Anybody who is yet uncertain about the relationship of consciousness to Pristine Awareness need only consult their gender affiliation. Pristine Awareness has no gender. Consciousness as a conditioned state of Awareness must filter its preferences through the hardwiring of the brain and thusly come up with a "conscious" response to external stimuli.
Pristine Awareness has no gender.
The scope of Awareness is much broader and infinitely more subtile than that of consciousness. Consciousness is an accident to Awareness in a creature with an advanced nervous system, and like starting a fire with a magnifying glass by the light of the sun, consciousness brings the various wavelengths of Awareness to a point focus of fascination. This can be a powerful tool in the light of problem solving, but when Mind is identified with consciousness, consciousness becomes a blunt instrument dulling the acuity of Intuition.
When Mind becomes the conscious subordinate of Pristine Awareness, Intuition and Awareness in concert serve the spirit of inquiry. The spirit of inquiry is the guarantor all life, and the executor of certain death.
Smoke gets in your eyes.
The defining quality of any creature is Awareness. It is not uncommon to encounter vivid ramblings over "consciousness": is this creature "conscious", is that creature "conscious". Consciousness this, consciousness that, consciousness, consciousness, consciousness. Be all these hair-splitting researches as they may, there can be no doubt that an amoeba is aware. Slime molds are aware. Planarians are aware.
Mind, consciousness, and psychologies are conditioned states of Awareness in creatures with nervous systems sufficiently evolved to support such sophistications. Awareness is simply aware.
The entire thrust of Zen is the awakening of Awareness.
Where is the residence of mastery. Is Awareness the entranced slave of some creature, or does the creature serve an awakened Awareness. What is the Who?
The starry universe is branch and stem.
The realm of living creatures, the bud.
A bursting into flower: the awakening of Pristine Awareness.
