Section IV
2. Consciousness: Light of the Self
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Mystical and spiritual
teachings equate consciousness most directly with light. The light
of consciousness illuminates the psyche and the activities of the mind/body
complex, allowing awareness of psychological processes within inner experience.
The Self–the spiritual soul–is inherently self-luminous, an element of
pure light consciousness. In this vein, Ramana Maharishi refers to
the “self-luminous Self,” and notes, “I in the heart, it is consciousness.”
Similarly, Swami Prabhupada explains, this “soul is consciousness and conscious.”
The divine spark is a quantum of pure light consciousness at the heart
of being, an element of God-consciousness, the Inner Self.
These themes are found throughout the mystical literature.
Sri Chinmoy explains:
God is an infinite Consciousness. He is also the self-illumining Light.
There is no human being who does not have within him this infinite Consciousness
and this self-illumining Light. ... in the inmost recesses of his heart
is his real ‘I,’ his God. ... In the spiritual life, the thing
that is most needed is the awareness of consciousness. Without it,
everything is a barren desert. ... It is our consciousness that is self-revealing
in everything. (1970, pp. 15, 16 & 19)
Just as we can be aware of things in the outer world,
when light illuminates the objects of perception, so also there is an inner
light source which allows consciousness of the objects of inner experience.
Ouspensky (1957) explains this in a practical way:
It must be clearly understood that consciousness and (psychological)
functions are quite different things. To move, to think, to feel,
to have sensations-these are functions; they can work quite independently
of whether or not we are conscious or not; in other words, they can work
mechanically. To be conscious is something quite different. ... Functions
can be compared to machines working in varying degrees of light.
These machines are such that they are able to work better with light than
in darkness; every moment there is more light the machines work better.
Consciousness is light and machines are functions. (p. 55)
The activities of thinking, feeling and sensation provide the contents
for conscious experience, but do not constitute consciousness itself.
Consciousness is a substantive light principle which inwardly illuminates
these psychological processes. |
A verse of the
ancient Brihadaranyaka Upanishad states:
The self-luminous being who dwells within the lotus of the heart,
surrounded by the senses and sense organs,
and who is the light of the intellect, is that Self.
(Ibid, p.104)
The self-luminous being, the Self, is the light of the intellect, and allows
for awareness of the contents of the mind and the senses. Mystics
relate the Self to the sun and the mind to the moon. The moon has
no light of its own but simply reflects the light of the Sun. Similarly
the mind has no consciousness or light of its own, but reflects the light
originating from the self-luminous element within the lotus of the heart.
The Sufi poet, Rumi, describes the mysteries of
light within the external and inner worlds:
Outward colours arise from the light of sun and stars,
And inward colours from the Light on high.
The light that lights the eye is also the heart’s Light;
The eye’s light proceeds from the Light of the heart.
But the light that lights the heart is the Light of God.
(Whinfield, 1979, p. 23)
The ultimate source of Light–spelled with a capital L–is of God, while
outward colours are described as from light, with a small l.
The heart’s Light is also capitalized, as it originates from the Light
of God. The eyes’ light (with a small l) is reflected light, once
more removed from the Light of the Heart, and of God.
This teaching contrasts sharply with the western
convention of regarding consciousness as not being substantive.
Instead, mystical teachings associate consciousness with a very substantive
light–both supernal (metaphysical) light and natural light. Unfortunately,
as semi-conscious, sleepwalking human beings, we do not typically appreciate
the nature of light, especially the light within. Instead, humans
live in darkness and in ignorance of their true nature. The consciousness
of the Self is pure light, but this is obscured by our typical attachments,
desires, fantasies, suffering and conditioning. To realize the divine
and spiritual Light within ourselves, we must enlighten ourselves by knowing
Self and achieving union with the true Light. The Light of Self is
beyond thought, beyond the mind/body complex, beyond the patterns of conditioning
and attachment to material nature. Mystical self-knowledge, like
spiritual teachings, brings Light into humans’ hearts and minds.
Both ancient and contemporary mystical teachings reflect these themes. |
The equation
of consciousness with light must be understood through self-study and awakening.
Recall Nicoll’s comments, explaining the fourth way psychology:
... what we seek above all things is Light–and Light means consciousness.
We seek to live more consciously and to become more conscious.
We live in darkness owing to lack of light–the light of consciousness–and
we seek in this work light on ourselves. ... And it is very strange
this light. ... In the deep sleep we live in, in the light of the
Kingdom of Heaven, we are all utterly insane and do not know what we are
doing. (1975, pp.35-6)
The individual can learn to live more consciously in the light, less conditioned
by the modes of nature, less attached to mundane thoughts and feelings,
sensations and desires. Humankind lives in outer darkness, hypnotized
by shadows and illusions, and yet paradoxically, the dramas of our lives
are always sustained from within/without by an underlying realm of Ineffable
Light. These profound claims, about the process of awakening and
the nature of consciousness as light, are found throughout the mystical
and esoteric literature.
Unfortunately, scientists consider such ideas to
be only metaphors for poets of the heart and soul, and do not regard them
as posing serious scientific hypotheses. Instead of believing in
a self-luminous divine or spiritual spark within the heart, scientists
imagine that the cerebral cortex manufactures consciousness out of material
processes. |
In the Upanishads, the ancient
esoteric Hindu scriptures, there are numerous references to the light of
the Self and the self-luminous nature of Brahman. Brahman is the
“light
of lights,” the supreme principle embodied within the “bright throne”
of the heart. The Self, the individualized spirit soul, is
described as being self-luminous, and qualitatively of the same stuff as
Brahman, God or the Absolute:
The light that shines above the heavens and above this world, the light
that shines in the highest world, beyond which there are no others–that
is the light that shines in the heart of men. Chandogya
Upanishad (ibid, p. 64)
Unite the light within you with the light of Brahman. Thus will
the source of ignorance be destroyed, and you will rise above karma. ...
The yogi experiences directly the truth of Brahma by realizing the light
of the Self within. He is freed from all impurities–he is pure, the
birthless, the bright. ... He is within all persons as the
Inner Self, facing in all directions. Svetasvatara Upanishad
(ibid, p. 121)
Brahman/God and the Atman/Self are repeatedly associated with light, and
described as self-illuminating. The mystic goal is to “unite the
light within the Self with the light of Brahman.” The yogi realizes
the light of Self–beyond life and death, pain and suffering, beyond the
intellect–as being the Inner Self facing in all directions and rooted into
the heart of being.
In the Bhagavad Gita, a verse
depicts the self luminous nature of the individual Self:
“... as the sun alone illuminates all this universe, so
does the living entity, one within the body, illuminate the entire body
by consciousness.” (13, 34)
Swami Prabhupada’s explains these basic Vedic principles: “... a small
particle of spirit soul, although situated in the heart of this body, is
illuminating the whole body by consciousness. ... consciousness is ...
the symptom of the living entity.” (1972b, p. 659) The individual
soul, the jivatma is qualitatively one with the supreme self, or the Atman.
Thus, the Supersoul and the individual soul, both inhabit the body and
are associated with the heart–as the “sun” of the body. The spirit
soul is self-illuminating and its light is an expression of the infinite
light of That Self, the Supersoul. Consciousness within the body/mind
originates, then, from this self-illuminating entity. |
The quantum Self at the
heart of being is the origin of life and consciousness within the material
body, with light emanating and radiating from a central Sun. The
Self is the self-illuminating Sun of the body, while the mind, like the
moon, reflects this light. Accordingly, mystics claim that the head
brain does not have a light of its own, but simply reflects the light of
the Self originating within the Heart.
Another authority on Yogic and Vedic metaphysical
philosophy, Rammurti Mishra, M. D., explains the distinction between the
nature of “Purusa” (the Self) and “Prakriti” (material nature):
In Samkhya (philosophy), the technical name of Self is Purusa.
Purusa is identical with the Atman of the Upanishads; it is independent
of matter and the material universe. ... Purusa is one side which is purely
subjective, and prakriti is the other side which is purely objective. ...
The very name Purusa means the Principle which uses matter as its bed (puru,
matter + sha, sleeper). ... This material body with its perceptual mechanism
is for the sake of Self. ... Consciousness is not a creation of material
elements because it is characteristically different from them. ... Consolidation
of experience as subjective consciousness is due to the presence of Purusha.
... Purusha is Pure Consciousness, changeless, ever-present behind all
these states. It is the Light by which matter and material objects
are perceived. It is Self-luminous and It illuminates prakriti and
its manifestations (the seen and known).(1973, pp.33-7)
The light of the Self and the greater Self are present within ourselves
as the light of consciousness. The purusa is the source of ‘I,’ whereas
prakriti is the source of the ‘me’– the spiritual as opposed to the material.
The objects of awareness form on the material side, while the subject originates
as as divine light from within the metaphysical dimensions of being.
In this way, the spirit soul is embodied and is said to fall asleep in
matter, conditioned by material nature.
Dr. R. Mishra provides profound depictions of the
dynamics of consciousness:
Knowledge-stuff is illumined by the Principle of Consciousness.
As dust particles shine in light and indicate the path of light although
the real nature of light is unknown, so each particle of knowledge–stuff
carries its own manifestation and awakening in the light of Consciousness.
(1971, p. 37)
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Neurological process in the brain produce varied contents
for conscious experience, but they do not constitute or produce consciousness.
It is the presence of the self-illuminating divine spark within the heart
which allows the contents of the mind to be illuminated, as dust particles
in light. In a state of yoga, or union with the Self, the yogi no
longer identifies with the thought waves (vritti) of the mind, and instead
experiences the Atman or Self shining forth in its true nature as pure
consciousness and supernal light.
In part, the light of Self is light as we ordinarily
consider light. However, light must also be understood in its higher
nature and “supernal” forms. The term “supernal” is defined
as: “... pertaining to things above, celestial, heavenly, exalted”
(Webster). The light of the Self is of an exalted celestial nature
but is reflected in the material world as the light of individual consciousness
which illuminates the heart, mind and body. The aim, in mystical
union, is to unite the light and consciousness of self with the light and
consciousness of the greater Self.
The Gnostics, and early sects
of Jewish and Christian mystics, emphasized that to know oneself at the
deepest level, was simultaneously to know God within oneself as the origin
of pure light consciousness. The Gnostic Gospel of Thomas relates
a story of the disciples asking Jesus where they should go and Christ replies:
There is light, within a man of light, and he (or it) lights up the
whole world. If he (or: it) does not shine, he (or:it) is darkness.
... Jesus said, “If they say to you, ‘Where did you come from?,’ say to
them, ‘We came from the light, the place where the light came into being
on its own accord and established itself and became manifest through their
image.’” ... The images are manifest to man, but the light in them
remains concealed in the image of the light of the Father.
(Robinson, 1981, pp. 121-3, 127)
The phrase, “We came from the light,” suggests that “I” originates,
emerges or emanates from within a supernal light realm. The inner
divine light is obscured by the images of the light (the maya, the material
world, the moon, the cosmic and personal illusions).
Other Gnostic gospels similarly encourage the disciples
to gain the light that is within themselves, as opposed to living in outer
darkness. In the Dialogue of the Saviour, Christ says:
“The lamp of the body is the mind; as long as you are upright of heart
... then your bodies are lights. As long as your mind is darkness,
your light which you wait for will not be.” ... The Lord said, “...
when you remove envy from you, then you will clothe yourself with the light,
and enter into the bridal chamber.” (Robinson, 1981, pp.231-235)
We have to be “upright of heart” for our bodies to be filled with
light. In various Christian writings, this light is described as
the light of the Sun, as the light of the Son (Jesus Christ), and as the
Light of the Father. One gnostic gospel declares: “Search ever and
cease not till ye find the mysteries of the Light, which will lead you
into the Light Kingdom.” (Cohen, Phipps, 1979, p.235) Recall
also the words of Christ from the Gospel of Truth, suggesting that those
of “interior knowledge” know that, “in you dwells the light that
does not fail ... the light which is perfect and filled with the seed of
the Father, and which is in his heart, and in the pleroma.” This
verse suggests the mystical and metaphysical origins of the light of consciousness
and the Self.
Another Gnostic text, Pistis Sophia, also
presents the teachings of the light and the light kingdoms. Christ
instructs his disciples:
... seek ye all the Light, that the power of the stars which is in
you, may live. ... For God shall save their soul from all matters, and
a city shall be prepared in the Light, and all the souls who are saved,
will dwell in that city and will inherit it. (Mead, 1974, p.41)
Pistis Sophia elaborates upon the possibilities for super-sensuous
knowledge and realization for those souls who enter into the Ineffable
Light, into the dimensions of Higher Space and the Light Kingdoms.
Baha’u’llah, the prophet of
the Bahi religion, similarly portrays the relationship of the light within
the soul of a human being to the light of the “King of Oneness:”
Whensoever the light of Manifestation of the King of Oneness settleth
upon the throne of the heart and soul, His shining becometh visible in
every limb and member. ... all the pillars of the dwelling are ashine with
His light. And the action and effect of the light are from the Light-Giver;
so it is that all move through Him and arise by His will. ... And
the splendour of that light is in the hearts ... when thou strippest the
wrapping of illusion from off thine heart, the lights of oneness will be
made manifest. (1945, Pp. 22-24)
“Knowledge is a light which God casteth into the heart of whomsoever
He willeth.” (p. 54)
The light within the inner world of human consciousness is of the
same light which interpenetrates all things.
Consciousness, or the I AM principle, is sometimes
described as ultimately emerging from a point source, from a spiritual
or divine spark. There is a point source of Light within the
heart which is of the Supreme Self and the Infinite Light. The contemporary
heart master, Adi Da writes:
... the Divine Soul is Original White Light. All phenomena are
thus a Play of the Original Light, or Unqualified Bliss, of God.
And all souls, or all living beings (human or otherwise), are points or
atoms of the Original Light or Radiant Bright Consciousness of God.
(1978, p. 492)
Mystical teachings repeatedly describe a point source of coherent
light consciousness established within the Heart. This point source
of light emerges from a realm of infinite light–that is supernal, divine,
ineffable Light. The Self illuminates the inner world through the
interior dimensions of a human being, emerging through and within the life
of the heart.
This point source of pure light is enthroned within
the Bliss Sheath of the Heart–the Anandamaya Kosha of yogic teachings,
or the “causal body” of theosophy. Saraswati (1987, p. 112)
describes this as “an oval mass of unemergent light,” approximately the
size of a baby’s thumb or a small grape. This “unemergent light”
does not radiate away from its source, but is contained within a volume
of space. (Similar methods are being developed in fibre optics to
contain light within a volume of space.)
The nature of consciousness, light and space are
all profound mysteries, which modern psychology and science are still exploring,
and which we will approach from both physical and metaphysical perspectives
through this series. While scientists usually consider the equation
of consciousness with light as simply being a metaphor, mystical teachings
consistently associate the substance of consciousness with light.
In the same manner, modern thinkers are likely to consider that the idea
of the Self as being related to the heart is only a metaphor. Can
we really love with the heart, or know God through the heart? Or
“see the light,” “know the light within ourselves,” or “be enlightened”?
The manner in which these themes–of consciousness, light and the heart–are
so persistently articulated by mystical teachers and poets of the heart
and soul, should certainly cause us to beware of prematurely dismissing
these testimonials to the inner cosmos of consciousness. Perhaps
these expressions and concepts, so ingrained in our language and in religious
maxims, have a very concrete reality. Can we really become knowers
of Self and become enlightened, or are we too caught up with the monkeys
of the mind, full of ourselves and self-satisfied with the dogma of the
head doctrine? Could the poets of the heart and soul truly know awesome
possibilities, beyond anything imagined by the scientists, philosophers
and pundits?
The idea that humans have a zero point divine spark–a
God spark within the interior dimensions of the Heart–is a serious scientific
hypothesis. For the materialists, who have not realized spiritual
love or seen the light, these concepts are apt to be simply dismissed as
mystical looniness, the product of neurological dysfunction, New Age romanticism
or religious dogma. As Madame Blavatsky observed: the mind is the great
slayer of the real. From a mystical perspective, western conceptualizations
of consciousness are fundamentally flawed, the result of too much head-learning
and too little soul wisdom.
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