The article from Salon is a nice find, Judy. I enjoyed it. The author, Mario Beauregard, has written a few books as well about the "spiritual brain" and the "brain wars" going on in neuroscience between those who feel there is some exerience and reality beyond the physical structure of the brain, and those who think any experience is entirely dependent on having a working brain.
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "authfriend" <jstein@...> wrote: > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "Yifu" <yifuxero@> wrote: > > > > consciousness beyond the brain - precisely; dead people with > > subtle bodies. Likewise, Buddhas existing in varous Buddhalands > > beyond the physical. You doubt the existence of life after > > physical brain existence? How curious. > > This recent article from Salon.com reports on some of > the latest and most conclusive evidence concerning near- > death experiences: > > http://www.salon.com/2012/04/21/near_death_explained > > The final paragraphs: > > ----- > The scientific NDE studies performed over the past decades indicate that > heightened mental functions can be experienced independently of the body at a > time when brain activity is greatly impaired or seemingly absent (such as > during cardiac arrest). Some of these studies demonstrate that blind people > can have veridical perceptions during OBEs associated with an NDE. Other > investigations show that NDEs often result in deep psychological and > spiritual changes. > > These findings strongly challenge the mainstream neuroscientific view that > mind and consciousness result solely from brain activity. As we have seen, > such a view fails to account for how NDErs can experience—while their hearts > are stopped—vivid and complex thoughts and acquire veridical information > about objects or events remote from their bodies. > > NDE studies also suggest that after physical death, mind and consciousness > may continue in a transcendent level of reality that normally is not > accessible to our senses and awareness. Needless to say, this view is utterly > incompatible with the belief of many materialists that the material world is > the only reality. > ----- >
