The meaning of Consciousness in Taoism 什么是意识

The meaning of Consciousness in Taoism

(意识, "Yi Shi") is a spiritual phenomenon that stands in opposition and unity with matter. It is the function and attribute of the human brain.

In Taoist philosophy, consciousness belongs to the category of spirit; it is the movement of the spiritual mind, mainly the thinking and memory activities of the human brain, while also including the emotional activities in which the heart and other internal organs' autonomic nervous systems participate. Consciousness cannot be separated from the physiological activities of the human brain and heart, yet it also forms a relatively independent structure interacting with physiological structures.

The meaning of Consciousness in Taoism

Consciousness is not only the result of the human neurophysiological system participating in social practice activities; it is also related to the history of life evolution, current social psychology, and physiological heredity. Taoist Internal Alchemy calls ordinary consciousness "conscious spirit" (shi shen), while also paying attention to adjusting the deep psychological subconscious and developing original consciousness (yuan shen). Taoism's three-level theory of human consciousness has important inspiration for modern psychology.