What is consciousness? Consciousness is articulated in the Aum symbol. The four states of consciousness in Aum are reflected in the number, 108. The wake state is the oneness. The sleep state is the nothingness. The deep sleep state is the infinite. And the deep awakening state is the unsaid — the silence.

Throughout the day, we exist in the wake state — the first state of consciousness. The second state of consciousness is sleep. The third state of consciousness is the deep sleep state. This state of consciousness is similar to being in the zone; our abilities are sharpened, and we are capable of great feats without great effort. The fourth state is deep awakening, and this is beyond being in the zone. This state is said to be rarely attained; Buddha and Jesus are among those who have achieved this superior state of consciousness known as the point behind the veil in the Aum symbol.

Consciousness is perhaps best understood as the awareness of awareness. Our level of awareness varies in accordance to our level of consciousness. Most of us are aware of what we see, but are we aware of our thinking or the thought processes taking place within? Are we aware of what is behind them? The more we step back and observe our emotions and thoughts instead of simply being subject to them, the more aware we become.