[Advaita-l] Cotard Syndrome and Brahman Realisation

[rajaramvenk at gmail.com]

Body and Mind influence each other. Whatever you cite are influence of body on the mind. You can also influence the body by controlling the mind. If you fully concentrate your mind on gayatri mantra, your BP will go up and then come down. It won't happen for non-bija mantras. You can also influence external events by your thought. There are few experiments being conducted to study that (intention experiment) though we know from sastras yat cintati tat prapti and bhavati. You can experiment yourself.

Ian Stevenson has documented cases of reincarnation. He was a great scientist not a Hindu or Buddhist who believe in transmigration of the souls with sukshma sarira (mind).  It shows mind is distinct from the body.

Nobel Laureate Kary Mullis studied astrology applying his scientific mind and shows its correctness logically. Karma theory is based on reincarnation, which implies mind is distinct from the body.

Even if you believe mind is simply a product of brain function, you should read Roger Penrose. He shows why contemporary Mathematics and Physics are not enough to explain mind.


Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device

-----Original Message-----
From: "sriram" <srirudra at vsnl.com>
Sender: advaita-l-bounces at lists.advaita-vedanta.org
Date: Sat, 9 Jun 2012 13:12:44 
To: A discussion group for Advaita Vedanta<advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org>
Reply-To: A discussion group for Advaita Vedanta
	<advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org>
Subject: Re: [Advaita-l] Cotard Syndrome and Brahman Realisation

Dear Sri Rajaram Venkatramani
I tend to agree that mind is a product of the brain only as intellect is.I 
had undergone administration of anaesthsia for a surgical operation and 
during this period there were no activity of the brain as discernible by 
me-mind-and I was not aware of any external activity.During deep sleep also 
this can be seen.Dreams come only when your brain is not fully asleep 
leading to mind`s supplying bizarre of jumbled thoughts.So mind also comes 
under brain`s function.Brain`s damage results in loss of memory etc and what 
we call mind becomes incoherent.
I am not a neuroscientist but I am researching on mano nasam and as per my 
thinking mind is brain`s activity only and sans brain no 
mind.R.Krishnamoorthy.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Rajaram Venkataramani" <rajaramvenk at gmail.com>
To: "A discussion group for Advaita Vedanta" 
<advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org>
Sent: Saturday, June 09, 2012 11:16 AM
Subject: [Advaita-l] Cotard Syndrome and Brahman Realisation


>I am only thinking aloud taking the question posed by Sri Rajaram as the
>> 'prashna bIjam'.  Members are welcome to point out errors in my
>> thinking/expression.
>>
>
> It is perhaps easier to find a needle in a hay stack.
>
> I think the mind is clearly distinct from the body (according to the
> sastras) as you said. I don't quite understand Sri Vidyasankar's position
> on mind - body connection. If his position is that mind is distinct from
> the body but when in it remains in the body it is totally connected as 
> long
> as there is attachment, I can't agree more. The actions of the mind create
> measurable effect all over the body - the brain, heart and practically
> every part of he body. The body also produces effects on the mind.
>
> The modern scientific opinion that the mind is a product of the brain
> function cannot be right in my opinion. Even Roger Penrose, who agrees 
> with
> the current scientific paradigm that the mind is a product of the neural
> activity argues that there need to be advances in mathematical physics to
> explain the mind. The current physics falls short is his opinion based on
> good logic.
>
> Ian Stevenson spent a life time documenting, critically and with high
> integrity, thousands of cases of reincarnation based on memory of past
> lives. If we accept reincarnation based on such verbal testimony or
> sastras, then we need to accept that mind is distinct from the body.
>
> Knowledge is characterised by renunciation. Renounciation is not possible
> without the right mindset and body. So it seems tattva jnana  alters
> neurological constitution. But I think this alteration is easily
> reversible. The jnani can assume the conditioning of a king or a 
> mendicant,
> which won't be possible if jnana shapes the brain in a particular way
> irreversibly.
>
> But I think repetition of mantras, deep meditation etc. semi-permanently
> shapes the brain. It seems similar to building the body in a gym but if 
> you
> stop the practice  you lose the muscles over time.
>
> If the jnani is able to witness his own insanity, if it occurs, then
> witnessing part (seer) has to be disconnected from acting part (seen). 
> Who
> is the witness? I think the mind sees the dysfunction of the brain. I am
> happy to be created.
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