THE GREATEST MYSTERY OF ALL
The phenomenon of consciousness is fundamental to our existence, yet it remains the most profound mystery we can imagine.
Down through the ages generations of scientists, philosophers, mystics and artists have searched for a deeper understanding of consciousness and the true nature of reality, whether through scientific research, reasoning, creative exploration or introspection.
Western biologists and neuroscientists have studied the brain down to the atomic level, but so far an enduring theory of consciousness that combines the physical with the phenomenological remains tantalizingly elusive. Philosopher David Chalmers has called this the "hard problem" of consciousness.
The early 20th century pioneers of quantum physics such as Max Planck, Niels Bohr and Erwin Shrödinger speculated that consciousness is a fundamental property of the universe, that consciousness may be all there is, and the mind/matter divide is an illusion - albeit a compelling one - something that even Einstein alluded to.
For centuries the Eastern contemplative traditions utilized the mind as an instrument of exploration, refining practices such as meditation and yoga to discover what has been called our true inner nature.
Perhaps we will never fully comprehend what consciousness is or how it arises in the universe, what makes us self aware in this very moment. But the quest to know itself remains irresistible to the inquiring human mind!
Down through the ages generations of scientists, philosophers, mystics and artists have searched for a deeper understanding of consciousness and the true nature of reality, whether through scientific research, reasoning, creative exploration or introspection.
Western biologists and neuroscientists have studied the brain down to the atomic level, but so far an enduring theory of consciousness that combines the physical with the phenomenological remains tantalizingly elusive. Philosopher David Chalmers has called this the "hard problem" of consciousness.
The early 20th century pioneers of quantum physics such as Max Planck, Niels Bohr and Erwin Shrödinger speculated that consciousness is a fundamental property of the universe, that consciousness may be all there is, and the mind/matter divide is an illusion - albeit a compelling one - something that even Einstein alluded to.
For centuries the Eastern contemplative traditions utilized the mind as an instrument of exploration, refining practices such as meditation and yoga to discover what has been called our true inner nature.
Perhaps we will never fully comprehend what consciousness is or how it arises in the universe, what makes us self aware in this very moment. But the quest to know itself remains irresistible to the inquiring human mind!