Mind-Body Problem

[Guest guest]

Further to earlier postings -

 

Let me say that when we make comments about how we interpret what a

self-realised person has said or meant to say this should be done with

utmost care and humility. This is not some form of whimpishness or

sentimentality but comes from clear realisation that we are dealing with a

subject where 'first hand experience of spirituality' is essential to really

understand what is involved. I have yet to come across any member on this or

other lists who claims 'Spirituality first hand'. Hence need for humility if

we are sincere about spirituality.

 

I have made a lifetime study of Swami Vivekananda's teachings and yet take

great deal of care when I try and put my own interpretation of what he has

said. Until I feel certain that I really "know first hand" what he is

talking about - I am very cautious.

 

IMHO Swami Vivekananda has made the following assertions about "inside and

outside" - problem. (Take care - this is my understanding of what he has

said):-

What we call inside and what we call as outside is an arbitrary division -

where does inside stop and outside begin? Can we say material universe with

all the elementary particles - quarks and such are outside and what we call

our thought process is inside?

Check out our Modern Physics - the concepts of elementary particles - e.g.

the quantum picture of a probability distribution defining them -- all

these are very much in the realm of ideas. Exactly where does the physical

elementary particle exist? Turning this the other way - every thought

process corresponds to an activity in the brain. There is an important cause

and effect relationship between every thought against some activity in the

brain. You cannot separate them. Hence what we call external (brain and its

activities) and what we call internal (thought processes) are causally

connected. It is just our arbitrary division which says one is outside and

the other inside. The link between them is in the form of 'Cause and

Effect'. A severe law that permeates both physics and metaphysics.

 

jay

Vivekananda Centre London