The Ontology of Consciousness

The goal of self-realization is direct personal experience of the ontological situation of the living entity. The accompanying ontological sketches give rough idea of the ontology of consciousness, which does not exist independently of its context. These simple, two-dimensional diagrams are rough sketches, only meant to convey a preliminary conception of the actual Vedic ontology of consciousness.

Abstract and Concrete Classes

In the first class diagram, Abstract and Concrete Classes, the living entity is a concrete ontological class. Consciousness, qualities and objects are abstract classes—in other words, none of them has real-world instances. We can list the living entities that we know, and we can recount or demonstrate some experiences. But no one can produce an instance of consciousness, qualities or objects because they do not have a separate concrete existence; they are always found inseparably joined as experience. ‘Consciousness, qualities and objects’ could also be called ‘awareness, relations and senses’ or ‘subject, predicate and object.’ The point is that an instance or unit of experience requires all three.

The same is true of our relationships with the internal, marginal and external potencies (saktis) of the Lord. Sri Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and Srimate Radharani is His complete and unlimited potency. From Her emanate the internal spiritual potency Yogamaya, the marginal potency tatastha-sakti, and the external potency Mahamaya or the material energy.

The marginal potency emanates the jivas or living entities, who therefore always have a constitutional relationship with the tatastha-sakti. When the living entities are conscious of their relationship with tatastha-sakti and the Supersoul, they are in their constitutional consciousness of liberation. When the living entity comes into relationship with the external potency, the influence of material energy overwhelms and covers the living entity’s constitutional consciousness. This covered state of consciousness is called materially conditioned. And when the living entity is conscious of his relationship with the internal potency Yogamaya, he is said to be in devotional consciousness of his eternal constitutional position.

Constitutional, conditioned and devotional consciousness are also abstract classes; they have no meaning apart from the living entity’s relationship with the Lord’s saktis. One can, however, observe real-world instances of living entities in these various states, and the living entities can observe themselves having experiences. So in the first diagram, the living entity and experiences are concrete classes; the qualities of his consciousness and relationships with the Lord’s potencies are abstract classes because they are non-instantiable.The classes of the saktis themselves, as well as maha-sakti Srimate Radharani and Krsna Himself are transcendental classes—each has one and only one instance. Because of this fact, transcendental classes are the only classes for whom the transitive identity function applies.

Ontologically, a 'thing' is any class. But an 'individual' is an instantiable class. What does that mean? It is real, rather than abstract or conceptual. For example, 'red' is a subclass of the class 'color.' However, no one can show or demonstrate a 'red.' 'Red' is therefore an abstract or conceptual class. (BTW the same is true of 'color'. Color apart from objects is an abstract, non-instantiable concept.) We can, however, demonstrate a 'red wagon.' This means 'wagon' is an instantiable or concrete class with the abstract quality or attribute 'color:red.' Similarly, no one can produce an example of a 'consciousness.' This fact has become the source of endless debate and discussion, even an entire field of science called 'consciousness science.' But what if 'consciousness' is by nature an abstract class?

A complete sentence has three parts: subject, predicate and object. Similarly, every experience has three parts: consciousness, the qualities of consciousness and the object of consciousness---or the actor, the action and the object of action. All of these are abstract classes. Why? An object or quality is meaningless without consciousness. Consciousness without an object and quality is meaningless. Consciousness and objects without qualities are meaningless. Here 'meaningless' signifies a non-instantiable or abstract ontological class. One cannot demonstrate an individual instance of such a class. They are only concrete when all three are taken together as a complete 'experience.' An 'experience' *is* an instantiable class. 

Therefore, it is meaningless to speak of consciousness, objects or qualities alone. It is only meaningful to speak of these 'things' in relation to an 'individual' (instantiable) experience. What has experiences? The living entity or spirit soul has experiences. Therefore the living entity is also a concrete class. We can experience ourselves as a living entity because we have experiences. We cannot say the same about consciousness or any other abstract class by itself. Can you show or demonstrate 'a consciousness'? Of course not; no one can. Therefore concepts like 'consciousness science' are meaningless oxymorons, because consciousness is an abstract class. How can we perform a scientific experiment on an abstract entity? But we can and do have, remember, create and share experiences routinely. This is an workable ontological foundation for a science of consciousness, and also happens to be the actual ontology of Vedanta.

Domains of Emanation

The next class diagram, Domains of Emanation, shows the ontological position and relations of the living entity in both conditioned and devotional consciousness.

This diagram begins from Krsna and His consort Radha in Goloka Vrndavana, Their spiritual realm. Krsna is bhagavan svayam, the Supreme Personality of Godhead or source of all emanations (janmad yasya yatah [Vedanta-sutra 1.1.2]). He emanates Baladeva, whose sakti or consort is Yogamaya, the internal spiritual potency. All further expansions of Godhead emanate from Baladeva, beginning with the catur-vyuha or fourfold expansion in the Vaikuntha worlds (Baladeva, Sankarsana, Pradyumna and Aniruddha).

Sankarsana expands as Lord Narayana, who emanates the tatastha-sakti or marginal potency, and the subtle elements of the material creation (mahat-tattva) personified by Mahamaya sakti. Mahamaya is under the control of Sadasiva, the eternal Lord of the tatastha realm.

Lord Narayana creates innumerable material universes and expands Himself within each one as Garbhodakasayi Visnu, from whom Lord Brahma is born. Then He expands Himself as Ksirodakasayi Visnu, who with Brahma and Siva control the material modes of goodness (sattva), passion (rajas) and ignorance (tamas) respectively. Finally the Lord expands Himself as Karanadakasayi Visnu, the Supersoul within the heart of every living entity.

On the sakti side, Mahamaya expands within each universe as Durga or Maya, the consort of Lord Rudra, who himself expands from Sadasiva. Maya’s energy is directly the three modes of sattva, rajas and tamas.

Now the living entity, being an emanation of tatastha-sakti, is on the borderline between the spiritual and material world. The living entity can be related either to the internal or the external energy of the Lord. When the living entity comes under the influence of the external material potency, he forgets his constitutional nature as an emanation of the spiritual energy of the Lord, and becomes immersed in materially conditioned consciousness. In that condition, his experience is composed of the three modes of material nature expressed as consciousness, qualities and forms.

However, when the living entity begins to realize his relation with the Supersoul, he can become situated in relationship with the internal spiritual energy of the Lord, Yogamaya. In this condition, the experience of the living entity is no longer dependent on the material classes, but becomes constituted of the transcendental classes sat-cit-ananda, eternity, knowledge and bliss.

Ontology Class Diagram

Finally please see the complete Vedic Ontology of Consciousness class diagram. The web-based version of the complete ontology with all relations is here, and the OWL code is here.