The Hard Problem of Consciousness: A Divine Essence in Motion Perspective

Abstract

The “Hard Problem of Consciousness,” as formulated by David Chalmers, questions how and why subjective experience arises from physical processes in the brain. While conventional neuroscience addresses the “easy problems”—such as perception, cognition, and behavior—it struggles to explain the qualitative nature of experience itself. This article explores an alternative approach through the lens of Divine Essence in Motion, a synthesis of Advaita Vedanta and Kashmir Shaivism, which views consciousness as both stillness and dynamic expression. By shifting from a materialist paradigm to a consciousness-first ontology, we dissolve the Hard Problem not by solving it intellectually, but by realizing its illusory foundations.

Introduction: The Hard Problem of Consciousness

Consciousness presents one of the greatest mysteries of science and philosophy. Despite advances in neuroscience, the essential question remains: Why is there something it is like to be conscious? The Hard Problem, as described by Chalmers, highlights the difficulty of explaining subjective, first-person experience in purely physical terms. If the brain is merely a collection of neurons and biochemical processes, why do we experience sensations, thoughts, and emotions in a way that feels uniquely personal?

Traditional materialist approaches struggle because they assume that consciousness emerges from matter. However, this assumption itself may be flawed. The Divine Essence in Motion framework offers a radically different perspective—one in which consciousness is primary, and experience is an inherent movement within it.

Consciousness as Primary: A Non-Dual Perspective

Instead of treating consciousness as an emergent property of the brain, Advaita Vedanta suggests that consciousness is the fundamental reality (Brahman) from which all experiences arise. Matter does not produce consciousness; rather, matter appears within consciousness. This shift in perspective eliminates the Hard Problem because it removes the need to explain how something as radically different as experience could emerge from material processes.

In Divine Essence in Motion, consciousness is not a passive, static awareness but an ever-moving, self-aware expression. This aligns with the Spanda principle of Kashmir Shaivism, which describes reality as a dynamic pulsation of awareness. Instead of asking how matter produces experience, we recognize that all experience is simply the self-expression of consciousness itself.

Subjectivity as the Dynamic Expression of Stillness

The tension in the Hard Problem arises from a false separation between awareness and experience. We assume that consciousness is something that “observes” reality rather than being an active, living movement of reality itself. In Kashmir Shaivism, this is resolved through the concept of Spanda—awareness in motion. Consciousness is not inert; it is vibrant, self-aware, and constantly unfolding into new experiences.

A useful analogy is that of an ocean and its waves:

• The ocean represents pure awareness—the formless, unchanging ground of being.
• The waves represent experience—the dynamic movement of consciousness.

The Hard Problem only arises when we mistakenly separate the two. In reality, waves do not exist apart from the ocean, and experience does not exist apart from awareness. Experience is not something that happens “to” consciousness—it is the very motion of consciousness itself.

Solving the Hard Problem Through Direct Realization

Rather than solving the Hard Problem in an intellectual or reductionist way, Divine Essence in Motion suggests dissolving it through direct realization. This can be approached in two ways:

1. Self-Inquiry (Advaita Approach)
   • Who is the experiencer?
   • When we look deeply, we find no separate “self” behind experience—only awareness itself.
   • The sense of individual subjectivity dissolves into a recognition that all experience is simply the play of consciousness.
2. Tantric Embodiment (Kashmir Shaivism Approach)
   • Instead of seeing consciousness as a detached observer, we recognize it as the pulsation of life itself.
   • This shifts our experience from one of separation to one of intimate participation in the divine unfolding.

By integrating these two approaches, we merge stillness and motion—realizing that the very distinction between “consciousness” and “experience” is an illusion.

Conclusion: Beyond the Problem, Into Experience

From the perspective of Divine Essence in Motion, the Hard Problem is only a problem if we assume a dualistic, materialist framework. When we shift to a consciousness-first paradigm, it ceases to be a mystery and instead becomes a direct experience of reality’s unfolding nature. Consciousness is not something that arises; it is the very fabric of existence, moving and expressing itself in infinite forms.

Thus, rather than seeking a solution, we invite a deeper recognition of the unity between awareness and experience, dissolving the Hard Problem into the luminous, living presence of being itself.

References

• Chalmers, D. (1995). Facing up to the problem of consciousness. Journal of Consciousness Studies, 2(3), 200-219.
• Abhinavagupta (10th century). Tantraloka. (Various translations).
• Shankara (8th century). Vivekachudamani.
• Dyczkowski, M. (1987). The Doctrine of Vibration: An Analysis of the Doctrines and Practices of Kashmir Shaivism.