of tremendous significance.
If we look inside ourself in an attempt to see what we mean by the self, we discover, if we pursue our attempt to the end, that the self is not see-able in any objective sense. The Self is consciousness itself, awareness, sentience. It is that in which objects may appear, but it is not itself an object. Consciousness is not an object, not a formed thing; it is that in which objects, things, forms and ideas appear.
When we are aware of some object through one of our senses our awareness is mediated through the sense organ. When we are aware of our awareness, this awareness is not mediated, and therefore we say it is immediate. (without mediation).
Whenever we use a sense organ to become aware of an object the sense organ in some degree conditions what we know. When we are aware of our awareness, our awareness is immediate and therefore unconditioned.
To be unconditioned is to be free. Awareness of awareness is therefore free. Consciousness of consciousness is consciousness conscious of itself. This is the key to Reflexive self‑consciousness and free self‑determination.
The second important rule is this; An observer knows only the modifications of the observer. What does this mean? The Observer is consciousness serving some object. But the object served is a form of motion within consciousness. There are no objects of consciousness other than within consciousness, as modifications of it. Without modifications in consciousness there are no objects in it, and there is no objective-consciousness. All objects of consciousness, all the things of the world, all ideas and mental states, are simply forms of motion in consciousness.
Reflexive self‑consciousness confers upon the man who attains it the power to be himself; the power to fulfil the imperative, ‘Become what thou art’, the power to see Time as a function of Eternity, and to act in Time from the essence and form of Eternity.
How are we to gain and retain Reflexive Self‑consciousness? It can be gained only in an act of will in which the will of the self returns to itself.
Here at The Magic Wheel the Teachings offered through Personal Consultations offer the client and participant an opportunity to understand a working toward Reflexive Self‑consciousness. To know more about the practical application of the teaching Reflexive Self-Consciousness and its rationale by Eugene Halliday, please ask.
