[English] The Magic of Omkaar (Part 4): There Is Only One Consciousness, Not Many!

    [Preview books]  [Borrow books]

 

 

 

 

 

In the last few episodes, we discussed consciousness. We spoke about the four states of consciousness: the waking state, the dream state, the deep sleep state, and the indescribable state of Turiya. All living beings experience one of these four states of consciousness at different times.

Our discussion was based on the Mandukya Upanishad, one of the ancient Upanishads of India.

At the end of the previous episode, I hinted that many Advaita philosophers of India hold a different view regarding these states of consciousness. In this episode, I will briefly discuss the alternative viewpoint presented by Gaudapada in his famous Mandukya Karika—that is, his exposition on the Mandukya Upanishad.

Who was Gaudapada?

Gaudapada was the original philosopher of the Advaita tradition. He belonged to the 6th century CE. He was the paramaguru (teacher's teacher) of the famous Advaita philosopher Shankara.

What did Gaudapada say?

[English] The Magic of Om – The Indescribable Fourth State of Consciousness.

    [Preview books]  [Borrow books]

 

 

 

In the previous episode, we discussed the three states of consciousness described by our ancient Indian philosophers. We based our discussion on one of the Upanishads—the Mandukya Upanishad.

This Upanishad speaks about the three states of consciousness: the waking state, the dream state, and the deep sleep state. These are the three states that we observe every day in all living beings. It then goes on to speak about a fourth state called Turiya.

What is this state of Turiya?

[English] The Magic of Omkara: The Three States of Consciousness.

    [Preview books]  [Borrow books]

 

 

 

In the previous episode, we were discussing how the ancient Indians viewed the concept of consciousness. As a specific example, I had chosen one of the Upanishads, the 'Mandukya Upanishad'. The Mandukya Upanishad is a part of the Atharva Veda.

This short Upanishad explains how the Ultimate Reality manifests through the four states of consciousness. It calls that Ultimate Reality 'Omkara'. It identifies the four states of consciousness as the waking state, the dream state, deep sleep, and Turiya.

These states exist among the countless forms assumed by that Omkara. As we discussed earlier, this is certainly possible because Omkara transcends space and time. The various forms of Omkara are the living beings spread throughout the universe. Since those forms are subject to the laws of space and time, they can exist in only one state at a time.

In this episode, let us understand the first three of these four states.

[English] The Wonder of Omkaara: Everything that Exists is Omkaara!

    [Preview books]  [Borrow books]

 

 

 

  

In our previous episodes, we discussed how modern neuroscientists explain consciousness. They tie consciousness directly to our brain and its mechanics. In their view, consciousness is merely "the brain in action"—a unique phenomenon born out of the brain's functioning.

On the flip side, we also discussed how cognitive philosophers like David Chalmers disagree with this argument. According to thinkers like Chalmers, consciousness is a completely subjective phenomenon. They argue that it can never be confined to the mechanics of physical elements like neurons in the brain. In their view, consciousness is not physical; it is an independent force that exists on its own. The brain is merely a tool that expresses it.

Then, there are those who call themselves "panpsychists." They detect consciousness in physical matter itself, right down to atoms and subatomic particles. Their argument is that the consciousness of these microscopic particles combines to emerge as human consciousness!

Come, let's turn back the wheel of time by thousands of years. I want to lay before you some completely different perspectives on consciousness.

[English] Can AI Become a Threat to Humans?

    [Preview books]  [Borrow books]

 

 

 

 

According to estimates by organizations such as Goldman-Sachs, AI could automate around 300 million full-time jobs globally. They have stated that nearly two-thirds of the jobs currently existing in America and Europe could be affected by AI automation to one degree or another.

The International-Labour-Organization (ILO) takes a somewhat more conservative view and estimates that approximately 2.3 percent of global employment, or about 75 million jobs, is at risk of complete automation.

At the same time, labor researchers have observed that large-scale sudden layoffs are unlikely. Instead, hiring for entry-level white-collar positions and workers engaged in physical "grunt work" may slow down.

Nevertheless, some doomsday-prophets have already begun predicting how AI will eventually overpower humanity itself!

Can AI ever surpass humans?

 

[English] Do AI Systems Really Possess Consciousness?

    [Preview books]  [Borrow books]

 

 

 

 

This very question caused a former Google employee named Blake Lemoine to lose both his job and his reputation. You have probably read about it.

In 2022, while testing one of Google's AI systems called Lamda, Blake felt that the AI was conscious. He did not stop there. Instead, he began advocating for the rights of that AI. That eventually cost him his job.

Before talking about the consciousness of AI systems, let us first understand our own conscious experience.

 

[English] Do Todays AI Systems Really Understand Anything?

    [Preview books]  [Borrow books]

 

 

 

 

 

Anyone who has worked with ChatGPT, Gemini, or any other artificial intelligence system of that kind has probably felt that they do understand. An AI communicates with us much like an ordinary human being. They make jokes, and they respond to our sarcasm and minor objections in ways that seem remarkably human.

If you ask one of them to prepare presentation slides for your lecture, it may do a better job than you would yourself. I have even heard that many students are now using AI to complete their school and college assignments.

So then, isn't it obvious that they understand things?

 

[English] What Causes Our Emotions and Feelings?

    [Preview books]  [Borrow books]

 

 

 

 

Emotions and feelings are generally believed to be unique characteristics of living beings. Inanimate objects do not possess them. In fact, they are often regarded as one of the primary signs of life itself. So, what causes them?

A team of neuroscientists at University College London conducted several studies on this subject. To study the changes that occur in our brains when we experience emotions and feelings, they used highly advanced instruments such as functional MRI (f-MRI) scanners.

[English] Do We Have Free Will?

    [Preview books]  [Borrow books]

 

 

 

 

Decades ago, an American neuroscientist named Benjamin Libet tried to investigate this question. The experiments he conducted created a huge sensation at the time, and even today neuroscientists continue to debate them.

What exactly did Libet do?

[English] Your Birth Should Not Become Your Destiny, Right?

    [Preview books]  [Borrow books]

 

 

 

 

Let us begin our discussion with a simple illustration.
Imagine a 100-meter running race. In a fair world, everyone stands at the zero-meter line. The starter pistol fires, the whistle blows, and whoever runs the fastest wins. Simple, right?
But unfortunately, we do not live in such a world.

[English] Don't Practice Un-Meditation: Your Mobile Phone Could Mislead Your Mind

    [Quick links]  [Borrow books]

 

 

 

 

You have probably tried meditation at some point in your life. Most people meditate to reduce stress. They use it as a way to calm the mind or improve their health.

But I am going to talk about "un-meditation." You may wonder what that means. Even if you do not recognize it immediately, I am quite sure that you are practicing it far more than you think. And that is exactly what I am going to explain.

[English] The Question That Outlived Every Answer: From the Myth of Creation to the Truth of the Self.

    [Quick links]  [Borrow books]

 

 

 

 

Perhaps, on this Earth, the only being that troubles itself with how it came here is the human being. All other creatures are busy struggling with just one concern — how to survive in this world!

In most religions, there are creation stories that explain that 'an all-powerful God' created this world. These stories take many forms. Humans imagine the creator to possess qualities similar to themselves — authority, compassion, generosity, and a sense of fatherhood.

[English] The Storytelling Void: Why modern families are losing their moral compass.

[Quick links]

 

 

 

Just a generation ago, there was a tradition of storytelling. Every child grew up in its grandmother's lap, and she would captivate the child with wonderful stories. These stories had a long-lasting impact on the child.

These stories usually carried a moral value or lesson, woven into engaging narratives. They were like sugar-coated pills. Even if the medicine inside was not pleasant, the sugar coating made it enjoyable. Without realizing it, the child would swallow the bitter medicine while enjoying the sweetness.

[English] Meditation for Children: The Right Age, The Right Method

[Quick links]

 

Focus. Calm. Clarity.

 

 

Responding to my lecture on the topic, "Meditation can be used to reduce aggressive behavior," a school teacher asked me two questions.

First, she wanted to know at what age children can be introduced to meditation practices.

Second, she asked whether I support her method of making children chant "Om" to calm a noisy classroom. According to her own experience, doing so calms the children at least for a short while.

Both these questions are very interesting and require a somewhat detailed answer. That is what we will look at in this section.

[English] Meditation can potentially lead to a more peaceful world

[Quick links]

 

 

 

In one of his conversations, Sam Harris describes an intriguing experience he had, when he met the Indian Guru Poonjaji. He says the experience was far deeper than what he had gone through in many meditation retreats that lasted for months.

By the way, Sam Harris is an American neuroscientist turned meditation teacher, who spent several years studying meditation in India. He is highly rational, and his primary interest was to understand how meditation can produce states similar to those induced by drugs like MDMA.

Poonjaji's teachings did not impress Sam very much. But something else puzzled him. How could the mere presence of Poonjaji, even for a short period, take him into such a deep experience?

[English] Never ride a tiger!

[Quick links]

 

 

You probably have seen people riding on a horse. May be, you have also heard of people riding a camel in the Arabian deserts. But riding a tiger? No way!

But, strangely, many of us keep doing that. Though we rarely realize it.

[English] Krishna’s 4 paths to ultimate happiness

[Quick links]

 

 

 

I salute Sage Vyasa the author of the great Epic Mahabharata for lighting the illuminating lamp that is Bhagavad Gita.

The Upanishads are the cows which are milked by Krishna. Arjuna is the calf that motivated the release of milk which is nothing-but the Bhagavad Gita. And lucky are the ones, who get to drink this divine immortalizing milk.

[English-] Is religion the cause of all problems?

[Quick links]

 

 

In a previous episode titled "What causes wars and a possible resolution", I had pointed out that the root cause of wars, is mistaken identity. I suggested that realizing our true identity can resolve most of the conflicts faced by the world.

Reacting to that episode, one of the readers felt that though the episode rightly points to the root cause, it falls short of offering a solution.

Though I did very briefly talk about ways of alleviating such conflicts, probably, there is a need for an elaborate discussion.

So, in this episode, I will start discussion on various levels, at which inter-human conflicts can be minimized, if not completely eliminated.

The answer is going to be bit long. And probably, I need to split that across multiple episodes.

So, here we go.

There are renowned intellectuals like Sam Haris, or Richard Dawkins who are of the firm opinion that religions often motivate people in engaging in mutual hatred and conflict.

Yes, there was a time in the history, when wars were fought in the name of religion. Lot of blood-shed and human-rights violation ensued due to religious differences. Unfortunately, that continues to happen even today, may be in a smaller scale.

Does that mean that all religions should be abandoned as a solution to human conflicts? I am afraid, that would be an extreme step. That is like "throwing the baby along with the bath water".

What causes wars? A possible resolution.

[Quick links]

When wars begin, they are usually explained in familiar ways. Political leaders speak about national security, territorial disputes, ideological differences, or economic competition. Analysts discuss military balance, strategic interests, and alliances. News reports often focus on immediate triggers such as border incidents, political tensions, or acts of violence.

These explanations are not wrong. Nations do compete for power, resources, and influence. Throughout history, such competition has frequently led to conflict.