SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATIONS OF SUBTLE ENERGIES AND CONSCIOUSNESS RELATED PHENOMENA: A BRIEF OVERVIEW

BY SRINIVASAN M ., Ph.D. Nuclear Physicist (Rtd),
Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

The last few decades have witnessed the scientific community turning its attention to investigate Subtle Energies and Consciousness related phenomena using "scientific methodology" . Experimentalists have been studying phenomena falling under the purview of the field dubbed as Parapsychology (or paranormal) such as telepathy, extra sensory perception (ESP), clairvoyance, remote viewing, psycho-kinesis (pk), mind-matter interaction etc. "Subtle Energy" is the name assigned to the unknown interaction energy and information transfer mechanism which is responsible for the above "anomalous mental phenomena" , as also energy healing techniques such as Pranic healing, Reiki etc. In this talk a brief overview will be given of recent scientific investigations of consciousness related paranormal phenomena. Some of the research programs to be briefly discussed are: (a) The top secret "Psychic Spying" or "Remote Viewing" experiments carried out at SRI International in California, USA funded by the US government Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) which resulted in "remote viewers" sitting in the US being able to spy inside secret Soviet military installations, during the cold war years. Soviet psychic spies were in turn doing the same on US military targets. (b) Psycho Kinesis experiments carried out at the Dept. of Applied Science and Engineering of Princeton University using Random Event Generators, as part of the "Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research Program (PEAR) (c) The ongoing "Global Consciousness Project" (http://noosphere.princeton.edu) which is presumably monitoring the whole worlds "group consciousness field" on a round the clock 24 hr basis. (d) The remarkable "Intention Imprinted Electrical Device" (IIED) experiments of Prof. William Tiller, a former Materials Scientist of Stanford University (www.tiller.org). Prof. Tiller, who has acquired the reputation of being the father of Subtle Energy Physics, has propounded a quantitative Magneto Electric Theory based on his experimental findings to explain the mechanism governing subtle energy phenomena. An important outcome of the above investigations is that they confirm the age old assertion of our ancients regarding the non-local nature of consciousness.

YOGA, CONSCIOUSNESS AND THE SCIENCE OF LIVING

BY DIPESH CHANDRA NATH , Ph.D.
Dept. of Applied Psychology, Calcutta University, Kolkata, India

Yoga is the science of controlling the Chitta from the state of change. The Chitta is the stuff from which our minds are made and which is being continually churned into waves by forces, external as well as internal. Yoga teaches us how to control the mind so that it is not thrown out of balance into wave forms. If such a thing as the soul of man really exists it must be known here, it must be realized in our own consciousness. What is the consciousness? What is our imagination? Where does this vast mass of ideas we have come, from and where do they go? We cannot deny them. Likewise man can never deny his conscious imagination. The fact is not whether we are not merely bundles of consciousness whether rather we are the immortal souls and not the changing mind. Once we are in a position to stop the changes in Chitta through Yoga, we become ourselves and since we can stop the changes, we are not the changes. This is the proposition of the science of Yoga. An aimless life is always a miserable life. Every one of us should have an aim. But whatever our ideal, it cannot be perfectly realized unless we have realized perfection in ourselves. To work for our perfection the first step is to become conscious of ourselves, of the different parts of our being and their respective activities. We can be conscious of ourselves through psychic discipline. We give the name 'psychic' to the psychological centre of our being, the seat within the highest truth of our existence, that which can know and manifest this truth. Whatever we do, whatever our occupation and activities, the will to find the truth of our being and to unite with it must always be living, always present behind all that we do, all that we experience and all that we think. One practice may be very helpful for the progress of the consciousness. Whenever there is a disagreement on any matter, such as a decision to take, or an act to accomplish, one must not stick to one's own conception or point of view. On the contrary, one must try to understand the other's point of view, put oneself in his place and, instead of quarrelling, find out a solution which can reasonably satisfy both parties; there is always one for men of good will.