Cosmic Consciousness

I started practising Buddhism at age 20, a long time before the internet. Practising an Eastern philosophy meant I was taught how to access another web – the unseen web sometimes called Indra’s Net.

About Indra’s Net

Indra’s Net symbolises the universe as a web of connections and interdependencies. Every connection is both a manifestation of the whole and inseparable from the whole. This concept is the foundation for Vedic cosmology and it later went on to become the central principle of Buddhism. 

Practising buddhism without being able to type in a word or name into a software programme and find a connection meant I had to learn to rely on understanding my connection to everything. Not just living things and people.

Indra’s Net is said to be infinite, spreading in all directions with no beginning or end. 

At each node of the net is a jewel, so arranged that every jewel reflects all the other jewels. No jewel exists by itself independently of the rest. Everything is related to everything else; nothing is isolated.

Indra’s net is underpinned by the fundamental idea of unity-in-diversity, it is indivisible and infinite unity, even seemingly disparate elements are in fact nothing other than reflections of divine consciousness, and hence of one another. This notion of an organic unity is a signature of Hinduism and Buddhism, and distinguishes it from all major Western religions, philosophies and cultures.

Each jewel of Indra’s Net includes the reflections of all the other jewels. The significance of this symbolism is that each entity in the universe contains within itself the entire universe.

This idea – rather than positing interdependence among separately existing entities – asserts that the whole does not owe its existence to the coming together of individual parts that have independent existence. The existence of each individual part is contingent upon, and relative to, the existence of the whole and of all the other parts. 

Like a hologram, each individual part also ‘contains’ the whole within itself. The whole and the parts are inseparable.

Very generally:-

• Western philosophy teaches that “the self” is an individual entity, separate from that of others.
• Eastern philosophy teaches that “the self,” composed of each person’s personal identity, consciousness and core philosophy is an illusion and that we are all connected.
• Western philosophy is taught through reduction, that we can best explain or understand something by breaking it down and taking a look at each of its pieces.
• Eastern philosophy teaches no separation at any level of matter or non-matter. Which means explaining or understanding something may be non-linear and holistic.
• Western philosophy teaches that aspects of the individual human soul contains its consciousness.
• Eastern philosophy teaches non-dualism – the view that all that exists is absolute consciousness.
• Western philosophy teaches consciousness in different forms, for example, in the generic sense of simply being a sentient creature – one capable of sensing and responding to its world (or biosphere).
• Eastern philosophy teaches that everything is connected and interdependent. The entire universe (or universes) are one and does not exclude sentient and insentient forms. For example creatures with a nervous system, trees, stones and anything down to the tiniest sub-atomic structure. It doesn’t stop there, consciousness includes the unseen aspects of energy and non energy.

Buddhism teaches there are nine levels of consciousness

The first five consciousnesses are related directly to the five senses: sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch.

The sixth consciousness, called mind-consciousness, integrates the information from the five senses and processes how we perceive our surroundings

The next three levels deal with these deeper realms of consciousness.

The seventh, called mano-consciousness, is said to be where self-awareness or ego originates, and where our subconscious impulses, including the impulse for self-preservation, are found.

The eighth level is called alaya-consciousness. The Sanskrit word alaya means “repository” or “storehouse,” so it is also called the karmic storehouse. It is where the latent effects of all our thoughts, words and deeds from past lifetimes to the present reside.

As an example, if we mistrust people due to past experiences, we may try to shield ourselves from being hurt (seventh/ego – mano-consciousness). This may lead to perceiving others as untrustworthy or hesitating to share our honest thoughts (first six levels of consciousness). Our thoughts, words and actions in this regard remain imprinted in our lives (eighth/karmic – alaya-consciousness). These in turn may influence our awareness, actions and the future, leading to a cycle of suffering.

This is where the ninth consciousness, called the amala-consciousness, comes into play. The Sanskrit word amala means “pure,” and it indicates a level of consciousness that is unsullied by karmic accretions. It is known as “the ultimate reality”.

By establishing faith in the ultimate reality and incorporating Buddhist practice into our daily lives, we can access infinite wisdom, power and compassion; we can achieve a fundamental inner reformation and establish an unshakable foundation for true happiness. By analogy, while a piece of wood floating in a stream will be swept away at the whim of the current, even the most powerful of currents cannot shift an island of rock.

Unlocking the Mysteries of Birth and Death, Daisaku Ikeda

The Amala Consciousness is the basis of all life’s functions.

Buddhism teaches all beings possess Amala consciousness and human beings can access and develop this consciousness within their own lives and benefit the life of the universe.

In the East, healing, medicine and various practises are seen as arts. Vitality, life-energy, spiritual strength are all functions of life that permeate everything within the universe(s).

As Westerners, when we start to practise Eastern philosophies, we find our core beliefs are challenged and even shattered when we experience the workings of the interconnectedness of life for ourselves.

When I started a practise to access the Amala Consciousness I choose a path to learn about life and the universe through personally experiencing it.

Has something happened in your life where you have been able to access the higher levels of consciousness?