Chapter 1

When I bring up the subject of the mind people will invariably ask, "Why is it important to know what the mind is?" My answer usually goes something like this - It is important to understand what we regard the mind to be because the mind and pure awareness are undeniably related. I think we can agree that the mind is not a tangible thing: it cannot be seen nor measured, but it can be experienced. Because the mind can be experienced, automatically makes it connected to awareness. If you take the time to sit quietly for a moment and just notice the mind, you can be aware of it. Listening to the mind is an experience. Different people experience the mind in different ways. Some people experience the mind as thoughts while others experience it as the act of living or being alive. No two people have the same view as to what constitutes the mind. Aristotle said that the mind was humans being conscious of their existence. If Aristotle was right wouldn't being aware of our existence be an experience of the mind?

When developing a sense of oneness or pure awareness it is important that we understand how we, as individuals, view the mind. To get some kind of idea as to how people view the word "mind." I randomly asked people how they experienced the mind. The exact question was, "In your experience, not opinion, does...