Sunday, August 06, 2017
Eben Alexander and his Near Death Experience
Eben Alexander and his NDE
Today I attended a fascinating lecture by Eben Alexander on his own journey into the higher realms that exist beyond our familiar world through almost dying.
Eben Alexander, a neurosurgeon, had a remarkable Near Death Experience a few years ago. After being in a chemically induced coma (for his own safety) that lasted two weeks he came back into consciousness after he was apparently dead. Subsequently he has written several books about his experience, the first of which titled "Proof of Heaven" was on the best seller list for many weeks.
According to Alexander's account, paradise does exist and is a beautiful place full of love and wonders of many kinds. He offers a remarkable description of his time there and is convinced that what he experienced is indeed a truthful depiction of life on the other side of the veil.
The primary thesis of the book is that consciousness does not emanate from the pre-frontal cortex, as is commonly beloved, but comes from a higher reality, that is independent of the brain as such. From this premise, he goes on to question the notion of materialistic science that only the facts confirmed by their experiments and observations offer the path to truth and that all awareness ends at death. He feels that love itself holds our universe together, and that we are in fact not independent entities but rather part of this enfolding presence.
Alexander is a very intelligent and articulate speaker, especially on the scientific aspects of the brain and its relation to consciousness. I was quite take by his presentation.
The second part of the program consisted of audience participation in listening to certain frequencies intended to alter one's state of consciousness into a higher level. Many reported that they had had lovely experiences including seeing colors or entering meditative states of tranquility and vastness. I had, rather, a negative and painful response. These frequencies gave me a headache and also sent sharp pain into a certain place in my body that probably needs attention. I spoke to the leader about this later and she said that some people do in fact experience pain rather than pleasure during the "meditation." We agreed that different people connect with different modalities and we must each discover and follow what is best for us.
One aspect of Alexander's talk that concerned me was that although he spoke of expanded states of consciousness he did not mention Kundalini or the bliss that it can bring when all is in alignment. For me, bliss is the key ingredient in the evolution of the species we are now all involved in. It is the ananda in the sat chit ananda of the East and the universally acknowledged end point of the mystical journey.
Also, although Alexander stressed that consciousness itself was the source of our universe, he made no reference to the ancient yogic writings that begin from this very premise. Today even Depak Chopra explains all of this quite well, for it is a fundamental
aspect of ancient yogic thought.
