A lighthearted yet profound guide to the realms of higher consciousness and the ultimate nature of reality.
• Explains some of the most difficult concepts of physics and heightened consciousness in ways that are easily understood.
• Presents a model for the interaction of the universe and human thought that has profound implications for our future.
All aboard for the excursion of a lifetime as Itzhak Bentov, the celebrated engineer, inventor, and mystic, takes you on a tour of the universe, pure consciousness, and all that lies beyond. Using comical sketches, simple metaphors, and his famous wit and humor, Bentov explains the nature of reality, points out the sights in Nirvana and the Void, and eventually takes you to a meeting with your higher self. Along the way, Bentov illuminates the Kabbalistic principles of number and sound, the meaning of cosmic shapes and symbols, the consciousness of devas, and the nature of the absolute.
Ultimately, he shows that the universe and thought are inseparable, and that the thoughts of all human beings affect each other and in turn the whole universe–an idea with obvious and far-reaching implications. Anyone interested in the inner reaches of the mind, the greater structure of the cosmos, and the spiritual evolution of humanity will find A Brief Tour of Higher Consciousness an informed and delightful traveling companion.
Itzhak Bentov (1923 – May 25, 1979) was a Czech-born Israeli scientist, inventor, mystic and author. He was an early exponent of what has come to be referred to as consciousness studies.
ITZHAK BENTOV-The Evolution Of Soul And Nervous System
ITZHAK BENTOV-The Evolution Of Soul And Nervous System.
The full presentation is called “From Atom To Cosmos” -find the video on google or Amazon.
Recommended reading:
* A Brief Tour of Higher Consciousness: A Cosmic Book on the Mechanics of Creation – Itzhak Bentov
* * Stalking the Wild Pendulum: On the Mechanics of Consciousness – Itzhak Bentov
* * * A Cosmic Book – Itzhak Bentov
What links conscious experience of pain, joy, color, and smell to bio-electrical activity in the brain? How can anything physical give rise to nonphysical, subjective, conscious states?
Christof Koch has devoted much of his career to bridging the seemingly unbridgeable gap between the physics of the brain and phenomenal experience. This engaging book–part scientific overview, part memoir, part futurist speculation–describes Koch’s search for an empirical explanation for consciousness. Koch recounts not only the birth of the modern science of consciousness but also the subterranean motivation for his quest–his instinctual (if “romantic”) belief that life is meaningful.
Koch describes his own groundbreaking work with Francis Crick in the 1990s and 2000s and the gradual emergence of consciousness (once considered a “fringy” subject) as a legitimate topic for scientific investigation. Present at this paradigm shift were Koch and a handful of colleagues, including Ned Block, David Chalmers, Stanislas Dehaene, Giulio Tononi, Wolf Singer, and others. Aiding and abetting it were new techniques to listen in on the activity of individual nerve cells, clinical studies, and brain-imaging technologies that allowed safe and noninvasive study of the human brain in action.
Koch gives us stories from the front lines of modern research into the neurobiology of consciousness as well as his own reflections on a variety of topics, including the distinction between attention and awareness, the unconscious, how neurons respond to Homer Simpson, the physics and biology of free will, dogs, Der Ring des Nibelungen, sentient machines, the loss of his belief in a personal God, and sadness. All of them are signposts in the pursuit of his life’s work–to uncover the roots of consciousness.
Christof Koch
Christof Koch was born in the American Midwest, grew up in Holland, Germany, Canada, and Morocco. He studied Physics and Philosophy at the University of Tübingen in Germany and was awarded his Ph.D. in Biophysics in 1982. After 4 years at MIT, he joined the California Institute of Technology, where he is the Lois and Victor Troendle Professor of Cognitive and Behavioral Biology. In 2011, he became the Chief Scientific Officer at the Allen Institute for Brain Science in Seattle, planning for a ten year, large-scale, high through-put effort to understand the visual system of the mouse, with a focus on untangling the circuitry of it’s cerebral cortex. He loves dogs, Apple Computers, rock and mountain climbing, biking and long-distance running.
His laboratory studies the biophysics of nerve cells, and the neuronal and computational basis of visual perception, attention, and consciousness and machine vision. Together with his long-time collaborator, Francis Crick, Koch pioneered the scientific study of consciousness. His latest book, Consciousness – Confessions of a Romantic Reductionist deals with the philosophical, religious, scientific, technological and personal questions relating to his research.
Click here to browse inside. Christof Koch – Brain, Mind, and Consciousness – Skeptics Society
This is from the 2005 Skeptics Conference where leading scientists discuss issues that strike at the very heart of the matter, our brains. Topics range from morality to evolution to consciousness to life after death. It’s an absolutely amazing collection of lectures.
Christof Koch on the Neurobiology and Mathematics of Consciousness
Dr. Nader releases his long-awaited 2nd book, the Ramayan in Human Physiology : Veda unfolding in one grand story—the story of our Self
Ramayan in Human Physiology
Discovery of the Eternal Reality of the Ramayan in the Structure and Function of Human Physiology by By Maharaja Adhiraj Rajaraam
Tony Nader, MD, Ph.D
Book Preview
More than ten years in the making, the Ramayan in Human Physiology is the perfect sequel to Maharaja Adhiraj Rajaraam’s (Professor Tony Nader, MD, Ph.D) first groundbreaking work on the correspondence of the Vedic Literature and human physiology. With his intellect finely honed by doctoral and post-doctoral research in neuroscience at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard Medical School, and his intuition and feeling deeply cultivated by years of personal training with renowned Vedic scientist and sage, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Dr. Nader beautifully integrates cutting-edge science with the ancient wisdom of the Vedas.
Dr. Nader’s insights into the deepest levels of understanding of the cosmic nature of the human physiology led Maharishi to refer to him as the greatest scientist of our time, responsible for ushering in a new age of enlightenment for every culture, every country, and every individual in the world. This book underscores Maharishi’s brilliance and wisdom in his choice of Maharaja Adhiraj Rajaraam to be the leader of Maharishi’s worldwide Transcendental Meditation Movement.
“Maharaja Adhiraj Rajaraam is talking in terms of the mechanics of transformation of Natural Law into physiology. He has realised that the total Constitution of Natural Law, which governs the universe with perfect order, is lively in every grain of physiology. And the language of Ramayan is that language in which Total Natural Law is actually seen administering the whole universe.” -Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
“Such great thanks go to Maharaja Adhiraj Rajaraam who, with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi’s guidance, proves without a doubt that the Ramayan is not just a fanciful story from the past – nor a myth. Maharaja Adhiraj Rajaraam shows that this story is always alive in the Eternal Field of Consciousness – The Absolute – The Unified Field of all the Laws of Nature – and that this story with all its characters – happenings – details – is alive and being unfolded in each and every human being.” -David Lynch, Filmmaker
“Maharaja Adhiraj Rajaraam (Dr. Tony Nader, MD, PhD) is one of the great, innovative geniuses of our time.. His remarkable scientific elucidation of the ancient cherished epic, the Ramayan, reveals how this timeless saga is truly about ourselves—a story that is continuously unfolding within our very brain and body. This makes this time-honored epic immediately relevant to the life and very soul of the reader. A magnificent revelation… An historic achievement.” -John Hagelin, PhD World Renowned Quantum Physicist President, Global Union of Scientists for Peace
“Maharaja Adhiraj Rajaraam has seen in the story of Shri Ram in the Ramayan the basic principles of the administration of the whole universe by the totality of the Laws of Nature. With Maharishi’s guidance he was able to cognize this reality unfolding, instant by instant, in human physiology, which is the gift of God to everyone.” -Dr. Bevan Morris Prime Minister, Global Country of World Peace, President, Maharishi University of Management, USA
“This book represents one of the most important achievements in the history of mankind. It marks a turning point in which the newest and oldest traditions of knowledge converge, contributing to a paradigm-changing understanding of human potential.” -Robert Keith Wallace, PhD, Founding President and Trustee, Dean, College of Perfect Health, Maharishi University of Management, USA
“This book will serve as a revelation to physicians, scientists, and those who desire a greater understanding of the unity underlying all that makes us human.” -Gary P. Kaplan, MD, PhD Clinical Associate Professor of Neurology Hofstra University School of Medicine
Maharishi called the Ramayan“Brahman on the Stage.” All the abstract impulses of the Veda unfold in one grand story, and this story is found to be the story of our innermost nature, expressed intimately through the fabric of our own physiology.
The Totality of life takes the stage within our Self.
This is the very essence of Dr. Nader’s (Maharaja Adhiraj Rajaraam) extraordinary discovery —developed directly under Maharishi’s guidance—which is revealed in his just-released book,
Ramayan in Human Physiology. Click Here To Preview
Dr. Tony Nader speaks about the Ramayana in Human Physiology
Brief Transcript:
Maharishi is a seer. What does he see? He sees himself, and he sees how he emerges from his own self. And, he sees how the universe emerges. And that seeing is a cognition, is not a composition. There is no intellect in it, there is no expression of feeling, there is nothing. All of these feelings of course, all of this intellect, all of this construction is within it. But, the expression and how it comes from the absolute is on the basis of direct experience. The Rishi sees, hears the vibrations of natural law and chants them. This is the Veda.
Now, when you have a song, or a chant, or a melody — it has a structure, and it has a system of a developing from one stage to the other, and evolving and how the sound evolves and becomes more and more and more. From one pure being, one sound to many sounds, many sounds, many sounds — to the entire universe. These words, these sounds, structured and the way they are structured, which means, actually how many syllables are in how many sutras, and how many richas, and how many padas, and how many akcharas. Actually the physical number of them, and how they go from sound to silence, and how they interact with each other. This is how natural law works. And that is the great vision of His Holiness Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the great sage from the Vedic Tradition who has seen in the Veda that the vibrations of the sound of the Veda are the sounds of the laws of nature.
Moderated by Krista Tippett, MDiv
Creator and Host of Public Radio’s Being
Speakers: Pim van Lommel, MD, Hospital Rijnstate, The Netherlands Thomas Metzinger, PhD, University of Mainz, Germany Evan Thompson, PhD, University of Toronto
Evidence from studies of the brain and mind point to a construct of the Self resulting from complex neurobiological processes interacting with the environment. If distinct neurobiological correlates of consciousness do in fact exist, does that necessarily imply that the Self is an epiphenomenon and illusion? Furthermore, how do these characterizations of the Self affect the way we represent ourselves, our responsibilities, and our actions in the world?
Renowned philosophers Thomas Metzinger and Evan Thompson will join cardiologist and expert on near-death experiences, Pim van Lommel, to examine recent developments in neuroscience and philosophy that shed light on whether our conscious experience of a unified Self is reality or illusion.
The Phenomenal Self: Thomas Metzinger in Discussion with Krista Tippett
The New York Academy of Sciences – December 7, 2010
To Be or Not To Be: The Self as Illusion
Philosopher Thomas Metzinger explains his view that there is no substantial self, but rather just a phenomenal self that is a representational process.
This is an excerpt from the first in a six-part series, Perspectives on the Self, which brings together experts from the sciences and the humanities for conversations on the evolving meaning and experience of the Self.
The Embodied Self: Evan Thompson in Discussion with Krista Tippett
Philosopher Evan Thompson explains how mindfulness techniques can assist neuroscientists in studying different states of consciousness, and the importance of the notion of an embodied self.
This is an excerpt from the first in a six-part series, Perspectives on the Self, which brings together experts from the sciences and the humanities for conversations on the evolving meaning and experience of the Self. What Near Death Experiences Can Tell Us About the Self: Pim van Lommel with Krista Tippett
Cardiologist and expert on near death experiences Pim van Lommel talks about how he became involved in the study of near death experiences and what that led him to conclude about the nature of the Self.
This is an excerpt from the first in a six-part series, Perspectives on the Self, which brings together experts from the sciences and the humanities for conversations on the evolving meaning and experience of the Self.
Dean Radin is a well known consciousness researcher and author. He holds the position of senior scientists at the Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS).
0:00:10 Why do you research anomalies of consciousness ?
0:01:08 Why are psi effects on random number generators significant ?
0:02:55 What are remote staring experiments about ?
0:04:35 Why are psi phenomena ignored by mainstream science ?
0:10:30 Why is there a taboo about researching extended properties of consciousness ?
0:12:40 What are presentiment / precognition experiments about ?
0:21:40 Do experiments show that participants have awareness about the future ?
0:24:10 Where do you see the future of psi research ?
0:27:10 What are the philosophical implications of consciousness research ?
0:28:20 Is there an observer driven component to the establishment of physical reality ?
“How Humanity Came into Being” is our story – the collective story of all humankind. Life, from its earliest days, is a constant exploration of our physical, emotional, mental and ultimately spiritual relationship with the world.
It is no wonder, then, that we ponder the perennial questions:
Where did we come from?;
What is our destiny as a species?;
Why the miracle of consciousness, self-awareness and the agony and ecstasy of existence?;
and,
Why do we have a sense of order, morality, purpose, and even intimations of the divine?
This unique and remarkably readable book explores such questions of existence. The authors present a fascinating journey through our anthropological history, including art and science, linguistic, spiritual and other cultural innovations; in short, all things that make us a unique species.
Drawing on the latest research and ideas, they go on to show that we are poised at an evolutionary turning point as human beings move towards a collective awakening. For anyone interested in human consciousness, this book is an important signpost, indicating the way forward. Martin Lockley grew up on nature reserves in Wales and England, where he later earned his Ph.D. in paleontology and his Welsh track and field colors. Now a professor at the University of Colorado, Denver, he works and writes on fossil tracks and field conservation issues and teaches courses on the evolution of consciousness
Ryo Morimoto was born in Japan and studied at the University of Colorado, Denver, where he developed an interest in consciousness studies. He is a graduate student at Brandeis University studying anthropology.
Discovery Retreats: Dr. Martin Lockley on “The evolution of human consciousness.”
Dr. Martin Lockley is a renowned world expert in the fields of paleontology, geology and evolution. A native of England, he created the Dinosaur Tracks Museum at the University of Colorado at Denver, and is currently its director. A fountain of knowledge on dinosaurs, fossil footprints and prehistoric creatures, renowned paleontologist Martin Lockley leads an expedition to find and identify dinosaur foot prints within the Gateway confines as well as an excursion just outside Gateway to search for more tracks.
From the Introduction …
“… the book is divided into four parts. In the first, entitled ‘Understanding,’ we shall be looking at the various threads which have created the weave we call GreenSpirit.
The first is cosmology. In describing this, we shall be drawing on the work of Thomas Berry and Brian Swimme, co-authors of The Universe Story , that masterful telling of the tale of our existence, from the ‘Big Bang’ onwards.
Another major thread is Creation Spirituality. In other words, a spirituality centered on the beauty and mystery of the world we see around us, rather than on some imaginal realm of gods and angels. Here we shall be turning to the thought and writings of Matthew Fox, the iconoclastic Christian priest who became unpopular with the Roman Catholic church for his insistence that the concept of ‘original sin’ needed to be replaced by one of ‘original blessing’ and who eventually left that church to become an Episcopalian instead.
A third thread is the thread of Deep Ecology: a way of appreciating the Earth and all its life forms by acknowledging their intrinsic value, as opposed to measuring their value on the basis of their usefulness—or otherwise—to human beings.
Then there is Gaia Theory: the discovery that our planet Earth, far from being merely a lifeless rock with a thin covering of air and water and life clinging to it like lichen on a stone, displays all the attributes of a living organism, including the ability to self regulate.
Lastly, there is Ecopsychology. This is a way of understanding ourselves and our psyches in terms of our relationship with Nature, both around us and, just as importantly, within us.
In the second part of the book, ‘Spiritual Pathways,’ we examine the ways in which all these ideas fit together with some of the traditional religions and how each of those may be practiced from a Green Spirit orientation.
Part III, ‘Greening Our Culture,’ is concerned with how we might bring—and indeed are already beginning to bring—GreenSpirit thinking to bear on the different institutions and sectors of human society, such as law, medicine, education, politics, economics, design and so on.
Finally, in Part IV, ‘Walking our Talk,’ we discuss the practicalities of living a GreenSpirit lifestyle. This is a lifestyle in which ecologically-minded behaviors such as simple living, ‘downshifting,’ recycling, frugality and so on all flow from a pure and boundless love of the Earth rather than from fear or because some individual, institution or government tells us it is the right thing to do.
We look at the history of GreenSpirit as an organization, what it provides for its members now and how the reader may link up with the services and opportunities it provides for people who wish to become part of our ever-widening spiritual community. Like planets in a solar system, this is a community which in turn is part of a larger one, in a web of relationships that spans the globe. Here, as we listen to people describing their experiences of GreenSpirit, it becomes clear how well and how satisfyingly it stands alone as a form of spirituality that lacks nothing and requires no compromise, no translation of language and no special props or dedicated buildings.
You will hear many voices in this book. Some of the contributors are already well known names, some not so well-known. A number of the essays included here are extracts from longer works or are transcripts of talks given at GreenSpirit events over recent years. Some are adapted from writings previously published in the GreenSpirit Journal or in the form of booklets printed by GreenSpirit Books. Some of the work is brand new and written especially for this book.
Together, this collection of writings presents, for the first time in one volume, a comprehensive picture of GreenSpirit both as an organization and as a philosophy of life. From these pages you will discover what GreenSpirit is, what it stands for and how it can provide a way out of our current dilemmas and into a joyous, sustainable, peaceful and harmonious future.”
___________________________________________________________________
GreenSpirit – Path to a New Consciousness
This new book has been described as ‘The definitive guide to green spirituality’. Featuring contributions from twenty-nine inspirational writers, including Matthew Fox, Brian Swimme, Satish Kumar, Emma Restall Orr, David Korten and Neil Douglas-Klotz.
Wholeness is from the simple definition, it is everything. Whole, it is holy, there is a holy value, which is holistic. There is wholeness, everything… puts everything together. There are different levels of wholeness, you have the whole is more than the sum of its parts. You get an entity, which is made out of elements. These elements constitute values of that entity. But, you don’t appreciate that entity until you see more than the parts, and you see how the parts come together to form something that is a human being, that is a flower, that is… music or a symphony whatever it is there is a wholeness in that reality.
When we talk about real wholeness it is the wholeness of everything in life, which means when we put all the parts of life together what do we get? When we put the trees with the flowers, with the human beings, with the buildings, with the animals, with the galaxies, with the entire planetary systems and stars and with the details of the people and societies and life as a whole we get the grand wholeness of existence. That is life itself… So it is a way of seeing the totality of life the wholeness of life beyond its specificities.
Dr. Tony Nader: Wholeness and Parts
Dr. Tony Nader: Wholeness and Parts
Brief Transcript:
For one individual to be able to live Wholeness, which means Totality, and that is the basis of being able to live perfection in life. One has to have ones awareness able to fathom parts… small parts, big parts and the Whole together and the Infinity together. And therefore it is part of the nature of the reality of perfection of Wholeness that the individual must have the freedom to think and to decide that there is a point, there are many points, there is wholeness, there is a bigger wholeness, there is Totality, there is Infinity, there is Absolute.
All of these values are open to individual awareness, and that is the nature of reality, it is part of what reality is, its nature. So, it is not like a trick that you are allowed to go here and there, but it is part of the deal, part of the equation. You want wholeness, you want perfection, you want fullness, you want infinite freedom, that is part of what makes the individual feel blissful and holy.
It is the nature of life and individual life to have freedom of choice, and decision making. And, with time the feeling of everything is going well, it is all fine, everything is okay leads to lack of practice of technology that allows the individual to remain in touch with their deep self. Therefore gradually one looses the connection to the source. It is like a river flowing and as it flows far, and far it can loose its connection to the source by having some branches here and there, go here and there, and then it can become stale and looses its energy, strength and flow, and therefore suddenly go away from the original purpose of life.
So, human choice and ability to choose with time allows the individual to choose one thing or the other. People can choose something that can create life which is not as ideal, and therefore they can try it, it is part of the curiosity and the natural aspect of human life and then gradually with time one forgets the importance of the knowledge that allows life to be lived on this level.
If we have to say what one would take as a whole from this whole Veda in the Physiology. What one would kind of at the end of the day say, “why is it interesting, what does it do to me? How much more I can feel I understand something knowing that this is the case, that Veda is physiology?”
One aspect, which is very important is that the connection between the abstract and the concrete, between the subjective and the objective. That ultimately they are the same. That the physical is truly nothing but the non-physical consciousness. That matter is actually itself an expression of intelligence, an expression of the dynamics of intelligence. That the creator is in his creation, that we as human beings have the structure and mechanism that allow us to experience Totality, Infinity, Pure Being… to shake hands with God to commune with the divine because we are structured in the actual form and structure of the will of god, if you like to go into religious terms. Or, we are the embodiment of the Totality of the Unified Field of the laws of nature and that a human being contains the total universe in fact truly in her or in him…
A lighthearted yet profound guide to the realms of higher consciousness and the ultimate nature of reality.
What links conscious experience of pain, joy, color, and smell to bio-electrical activity in the brain? How can anything physical give rise to nonphysical, subjective, conscious states?
Dr. Nader releases his long-awaited 2nd book, the Ramayan in Human Physiology : Veda unfolding in one grand story—the story of our Self
“How Humanity Came into Being” is our story – the collective story of all humankind. Life, from its earliest days, is a constant exploration of our physical, emotional, mental and ultimately spiritual relationship with the world.
Martin Lockley grew up on nature reserves in Wales and England, where he later earned his Ph.D. in paleontology and his Welsh track and field colors. Now a professor at the University of Colorado, Denver, he works and writes on fossil tracks and field conservation issues and teaches courses on the evolution of consciousness
