Right now, you are reading these words. You are aware of the screen, of the meaning of the words, of sounds around you, of the feeling of your body in the chair.
But have you ever stopped to ask: what is this awareness itself? Not what it contains, but what it is?
Most people never ask this question. I did not ask it for the first thirty years of my life. When I finally did, it changed everything.
Consciousness and awareness are not the same thing
These words get used interchangeably, but they point to different things. Understanding the difference is the beginning of a deep shift.
Consciousness is being conscious of something. Thoughts. Sensations. Emotions. Perceptions. It always has an object — you are conscious of the bird outside, the ache in your shoulder, the words on this page.
Awareness is the field in which consciousness itself appears. It is not directed at anything. It simply is. You can become conscious of awareness, but you cannot make awareness into an object — because it is the subject. It is what is looking.
I use this analogy with my students at Dibrugarh: “Consciousness is the lamp. Awareness is the space in which the lamp shines.” The lamp illuminates objects. The space holds the lamp.
The mirror
Think of a mirror. The reflections in it are like consciousness — ever-changing, dependent on what stands before the mirror. A face appears. A tree appears. A cloud passes. The reflections change constantly.
The mirror itself is like awareness — clear, constant, unaffected by what it reflects. A beautiful reflection does not improve the mirror. An ugly reflection does not damage it. The mirror simply reflects.
You have spent your entire life identifying with the reflections. Your thoughts. Your emotions. Your roles: student, parent, professional. Your stories about who you are.
Advaita Vedanta invites you to stop looking at the reflections and recognise the mirror.
How to investigate this yourself
In Meditation
Sit quietly. Observe your thoughts. They come and go, yes? A thought arises, stays briefly, and dissolves. Another comes. And another.
But notice: something remains constant throughout. The awareness in which these thoughts appear does not come and go. It is always there, watching. Rest in that. It has no form, no edges, no beginning or end.
Through Self-Inquiry
When a thought arises, ask: “What is aware of this thought?” Look for the answer. Do not think about it — look directly. You will not find an object. You will find awareness itself, looking back at you.
In Daily Life
Throughout the day, pause and notice: “I am aware.” Not “I am aware of something,” just “I am aware.” This tiny shift, practised regularly, gradually moves your identity from the content of experience to the awareness that contains it.
Why this matters practically
This is not abstract philosophy. The shift from identifying with thoughts to identifying with awareness has immediate, tangible effects:
- Less suffering: Painful thoughts lose their power when you are not them. You watch them pass like clouds.
- Greater equanimity: Awareness is not disturbed by what it contains. Storms of emotion arise and pass within it, but awareness itself remains still.
- Natural compassion: When you see that the same awareness exists in every being, compassion arises without effort.
- Freedom from fear: What you truly are — awareness — cannot be threatened, damaged, or destroyed.
What science cannot explain yet
Modern neuroscience has identified what they call the “hard problem” — how physical processes in the brain give rise to subjective experience. They have maps of the brain, but they cannot explain how a collection of neurons produces the feeling of seeing red or tasting chai.
Advaita Vedanta offers a different starting point: consciousness is not produced by the brain. The brain appears within consciousness, just as objects appear within awareness. This flips the entire question on its head.
Start right now
You do not need to go anywhere. You do not need to believe anything. Right now, this very moment, notice that you are aware.
That awareness is not something you possess. It is what you are. Rest in it. Let everything else — thoughts, sensations, the world outside your window — appear and disappear within it.
This is not a state to achieve. It is what you already are. You just need to notice.
For deeper exploration, read Inner Peace Through Advaita Vedanta and The Journey of Self-Realisation.
