By Ana Gouveia | 30 May 2026
CONSCIOUSNESS AND SPIRITUALITY
CONSCIOUSNESS AND SPIRITUALITY
Definitions of Consciousness
Thomas Nagel, an American philosopher, argued that consciousness can never be truly known. In his paper, ‘What Is It to Be a Bat?’, he proclaimed that we can never know what is like to be a bat because we are missing the experience of being one. No matter how much we observe or read about them, we cannot know how a bat perceives and experiences things. In other words, we cannot know their consciousness, its contents or the level of awareness of a bat. The best we can know about another’s form of consciousness is only intellectual, as we lack the experience itself. For Nigel, consciousness is  not exclusive to humans and is shared by all beings. What all beings share is what he calls, “the subjective character of experience”. Whilst this is a shared phenomena, the subjective character of each being’s experience” varies.
Buddhist Definition
In Buddhism, definitions generally consist of two aspects: the nature of an object and its function. The definitions of consciousness, in Buddhist terms, is “clear and knowing’. The nature of consciousness is clarity – like the vast, clear sky – while its function is to know or perceive. This understanding of consciousness helps illuminate how negative mental states, such as anger or confusion, are like temporary clouds in sky. They obscure our true nature (or Budha nature) but are not part of our fundamental consciousness, which remains pure and clear.
The study of consciousness in this context also highlights that human consciousness is distinct form physical body. In Buddhist terms, mind and matter are mutually exclusive – consciousness is non-material, whereas the physical body belongs to the material dimension. This spiritual model of consciousness emphasises that, although our conscious experience might be clouded by afflictions throughout human life, our intrinsic level of awareness remains untouched and untainted, reflecting a deeper, universal consciousness.
Hindu Definition
Consciousness in Hinduism is known as Brahman or the Self. As it is taught that there is nothing else which exists, Brahman is the invisible nature of all, ‘one alone without a second.’ It, therefore, is the universal nature of consciousness and all existence. Everything we perceive, including our physical body, are appearances of forms of Brahman, most fundamentally the conscious experience of being separate from others and the world around us. As consciousness is both all-pervasive and omnipresent, it is non-dual. On a local and relative scale, it appears as individual beings and forms. Ultimately, the Self is one’s own nature and these appearances are a mere reflection.
Hard Problem of Consciousness
Australian philosopher and cognitive scientist David Chalmers argued that consciousness is a product other than the brain. He reasoned that it is easy to explain the mechanisms and functions of the brain such as perception, memory and learning by using standard scientific methods and theories. What is not easy, however, is explaining how subjective experience, the quality of consciousness, arises from the human body, from the physical and material brain. There is a gap in rationalising how, from matter (brain), we get an immaterial by-product (consciousness), what is their exact relationship and how do they interact.
Chalmers coined this the “Hard Problem” and contrasted it with the “Easy Problem”. In consciousness studies, the two problems, therefore, are divided up into what can, and cannot be measured or explained.
Real Problem of Consciousness
For Chalmers, the critical question to be answered is what conscious experience is. Anil Seth, a British neuroscientist, argues this is not the “Real Problem” of Consciousness. Seth reasoned that our focus should not be on consciousness itself, but its properties. By accepting that there is consciousness, we can then ask how its various phenomenological properties – i.e. how subjective experiences are structures and shaped – relate to the properties of the brain. In what he calls the ‘Real Prpblem’, it bypasses the necessity to explain consciousness, instead focusing on identifying correlations between patterns of brain activity and conscious experience.
Buddhist and Hindu Perspectives: a Comparison
Both Buddhism and Hinduism regard consciousness as fundamental to the nature of all existence. In both traditions, consciousness is seen as inseparable from reality itself, transcending the limitations of the physical body and material world. Consciousness is considered universal, and both traditions emphasise that the perception of separateness between individuals and the world around them is an illusion.
They teach that this sense of separateness is a false projection, arising form a misunderstanding of reality and that human consciousness is intertwined with the larger fabric of existence. In this sense, the traditions share the belief that consciousness is not confined to an individual self but is part of a broader understanding of consciousness that connect all beings. This is explored through direct experience rather than material or quantitative methods, with both traditions focusing on the qualitative aspects of consciousness, such as perception and awareness.
Despite these shared foundations, Buddhism and Hinduism approach the nature of consciousness in distinct ways. As stated earlier, in Buddhism, consciousness is defined as “clear and knowing”, with the function of the mind being to know and its nature compared to the clarity of a vast sky. Here, negative mental states are viewed as a temporary, like clouds, and do not form part of our True Nature.
The goal in Buddhism is to eliminate the false, purely conceptual sense of the self, which is mistaken for having its own existence and realised the emptiness of all phenomena.
Conclusion
In summary, the study of consciousness reveals a complex, multi-faceted understanding of what it means to experience awareness, both within human life and across al beings. Whether we approach it through Buddhist terms or Hindu terms, the nature of consciousness transcends the physical body and the material dimension. Both traditions highlight that our Tru Nature is one of clarity and unity, free from the illusion of separateness. The hazy consciousness of everyday experience, with its afflictions and distortions, can be likened to clouds obscuring a vast, clear sky – a metaphor often uses to explain the essence of consciousness in Buddhism. Similarly, in Hinduism, the universal consciousness, or Brahman, is seen as the ultimate reality, encompassing all aspects of existence, including both mind and matter.
From the Hard Problem to the Real Problem of Consciousness, we see that conscious experience – whether explained as arising from the brain or understood through more spiritual terms – continues to challenge philosophers and scientists alike. The awakening experiences sought in both Buddhism and Hinduism reflect a deeper level of consciousness to a more profound, divine consciousness. These teachings remind us that the mind is not merely a by-product of the brain or an isolated inanimate object, but an indispensable tool for navigating the vast ocean of existence.
Ultimately, consciousness remains an invaluable tool for unlocking the mysteries of human life and beyond, inviting us to explore its limitless depths.
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