Rajneesh Quotes

Many people mistakenly suppose that the essence of consciousness is that of a control mechanism

Many people in this world are still so identified with every thought that arises in their head. There is not the slightest space of awareness there.

I became really interested in the study of consciousness.

Consciousness is the feel of accessing memory.

Consciousness is the perception of what passes in man's own mind.

Consciousness begins when brains acquire the power, the simple power I must add, of telling a story.

Although it is difficult to pinpoint the physical base or location of awareness, it is perhaps the most precious thing concealed within our brains. And it is something that the individual alone can feel and experience. Each of us cherishes it highly, yet it is private.

If I use the word consciousness, in our lab, in our institute, what we mean is the special quality of mind, the special features that exist in the mind, that permit us to know, for example, that we, ourselves, exist, and that things exist around us.

A conscious mind is a mind with a self in it.

There is the physical mind which is mechanical but the awareness which is the essential character (dharma) of the mind is also to some extent present there.

You can indeed be aware of your body, but you can also be aware of your mind - you can right now notice all the thoughts and ideas and images floating in front of the mind's inward eye. You can, in other words, experience your mind, be aware of your mind. And it's very important to experience your mind directly, cleanly, intensely, because only by bringing awareness to the mind can you begin to transcend the mind and be free of its limitations.

Mind is elusive, you cannot hold it in your hand. You cannot force it into a test-tube. The only way to know it is to know it from within, from your witnessing self. The more you become aware, the more you can watch your mind - its subtle functioning. The functioning is tremendously complex and beautiful. Mind is the most complex phenomenon on the earth, the most subtle flowering of consciousness. If you want to really understand what the mind is, then you will have to detach yourself from your mind, and you will have to learn how to be just a witness. That's what meditation is all about.

Thinking is only a small aspect of consciousness. Thought cannot exist without consciousness, but consciousness does not need thought

I believe that consciousness is the way information feels when being processed.

My mind cannot know you, only labels, judgments, facts, and opinions about you. Being alone knows directly.

We are not passive exhibitors of visual or auditory or tactile images. We have selves. We have a Me that is automatically present in our minds right now.

Once you have had a glimpse of awareness or Presence, you know it firsthand. It is no longer just a concept in your mind.

When you start meditating on your ego, on your thoughts, on your mind, you are suddenly separate, because whatsoever you meditate on, you are separate from it. That has become the object and you have become the subject.

Consciousness is the foundation of all thinking; and thinking is the foundation of all consciousness.

I worry that we don't have a very good definition of consciousness yet which makes it hard to tackle.

What does it mean, exactly, for a given system to be a 'neural correlate of consciousness'?

The great mystery of our consciousness is beyond our grasp.

I think that consciousness has always been the most important topic in the philosophy of mind, and one of the most important topics in cognitive science as a whole, but it had been surprisingly neglected in recent years.

The forms of my awareness are richer than yours.

The mind is always present. You just don't see it.