Ancient wisdom meets modern science
Theme of the book by Tony Nader, Consciousness Is All There Is Hay House. Kindle-Version.(August 2024)
The singularity that is Consciousness is nonphysical and nonmaterial. It is not a thing, nor is it composed of things; when considered from the material viewpoint, it is nothingness. But, as Consciousness, it is a self-aware, self-referral existence. It is not limited by any concept of space or time, and it cannot go anywhere, nor can it be the source of anything outside itself because there is nothing outside it. This Consciousness is absolute, non-changing, without beginning or end. If considered in terms of space and time, it is unbounded in space — infinite — and unbounded in time — eternal. By virtue of its nature as no-thing, it is beyond qualification and quantification. We cannot measure it — it is beyond beginning and end.
As just highlighted, in the virtual realm of pure Consciousness, no time or space is involved. All is instantaneous, and the processes of the analysis, outward journey and the synthesis, inward journey are simultaneous, canceling or balancing each other. For every A, there is an equal but opposite non-A, and all As and non-As are simultaneous. All cancel or balance each other, resulting in nothing. Space and time do not yet exist, all possibilities are virtual, and nothing has manifested: this is the realm of the unmanifest.
(S.152)
Consciousness looking at itself in a primordial way is unbounded Being. But because Consciousness is the field of all possibilities, it could be less than unbounded Being: it could be any pattern between zero and infinity. All possible patterns of observers, processes, and objects are inherent within the internal dynamics of the unbounded field of pure Consciousness interacting with itself. It is a perpetual journey from here to here, a beginningless and endless swinging from infinity to a point and from point to infinity while incorporating everything in between. And what is in between? Infinite ways for Consciousness to look at itself.
(S.153)
This field of all possibilities contains within it everything that has ever existed or will or could exist, everything that can be imagined and everything even beyond imagining. Yet it is unified, nondual, peaceful, and impersonal.
(S.175)
Both the impersonal and personal Absolute are in this unmanifest realm.
(S.187)
In this perfect orderliness, at infinite speed, all cancels out and nothing emerges. To know its own parts on their levels, it slows down its speed of attention and “squeezes itself ” in every part, hiding its infinite nature and giving freedom for each part to be independent. This is manifestation.
(S.230)
Consciousness seeing the entire first bit Consciousness seeing itself as an observer Consciousness seeing itself as the process inherent in seeing itself Consciousness seeing itself as an object Simultaneous with the arising of these four bits, three faculties of cognition emerge within Consciousness: ego, by which it is aware of the unique identities of each of its three roles; intellect, by which it discriminates the differences among those three roles; and mind, by which it observes its totality and moves among its different perspectives.
(S.239-240)
The impersonal Absolute floats eternally in bliss and total perfection; nothing ever changes for it. All is just one grand field of pure Being. The personal Absolute, with its discriminating quality, sees all and feels all. Joys and pains, hopes and fears, expansions and contractions are all within its own Being. All that suffers and all that rejoices, all that is born and all that dies, all occurs within the unbounded sea of Consciousness. Yet, Consciousness itself never loses its equanimity because in its absolute Being all adds up to the same unbounded bliss.
(S.392)
The idea that Consciousness is the essence of all that exists is not new. Neither is the timeless source of this vision: the experience that Consciousness is primary. In every human era and every culture around the globe, we find descriptions of this exalted experience. Perhaps its most thorough and systematic expression is the philosophy of Advaita Vedanta from India’s Vedic tradition. Accounts of the experience are also found in the Kabbalah, Sufism, the writings of many Christian mystics, and the classical texts of Christianity. Though the understanding of how to directly access this deepest level of awareness can get lost over the long lapse of time, the experience is central to the original teachings of Taoism, Buddhism, Judaism, Islam, and many other spiritual traditions. The fact that Consciousness has been described throughout time as a singular, unified field lends further credence to the Consciousness paradigm. Our ability to be conscious is the most important aspect of our lives. Discovering, exploring, and developing consciousness is the greatest adventure of our scientific age, or any age. (pp XXIV - XXV )
Tony Nader's book presents the traditional Vedanta philosophy in the terminology developed by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in the 20th century.
This is shown by the following quotes selected by Detlef Eichler, Purusha,
from Nader, Tony. Consciousness Is All There Is: How Understanding and Experiencing Consciousness Will Transform Your Life (English Edition). Hay House. Kindle-Version.The singularity that is Consciousness is nonphysical and nonmaterial. It is not a thing, nor is it composed of things; when considered from the material viewpoint, it is nothingness. But, as Consciousness, it is a self-aware, self-referral existence. It is not limited by any concept of space or time, and it cannot go anywhere, nor can it be the source of anything outside itself because there is nothing outside it. This Consciousness is absolute, non-changing, without beginning or end. If considered in terms of space and time, it is unbounded in space — infinite — and unbounded in time — eternal. By virtue of its nature as no-thing, it is beyond qualification and quantification. We cannot measure it — it is beyond beginning and end.
(S.107-108)
Ultimate Consciousness is the one unbounded ocean of Consciousness. Its salient characteristics are oneness and absolute, nonchanging, unmanifest existence. This is the impersonal Absolute.
(S.150)
The primordial intellect simultaneously sees all differences within singularity. This adds a personal aspect to the impersonal Absolute. This personal aspect of the unmanifest Consciousness thus sees each as different from the other. It sees all possible ways of being an observer, ranging from one all-knowing, holistic perspective to a multitude of limited perspectives and ending in a conceptual nothingness — no consciousness at all.
(S.150-151)
Whether we consider the oneness of the impersonal Absolute or the personal Absolute with infinite aspects and modes of being conscious,
(S.151)
Going from the broadest perspectives to the most limited perspectives and ending in nothingness, we find a cascade of increasingly specific and narrower perspectives that reveal the “parts” of wholeness. Although all is simultaneous in the unmanifest, we can imagine Consciousness shifting its attention in different modes, moving from wholeness to parts. I call this process the outward, forward, or analysis journey. The reverse journey can take place with the parts coming together to create larger and larger collectives right up to the ultimate singularity or wholeness of pure Consciousness. This I call the inward, return, or synthesis journey. These two theoretical journeys in the unmanifest — synthesis and analysis — have implications for the dynamics underlying manifestation. But in the unmanifest they are simultaneous. For every analysis step there is an equal and opposite synthesis step keeping the unbounded ocean of Consciousness infinitely silent while virtually and infinitely dynamic.
(S.152)
Ultimate Consciousness is the one unbounded ocean of Consciousness. Its salient characteristics are oneness and absolute, nonchanging, unmanifest existence. This is the impersonal Absolute.
(S.150)
The primordial intellect simultaneously sees all differences within singularity. This adds a personal aspect to the impersonal Absolute. This personal aspect of the unmanifest Consciousness thus sees each as different from the other. It sees all possible ways of being an observer, ranging from one all-knowing, holistic perspective to a multitude of limited perspectives and ending in a conceptual nothingness — no consciousness at all.
(S.150-151)
Whether we consider the oneness of the impersonal Absolute or the personal Absolute with infinite aspects and modes of being conscious,
(S.151)
Going from the broadest perspectives to the most limited perspectives and ending in nothingness, we find a cascade of increasingly specific and narrower perspectives that reveal the “parts” of wholeness. Although all is simultaneous in the unmanifest, we can imagine Consciousness shifting its attention in different modes, moving from wholeness to parts. I call this process the outward, forward, or analysis journey. The reverse journey can take place with the parts coming together to create larger and larger collectives right up to the ultimate singularity or wholeness of pure Consciousness. This I call the inward, return, or synthesis journey. These two theoretical journeys in the unmanifest — synthesis and analysis — have implications for the dynamics underlying manifestation. But in the unmanifest they are simultaneous. For every analysis step there is an equal and opposite synthesis step keeping the unbounded ocean of Consciousness infinitely silent while virtually and infinitely dynamic.
(S.152)
As just highlighted, in the virtual realm of pure Consciousness, no time or space is involved. All is instantaneous, and the processes of the analysis, outward journey and the synthesis, inward journey are simultaneous, canceling or balancing each other. For every A, there is an equal but opposite non-A, and all As and non-As are simultaneous. All cancel or balance each other, resulting in nothing. Space and time do not yet exist, all possibilities are virtual, and nothing has manifested: this is the realm of the unmanifest.
(S.152)
Consciousness looking at itself in a primordial way is unbounded Being. But because Consciousness is the field of all possibilities, it could be less than unbounded Being: it could be any pattern between zero and infinity. All possible patterns of observers, processes, and objects are inherent within the internal dynamics of the unbounded field of pure Consciousness interacting with itself. It is a perpetual journey from here to here, a beginningless and endless swinging from infinity to a point and from point to infinity while incorporating everything in between. And what is in between? Infinite ways for Consciousness to look at itself.
(S.153)
This field of all possibilities contains within it everything that has ever existed or will or could exist, everything that can be imagined and everything even beyond imagining. Yet it is unified, nondual, peaceful, and impersonal.
(S.175)
Both the impersonal and personal Absolute are in this unmanifest realm.
(S.187)
In this perfect orderliness, at infinite speed, all cancels out and nothing emerges. To know its own parts on their levels, it slows down its speed of attention and “squeezes itself ” in every part, hiding its infinite nature and giving freedom for each part to be independent. This is manifestation.
(S.230)
Consciousness seeing the entire first bit Consciousness seeing itself as an observer Consciousness seeing itself as the process inherent in seeing itself Consciousness seeing itself as an object Simultaneous with the arising of these four bits, three faculties of cognition emerge within Consciousness: ego, by which it is aware of the unique identities of each of its three roles; intellect, by which it discriminates the differences among those three roles; and mind, by which it observes its totality and moves among its different perspectives.
(S.239-240)
The impersonal Absolute floats eternally in bliss and total perfection; nothing ever changes for it. All is just one grand field of pure Being. The personal Absolute, with its discriminating quality, sees all and feels all. Joys and pains, hopes and fears, expansions and contractions are all within its own Being. All that suffers and all that rejoices, all that is born and all that dies, all occurs within the unbounded sea of Consciousness. Yet, Consciousness itself never loses its equanimity because in its absolute Being all adds up to the same unbounded bliss.
(S.392)