Consciousness Monsciousness is believed by all as the substratum of all human actions. Man's thoughts, understanding, judgement, perceptions, learning, feelings, ambitions, goals, efforts, etc., are various expressions of his consciousness.
More than half the population of the world believes that consciousness is an essential and inherent attribute of an entity, called 'Soul'. They have the faith that the soul, by its very nature, is an entity different from the inorganic and the organic matter and the body and the brain. The world is thus divided into two major groups. One of these consists of people who believe in the existence of the soul and are called 'religious people' and the other consists of people who do not believe in its existence and are called 'non-religious' people. The religious people are further divided and subdivided into various sects and cults, depending upon what details they believe in about the soul and the Supreme Soul.
True knowledge of soul, however, is not a matter of superficial importance nor is it to be left to some philosophers or religious scholars to discuss. Since each and everyone of us is a conscient being, it concerns us all individually and severally. To deny ourselves the true knowledge of consciousness is to deny ourselves the right and the duty of living a meaningful life.
True knowledge of 'Consciousness' should also include the knowledge of what Freud, the well-known German psychologist, called 'The Unconscious'.
In the East, religious people in India, have, since very ancient times, been believing in Sanskaras. To some extent, the Sanskaras are like 'The Unconscious' of Freud's Theory because these do not form the content of 'The Conscious'. Man is normally not aware of them or their sources even though his personality and his behaviour, at all times, is influenced by his Sanskarus. His sanskaras do not leave him even in his dreams or his spiritual efforts. In fact, these are so intimately related with man's peace and war or good and bad personality that it would be meaningless to talk of world peace, or a social, political or cultural change without talking of and planning and working for a change in man's sanskaras.
A research in, or an in-depth study of, Sanskaras and the methods of change will provide mankind with the essential tools for improving relationships among human beings and for making this world a better place to live in. Without the knowledge of 'The Unconscious', all the inventions of Science and Technology will not make the world peaceful even though they may make it comfortable. All the scholarship, erudition, religious rituals and mantras will also not help to land man in peace unless and until there is a change for the better in man's Sanskaras and unless man has been given the necessary consciousness-training.
Presently, there are different views held and expressed on this subject by various thinkers and various branches of knowledge. The present book discusses some of these.
Since Philosophy, Religion, Psychology, Quantum physics and some other fields of knowledge discuss 'Consciousness', the subject has, therefore, been discussed briefly from the points of view of these.
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