~The Brain and Consciousness~

On our planet, the human ego
represents the final stage of universal sleep,
the identification of consciousness with form.
It was a necessary stage in the evolution of consciousness.
The human brain is a highly differentiated form
through which consciousness enters this dimension.
It contains approximately one hundred billion nerve cells
(called neurons), about the same number
as there are stars in our galaxy,
which could be seen as a macrocosmic brain.
The brain does not create consciousness,
but consciousness created the brain,
the most complex physical form on earth,
for its _expression.
When the brain gets damaged,
it does not mean you lose consciousness.
It means consciousness can no longer use that form
to enter this dimension.
You cannot lose consciousness because it is,
in essence, who you are.
You can only lose something that you have,
but you cannot lose something that you are.

~ Eckhart Tolle
A New Earth