Consciousness and experience
In ordinary language, we say "I am conscious of the object" — this means the experience is being experienced by the experiencer. Consciousness and perception are closely linked. Without consciousness, there can be no perception.What is the difference between an object and the consciousness of that object? There is no difference — no separation, no two-ness. The object and the perception of it are one. This is the direct experience of oneness.
Consciousness and the self
The Experiencer is the ultimate consciousness — the background on which all experiences appear. The witness is conscious of everything but is itself not an object of consciousness. It is self-luminous: it knows itself by being itself, not by being experienced.Consciousness in the quotes of great scientists
Many great scientists have marvelled at the mystery of consciousness. It is the one thing that cannot be reduced to matter or explained by physics alone, because all knowledge of the physical world arises in consciousness.Universal consciousness
Just as there is only one existence, there is only one consciousness. What appears as many individual consciousnesses is the same one experiencer looking through many different bodies and minds.See also: awareness, experiencer, witness, self.
Definition
- Consciousness is the fundamental awareness or sentience that is the nature of existence. In the path of knowledge, it is synonymous with the experiencer.
Key Teachings
- Consciousness is not a property of the mind or brain - it is the ground of all experience.
- Existence is conscious of itself because there is nothing separate from it - it touches itself.
- In deep sleep, consciousness remains even though there is no object of experience. This proves consciousness is self-luminous.
Related Concepts
- Awareness
- Experiencer
- Existence
- Deep Sleep
- Self
Sources
- The Path of Knowledge Book (Part 1)
- Path of Knowledge Part 2