What Is Consciousness?

A Journey into the Mystery of Being

What is consciousness? It is the most intimate fact of our lives and yet the greatest mystery of existence. In this groundbreaking exploration, author Robert D Sears takes listeners on a journey across philosophy, science, spirituality, and lived experience to reflect on the question that has puzzled humanity for centuries. Rather than offering final answers, this book invites you into deeper wonder—showing how consciousness can be understood, practiced, and lived in ways that transform how we see ourselves and the world.

Inside this book, you will discover:

•The roots of the question of consciousness in philosophy, from Descartes to the “hard problem” of modern science.

•Ancient wisdom traditions—Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, and mystical Christianity—that point to awareness as eternal and ineffable.

•The scientific lens of neuroscience, psychology, and artificial intelligence, and where they succeed—and fail—in explaining awareness.

•Thought experiments like Mary’s Room and “philosophical zombies” that highlight the limits of materialist explanations.

•Insights into altered states of consciousness, from dreams and meditation to near-death experiences and mystical visions.

•The nature of the self, ego, and identity, and how spiritual traditions challenge our assumptions about “I.”

•The role of collective and shared consciousness, from Jung’s archetypes to modern understandings of empathy and mirror neurons.

•The radical perspective of A Course in Miracles, which reframes consciousness as inseparable from love and forgiveness.

Drawing from philosophy, science, spirituality, and his own reflections as a lifelong seeker, Robert D Sears guides listeners with clarity, warmth, and humility. The result is not a textbook of definitions but a companion for anyone who dares to ask life’s deepest questions.

If you have ever paused to wonder about the mystery of your own awareness, this book is for you.