Prakash ji,
CONFUSED Ji,
I consider CONSCIOUSNESS primarily as a "CONCEPT".Therefore I am interested in knowing the basic definition or reference of CONSCIOUS NESS.This would enable me to understand the concept of CONSCIOUSNESS as I can find from within GGS Whether it is same or different so that I may not be interacting in a wrong way.
Prakash.s.Bagga
I understand consciousness at the conceptual level too. But there are concepts which refer to that which is real and to those that do not exist in reality. The concept of consciousness is an example of the former and a most important one at that. This is because without it, nothing can be known; not the mental factors, not the material phenomena, not the unconditioned reality and no ‘concepts’ would ever be conceived of. This means that as long as there is life, there is consciousness, one experiencing one object, followed by another, on and on. So for example as you read this message, there must be at least seeing consciousness, thinking and life faculty arising in alternation very rapidly and continuously without any gap. But of course we know this only in theory and you are asking further, what in theory is the nature of consciousness?
Here is what I found on the web (and did some edition to):
“Consciousness (citta) is that which is conscious; the meaning is that it knows (vijaanaati) an object. So it is said: ‘consciousness has the characteristic of knowing objects.’(As 112) For although such causal conditions as those of support and immediate contiguity are also relevant, consciousness does not arise in the absence of an object, and therefore its characteristic is spoken of with reference to that. This rejects the view that consciousness arises in the absence of an object.”
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“By ‘consciousness’ is meant that which ‘thinks of’ its object, is aware variously”.
...
“But consciousness does not arise singly. Just as in saying ‘the king has arrived,’ it is clear that he does not come alone...........But it may be said that consciousness has arisen in the sense of a forerunner. For in worldly phenomena consciousness is the chief, consciousness is the principal, consciousness is the forerunner.”
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“Its characteristic is cognizing an object.
Its function is being a forerunner, precursor. It is like a town-guard, seated at cross-roads in the middle of town. He notes each townsman or visitor who comes, that is, the object. Thus it is the chief or leader in knowing an object.
It has connection as manifestation. We read:
“The consciousness which arises next does so immediately after the preceding consciousness, forming a connected series.” Consciousness arises and falls away, succeeding one another.
The proximate cause of consciousness is mental phenomena and material phenomena. Consciousness is a conditioned reality. Conditioned realities cannot arise singly, and thus, consciousness does not arise without accompanying mental factors.”
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"By 'consciousness' (citta) is meant that which thinks of its object, is aware variously. Or, inasmuch as this word 'consciousness' is common to all states or classes of consciousness, that which is known as worldly, moral, immoral, or the great inoperative, is termed 'consciousness', because it arranges itself in a series (cintoti, or, its own series or continuity) by way of apperception in a process of thought. And the resultant is also termed 'consciousness' because it is accumulated (cito) by kamma and the corruptions.
"Moreover, all (four classes) are termed 'consciousness' because they are variegated (citra) according to circumstance. The meaning of consciousness may also be understood from its capacity of producing a variety of effects.
"Herein consciousness with lust is one thing, that with hate is another, that with delusion is another, that experienced in the universe of sense is another, and those experienced in the universe of attenuated matter, etc., are others. Different is consciousness with a visible object, with an auditory object, etc.; and in that with visible object, varied is consciousness of a blue-green object, of a yellow object, etc. And the same is the case with the consciousness of auditory objects.
"And of all this consciousness one class is low, another is medium, and another is exalted. Among the low class again consciousness is different when dominated by desire-to-do, or when dominated by energy, or by investigation. Therefore the variegated nature of consciousness should be understood by way of these characteristics of association, locality, object, the degrees of comparison and dominance."
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And here is a good explanation by someone who truly knows what she is talking about:
< Consciousness is an element which experiences something, a reality which experiences an object. It is the “chief”, the leader in knowing the object which appears. There is not only consciousness which sees, consciousness which hears, consciousness which smells, consciousness which tastes or consciousness which experiences tangible object, there is also consciousness which thinks about many diverse subjects. The world of each person is ruled by his consciousness....
Because of visible object which appears through the eyes it seems as if there are many people living together in this world, at a certain time and in a particular location. However, if there is clear comprehension of the characteristic of the element which experiences, the reality which arises and sees the object which appears at that moment, one will know that, while there is seeing just for a short moment, there is only the world of seeing. Then there are no people, other living beings or different things. At the moment of seeing there is not yet thinking about shape and form, there is not yet thinking of a story about what is seen.
When we think that there is the world, beings, people or different things, we should know that this is only a moment of consciousness which thinks about what appears to seeing, about visible object. Seeing occurs at a moment different from thinking about what appears. For everyone there is consciousness which arises just for a moment and is then succeeded by the next one, and this happens continuously. Thus, it seems that there is the whole wide world with many different people and things, but we should have right understanding of what the world is. We should know that realities appear one at a time, and that they appear only for one moment of consciousness. Since consciousness arise and fall away, succeeding one another very rapidly, it seems that there is the world which does not disintegrate, the world which lasts, with beings, people and many different things. In reality the world lasts just for one moment, namely, when consciousness arises and cognizes an object just for that moment; and then the world falls away together with the consciousness. ...
Mindfulness of consciousness means that, when there is for instance seeing, mindfulness is mindful, non-forgetful, of its characteristic. We should investigate, study and apply our attention to the reality of seeing so that we shall gradually have more understanding of it. We can come to know it as the element which experiences what is appearing through the eyes. ...>
and
<Consciousness is the reality which clearly knows the object which appears, be it through the eyes, the ears, the nose, the tongue, the body-sense or the mind. Whatever objects the mental factor contact, contacts, the consciousness which arises together with it clearly knows the characteristic of that object, it knows each different object. When it is said of consciousness, the reality which experiences something, that it has the characteristic of clearly knowing an object, we should understand what that means. It means that consciousness knows the different characteristics of the different objects appearing through the senses or through the mind-door. Consciousness is the reality which clearly knows an object, and the object is a condition for consciousness to arise and to experience that object. The object is object-condition (aaramma.na-paccaya), it is a condition for the arising of consciousness by being its object. Consciousness cannot arise without knowing an object, but besides object-condition there are also several other conditions for each type of consciousness which arises.>
Prakash ji, I hope the above is enough to give you an idea as to the Buddhist understanding of consciousness.
