Experiments on consciousness

Question: Yoga claims to be based on experiments on consciousness over thousands of years, but the claimed results of the experiments are not believable. It is said, for instance, that the inmost consciousness of man is experienced directly to be the universal consciousness, which presumably includes electrons at the other end of the universe. How can anyone believe that? It is too absurd. The experiments of science on the other hand produce results which are rational and believable.

Answer: Yes the Yogic results do seem incredible but let us look at some of those in physics. “A quantum entity such as an electron is affected … by events which in principle could be at the other end of the universe. These non-local influences occur instantaneously, as if some form of communication, which Albert Einstein called a ‘spooky action at a distance’, operates not just faster than the speed of light but infinitely fast. It is important to appreciate that the non-local nature of the quantum world has been demonstrated in experiments…the double slit…and the Aspect experiment…” (John Gribbin)

In other words it were not for the experiments one could hardly believe it. The yogic statements about universal consciousness do seem to be as incredible as the non-locality theory of the quantum world – and if it were not for the experiments it would be difficult to believe them.

© 2000 Trevor Leggett

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