DEFINING CONSCIOUSNESS

Defining consciousness:

Consciousness: con·scious·ness - noun

-the state of being awake and aware of one's surroundings.

-the awareness or perception of something by a person.

-the fact of awareness by the mind of itself and the world.

-"consciousness emerges from the operations of the brain"

For Schleiermacher, (Friedrich Daniel Ernst Schleiermacher was a German theologian, philosopher, and biblical scholar known for his attempt to reconcile the criticisms of the Enlightenment with traditional Protestant Christianity Wikipedia) the lower consciousness is "the animal part of mankind", which includes basic sensations such as hunger, thirst, pain and pleasure, as well as basic drives and pleasures, and higher consciousness is "the part of the human being that is capable of transcending animal instincts", and the "point of contact with God". Bunge describes this as "the essence of being human".

When this consciousness is present, "people are not alienated from God by their instincts".The relation between the lower and the higher consciousness is akin to "Paul's struggle of the spirit to overcome the flesh", or the distinction between the natural and the spiritual side of human beings. From Wikipedia's definition of higher consciousness.

So the question is how to raise our Consciousness from lower Consciousness to higher consciousness.

This can be done by following the yogic path which employs the eight limbs of yoga.

The 8 Limbs of Yoga:

YAMA - Restraints, moral disciplines or moral vows.

The five yamas, self-regulating behaviors involving our interactions with other people and the world at large, include:

Ahimsa: nonviolence

Satya: truthfulness

Asteya: non-stealing

Brahmacharya: chastity

Aparigraha: non-possessiveness, non-greed.

NIYAMA - Positive duties or observances.

The five niyamas, personal practices that relate to our inner world, include:

Saucha: purity

Santosha: contentment

Tapas: self-discipline, training your senses

Svadhyaya: self-study, inner exploration

Ishvara Pranidhana: surrender (to God)

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ASANA - comfortably seated position.

PRANAYAMA - Breathing techniques.

PRATYAHARA - Sense withdrawal.

DHARANA - Focused concentration.

DHYANA - Meditative absorption.

SAMADHI - Bliss or enlightenment

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