YOGI IN THE LABFuture Directions of Scientific

Research in Meditation

Swami Veda BharatiDisciple of Swami Rama of the Himalayas

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Swami Rama of the HimalayasMaster of the States of Consciousness

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Swami Veda BharatiDisciple

Yogi in the Lab : Future Directions of Scientific Research in Meditation

ISBN 81-8037-022-4

Copyright © 2006 Swami Veda Bharati

SRSG PublicationsSwami Rama Sadhaka Grama (SRSG)Virpur Khurd, Virbhadra Road,Rishikesh 249203, Uttaranchal, IndiaTel.: +91-135-245 3440/245 3030 Fax: +91-135-245 0831Email: srsgp@sancharnet.in, info@srsgpublications.comwww.srsgpublications.com

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Printed and bound in India

Contents

Swami Veda Bharati . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Swami Ram of the Himalayas (1925-1996) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

The Ins and Outs of Mind-Body Energy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Measurability of the Meditational States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Future Dimensions of Research in theNeurophysiology of Meditation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Diversity of Siddhis in the Yoga-sutras . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

Brain Wave Mapping in Pathology andMeditation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Experiments with Swami Veda Bharati atthe Institute of Noetic Sciences, California . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

Surgery without Anaesthesia through Yoga-Nidra . . . . . . . 75

Eleven methods of Meditation testd at theNeuropath Laboratory Denver, CO, USA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

Suggested next Experiments with the Statesof the Brain in Meditation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

Dialogue between Science and Buddhism ORBetween Science and the Yogis of all Persuasions. . . . . . . . 99

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Swami Veda BharatiB.A.(Honours)(London) 1965, M.A. (London)1966,Dr. Litt. (Holland) 1967-68, F.R.A.S. (UK)

As the attached summaries of documents indicate, SwamiVeda Bharati has demonstrated in Bio-neurofeedback

laboratory tests the ability to alter the brain wave patterns(including delta and gamma). It has been observed and recordedthat he changes his brain wave patterns volitionally within aminute or two by changing the method of meditation.

In one test he successfully demonstrated his ability tohave a random numbers generating machine generatesignificantly coherent numbers.

In the latest tests he demonstrated the effectiveness of 11different methods of meditation in a 50-minute session; eachmethod produced different sets of brain waves within aminute or two of entering the state thus produced.

Plans for further testing are proceeding in the laboratoriesof Germany and Italy.

Swami Veda Bharati received highest initiations intomeditative states from the HimalayanYogi(s), especially fromSwami Rama of the Himalayas (author of Living withHimalayan Masters) who was the first pioneer in the researchon brain wave patterns of the yogis in Meditaiton, seeEncyclopaedia Britanica Science Supplement 1973.

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Swami Veda Bharati was born in a Sanskrit-speakingfamily in North India, 1933, and raised on the study ofSanskrit-Pali-Prakrit texts, and the practices of meditation,and now has access to world literatures in 17 languages.

Articles published about his exceptional knowledge in1946 brought him invitations to lecture and teach themeditation related philosophies and practices. He has beendoing so as a full time vocation since February 1947 in allparts of the world.

Author of a 1500-page Commentary on the first twochapters of Yoga-sutras of Patanjali. This commentary hasbeen hailed among scholars and practitioners both as themost authoritative.

Has recorded 3500 hours of courses on all aspects ofmeditation, its texts and philosophical systems.

Maintains two Ashrams in Rishikesh, India, wherepractices, texts and philosophies of the various meditationsystems are taught, with special emphasis on the traditionsof the Himalayan Yogis.

Travels wordwide, guiding numerous meditation groupson all continents.

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Swami Rama of the Himalayas(1925-1996)

Author of Living with the Himalayan Masters and 45 otherbooks, was one of the greatest yogis of all times. He

pioneered the scientific investigaton of the phenomenaassociated with yoga.

Swami Rama, the founder of the Sadhana Mandir Ashramwas born in the Himalayas and raised by his spiritual Masterin the legendary caves of the yogis where countlessgenerations of yogis have been trained and initiated into thedeepest mysteries of the sacred science of yoga. A monk inthe Shankaracharya Order, he held the highest position as aShankaracharya, which he then renounced to continue toserve the Himalayan Tradition.

All sciences are open to a yogi. He was a scientist whooffered himself for scientific experiments to be conducted ona yogi; philosopher who wrote forty five books; a poet whotranslated an epic in three months; an architect, sculptor,painter.

The most well known names in the classical music ofIndia gathered around him to accompany him in his musicsessions. Dog trainer; horse trainer; it was a delight to watch

1 For more details, see Doug Boyd, Swami, 1995, Himalayan InternationalInstitute of Yoga Science and Philosophy, Honsedale, USA.

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him at tennis. Enlightened guide to disciples. Master of theArt of Life.

Uncountable thousands around the world came to himasking for gifts tangible and intangible. When he gave withthe right hand, his left hand did not know. One meets peoplein all walks of life, in highest professions, who tell us how heblessed, guided, created their success in life. He would sitfor hours in the company of a one-buffalo farmer whileprinces waited outside his chamber. When he granted fundsfor establishing the library of a University in the GarhwalHimalayas, he did it on the condition that his name wouldnot be given any public association with it. As he preparedto leave his body, he left strict instructions to build nomemorials, establish no shrines nor a museum, and donothing else to commemorate his name. His memorial is inthe hearts of his disciples who miss the love they received inabandon.

A philanthropist who created a Medical City in four yearswhere there were only farmers' fields, and gave subtle hintson surgery to surgeons. A superb administrator who taughtleaders how to lead and managers how to manage. Equallyat home in the East and the West, he was a both a scientistand an accomplished mystic, a siddha. Above all, he was adirect descendant of the lineage of yogis, going backthousands of years, who are the founders and keepers ofyoga, the source of all paths of meditation, and who conferthe direct experience as initiation into the mystery ofConsciousness.

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Swami Rama has left many disciples behind, noneanywhere near his stature and calibre, to carry on the variousassignments of his work. What we all most remember abouthim is the magnetic, charismatic power of love, such that ashe walked one felt pulled to simply walk behind him. Thefull impact of his spiritual legacy will be realized perhaps ina century.

Herewith, we present an article by one of the scientistswho led the scientific reserch1 on Swami Rama.

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The Ins and Outs ofMind-Body Energyby Elmer and Alyce Green

A new research frontier is developing in which physics, psychology,parapsychology, and medicine are blending to form a new “scienceof consciousness.”

Science Year 1974, World Book Science Annual, Chicago FieldEnterprises Educational Company, 1973.

Seated in a chair in our laboratory at the MenningerFoundation in Topeka, Kans., a 45-year-old Indian yogi

named Swami Rama performed an incredible feat. Whileseven of us watched, the Swami caused a 14-inch aluminumknitting needle, mounted horizontally on a vertical shaft 5feet away from him, to rotate toward him through 10 degreesof arc. The Swami had been fitted with a plastic mask thatcovered his nose and mouth. He breathed through a foam-rubber insert which was covered by a plexiglass shied todeflect any “air currents” down to the sides. Even with this,one of the observers was convinced that the Swami had usedsome method that could be explained by some already knownphysical law.

We had warned the Swami that even if he succeeded indemonstrating this kind of phenomena not everyone wouldaccept his explanation of how he had done it. He replied,“That’s all right. Every man can have his own hypothesis,but he still has to account for the facts.”

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In science, facts have always been more sacred thantheories. But a nonconforming fact usually becomesscientifically acceptable only when an enlarged theory isdeveloped that rationally unites the non-conforming fact withthe existing scientific data. Yet this does not always holdtrue, because the emotions of scientists get in the way. Somenon conforming facts are apparently too outrageous to thetolerated and some scientists ridicule them out of existence.They claim that the best explanation of statistically validatedparapsychological phenomena is trickery by theexperimenters. Others who are intrigued by thenonconforming facts are generally remain silent. Heresy cancost them their promotions and reputations. Eugene Condon,former head of the National Bureau of Standards, phrasedthe threat in this manner: “Flying saucers and astrology arenot the only pseudosciences which have a considerablefollowing among us… There continues to be perception,psychokinesis, and a host of others….In my view, publisherswho publish or teachers who teach any of he pseudosciencesshould, on being found guilty, be publicly horsewhippedand forever banned from further activity…”

Nevertheless, some scientists have seriously investigateda host of “unexplainable” phenomena for about a century,and this field of study has grown rapidly in recent years.One of the most interesting and potentially useful areas iscontrol of the autonomic nervous system, through whichmost psychosomatic (mind-body) diseases are developed.Physicians believe that from 50 to 80 per cent of humandiseases are psychosomatic, that is, they result from thebody’s unconscious reaction of psychological stress. Thus itis possible. in theory, to train patients to control 50 to 80 percent of their diseases, to handle other psychosomaticproblems, and hopefully, to decrease their dependence ondrugs.

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We once though that the autonomic nervous system,which regulates the body’s organs, could not be voluntarily,or consciously, controlled to any significant degree. But recentevidence indicates otherwise. Psychologist Neal E. Miller ofRockefeller University has used a system of rewards andpunishments to demonstrate that animals can be conditionedto control autonomic processes, such as the flow of blood tovarious parts of the body. Human beings also can developvoluntary control of the autonomic nervous system-forexample, lowinger their blood pressure-apparently bylearning to control normally unconscious parts of the mind.This kind of learning usually requires visual or audiblefeedback, such as a light that flashes or a buzzer that buzzes.These cues inform the subject of his success, telling himwhether or not he is controlling what is happening in thenormally unconscious domain inside the skin.

Although there is a line of separation between theconscious and the unconscious-the voluntary and involuntarynervous systems-this separation apparently can shift backand forth. For example, when we learn to dive a car wefocus conscious attention on every detail of muscularbehavior and visual feedback. In other words, we manipulatesteering wheel, has pedal, and brakes according to what wesee on the road ahead of us. This tells us what we are doingand suggests corrections if, for example, the car heads towarda ditch. Through such feedback we learn conscious controlof the sriate, or voluntary, muscles. After much experience,driving becomes automatic. We then may drive through along section of town while thinking about something elseand then wonder if we stopped at all the traffic lights.

When this behavior occurs, processes normally controlledby the conscious have temporarily shifted-to the unconscious.

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When, through feedback, voluntary-control is exerted overso-called involuntary processes, such as dilating andcontracting the smooth muscles that control blood flow, theshift is to the conscious domain.

In 1964, we began a voluntary-controls research projectat the Menninger Foundation to test this conscious controlof the unconscious. We set up a laboratory in which wecould monitor the physiological variables of our subjectswhile they practiced autogenic, or self-generated techniques.Our equipment included and electroencephalograph (EEG)to measure brain waves, and electrocardiograph (EKG) tomeasure heart rates, galvanic skin response devices (GSPand GSR) to measure electrical potential and resistance ofthe skin, thermistors to measure skin temperature, andequipment to measure breathing rates and blood flow in thehands. All of these devices were connected to recordingequipment in an adjacent room so that we could collect, andlater analyze, all the data.

In one series of tests, our subjects-a group fo womenfrom the Topeka area-attempted to raise the temperature ofone hand increasing the flow of blood into the hand. Througha technique called passive concentration, some of our subjectswere able to raise their hand temperatures by several degrees.

Observing this early work psychologist Gardner Murphy,then head of the Menninger Foundation ResearchDepartment, felt that biofeedback might be useful. This meantconnecting the monitoring equipment to visual or audiblesignaling devices. For example, when a thermistor wasconnected to a meter or a buzzer, the subject could tell if hisattempt to change his skin temperature was succeeding bywatching the meter needle or hearing the buzzer. When we

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combined biofeedback with autogenic training, we foundthat many people learned to control unconsciousphysiological functions more quickly than with either onealone. We called this combination of the two systems“Autogenic feedback training.” Autogenic training supplieda strong, suggestive imagery and biofeedback suppliedimmediate knowledge of the results. These are powerfulfactors in gaining voluntary control of involuntary processes,and of great importance in our continuing research program.

In a few short years, voluntary-controls researchthroughout the United States has begun to show positiveresults in alleviating a number of medical complaints. Oneof these is relief from migraine headaches. Patients havelearned to cause their hands to become warmer, an actionthat relaxes the autonomic nervous system, thereby relievingthe migraine pain. Other human malfunctions that can bebrought under some degree of self-regulation include erraticheart rate, high blood pressure, Raynaud’s disease (whichinvolves deficient blood flow to the extremities), andunconscious muscle tension (responsible for or associatedwith many unpleasant symptoms).

How does all this take place? Perhaps as follows:According to neuroanatomists, the subcortex of the braincontains a neural network called the limbic system thatresponds to emotions. Whenever we “have an emotion,” theelectrical activity of the limbic system changes. This system,however, is linked by many nerve fibers to other sections ofthe subcortex which contain the neural circuits that controlmost of the body’s involuntary, or autonomic, functions. Theexact neural pathways have not yet been traced, but thismuch seems certain: If we have a thought that is associatedwith a feeling (and few thoughts are now), the limbic system,

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through its connections with various control circuits, bringsabout unconscious changes in some of the body’s involuntaryfunctions.

Whatever the exact explanation, the important fact is thatif we use a sensitive detector and visual and auditory displaysto reveal minute physiological changes, we often can learnto control the sections of the involuntary system that regulatethese changes. Theoretically, at least, we should be able tobring under control all our physiological processes with thistechnique.

This extension of conscious control over involuntarysystems has far reaching implications for psychology andmedicine. It suggests that human beings are not biologicalrobots, controlled entirely by genes and the conditioning oflife experiences. Migraine, for example, tends to run infamilies and thus seems to be partly, at least, genetic in origin.When it is brought under voluntary control throughautogenic feedback training, the patient is apparentlyovercoming a genetic predisposition. The freedom gained isnot just physiological, however; it has an importantpsychological component. Many people who learn to controlphysiological problems find themselves relieved of someemotional and mental symptoms at the same time.

The self-regulation of mind-body energies by consciouslycontrolling normally unconscious functions may, at firstglance, seem to be little more than a simple medical advance,but the implications are “theory busting,” to say the least.The investigation of voluntary or conscious control fo mind-body energies has expanded to include two separate butrelated areas: Control by the mind of the energy inside theskin (Ins), and the domain of psychology, physiology, and

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medicine; and control by the mind of the energy outside theskin (outs), the domain again of psychology, but also fophysics and parapsychology-the psychic phenomena.Furthermore, Ins and Outs energies are special parts ofgeneral “field of mind” theory, which we will examine later.In a curious blend of Eastern theory and Western technology,a new “science of consciousness” seems to be developing.

Swami Rama, trained in the Himalaya in the disciplineof yoga, is contributing to this blend. He came to the UnitedStates from India in 1969 and now lives in Palatine, Il. Hisguru, or teacher, suggested that he could help bring Easternand Western science closer together by working withpsychologists and medical doctors who are studying mentaland physical phenomena. Daniel Ferguson, a psychiatrist atthe Veterans Administration Hospital at Fort Snelling, St.Paul, Minn., suggested that our Voluntary-Controls Projectmight want to study Swami Rama. It would be anopportunity to examine someone with extraordinary controlover the autonomic system. In addition, because the Swamiappears to have a measure of control over Outs energy aswell as Ins, we could also study how the unconsciousfunctions in the relationship between psychology andparapsychology.

Ferguson and the Swami first visited our laboratory inMarch, 1970. As with our other subjects, we wired up theSwami to record brain waves, heart behavior, respiration,skin resistance and potential, muscle tension, blood flow inthe hands, and hand temperature. He first made thetemperature of the little-finger side of his right palm differfrom the temperature of the thumb side by 10°F. He did thisapparently by controlling the flow of blood in the large radialand ulnar arteries of his wrist. Without moving or using

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muscle tension, he “turned on” one of them and “turnedoff” the other. Later, he demonstrated that he could stop hisheart from pumping blood, and could produce specific brainwave patterns on demand.

We asked the Swami how he controlled his heart andblood vessels, and how he consciously produced variouskinds of brain waves at will. He explained that thesephenomena were possible because, “All of the body is in themind. But,” he added, “not all of the mind is in the body.”In other words, each part of the energy structure called thebody is literally a part of the energy structure called themind, although the reverse is not necessarily true.

In the raja yoga school of philosophy, two of the mostinteresting concepts relating to Ins energy are that everypart of the body is represented in the unconscious, and everypart of the body also represents the unconscious. What potentideas! They mean that when we extend conscious controlover a specific part of the unconscious, as in autogenicfeedback training, the associated physiological processes canbe brought under voluntary control.

In yogic theory, the mind is not merely a person’sperception of involuntary electrochemical changes in thebody. On the contrary, the body is only the densest sectionof a “field of energy” that includes both body and mind. Itis interesting to remember that our bodies, like everythingelse in the universe, are electromagnetic fields with swarmsare particles as dense portions. We are almost entirely emptyspace, although we see ourselves and all nature as solidmatter because that is the way we were constructed byevolution to see.

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Yogis believe that, without exception, all body processesare mind processes. The mind handles Ins energy because itis Ins energy, even though that is not all it is. Form mind isan energy structure, and all matter, whether physiologicalor non-physiological, is a matrix of energy that is somehowrelated to mind. In every thought and in every cell, we arepart of the general field, but we are not conscious of ourown unconscious.

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Measurability of theMeditational StatesSwami Veda Bharati’s Address to Gurukulam students at Swami RamaInstitute of Meditation at Swami Rama Sadhaka Grama (SRSG), Rishikeshon 9th March 2005.

PROBLEM : The contemporary keepers of the traditions likeyoga follow ancient paths in a modern context. Among usarises the question : how compatible is the pursuit of scientificinvestigations with the traditional philosophies, texts,practices and the results obtained? We take the problem upin several steps in this presentation.

First we propose here an understanding of brief categoriesby which an analysis of philosophical systems and texts maybe undertaken in the tradition of the Himalayan yogis.

There are two levels in the study of a philosophical systemand the texts thereof.

(1) The texts are not hypotheses or philosophicalspeculations. They are records of the highestmasters communicating their personallyexperienced knowledge (vi-jana1) to theirdisciples. That is why we consider revealed text

1 The texts use two words for knowledge, jnana and vi-jnana. Wherever thetwo words occur together in the Upanishads or the Bhagavad-gita, the greatShankaracharya consistently translates jnana as theoretical knowledge andvi-jnana as the knowledge from personal (spiritual) experience.

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to be supreme authority. The revealed texts arecalled apta-grantha, the texts by those who haveattained, for they are meant to inform andinspire.

They inform us as to

• what the great masters received, and

• what the methods or steps were in the processesof such acquisition of experience of a given stateof consciousness.

They inspire us as they tell us of what others havefound and that we can also find.

(2) At the same time, in our traditions, the masterstell us that the revealed texts are not enough.They are to be understood by verifying themthrough a personal sadhana2,resulting in yogi-pratyaksha (personal verification in the yogaexperience).

So, even though the system of Vedanta may make astatement about the Transcendent God, the final faith(shraddha) will come when we have seen God personally.Up to that time we accept the methods prescribed in theapta-granthas as our maps all the while knowing that — weshould ourselves see and experience the city that has beenshown to us in the map. Hence, we combine the practice ofmeditation with our study of texts and interpret the texts in

2 It is because of this principle of personal testing that the word for science inthe contemporary Indian languages is vi-jnana.

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the light of meditation experience3. This in yoga is termedsvadhyaya.

Th word svadhyaya has two meanings.

• intellectual study for and by one’s self, akin toreading a book on chemistry, and

• the study of one’s Self, akin to the experimentalsession in a lab to verify the statements in thebook.

The text was composed4 by those who had previouslyundertaken the same experiments and had obtained theverified and consistent results. Meditation is the lab work ofspirituality.

The study of texts, books and lessons by oneself issvadhyaya, as in any tradition of knowledge. The study of theself in experimental situation of contemplation is alsosvadhyaya, as in Vedanta. The practice of dhyana and themeditational practices like japa, too, fall in this category. Thatis why in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, the definition ofsvadhyaya is given as,

3 At our Ashram in Rishikesh we teach the texts like Vedanta-sara, Bhagavad-gita, the Upanishads and the Brahma-sutras not as texts of philosophicaldiscussion but as guides to meditation; they are taught along with the spiritualpractices related to the particular verse(s). Our Master Swami Rama of theHimalayas sometimes taught the texts to chosen disciples. He would havethe disciple read a text; the disciple’s eyes would then involuntarily closeand a certain state of consciousness was imparted; the eyes opened; themaster would say : this is the meaning of the texts. Similar stories of otheryogis are also sometimes heard.

4 Quite often one hears questions like : when were the Vedas written? Thequestion is invalid. They were not written. The texts were composed mentally,retained mnemonically and passed on orally. ‘Written’ is a habituation ofcontemporary mind.

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• japa (the repeated mental remembrance of themantra), and then

• the study of moksha-shastras, the texts that leadto spiritual liberation.

So, when one is studying a text, or a system ofphilosophy, let one not mix with it the philosophicalview and terminology of another text and system;one may do so if it is planned to create a synthesis, orone is studying some tradition that has created sucha synthesis as in the Mahabharata, Puranas, BhagavadGita and so forth. These texts present an integrationof the systems such as Vedanta, Sankhya, Yoga,Nyaya, Buddhist and Jaina and many other traditions.

Thus, the approach one takes to studyingphilosophical systems is (a) to understand thecognitive and dialectic analysis (built on the methodsof Nyaya and the doctrine of tantra-yukti)5 as well as(b) to pursue the experiential and holistic application.

The Yoga Sutras are only an example of texts6 whereinone learns how the finer spiritual forces control the moreexternal, gross forces of matter7. The same principles apply

5 Rules for presenting a scientific thesis. For example, the last chapter ofCharaka-samhita, the most ancient ayur-veda text, lists fortysix principles oftantra-yukti, the rules of methodology by which the validity of scientificpresentation are to be tested. Let it be remembered that the ayur-veda textswere composed by meditation masters, the rishi’s.

6 This includes the lesser known but spiritually bright galaxy of star texts likeTiru-mantiram, Sekoddesha, Yogi-Yajnavalkya, Samadhi-raja-sutram, Dasha-bhumika-sutram, Spanda-karika– and many others published and unpublishedworks, many yet untranslated.

7 Quite often those not well steeped in the study if Indian philosophicalsystems make statements like : Indian philosophy believes in ‘mind over

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in interpreting the vast variety of the texts of ‘yoga asmeditation8’ in all schools and branches thereof.

With the above introduction to the concepts of jnana andvi-jnana, we have established that the scientific method is aprerequisite in studying and practicing yoga texts andmethods respectively. The tools for verification may vary,and evolve, from century to century. The fundamentalmethod remains the same. Innovating, as in modern times,produces uncontrollable variables without the guidance ofthe masters of the traditions; the results thus obtained maynot be in consonance with the traditions established in theinternal experiments and resulting experiences ofconsciousness undertaken through many millennia withconsistent final ‘products’ in the internal, psycho-spiritual,states.

matter’. These are sentences picked up from some 19th century westernphilospher. It is a major weakness in the history of western philosophy thatthe philosophers, then psychologists, and now neuroscientists are hard putto define as to what ‘mind’ is. They have never been able to differentiate asto where spirit ends and the mind begins, and where the mind may end (ifit is at all possible for it to end!) and the body (that is, brain functions)begins. Indian philosophy does not believe in ‘mind over matter’. It believein mind being the subtlest, finest, product of matter serving as a bilingualinterpreter between spirit and matter. The Indian systems of philosophybelieve in spirit over matter that includes the mind. Hence acts of spiritualWill, such as uncountable meditation practices can alter brain structure (neuro-elasticity).

8 The phrase ‘yoga as meditation is direct translation from the second sentenceof the earliest and most widely accepted commentator Vyasa on the first ofthe yoga-sutras of Patanjali. The original Sanskrit does nt even permit theintervention of a verb in the sentence, and defines yoga as “yogah samadhih”.The yoga that veers from this definition, in our view, is no yoga at all.

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With this understanding, now, we need to ask : are themental-spiritual9 experiences and states of consciousnesstruly measurable? Can the lower (sam-pra-jnata) or the higher(a-sam-pra-jnata) samadhi be analyzed or measured?

(a) Analysis and (b) measurement are two parallel coursesthat work in tandem with each other. The former (a) is themental or intellectual analysis and the latter (b) is the role ofscience in its ability to measure.

When we say ‘intellectual’, we mean the processes ofconscious mind. There, however, remains amisunderstanding on what level of the intellect is involved.An example of this is again in the Yoga-sutras which talkabout the role of buddhi10. There is no English equivalent tothis, for, it is more than the simple intellect or the intellectualcapacity identified with the word mind. Such words as mindand intellect in English or German or French do not trulyexplain the concepts given by a word in the Sanskrit or Tamiland such other classical languages11.

9 The mental and spiritual are not one and the same. Not all internal statesare eternal states. Defining and drawing the borderlines between mentalexperiences ( which may even be products only of the physical cerebrum, noteven the energy-filed called the mind) and the spiritual ones is an extremelysubtle one and requires a very highly trained mind to discern. Nowadays,most teachers and students mistake mental or cerebral states to be spiritualstates. Someone produces alpha brain waves in meditation has no relevanceto the question as to whether s/he is enlightened. All such claims should bedismissed forthwith.

10 For a somewhat detailed definition of this word, read this author’sCommentary on the Yoga-sutras of Patanjali.

11 The language of Sigmund Freud, German, has no single word for mind.

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The traditional masters all the way from the Himalayas,Tibet, China, Korea, Japan, SE Asia have their own, oftenintuitive but also specific, methods of measuring a person’sstate of mind. It has been only a recent phenomenon thatscientific instruments could be applied to measure throughbrain activity the neuro-physiological correlates, purelysymptomatic, of these states.

The intellectual analysis on the other hand can go only asfar as the intellect can go. For this we need correct translationsin terms of (a) the definitions as originally intended by thefounders of the meditation science, and (b) their verifiabilityin actual meditation practices12. For, when philosophicalconcepts in the words of one language are translated toanother, the translation may not be truly expressive of themeaning or the concept originally intended. Nowadays manytexts are being read only in their translations in Eurocentriclanguages. When they are retranslated back for the readersin the original countries, be it India or China or Tibet, theentire meaning is diverted. This is known as the ‘pizza-effect’13.

Where pizza originated cannot be ascertained but theoriginal pizza of Italy upto 17-18th centuries was a flat breadwith some garnishes put on it and sometimes warmed-up orcooked in oil. However, it migrated to America, evolvedthere, and took on a very different form. Then this neo-pizza

12 A part of the work being done in our Ashram in Rishikesh is to establishthese systems of translation. As an example, see YS Commentary by thisauthor, supra.

13 A term coined by this author’s friend (an Austrian) Swami AgehanandaBharati of the Dashanami Tradition, author of The Ochre Robe, later head ofthe Department of Anthropology at the University of Syracuse, NY.

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returned to Italy where now the people have all but forgottenthe original and the American pizza is the pizza. This is thepizza effect in translations, as we see it in the contemporarydevelopments in some elements of the Indian (or Sino-Japanese etc.) culture in translation. A Hindi or Tamil wordis translated into English according to the mind-set of theAnglophone people and is brought back into India. Here,many of the professors, teaching Indian philosophy throughEnglish medium, some not having deep access into theoriginal languages or associated practices. are using that wordwhich the students translate back into Hindi or Tamilaccording to the contemporary mind set14. This ‘pizza-effect’needs to be corrected and the words brought back to conveytheir original intent15. This can only be accomplished byreferring to the lab work called meditation.

So, intellectual analysis can go only as far as the intellectcan go and scientific measurement can go only as far as thecapacity of the instrument in its ability to measure. There areareas of knowledge where conscious mind, intellect, cannotreach. And there are vast areas of knowledge, which at thispresent time, cannot be measured by scientific instruments.So we come to a point of asking two questions.

• Are there analyses beyond this limitedintellectual analysis?

14 See, supra, our reference to the concept of ‘mind over matter’.

15 For example, the ni-rodha is not stoppage. According to the authenticcommentators it means sva-karane layah: dissolution of vrttis, operative wavesinto their originating source, the mind-field, chitta, and the dissolution ofchitta into its source the equilibrium of prakrti.

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• Are there measurements beyond the limitationsof measurements made by present day scientificinstruments?

The answer to both questions is “yes.” In the Yogatraditions, especially in the system of shad-anga16 yoga, theyoga of six constituents, the concepts of uha and tarka areincluded17.

In the texts of logic and in common language the wordtarka means logical process, indulged in by the intellect ofthe conscious mind. However, in shad-anga yoga, the meaningof the word tarka is self-observation.

The word uha also denotes self-observation in shad-angayoga. It has an even more specialized meaning in the five-fold system of understanding the relationship of buddhi withthe Consciousness Principle (purusha), observing thatrelationship in meditation (vide commentary on YS.2.18).Space here does not permit us to elaborate on this topic.

So the answer to the first question

Are there analyses beyond this limited intellectualanalysis?

is, again, “yes”. There are analyses beyond the intellectualanalysis and those are part of self-observation. This self-observation in meditation begins with the question, “Where

16 For details see appendices to this author’s commentary on YS.

17 Again, see this author’s YS Commentary, vol.2, pp.660-662.

• 3 1 •

exactly am I in my meditation?” In meditation it is not anintellectually worded question but the flash of a non-verbalquest.

Now we come to the second question

Are there measurements beyond the limitations ofmeasurements made by present day scientificinstruments?

The answer is again “yes.”

These limitations are of two kinds.

The first limitation is where instruments cannot measurea state because, as of now, they do not have the capacity forsuch refined measurements. But with future refinements ofscientific instruments, further measurements of the here-to-fore non-measurable areas may be available. An example ofthis is the way EEG capability has been immensely improvedover the last decades, and fnMRI, PET and SPECT scans etc.have been added, enabling the scientific investigators toobserve brain functions and activities that were beyond theirreach just those decades ago.

Secondly, there are the measurements that will never bemade by scientific instruments.

Having made a brief statement about the two categoriesof limitation, we return to analysis in terms of observation ofone’s own states of mind in meditation. Such analysis is notdone through intellectual processes of the conscious mind.The Upanishad states :

• 3 2 •

Manasa mana a-lokyaObserving the mind with the mind…

— Yoga-shikha Upanishad18 .62,63,64

Many times our ego makes us think that we are in a finerlevel of the mind-field, but as a matter of fact we are stillusing our conscious or unconscious mind. We still have notlearned the art of self-observation so as to know theinstrumentality of the mind. That is why so manyinterpretations of our own meditations mislead us. We thinkour own thoughts in our meditations and our ego interpretsthem as great divine messages. We think that we are at sucha depth of meditation, and ‘this’ thought or experience is aspiritual vision.

So please remember: It is very difficult not to let yourmind fool you, as we are all fooled by the mind at one timeor another. Remember this all through your meditative life.Whether you are under the direct guidance of a spiritualmentor or not, do watch out for the mind’s trickeries. Knowthat : Not all internal experiences are experiences of eternity.

The mind has a very good ally called the ego. It has asubtle influence on the conscious mind and intellect. So inour tradition, uha or tarka, the art of self-observation, is veryimportant : manasa mana-alokya, mind observing the mind.But not your common, conscious, intellectual mind, nor yourordinary unconscious, emotional mind, nor your ego are theobservers over the mind.

18 Inter alia.

• 3 3 •

We need to understand the principle that in nature thesubtler19 can observe the grosser but the grosser can neverobserve the subtler. Body cannot observe buddhi, but buddhican observe the body. This is what is meant by ‘manasa manaalokya’.

This principle, and its practice guided by experts, is to bemaintained all the way as one progresses into higher and yethigher states of meditation. These states correspond to allthe grades of the gradual and progressive subtleties of thepersonality constituents20. The mastery of self-observationby this definition is what is meant by uha or tarka. It is herethat the ‘subtler’ (higher frequency) mind observes the‘grosser’ (slower frequency) mind, assesses its progress, andanswers the question as to ‘where am I in my meditation’.

One more note of caution. A child who had never beento the sea before, went and stepped into the sea up to hisankles. The next day he waded in up to his knees. Yet, withoutthe total dip, or even a deep dive when he grows into ayouth, can s/he say that s/he has known the sea?Furthermore, s/he wades into the sea up to the knee, comesout excited and shouts : Mo-o-o-m, I went so-o-o de-e-e-p

19 The definition of the ‘subtler’ in the spanda-shastra is that energy which ishigher frequency than any relatively lower, slower frequency ones. The highermind means ‘higher frequency’ mind but that does not mean that the mindproducing the beta brain waves at 14-16 Hz is higher than the mind producingalpha brain waves ~5-8 Hz. or delta at ~1-4 Hz. The higher frequency mindmay produce lower frequency brain waves. But, ehre, we are entering intothe controversy among the neuroscietists as to whether mind is the sum totalof brain waves or some other holistic force. In Yoga, mind is an energy fieldthat makes the brain operative.

20 For details of these levels of samadhi through the different grades ofpersonality constituents, see this author’s commentary on YS.1.17 as well sixaudio-cassettes titled samadhi.

• 3 4 •

into the sea ! But how deep was that ? Many practitioners ofmeditation make that mistake and novices sometimes presentthemselves as masters; unfortunately so.

It is easy to say one has gone into the depths, but, indeed,how deep was that ? Law of Silence common to all spiritualtraditions dictates:

• never admit to a personal spiritual achievementor power, for this is the work of the ego. Also,

• to think one has conquered ego is to be trappedat that moment by the ego.

One is exhorted to remain on alert at all times for anysigns of ego as the mind observes the mind

• During meditation, and

• In daily life.

As one becomes proficient in observing the mind duringmeditation, the other faculty naturally develops, that of dailymindfulness, the mind observing the mind in daily action,in

• words spoken,

• tones adopted,

• emotions volitionally activated,

• each body tissue moved,

• each heart rhythm or pulse beat sent forth bythe voluntary mind.

• 3 5 •

Without first attaining this level of mind observing themind, one can never dismiss the mind-field, chitta; cannotdissolve it into its originating source and enter ni-rodha. Thisis the “mind-less” yoga, a-manaska-yoga, a level of yogaextremely rare, seen in the yogis like Raman Maharshi.

Now, back to the question of measurability of states ofconsciousness.

Whatever is in chitta is measurable, if only theoreticallyso. But the subtleties of mind, or mind in its subtle stages,are at such a fine level that measurements through brain,breath and body systems by scientific instruments are notalways possible. Measuring the subtle innermost center ofchitta, is however, often possible in meditation alone but onemust through sadhana of (a) concentrations and of (b)emotional purifications learn the art of self-observation tomeasure it.

Another level of the refined measurements of mindwithout the use of scientific instruments is in the initiatoryexperience. This self witnessed the initiation of a very closedisciple of the Master whereby the said disciple’s bodyconsciousness did not exist for three days, as if it were adeath experience of the transcendental level21. Oneexperiences the streams upon streams of consciousness whereone is not aware of the body. Once again the spanda principleof Kashmir Shaivism (philosophy of Vibration) helps explainand measure such states of consciousness.

21 To understand this‘death experience of the transcendental level’ read (1)Swami Rama’s Sacred Journey, publ. Himalayan Institute Hospital Trust,Dehradun, and (2) Swami Veda Bharati’s Meditation and the Art of Dying,available from Swami Rama Sadhaka Grama Publications, Rishikesh.

• 3 6 •

One example of the spanda principle is in an experiencethat may be considered as equivalent of drawing a line. Adot or point is defined as having a location but no magnitude.One begins with a dot, followed by another dot and soon itis a series of dots called a line. When we view the line,where does one dot end and the next dot begin? It is verydifficult discern that unless one uses an instrument like acomputer where the pixels may be counted digitally. Beforethe advent of the computers, that was not possible. Just thusis to be understood the practice of concentration during,among others, the slow hand or eye movements in hathayoga. The finger and eye movements are all involved in aseries of micro-moment vibrations22. One does not feel thepoints in this apparent continuous motion just as one doesnot see the points separately in a line. Perhaps the mostsenstitive instruments of today might actually measure eachmicro-dot thought from which a continuous movement ofthe hand or the eyes is generated but it is not common.

So it is with the movements in the mind. Take a thought.One thinks it is a single thought, but it is not truly so. It ispratyaya, pratyaya, pratyaya, or otherwise, micro-cognition,micro-cognition, micro-cognition. Each single micro-cognitionis not measurable by the conscious mind. But it is measurableby the higher frequency, more refined and subtle chitta, mind-field of consciousness. So one of the experiences, as reportedby the disciple, during the above mentioned three dayinitiation was in the movement of his arm. He experiencedeach micro-moment in this high frequency of the mindthrough this initiatory process. Then he understood themeaning of the Spanda philosophy of Vibration as taught by

22 See Philosophy of Hatha Yoga by Swami Veda Bharati, available fromSwami Rama Sadhaka Grama Publications, Rishikesh.

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the philosophers like Kallata, Vasugupta and Abhinava-gupta, to name a few, the giants of Kashmir Shaivism. It wasnot the reading of their works that gave the experience. Onlythe initiation did so.

Mantra japa is an example of this art of self-observationand is called svadhyaya in the Yoga Sutras, as explained above.One of the ways to measure the mantra repetitions is tocount them by using the mala beads. As one grows into higherfrequency mind, the mental repetition becomes faster thanthe fingering of the beads is possible, then the mala is putaside. Where the bead no longer “measures” the repetition,the mind can still measure. There comes a point when all themantras converge into AUM. It is not the verbal recitation ofAUM. It is the secret science of the AUM consciousnessprinciple called the silent, half-mora of turiya, the fourthstate beyond wakefulness, dream and sleep23.

Continuity of consciousness at the innermost level of chittacan be measured, even though we have not learned the artof measuring it. Observing the progression of cognition units(pratyayas) and measurability of the states of consciousnesscontinues all the way to just before reaching a-sam-pra-jnatasamadhi.

When, finally, one has learned to dismiss the chitta, themind-field, in a-sam-pra-jnata samadhi, one is known ( in Jainatradition) a kevali, solo, alone. That is the state referred to inthe Yoga Sutras as kaivalya24, spiritual solitude.

23 For details see Swami Rama’s Enlightenment without God, a Commentaryon Mandukya Upanishad, available from SRSG Publications, Rishikesh.

24 Further elucidation of this will be presented in Swami Veda Bharati’sCommentary on YS, volume 4, planned.

• 3 8 •

A-sam-pra-jnata samadhi is neither a measurableexperience, nor a memorable one. For memory, smrti, is avrtti of chitta, and here the chitta, mind-field, is left behind ina-manaska yoga. It is neither memorable nor forgettable.Whether one has reached a-sam-pra-jnata or not, there is noway an individual can tell. Imagine this scenario: two friendsstanding on the sea shore and saying, “Let us swim together.”“How far?”— asks one. The other one answers, “Let us swimup to the horizon.” When one has observed the mindobserving the mind without the observation reference in theego, one has reached the horizon.

To Summarize. There are four levels of meditation statesas to their measurability :

1. Beyond the relativities, not measurable by anymeans.

2. Measurable by the mind observing the mind butnot with instruments.

3. Not measurable only because of the currentlimitations of tecknowledgy25; the measurementsmay be made possible by future tecknologies.

4. Fully measurable through contemporarytechnologies.

25 A neologism for ‘knowledge pertaining to scientific techniques andinstruments’.

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In the case of the fourth category above an investigatormust bear in mind that :

• such measurements are only of the symptoms,effects and correlates and not of the state ofconsciousness itself, as one may measure thepsycho-physiological correlates of sleep or ofbeing in love, but the experience of sleep or loveis purely internal and subjective and no personor instrument can measure another’s sleep orlove;

— the measurements taken do not indicatethe exact method used by the meditationmaster who is serving as the subject ofinvestigation unless s/he gives detailsthereof (which should be requested in allfuture research and should be publishedalong with the reports of other resultsobtained from an investigation);

• Many methods, even of different schools, mayproduce identical results;

• One is not necessarily fully enlightened justbecause one can produce neuron-pysiologicalcorrelares of certain level of meditation;

• The results of the same method may not bereplicable

— by the same subject because his/her statesof mind are variable from day to day andmoment to moment, although this variabledoes not apply to a true master, and

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— by different subjects because their depthof achievement in the same method varies.

Once again the texts of the traditions should be read,translated, interpreted, and a Guru’s words should bebelieved, as guidelines to personal investigation throughpractice of the methods, and final verification also in apersonal experience.

This, by no means, exhausts the subject matter; what ispresented here is only an illustration of the direction futureresearchers might choose to take.

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FUTURE DIMENSIONS OFMEDITATION RESEARCH

Meditation comprises a vast area of philosophyand practices covering all possible constituents

of personality and consciousness from the mostminute to most expansive (parama-anu-prama-mahattva-anta). For example, one Tantra (Malini-vijayottara-tantram) defines 256 different forms ofdharana (concentrations) with nearly 13000 varietiesof the same. The meditation masters are said to havea command of each of these methods. All the differentschools, popularly known and the yet more profoundvery little known ones, are part of a vast jigsaw puzzle,with detailed systems, subsystems, methods and thevarieties of the same, all interconnected with definitesequences.

The scientific research conducted so far (~3000articles in established scientific and medical journals)indicates that most researchers concentrate on a singlevery specific method, or sub-system only, without anattempt at a comprehensive programme to examinethe multi-dimensionality of the meditation science inan integrated pattern.

The meditation masters themselves (1) have hadvery little opportunity to give an input in themethodology of investigations, and (2) only in somecases are known the steps of the practices of internalconsciousness and mind that they employ to obtainthe physiologically or neurocerebrally demonstratedcorrelates or effects.

• 4 2 •

From the point of view of a meditation master, itwould be highly recommended that a comprehensiveand integrated programme of research be undertakenin which the various methods are (1) seen as parts ofthe larger systems and subsystems in theirtraditionally established sequences; (2) that the results,or correlates, obtained from each method be comparedwith those of the others and the meditation guide beasked to give the details of the formula and techniqueemployed internally. For example, this presenter, inone neurofeedback laboratory session, tested 11methods in 50 minutes, and demonstrated that (A)the brain wave patterns obtained in each may differvastly but in some closely related varieties of themethod the results may be somewhat similar but notidentical; (B) that it takes a meditation guide of thislevel less than two minutes to change the brain wavepatterns volitionally; and that (C)(i) the steps in theprocedures used internally can be described in detailand (ii) some of these may be imparted experientiallyto the untrained investigator(s) to be verified to anextent.

Thus a programme of (A) cataloguing thecorrelates, or effects, of the systems and thesubsystems can be initiated in a network ofinvestigators, (B) also developing hypotheses to beexamined with regard to the possible clinical benefitsof the same in a meditational equivalent of“pharmacopeia”.

• 4 3 •

Future Dimensions in Researchin the Neurophysiology ofMeditation

In the last seven and a half decades, scientific research hascovered large areas of meditation and related practices (such

as a few mental practices done in shavasana and someprananyamas). Some of these researches are conducted with thetitles like yoga, meditation or pranayama. Others have beenconducted under the titles like biofeedback, neurofeedback,autogenic training, and such others. A number of bibliographieshave been complied containing many thousands of articles fromscientific and medical journals.

Zen, vipassana (mindfulness), ajapa-japa (under the brandname TM), relaxation response (basic progressive relaxation,the very first mental procedure of shithilikarana in shavasana)and some Tibetan Buddhist practices are the areas largelyexamined. There are, however, a number of majorimperfections to be noticed in the approach to scientificresearch in meditation.

The science of meditation is an integrated grid (tantra) of

Broad systems,Subsystems andMethods within these,

interconnected in definite sequences and on definiteand specific paths of the channels of consciousness

• 4 4 •

in the subtlest and the most expansive (parma-anu-parma-mahattva-anta) dimensions of the constituentsof human personality (for example Malini-vijayottara-tantram Chs. 12-16, gives 256 kinds of dharanas, allinterlinked in a sequence).

Studying one small practice in isolation is like trying tounderstand a single subatomic particle without reference tothe rest of the nuclear science. To elaborate,

• All research undertaken so far has beenpiecemeal, on a given practice, without referenceto the larger perspective of the entire science.

• Different researchers lay emphasis on givenschools, such as, in the current phase, on thethree schools of Buddhist meditation (arbitrarilyselected practices of Zen, vipassana, and theTibetan system).

• Very little has been done to compare the resultsobtained from different systems.

• The methods of some of the systems examinedare well defined. This is the case with relaxationresponse, TM, and mindfulness. In a largenumber of meditation methods tested thedescription of the method is vague – as in thecase of the methods used by some yogis as wellas the Tibetan lamas. It is not vague to theresearch subjects who are often masters of theirscience, but it is so to the investigators as wellas to the readers of the research. Often, the stepby step methodology of the internal practiceshas not been stated.

• 4 5 •

• Quite often the research may be undertaken bythose who have no experience in meditationthemselves. In fact, in some circles it isconsidered unscientific1 for the investigator tohave a personal interest in the practice as it isfeared that it may lead to subjective bias.

• Such unfamiliarity with the actual content of thetopic of research may lead to wrong conclusionson the part of the investigator, for example, uponseeing a delta brain wave pattern (which theaccomplished yogis produce in yoga-nidra) aneuro-pathologist, knowing nothing of yoga-nidra (conscious sleep), may conclude that thesubject was in a coma.

In planning further research there is need to develop acomprehensive and integrated programme in which thevarious methods are

1. seen as parts of the larger systems andsubsystems in their traditionally establishedsequences;

2. that the results, or correlates, obtained from eachmethod be compared with those of the others;and

1For example, this is the objection against Dr. Davidson who has researchedthe advanced Tibetan lamas at the University of Wisconsin and has beeninstrumental in inviting the Dalai Lama to the conference of Americanneuroscientists, 2005. The objectors, among other things, say — accordingthe a recent report in New York Times —that Dr. Davidson meditates, so hisfindings may not be valid. One might argue that by the same token onecannot conduct research on sleep if s/he sleeps; nor should one researchdigestion if s/he digests food !

• 4 6 •

3. the meditation guide who is the subject of aninvestigation be asked to give the details of theformula and technique employed internally.

For example, this presenter, in oneneurofeedback laboratory session, tested 11methods in 50 minutes, and demonstratedthat

(A) the brain wave patterns obtained ineach may differ vastly but in some closelyrelated varieties of the method the resultsmay be somewhat similar but not identical;

(B) that it takes a meditation guide of thislevel less than two minutes to change thebrain wave patterns volitionally; and that

(C)(i) the steps in the procedures usedinternally can be described in detail and(ii) only some of these may be impartedexperientially to the untrainedinvestigator(s) to be verified to an extent.

Thus a programme needs to be established for

• cataloguing the correlates, or effects, of thesystems and the subsystems, can be initiated bya network of investigators, and

• developing hypotheses to be examined withregard to the possible clinical benefits of the samein a meditational equivalent of “pharmacopeia”.

• 4 7 •

While developing these programmes of research we mustunder no circumstances fall in to the traps of

• thinking that yoga is only a system of therapies,and

• forgetting that “yoga is Samadhi” (yogahsamadhih – Vyasa on Ys 1.1)

It must always be remembered that

• just because someone can produce alpha or deltabrain waves at will s/he is not necessarily a fullyenlightened being or jivan-mukta. The events inneurophysiology take place in the cerebrum andthe nervous systems which are products ofprakrti. They neither prove nor disprove the factof atman-realization.

• On both ends of the spectrum,

o that is, lowest frequency, delta brain wave(1-4 Hz), and

o the highest frequency, high beta (~20-32Hz) and gamma (~33-120+ Hz)

there may appear a flat rate wave which indicatesthat the subject’s state of consciousness now cannotbe measured by the level of sensitivity to which theequipment is calibrated.

In other words, the present technology can only indicatewhat it is capable of measuring, that is,

• 4 8 •

o the first three bhumis of chitta, namely,kshiptam, mudham and vi-kshiptam2, fully,and

o the fourth one, ekagram, perhaps partially,

but it can give us no indication of ni-ruddham bhumiof chitta, nor the states like viveka-khyati, dharma-meghaand the yet higher bhumis of consciousness (chiti-shakti,drshi-shakti)3.

On the other hand, it can be argued that, granting, theneurophysiological correlates of meditation practices are notindices of spiritual progress but only prove that the brainfunctions can be controlled through the application of Will,the experiential tradition strongly points to the fact, verifiedby the neuroscience, that

o success in practices like chitta-pra-sadanam(YS. 1.33) are brought about by spiritualstates and do effect sattvic changes in thepure as well as biological psychology, andtherefore,

2 There is often a confusion as to the distinct definitions of kshiptam and vi-kshiptam. Kshiptam is indicated by beta , the common person’s brain wave indaily activity in which the mind is neither relaxed nor one-pointed. Vi-kshiptam is the state of one trying to reach ekagram but distracted therefromby the nine chitta-vikshepas also known as antarayas together with their fiveaccompaniments. Here one may produce mixtures of beta, alpha and theta.

3 Chitta (mind-field, a product of prakrti) and chiti (consciousness as thespiritual self), are not to be confused. The yoga philosophy does not makethe absurd statement of ‘mind over matter’ but of ‘chiti over chitta’.

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o the neurological indices may be acceptedas indirect proofs of a degree of spiritualrealization.

Bearing in mind such arguments, it is evident that thereis need to create a new terminology of the theory andphilosophy of yoga, supplemental to but not replacing thetraditional exegesis, on the texts like the Yoga-sutras. Thetexts may require fresh translations in the language of modernneuro-technology4.

In a private letter to Dr. Green, Swami Rama of theHimalayas suggested the following lines of furtherinvestigations.

April 16, 1970

Most Blessed Dr. Green,

Thank you very much for your sincere efforts inpromoting the Truth. I’d like to give you a few suggestionsfor the future tests, in the Lab.

4One example : we present the scientific definition of yoga-nidra (ref.YS.1.38)as “volitional production of delta brain waves without falling into the state(s)of mudha bhumi of chitta.” Similarly, there is proof of alterations inneuroplasticity through the ethical practices such as certain aspects of ahimsa.A new translation of YS may incorporate these neuron-indices in explainingthe sutra, say, on the benefits of santosha (YS.2.42).

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1) Methods of Concentration and Meditation

a. Gaze outside in distance or one foot indistance.

b. Gaze on the tip of the nose, on the nostrils,gaze on space between the two eyebrows.

c. Concentration on different chakras, and ifpossible, the variation of the stability ofmind can be recorded according to theplexus, and I want to know the brainwaves.

d. Concentration with breathing will be veryfruitful. Inhalation in the bellows.

e. Rhythmic breathing in retention and inmaking breathing finer.

f. Concentration on a very minute objectwithin. Concentration on a very big andwide object.

g. Concentration on withdrawing the sensesfrom outer objects.

Concentration in nothingness.Concentration towards negativity.

Concentration on positive thinking.Concentration on assimilation the forces ofmind. Concentration on expanding themind. Concentration on the control ofconscious mind. Concentration on silencingthe conscious mind and bringing forwardthe subconscious mind.

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h. Studying the mind and heart completelyin conscious condition.

i. The effects of samadhi can be demonstratedif you have any machine to test.

j. Samadhi with seed and without seed.

k. Samadhi in a plastic capsule which shouldbe sealed. Or samadhi in buried condition.

2) Heart Tests

a. Slowing down beats to twenty andimmediately jumping to 250.

b. Complete stoppage of heartbeat withoutmuscle contraction.

c. Complete stoppage of heart from one andone half to three minutes with will power.

d. Heart stop through rhythmic way ofpranayama by controlling vagus nerves.

e. Heart stop with lowest temperature can beexamined.

3) Blood Flow, Temperature, on the Right Side ofBody and Reversing Up to Two to Three DegreesFahrenheit.

a. Creating artificial tumors and dissolvingthem with will power.

b. The Blood Cell Experiment.

c. Piercing the needle on any part of fleshwithout bleeding or any damage.

• 5 2 •

4) Respiratory Tests

a. You can make any mask for nostrils andmouth and verify the

retention of breath.

b. There should be two masks; one for noseand mouth, and another for

the eyes. So that close up to ten feet objectcan be located after closing the eyes, orany book can be read. Note: There are fourmethods in seeing the things after closingthem. The first: after closing the eyes,anything can be visualized clearly at anydistance, but eyes should be properlysealed and closed.

c. Through touching the closed envelope canbe read, but eyes should be closed.

d. Anything can be read from one room toanother, but eyes should be closed.

5) Moving Things From One Place To Another

a. All the spiritual and psychic as well asphysical demonstrations will be done inthe lab ONLY, and not before or definitelynot in a public lecture. Those who areanxious to know the results should cometo the lab and only the lab. It should beavailable exclusively for Doctors andScientists.

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b. The experiment of Prana-Solar Science canbe done on sunny days and we will fix upthe date when I come.

I thank you very much for your achievements and I hopeyou keep in touch through letters before we meet. I will besending the lab report from London with film to you. If youwish, I will bring another Swami to give more elaborate testsin the field of respiratory system and heart and weightcontrol.

I forgot to mention the sound experiments, which will bevery interesting in studying the brain’s vibrations and otherinternal states.

It is most amazing that people do not understand thepower of mind over body. My effort is sincere and you willsee that there is nothing unscientific in it. Of course, I findsome difficulty in explaining certain things which I can do,but cannot explain how they are done.

Doctor, meditation alone is real life. There is nothinghigher than Meditation. That is my experience in life.

Please give my regards to Mrs. Green. Love little kiddies.

Let me thank you again for your kind and gentle behavior.

My present address will be: care of American Express,London, ENGLAND.

Please remember me to the members of your Lab.

Thy Own Self,Swami Rama

• 5 4 •

Diversity of Siddhisin the Yoga-sutras

One of the possible areas of scientific investigation wouldbe the methods suggested in the Yoga-sutras of Patanjali

for the realization of various accomplishments, siddhis. Eventhough only a rare few yogis may demonstrate these powersin full1, the neuron-physiological effects produced in theprocess of the special concentrations recommended forspecific accomplishments would point towards a newdimension in autogenic controls and therapies.

Here we take up the topic of these siddhis just to showthe diverse range of this line of yoga achievements.

The Sanskrit terms have not been translated here, withdue apologies to those unfamiliar with the language, as thatwould require a much larger treatises to explain theimplication of each.

The word siddhi occurs in YS four times. In the firstoccurrence (2.43), it refers to the perfection of body and sensesas a result of tapas. In the second (2.45) Samadhi itself isconsidered a siddhi, or the sutra speaks of the perfection ofSamadhi. Third time (3.37) siddhis are stated to be undesirable

1 For example, kaya-vyuha-jnana (the mastery of the knowledge of the bodysystems) (YS.3.29) may include such accomplishments as stopping the heartwithout the val salva or such maneuvers as demonstrated by Swami Rama atthe Menninger Foundation Laboratory.

• 5 5 •

accretions (upa-sarga) as regards the goal of Samadhi. In thefourth (4.1) the siddhis are stated to be accomplished throughfive different means.

It needs to be borne in mind that the chapter regarded asthe most dedicated to explaining siddhis is not called siddhi-pada but vi-bhuti-pada. We need to understand this word ‘vi-bhuti’. Its yaugika (verb root) meaning is pointed to in Rg-veda 8.58.2 : ekam va idam vi babhuva sarvam. Indeed, all this[is] one that has become diverse (vi). This refers to thediversity of creation within a unity as emphasized in the restof the mantra:

eka evagnir bahudha samiddhaekah suryo vishvam anu pra-bhutahekaivoshah sarvam idam vi bhatiekam va idam vi babhuva sarvam.

Taking the point from this earliest reference to the conceptof vi-bhuti we may understand the tenth chapter of theBhagava-gita titled vibhuti-yoga, with a different nuance –not mere powers but the varieties, diversities within the onedivine being.

At what point in the linguistic history the word became‘frozen’ and set (rudhi) in the meaning of powers and gloriescannot be ascertained. It is only to be assumed that the siddhismentioned in the 3rd pada of YS are to be equated with theconcept of vi-bhuti in the Rg-vedic sense of ‘varieties of being’.Just as the One Divine Being manifests varieties anddiversities in His/Her being, so also does the yogi in hisown being.

• 5 6 •

That is why the siddhis are not additions of any kind toour nature but (YS.4.3) they are realized simply the way afarmer does not push water but only lifts the sluice gatesand the pre-existent power begins to flow. The internalprocesses by which it occurs are explained in 3.12-15 and4.1-3.

The subject of siddhis is not limited to the third pada only.If for convenience sake we continue to adhere to thetranslation of siddhi as accomplishment, each pada containssutras that refer to siddhis. Let us look at these sutras includingthe elucidations given in Sankhya-pra-vachana-bhashya. Thislist is arbitrary in the sense that some other accomplishmentslike chitta-pra-sadana (1.33) may also be included.

In pada 1, the experiences and accomplishments in thesutras

35 (divya-gandha-samvit etc.),36 (jyotishmati of two levels),38 (yoga-nidra),40 (vashikara that may be equated with vashitva amongthe eight major siddhis

can definitely be called siddhis.

In pada 2,

the perfections achieved through the mastery of yamasand ni-yamas (35-44) (if we leave out Samadhi in 2.45),as well as

• 5 7 •

dvandvanabhi-ghata achieved through asana (2.48)

are siddhis.

Here we need not list the siddhis in the vi-bhuti-pada asthey are well recognized.

In the 4th pada, sutra 4, nirmana-citta is clearly a siddhi.

Patanjali’s list of siddhis is, however, not exhaustive as wesee,inter alia, in the Shandilya Upanishad (ShU) the list of siddhisthat are

(1) identical to YS(2) variations on YS siddhis, and(3) original additions.

We can produce a chart showing these similarities anddissimilarities between YS and ShU as well as a nmber ofother texts.

This leaves us with the question : to which siddhis doesthe sutra 3.37 refer as undesirable accretions (upa-sarga)? Itcould not be referring to purusha-jnana (3.35) as an upa-sargain samadhi. Nor can the balas achieved through the four chitta-pari-karmas (1.33,3.23) be classed as impediments.

It appears that the sutra 3.37 is referring only to

pratibha,shravana,vedana,adarsha,

• 5 8 •

asvada, andvarta.

Following purusha-jnana, these siddhis arise as natural by-products and can easily distract a sadhaka from the purestpursuit of a-sam-pra-jnata; hence the warning. We may resortto vakya-shesha principle, and add ‘such other’ of the samecategory, viewing the six mentioned in 3.37 as upa-lakshana.

If we look at the broad list of accomplishments, vi-bhutisor siddhis, given in the sutras, we may divide these intofollowing categories.

(1) Purely spiritual accomplishments :

a-sam-pra-jnata and sam-pra-jnata samadhis (Samadhi-siddhi YS 2.45) with their subcategories vitarkanugata(1.17) etc.Purusha-jnana, andViveka-khyati.

(2) Communication with disembodies siddhas and masters(1.37,3.32).

(3) Strengths through ethics of emotions :

Chitta-pra-sadana (chitta-pari-karma, sthiti-ni-bandhana,brahma-vihara) such as maitri (1.33, and the strengthsachieved in these (3.23), andSiddhis achieved through non-violence etc. (2.35-44)

(4) Stability and stillness as in

1.33,2.46-47,3.31.

• 5 9 •

(5) Incorporating more than one personality or mind :

Nirmana-chitta (4.4),Para-sharira-avesha (3.38), andPara-chitta-jnana (3.19).

(6) Different categories of knowledge :

[A] Of intangibles :

rtambhara prajna (1.48),viveka-ja jnana, taraka, pratibha (3.52,54; 3.33),of states of consciousness such a as sleep (1.38),knowledge of death (3.22),purva-jati-jnana (3.18),of past and future (3.16), andof the distant or the concealed (3.25).

[B] Of tangibles:

sarva-bhuta-ruta-jnana (3.17), andknowledge of the universes (3.26-28).

[C] Knowledge and conquest internal to mind-field:

Chitta-sam-vit (3.34), andsarva-jnatrtva (3.49)

[D] Knowledge through centres of consciousness asin :

Nabhi-chakra (3.29),kurma-nadi (3.31), andkantha-kupa (3.30).

• 6 0 •

(7) Celestial and subtle body experiences andmastery :

Divya shrotra (3.41), and

Clairvoyance etc. (1.35,3.36).

(8) Mastery through pranas :

Udana-jaya (3.39), and

Samana-jaya (3.40).

(9) Conquest of senses (3.47).

(10) Conquest of elements (3.44,3.42).

(11) Physical accomplishments :

death when desired (3.39),

antar-dhana (3.20),

kaya-sampat (3.46),

strengths (3.24),

conquest of hunger and thirst (3.30),

extreme heat and self-combusion (3.40)

celestial hearing (3.41),

flying through space (3.42), and

mind-like speed (3.48).

• 6 1 •

(12) Total conquest of prakrti (3.48).

(13) Miscellaneous all-encompassing powers such asanima etc. (3.45,49).

The above list is not exhaustive and the overlapping ofcategories is unavoidable.

There are four sutras that give warnings with regard tothe traps the siddhis may present.

(1) Sutra 1.15 teaches vairagya from the experiencesof subtle and celestial worlds.

(2) Sutra 3.37 considers the siddhis as impedingSamadhi.

(3) Sutra 3. 50 teaches vairagya even from such highstates as pradhana-jaya, sarva-bhava-adhi-shthatrtvaand sarva-jnatrtva.

(4) Sutra 3.51 again warns against accepting theinvitations from the “well-placed ones”, devasand such, and against feeling amazed at one’saccomplishments.

We would like to reiterate that(1) the subject of siddhis is not limited to the 3rd

chapter, and

(2) the concepts of vi-bhuti and siddhi need to bereconciled.

Further, we would like to infer that the warnings areagainst only those accomplishments that may(1) impede vairagya from the anushravika-vishayas

(1.15);

• 6 2 •

(2) are not conducive to samadhi (3.37); and

(3) do not aid in the diminution of the seeds ofstains (dosha-bija-kshaya) to lead to kaivalya;

and one is to remember that it is very easy to fall into the trap of (1) vanity and ego, being amazed at the ‘miracles’

one can perform,

(2) thinking of the lesser stations (prathama-kalpikaand madhu-bhumika - Vyasa on 3.51) as desirable,or that

(3) these lesser stations (such as those of the devas)may be accepted if one is invited by the ‘well-placed ones’.

The arthapatti from the above can be derived that thewarnings are not against the siddhis that are conducive topurity such as chitta-pra-sadana and yama-ni-yamas, thefreedom from vanity, samadhi, para-vairagya and kaivalya.

The subject of siddhis deserves much greater attention foranalysis and scientific investigation than it has been hithertoaccorded. The possible lines of investigation may bedeveloped from the suggestions presented above.

Furthermore, YS. 3.12-15 and 4.1-3, if fully understandwill give a very detailed philosophy for thinking on the topicof mind-body relationship and by what processes the mindmay affect and modify the conditions and capabilities of thebody.

• 6 3 •

Brain Wave Mapping inPathology and Meditation

It has been found that quite often a neurologist orneurophysiologist reading the brain wave data of a meditation

master would interpret it in the light of the former’s training inpathology. It is therefore essential that such data be examinedand interpreted only by those experts who have some access tomeditation philosophy and practices in addition to the field oftheir professional expertise.

It is well known among the meditation researchers thatmany of the brain-wave phenomena seen in meditation aresimilar or parallel to those observed in brain pathologies.For example:

• Delta, among others, signifies a state of coma orimpending death;

• Theta common in children, is seen as indicativeof brain damage in the adults;

• Alpha may be induced under the influence ofcertain narcotics; and

• High Beta may indicate a very scattered mindwithout focus.

The above comparisons are not exhaustive but only asrandom samplings.

• 6 4 •

Some of the points that help differentiate between thesymptoms of neuro-pathology on one hand and themeditation states of the masters on the other are:

• The fact that the change in brain-wave patternof the masters is volitional and may be inducedby

1. going deeper within the same meditationmethod, or

2. changing a meditation method or point offocus, etc.,

as demonstrated by Swami Veda Bharati in testing 11meditation methods in 50 minutes in the Neuropath Lab inDenver on July 28, 2005.

• Delta is produced in full consciousness so thatconversations carried on in the same room asthe Yogi producing the delta brain waves maybe reported verbatim, as demonstrated by SwamiRama in Menninger Foundation and SwamiVeda in the Institute Noetic Sciences, Californiain September 2004.

• Theta would indicate controlled but enhancedcreativity through relaxed concentration.

• Alpha will be totally under the practitioner’scontrol and employed for implementing theprinciple of ‘inaction in action’ as taught in theBhagavad Gita, the Tao and the martial arts.

• 6 5 •

• High Beta and Gamma would indicate deepconcentration on a high frequency mentallyrepetitive thought, such as a mantra.

The above are just few of the indicators of the differencebetween the symptoms of neuro-pathology and meditation.

• 6 6 •

• 6 7 •

Experiments withSwami Veda Bharati

• 6 8 •

Institute of Noetic SciencesConsciousness Research Laboratory

Astronaut Edgar Mitchell, while in space on his way backfrom the moon, had an experience of extra-temporal extra-

spatial consciousness.

Upon return to the earth he pooled all his resources andwith the help of likeminded friends founded an institute forthe study of the phenomena of consciousness.

The Institute of Noetic Sciences, has a number of scientistsengaged in various studies. One of their landmarkpublications is the Bibliography of Scientific Research in thePhysiology and Psychology of Meditation. For moreinformation please visit www.noetic.org.

It has also done several video interviews with SwamiVeda Bharati. Finally, their senior scientist Dr. Dean Radin(author of Conscious Universe) had Swami Veda Bharati intheir laboratory on 22nd September 2004.

Attached is his report on the laboratory session.

• 6 9 •

• 7 0 •

• 7 1 •

• 7 2 •

• 7 3 •

Swami Veda Bharati’s Comments onDr. Dean Radin’s verification of theexperiments conducted with him at IONS.

Swami Veda wishes to state that even though he was askedto concentrate on the machine, he did not heed that

request. He only generated the field. Any incoherencewhether of (a) a machine or (b) a person’s or (c) an animal’smind could be caught in this field and would exhibit signsof relative coherence.

On Dr. Radin’s item No. 4: a person was seated in asoundproof room and, as described by Dr. Radin, SwamiVeda sitting in a different room was asked to concentrate onthe person’s video image that was flashed for ten seconds ata time.

Swami Veda was left alone and was not being observed,so this fact was not made known: He was not concentratingon the image on the video screen. (1) For the first two times,he looked at the video image for half a second only, andthen closed his eyes. (2) He found that as the video screen litup with the image each time, he could sense the light withhis eyes closed. This was his signal to concentrate on theperson.

The concentration was not on the video image but on themental image – without making any mental suggestion as towhether or not any physiological, neurological orpsychological changes may occur in the person. It may besaid that just a ‘presence’ was projected. Linda Billau is thename of the person in the soundproof room.

• 7 4 •

Comments of Linda Billau who participatd in a part of thesession at IONS

Linda was left alone and was being observed and videorecorded. She recorded the following subjective observations:

• She was asked to look at the video camerawhen/if she felt the “ten-second periods” wereoccurring. (1) For the first time only, with eyesclosed, she tilted her head slightly towards thevideo camera which was located in the upperright corner of the room from Linda’s position.(2) After the first time, she felt the headmovement was a distraction and wasunnecessary in order to confirm her awarenessof Swami Veda’s Presence.

• She found that as the experiment occurred therewere periods she could sense a presence. Thepresence was felt as a deep calm, a stillness. Shelikened the experience to diving deep under theocean water. As the experiment went on, thestillness and silence deepened as if she werediving into deeper, darker, quieter depths.

• Then at some point she could feel herself gettingquieter and quieter and then there were timeswhen she felt completely still and quiet. And itwas like there were points when she didn’t evenfeel the body.

• She felt her breathing rhythm slow and evenfelt there were times her breath seemed to stop.

• The experiment lasted approximately 30minutes, but felt more like only a few minuteshad passed.

• 7 5 •

Surgery withoutAnaesthesia through

Yoga-Nidra

• 7 6 •

Letter from Nasal Surgeon– Dr Gryskiewicz

March 30, 2005

Dear Swami Veda Bharati:

This letter is being written to verify that Linda M. Billauunderwent a surgical procedure on March 12, 2004. Thisnasal surgery was done without general anesthesia atHealthSouth Centennial Lakes Surgery Center in Edina,Minnesota. It is very unusual to do nasal surgery withoutgeneral or IV sedation anesthesia. Only local anesthesia wasused on Linda Billau, which is extraordinary. She used specialguided yoga meditation during the surgery to offset the needfor general anesthesia. I have a great amount of respect forLinda and her abilities. I understand that you are herinstructor and I give you my compliments.

Sincerely,Joseph M. Gryskiewicz MD, FACS

Clinical ProfessorUniversity of Minnesota

• 7 7 •

• 7 8 •

Linda’s Comments on Dr. Gryskiewicz’sverification of the nasal surgery conductedwith/by him

(1)

As the special guided yoga meditation during the surgeryto offset the need for general anesthesia, Linda listened toSwami Veda Bharati’s Yoga Nidra1 cassette tape.

(2)

Linda’s Pre-Surgery Preparations:One-month prior to the surgery, Linda beganpreparing mentally.

1. For every fearful or negative thought that arose,Linda practiced breath awareness and systematicrelaxation and then replaced the negativethought with a positive thought.

On the day of the surgery:

1. Linda arose and meditated using her personalmantra.

2. On the 1½ drive to the surgery center, Lindapracticed:

a. Diaphragmatic breath awareness,

b. Systematic relaxation,

c. Nadi Shodhanam,

1 This is part of the process which Swami Veda Bharati follows to consciouslyproduce delta brain waves.

• 7 9 •

d. 61-points relaxation,

e. Mantra recitation, and

f. Silence.

3. At the surgery center (prior to surgery):

a. Spoke sparingly, only as needed, to themedical staff.

b. Practised breath awareness, systematicrelaxation and mantra recitation.

4. In the operating room:

a. Practiced breath awareness and systematicrelaxation as nurses attached heart rate andoxygen monitors.

b. After Dr. Gryskiewicz arrived, heinstructed Linda that she must not moveduring the surgery. As he began, Lindastarted listening to Swami Veda’s Yoga-Nidra tape on the portable tape recordershe brought with her into the surgery suite.Her physical and mental sheaths relaxednow, Swami Veda’s voice carried herdeeper into a still, quiet place—a placewhere she sensed everything was going tobe ok. She felt as if she were an observer ofthe surgery and did not feel the body asthe doctor performed the surgery. Sheremembered hearing all the noises of whathe was doing but from a distant place. Atthis point she felt she was no longer the“doer” - that the relaxations and breathawareness allowed her to get out of theway so that the Universal energy couldflow through.

• 8 0 •

c. As Dr Gryskiewicz stated in his verificationletter, it is quite unusual to do nasal surgerywithout general or IV sedation anesthesia.

5. After the surgery,

the monitors were removed and Linda got offthe operating table and went home. She didn’tfeel any pain at any point during or after thesurgery.

• 8 1 •

Eleven methods ofMeditation testd at theNeuropath Laboratory

Denver, Colorado, USA

• 8 2 •

28th July, 2005

Swami Veda Bharati: Subject and ResearcherDoctor and Researcher: John O’Hearne, MDClinician: Carla Hickey, MA., CCC, QEEGTEquipment: Lexicor Neurosearch-24Place: Neuropath Center, 2885 E Aurora AveBoulder, CO 80303 303- 444-1792

The session began at 2pm and it took the first 50 minutesto connect all the electrodes and wires.

A hat was fitted that contained 19 grounding points fordifferent parts of the brain.

An eye artifact cable along with measuring electrodeswere put around the eyes so that any muscle contractionthrough eye movement would not be interpreted as brainactivity.

The baseline measurement was taken at 256 samplingrate as resolution of frequency per second

a) with eyes closed, andb) with eyes open.

Then 11 methods of meditation were tested as listedbelow.

Swami Veda Bharati rang a bell before and after theapplication of each method to signal the beginning andending of each method.

The clinician gave a verbal signal when she was readyfor each application to begin after adjusting the equipment.

• 8 3 •

She then took a reading and made numerous notes duringeach method.

The following is a brief description, not full details, ofthe methods used:

1) Feeling the flow of breath in the nostrils withoutusing the mantra for 12 breaths.

2) Same breath awareness with mantra for 12breaths.

3) Breathing as if the breath is flowing through theseptum with mantra (sushumna breath) for 12breaths.

4) Mantra remembrance in the mind.5) Entry into an imaginary cave in the heart. This

requires:

a. an alphabetical mantra,b. certain long mantras,c. certain visualizations and internal worship,

andd. finally settling in the heart cave with the

mantra.

6) Staying in the heart cave without any mantra orvisualization, (Yoga Nidra)

7) Expanding the heart cave to become the mindcave from the heart to the skull, with mantra.

8) Mantra in the center of the skull ,and mantra ina point of light in the center of the skull

9) Mantra at an imaginary point between 6 to 12digits above the center of the skull.

10) Expansion of the internal cave through the centerof the skull into a universal field of love.

11) Breathing as if the breath is flowing up and

• 8 4 •

down the spine from the base of the spinethrough the medulla oblongata to the center ofthe skull with mantra.

At the end again a baseline was taken with:a. eyes open, andb. eyes closed.

• 8 5 •

Summary and Commentary

29th July, 2005

Those present:Clinician: Carla HickeyDoctor and Researcher: John O’Hearne, MDSwami Veda Bharati: Subject and Researcher

1. Incidence of high beta (gamma).

The subject was interested in measuring the incidence ofhigh beta (gamma). The clinician chose to measure only therange of 0 to 32 Hz for most methods. In only one methoddid the clinician extend the phase to cover between 32 and64, and the incidence of gamma was evident in that mentalepisode.

2. Incidence of flat rate wave.

The subject was interested in measuring the incidence offlat rate wave which is rarely seen among the highest expertsin meditation.

3. Incidence of regulated alpha in perceptual state.

The subject in the baseline test with eyes open showed aregulated alpha which is not the common perceptualincidence during such sensory1. More common is to findlow beta in a normal baseline test.

1 In a recent experiment, at Braemen University in Germany, a meditationteacher, Dr. Roderich Wahsner exhibited alpha with eyes open.

• 8 6 •

August 1, 2005

NAME/ID#: Swami Veda Bharati/ 12443-12454Age: 72 DOB: 03/23/1933Date of Test: 07/29/2005

QUANTITATIVE EEG (QEEG) DATA BRIEF ANALYSISREPORT

Brief findings of Quantitative Electroencephalograph(QEEG) raw data acquisition as recorded during baselineand twelve meditation states

One pair of recordings eyes open and closed wereestablished at sampling rate 256 (0-64 Hz which wouldinclude gamma or 40 Hz recording)

The baseline and twelve meditative states were recordedat sampling rate 128 (0-32 Hz)—all the information in thisvery brief analysis is based on this sampling rate of 128 or 0-32 Hz only.

Comparison to Lifespan Normative Reference DatabaseThis analysis compares the individual to an age-matched

database thus allowing correlation of pathology or efficiency,if any, against a normal population. Significance is establishedat the P < .025 level for this individual’s data, meaning thatthere is a 1 in 50 probability that a given deviation couldhappen by chance. Deviations from this reference data mayindicate brain optimization or efficiency and/or dysfunction.

Relative PowerRelative power measures the relative distribution of

activity over the delta, theta, alpha and beta frequency bands(0-32 Hz, page 2).

• 8 7 •

Amplitude AsymmetryAmplitude asymmetry is the comparison of the power

balance or voltage differences between two electrode sites(page 3).

CoherenceCoherence reflects the integrity or wholeness of

connections between regions (page 4).

PhasePhase describes the timing aspect of brain wave function

(page 5).

STATE BASED RAW DATA ANALYSISEyes closed

Eyes opened and cognitive challenge

Correlation with neuropsychological evaluation,structural imaging studies, and other aspects of clinicalpresentation is recommended to further assess thesignificance of these findings.

Graphs are included for baseline and the 12 meditationstates

Meditation methods by number are listed elsewhere andthis reporting is based on that numbering system 1- 12

Relative power levels and statistically significant findingfor all frequencies is included for # 1-12

Analysis Notes:• Shifts in EEG patterns were apparent from one

state to another

• Some states reflected very similar EEG patternseven though the meditation state was different

• 8 8 •

• Significance was noted in the shifting betweenstates, which involved a one to three minuteinterval, and illustrating EEG pattern differences,which demonstrated great flexibility within thebrain physiology; for most individuals statechanges would reflect differences between eyesclosed and opened states and less variabilitywithin same state such as eyes closed

• One premise in the brain literature is that moreflexibility across the brain wave spectrum (inthis case 0-32 Hz and as illustrated in this data)the more optimum performance or healthy thesystem is

• Another premise seen in the literature of studiesdone in TM Meditation that increased coherenceand phase can improve synchronicity, themarching in time of the EEG and enhancingoverall efficiency and performance; increasedcoherence (delta and beta) with increased phase(theta and alpha) were the most significant andconsistent finding though out all the 12 stateswith predominance in the frontal lobes(executive functioning, organization, planning,emotional affect) and left (logical detailedlanguage) hemisphere; also of note the frontaland temporal (sequencing, verbal memory,audition and auditory processing) lobes mostinvolved which involves the Cingulate veryimportant for attention and focus, internalprocessing, center of loci, affect, impulsive andcompulsive controls

• Increased coherence and phase can muteactivation of these center which translates into

• 8 9 •

calming quieting clarity of the mind; howeverthe same event in an injured brain (i.e. traumaticbrain injury, addiction, etc) would result indysfunction, not able to multi task, poororganization and planning, agitation, stuck ness,poor focus and memory

• Synchronicity as seen in this data suggestoptimum efficiency of the brain which can alllead to better creativity, concentration, alertnessas well as better calming skills and relaxationand the quiet mind

The shifts can be noted and described but further meaningor interpretation of these findings is not possible to do atthis time without more analysis.

• There is much more that can be identified withinthis data and possibly its implications forpractices in optimizing meditation training,certainly the question remains if one is able tophysiologically achieve a certain brainwavepattern associated with a certain meditative state

In working with this particular lab, right at the outset both Dr. JohnO’Hearne and I had indicated that in this session one of my primaryinterests would be to check for gamma brainwaves in the 40Hz rate andhigher.

Somehow Carla Hickey, the lady director, failed to calibrate themachine(s) to do that reading and the cut-off point was set at 32Hz range.

In Carla Hickey’s letter the grammar and the syntax have been leftunedited.

• 9 0 •

(if indeed this correlation is true) will theircontent of the experience necessarily be thesame?

————Sd/-

CARLA HICKEY1

To: Swami Veda BharatiDate: Tue, 08 Nov 2005

Greetings! This is a duplicate of what I sent earllier and yes is on my

letterhead as always—let me know if there is something differentthat you were needing other than this document—

With regard to the baseline recordings—we did eyes openand eyes closed at sampling rate 128—you received a databasecomparison report for these states along with the 11 meditativestates (total of 132 reports) all at sampling rate 128— we did notdo a repeat baseline after the 11 meditative states—we did do abaseline recording eyes open and closed at sampling rate 256—but that is all—no database comparision report was done at ittransforms data to 0-32 Hz (sampling rate 128 range) and woudcut off any 40 Hz activity so would be pointless to run it for yourpurpose—and have not found any significance (that I can see inthe raw data) in the 40 Hz data as yet or by these measures takenin July—doensnt mean it may not be there we just didnt captureit .............perhaps.

I also believe if you takethe twelve reports I sent and put all ofpage 1’s together then page 2’s together, etc etc—you can moreeasily see the brainwave(s) and section(s) of the brain that aremost predominantly activated (ie right temporal, left occipital,etc ) during each meditative state—whick will have more statisticalsignificance of a N=1 than jsut viewing raw EEG data.

With regard to the equipment—Michael has indicated that he

• 9 1 •

is still trying to reach the party’s with the equipment—they are onextended vacation and weren’t reachable at the time but hecontinues to work on it and the customs letter as well

Hope this update helps!Warm Regards,

Sd/-CARLA HICKEY, M.A., CCC-SLP, QEEGT, BCIA-EEGClinical Director, Neurotherapy and Speech-Language ServicesLicensed Speech-Language PathologistBoard Certified Neurotherapist, NCB, BCIA- EEG, FellowQuantitative EEG Diplomate

John S. O’Hearne, M.D.Board Certified in Internal Medicine,

Sports Medicine and Emergency Medicine

September 20, 2005

Re: Swami Veda Bharati Date of test: 07/29/2005

The following points about Swami Veda’s EEG testingwere clarified by Carla Hickey today. The gamma range ofthe EEG has not been adequately evaluated yet. The initialbaseline tracing was taken at 256Hz but all the other tracingswere at 128Hz. She, per today’s discussion, is going to try tore-analyze the data hoping that she will be able to evaluatethe gamma (40-50Hz) range of Swami Veda’s baseline EEGbut will not be able to do so with the other tracings. In thepast the only evaluations that were done were on 128Hz.

In general, there is very little beta activity in SVB’stracings. This suggests a marked lack of anxiety and onehypothesis is that he would have more beta activity present

• 9 2 •

at such times as mentally reciting from scriptures or othermental information that is quite complex. Ms. Hickey saidthat the best way to compare the 11 different practices wouldbe to look at the coherence and phase measurements. If thevisual data from each of these were placed one on top ofanother, it is readily apparent that there are dramatic shiftsin Swami Veda’s brain during the 11 different meditativepractices. Even though there is a decrease in the beta in thetracings, there is high beta coherence marching in time. Thisincreased coherence has been seen in other studies ofmeditators including TM meditators and can translate intocalming, quieting and clarity of mind with muting of areasrelated to anxiety. In other subjects who have had some sortof brain injury, increased coherence can result in asimplification of brain functions and Carla was in agreementwith my simplistic interpretation that Swami Veda’s tracingsdemonstrate a unification and a meditative state and thehealth of his brain is also proved by his ability to significantlyshift his brain waves in a matter of a couple minutes withthe 11 different methods. One of the most important signs ofa healthy brain is the ability to shift brain waves as neededby the situation and this is amply demonstrated by SwamiVeda. Further clarification of this would again be visible attimes of reading or mentally reciting very complex materialwhere there would be evidence of an increase of beta functionwithout any increase in anxiety. Having EDR (GSR),temperature, and EMG readings along with future EEGswould demonstrate the ability to maintain this high level offocus without any anxiety and I would also support thetesting of these EMG, EDR and temperature readings whilevarious stimuli are presented such as loud noises in the roomor television being played fairly loudly in the background.An increased phase generally means that there is a quickersignal of the brain. In a less healthy brain the increased phasemight be too fast for the person to be able to perceive thedata readily but as anyone who knows Swami Veda and theextraordinary level of his mental capacity could attest, he is

• 9 3 •

able to handle this increased phase with quicker arrival ofthe signal.

An example of the difference between meditative statesis readily seen in comparing session #6 with the left braincoherence in beta with session #2 with the marked bilateralbrain coherence in beta. One way of interpreting thisincreased coherence would be to say that Swami Veda is“resting in a meditative state rather being stuck in adysfunctional state.” (JSO interpretation)1.

The synchronicity which Ms. Hickey refers to assuggesting optimum efficiency of the brain leading to bettercreativity, concentration, alertness as well as better calmingskills and relaxation and a quiet mind is obtained by lookingat the combination of coherence and phase. (One of her notesof caution is that the term coherence is interpreted differentlyby different groups of EEG researchers.) My interpretation,which Ms. Hickey is in agreement with, is that the generalizeddecrease in beta in the tracings is consistent with a significantdecrease in anxiety whereas the increased beta coherence isconsistent with increased focus and unification but notsimplification of brain function. The increased theta activitywhich is quite prevalent through the brain tracings isconsistent with an increase in creativity with the increasedtheta more prominently seen on the right side being consistentwith creativity on a larger, more global, less detail orientedscale. The phase shifts also demonstrate differences betweenthe different meditative methods but we focused in ourdiscussion much less on those than we did on the coherencemeasures. For clarification in looking at the data, all of thedata under eyes open raw data analysis on the sessions 1-12are actually using the initial baseline eye open data only.The data from the resting baseline AFTER practicing the 11

1 With reference to this, see our remarks under the title: Brain Wave Mappingin Pathology and Meditation.”

• 9 4 •

methods is not included in the data which has been sent sofar and I asked Ms. Hickey to please analyze that data andsend it on also. It will be interesting also to compare it to thebaseline data of that session.

To reiterate, from page two of Ms. Hickey’s letter, anotherpremise seen in the literature of studies done in TMmeditation is that increased coherence and phase can improvesynchronicity. The marching in time of the EEG, enhancingoverall efficiency and performance with increased coherence,delta and beta and increased phase, theta and alpha werethe most significant and consistent findings throughout all12 of the sessions.. Further clarification of the other aspectsof this paragraph by Ms. Hickey would be helpful indemonstrating the special aspects of Swami Veda’s EEG.

At the 2005 yoga teacher training program in Minneapolis,Swami Veda was measured to have a frontalis muscle EMGreading of less than 0.5, indicating very deep relaxation ofthe facial musculature. A separate reading, taken while hewas leading a meditation showed no change when therewas a loud cough in the audience.

John S. O’Hearne, M.D JSO/pass1823 Folsom, Suite 200 Boulder, CO 80302 720-406-7581

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Suggested next Experiments withthe States of the Brain inMeditation

With The background of the experiments undertaken at

• The Institute of Noetic Sciences, California, and

• Neurofeedback Clinic in Denver, Colorado,

It is proposed that the next series of experiments beundertaken for two days.

On the first day,1. the Denver experiment be replicated, trying the

same eleven methods of meditation that wereused in Denver and note any variance in theresults,

2. it is possible that in this planned series ofexperiments, the subject may spend more timeon each method, and

3. a series of additional experiments be built intothe protocol, as follows :

• A random disturbance be created duringdifferent modes of meditation to test thelevel of (a) a sensory receptiveness and (b)mental and motor response, by way of

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stress, muscular tension, increased neuralactivity in the relevant areas of the brainetc.

• Whether the subject can produce themeditative states of the brain

(a) with eyes open without an externalsensory input like that of aconversation in the room, and

(b) (i) with eyes open (ii) with eyes closedwhile a conversation, or TV-radioprogramme is proceeding in the room.

4. any other sub-tests that may be built in as theinvestigator(s) may choose.

On the second day,1. fnMRI or SPECT scan may be used to investigate

the effects of

• the same eleven methods, or

• only one or two of the same, as the subjectand the investigator(s) may agree upon.

2. Again, the procedure suggested in 3 above mayalso be employed to make the protocol a littlemore complex.

In addition to the areas of the brain in meditation studiedby other researchers I have a keen interest in

1. medulla oblongata and its components such aspons, and

(2) corpus callosum

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The reasons for my interest in these two areas can bediscussed.

In testing the same eleven or yet other methods thoughan fnMRI or PET scan, there may be following points pointsto consider :

1. Certain meditative/contemplative practices aretraditionally done sitting up in meditationposition. Certain other ones are done inshavasana. Some may be done in either position.

In the case of an MRI etc. scan, all the practiceswill have to be tried in the shavasana position.

At this stage one cannot be sure as to how thatwill affect the results.

It might be interesting to try the same practices(A) first in a sitting position taking EEG and (B)then lying down in MRI, taking scan, to compareany possible variables.

2. This presenter has a personal interest in testingboth ends of the spectrum of brain waves : thelowest frequency (delta) and the highestfrequency (high beta and gamma).

The in-between ones (alpha and theta) have beentested often and found in the meditators quitefrequently. We now need to investigate thelowest and the highest range, and show as towhich methods they belong as correlates andproducts thereof.

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·3. So far a trilateral correlation has not beenexamined and established among :

The method used and described by themeditation master serving as the subject,

- the resulting brain wave pattern emergingfrom EEG, and

- the changes in brain activity obtained fromMRI or PET scan.

It would be interesting to try to establish such trilateralcorrelations and index them.

These are just some of the suggestions for the possibledirections the future research might explore.

• 9 9 •

Dialogue betweenScience and BuddhismOR

Between Science and the Yogisof all Persuasions

The current studies by neuroscientists in the area ofmeditation are mostly conducted with the Tibetan Lamas

whose accomplishments are indeed unchallengeable anddeserve all veneration.

However, there are three deficiencies:

[1]

When we read of the dialogue between science and Buddhismit needs to be borne in mind that even though:

(A) all schools of Buddhism adhere to the basictenets of the Buddha, such as:

• four-fold paths of the Buddha

• eight-fold Noble Truths

• twelve-fold chain of dependent origination(the Buddhist parallel to the concept ofcausation),

• the doctrine of anatta, non-self,

• the ethical principles such as the fourbrahma-viharas,

• 1 0 0 •

• the meditative system of mindfulness andassociated practices, and

• the possibility of nirvana for all livingbeings.

(B) the various schools of Buddhism from

• India, Tibet, China and the Japan belt onone hand, and

• Myanmar and Thailand, etc. on the other,each have their own well-developedsystems of:(i) exegesis, exposition, philosophical

terminologies, and(ii) especially a vast variety in meditation

practices.

Therefore, in making statements regarding the dialoguebetween neuroscience and Buddhism, it should be clearlystated as to:

• which denomination of Buddhism is beingreferred to, and

• what is the comparison between the neuro-cerebral, emotional, ethical and other correlatesobtained from the scientific investigation of themeditation practices according to the differentdenominations. For example it would beinteresting and instructive to compare thebrainwave patterns and the activation of variouscentres of the brain of the practitioners andmasters of Zen, Ch’an, Tibetan [various schoolsystems and sub-systems] and the Theravadapractices.

• 1 0 1 •

[2]

It is scientifically recorded that the adherents of other systemsof meditation such as the ‘yogis’ also produce physio-neuro-psychological correlates, effects and traits similar and parallelto the ones produced by the Lamas whose meditation stateshave been studied by the scientists like Dr. Davidson.

Similarly the practitioners of Sufi [diverse silsilah and thetariquat] or Hesychasm (and other Christian) systems alsoneed to be given the opportunity to demonstrate their physio-neuro-psychological accomplishments.

[3]

(A) The planning of the protocol, analysis andreporting is often done following themethodology of the scientist. The masterpractitioners of meditation have their own welldeveloped age old methodologies of(i) contents and(ii) sequences of

(a) meditation methods and(b) observation and depiction of the results

obtained.

These latter are not often taken into account by thescientists establishing the protocol and doing the analysisand presenting the reports. The reason for this is simply that

(a) a detailed dialogue on these diverse,not always quite so diverse,methodologies has not yet fullyoccurred, and consequently,

(b) a common language of methodologyhas not been developed.

• 1 0 2 •

(B) The master practitioners of meditation used asresearch subjects do not describe exactly whatinternal procedures and sequences they used inorder to produce the scientifically measurablecorrelates and products of the same.

We can safely present the hypotheses that

(i) interaction between the scientists andpractitioners of currently somewhatneglected methods of meditation, and

(ii) among the various adherents of thoseschools on one hand, and

(iii) the scientists on the other, will show certainstreams of experiences of consciousnessthat are shared by (a) the more commonlyknown and (b) the less recognizedtraditionally established schools ofmeditation.

The deficiency (iii) stated above will also be addressedthus, and will be of immense benefit to both the Traditionsand the scientists. An entire new approach to researchmethodologies may even evolve.

To test these hypotheses and to address the abovedeficiencies, we suggest

(i) a much wider program of laboratoryinvestigations of different schools, systemsand subsystems, and

(ii) a series of dialogues and conferences

The generalization about Buddhism is by no means universal. For example,the researches by Professor Kabat-Zin are stated to be specific to ‘Mindfulness’practices modeled after the Theravada tradition.

• 1 0 3 •

By drawing upon the various immensely rich resourcesin philosophy, ethics of emotions and meditation practices,a true framework for spirituality beyond religion will beestablished and humanity will benefit immensely.