Consciousness is just the tip of the iceberg - Page 2

I am not asking why the concious and the subconcious are different, I am asking how are they different. Is their composition different, are their particles different....

Blissful said that we just react to instict. If My nose itches, then I will scratch it. But I can choose not to scratch it, perhaps if I am in public. If I am thirsty, I can still choose not to drink.

Ah, I see your question is more like 'is there a physical (molecular structural) distinction or is it purely some processing (phychological) difference'? Of course that would indicate some structural distinction as we are composed of atoms, otherwise we would have to accept something beyond phhysical existence?
http://www.captaincynic.com/thread.php3/frmid=12-u-thrdid=25260-u-page=1
#25418 you ask the same question?

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Coming back to the topic, it is important that we find out what processes take place inside the brain when various particles interact with each other differently.

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Thanks for the meditation idea Angel of death. I'll try it next time I'm camping, since there are so many mirrors around here.

From what I understand about the brain, consciousness/sub-consciousness is housed in the cortex (the two hemispheres that take up the bulk of the brain). Other parts of the brain perform functions that are unconscious. Like the cerebellum (responsible for movement) or the brain stem (responsible for instincts like fear, anger, hunger, sexual arousal etc.). We can't control these parts of our mind. Like we have to train our cerebellum if we want to play basket ball. And our brain stem, generating fear, anger and all sorts of things we might be better off without. When I said we need to make our unconscious more conscious: I mean mostly that we need to become more aware of the working of our brain stem. How the cortex, the brain stem and the body are all reacting together. It's the reactions of these things which the cause our bad habits. Habits of addictions and aversions. We are all like a prisoners of our own habit patterns.

So we have to become more aware of this process and learn how to deal with it. We can't do it by thinking about it, or discussing it. We have to experience it directly. Only then we can break the cycle. The part of our mind we use for rational thought (the intellectual part of the mind) is only a small pat of the cortex in the left hemisphere. That is the part that cognizes thought and that is the part which I was referring to as consciousness. The processing power of our cognitive thought is dwarfed by the rest of the brain. We can never understand ourselves intellectually because we are using something so small (the intellectual mind) to understand something so big (the whole mind).

So no need to talk only do, that's why I started this thread really. Just to make that point. When you explore your mind directly (meditate) you will see why It's important. When you have better relationships with family, friends, you partner. Your life can really improve this way, no joke, GO AND DO IT

An interesting question Angel, wonder what differences exist in the right & left

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cortex (the two hemispheres that take up the bulk of the brain). Other parts of the brain perform functions that are unconscious.

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? Do they structurally differ or is the chemical solution (reactive medium vs substance) in which it reacts?

I have searched many sites, but none seem to address this question.

Anyway, I 'd like to recommend a fascinating book I have come across, 'The Power of Now'. I have only read a few pages and it is already beggining to affect me.

U ppl must have seen me mentioning the mirror thing in a couple of threads, when you look into the mirror for some time, questing your self who is that in front of you. Most times you can't handle it and turn away, but some times you get that 'experiance'. Uptil now, I didn't know what it was.
Actually, I found out that that 'feeling', is actually experiancing our true self, our inner being.
When we are babies, we are pure, i.e we have no personality. But as we grow up, we develop a personality. Right now, I recognize myself because of my personality. Your sense of 'I', is your personality. But that is not the 'true' us. It is just a cover.
Whenever we take off that cover, we experiance a glimpse of 'us'. It is called 'enlightnement'.
I have experianced this many times when I have done the mirror thing.(works in 1 out of 10 tries or something). But I did and do not know how to cope, how to undersatnd the feeling.
This book expressed my feelings when am in this state of extreme consioucness. You feel like a lost fragment, you feel that there is no purpose of anything, and you become afraid. Because, althought you have taken of the 'false' personality being cover, you don't know how to search for 'yourself', so you are lost, kind of like withought an existence.
mostly people meditate to come to this state of enlightnment/ extreme consciousness, but that is quite difficult. I don't think any meditator knows of this mirror technique, which is a short cut.

to 12".. exercise (paritculary intense cardio = only or one of few ways to grow brain cells at any age so there is a a way..

Have any of you, in the quest to understand the nature of life and conciousness tried experimenting with drugs to reach a better level of understanding?? I have many questions after that. I think you, and I will learn a lot of things..

Excellent answers all. Can one talk to the conscious and program the sub-conscious or vice versa? Mirror imagining works as well.

Can one talk to ones brain or conscious or subconscious and create a holistic brain or mind instead of a two part brain? Paul

Conscious vs sub-conscious.
Why do we have a sub-conscious mind to start with? Memory I understand. Maybe the mind needs references that relate so the sub-conscious? Paul