A friend of mine by the name of Ir. CK Cheong, a senior civil engineer recently WhatsApp me an article to seek my opinion on the body, mind and dreams. He asked:
Dear Dr Lim
Where does the mind go when one is
sleeping? What are dreams? May I seek your opinion about dreams, and where does
the body wander in sleep?
I received this from a Buddhist master would you be kind enough to provide your expert scientific opinion please? Thank you very much.
Sorry to trouble you with such trivia issue. This was what this Buddhist master sent to me in pink.
“Tan Ajahn: The mind and the body are
not really in the same place. The mind has its own place of existence, and the
body has its own place of existence. Let me give you an example. The mind
is like the controller of the spacecraft.
You send a spacecraft into space, and
the controller is on earth. You communicate through radio waves.
This is the same way that the mind
communicates with the body, we call it viññāṇa. Viññāṇa will receive all the
data from the body such as the eyes, ears, nose, tongue and mind. Then the mind
will use saṅkhāra, which is thinking to instruct the body what to do.
So, the mind is in what we call the
celestial world or in the spiritual world, while the body is in the physical
world. The mind is in contact with the body through the viññāṇa.
This is like the spacecraft and the
controller. The controller stays on earth, while the spacecraft is in
space.
When the body goes to sleep, it means
that the mind and the body stop communicating temporarily.
Sometimes the mind will do whatever it
likes. Sometimes it will think of the past, it will go to some places that it
might have visited before; it can be quite varied, but you don’t know about it.
Sometimes when you dream, you are not sure what you were dreaming about,
whether you were dreaming about this life or past lives.
Sometimes you don’t dream at all, or
sometimes the mind just wants to rest. It stops thinking.
But the mind and the body are never in
the same place. Should anything happen to the body, should there be a nuclear
bomb and all the bodies are incinerated, the mind will still remain the same.
The mind of everybody remains the same. The mind is indestructible, because the
mind is not in this world. Even if this world should explode, when this world
no longer exists, the mind still exists. If the mind still has desires, it will
go look for a new body on a different earth, in a different world.
Imagine the people in a spacecraft; if
they lose this spacecraft, they will build a new one, and then they will send
the new spacecraft into space to explore some more. So this is like the body
and the mind.
Finally, let me remind you that you
are the mind, that you are not the body. Don’t worry about the body, you
will lose it one day. Take care of your mind.
And the way to take care of the mind is to bhāvanā, to develop mindfulness (sati), samādhi and paññā. That is all you have to do because the mind will be with you all the time. The mind is your real possession.
But right now, it doesn’t have the
right knowledge to look after itself. It doesn’t have the Dhamma necessary to
become peaceful, calm, and wise.
The mind is still deluded. The mind
still thinks the mind itself is the body.
When you bhāvanā, you will eventually
get to the state where you see that the mind and the body are two separate
things.
In the meantime, just keep reminding
yourself, I am not the body. I am going to lose the body one day, sooner or
later. But losing the body is not important because I can always get a new
body. I have lost so many bodies before, so I won’t worry about losing them.
The only worry is to worry about not having the Dhamma to look after the mind.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCi_BnRZmNgECsJGS31F495g
Ends.
...................................
Thank you for the above article Ir CK
Cheong.
It is very unfortunate I have not much
idea about dreams or the body and mind wandering in that manner being
interpreted in that way. But let me give you my alternative interpretation.
Some believe dreams are when our soul
temporarily leaves our body and wanders around, often to strange places they
have never been or seen before.
Personally, I too have been wondering
of this possibility independent of what others have been thinking, even though
as a scientist I am liable to be laughed at to envisage such a thought.
But let me offer my thoughts in a
different way from the cultural, social, religious, philosophical and of course
from a scientific viewpoint as a biological, evolutionary and medical
scientist.
Beliefs about dreams involving the
soul leaving the body and venturing into unknown realms are rooted in spiritual
and mystical traditions rather than scientific understanding. While such
beliefs are common in various cultures and may hold personal significance for
some individuals like me, even though I am unable to support this by empirical
evidence or scientific research.
From a scientific perspective, dreams are understood as products of brain activity during sleep, particularly during the REM (rapid eye movement) stage of sleep when most vivid dreaming occurs. The REM suggests that the soul may still be with the body, or it may not because the eyes have been rolling rapidly wondering where its soul has gone to? But if the soul has left the body, even temporarily, then the body dies because the physical body plus the spirit became the living soul. In short, the soul must not depart from the body whether in the waking stage or in sleep, else once the soul departs from the body we die, unless God was with the dreamer.
However, there are many written and documented cases of people from different cultures, religions, and belief systems across the world who have no connection with each other who had near death experiences where they saw themselves outside their bodies when they were resuscitated in pre-hospital and hospital environments during accidents or during a medical emergency. They saw and found themselves floating over the ceiling in the emergency room where they could clearly see doctors and other emergency staff desperately attempting to revive them. Some saw themselves floating above the streets or outside buildings where they met with an accident. Some described themselves travelling through a dark tunnel at the end they could see a very bright light. On emerging they found themselves in a very strange but very beautiful field where they saw their long-dead relatives. One of them who had this near death out of the body experience was my own youngest sister who nearly died during an operation. She told us she could see what was going on in the operation theatre as she floated up to the ceiling. Perhaps these can only occur during those brief moments after death before the body decomposes. But what about Lazarus of Bethany who was brought up from the dead by Jesus four days after his entombment as described in John 11:1–44 in the New Testament, as well as in the secret Gospel of Mark? These phenomena are all beyond science to explain.
Maybe we can offer other alternative explanations.
Ghost inside a Body:
It is the spirit of God he breathed into a lifeless physical body made up of
tens of thousands of different types of biochemical molecules, proteins of all
sorts, nucleic acids, DNA....etc, etc .... together with their highly complex
metabolic and signalling pathways that controls all of them. Something much,
much higher is controlling all the laws of chemistry in our body. Perhaps, this
suggest that even for several minutes after clinical death the biochemistry of
life still proceed as usual without the need of a soul controlling these body
chemistries. The soul may still linger around outside the body. The chemistry
of life can still continue for some time even without the soul controlling those
chemistries of life in the body. It is just like in working life where a department
can continue to function for some time even without the boss around to give orders.
See this:
Existence of Life After Death
https://scientificlogic.blogspot.com/search?q=soul+controlling+biochemistry
Mysteries of Life: An unmeasurable Vital
Force
https://scientificlogic.blogspot.com/2010/09/mystery-of-life-unmeasurable-vital.html
While dreams can indeed feel otherworldly and may involve unfamiliar or fantastical scenarios, there is no evidence to suggest that they involve the soul leaving the body or traveling to alternate dimensions. Instead, dreams are thought to reflect a combination of internal processes, including memory consolidation, emotional processing, and cognitive activity.
If dreams are not our soul temporarily
leaving our body to wander to strange places and to other worlds not our own,
what exactly then are dreams? What causes us to dream. What are the
different theories put forward so far to explain why we dream?
Neuroscientific studies have
identified specific brain regions and neurotransmitter systems involved in
dream generation, providing insight into the physiological mechanisms
underlying dreaming.
However, it's necessary to recognize
and respect the diversity of beliefs about dreams and the soul across different
cultures and spiritual traditions. While scientific inquiry may provide one
perspective on dreams, personal beliefs and cultural interpretations can offer
alternative insights and meanings. Ultimately, the understanding of dreams as a
purely biological phenomenon or as a spiritual experience is a matter of
individual interpretation and perspective.
Dreams are a fascinating aspect of
human experience, yet their exact nature and purpose remain somewhat elusive.
They are essentially a series of thoughts, images, emotions, and sensations
that occur during sleep, often experienced as vivid narratives or scenarios.
The precise cause of dreaming is still
debated among scientists and psychologists, but several theories have been
proposed to explain why we dream. Some of them being suggested are:
- Activation-Synthesis Theory: Proposed by Allan Hobson and
Robert McCarley in 1977, this theory suggests that dreams are a result of
random neural activity in the brainstem during REM (rapid eye movement)
sleep. According to this theory, the brain tries to make sense of these
random signals by synthesizing them into a narrative, creating the content
of dreams.
- Evolutionary Theory: Some researchers propose that dreaming serves an
evolutionary purpose, such as helping us to process emotions, consolidate
memories, or simulate threatening situations to prepare us for real-life
dangers. Dreaming could have provided an adaptive advantage to our
ancestors by aiding in problem-solving or enhancing survival skills.
- Psychoanalytic Theory: Developed by Sigmund Freud,
this theory suggests that dreams are a window into the unconscious mind,
where repressed desires, fears, and conflicts are expressed symbolically.
Freud believed that dreams served to fulfil unconscious wishes in a
disguised form, allowing the individual to safely explore taboo desires or
unresolved issues.
- Information Processing Theory: This theory posits that
dreaming is a mechanism for organizing and processing information acquired
during wakefulness. Dreams may help to consolidate memories, integrate new
information with existing knowledge, and solve problems encountered during
the day. This perspective views dreaming as a form of mental housekeeping,
essential for cognitive functioning.
- Neurobiological Theories: These theories focus on the
physiological mechanisms underlying dreaming, including the role of
neurotransmitters, brain regions, and neural networks involved in dream
generation. Research suggests that various neurotransmitters, such as
acetylcholine and serotonin, play a crucial role in regulating REM sleep
and dream activity.
- Threat Simulation Theory: Proposed by Antti Revonsuo,
this theory suggests that dreaming evolved as a way for organisms to
simulate and rehearse threatening situations in a safe environment. By
experiencing and processing potential dangers during sleep, individuals
may be better prepared to respond effectively to similar situations in
waking life.
These theories offer different
perspectives on why we dream and the potential functions of dreaming, but none
provide a comprehensive explanation. The study of dreams remains a vibrant area
of research, with ongoing efforts to unravel the mysteries of the sleeping
mind. How far is true is worth exploring.
If we think dreams are not the soul
temporarily wandering out of the body, then could it be the opposite of God or
a spirit entering the body to dialogue with us while we are sleeping?
Let’s have a look at this verse given
in the bible:
"At Gibeon the LORD appeared to
Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, "Ask for whatever you
want me to give you." (1 Kings 3:5). What about this?
Some will believe interpreting
religious texts like the Bible can be nuanced and often depends on one's faith
tradition and personal beliefs. In the case of the verse from 1 Kings 3:5, it
describes an encounter where God appears to Solomon in a dream and engages in
dialogue with him.
From a religious perspective, this
verse could be seen as evidence of divine communication through dreams. Many
believers including myself who strongly believes the existence and presence of God in my life interpret such passages as instances where God communicates with
individuals during their sleep, conveying messages, guidance, or insights.
There were also many stories and accounts by people I have read who told their relatives of very strange, weird and unusual dreams they had a few days before they died as if it was to foretell or a premotion of their death?
However, from a psychological or
scientific standpoint, interpreting dreams as communication from a divine
entity may not be the primary explanation. Instead, dreams are often viewed as
products of the subconscious mind, influenced by a variety of factors such as
emotions, experiences, and memories.
I think the interpretations of dreams
can vary widely across cultures, religions, and individuals as I have already
warned earlier in this discussion. Some may see dreams as purely psychological
phenomena, while others may interpret them as spiritual or metaphysical
experiences.
Ultimately, how one interprets
biblical passages like in 1 Kings 3:5 depends on our personal religious beliefs
and the interpretative framework they use to understand such texts.
Dreams are indeed fascinating, and
there's still so much we're learning about them.
I think it is worthwhile exploring all these possibilities.
In closing, just to reveal to you I have dreamt of
God bringing me to the edge of the Universe at three times the speed of light
where I saw another universe revolving in the opposite direction. There were
two rivers I saw. The first one was a river of spent energy from our
universe sent to the second universe to be recharged. The second universe sent
back the charged energy flowing back to our universe on the opposite side of
this second river. Both the rivers flowed slowly.
I have dreamt this same dream
twice. In Einsteinian physics, nothing can travel faster than light let
alone me traveling at three times the speed of light unless it has no mass like our
souls but in the presence of God carrying me across hundreds of billions of light years beyond our
Observable Universe. Was it just a dream, or was my massless soul being
carried across those dimensions leaving my body temporarily behind even for a
few seconds? Give this thought!
I hope I have answered your question
Ir CK Cheong.
Jb lim
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