Subjective truth and the structure of consciousness(ISHIKI)
In previous articles, we have discussed “What is Subjective Truth? and “What is NOT subjective truth?” I hope that you have been able to grasp the image of subjective truth from the previous articles. This time, I would like to go a little further and talk about how subjective truth can be positioned in the 3+1 ISHIKI(consciousness) Model.
In a previous article, I mentioned that ISHIKI(consciousness) management is important for leaders to grow and mature, and that using the 3+1 ISHIKI(consciousness) Model makes it easier to manage consciousness.
Before getting into the main topic, I would like to explain a little about each component of the 3+1 ISHIKI(consciousness) model. In this article, I will explain the concept of subjective truth in connection with the characteristics of each consciousness, so I would like you to understand this as a prerequisite.
Intuitive consciousness is “the consciousness that intuitively senses the existence of essence, truth, INOCHI(life), and love. In a word, “it is the consciousness that integrate into the One.”
On the other hand, bodily consciousness is “the consciousness that perceptually captures the sensations and emotions that arise in the body,” or in a word, “it is the consciousness that feels.”
The thinking consciousness is “the consciousness that interprets and makes sense of what is intuited or perceived by the intuitive or bodily consciousness”; in a word, “it is the consciousness that sorts.”
These three consciousnesses cooperate with each other and embody the process of cognizing and judging, wherein the intuitive or bodily consciousness cognizes something intuitively or perceptually, and the thinking consciousness judges it.
Also, the thinking consciousness is oriented to understand things by “dividing” them, while the intuitive consciousness is oriented to see things as a single image by “integrating and synthesizing” them. Language is governed by the thinking consciousness, as it divides and labels things. Intuitive consciousness tries to integrate and synthesize things as one, so it cannot express all of them through language.
Slightly different from these three types of consciousness is meta-consciousness. Meta-consciousness is “the consciousness that captures the three consciousnesses of Self and the scope of these consciousnesses,” or in a word, “the consciousness that watches over.”
This is the end of the explanation of the components of the 3+1 ISHIKI(consciousness) Model. Rather than trying to understand the details of the 3+1 ISHIKI(consciousness) Model, it is sufficient if you understand the general framework of the relationship between the three consciousnesses and their concrete images.
Subjective truth belongs to the intuitive consciousness
First, I would like to review the definition of subjective truth.
Definition of subjective truth (Ochiai’s definition)
An ideal that makes life worth living for us, a purpose for living that is unique to us. Or, a sense of direction here and now that leads to those ideals and purposes.
In my last article, I told about what subjective truth is NOT.
▼Subjective truth is not objective truth
▼Subjective truth is not something that can be verbalized entirely
▼Subjective truth is neither given nor created
▼Subjective truth has nothing to do with big or small, good or bad, high or low
▼Subjective truth is not a fixed matter.
(It exists in the energy dimension, not in the matter dimension.)
So how is this subjective truth positioned in the 3+1 ISHIKI(consciousness) model?
In conclusion, subjective truth belongs to intuitive consciousness. Intuitive consciousness is the consciousness that integrates into the One. Subjective truth is an image of an ideal that makes life worth living, a unique purpose of life, like an ultimate purpose or goal for oneself. We can say that subjective truth is the integration and synthesis of the purpose level (why level) for oneself. When you think about it in this way, it becomes clear that subjective truth belongs to the intuitive consciousness, which is the consciousness that integrates into the One.
To put the conclusion first, subjective truth belongs to the intuitive consciousness. Intuitive consciousness is the consciousness that integrates into the One. Subjective truth is an image of an ideal that makes life worth living, a unique purpose of life, like an ultimate purpose or goal for oneself. We can say that subjective truth is the integration and synthesis of the purpose level (why level) for oneself. When we think about it in this way, it becomes clear that subjective truth belongs to the intuitive consciousness, which is the consciousness that integrates into the One.
How can the perception of “I think” be made possible?
In this section, I am going to talk a bit philosophically, away from the subjective truth itself, but please bear with me a bit, because the relationship with the subjective truth will become clear later.
Have you ever asked yourself the following questions?
▼Why is it that I can recognize myself as the same person today as I was yesterday?
▼Why is it that I can recognize myself as the same person when I am reading a book and when I am listening to music at the same time?
▼In a situation of judgment or decision making, there are two selves, one who thinks that A is better and one who thinks that B is better. Which one is the real me?
When I was in elementary school, I vividly remember my brother asking me, “Why is it that the person you were yesterday and the person you are today seem to be the same person? You could be a completely different person, couldn’t you?”
Until recently, this question had remained unanswered in my mind, but recently I have finally come to comprehend it in my own way. The following description from the German philosopher Kant’s book, “Critique of Pure Reason,” gave me an inspiration.
(Immanuel Kant, Kaliningrad)
It is only through the possibility of my combining the diversity of given representations in a single consciousness that I am able to represent the identity of consciousness in these representations themselves.
(Omission)
The idea that these representations belong to me in the aggregate thus implies that I unify them in a single self-consciousness, or at least that I can unify them there.
(Critique of Pure Reason, Kant, translated by Sumihiko Kumano,B135)
Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason is famous for being difficult to understand, so it may be difficult to understand just by reading this quote, but the main point is that in order for “I think” to be possible, it is necessary for various conscious things to be unified as one thing, and this unifying effect is called “Apperception.”
In a nutshell, “Apperception” makes it possible for us to say, “I think.”
My current answer to the question that my brother asked me and that I keep asking myself, “Why is it that yesterday’s self and today’s self seem to be the same self? My current answer to this question is that it is because the various conscious things (yesterday’s self and today’s self) are unified into one self (common to both yesterday and today) through “Apperception.”
In the 3+1 ISHIKI(consciousness) model, this function of “apperception” belongs to the intuition consciousness, which is the consciousness that integrates into the One. Rather than saying that it belongs, it is no exaggeration to say that apperception and intuition are almost the same thing, and it is the basis of the function of intuitive consciousness.
Definition of Apperception (Ochiai’s definition)
Consciousness that integrates the various images that appear in consciousness into One under self-consciousness
Subjective truth is the integration of one’s purpose level (WHY level) through apperception
I took a little detour to share with you the definition of apperception and the story of my own insight into it. When this way of understanding apperception becomes clear to us, our understanding of subjective truth becomes more multifaceted.
The three elements that make up intuitive consciousness, organized around the concept of apperception, can be rephrased as follows.
▼Connection with the Self: The level of one’s being (Being level) is unified through apperception
▼Subjective truth: The level of one’s purpose (Why level) is unified through apperception
▼Apperception: Things other than the above are unified.
The common denominator is “apperception,” and the difference between the three elements is “at what level things are unified”. Among them, we can position “subjective truth” as “the one that is integrated at the purpose level (why level)”.
With this understanding in mind, if you take a look at the following statements on the definition of subjective truth (What is subjective truth?) and “What is NOT subjective truth?”, you will be able to see the multifaceted picture of subjective truth.
Definition of subjective truth (Ochiai’s definition)
An ideal that makes life worth living for us, a purpose for living that is unique to us. Or, a sense of direction here and now that leads to those ideals and purposes.What is NOT subjective truth
▼Subjective truth is not objective truth
▼Subjective truth is not something that can be verbalized entirely
▼Subjective truth is neither given nor created
▼Subjective truth has nothing to do with big or small, good or bad, high or low
▼Subjective truth is not a fixed matter.
(It exists in the energy dimension, not in the matter dimension.)
Here are the quests of the day. (If you’d like, please share your thoughts in the comments.)
・In what situations, if any, have you recently experienced the apperception effects of your intuitive awareness?
(e.g., discovering similarities between seemingly separate things, having a flash of inspiration for something you’ve been wondering about for a while, etc.)
・List up several things that you have been and are perceiving at the purpose level (Why level) (what you want to be, dreams, visions, things you are immersed in, etc.) And if there is one thing these purpose-level things are all integrated into, what image is that?
Bunshiro Ochiai
