The Primacy of Consciousness

The very basis, the fundamental ground of being human is surely that we are conscious beings, we are aware first and foremost. Of what, of who, in what way or why we are aware, awake and present is, I would suggest, a secondary fact to the primacy of our own consciousness. In any question or enquiry it seems impossible to negate or relegate this issue to the background, infact it is probably at the least not very self-reflexive (quite literally) and foolhardy if not down right dangerous. Infact it seems that the question of what consciousness is should be at the forefront of any enquiry into what it means to be human and how we relate to the world around us. To deny or forget the ground of human consciousness within which these questions arise is to forget the fundamental space in which we experience reality.

The question of consciousness, what it is, what it’s nature & qualities are, and what relationship it has to the objects of consciousness, are the key questions to address if human knowledge is to proceed on a solid and stable ground? This line of enquiry is of course just another way of addressing that most basic and fundamental of human questions, what am I? A question as old as the hills, or probably more correctly, as old as humans, and one at the forefront of any development in knowledge.

Whether and how this question can be answered are of course key issues and I would like to suggest several key ideas, states and methods to explore this question.

The main premise is that consciousness is the fundamental ground to any experience of ‘reality’, and although in essence entirely beyond a quantifiable linguistic description, it’s nature is best described as primarily field like, infinite, nondual and both immanent and transcendent of any content. And that these being fundamental qualities of consciousness are therefore also the fundamental qualities of human experience and have very real implications in how we relate as humans with ‘life’.

This premise does not in any way to deny or negate the apparent distinctions or divisions in perception, thought and feeling but it acknowledges their proper place within and as an aspect of consciousness.

Fundamentally the content of consciousness is undivided from this ground or field of consciousness, and any sensation, feeling or thought of a separation in one’s own field of awareness is just that a sensation, feeling or thought of separation and not infact a real division in consciousness.

I would also argue that the way to know this is primarily through a state of nondual consciousness. An experiential knowledge of the field-like, nondual nature of consciousness and that the aim of any real development in knowledge should incorporate this form of perception rather than just a dualistic perception of reality. My proposal is that this form of perception (which I suggest is infact a more valid form of perception) should be applied to all questions about the nature of reality, whether it is in the physical or social sciences, culture or politics. I will suggest that this form of knowledge radically transforms our actions and ideas about the world and that if applied on a more global scale could and does bring about a better and more effective society.