Section 3: Human Consciousness (TCE 17 - 18)

Section 3: Human Consciousness

TCE 17.         What is special about human consciousness over other life-forms?

Humans possess advanced capabilities of consciousness, physiologically expressed in the brain, spine, and the nervous system, that other lifeforms lack.

Figure 2: Human Mind's Four Aspects

While the consciousness (also referred as “mind” in humans, commonly) is holistic and cannot be divided into parts, the following classification of four inter-related aspects, indicated in the brackets, with five functions that help us to understand the balancing process involved in the Self-Governance (see Figure 2 for a simple illustration):

1.      Thinking, abstract reasoning, discriminating intellect (Thought)[1]

2.      Feeling, sentience, conscientious (Feeling)

3.      Powering outer interactions, via senses/movements & memory (Power)

W.   Powering the choice or decision-making, switching, or willing that triggers inner movements (see more about this “Inner Will” in TCE 25)

4.      Experiencing, identifying or ego, sense of owning, intuition (Bliss)

In human beings, the advanced capabilities in consciousness such as abstract reasoning, discriminating between true or false, intuitive feeling, completely free choice-making power (free-will), ownership in controlling external resources to the extent possible, control the inner will power, and experiencing the most refined form of unlimited Bliss are uniquely special in humans among the life-forms. These equip human beings with the possibilities for endless creativity, self-discovery, and potential to reach the target by self-becoming, in a faster-paced evolution than lower lifeforms.

TCE 18.         Is there a distinction between human consciousness and the mind?

Although both are interchangeably used, there is a difference between consciousness and mind in humans. The consciousness is associated with respect to one’s experience whereas the mind is associated when effort or action is referenced.

For understanding the difference, the following visualization helps: Consider the four aspects of the Consciousness (Thought, Feeling, Power, and Bliss, as seen in TCE 17) as four intersecting funnels, with 3 three funnels surrounding the central funnel. These funnels are expanding on both of their top and bottom sides with no ends.

Due to the limitation of the drawings that can be shown on a two-dimension (2-D) paper, two views are used to depict this visualization. The Plan view (see Figure 3) that shows all the four Consciousness aspects but it lacks the height or depth to depict the upward or downward movement. To complement, the other Elevation View (see Figure 4) has the height part but it can only show 3 out of 4 aspects (in Figure 4, the Power aspect is “not shown”, as indicated).

The field of consciousness within the differentiated Creation is graded in three Bands[2]: Elevating (the closest to the center), Activating (mid-range), and Inertiating (the farthest from the center). Here in Figure 4, these bands are shown, while these are in Plan View, as concentric circles in later pictures (See Figure 8 & Figure 13).

Figure 3: Top View or Plan of the Consciousness

Figure 4: Front View or Elevation of the Consciousness

Consider the individual Human Mind (specifically, Individualized Consciousness Energy Map or ICEM, as shown in Figure 10: Creation Mechanism) within this entire field of Consciousness as 4 floating helium balloons, with 3 outer helium balloons (Thought, Feeling, Power) tethered with an inner balloon (Ego/Bliss). See Figure 5. The human mind’s each of three outer aspects (outer balloon) has a weight that is determined by three “Balance-Affecting Factors” (BAF): Scope of ego (degree of selfishness), Darkness (degree of error or misusage), and Attachment.

Figure 5: Human mind representations in both views

These Balance-Affecting Factors (BAFs) together are shown as triple layered circles, in each outer aspect (T, P, or F). Each BAF circle is graded and weighted and shown in pictures with different sizes, thickness, and line shapes. While there can be innumerous number of weights possible in human beings, for the sake of simplicity but still useful for self-analysis to depict the direction of increase or decrease, three grades are given for each of the BAF (see Figure 6) and depending on the combination of factors’ grade, the balloon’s overall weight is determined.

Figure 6: Balance Affecting Factors (BAF)

The weights of the TPF aspects change over time based on the actions one takes, based on the circumstances presented by one’s own Self-governance. The more weight and/or disparity between the aspects, the worse off the balance. The broader, the thinner, or the milder the BAFs, they will reduce the weight in the aspects and have them move towards the center will help achieve balance. The contrary movements will add more weight in the aspect and imbalance between them. Various movements and their impacts on the BAFs will be discussed after Self-Governance (See TCE 22).

The ordinary human mind is not in a balanced state unless one is consciously able to balance it. The balancing is possible only when the overall weights of all three aspects are the least. In the cases where weights are heavier, they cannot balance due to constant flux or debilitating effects of the heavy factors. The inner balloon’s weight is reflective of the three outer balloons weight and it is not typically operated unless one is able to harness the inner will-power, using the techniques discussed in Section 6: Quickening Evolution.

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[1] In Vedanta, Buddhi is equivalent to Thought aspect, Chitta to Feeling aspect, Manas to (Sensory) Power aspect, and Ahamkar to Ego/Bliss aspect.

[2] Gunas in Sankhya: Sattva – Elevating, Rajas – Activating, Tamas – Inertiating.