Consciousness

Consciousness is defined as a subjective experience or awareness or wakefulness or the executive control system of the mind. It is an umbrella term that may refer to a variety of mental phenomena. Although humans realize what everyday experiences are, consciousness refuses to be defined, philosophers note.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consciousness

The various links and information here on this page will present a very diversified picture of consciousness for you, explore and find out how consciousness is viewed and understood.

• - Development of Consciousness
• - Higher states of Consciousness
• - Druid Consciousness
• - Research on Consciousness
• - Science and Consciousness
• - Spiritual Nature of Consciousness
• - God and Consciousness

As living humans, we all experience three states of consciousness on a daily basis (Waking, Sleeping, Dreaming). In addition to these three states of consciousness there are higher states of consciousness that most spiritual and even non spiritual tradition describe. Different traditions may break these two states into sub-divisions, but for the most part they can be grouped into two higher states.

The first higher state of consciousness is one of Transcendence, the state between the everyday states of waking, sleeping and dreaming and the highest state of enlightenment. This is a state that one can experience directly in meditation, sometimes in prayer, and some forms of contemplation.

A transcendent state of consciousness is also referred to as a witnessing state of consciousness, in which consciousness is aware of itself as a separate yet, an integrated state of the self. It can be described as consciousness being conscious or aware of itself.

The second higher state of consciousness is one of Enlightenment, and is a state which develops in degrees as the transcendent state becomes more and more aware or conscious of itself, or fully realized. Enlightenment is the full realization that being is not limited or bounded by the physical senses alone. It is the direct experience and enlivenment of consciousness within our being.

Enlightenment is the complete fusion of ones conscious mind which experiences the physical "us" part of our being, (the waking, sleeping, dreaming states), with the awareness part of our being that we typically experience as that separate self within.

The duality of the physical state of being and the awareness state of being is fused in a consciousness that is one.

The Vedic states of consciousness, also known as The Seven States of Consciousness made popular by the many Vedantic Gurus from India who have introduced them to the world are probably the most known, in general, states of consciousness.

The first three are the "States of Consciousness all living humans experience. The last four are classified as higher states of consciousness. The three base states and the four higher states make up the Seven States of Consciousness.

They include in order of development:

1. Waking State of Consciousness
2. Sleep State of Consciousness
3. Dream State of Consciousness
4. Transcendental Consciousness
5. Cosmic Consciousness
6. God/Creation Consciousness
7. Unity Consciousness

Albert Einstein:

“A human being is a part of the whole we call the universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us.

Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.

The human mind is not capable of grasping the Universe. We are like a little child entering a huge library. The walls are covered to the ceilings with books in many different tongues. The child knows that someone must have written these books. It does not know who or how. It does not understand the languages in which they are written. But the child notes a definite plan in the arrangement of the books---a mysterious order which it does not comprehend, but only dimly suspects.

The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honours the servant and has forgotten the gift.”

Buddha:

"All that we are is a result of what we have thought. The mind is everything. What we think we become.

If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole life would change There is one thing that, when cultivated and regularly practiced, leads to deep spiritual intention, to peace, to mindfulness and clear comprehension, to vision and knowledge, to a happy life here and now, and to the culmination of wisdom and awakening.

And what is that one thing? It is mindfulness centred on the body"