Preface

A sequence of microscopic scenes emerges: numerous floating neurons sway like coral branches, some drifting together or apart, while others emit a faint glow, reminiscent of scattered fireflies. They are intensely active—or perhaps it is their very activity that makes the mind so keen and awareness so vivid, causing every sensation to be felt so deeply. The perspective glides slowly through the spaces between the cells. Each cell is visible in sharp detail; as the view gradually pulls back, the cells shrink from large to small, few to many, from individuals to clusters, from clusters to swarms. The swarms multiply, growing denser and denser, until they are countless. Their forms are in constant flux, endlessly transforming. It is these shifting patterns among the neurons that shape the very emergence of human consciousness—their changes are myriad and indefinable.