I think true awareness is like that of a child, unhindered by any previous experience. Presence or being present is seeing what we are seeing now. Being aware of what is now. In that instance the child, the seabird, ourselves can all see the same thing (given the nature of our seeing apparatus.)

If we have an idea, say of looking for food (the seabird), playing in the water (the child), enjoying the sun (the man) then that might change the way that we channel our senses. If we are thinking, then that can channel our senses, or limit them.

I’d say that having a clear idea an thinking are two different states. One is open to all that we can sense but we guide our senses based on what we are doing. The other, because we are thinking actually limits what we sense, or I should say, we aren’t even tuned into our senses because we are thinking. As a result we don’t get the information that is available to us.

So if the bird, the child, and the man where all sitting there with the clear idea of just sitting, then they’d all probably see (and enjoy) the same thing. If they were all flying and looking for food, and had similiar points of view, an where all focused on looking for food they’d all see the same thing. and if they we all simply enjoying jumping in the waves, then in that case too I think they’d be enjoying the same thing (but based on their own unique experiences of those waves.)

I remember being very present at the beach,in awe as a child.

It is a great question to ponder over.do we need an evolved ego (with it’s baggage of suffering) to become aware of, for a heightened conscious perception? Probably Depends on the child’s level of consciousness which may be more evolved than an average adult’s.

It is said in hinduism, that the earlier you become aware before the ego hardens its root,the better/easier the path is.

Namaste,
priyam

It makes me think of a time when I was at the zoo, a place that I often find depressing to visit as I don’t believe in confining animals to small spaces, especially birds.

Speaking of birds, there was a magnificent one that caught my eye, a sea eagle if you will. He was a beauty, sitting high on his perch, eyes aimed at a distant location. He was so solitary and still.

My eyes scanned the brief description of the sea eagle, the largest of eagles. Amonst other details, it said that they nest in the craggy cliffs at the oceanside and are able to reach speeds up to a couple hundred miles an hour.

I felt a breaking in my heart, knowing that this caged animal would never know the freedom of flight, the smell of the salty air and the thrill of catching fish from the ocean.

My eyes closed and I said a prayer for him and sent him some Reiki energy. As I breathed softly, in quiet communion with this animal, I suddenly felt myself inside of him. Its hard to explain really, but for a moment I felt his reality.

He had learned through the stillness of confinement, absolute freedom in his mind, for there he was, soaring over the white caps on the waves, searching for dinner.

It made me think of Alexander Solzenhitzen who had found the same sort of freedom during his years of exile in Siberia.

In an instant, I was back in my reality. As I turned to leave, I softly bowed my head to this bird for allowing me to see through his lens of perception…what a gift…