Consciousness, the nature of self awareness and the world around us, is a topic that has intrigued both spiritual and scientific communities for a long time. While there are various explanations for consciousness, let’s explore Buddha’s perspective, which offers a different approach.
According to Buddha, consciousness is the essence of our true self, but it is often overwhelmed and clouded by our thoughts which cause suffering among mankind.
According to this perspective, thoughts are the source of all our problems. We perceive these problems through our senses (sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and touches), which are represented as three metaphorical mice within us. These mice have control over our true selves giving us endless mental pain.
Buddha didn’t stop at highlighting this problem; he also provided a solution to defeat these mice through the practice of mindfulness meditation. Once our true self is liberated from the captivity of our
thoughts, positive qualities such as unconditional love, non-judgment, forgiveness, and humbleness naturally emerge without much effort. Overcoming the mice from within is the first step, which
sets off a chain reaction, causing problems arising from thoughts to crumble like a house of cards.
Buddha’s wisdom lies in redirecting our attention from defining consciousness to the liberation of consciousness from the captivity of our thoughts. By doing so, we can create a significant change in humanity.
In conclusion, rather than pondering what consciousness is, we should focus on how we can free our consciousness from the grip of our own thoughts. This shift in perspective can bring about a profound transformation in ourselves and in the world around us.