What is "Consciousness"?

In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful...the Best Knower.

Salaam (Peace) to all.

The word conscious-ness comes from two Latin roots, Con-, Com-(with, together with) + -scire(to know). So then the literal definition, or root meaning, of "consciousness" would be "the state of knowing or being aware".

Despite all appearances, we are all individual manifestations of ONE All-Encompassing INTELLIGENT Reality...which is called by many Names by many people. This ONE REALITY, or "DIVINE INTELLIGENCE", when it passes through a "material" conductor, experiences "Consciousness"; much like a copper wire develops an electro-magnetic field around it when Electricity passes through it.

One of the reasons that most of us do not see this is because we have been conditioned to perceive reality based on the physical senses, instead of perceiving reality from the True Self, the "I"...or, the Third "Eye".

The more ignorant we are, the more we cling to the illusion of individuality, and so never really experience true Consciousness.

The less ignorant we are, the less we cling to such illusion, knowing that "whatever I can observe, I am not that...therefore I cannot be my flesh nor even my thoughts, for I can observe them." If this is true for "me", then it is true for every other human being on this planet. And since we all share the common impulse to SURVIVE, then we must also share a common Essence...the "I"...the True Self...the One True Reality.

We are that "I AM".

The Quest for Self-Realization (Consciousness) is a most worthy one.

RM