JR, there are far more than just sages of the past who believe consciousness is not something that the brain produces. That includes a lot of contemporary philosophers and scientists. The "production" model where the brain produces consciousness has so far evaded clear evidence or proof and many today believe it is impossible. Which is why there is a lot of alternative thinking around this question. Bernardo Kastrup is one of a great many examples.

Monitoring is an intriguing concept as a definition of the mind, but it seems more appropriate to the brain. One would have to explain how products of the mind such as mathematics, great art, genius, psychosomatics including placebo effect, etc. all can be captured in the concept of monitoring. Perhaps you will explore this in future posts.