The main question concerning consciousness is this:
Is consciousness a product of the brain, or does consciousness manifest through the brain?
The theories range from sustaining, at one end of the spectrum, that consciousness is the ultimate reality and matter only a relative reality, to the assertion, at the opposite end of the spectrum, that consciousness ultimately does not exist, it is only an epiphenomenon of the brain.
Let us look at the first theory: consciousness is the ultimate reality, matter arises out of consciousness.
Think of this: all that you experience as your body is perception, which is a function of the mind. Your experience of your body is in your mind. The same is valid for all aspects in your life: your work, relationships, travels, books you read, movies you see – you experience them all through your mind. On top of it, your perception is coloured by your preferences, beliefs and needs, which are too aspects of your mind. Mind is clearly paramount and defines you. What matter is for you, is dictated by your mind.
Yet, if matter has only a relative reality, does it mean that galaxies, the Earth with its oceans and forests, and us humans with our civilisations are only relatively real? That ultimately, everything is only consciousness?
To complicate matters more, modern physics itself, the fundamental science of matter, has discovered that the ultimate physical reality consists not of material particles, however tiny, but of fields of energy….that after all, there is no matter……
There are theories about how matter emerges from consciousness. Some are extremely sophisticated, as found in ancient Indian and Chinese scriptures. But it is still a mystery.
Let us look at the other theory: ultimate reality is made of matter. This is the materialistic worldview, which has become dominant in Europe.
Developments in neuroscience, the mapping of brain area’s, neuronal pathways and neurotransmitters have stirred up the expectation that consciousness can be explained as a product of the brain. The fact that specific brain injuries can destroy memory and the capacity to use language, points to the paramount role of the brain for the functioning of our mind and the maintenance of our identity.
Yet, until now, neuroscience cannot really explain how does the brain produce consciousness. To make matters worse, there are phenomena which neurobiology cannot explain at all: near death experiences, other non-ordinary expanded states of consciousness, memories from previous lives verified by research, the why and how of creative outbursts, and last but not least: the transformation of a person through insights, as they occur in psychotherapy.
Consciousness continues to be a mystery. Ponder about this: Who are you? Are you your body? Or do you have a body? Are you your brain?
Do you love your spouse, your family, your friends, your cat or parrot because your brain tells you so? Or are you consciousness manifesting through body & brain? Your individual consciousness embedded in a much broader, even infinite and endlessly creative consciousness?
