Reference: Book III: What is the Mind Really?
Static and Thetan
The postulate underlying Scientology is the STATIC. Theta is the mathematical symbol used for static. Thetan is the “property of individuality” assigned to static. In short, a thetan is an individual static.
Hubbard differentiates static, theta, or thetan from matter and energy; but he does not differentiate it from thought. He says, “theta is thought, life force, elan vital, the spirit, the soul, or any other of the numerous definitions it has had for some thousands of years.”
Substance and Awareness
We have,
SUBSTANCE = anything substantial enough to be sensed
AWARENESS = the capability to sense.
Consciousness
When we become aware of an object we gain consciousness that we can express as a thought. We become aware of the presence of a chair. This is expressed as a thought, “There is a chair.” This means that we are conscious of a chair.
CONSCIOUSNESS = awareness of substance
Awareness and Thought
Hubbard talks about “aware of being aware.” But, this is basically having consciousness of one’s own thoughts.
Just like one can be aware of physical objects, one can also be aware of thoughts.
We may look at thoughts as “thought objects” that come in different forms. This means thoughts are sensed just like physical objects are sensed. Thought is a substance like matter and energy.
This differentiates AWARENESS from THOUGHT. Thought exists in the dimension of substance; but awareness is its own dimension. Consciousness results from awareness of substance. Here, substance means matter, energy, and thought.
Individuality
We have a sense of “I”. This is sensing “individuality.” This individuality is made up of thought. We don’t give much attention to what this individuality represents, or what the source of individuality is.
The thetan, in Scientology, is an individual static.
Static is pure awareness; but thetan is awareness identified with thought of individuality.
Awareness can be exterior to thought; but Scientology looks at awareness “interiorized” in thought, and fashioned into individuality.
A person is pure awareness, that can be “exterior” to not only to the body, but also to the individuality. He is not the individuality called thetan.
Conclusion
The primary conditioning in Scientology is the identification of awareness with the thought of individuality.
This identification with “I” is the source of all human suffering. This is the basic-basic of Scientology.
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Comments
I have revised this post to clarify it further.