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The ancient Chinese sage Lao Tzu (Tao Teh Ching, Chapter 11) observed:
That which is there is an advantage;
That which is not there makes it useful.
For example, a cup or pot is useful because it contains empty space.
The characters of an alphabet (regardless of which language it expresses) are distinguishable from each other because each has a unique shape. The shape appears as a specific pattern of contrast between the writing and the background material, such as black ink on white paper or an engraved line in a stone tablet.
The letters of the alphabet that you see on the screen in front of you have a text color that provides the advantage of information. The background color makes the information useful because it contrasts with the text color enough to show the spaces within and between the letters.
The text is "there" while the background is "not there" (taken for granted).
By using a background color other than white, I make you momentarily aware of the background. However, you soon become "used to" it: the experience has become "used" (rather than "new"), and your perception has changed from active to passive awareness.
While we are learning a new skill such as tying our shoes or using a computer mouse, we are keenly aware of what we are doing. After we have completed the learning task, the skill becomes a habit that we can repeat frequently with a passive type of awareness.
It is well-known that people can become habituated to repetitive sounds. For example, someone who lives near a train track eventually "learns" to sleep soundly through the whole night. Although the person won't wake up when a train passes by, he or she might be roused by an unusual sound, even if it is quieter than the train.
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In a similar way, you notice this new background color, even though it is a dull gray. |
It seems that our awareness has two modes: active and passive. The active mode is associated with the conceptual functions of our mind while the passive mode is associated with the non-conceptual functions.
Language involves both modes. We use it to communicate concepts, but we first learn it (our native language) by means of non-conceptual absorption. When we go to school, we study grammar conceptually and repeat drills until we form new habits. These habits refine our use of language but they don't change the fundamental syntactical structures that were established empathically when we first learned to speak.
Reading is a good example of the interaction of the two modes. When you first learned to read an alphabet, you were actively aware of the shape of each letter. Later, as you learned to recognize individual words, your awareness of the shapes of their letters became passive. As you read this sentence on your computer screen, you are actively aware of concepts rather than shapes.
Contemplate how the two modes of awareness inevitably switch back and forth. We develop habits, rely on them, and one day discover that we need to change them. We focus our conceptual thinking on a problem, and then our mind "goes blank." We meditate in a state of non-conceptuality, and then thoughts "come into" our mind.
Human consciousness is such that each of us is able to observe (or "witness") our own mind switching between the two modes. Who is the "I" witnessing the switch?
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