Consciousness and the Self Part IV

Levels of Consciousness

Macro and Micro Consciousness: Unified Theory of Knowledge

The modern dilemma in physics is the “unified field theory” or the “theory of everything,” a theory tying together all known phenomena to explain the nature and behavior of all matter and energy in existence.

In physics, a field refers to an area under the influence of some force, such as gravity or electricity, for example. A unified field theory would reconcile seemingly incompatible aspects of various field theories to create a single comprehensive set of equations. Such a theory could potentially unlock all the secrets of nature and make a myriad of wonders possible, including such benefits as time travel and an inexhaustible source of clean energy, among many others.

According to Michio Katu, a theoretical physicist at City College, City University of New York, those in pursuit of a unified field theory seek "an equation an inch long that would allow us to read the mind of God."

The theory of relativity explains the behavior of phenomena on the macroscopic level, on the level of planetary events; quantum theory on the other hand, explains the behavior of phenomena on the microscopic level, on the atomic and subatomic level. Perplexingly, however, for reasons we haven’t time to fully explore here, the two theories are incompatible. 

In short the theories that explain the effect of gravity on time, black holes, and the speed of light are incompatible with the theories that explain the laws governing the movement of subatomic objects.

One might think that the same laws would apply both to subatomic as well as cosmic events. After all, laws are laws. In a perfect world, the microcosm should be governed by the same laws as the macrocosm.

Leaving aside the quandaries of physics for the quiddities of metaphysics, one would think that there exists a “unified field theory of consciousness.” But if the mechanism governing the movements of material objects is so difficult to understand at the macro and micro level, discovering the exact mechanism or software behind the engineering of the metaphysical universe presents an even greater problem.

This problem is known as ontology at the level of individual consciousness and cosmology at the level of universal consciousness. Ontology is the study of being: it may include personal spiritual existence as well as the existence of a superior or supreme being. Cosmology involves the study of how our universe came into existence and how to properly describe it. Really they are two sides of the same coin in the sense that we are looking at the same problem from two ends: macro-existence and micro-existence.

So that a theory of consciousness, or how consciousness informs the universe, might begin with the creation of matter on a cosmic level; but it might also begin with a study of how mind influences matter on the human, personal level.

It is difficult for me to conceive of how a singularity of consciousness may have created the infinite expansion of the cosmos. It may be easier for me to see the development of consciousness within an individual human life.

And so it is possible to speak of “levels of consciousness” both at the micro and macro levels. When we speak of “levels of consciousness” at the macro or cosmic level we are touching on the Upanishadic or Vedic version of what Carl Jung called “Collective Unconscious.” At the “micro” or personal level we begin to enter into an understanding of spiritual psychology.

The re-iteration of a cliché makes it appear trite, a truism that has lost meaning through repetition. A film by Charlie Chaplin or Buster Keaton appears primitive to us, since we have seen the gags they invented repeated thousands and thousands of times in movies and TV commercials. We have seen the cliché so oft repeated that when we see the original, it seems trite. And yet Chaplin and Keaton were geniuses precisely for having invented the form and content of cinema. 

In the same way, the aphorisms of the Vedas and Upanishads may sometimes seem “trite” or clichéd to us, now that they have been re-packaged millions of times in the form of religious dogma, textbook psychology, and even facebook slogans. And yet, it is important to remember that these ideas originated with seers who dedicated their lives to introspection and who discovered these truths. 

According to the seers themselves this wisdom was revealed to them through a divine process. And we have good reason to believe that they were gifted with a certain form of divine intelligence, one that allowed them a higher degree of perception into levels of consciousness.

Lately it is popular in educational circles to speak of “multiple intelligences.” Psychologist Howard Gardner has identified seven.

This theory has emerged from recent cognitive research and "documents the extent to which humans possess different kinds of minds and therefore learn, remember, perform, and understand in different ways," according to Gardner (1991). According to this theory, "we are all able to know the world through language, logical-mathematical analysis, spatial representation, musical thinking, the use of the body to solve problems or to make things, an understanding of other individuals, and an understanding of ourselves. Where individuals differ is in the strength of these intelligences - the so-called profile of intelligences -and in the ways in which such intelligences are invoked and combined to carry out different tasks, solve diverse problems, and progress in various domains."

As an example of perfection in these different intelligences, we might say that a chess-master or a brilliant artist Picasso would be expert in Visual-Spatial intelligence, an Olympic gymnast of Bodily-Kinesthetic, a Mozart of Musical-Audio intelligence. We could say that a leader like Alexander might be an example of Interpersonal intellence, a Shakespeare or Cervantes in linguistic intelligence, and an Einstein in mathematical intelligence.

But the genius of interpersonal intelligence would be discovered in a person like Freud who probed his own mind and the mind of others; or in the transcendental person of a Jesus or a Buddha, who probed even more deeply into the nature of eternal truth.

Such were the seers of the Upanishads and the teachers of Vedic reality. They were such profound thinkers that, even though they lacked the technology we enjoy today, they were capable of diving deeply into the most profound of truths.

Its interesting that many of the formulas and theorems taught in mathematics derive from the Greeks who observed the stars thousands of years ago. They had no internet, no google; only their imperfect senses by which to make observations. But thousands of years later we rely on their insight.

In the same way, while our modern technology affords us luxuries unavailable to the ancients, our powers of perception and meditation have been weakened by so much luxury. The insights of the ancients are as clear today as when they were first developed thousands of years ago, and they are just as relevant.

Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung had the luxury of referring to centuries of wisdom when they developed their psychologies. If the psychologies of consciousness developed by yogic thinkers centuries ago seem less scientific by comparison it is only because the latest versions appeal more to our modern life-styles.

Let’s take a look at the idea of “levels of consciousness” then, and see how it may be applied both at the macro and micro levels.

We are obsessed with knowledge and want to know, “If subjective evolution of consciousness is a possibility, how would it work?” We may argue that in a higher sense, these are questions of faith. And yet different philosophers working over thousands of years have considered the problem.

So how does “subjective evolution of consciousness” work at the “macro” level? In other words, “how does consciousness produce matter?” And how does “subjective evolution of consciousness work at the “micro” level? In other words, “how does the individual self evolve?” What are the different “levels of consciousness?” After reading this, you may discard all these ideas as wishful thinking, but at least you have considered them carefully. Perhaps you will benefit by reflecting on the same ideas that occupied the great philosophers of India at the dawn of time.

In either case, “macro” or “micro,” as consciousness enters and influences the world, there must exist a kind of medium, a filter between the divine metaphysical reality and the world of māyā, misconception or illusion.

In “Subjective Evolution of Consciousness,” Śrīdhara Mahārāja says, “Consciousness comes first and then matter. The basis of all things material is consciousness, which is spiritual. Consciousness can contact consciousness directly. When consciousness comes into the stage of matter, material conception, we experience a kind of vague consciousness; first there is hazy consciousness and then material consciousness. ...The soul, coming into material consciousness, must come through some hazy reflection of consciousness, cidābhāsa. Only then can the soul experience material consciousness. What is cidābhāsa? Something like ‘mind.’” [i]

This cidābhāsa  is described by Bhaktivinoda Thakura as an indication of spirit:

Apart from this, in the existence of a human being an indication of spirit (cidabhasa) is found in the form of ego, which pervades the intelligence, mind, and body. From these symptoms a strong feeling of "I" and "mine" has become accepted as part of the human beings existence. This is known as false ego. It is to be understood that knowledge of subjects up to false ego is called material knowledge. Yet false ego, intelligence, mind, and the prowess of the senses are not totally material. In other words, they do not consist entirely of material elements, but their existence is rooted in material elements. In other words, unless they are related with the material elements their existence is incomplete. They are under the shelter of spirit to some extent, because the act of revelation is their very life and material knowledge is the result. From where does this consciousness originate? The soul is pure and the basis of consciousness. It is not easy for a soul to come under the subordination of matter. By the will of the Supreme Lord—certainly for some reason—a pure spirit soul has contacted matter. Although in our conditioned state it is very difficult to investigate the cause, if we consider the lack of happiness in our conditioned state, we can certainly realize that our present condition is a degradation from our original consciousness.[ii]

While we may quibble on the use of “mind” vs. “spirit,” the vocabulary used in English for defining matters of consciousness is vague. For example the distinction between “mind and spirit.” Hegel’s “Phenomology of Geist” has been translated both as Phenomonology of Spirit, and Phenomology of Mind. So sometimes the words “mind” and “spirit” are confused.

Here Śrīdhara Mahārāja himself is making a clear distinction between “mind” and “spirit,” saying in essence that where “matter” is the consequence of “spirit,” “mind” itself acts as a kind of filter between the two.

What then is “mind?” My dictionary gives the following: “the element of a person that enables them to be aware of the world and their experiences, to think, and to feel; the faculty of consciousness and thought.” So here, there is a distinction between “the person” and the “element that enables them to be aware,” or in the language of Śrīdhara Mahārāja, “consciousness” and cidābhasa or “something like mind,” “a filter.”

In terms of the macrocosmic process of the subjective evolution of consciousness from “spirit” to “mind” to matter, in his commentary to Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, (2.2.28)[iii]  Srila Sridhara Svami confirms that a part of the material nature, after being initiated by the Lord, is known as the mahat-tattva. A fractional portion of the mahat-tattva is called the false ego. On the macro level, the intervening filter, then between spirit and mind is called mahat-tattva and the development of false ego. In any case, as highly developed consciousness degrades it becomes covered with different levels of coverings. These are called “koshas” in Sanskrit, of which there are five: annamaya, pranamaya, manomaya, vijñāna-maya and anandamāya.  Just as it is posible for consciousness to degrade through the medium of mind and false ego, it is posible for us to evolve higher to the stage of divine bliss consciousness, as we shall see further.

In Freud’s analysis of the “self,” he talks about “Id, Ego, and Superego,” where Ego is “the part of the psyche that experiences the outside world and reacts to it, coming between the primitive drives of the id and the demands of the social environment, represented by the superego,” “Id” is “the part of the mind in which innate instinctive impulses and primary processes are manifest,” and “Super-ego” is “the ethical component of the personality and provides the moral standards by which the ego operates. The superego's criticisms, prohibitions, and inhibitions form a person's conscience, and its positive aspirations and ideals represent one's idealized self-image, or “ego ideal.”

In Freudian language, the “Id” has the function of senses and the uncontrolled mind, “Superego,” occupies the role of intelligence and even perhaps paramatma, where Ego seems to play the role of the conscious mind. But Freudian analysis employs its own technical language and we are merely touching on the superficial and popular understanding of his contribution.

More interesting to us is the analysis of levels of consciousness found in the Upanishadic and Yogic texts.

Yoga philosophy teaches that the mind is pure consciousness which has been filtered through a false conception of ego and mind and as a consequence of that filtering process there is the creation of five different layers of consciousness:

These are known as annamaya, pranamaya, manomaya, vijnanamaya, and anandamaya koshas, or coverings.

The division of the mind into five layers is similar to the structure of an onion – as one layer is peeled away the next layer is revealed until one reaches the innermost layer. The outermost layer of this perverted consciousness is the physical body itself. This physical body is formed from the food we eat and this level of “bodily” consciousness is   known in Sanskrit as annamaya, which means also “food consciousness.”

The next level of consciousness is called prānamaya and corresponds to Freud’s “Id.” Just as with Freud’s Id, the prānamaya state functions during our normal waking awareness. In this state, the mind and senses engage with the external world and react to stimulus. This may also be called the “conscious mind”.

When we pass by a bakery, smell the fresh bread, see a batch of cookies and want them, buy them and eat them, all these are operations that fall within the state of consciousness called the prānamaya which may be translated as “life-air” consciousness or “survival” consciousness.

Going further into the mind we find another layer known as the manomaya level which is also known as the subtle mind. This is the layer which governs memory. All memory is stored here, and we can recall a previous experience due to the capacity of this layer. In addition the mind’s ability to process and use previously acquired data also depends on this layer.

An example of its operation is found in a university student who reads many books in preparation for an examination. At the time of the examination there may be one or two questions and it is the manomaya level of consciousness which recollects the diverse facts from all the books and helps to synthesize them into a coherent response.

The manomaya may correspond in psychology to what Freud and Jung called “the subconscious mind”. The subconscious mind is active during sleep while the conscious mind (pranamaya) is inactive. Dreams take place in this layer. A further function of the manomaya is that pleasure and pain are experienced here.

Above the manomaya or  “mental platform” stage of consciousness is the vijñāna plane where one may actually become conscious of spiritual reality. And above this is the anandamaya plane where one exeriences spiritual ecstasy. This is defined as the highest stage in the evolution of consciousness.

Śrīla Prabhupāda has discussed the topic of these five levels of consciousness in his Krishna Book[iv] as follows:

“Within the body there are five different departments of existence, known as anna-maya, prana-maya, mano-maya, vijnana-maya, and at last, ananda-maya. In the beginning of life, every living entity is food conscious. A child or an animal is satisfied only by getting nice food. This stage of consciousness, in which the goal is to eat sumptuously, is called anna-maya. Anna means "food." After this one lives in theconsciousness of being alive. If one can continue his life without being attacked or destroyed, one thinks himself happy.

This stage is called prana-maya, or consciousness of one's existence. After this stage, when one is situated on the mental platform, his consciousness is called mano-maya. The materialistic civilization is primarily situated in these three stages, anna-maya, prana-maya, and mano-maya.

The first concern of civilized persons is economic development, the next concern is defense against being annihilated, and the next consciousness is mental speculation, the philosophical approach to the values of life. If by the evolutionary process of philosophical life one happens to reach the platform of intellectual life and understands that he is not this material body but a spiritual soul, he is situated in the vijnana-maya stage.

Then, by evolution in spiritual life, he comes to the understanding of the Supreme Lord, or the Supreme Soul. When one develops his relationship with Him and executes devotional service, that stage of life is called Krishna consciousness, the ananda-maya stage. Ananda-maya is the blissful life of knowledge and eternity. As it is said in the Vedanta-sutra, ananda-mayo ’bhyasat.

The Supreme Brahman and the subordinate Brahman, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the living entities, are both joyful by nature. As long as the living entities are situated in the lower four stages of life—anna-maya, prana-maya, mano-maya, and vijnana-maya—they are considered to be in the material condition of life, but as soon as one reaches the stage of ananda-maya, he is a liberated soul.

This ananda-maya stage is explained in the Bhagavad-gita as the brahma-bhuta stage. There it is said that in the brahma-bhuta stage of life there is no anxiety and no hankering. This stage begins when one is equally disposed toward all living entities, and it then expands to the stage of Krishna consciousness, in which one always hankers to render service unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

This hankering for advancement in devotional service is not the same as hankering for sense gratification in material existence. In other words, hankering remains in spiritual life, but it becomes purified. Similarly, when our senses are purified, they are freed from all material stages, namely anna-maya, prana-maya, mano-maya, and vijnana-maya, and they become situated in the highest stage—ananda-maya, or blissful life in Krishna consciousness.

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[i] (Subjective Evolution of Consciousness, By Bhakti Rakshak Shridhar Guardian of Devotion Press, 1989 P. 2)

[ii] Bhaktivinoda Thakura, Krishna-Samhita, translated by Kushakratha p. 99.

[iii] ततो विशेषं प्रतिपद्य निर्भयस्तेनात्मनापोऽनलमूर्तिरत्वरन् ।

ज्योतिर्मयो वायुमुपेत्य काले वाय्वात्मना खं बृहदात्मलिङ्गम् ॥२८॥

tato viśeṣaḿ pratipadya nirbhayas

tenātmanāpo 'nala-mūrtir atvaran

jyotirmayo vāyum upetya kāle

vāyv-ātmanā khaḿ bṛhad ātma-lińgam

[iv] http://btg.krishna.com/stages-consciousness