Julian Capper. Bristol,
Thank you for the link to hear and see the lecture by Donald Hoffman, Professor of Cognitive Science at the University of California. Watching and hearing this has provided a very stimulating and encouraging insight into the work being carried out in the field of science to understand as he puts it to who we really are, because it is a great mystery – not a new one – but the greatest, unsolved one in Science, but nevertheless solved by the sages ages ago. Neither space-time, as he puts it, nor subject or object enables perception of reality, rather they hide it. Furthermore, reality, ‘whatever it is’, is the real source of cause and effect and not the brain. This is the freshest declaration by science that I have heard. A step along the road, one might say, towards the vision of Vijai and the sages.
Marcus Stegmaier, Munich
Humanity has evolved to believe that what the mind perceives by the senses is real and the truth. This is due to the evolution of mind which also made man believe that he is a doer, speaker and thinker. But science has evolved in man’s mind too to make him realise that for example the sun does not go around the earth. Now, in this century, science has begun to understand that all perceptions are illusory thoughts in the mind and not how life really is – this is what the sages have proclaimed ages ago. What a jump in evolution – spontaneously, unpredictably and uncontrollably, as Dr. Shankar would say!
William Kelley, Austin, USA
I've listened to Professor Donald Hoffman's TED talk several times and hear something new every time I listen to it. His strictly scientific observations, from a cognitive scientist's perspective, directly parallel what you have shared with us, and what the sages have been saying for thousands of years. The talk begins by showing us why we don't perceive reality as it is, and gives some humorous examples of why this is so. He then points out why the concept of natural selection in the theory of evolution does not favor seeing reality as it is, but it does strongly favor whether or not an object or thing supports fitness, or living. He likens life as we see it to a computer desktop being space and time, with the desktop's icons being physical objects. As he points out, the thing that the desktop and the files on it have in common, as seen with a magnifying glass, is pixels. He closes, beautifully, by saying that all of this points to there being something there when we're not looking, and it's not space, time, or physical objects. It's a wonderful talk. Thank you for sharing it with me.
Paula Smit, The Netherlands,
Through a scientific approach, Donald Hoffman unravels what perception is, which for man is reality. In this TED-talk it is simply proven that our perceptions, including the brain is a deception meaning illusory. Moreover, science has already proved before that what we see mainly consists of space though it is perceived as matter. In this talk Donald Hoffman goes a step further and states that reality is hidden from our perception by space and time and everything we perceive, our own body and mind inclusive are projections of the reality that itself is invisible. Striking in this talk is the unique role the human being plays in this creation of illusory reality. Though he himself is part of the reality that is perceived, which is nevertheless illusory, he is unable to ask himself if he is real or illusory. Dr.Shankar has been elaborately explaining that the world man and mind is illusory since 20 years and science at last is saying the same.
Izzedins, Houston, USA
Science surely is catching up with what the sages have realized and declared ages ago. Dr. Hoffman is pretty much saying that man CANNOT be the doer by stating "Brains and neurons have no causal powers. They cause none of our perceptual experiences, and none of our behavior." This Dr. Shankar has declared and explained in great detail in this century regarding the "the illusions of life". This has huge implications to daily life, it should make us re-think, the blaming and judging the behavior of our near and dear ones and all others. They are not behaving out of free will with intent, while in fact behaviour is happening to them. There is no better explanation of this grand illusion we call daily life than the books, CD’s and DVD’s available on academy-advaita.com, for what else would you call something which appears to be something which in reality it is NOT, not to be mistaken as unimportant. As understanding deepens so too deepens care and concern and compassion for all. I thank you Dr. Shankar you are today's sage in this 21st century and you have given the Izzedin family and many more families an invaluable gift of living life together as it happens with understanding which brings in trust and patience in life.
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"Surrender is not an act. Surrender happens the moment you realize you are not the doer." Dr.Vijai S Shankar
Comment by Irene Harvey:
I have been wondering about surrender for a long time. Surrender to what, to whom, but this is the best explanation. This I get. Thank you!
Letter to AOA
Julian Capper. Bristol
At the start of each month the new Newsletter is opened with such eagerness. It just happened today to open on Kaivalya Book 5 and its introduction. The introduction itself came unexpectedly and from a source unknown. So fortunate the man or woman through whom such understanding emerges, so fortunate the man or woman into whose hands this book falls. Blessings to the source; blessings to this revelation of life from Dr Shankar. Deepest gratitude and love.
"To be in silence and yet aware of sound is the greatest gift of life."
This volume not only gives the reader a lucid and objective description of the evolution of mind, it also allows witnessing of the mind as it unfolds. The description in every chapter transforms into simple witnessing. The understanding of mind revealed here strips it of its position of absolute supremacy in determining human affairs, yet shows that the mind, although illusory, opens the way to man’s understanding of himself. Remarkably, understanding of mind’s illusory nature opens the way and misunderstanding closes it.
Like the flower of the cactus, which appears but briefly in the eternal moment, so too the flowering of enlightenment is given as a gift to man in the moment. The wisdom that breathes as the breath of life in this volume has enlivened life itself – it is utterly beautiful, complete, perfect, full of love. That words can express such perfection is a miracle. Peter Julian Capper (UK)
Article - "Miracle is the Mystery"
Every letter of the alphabet in any language is phonetic, meaning a letter is a sound. The phonetic of a letter does not have an opposite, meaning there are no opposites of a particular sound of a letter.
A word is made up of letters, and letters in a word are a collection of.......read further
