Definitions

Here are my attempts to give precise definitions of some of the words I use on this blog.

Awareness: Synonym for “consciousness”.

Consciousness:  A self-evident knowing that requires no thought or deduction to be known. The nervous system uses it as a power or faculty or ability of being aware of mental phenomena including thoughts, emotions, sensations, memories, wishes, urges, etc. ; thus we can describe it as that which enables those phenomena to be experienced.

Experience (verb): This is best defined by examples:

• "I experience pain" =  "it hurts."

• "I experience sound" =  "I hear."

• "I experience thirst" = "I'm thirsty."

• "I experience fear" = "I'm scared."

• "I experience desire" = "I want."

• I experience vertigo = “I feel dizzy.”

• "I experience thinking" = "I'm lost in thought.” (True for almost everyone.)

• "I experience finished thoughts" = "I understand."

• "I experience unconsciousness" = divide-by-zero exception (sorry, a joke for the programmers)

Self-realization: The state that Ramana Maharshi was in.

Understand: Experience thought (this is not the same as thinking).