The Alchemical Foundation
The Western alchemical tradition provides an elegant framework for understanding consciousness through its three fundamental principles: salt, sulphur, and mercury. These correspond meaningfully to the Buddhist understanding of experience: salt represents the material foundation or physical form, sulphur embodies the dynamic mental factors and their transformations, while mercury symbolizes pure consciousness itself – fluid, reflective, and all-pervading.
Buddhist Classifications of Consciousness
Drawing primarily from the profound wisdom preserved in Bhikkhu Bodhi’s “A Comprehensive Manual of Abhidhamma,” Buddhism offers an intricate and precise model of consciousness that complements and extends the alchemical understanding.
The Eight Basic Types
The sutras describe eight fundamental types of consciousness:
- Five sense consciousnesses (seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, touching)
- Discriminative mind (manovijñāna) – what we commonly call “thinking”
- Self-consciousness (manas) – the subjective space that arises in response to perception
- Base consciousness (alaya-vijñāna) – the fundamental consciousness from which others emerge
Spheres of Consciousness
Consciousness manifests across four distinct realms or planes:
| Realm | Description | Characteristics |
|---|---|---|
| Sense-Sphere | Normal waking awareness | Dominated by sensory experience |
| Form/Fine-Material | Subtle mental realm | Dreams, concepts, divine forms |
| Formless | Most subtle consciousness | Beyond space and form |
| Transcendental | Nirvanic awareness | Path consciousness |
The Nature of Citta
A citta is a quantum of consciousness – a single moment of awareness that arises and passes away instantaneously. Like frames in a film, these moments create the illusion of continuous experience. Each citta:
- Arises with minimum seven mental factors
- Exists in 121 distinct types
- Manifests only one at a time
- Occurs at incredible speed
Classification of Consciousness Types
| Realm | Number of Cittas | Breakdown |
|---|---|---|
| Sensory Sphere | 54 | 12 unwholesome, 24 wholesome, 18 resultant |
| Fine Material | 15 | 5 levels × (1 wholesome + 1 resultant + 1 functional) |
| Formless | 12 | 4 levels × (1 wholesome + 1 resultant + 1 functional) |
| Transcendental | 40 | 4 paths × 5 jhanas × (1 path + 1 fruit) |
The Path of Transformation
The transcendental consciousness represents the alchemist’s ultimate goal – the philosopher’s stone of Buddhist practice. This transformation occurs through four distinct stages, each corresponding to deeper insights and the breaking of specific mental fetters.
Karma and Consciousness
Consciousness operates in two phases:
- Background awareness – like a continuous stream of sensory information
- Active consciousness – where decisions create karma
Karmic actions can be:
- Wholesome – producing positive future results
- Unwholesome – leading to suffering
- Neutral – functional processes or enlightened action
Conclusion
This synthesis of alchemical and Buddhist understanding reveals consciousness as both infinitely complex and elegantly systematic. Through understanding these structures, the practitioner gains tools for both intellectual comprehension and practical transformation. The path from ordinary awareness to transcendental consciousness becomes clear, though the journey remains profound and challenging.
Further Reading
- Wikipedia: Buddhist Concepts of Consciousness
- Bhikkhu Bodhi – A Comprehensive Manual of Abhidhamma (Amazon link)
- The Essence of Buddhism by Traleg Kyabgon (Amazon link)
- Jung and Buddhism: A Psychological Commentary on The Tibetan Book of the Dead (Amazon link)
- YouTube: Bhikkhu Bodhi’s Lectures on Abhidhamma
The article above is based on a chapter from Dr. Simon Robinson’s groundbreaking work “Nigredo” – the first volume in his illuminating series “A Course in Modern Alchemy.” This thoughtfully crafted text serves as an accessible gateway into the profound mysteries of spiritual alchemy, bridging ancient wisdom with contemporary understanding.
In Nigredo, Dr. Robinson masterfully weaves together Western alchemical traditions with Buddhist psychology, offering readers a practical framework for inner transformation. The book explores fundamental concepts like the Fisher King Wound, the nature of consciousness, and the Dark Night of the Soul – not merely as theoretical constructs, but as waypoints on a deeply personal journey of spiritual development. Through careful examination of both traditional alchemical symbolism and modern psychological insights, the text illuminates the first stage of the Great Work – the essential foundation for any serious spiritual seeker.
What sets this work apart is its remarkably clear presentation of complex esoteric concepts, making them relevant and applicable to contemporary life. Whether you’re drawn to Buddhist philosophy, Western mysticism, or simply seeking a deeper understanding of consciousness and personal transformation, this volume provides invaluable insights into the nature of reality and the path to spiritual enlightenment.