Consciousness is Not a Feature of Reality but Reality Itself
No subject or object, no inner or outer, exists beyond or is independent of this fundamental awareness. Consciousness is reality itself.
Thoughts, feelings, sensations, perceptions all arise and subside within this field of awareness. It is impossible to conceive of something outside of awareness. Even the idea of an unconscious void requires awareness to be conceived. This is an obvious clue as to the fundamental nature of reality.
The traditional subject-object dichotomy, the ingrained belief in a separate “I” perceiving a distinct world, is the bedrock of our everyday experience. But this division, this separation, is ultimately an illusion. The perceiver is itself a manifestation within consciousness, a particular facet of the light of awareness experienced as a specific body-mind. The object, the perceived world, is equally an appearance within this same consciousness.
Waking reality, like the activity of dreams, is a manifestation within one, universal consciousness, one aware presence. The “you” that perceives the world and the world that is perceived are not two fundamentally different things. Both are expressions of this singular awareness. The apparent separation arises from the way consciousness localizes and identifies with specific points of experience, creating the illusion of individual subjects interacting with external objects.
There is no “stuff” of the universe that is inherently unconscious, waiting for consciousness to somehow emerge or be added to it. Rather, the very ground of being, the fundamental potential from which all forms arise, is itself conscious. What we perceive as inert matter is simply a particular expression of this underlying awareness.
“What we perceive as inert matter is simply a particular expression of this underlying awareness.”
This understanding dissolves the mystery of how consciousness arises in a seemingly physical world. It doesn't emerge. It is reality itself. The question then shifts from “how does consciousness arise from matter?” to “how does consciousness manifest as the diverse forms we perceive as matter?”
The implication of this perspective removes the fundamental barrier between ourselves and the world, revealing the inherent interconnectedness that transcends our ordinary perception. The “other” is not truly other but another expression of the same consciousness that constitutes our own being. Embodying this understanding fosters a deep sense of empathy, compassion, and a recognition of our shared reality.
Likewise, it liberates us from the limitations of a purely materialistic worldview. Consciousness is not a byproduct of physical processes; it is the very source and essence of all processes. The universe is not a blind, mechanical machine but an unfolding appearance within that which we are, aware presence.