By Prana Lite 
Questioner: Rupert, I’ve heard you talk about how we should adopt a “consciousness model” instead of the usual “matter model.” Can you explain why that’s necessary? I mean, we’ve made so much scientific progress based on the idea that matter is the foundation of reality. Why would consciousness suddenly be considered the fundamental basis?
Rupert: That’s a great question, thank you. The matter model does indeed hold that matter is the fundamental building block of reality, and that consciousness is merely a byproduct of complex material structures, like the brain. But here’s the issue: the matter model cannot explain how objective matter could produce subjective experience. How is it that from an objective world of matter, a subjective inner “I” arises—something that feels, thinks, and is aware of itself?
Questioner: I understand that it’s hard to explain, but why would we assume that consciousness is fundamental? Maybe it’s just an illusion created by the brain. Can’t we just consider it an unsolved mystery within the matter model?
Rupert: The point is, the matter model requires quite a few assumptions to explain consciousness as a byproduct. The very premise of the matter model—that everything is material and objective—doesn’t allow room for anything subjective. Yet each of us knows our subjective experience directly. It’s not a side effect; it’s the basis of every moment and perception we have. Without consciousness, no experience is possible at all.
Questioner: Okay, that’s interesting. But if we adopt this consciousness model, what exactly changes? How would it alter our view of the world, and why would that be better than our current scientific model?
Rupert: Good question. The consciousness model doesn’t start with objects and matter, but with “experience” itself—consciousness that is aware of things. It suggests that everything we experience—thoughts, emotions, perceptions—are phenomena that arise within consciousness, are known by consciousness, and eventually dissolve back into consciousness. Rather than saying the world is made of objects that produce consciousness, the consciousness model holds that everything we know appears within consciousness and is made of consciousness.
Questioner: But sitting here with you, I feel that my body is solid, that the chair supports me, and that you’re here in the same physical space. It doesn’t feel like it’s merely “appearing in consciousness.” It feels real and tangible, independent of what I think or feel about it.
Rupert: Yes, that experience feels absolutely real, and I’m not suggesting we deny it. What I’m suggesting is that we reinterpret the experience. Think of a dream: when you’re dreaming, everything feels real too. You feel yourself walking, you see people, you hear sounds—until you wake up and realize everything was a projection of your mind. I’m not saying we’re dreaming now, but I’m using it as an analogy to show that what feels “real” may not be as fixed or objective as we assume. In the consciousness model, everything appears within and by consciousness, just as the content of a dream appears within the dreamer’s mind.
Questioner: Interesting comparison, but the idea that “consciousness is everything” still sounds abstract. How would this idea concretely change my life, or anyone else’s?
Rupert: When you see consciousness as the foundation of reality, it shifts your entire perspective. Instead of viewing ourselves as separate individuals in an objective world that can sometimes be threatening or distressing, we realize we are actually one with the very source that permeates everything. It creates a sense of connection and peace, because you’re no longer confined by the belief that you’re a limited body-mind complex, dependent on external conditions for happiness or safety.
Questioner: So it’s not just about a philosophical or scientific shift, but about a practical, psychological effect too?
Rupert: Exactly. Seeing consciousness as fundamental helps us realize that happiness and peace are not dependent on external conditions. This consciousness, this “being” in which everything appears, is already whole, already complete. If we can truly recognize this, we can release the need to chase peace or happiness in the outer world and instead rest in consciousness itself—the “I am” that we all share.
Questioner: But hasn’t the matter model brought us a lot of good? How do we fit all of our discoveries and technologies into this consciousness model?
Rupert: The matter model has certainly given us a lot of practical knowledge and technology, and I’m not suggesting we discard that. What I’m proposing is a change in perspective, not a rejection of science itself. In the consciousness model, physics, biology, and everything we study in the world still exist. The difference is that they are now seen as phenomena within consciousness, rather than phenomena that produce consciousness. Consciousness remains untouched, the underlying reality of everything.
