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Atma - Embodied Consciousness

Atma is ones essential true unadultered nature, unconditioned awareness, or pure consciousness. Jiva is the embodied atma within the mind-body complex.

Gurmat has specific practices and procedures which are designed to help to recognize and then transcend the content of the mind, emotions and body identification or haumai, the ego-complex and reveal the Atma cleared of veils of illusion (haumai – false sense of self) and experience pure consciousness, a merging of Atma and Paraatma or Ik, Oneness.

There is no difference between a wave and the water from which it emerges. Recognize Jiva, Braham and Parmatma to be the same. Braham is indeed Jiva and Jiva is Parmatma, just as a drop is the ocean, the ocean is the drop.
(Guru Gobind Singh Jee, Sri Sarabloh Granth 3308)

In Indic tradition such as Buddhism this is expressed as the union of emptiness and the wisdom in sutra, the union of the pledge and wisdom beings in Tantric practice or the union of open awareness and the expanse brimming with potent emptiness in Dzogchen.

Pure consciousness can only be known by becoming conscious. In other words, awareness can only be known by becoming aware.

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