बगुला भगत
Out-of-body experiences (OOBEs) or astral projection refer to the sensation of leaving one's physical body and exploring the world from a non-physical perspective. This phenomenon has been reported by many people throughout history and across different cultures, but the specific technique for inducing OBEs or systematically studying them in modern times is attributed to several researchers and practitioners.
One of the most well-known pioneers in this area is Robert Monroe, who founded The Monroe Institute in the 1970s. Monroe is credited with developing a specific method for inducing OBEs through a combination of relaxation techniques and specialised audio recordings. He wrote several books about his experiences and techniques, including "Journeys Out of the Body," "Far Journeys," and "Ultimate Journey." I have experienced this phenomenon using music to aid in mediation.
Another influential figure in the study of OBEs is Dr Charles Tart, a psychologist who has researched altered states of consciousness and parapsychology. Dr Tart's work has focused on understanding the subjective experiences of individuals who report OBEs, and he has developed several tests and measures to evaluate these experiences. Other researchers who have contributed to the study of OBEs include Dr Stuart Twemlow, Dr Kenneth Ring, and Dr Janice Holden, among others. These individuals have used a variety of techniques, including hypnosis and brain imaging, to explore the physiological and psychological correlates of OBEs.
Every experience of this kind is treated with scepticism unless it occurs to the individual. Discussing theory is one and having a practical experience takes understanding and awareness to another level. One such experience happened to me in the summer of 2019. I came across a guided astral projection video on YouTube. This Guided Astral Projection: Mind Awake Body Asleep Technique is from the Lucid Power Mind channel[1]. I followed the instructions, used headphones and lay down in my Bed. I tried to remain awake but my mind slowly went into beta vibrations (sleep), it should remain awake at this time so that it can make a direct transition to theta vibrations (meditative state). At this moment some disturbance made me regain my waking conscious state briefly and I did make a transition to a state which I would call neither awake nor sleep. I didn’t have any thoughts at this moment. A change in feeling made my mind active again and this change came with a feeling of weightlessness.
When I was breathing out, I felt weightless and when breathing in I felt heavy. This feeling slowly became more pronounced as the time progressed. Now I felt that my body was rising slowly from the upper part with a gradual increase in angels. I felt concerned because my head might hit the bed, but since it hadn’t happened in the previous such cycle I felt relieved. Now I felt elated because this experience was happening to me. I rose from the body to the rooftop and again felt concerned due to the slowly rotating fan. However, I concluded that I am not rising with my physical body and it is only the astral body which is floating. I also became ambitious thinking if I could go out of the room and roam around outside. I enjoyed this experience because it was a familiar feeling of a skydiving free fall. It made me tremendously happy and probably this joyful state affected my experience and I slowly came back into the body. Determined to extend this experience, I again used my will and meditation and I was successful in reaching this state again, this time I was floating briefly in the sitting position. When I became bound to the physical body I felt a bearable pain that we generally ignore when we are in the body. It is the pain of the mass, gravity and forces that keep the body together. Out of this experience, my joy was limitless and I became convinced that my identity is not the physical body, it is just like a vehicle which we have borrowed from planet Earth.
I tried to repeat this experience but drifted into several other experiences such as lucid dreaming and past life glimpses. I still keep on trying this have this experience again. Mahayogi Pilot Baba, my Gurudev described many such experiences in his autobiographical book ‘Discover Secrets of Himalaya’. There are experiences that took him to different planets of the Milky Way galaxy.
Akashic Records
The term "Akashic Records" is derived from the Sanskrit word "Akash," which means ether or space. The concept has been embraced by various spiritual traditions, including Theosophy, Anthroposophy, and New Age spirituality. It refers to a cosmic library or database that contains information. The Akashik records are information available in the cosmic mind and can be connected by going into a deep subconscious state. These records are accessible through a specific state of consciousness, and the information contained within them can be used for spiritual growth and personal development.
One of the most well-known figures associated with the Akashic Records is Edgar Cayce, a psychic and healer who lived in the early 20th century. Cayce claimed to be able to access the records through a trance state and provided information to thousands of people about their past lives and spiritual journeys.
Another influential figure in the development of the Akashic Records concept is Rudolf Steiner, the founder of Anthroposophy. Steiner believed that the records could be accessed through a specific form of meditation and that they contained information about both individual souls and the collective evolution of humanity. In recent years, the concept of the Akashic Records has been popularised by authors and teachers such as Linda Howe and Dr Ervin Laszlo, who have developed specific techniques for accessing the records and using them for spiritual growth and healing.
The hard problem of consciousness continues to be a captivating and perplexing mystery to modern scientists, as fully explained by the Samkhya philosophy of Ancient India.
Modern science normally refers to the brain as hardware and the mind as software. However, Atma or Self denotes a package of software that integrates with the body through the nervous system. It is a complex network of cells and tissues that transmit signals throughout the body, allowing us to sense our environment, coordinate movements, and control bodily functions. The nervous system[2] is divided into two major parts: the central nervous system (CNS) and the peripheral nervous system (PNS). The central nervous system includes the brain and the spinal cord. The brain is the body's control centre and is responsible for processing and interpreting sensory information, initiating motor responses, and regulating internal bodily functions. The spinal cord is a long, thin bundle of nerves that runs from the brain down through the back, serving as a pathway for nerve signals to travel to and from the brain. The peripheral nervous system consists of all the nerves outside of the brain and spinal cord. It is further divided into the somatic nervous system and the autonomic nervous system. The somatic nervous system controls voluntary movements and sensory functions, while the autonomic nervous system controls involuntary functions such as heart rate, digestion, and respiration.
This vast and complex network of the nervous system's information system is known as Prana, and the major centres from the root of the spine to the top of the head are known as Chakras. The entire system is based on software algorithms that control various functions of the body. It is a matrix of thirty-five software programs. These programs form the subtle astral body of nineteen programs, the subtle astral body of nineteen elements, and the gross physical body of sixteen elements.
The nineteen elements of the astral body are mental, emotional and body support functions. The nineteen components are intelligence, ego; feeling, mind (sense-consciousness); five instruments of knowledge, the subtle counterparts of the senses of sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch; five instruments of action, the mental correspondence for the executive abilities to procreate, excrete, talk, walk, and exercise manual skill; and five instruments of body support, those empowered to perform the crystallising, assimilating, eliminating, metabolising, and circulating functions of the body.
The Upanishads say that Atman denotes "the ultimate essence of the universe" as well as "the vital breath in human beings. The outside cover of the spirit is Prana, and with it, it is known as the soul. The central entity of the software body is identity (Ahamkara) and starts realising when it comes in contact with Chitta (consciousness). Chitta has a pan-psychic spread throughout the cosmos and is the principal experiencer (the Purusha). Chitta is bound in various layers of nature to evolve by interacting and experiencing. It is an essential part of the cognition centre, which is also referred to as the Self or the Atman. The Atman is a part of the cosmic mind and is made up of software programs of words. These words are of Para language in which the reality is coded.
The Kath Upanishad is a collection of philosophical poems representing a conversation between the sage Nachiketas and Yama (god of death). They discuss the nature of Atman, Brahman and Moksha (liberation) in verse 20.
अणोरणीयान्महतो महीयानात्मास्य जन्तोर्निहितो गुहायां ।
तमक्रतुः पश्यति वीतशोको धातुः प्रसादान्महिमानमात्मनः ॥ २० ॥
Finer than the fine, huger than the huge the Self hides in the secret heart of the creature: when a person strips oneself of desire and is weaned from sorrow, then one realises the Self, purified from the mental elements one sees the greatness of the Self.
[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMey-CYNaKo&list=WL&index=42&t=27s
[2] The neurons are the functional cells of the nervous system. They are responsible for transmitting signals throughout the body. Neurons consist of three main parts: the cell body, dendrites, and axons. The cell body contains the nucleus and other organelles, while Dendrites are short, branched extensions that receive signals from other neurons. Axons are long, slender extensions that transmit signals to other neurons, muscles and glands. Neurons communicate with each other through synapses, which are specialized junctions between two neurons or between a neuron and a target cell. Chemical messengers called neurotransmitters are released from one neuron and bind to receptors on the surface of another neuron, transmitting the signal from one cell to the next.
