For roughly 2500 years there have been two competing theories that describe vastly different versions of our universe. The Doctrine of Materialism holds that all that is real and exists is composed purely of physical matter, and that phenomena such as mental states and processes are produced purely through brain activity. In contrast, various mystical teachings represent an approach which generally describes the universe as both physical matter, which is in a state of continuous change, and non-physical manifestations, including consciousness. The Materialist view holds that one can only explore the physical realm, as that is all there is, so any theory incorporating non-physical phenomena is considered pseudoscience and should be dismissed. Mysticism realizes the need for a basic understanding of physical causality in order to function within the physical realm, but as soon as is practical, one should master the separation of consciousness from the realms of space and time as the most expedient and productive means for exploration of the entire universe. If it were ever to be proven that consciousness could function independent of the brain, the Doctrine of Materialism would be disproven, and the description of the universe would necessarily include non-physical phenomena and states.
The scientific threat to Materialism began to materialize when psychiatrist Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross undertook her research of 20,000 Near-Death Experiences in the 1960s. Since more than 75% of NDEs are accompanied by strikingly similar Out-of-Body Experiences (OBEs), promoting conjecture for evidence of an afterlife, and perhaps immortal consciousness, the scientific community lost no time in defending the dogma of materialism by dismissing such experiences as mere hallucinations due to oxygen deprivation of the brain during the process of dying. To counter this, Kübler-Ross restricted her case studies to those subjects who had been completely blind for at least 10 years prior to their OBEs. Since roughly 1% of the population has severe visual impairment, and approximately 10% of those are completely blind, this likely reduced her dataset to just double digits, but only
a single case of a corroborated visual account of surroundings with no physical means of processing vision would be sufficient to prove that a non-physical process produced real results.
Although Kübler-Ross never published a focused study of these results due to destruction of her research by arson, she did report in her book On Life After Death that, for the completely blind subjects, “Those who had an out-of-body experience and came back can tell you in detail what colors and jewelry you were wearing if you were present. Furthermore, they can tell you the color and pattern of your sweater, or of your tie, and so on.” Although this evidence couldn’t be refuted, it was largely ignored by the scientific community, because then, as now, the embrace of scientific materialism was pervasive and strong.
In 1997 the psychologist Dr. Kenneth Ring followed up on her research, publishing his Study of Apparent Eyeless Vision of 31 blind subjects, with some individuals instantly gaining crystal-clear vision during ND-OBE events, corroborating Kübler-Ross’ results. And once again, the scientific community found little reason to abandon its belief in materialism. Materialism couldn’t explain these undeniably real results from those incapable of vision, but since no proof existed that the brain was non-functional during the event, it was still possible that the brain might somehow be mysteriously responsible.
Fast forward to 2014, when Dr. Sam Parnia, the lead author of a study begun in 2008 of over 2,000 patients from 15 hospitals in the U.K., U.S., and Austria, reported on one ND-OBE case that “… was validated and timed using auditory stimuli during cardiac arrest. Dr. Parnia concluded: ‘This is significant, since it has often been assumed that experiences in relation to death are likely hallucinations or illusions, occurring either before the heart stops or after the heart has been successfully restarted, but not an experience corresponding with ‘real’ events when the heart isn’t beating. In this case, consciousness and awareness appeared to occur during a three-minute period when there was no heartbeat. This is paradoxical, since the brain typically ceases functioning within 20-30 seconds of the heart stopping and doesn’t resume again until the heart has been restarted. Furthermore, the detailed recollections of visual awareness in this case were consistent with verified events.’”
Notice that Dr. Parnia characterized this functionality of consciousness during a three-minute period without heartbeat as “paradoxical,” implying that this shouldn’t have been possible. Claiming the universe “shouldn’t” behave one way or the other is not scientific. The point of scientific experimentation is to determine how nature actually functions, rather than to assert how one believes it should function. The evidence reported here is consistent with consciousness functioning in the absence of heartbeat and brain activity. But since the electrical activity of the brain wasn’t being monitored by an EEG, one still can’t absolutely rule out brain activity. The following case lays this concern to rest.
This is the well documented report mentioned by Dr. Pim van Lommel, a retired Dutch cardiologist, where Pam Reynolds, “… a patient with constant registration of the EEG during surgery for a gigantic aneurysm at the base of the brain, operated with a body temperature between 10 and 15 degrees Celsius. She was connected to a heart-lung machine, with VF (ventricular fibrillation), with all blood drained from her head, with a flat line EEG, with clicking devices in both ears, with eyes taped shut, and this patient experienced an NDE with an out-of-body experience, and all details she perceived and heard could later be verified.”
Regarding the EEG monitoring, “Earbuds equipped with two little loudspeakers were inserted into her ears. The loudspeakers emitted 11 clicks per second at 95— 100 decibels in one ear and loud white noise in the other; periodically, the clicking sound was switched to the opposite ear to avoid hearing damage. The earbuds were molded to completely fill her ear canals and then covered with gauze to keep them in place so that all other sound was blocked out. An anesthetist monitored her closely, including keeping track of her EEG to measure her brain activity and, particularly, possible reactions of her brain to the clicking sounds. Such reactions can indicate that the brain is inadvertently still active, even if there is an otherwise flat EEG.” Based on this report, I find it completely beyond reason to imagine that the brain of such a patient could generate accurate and detailed recall of events under these conditions. Her consciousness was proven active and accurate, but there is no justification to attribute this to her brain function. This case of Pam Reynolds’ ND-OBE is related in much greater detail in The Self Does Not Die, pp. 113-122, by Titus Rivas et al., and in Consciousness Beyond Life, pp. 169-176, by Pim van Lommel.
On the basis of the accounts above, this evidence disproves Materialism. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross and Kenneth Ring proved that a conscious, non-physical process can produce real results, but the Pam Reynolds event goes further to prove that consciousness can function whether the brain is functional or not. By separating from the physical body, consciousness becomes independent of the physical body and survives death. This will come to be recognized as the greatest revolutionary event within the scope of science. It is a tall mountain to climb to convince the scientific community that it has been in error for hundreds of years in claiming the physical universe as the totality of existence, but unless someone can prove the records of Pam Reynolds’ story to be false, her consciousness was proven to be functional in the absence of brain function, which compels the conclusion that materialism is false. Continued support of materialism by the scientific community is indefensible and only serves to further delay our understanding of the universe.
So if we ever hope to comprehend the entire universe, we are now required to investigate the non-physical realms of space and time and beyond which manifest properties and behaviors unfamiliar to us. And since mystical studies have long taught that consciousness and the mind can be intentionally separated from the body without dying, such separation would seem to be the most obvious option for non-physical exploration, as there are no physical means to instantly traverse astronomical distances, much less explore any non-physical realms. The remainder of this presentation will consider how non-physical phenomena might be integrated into a new branch of purely theoretical physics, as it cannot be proven in any traditional manner. There is a massive amount of empirical evidence in existence, but that only serves as proof to the individuals who have had an equivalent experience. My personal evidence consists of thousands of my personal OBEs over more than 40 years of contemplative research. Once one is convinced of the validity of this study, it is simply unimaginable to intentionally limit one’s experience to the kindergarten-like confines of our bodies, having realized that our capabilities can be infinitely expanded through the separation of consciousness and the mind. At this point, the significance of physical science diminishes rapidly.
However, it is common that most who develop the capability to experience intentional OBE activity fall prey to hubris similar to that exhibited by materialists,
in believing that nothing could be more significant than the newfound capability of being able to explore a non-physical realm. It is true that exploration beyond the physical realm is essential in order to gain further understanding of the universe, but this new realm is just one of multiple realms beyond the physical. Thus, logic would suggest that in order to gain a complete understanding of the universe, one would require an understanding of all of these realms.
The mystical principle called the Wheel of Life describes this process and states that without guidance, an individual would require on the order of 8,400,000 lifetimes in the realms of time and space to attain an understanding of all of the realms of space and time and attain the capability of consciousness to go beyond all such realms, and detach from the mind as well. Fortunately, a long line of spiritual masters exists, specifically to provide the guidance necessary to bypass the vast preponderance of complexity comprising all the space-time realms, culminating in the simultaneous awareness and comprehension of the totality of the universe within the Eternal Realm. A meaningful description of this experience in words is not possible, but I like to characterize this event as the Death of Desire. Consciousness is aware of absolutely everything at this eternal instant.
I maintain that if something can be done, it probably has been done, so I prefer to research the efforts of others before blindly attempting to blaze my own trail. There is an extensive review titled A Landscape of Consciousness by Robert Kuhn covering a broad spectrum of theories. It is no surprise that theories accompany research, but I do find it surprising that it is rare to find a theory representing an eternal universe, as is commonly represented in creation stories. For the subject of consciousness, it is fortunate there is also an experimental approach offered by masters of contemplative study. Such spiritual guides accompany their students within their contemplation, and ensure that truly serious students gain the necessary experience. There is no need for a Grand Theory of Everything. The puzzle of Consciousness and the Universe has already been solved. Perhaps the analytic approach of physical science has become too much of a habit to consider contemplation as a serious approach. The scientific community just hasn’t been able to accept that the only valid approach to solving the puzzle of the universe is to ask the gatekeeper for assistance, and then spend a few years contemplating the guidance provided.
This most profound mystical attainment will be the subject of the next segment where mystical teachings are unified with mainstream theoretical physics and provide an explanation for what Quantum Mechanics has previously treated as an assumption. Fortunately it is exceptionally straightforward to integrate non-physical phenomena with mainstream quantum mechanics to produce a theoretical framework which characterizes the entire universe.
