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What exactly do we mean by
"self-awareness?" One might believe that there
is something like a "self" deep inside of us and
that to be self-aware is simply to be aware of the presence of
that self. The standard idea is that the self, though
capable of being aware of things external to it, is also
capable of being aware of its own states. Some have
described this as a kind of experience. You might have
said to have an "inner experience" of your own
mental activity, being aware of the thoughts that you are
presently thinking and the attitudes that you presently
hold. Even if we grant that we have such "inner
experiences," they do not, by themselves, supply
everything that we intend to capture by the term
"self-awareness." When we say that we are
aware of our own mental activity (thoughts, dreams, hopes,
etc.) we do not mean merely that we have some inner clue to
the content of that mental activity. We also mean that the
character of that awareness is such that it gives us certain
abilities to critically reflect upon our mental states and to
make judgments about those states. If we are aware of
our own behavior and mental activity in the right way, then it
may be possible for us to decide that our behavior should be
changed, that an attitude is morally objectionable or that we
made a mistake in our reasoning and that a belief we hold is
unjustified and should be abandoned.
Yoga is one path in achieving self-awareness. At the
inaugural function of a two-day symposium on "Yoga for
Sane Living" the Dali Lama said, "For the ultimate
truth, one must seek deeper and deeper levels of
self-awareness." "The true end of
self-awareness is enlightenment."
The Foundation for Mind-Body-Medicine will conduct lecturers on
current topics in Mind-Body-Medicine. Lecturers are held in
our Conference Center. Additionally, satellite teleconference
will also be held at the Foundation. Please refer to our Class and
Seminar Schedule for a list of offerings.
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