In Search of Consciousness

The term "consciousness" is common, yet highly elusive. Typically, it refers to awareness-whether mental, physical, or sensory. In the Western world, consciousness has been the subject of scientific inquiry, often viewed through the lens of the mind-brain-sense relationship. The concept of the Stream of Consciousness sparked a revolution in Western literature over the past two centuries. Some literary practitioners have treated consciousness as a purely mental or intellectual property of humans. However, true consciousness is not confined to the brain, memory, or any other part of the being, although these are all components of it. What has been understood as the stream of consciousness is only a part of the whole.

Consciousness is neither born nor does it die. It is involved in the whole universe-existing in every atom, in every cell of the body, from the inconscient to the conscient, from the smallest particle to the supreme. Every being evolves with each birth. The evolution of consciousness is the true form of evolution-a continuous process.

This book explores the origin of human consciousness, rooted in Chit (the Sanskrit term for pure consciousness). Every movement, in both the animate and inanimate worlds, is an expression of consciousness. Ancient Indian wisdom, as evidenced by the lives and realizations of the great Rishis, has long testified to this truth. The book delves into different aspects of consciousness, such as Levels of Consciousness, Collective Consciousness, Perfect Consciousness, and consciousness in inanimate objects, each of which is addressed in separate chapters.