Astronaut Edgar Mitchell, whilein space on his way back from the moon, had an experience ofextra-temporal extra-spatial consciousness.
Upon return to earth, he pooledall his resources and with the help of likeminded friends founded aninstitute for the study of the phenomenon ofconsciousness.
This, the Institute of NoeticSciences, has a number of scientists engaged in various studies. Oneof their landmark publications is the Bibliography of ScientificResearch in the Physiology and Psychology of Meditation. Visitalso www.noetic.orgThe Institute has also doneseveral video interviews with Swami Veda Bharati.Finally, their seniorscientist Dr. Dean Radin (author of Conscious Universe) had SwamiVeda Bharati in their laboratory on September 22, 2004.
April 7, 2005
Dear Mr. Krause,
On September 22, 2004, Swami Veda Bharati kindlyparticipated in a series of informal experiments conducted in theConsciousness Research Laboratory of the Institute of NoeticSciences. During the experiments, I noted the followingobservations:
(1) During meditation, Swami Veda's respirationrate declined at times to about one breath per minute. This reflectsan exceptional degree of control over the autonomic nervous systemand is characteristic of highly experienced meditators. I was notaware of Swami Veda's heart problems beforehand, and was impressedgiven his robust appearance and composure.
(2) Before, during and after the meditationperiod, Swami Veda's predominant brainwave power was in the theta(5-8 Hz) and delta bands (1-5 Hz), as shown in the three graphsbelow. Increased theta and delta would be expected during meditation,but the sustained power measured at these low frequencies suggeststhat Swami Veda's ordinary state of awareness is analogous to that ofa normal person in a deep meditative or sleep state.
(3) In another experiment, we ran an electronicrandom number generator (RNG) during and after the meditation periodto see if Swami Veda's coherent attention produced during meditationcould influence the surrounding environment in such a way as toimpress detectable "order" within the RNG's normally random output.The graph below shows that the RNG output deviated from chance to astatistically significant degree after about 3 minutes of meditation,and it remained there for about 7 minutes. (In this type of graph zscores > 2 are associated with odds against chance greater that 20to 1.) The deviations returned to chance expectation near the end ofthe meditation and throughout the after-meditation control period.This suggests that Swami Veda's meditative state produced a change inthe physical randomness in the environment, in the direction ofincreased coherence or order.
(4) Finally, we conducted an experiment examiningwhether Swami Veda's intention would influence a distant person'sphysiological state. The experimental design explores the "sense ofbeing stared at" under rigorously controlled conditions. We recordedseveral physiological measures in the distant person, including hearrate, while Swami Veda viewed a live video image of that person in 36randomly-timed presentations of 10 seconds each. The graph belowshows that on average, the distant person's heart rate accelerated assoon as Swami Veda began to view their image. This suggests eitherthat his intention directly influenced the distant person, or thathis intention was perceived by that person.
In summary, from these informal test it appearsthat Swami Veda displays a range of exceptional mental and physicalcapacities sometimes observed in long-term, experienced meditators.To confirm these findings, and in particular to determine whetherSwami Veda can consistently produce similar results, I believe itwould be valuable to explore these capacities in pre-planned,longitudinal studies. Formal experiments would also be worthwhile inhelping to assess the limits, potentials, and underlying mechanismsof deep meditative states and their relationship to the physicalworld.
I would be pleased to advise potential donorsinterested in contributing towards research projects designed tostudy Swami Veda and other experienced meditators. The Institute ofNoetic Sciences has had along-term interest in meditation research,and in support of this interest we've created a free andcomprehensive online bibliography of meditation research, locatedat
http://www.ions.org/research/medbiblio/index.htm
With best wishes,
Dean Radin, PhD
Senior Scientist
Institute of Noetic Sciences
101 San Antonio Road
Petaluma, CA 94952
707-779-8233
Swami Veda Bharati would liketo complete a small part of the work of his Master, Swami Rama of theHimalayas. For this reason, he now has a mental image of a researchlaboratory at Swami Rama Sadhaka Grama (SRSG).
The rationale for establishingsuch a laboratory is indicated in the attached pages.
The laboratory willrequire:
* A small building (already set aside for thepurpose at SRSG),
* To be renovated to serve the purpose of a lab,such as soundproofing, installing appropriate electric connectionsetc.
* Computers and software,
* Funding for continued work,
* Fees for a senior scientist to create theresearch design and supervise its execution by a) Two trainedtechnicians.
b) Secretary to maintain records.
The kind of electronic equipment needed, and thefunding required, is being researched. It is hoped that the work willbegin with simple tools of investigation, such as the most sensitiveEEG equipment. Slowly more ambitious projects will be undertaken inorder to measure the psychological and physiological correlates ofchanges in consciousness.
Start up funding needed(guesstimate) could be in the vicinity of $1,000,000 plus thescientist's fees, technicians' and the secretary's salaries.
(1)
On the respiration rate of one breath per minute,the only previously published report is that about a Japanese Yogateacher whose respiration rate was found to be five breaths perminute and it was considered significant.
While it is true, as Dr. Radin had said during thelaboratory session, "only a person with a strong heart can maintainsuch a rate of breathing", on the other hand, one who can reduce therespiratory rate to this degree can manage to survive and "appearrobust" through the changes thereby introduced in the autonomicsystems.
It will be a boon to heart patients if the"technique" used by Swami Veda, a serious heart patient, could beverified and taught widely.
(2)
The ancient texts like the Bhagavad-Gita and theUpanishads speak of "action in inaction and inaction in action", or,that a Yogin "seeing he does not see, hearing he does not hear"&endash; and so forth. The oriental martial arts including Zenarchery are also an example of the same principle where inner calmalone ensures the success of a physical motion.
Based on the guidance in meditative practicesreceived from his Master, Swami Rama of the Himalayas, Swami VedaBharati has been teaching widely that one may remain in silence whilespeaking or writing, and be in a state of stillness while moving.
He explains this on the basis of the ancientyogis', and his own, observation of the mind and its processes. Heteaches that while the shallow surface of the mind may remainturbulent (kshiptam and vi-kshiptam in the terms of the Yoga-sutras),the deeper dimensions of the mind may remain in a state of stillness.This is explained by the analogy of the sea that is turbulent on thesurface but a few feet below is a deep silent world.
It is yet to be seen as to what might bedemonstrated in any possible studies to be conducted by the expertsin modern neurology and the anatomy of the brain of a meditativeperson walking about in daily life. Would some areas of the braindemonstrate a state of silence and stillness (alpha-theta-delta) andother areas show signs of distraction (beta)? This is for theobjective science to test out.
It is known that the yogis do maintain such dualtrack, but their statements can be dismissed as purely subjective.Swami Veda himself has sometimes made this claim and was keen to haveit tested out.
That is where the item No. (2) of Dr. Radin'stestimony comes in which shows that an outwardly non-meditative dailylife state may conceal a simultaneous meditative state, as seen inthe case of Swami Veda.
Further laboratory studies are needed to work outall the variables and controls in a carefully designed researchprotocol.
The research required is so extensive that itcannot be undertaken in short, borrowed or rented, laboratory time.The yogi needs to have his own laboratory where he works inco-ordination with the scientists.
(3)
For the past one and a half years Swami VedaBharati has been conducting distant guided meditations for manyhundreds of meditators on all continents. They sit at a certainappointed time on every Full Moon day.
The e-mails and letters received from theparticipants are impressive but the experiences described can bedismissed as purely subjective and as products ofimagination.
Those who (sometimes up to 100,000 people in acrowd) have sat in meditation sessions guided by Swami Veda (but muchmore powerfully so when guided by Swami Rama) have spoken of a deepmeditative field created during such sessions.
The items (3) and (4) in Dr. Radin's report showthat it is possible for a meditation guide to create a coherentfield.
How distant from the meditation guide (a) amachine like the random numbers generator, or (b) a person has to bein order to come within the influence of such a field is yet to betested and demonstrated.
Swami Veda wishes to state that even though he wasasked to concentrate on the machine, he did not heed that request. Heonly generated the field. Any incoherence whether of (a) a machine or(b) a person's or (c) an animal's mind could be caught in this fieldand would exhibit signs of relative coherence. Again, further testingis required to prove objectively what is known to the meditationguide "subjectively".
(4)
On Dr. Radin's item No. 4 : a person was seated ina soundproof room and, as described by Dr. Radin, Swami Veda sittingin a different room was asked to concentrate on the person's videoimage that was flashed for ten seconds at a time.
Swami Veda was left alone and was not beingobserved, so this fact was not made known: He was not concentratingon the image on the video screen. (1) For the first two times, helooked at the video image for half a second only, and then closed hiseyes. (2) He found that as the video screen lit up with the imageeach time, he could sense the light with his eyes closed. This washis signal to concentrate on the person.
The concentration was not on the video image buton the mental image &endash; without making any mental suggestion asto whether or not any physiological, neurological or psychologicalchanges may occur in the person. It may be said that just a'presence' was projected.
That the changes did occur is a further proof of afield of consciousness (as Swami Veda terms it) having beengenerated.
There, however, remains one more variable toconsider. The subject of concentration in the other room has beenmeditating with Swami Veda for nearly six years. She is (a)conditioned to his "field of consciousness", and (b) has certainaccomplishments in meditation, as is seen in the letter from hersurgeon, attached.
Would a complete stranger (a) a meditator from adifferent school, or (b) a non-meditator exhibit the samephysiologically measurable or a subjective response?
Many other questions remain, for example:
At what distance can such an effect occur? Canwhat happens in an adjacent room happen to a person a mile away, acontinent away? Can specific physiological, neurological,psychological states be triggered?
Once again, Dr. Radin's statement proves that itis worthwhile undertaking such studies in a more comprehensive anddetailed manner.
(5)
In our search for any records of:
(1) a conscious production of delta brain wave,and of
(2) such a brain wave even when the person is notapparently meditating, there were only one or two examples of (1) andnone of (2).
It is therefore imperative that a comprehensiveand exhaustive research project be undertaken under the guidance andwith the laboratory participation of Swami Veda to complete the workof his Master. For this, the means need to be provided at theearliest possibility as Swami Veda is now 72.
(6)
So far all research in the area of meditationpractices has been conducted by scientists on meditators.
The research is piecemeal, testing some small areaof the vast field of meditative consciousness.
It is time to undertake a comprehensive programmeof research to include a vast range of interrelated practices intheir proper sequences.
And, for a change, this new research programmeshould be guided by a meditation guide with the help of scientistswho will, of course, rigorously enforce the norms of scientificmethodology.
Hence the need for a researchlaboratory.
(1)
On Dr. Radin's item No. 4: a person was seated ina soundproof room and, as described by Dr. Radin, Swami Veda sittingin a different room was asked to concentrate on the person's videoimage that was flashed for ten seconds at a time. As has been statedabove, he did not really concentrate on the video image, but only ona mental image of the person. It may be noted that Linda was theperson in the soundproof room.
Linda was left alone and was being observed andvideo recorded. She recorded the following subjectiveobservations:
* She was asked to look at the video camerawhen/if she felt the "ten-second periods" were occurring. (1) For thefirst time only, with eyes closed, she tilted her head slightlytowards the video camera which was located in the upper right cornerof the room from Linda's position. (2) She stopped tilting her headafter the first time as she felt the movement was a distraction, andit was unnecessary for Swami Veda to confirm her awareness of hispresence.
* She found that as the experiment occurred therewere periods she could sense a presence. The presence was felt as adeep, calm, stillness. She likened the experience to diving deepunder the ocean water. As the experiment went on, the stillness andsilence deepened as if she were diving into deeper, darker, quieterdepths.
* Then at some point she could feel herselfgetting quieter and quieter and then there were times when she feltcompletely still and quiet. And it was like there were points whenshe didn't even feel the body.
* She felt her breathing rhythm slow and even feltthere were times her breath seemed to stop.
* The experiment lasted approximately 30 minutes,but felt more like only a few minutes had passed.
March 30, 2005
Dear Swami Veda Bharati:
This letter is being written to verify that LindaM. Billau underwent a surgical procedure on March 12, 2004. Thisnasal surgery was done without general anesthesia at HealthSouthCentennial Lakes Surgery Center in Edina, Minnesota. It is veryunusual to do nasal surgery without general or IV sedationanesthesia. Only local anesthesia was used on Linda Billau, which isextraordinary. She used special guided yoga meditation during thesurgery to offset the need for general anesthesia. I have a greatamount of respect for Linda and her abilities. I understand that youare her instructor and I give you my compliments.
Sincerely,
Joseph M. Gryskiewicz MD, FACS
Clinical Professor
University of Minnesota
(1)
On the special guided yoga meditation used duringthe surgery to offset the need for general anesthesia, Linda listenedto Swami Veda Bharati's Yoga Nidra cassette tape.
(2)
Linda's Pre-Surgery Preparations:
One-month prior to the surgery, Linda beganpreparing mentally.
2. For every fearful or negative thought thatarose, Linda practiced breath awareness and systematic relaxation andthen replaced the negative thought with a positivethought.
On the day of the surgery:
1. Linda arose and meditated using her personalmantra.
2. On the 1 _ drive to the surgery center, Lindapracticed:
a. Diaphragmatic breath awareness
b. Systematic relaxation
c. Nadi Shodhanam
d. 61-points relaxation
e. Mantra recitation
f. Silence
3. At the surgery center (prior to surgery):
a. Spoke sparingly, only as needed to medicalstaff.
b. Practiced breath awareness, systematicrelaxation and mantra recitation.
4. In the surgery operating room:
a. Practiced breath awareness and systematicrelaxation as nurses attached heart rate and oxygen monitors.
b. After Dr. Gryskiewicz arrived, he instructedLinda that she must not move during the surgery. As he began, Lindastarted listening to Swami Veda's Yoga-Nidra tape on the portabletape recorder she brought with her into the surgery suite. Herphysical and mental sheaths relaxed now, Swami Veda's voice carriedher deeper into a still, quiet place--a place where she sensedeverything was going to be ok. She felt as if she were an observer ofthe surgery and did not feel the body as the doctor performed thesurgery. She remembered hearing all the noises of what he was doingbut from a distant place. At this point she felt she was no longerthe "doer" - that the relaxations and breath awareness allowed her toget out of the way so that the Universal energy could flow through.
c. As Dr Gryskiewicz stated in his verificationletter, it is quite unusual to do nasal surgery without general or IVsedation anesthesia.
5. After the surgery:
a. The monitors were removed and Linda got off theoperating table and went home. She didn't feel any pain at any pointduring or after the surgery.
The list of possible benefitsbelow is not exhaustive and is only an indicative one.
1. Cardiac Problems.
(A) While current experience may indicate thatonly a person with a strong heart can maintain a respiratory rate ofone breath per minute, the hypothesis would be: a) this respiratoryrate indicates control over some parts of the autonomic nervoussystem and b) in turn may help deepen such control. Thereby, a heartpatient may be able to regulate his/her conditionautonomically.
(B) One may also learn to survive and remainrobust in polluted or smoke-filled areas by requiring lessoxygen.
2. Dual Consciousness.
(A) As the experiment with Swami Veda indicates, aperson may be active in ordinary life yet rest a major part ofhis/her brain at the same time. This may serve:
a. as a tool for reducing the effects of stressfulsituations and,
b. one may become less prone to negative emotions,like anger, being triggered by external stimuli.
(B) In terms of conflict resolution, anynegotiation will not be confrontational, but cooperative.
(C) The level of exhaustion experienced throughdaily activity will be greatly reduced and a person will:
a. revive faster from exhaustion and
b. heal quicker from illness or surgery, thusreducing hospital and insurance costs.
(D) Even though many preparatory mental exercisesare nowadays termed Yoga-nidra, conscious sleep, the true Yoga-nidra,is when delta brain waves are being produced consciously. This isknown to the Yogis as a tool for
a. quick conscious rest,
b. quick recovery from cardiac angina,
c. pacification of emotional disturbances,
d. alleviation of many impairments of gastric,intestinal, and colonic systems,
e. as a quick learning tool .
3. ReducingAnesthesia.
Linda's experience indicates that it may bepossible to let a patient undergo surgery at least up to a certainlevel where anesthesia is counter-indicated. In such cases, thepatient will have to be extensively tested for his or her mastery ofthe mental technique.
4. Distanthealing.
(A) This sounds like another scientificallyunproved 'new age' phenomenon. However, the fact that in laboratoryexperiments, Swami Veda Bharati's concentration on a person inanother room changed the latter's cardiac and respiratory ratesindicates that it is an area of research worth pursuing.
(B) It may also become helpful for astronauts andothers in similar situations.
These are only suggestions ofsome possible benefits and there are many other hypotheses (whichYogis claim to be experiential facts) that need to betested.
It is worth remembering thatwhat may be proved in a scientific laboratory situation may thenrequire more extensive planning for practical applications intraining a large number of the population to be able to experiencethe benefits universally.
Copyright 2005 West Art, Prometheus 95/2005