The Consciousness.

Universal love transforms within the heart chakra into a state of universal consciousness. To delve deeper into universal consciousness, we must recognize that it arises from the merging of individual consciousness with that of others. Individual consciousness refers to your awareness, shaped by your mental and emotional perceptions, learning, and reasoning, allowing you to fully grasp your identity and circumstances. If we struggle to comprehend our own consciousness, how can we hope to understand universal consciousness? To gain insight into our consciousness, we often turn to practices like meditation, yoga, and concepts such as Brahman and atman. Our difficulty in grasping consciousness stems from an overemphasis on theoretical understanding rather than experiential knowledge. Let’s illustrate this with an example. Imagine you are on vacation in Switzerland, staying at the ABC hotel. The weather is quite chilly, and you find yourself standing beneath a tree. In this moment, what is your consciousness? Your mind recognizes that you are in Switzerland. How does it convey this to you? It gathers information through your senses. Your eyes take in the stunning landscape and identify your hotel, while your skin feels the cold air. You appreciate the beauty of your surroundings, becoming absorbed in nature. Your mind processes this information, leading you to feel emotions and take actions. Initially, it evokes happiness, then prompts you to learn about the cold climate and the beauty of nature. It also encourages you to reason that in such weather, wearing warm clothing is necessary. This awareness extends to your environment, but what is occurring within you? Your mind has the power to evoke happiness. You are fully present and aware of your own state of joy and the environment around you, particularly in Switzerland, with its chilly climate and stunning landscapes.

This illustrates the nature of individual consciousness. When your mind focuses on mental, emotional, and physical awareness that can change, you are caught in illusion or maya. Your sense of happiness and joy will shift if you leave Switzerland, affecting your mental and emotional state. The breathtaking scenery of Switzerland is also subject to change, as trees may grow or die. What you perceive today will inevitably transform tomorrow. This represents physical change. Thus, both your feelings (mental change) and perceptions (physical change) are transient, highlighting the concept of maya or illusion. What you perceive, feel, and understand beyond these changing objects is the unchanging essence known as Brahman. Now, what is universal consciousness? The principle of individual consciousness extends to universal consciousness as well. Instead of just your own consciousness, it encompasses the consciousness of everyone, including you.

However, your ego—your sense of personal identity—hinders this realization. You often view yourself as either superior or inferior to others, which prevents you from seeing beyond individual minds. The ultimate reality exists beyond the mind. Universal consciousness is not about comprehending the thoughts of others; rather, you must transcend the universal mind to grasp Brahman. This Brahman resides within you, within me, and within every living being in the universe. This understanding brings you closer to self-realization.