"In the Vedic view we live in a 'conscious universe,' not merely a matter, energy or mind based cosmos. Consciousness is the underlying substance, force and reality that creates, sustains, and dissolves all things in the world, constituting their inner essence. Consciousness, we could say, is God, not in a mere theological or faith-based sense, but as the supreme principle of life and existence. We are all aspects of this supreme consciousness reflecting itself in various forms and manifestations like sparks from a single fire.
This underlying universal consciousness the 'Vedas' call the 'Purusha', meaning the cosmic person, the Supreme Being for whom the entire universe is its expression, which is lauded starting in the Rig Veda.
' The Purusha is everything, what has been and what will be.
And he is the lord of immortality.'
~ Rishi Narayana, Rig Veda X.97.2
The 'Vedas' use the term 'Atman' as a synonym for 'Purusha', meaning the true Self behind every creature or object in the world. The entire universe consists of a single being, and the world of nature is but the body of the greater cosmic spirit. The universe is a single organism energized by a single consciousness that resides at the core of all creatures and behind the inanimate world as well.
What we call Nature is primarily a force of consciousness in manifestation. Nature reflects the unfoldment of an organic intelligence, through which the One Being expresses itself through innumerable forms of becoming. We can observe this natural intelligence in the wonderful order of the universe that transcends the rational mind and its limiting concepts. Who has not confronted the magic, mystery and awe of existence? It is obvious in the mountains, the clouds, the stars, and the ocean. It is also there in the marvelous workings of our own bodies and minds, in the wonderful intricacy of our organs, tissues and brain.
Nature operates according to a natural law or 'Dharma', which has both a material and a spiritual basis, as a law of consciousness. The conscious universe had not only physical laws like gravity that link various material bodies together, it has spiritual laws like 'karma' that link various minds together as well. The 'Vedas' mirror this natural intelligence and teach us the true laws of nature, the universal 'dharmas', which are also the laws of consciousness.
Consciousness is our true nature, our higher Self beyond body and mind. . . the forms that we observe in the outer world do not represent the true essence of reality, but are only intimations of a greater spirit and awareness lighting them up from within. Consciousness is the inner space that informs all aspects of space within and around all things. . . . When we look at the world, we are looking only at the shapes and colors created by the light of consciousness. It is the light of consciousness that we see reflected in objects, filtered through the limited lens of the mind. It is also the light of consciousness that constitutes the true seer or observer within us, and allows us to see. . . True spirituality works with the entire conscious universe and seeks grace and guidance everywhere. It is not time-bound, human-bound or culture bound. This is the basis of the Vedic and yogic heritage that belongs to all beings. The 'Purusha,' which literally means person, does not refer simply to the human person, but to the principle of light and awareness that endows all beings with their sense of self, the conscious being overall. In the Vedic view, the universe is light and light is consciousness. This is the 'Purusha principle'. The goal of classical Yoga as stated by the sage Patanjali, as well as the goal of all other Vedic philosophies, is to return to the state of the Purusha, pure consciousness or the seer, which is to return to the highest light. This echoes the Upanishadic view, 'The Purusha in the Sun Beyond, He am I.' "
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