Consciousness is multi-dimensional but is most often portrayed with a two-dimensional (2D) map that has global levels or states on one axis and phenomenal contents on the other. On this map, awareness is conflated either with general alertness or with phenomenal content. This contributes to ongoing difficulties in the scientific understanding of consciousness. Previously, I have proposed that consciousness as such or nondual awareness—a basic non-conceptual, non-propositional awareness in itself free of subject-object fragmentation—is a unique kind that cannot be adequately specified by this 2D map of states and contents. Here, I propose an implicit–explicit gradient of nondual awareness to be added as the z-axis to the existing 2D map of consciousness. This gradient informs about the degree to which nondual awareness is manifest in any experience, independent of the specifics of global state or local content. Alternatively, within the multi-dimensional state space model of consciousness, nondual awareness can be specified by several vectors, each representing one of its properties. In the first part, I outline nondual awareness or consciousness as such in terms of its phenomenal description, its function and its neural correlates. In the second part, I explore the implicit–explicit gradient of nondual awareness and how including it as an additional axis clarifies certain features of everyday dualistic experiences and is especially relevant for understanding the unitary and nondual experiences accessed via different contemplative methods, mind-altering substances or spontaneously.

中文翻译：

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非二元意识或意识本身的内隐-外显梯度

意识是多维的，但通常用二维 (2D) 地图来描绘，该地图在一个轴上具有全局级别或状态，在另一轴上具有现象内容。在这张地图上，意识要么与一般的警觉性，要么与非凡的内容混为一谈。这导致了对意识的科学理解持续存在困难。此前，我曾提出，意识本身或非二元意识——一种基本的非概念性、非命题意识，其本身不受主客体碎片的影响——是一种独特的类型，无法通过状态和内容的二维地图来充分指定。在这里，我建议将非二元意识的隐式-显式梯度作为 z 轴添加到现有的二维意识地图中。这种梯度表明非二元意识在任何体验中表现出来的程度，与全球状态或本地内容的具体情况无关。或者，在意识的多维状态空间模型中，非对偶意识可以由多个向量指定，每个向量代表其属性之一。在第一部分中，我从现象描述、功能和神经关联方面概述了非二元意识或意识本身。在第二部分中，我探讨了非二元意识的隐式-显式梯度，以及如何将其作为附加轴来澄清日常二元体验的某些特征，并且对于理解通过不同的冥想方法获得的单一和非二元体验特别相关，改变思想物质或自发地。