Deepak Chopra takes questions

[Guest guest]

Deepak Chopra takes questions

Globe and Mail Update

July 23, 2007 at 1:07 PM EDT

 

" Our greatest attribute is also our greatest flaw, " Deepak Chopra

tells Sarah Hampson in her article Deepak Chopra's lightness of being

in today's Globe and Mail.

 

" The greatest attribute is creativity. That's both our salvation and

our doom. Creativity can be divine and it can be diabolical. That

comes from being a species that has free will, " he says. " And that's

the price we pay. "

 

Dr. Chopra, who's written more than 40 books, including his most

recent, Buddha: A Story of Enlightenment, was online earlier today to

take your questions on everything from the connection between mind

and body, the power to heal ourselves and life after death.

 

Your questions and Dr. Chopra's answers appear at the bottom of this

page.

 

Deepak Chopra was named one of the top 100 heroes and icons of the

21st Century by Time Magazine.

 

The preeminent teacher of Eastern philosophy to the Western world,

Dr. Chopra is is also a bestselling author, teacher, motivational

speaker, and broadcaster.

 

His books, which include The Spontaneous Fulfillment of Desire, How

to Know God, and The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success, have sold more

than 20 million copies worldwide and have been translated into more

than 35 languages.

 

The founder of the Chopra Centre, he conducts over 200 public

seminars and workshops each year, and has shared stages with many of

the world's foremost dignitaries, including Mikhail Gorbachev, Oscar

Arias, and Nelson Mandela.

 

He currently serves as an adjunct professor at the Kellogg School of

Management and lives in Southern California with his family.

 

Editor's Note: globeandmail.com editors will read and allow or reject

each question. Questions may be edited for length, clarity or

relevance. HTML is not allowed. We will not publish questions that

include personal attacks on participants in these discussions, that

make false or unsubstantiated allegations, that purport to quote

people or reports where the purported quote or fact cannot be easily

verified, or questions that include vulgar language or libellous

statements. Preference will be given to readers who submit

questions/comments using their full name and home town, rather than a

pseudonym.

 

Rasha Mourtada, Globe Life web editor: Good afternoon, Dr. Chopra,

and thanks for joining us today. Let's get right to the many

questions we have waiting for you.

 

Mohan Biyani, Ottawa: What is the ultimate purpose of creation?

 

Deepak Chopra: The ultimate purpose of creation is evolution, as the

word creation itself implies. Creativity is the dominant activity of

the universe. It is constantly evolving into new forms and phenomena

and imagination is its most important attribute.

 

 

Dennis Choptiany, Markham, Canada: It can be argued that the most

profound creation that humans have made is God. With it came the

formation of a vast number of religions and their destructive

divisions and conflicts. In your opinion, why do people have an

apparent 'need' for religion and why have religions flourished even

today when there is more and more evidence of the validity of

agnostic and atheist views?

 

Deepak Chopra: Religions have an appeal because human beings have the

fear of mortality. All religions promise eternal life. In the absence

of profound knowledge of the workings of the universe, we rely on so-

called religious authority to answer the deepest questions of our

existence: who am I, where did I come from, what's the meaning and

purpose of existence, do I have a soul, what happens to me after I

die, does God exist, and if God exists does God care about me

personally.

 

Unfortunately, religious ideology, dogma and belief systems are no

longer congruent with what we know about the workings of the

universe. They are inconsistent with our insights from modern

cosmology, evolution, biology and the sciences. Hence, religious

based on primitive belief (and unfortunately, all of them are based

on primitive beliefs) have become quarrelsome, divisive and

frequently idiotic.

 

However, consciousness still remains a mystery. Is our consciousness

an emergent property of our biology or is consciousness the ground of

existence that differentiates itself and projects itself as reality?

This is not a settled issue. The current atheists and agnostics, such

as Richard Dawkins, for example, are espousing an old fashioned 19th

century atheism. The god they attack can not be defended. My hope is

that as science progresses and looks at the mystery of consciousness

we will see the emergence of a new spirituality that is secular and

scientific and still addresses our deepest longings and our most

important existential dilemmas.

 

 

Paul Lang, Consecon, Ont.: Mr. Chopra, I have admired you and your

thoughts for many years. Yesterday an operation uncovered advanced

cancer in my wife's liver and colon. We will use conventional

therapies. The medical report says it's a stage 4. We believe we can

turn it around and have lost no time in visioning the eradication of

each and every cell. What are your views about visioning methods and

mindfulness to remove the remaining cancerous cells? And do you

recommend any other strategies? Thank you very much. Be well.

 

Deepak Chopra: First of all it is important to take full advantage of

the modern therapies that science-based medicine have to offer. It is

also a well known fact that our bodies have self repair healing

mechanisms that can be harnessed to help the healing response.

Although visualization has been shown to be effective in many cases

it's even more important to learn meditation. Mediation allows the

mind to go to a state of profound silence and when the mind is silent

the body also goes into a state of deep rest. In this state of deep

reset cell repair is maximized.

 

 

Jane Macrae, Canada: What are the best weapons with which to fight

ignorance? I am thinking of patterns of violence in families.

 

Deepak Chopra: Unfortunately, patterns of violence in families get

programmed as conditioned consciousness. Abusive parents are usually

the result of child abuse and therefore were abused at one time and

do not know any other way, except to respond to challenges in a

violent manner.

 

The first step is bringing awareness, which means to understand that

there are creative instead of violent ways to respond to the every

day stresses and challenges of life.

 

Even if one person in a family wakes up to this potential their

personal transformation will have an effect on everyone else in the

family.

 

 

Brian Silva, Halifax: Please tell me the easiest way to do a deep and

meaningful meditation program. Is it necessary to invest in tapes or

CDs or other paraphernalia?

 

Deepak Chopra: Sometimes tapes and CDs can be a good introduction. I

have a CD called Soul of Healing Meditations, which is quite popular.

However, if you do not wish to use CDs and tapes, then practice the

following.

 

Sit comfortably in a chair with your eyes closed. Put your attention

in your heart. And engage in a little silent reflection by asking

yourself certain questions such as who am I, what do I want, what are

my unique talents, who are my heroes and heroines in history or

mythology or religion, what's my life purpose, what contribution do I

wish to make to society, what are the qualities I look for in a good

friend, what are the best qualities I express in my personal

relationships, what creates a peak experience for me.

 

After engaging in silent reflection, just become a silent witness

either to your thoughts or to the sensations in your body or to your

breath. When distraction occurs, go back to the witnessing/awareness

mode. Soon you will transcend, which means you will be in a state of

consciousness that has no thought content. This is the purpose of

meditation, to get in touch with the consciousness, which is the

source of your insights, imagination, intuition and creativity.

If you do this on a regular basis, not only will you move into the

answers of your questions, but you will be in touch with the source

of inspiration and creativity within you.

 

 

Big Vee, Toronto Canada writes: Deepak-ji, It is unfortunate that the

world has come to this point environmentally, with most of the

benefit concentrated in north-west of the globe and cost borne by the

rest. What would be your message to the folks like us ( living the

benefits of the development ) vis-a-vis the folks that will obviously

have to pay much more for the same benefits? What would your solution

be to spread the wealth of this environmental catastrophe so that at

our brothers and sisters in the rest of the world can at least enjoy

the spoils?

 

Deepak Chopra: I think our collective creativity and our collective

intelligence has the potential to repair our wounded planet.

We must create a critical mass of consciousness in the world to

change our collective conversation. We must share our insights, be

the change we want to see in the world, make a meaningful difference

and share our passion for this transformation.

 

I would recommend that you start by joining this conversation by

coming to the following web sites: www.deepakchopra.com and

www.care2.com.

 

 

Matthew Harper, Toronto: Deepak, do you think it is accurate to

describe your work as 'the championing of Magical Thinking over

rationality'? And, if not, why not? Or, if so, how do you justify the

validity of such work?

 

Deepak Chopra: Magical thinking is definitely not consistent with

rational thinking. I would like to believe that my work is more than

exploration of consciousness. Consciousness remains a mystery and yet

it is the source of both our subjective and objective reality. In my

work I try to raise more questions than give answers. I am obsessed

with consciousness. I share my insights with those that resonate with

the same interests. I acknowledge that a number of people think I'm

on the fringe and irrational. I also acknowledge that they have a

right to their perspective.

 

 

Stewart Stevenson, Toronto: In the deeper understanding of things, I

acknowledge and accept that this 'reality' is an illusion of sorts.

That we are just a pool of molecules, thought and energy

interconnecting. How does one balance the feelings of despair and

frustration with the current political and religious state of the

world? Powerful people are manifesting their own agenda at our

expense. I have a desire to make the world a better place, but the

powers that be have left me feeling hopeless about a positive

outcome. If this existence is just in our 'heads', what is the point

of trying to fight against events that I have no control or influence

over?

 

Deepak Chopra: Unfortunately, every day reality and even events that

we think we have no control over are projections of our collective

consciousness. There is only one solution to reach a critical mass of

consciousness that projects a more caring and compassionate world

where peace, harmony, laughter, love, creativity and sustainability

become the dominant intentions.

 

Attempts are being made to harness this collective intent. Please

visit the web sites I mentioned earlier to join this conversation.

 

 

PJ Reece, Vancouver: How can free will exist in a universe

where 'everything is connected'? Our choices, then, are no less

connected to all that exists and has come before. Surely, free will

is nothing but an intriguing illusion.

 

Deepak Chopra: That is a perspective taken by many. In a world where

everything is interdependently co-arising there is very little room

for free will. 99 per cent of humanity does live in a world of

determinism.

 

However, if the ground of our existence is a field of infinite

possibilities then that creates a potential for infinite freedom as

well where we transcend the limitations imposed by space, time and

causality. In the wisdom traditions of the East, including the

teachings of the Buddha, we are on a journey of self actualization.

Moving from extreme determinism (the bonds of karma) toward total

freedom from conditioning. So the answer to your question is reality

is a paradox where is the simultaneity of determinism and freedom

(enlightenment).

 

 

Diane Ferguson, Owen Sound: I am a big fan and wanted to know what

your opinion is on the role of meat eating on our spiritual and/or

physical health?

 

Deepak Chopra: Certainly a diet free of meat is healthier both for

the individual and for the eco-system. However, our eating habits are

also a result of our culture conditioning and our geographical

location. Humans and their environments blend into each other. If you

introduce a purely vegetarian diet to Eskimos in extreme climates,

they get rotten teeth, bad tempers and heart attacks.

Diets are prone to change as we become more sensitive to how our

bodies respond to them. Practice body awareness as you eat and you

will soon gravitate to the foods that are most appropriate to your

physiology.

 

 

Saul Arbess, Victoria: What is the relationship between the evolution

of consciousness and proposals for national departments of peace, as

exist in Canada, the United States and other countries?

 

Deepak Chopra: I think it's a natural outcome of the evolution of

consciousness that we get rid of violent metaphors in all areas of

life. Our current metaphors include the following: war on terrorism,

war on drugs, war on poverty, war on AIDS, etc. As our consciousness

evolves we have to find creative solutions to problems and

challenges. A department of peace is certainly looking for creative

solutions. We need to make peace with our perceived enemies and we

need to stop demonizing them as a first step. There are well known

principles for conflict resolution. Some of these include the

following: speaking with respect, even to your perceived enemy;

recognizing that there is the perception of justice on both sides;

having a willingness to forgive and ask for forgiveness, refraining

from belligerence (something President Bush needs to learn); using

the well established principles of emotional intelligence, learning

to understand the values of different cultures; refraining from

making your so-called adversary lose face by proving them wrong;

refraining from bringing ideology or religion into discussion;

recognizing that fear is a factor on both sides; and, finally,

looking for economic partnerships as solutions.

 

 

Sue Retired not tired, Victoria: I have read most of your books and

enjoyed them very much. There is a calmness and centeredness that I

gain from reading them. I was wondering, what role does faith play in

today's world?

 

Deepak Chopra: Belief is a cover up for insecurity. And the most

fervent believers are religious fundamentalists and they have

certainly made a mess of the world. Faith, on the other hand, is a

willingness to step into the unknown. The unknown is the only

reality. The known is the prison of our past conditioning. Everything

we know has already happened. If you can step into the unknown in

every moment of your life then you're always in the field of infinite

possibilities. This is true faith and it is faith in yourself.

Suzanne Adey, Oshawa: Mr. Chopra, I have been struggling with my

faith recently, and I would like to know what it is that convinces

you that there is life after death; do you think that we will be

reunited with our loved ones in the after life; and will we have to

answer to God how we lived our lives on earth. Thank you for your

time in helping me resolve this conflict in my faith.

Deepak Chopra: When I speak about life after death it is based on the

understanding that consciousness is the ground of being that

differentiates into space, time, energy, information and matter. The

field of space, time, energy, information and matter is impermanent

and constantly transforming and that includes the individual. What we

call a person is a transient and impermanent pattern of behaviour of

the total universe.

 

You are not the same person you were when you were a teenager or a

baby. You had a different body, a different mind, a different set of

emotions and a different personality. Therefore, You do not survive

as a person even when living as a person. In order to really

understand survival after death, you have to shift your allegiance

from your personal self to your transpersonal self. This was the

essence of Buddha's teaching - there is no separate self, the

relative world is impermanent and consciousness is the ultimate

reality. When you experience this domain of awareness in your inner

most being then you have entered a state of awareness which is

universal. In this state of awareness there is no death, you are

inseparably one with all that exists and there is the spontaneous

emergence of love and compassion, there is safety and there is the

true understanding of the immortality of existence.

 

 

Rasha Mourtada, Globe Life web editor: Thank you, Dr. Chopra, for

coming online to take reader questions. To our readers, we're sorry

we could not get to all of your questions in the hour. Mr. Chopra,

are there any last thoughts you'd like to leave us with?

 

Deepak Chopra: We are in a critical time in our evolution. Our past

phase of evolution was about survival of the fittest. As a result we

have survived. But we have also become the most dangerous predator on

this planet, risking the extinction of all species including

ourselves and the planet itself. We are the only animal that kills

its own kind and most frequently in the name of God. We are also the

only animal that is capable of racism, bigotry, hatred, prejudice and

devastation of the eco-system.

 

The next phase of our evolution, if we are to survive, will have to

be (in the words of Jonas Salk) survival of the wisest. Wisdom is

that knowledge that serves the eco-system, the chain of being and the

web of life. The next phase of evolution must be consciousness (we

are the only species that is conscious of our consciousness). The

choice is ours. Nature could easily decide that the human experiment

was interesting but failed. On the other hand, we have an invitation

to join with the harmonious interaction of the elements and forces of

the universe and participate in the next phase of its evolution.

 

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