Awareness is considered the ground of existence because it is the silent presence beneath all thoughts, emotions, and experiences. Without awareness, nothing could be known or experienced — it is the space in which life unfolds. In other words, awareness isn’t something we have; it’s what we are at the most fundamental level of being.
In simple terms
Think of awareness as the sky and everything else — thoughts, sensations, and feelings — as clouds moving through it. The clouds come and go, but the sky remains vast and untouched. In the same way, awareness holds every moment of our experience without being changed by it.
When we forget this, we identify with the “clouds” — our worries, plans, and emotions — and lose touch with the steady ground of awareness. But when we rest in awareness itself, we find peace even in chaos. This is why many spiritual teachings call awareness the foundation of true freedom and understanding.
Example:
Imagine sitting by a busy street. Cars rush by, each representing a thought or feeling. If you focus only on the traffic, you feel overwhelmed. But the moment you step back and notice the whole scene — the space in which it happens — you reconnect with the stillness underneath movement. That spacious stillness is awareness, the ever-present ground of existence.