What is Consciousness?
- olivierbranford
- Dec 30, 2024
- 12 min read
Updated: Mar 30
No-one knows philosophically or scientifically what is consciousness. The question "What is consciousness?" has not yet been answered by anyone, ever. We do not know what consciousness is. It is not something that can be studied scientifically. The atoms and molecules that create our Universe do not intrinsically have consciousness that can be measured as far as we know. We can't create consciousness in a petri dish of neurones and we can't make Artificial Intelligence conscious.
When it comes to consciousness, the way that we feel gives us more much insight than science. We can attest what consciousness feels like. But how is it that material particles in aggregate can generate phenomenal experience? In other words, is it that our minds can either make consciousness or transcend matter: Or that the physical world - our brains - can contain consciousness? No-one knows the answer.
The spiritual and philosophical implications are that we are the observer and not the object, which frees us from emotional pain, and allows us to surrender; enjoying life like a movie where do not have to be in control. Then, even drama becomes benign as it's just a movie on a screen. We are either the projector or someone watching the movie in the audience.
Perhaps this philosophical viewpoint explains consciousness more: Nothing creates consciousness. Consciousness is the Creator. Consciousness creates the world. Consciousness is the ultimate Nature of existence. The ultimate Nature of existence is not individual consciousness, but rather undifferentiated consciousness. This is the consciousness that we may access during meditative states, where we are able to access Universal intelligence or intuition that comes from outside of ourselves.
This brilliant video is a great introduction to the subject title of 'What is consciousness?"
The 'World Science Festival' video on 'What creates consciousness?'
How fascinating is the amalgamation of thought processes across different timelines and cultures? The basic concept remains the same- “Aham Brahmasmi”, the unity of Self with Universal consciousness.
In Advaita Vedanta, undifferentiated consciousness is called Brahman. Undifferentiated consciousness is understood as an empty space of potentiality, which is also called the void or absolute Nothingness. It is the pure potentiality to create the world and to perceive the world. Individual consciousness is called Atman or the Self, which is the observer at the central point of view of its own holographic world. Brahman is the ultimate nature of existence. Brahman is the Source of Atman and the holographic world that Atman perceives. Undifferentiated consciousness is the Source of individual consciousness and the world that individual consciousness perceives. There is nothing inconsistent with this worldview or any valid scientific knowledge. All the inconsistencies of science can only arise from a mistaken physicalist worldview that falsely assumes that consciousness is something that is created purely in a physical material world. There is a false assumption that consciousness is something that consciousness can perceive. The light can't shine on itself.
We all have a feeling of experiencing consciousness. Undifferentiated consciousness is the ultimate nature of existence. It is what exists when everything else disappears from existence.
Nothingness is what is experienced with spiritual Enlightenment. Enlightened BEings have passed through the gateless gate and returned to the ultimate state of existence. Passing through the gateless gate is a metaphor for falling into the void in an ultimate state of free-fall. This naturally happens when one becomes desireless, which is the motionless state that arises when emotions are no longer expressed.
When one becomes spiritually Enlightened, one remains as that absolute nothingness that is the ultimate nature of existence. Man minus mind equals God. One knows one's Self to be the nothingness of undifferentiated consciousness that is the ultimate nature of existence. Ultimately, that is what one is.
Witness Consciousness is described as the true essence of our BEing. It's like an unchanging observer, watching the ever-changing thoughts, emotions, and perceptions that flow through the mind. The role of this Witness Consciousness is critical in spiritual and meditative practices.
Consider the mind and its relationship with the senses, like the eyes. The mind is aware of the activities of the eyes—it processes what the eyes see. However, the principle suggests that there is a deeper aspect of awareness that goes beyond the mind’s processing. This deeper aspect, known as “Witness Consciousness,” is not actively involved in the sensory activities (like seeing) or the mental activities (like thinking) but observes both. It is one stage further 'back.'
The significance of this concept lies in its implication that our true Nature, or the essence of our consciousness, is not entangled with the workings of the mind or sensory experiences. Instead, it is detached, separate and unaffected by the ongoing activities of the mind and body.
It suggests that the core of our being is a consciousness that transcends the physical and mental processes we usually identify with. This consciousness is unchanging and ever-present, providing a continuous sense of awareness regardless of the changing nature of our thoughts and sensory experiences.
Mind observing the mind
The introspective capability of the mind allows for a deeper understanding of one's Self. The mind is not just a receiver and processor of external stimuli; it also has the ability to turn inward and think about its own thoughts, emotions, and reactions. This self-reflective process is often what we engage in during moments of contemplation, meditation, or introspection.
The principle implies that one part of the mind can act as an observer while another part becomes the observed. For instance, when we are upset, one aspect of the mind experiences the emotion, while another part can observe this emotion, analyse it, and even question why it’s there. This dual role of the mind—as both the subject and the object—appears to be a unique human attribute that allows for self-awareness and personal growth.
However, the teachings from 'Ancient India' also suggest that the mind’s ability to observe itself, while profound, is not the ultimate level of consciousness. There is a suggestion of a deeper level of awareness or consciousness beyond the mind, hence the terms "Witness Consciousness” or “pure awareness.” This consciousness is said to be the true observer, being separate from the moment to moment fluctuations and activities of the mind.
Experiencing without introspection
The concept of “Experiencing Without Introspection” refers to a state of consciousness where one experiences reality directly, without the intrusion of the mental process of introspection or internal dialogue. It’s akin to perceiving reality in its purest form without the overlay of personal biases or conceptual frameworks.
It’s a state sought in various forms of meditation, where the goal is to quiet the mind and simply witness the present moment without mental interference. This way one can witness thoughts, emotions, and sensations as they arise, but remain detached from them, observing them as phenomena passing through the field of awareness, rather than getting entangled in their content. Like leaves floating past on a river, where our attention is not drawn to the leaves. This form of experiencing brings a deeper sense of clarity, peace, and understanding of the Nature of reality.
The role of the Witness Consiousness
Witness Consciousness is described as the true essence of our BEing. It’s like an unchanging observer, watching the ever-changing thoughts, emotions, and perceptions that flow through the mind. The role of this Witness Consciousness is critical in spiritual and meditative practices. It offers a pathway to detachment and therefore equanimity. This detachment is not a form of disconnection or apathy, but rather a deep understanding that you are not the fluctuating states of your mind.
In meditation, practitioners aim to cultivate this sense of witnessing. They learn to observe their thoughts and emotions as they arise and pass away, without getting entangled in them. This practice helps in recognising these mental states are just temporary experiences and not the core of one’s true Self. The Witness Consciousness remains unaffected and constant, irrespective of the mental turmoil or calm.
This concept also ties into the broader philosophy of non-dualism, which states that the ultimate reality is a singular, unified consciousness, and the apparent diversity and separation we experience in the world are illusory. We are not our ego. The Witness Consciousness is just one form of experience of this broader, Universal consciousness.
The realisation of one's Self as the Witness Consciousness leads to profound insights into the Nature of existence. It is seen as a key step towards Enlightenment, where one transcends the identification with the individual self (ego) and experiences a state of oneness with all existence. Although it is sometimes a difficult concept to grasp perhaps the best way to imagine Witness Consciousness is as a mirror, which reflects everything before it but is not altered by the images it reflects.
Defining witness consciousness
That said, let’s get this party started. Witness consciousness is a way of describing that there is you, the witness, and then everything else, that the witness is conscious of. That can also be expressed as subject, the witness, and object, anything and everything the witness experiences.
Like what? You name it. A car drives by and honks its horn. You, the witness, experience the sound of the horn, the object. You watch a beautiful sunset. You, the witness, experience the sunset, the object. While meditating, you become aware that you’re having thoughts about what you want to have for lunch. You, the witness, experience the thoughts about lunch, the object. Most people understand the first two examples. We hear the horn and we see the sunset, but we aren’t the sound of the horn or the sunset. What they don’t get is that they aren’t the thoughts about lunch, either.
We are the witness
In all of these cases, we are the witness of these things. We are the consciousness that experiences them.
The problem plaguing humanity is that our egos, which manifest as thoughts and emotions, are so powerful that they overwhelm the witness, and in doing so lead us to believe that those thoughts and emotions are who we are: This leads us to try to control them, but we can't control the Universe, so we get upset if we try.
The spiritual path, then, can be whittled down to these two steps: 1. Realise that you are the witness and not the egoic thoughts and emotions; and 2. Strengthen the witness in its ability to remain in the seat of Self and not get swept up in thoughts and emotions. Don't ever get up and leave your seat of ease. Imagine being in your favourite place with your favourite people - you wouldn't get up and run outside to join a fight or mêlée.
Many of you may think I’m saying we should deny or push away our thoughts and emotions. Not so. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. Witness consciousness is about placing our fullest attention on those thoughts and emotions as they arise, as we would with anything our witness experiences. Feel them, but then let them go.
The key is that we merely observe these sensations. We experience them. And then we let them pass. Just as we let the sound of the horn and the beautiful sunset eventually pass.
Don’t go down the rabbit hole
What we DON’T do is flee the witness and fly down the rabbit hole of our thoughts and emotions. That, of course, is precisely what our powerful egos want us to do. Which brings us to step two on the spiritual path: Strengthening our witness to the point that it is strong enough to withstand the pull of the ego. How do we do that?
In other words, how do we prevent ourselves from accepting the ego’s invitation 99 percent of the time when it beckons us to… Ruminate in the car about how we much we hate our boss, get pissed off that we hit our third red light in a row, yell at our spouse for forgetting to put the bins out on the street and 10 gazillion other examples?
Strengthening the witness
I’ve written extensively on this subject. One way to strengthen the witness is to work on quieting the egoic insane asylum that is our minds. Our catastrophising, 'awfulising' 'monkey mind.' Meditation is the most direct way to do that. Practicing mindfulness also works wonders. Physical exercise helps. There’s also yoga, prayer, and many other daily spiritual practices. So do those or anything else that promotes inner stillness.
A practice to strengthen your witness
Today I also want to offer a specific practice that can help strengthen the witness. Because when emotions or thoughts arise within us it often happens so quickly and powerfully that we are unable to keep our witness in the seat of Self.
Here’s a little helper for you to use in the heat of the moment. It’s real simple. It’s:“I’m here. It’s there.”
That’s it. Let me explain. Let’s say you’re hungry as you drive home from work and, you guessed it, you hit another red light. That annoyed, exasperated feeling arises. Right then, what you do is say to yourself, “I’m here. It’s there.” Who’s here and what’s there? Who is here is the witness. That’s the “I’m here.” I locate my witness in the upper back part of my head. So that’s where I place my attention when I say, “I’m here.” In this example, what is “there?” It’s the feeling of exasperation that just arose. Most of my feelings arise in my belly area. So I’m here (back part of my head) and it’s there (in my belly). I’m here, it’s there. I just picture those two areas. This is the low hanging fruit. In London it is easy to encounter road rage. The key is to strengthen your witness.
It’s all about separating ego and witness
What this technique does is facilitate the separation of the two basic elements of our existence: The ego and the witness/consciousness/presence/awareness (they’re all the same). Achieving this separation is yet another way to sum up the entirety of the spiritual path.
Why? Because the domination of ego over witness/consciousness to the point that most people don’t even realise they have a witness is the central malady plaguing humankind.
I hope this is all comprehensible. Witness consciousness is a big subject, but I hope you get the drift of it.
Consciousness and the mind
Is consciousness the achievement of a biological machine, the mind? It's the feeling of our senses and of thinking that make us believe in consciousness. Like an observer that is watching a theatre screen. But are we the projector? Do we create consciousness? Our subjective experience does not match our objective world through physical processes. Knowing how something works doesn't give you the experience. So science may never be able to explain consciousness.
The takeaway
Try it. Simply look at every experience you have as the witness experiencing some object — a sound, a sight, a feeling, a thought… Anything. And with the tough feelings or thoughts, go to “I’m here. It’s there.”
Doing so will place you squarely in each moment, which is, of course, the only place where life happens. It behooves all of us to do whatever we can to inhabit that place of witness consciousness.
The truth is that no one knows what consciosness is. What we do know is that our consciousness is an observer. We also know that we are not in control of the Universe. The sooner we realise that and let go of our ego trying to control everything, the sooner we will find peace and joy, and enjoy the unfolding movie that is our life.
Because we, and the world, will be better off the more presently we live.
Namaste.
Olly
Dr Olly Alexander Branford MBBS, MA(Cantab), PhD.
Fully qualified and certified coach
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