CONSCIOUSNESS AND BRAIN

      I have been intrigued by the debate as to what is consciousness. The debate has gotten more intense with medical and neuroscience advancement. We did not have CT scan till 1980  and the PET SCAN came later on . The PET scan is more biological while the CT scab is more anatomical. And there is now MRI .As one can easily understand the subtle things mind and intellect and CONSCIOUSNESS can not be seen by in anatomical scan and needs ADDITIONAL THINGS  and so far there is no scan which shows the consciousness. The MRI is Magnetic Resonance Imaging . Since there is magnet and there is iron in blood and red blood cells one can at least see if there are areas in brain which light up with certain emotions etc. This is promising field of investigation. 

  The question is what is consciousness  and where does it come from. As I mentioned above ,we have Brain as the source of all out thoughts  and memory. So does the brain - anatomical brain - produces consciousness or is the consciousness causes brain to function or the 2 are independent entities ? There has bee number of neuro scientist who are working on it . As I have mentioned in past the chemical reaction or the electrical activity that happens when we see or touch or hear , are same ,no matter what we are seeing - a table or spouse or cake. Then why do we have different reaction ? Then the answer given is it jogs our memory and based on our previous experience, we react. But the question is how is the memory stored in a cell - if it is in some form of chemical or electrical activity, then how is it different for different things ? How would my memory in form of chemical or electrical activity be different for cake than my spouse? We certainly have no answer as yet . We are making progress on where is memory stored in anatomical brain. I feel that there the memory is stored in 'ABSTRACT' form in ASTRAL brain  and  it is carried from one life to other .Again there cannot be direct proof to such a statement only circumstantial. We often see children born of same parents ,brought up under similar conditions having  entirely different liking. 

    I know I started with consciousness , but ended with something different. Some feel that that the so called consciousness is produced by brain . Roger Penrose has been talking about microtubules in neurons  and some others are saying that it is like symphony .In symphony one has a sound produced by many musical instruments playing at the same time  and the final product is symphony music . In that same way multiple neurons firing at the same time produce consciousness. These scientists do not feel that the consciousness is anything independent from anatomical brain and is product of neurons firing . Again I do not agree . But my thoughts in next blog.

WHAT LEAVES AT THE TIME OF DEATH ?

    This question has ben asked by everyone -young and old  and sick and heathy  and male and female  and in all cultures . One does have some answers in each culture but they deal with not what leaves but what happens after death . Th Abrahamic religions have  one way of thinking - they have concept of waking up and getting reward or punishment. While Hindus have Reincarnation. I have a hard time accepting that the GOD will allow us the human beings only one chance to either pass or fail . So I believe in reincarnation. ( For those interested may want to get my book Law of Karma , Reincarnation and Genetics available on Amazon- books under SHIRISH KIRTANE).But that is not what I am talking about I am asking as to what is the difference in ALIVE person and a DEAD body . 

    The answer that I have is simple. We have 3 bodies namely the STHUL SHARIR GROSS BODY , SUKSHMA SHARIR OR SUBTLE OR ASTRAL BODY  AND THE KARAN SHARIR OR CAUSAL BODY . The physical body or the gross body or the STHUL SHARIR is what we all see  and can touch etc. But the Subtle body also called Astral body - SUKSHMA SHARIR is not seen but we are familiar with it . It is the mind -intellect - feeling -emotions etc.  and these we can not see or touch  and so the term SUBTLE body. The Causal body is one which is the cause for these 2 other bodies. The unit of Causal body, Subtle body and Physical or Gross body -along with CONSCIOUSNESS  is what we have when we are alive .As one can see Gross or Physical body cannot do anything if it does not have other 2 bodies and the Consciousness . So at the time of death this unit leaves . The Consciousness pervades EVERYTHING and so it does pervade the dead body too. But the Subtle body and causal body cannot express or do anything without the Physical body  and same with Physical body . It can not do anything when the other 2 bodies are not there . The Consciousness 'trapped' or Reflected ' in other 2 bodies is called JIVA or LIFE. So, when someone dies the Physical body is there but the Subtle body and Causal body and the reflected consciousness has left.