Thread: Awareness Of All Senses

Originally Posted by MikeyMurder

Is it possible to be aware of all of your senses at the same time? It seems nearly impossible for me to concentrate on more than one sense at a time. For example, on the bus ride in the mornings I've been trying to practice being aware while awake as opposed to just in a lucid dream. So, I concentrate on what I'm seeing, examine details, etc. But then I lose concentration on the music I'm listening to on my mp3 player. If I concentrate on my sense of feeling/sense of being, I lose the ability to examine details of sight. It seems impossible, or just really hard to be able to focus on more than one sense at once, but I think if you could be completely aware of all of these all the time, you would have lucid dreams with no problem. Is it possible?[/b]

That is a great question.
I know we have had many discussions about this. Sometimes mind altering substances, yoga or meditation make people feel the illusion that they are experience such a high rate of awareness.
the problem arises when you have polar opposites.
How do you feel bliss and pain? Love and hate?

Complete liberation from all those sense, although the sounds contradictory, I think would be the first step into the realm of pure consciousness. No thought, no feeling. Just being.
Like a force. You can feel it all but you are not pinpointing or focus sing mental attention on any given one.

Originally Posted by Howitzer

Complete liberation from all those sense, although the sounds contradictory, I think would be the first step into the realm of pure consciousness. No thought, no feeling. Just being.
Like a force. You can feel it all but you are not pinpointing or focus sing mental attention on any given one.
[/b]

But isn't that just the normal state of being? Most people just let all their senses flow to them without thinking about them, so are you saying that this is actually a higher state of awareness than focusing?

Originally Posted by MikeyMurder

But isn't that just the normal state of being? Most people just let all their senses flow to them without thinking about them, so are you saying that this is actually a higher state of awareness than focusing?[/b]

I believe so, yes.
Our brains have been conditioned to work in a certain way...trained. (do this do that. Think about this , what is that? how what why when
When all those labels are dropped and the pure form of consciousness can arise then an unconditioned ego can survive.
This takes reconditioning. Often more difficult than the preconditioned.

Not being a dick but, maybe ADD or ADHD?

Originally Posted by Riff

Not being a dick but, maybe ADD or ADHD?[/b]

I don't follow you?

It's possible to be aware of all at once, but not to focus on all at once. That contradicts the meaning of the word "focus." Obviously, you can do a better job of understand one sense by ignoring the others. If you keep track of all of them, you will have some idea of everything that's going on, but won't be able to really enjoy your MP3 or whatever you're looking at.

True, true. Thanks for the replies guys.

In a similar vein, here's a little party game:

Start by getting each person in turn to compose a poem - e.g. an Ode to a Rose - with their right hand.
Then add a new task to be done at the same time, like composing an Ode to a Grecian Urn with the left hand (its easier if its written in Arabic - at least they always seem to come out that way).
Then add another task, like dancing a jig.
You are out, if you fail in any one of the tasks.
Keep on adding tasks until there's just one smart arse left, or everyone is laughing too much.
I think we only managed one more task - which was singing Kylie Minogue's "I Should be so Lucky".

It probably helps if everyone is stoned

yes you can, the most complicated "sense" is the mind.. but you can learn to be aware of every moment of perception you have....

Try looking for buddhist info about this..

they are many medidations about senses and awareness as well as texts and eplention about how our senses, perception, and awarness work...

A quick fact the avarge human has between 4 and 6 seconds of attention/awareness.. and then comes back to the object..

I've tried doing this before as well, and it can be a pretty amazing experience if you really go at it. I'd suggest becoming aware of one sense at a time, but doing them in a different order.

I find that it's best to keep your eyes closed until the end. I usually start with being aware of everything I can hear (because that's what I first pay attention to when my eyes are closed). Then I move on to feeling/touch, then either taste or smell (the order doesn't really matter because for the most part, if you're just sitting there you're not going to be tasting or smelling much of anything). Once you've got all four of those down, then open your eyes.

It is hard to do (at least for me), but when you do it and you're almost completely aware of everything going on around you, it's pretty amazing. Sort of along the lines of what Howitzer was talking about - you feel like your above it all, just observing. Awareness, and nothing else. It's pretty sweet. I'd encourage you to keep trying.

Originally Posted by Oneirity

I've tried doing this before as well, and it can be a pretty amazing experience if you really go at it. I'd suggest becoming aware of one sense at a time, but doing them in a different order.

I find that it's best to keep your eyes closed until the end. I usually start with being aware of everything I can hear (because that's what I first pay attention to when my eyes are closed). Then I move on to feeling/touch, then either taste or smell (the order doesn't really matter because for the most part, if you're just sitting there you're not going to be tasting or smelling much of anything). Once you've got all four of those down, then open your eyes.

It is hard to do (at least for me), but when you do it and you're almost completely aware of everything going on around you, it's pretty amazing. Sort of along the lines of what Howitzer was talking about - you feel like your above it all, just observing. Awareness, and nothing else. It's pretty sweet. I'd encourage you to keep trying.
[/b]

Interesting. I'll try that.