Our world culture is founded on the assumption that the Big Bang
gave rise to matter, which in time evolved into the world, into
which the body was born, inside which a brain appeared, out of
which consciousness at some late stage developed. As a result of
this "matter model," most of us believe that consciousness is a
property of the body. We feel that it is "I," this body, that knows
or is aware of the world. We believe and feel that the knowing with
which we are aware of our experience is located in and shares the
limits and destiny of the body. This is the fundamental presumption
of mind and matter that underpins almost all our thoughts and
feelings and is expressed in our activities and relationships. The
Nature of Consciousness suggests that the matter model has outlived
its function and is now destroying the very values it once sought
to promote. For many people, the debate as to the ultimate reality
of the universe is an academic one, far removed from the concerns
and demands of everyday life. After all, life happens independently
of our models of it. However, The Nature of Consciousness will
clearly show that the materialist paradigm is a philosophy of
despair and, as such, the root cause of unhappiness in individuals.
It is a philosophy of conflict and, as such, the root cause of
hostilities between families, communities, and nations. Far from
being abstract and philosophical, its implications touch each one
of us directly and intimately. An exploration of the nature of
consciousness has the power to reveal the peace and happiness that
truly lie at the heart of experience. Our experience never ceases
to change, but the knowing element in all experience-consciousness,
or what we call "I"-itself never changes. The knowing with which
all experience is known is always the same knowing. Being the
common, unchanging element in all experience, consciousness does
not share the qualities of any particular experience: it is not
qualified, conditioned, or limited by experience. The knowing with
which a feeling of loneliness or sorrow is known is the same
knowing with which the thought of a friend, the sight of a sunset,
or the taste of ice cream is known. Just as a screen is never
disturbed by the action in a movie, so consciousness is never
disturbed by experience; thus it is inherently peaceful. The peace
that is inherent in us-indeed that is us-is not dependent on the
situations or conditions we find ourselves in. In a series of
essays that draw you, through your own direct experience, into an
exploration of the nature of this knowing element that each of us
calls "I," The Nature of Consciousness posits that consciousness is
the fundamental reality of the apparent duality of mind and matter.
It shows that the overlooking or ignoring of this reality is the
root cause of the existential unhappiness that pervades and
motivates most people's lives, as well as the wider conflicts that
exist between communities and nations. Conversely, the book
suggests that the recognition of the fundamental reality of
consciousness is the first step in the quest for lasting happiness
and the foundation for world peace.
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