that the theory of relativity and

the quantum physics, quantum mechanics,

brought a real earthquake into the classic ways of Science

- especially the physics, but the topic of Near-death experiences

it can bring even a bigger earthquake

- and not only to the neuroscience,

it can change our understanding of our life

because it can open a very big picture

above our existence.

In a way it may perhaps become even a challenge

for the modern time humanity

to integrate the implication of this phenomena.

Tibetan Master Kalu Rinpoche

You see?

So, the Near-death experiences are not real

in the way they appear to the dying people.

Similarly like this world around us

is not real in the way

we are perceiving it. And it is not only

the Buddhist wisdom and Buddhist insight

which is telling that. It is even our science which knows that as well.

Giving example:

the light and the colors

they don't exist. These are just

electromagnetic waves

of a very particular wave-length

and electromagnetic waves are colorless,

or even lightless -

it is the interpretation

of our eye and especially the brain

which gives the appearance of light and colors and shapes and all that.

But

the Buddhist teachings are also very

unequivocal about the other side

of this truth: that in the different frequencies of existence

- or if you like, in the different frequencies of appearances -

the experience of happiness

and sorrow is what it is.

You know, your tooth ache:

it's good to know it is just appearance

does it help you?

I think I don't need to explain what is meant by Near-death experiences

because this topic is now discussed everywhere.

You can find it even in the mainstream medias,

you will find it in professional literature, in the magazines,

even in daily newspapers... Usually there is an attempt

to explain it away in some way,

but also, to be honest, there is

also increasing number of articles popping up

representing rather the other side

of the discussion.

So, in this talk I would explore

the phenomenon of Near-death experiences

as objectively as I can,

assuming a position

from where I can cover, or even explain

all the confronting or

conflicting argumentation of the different sides of the discussion

- and let's be clear that

these involved sides of discussion have sometimes

substantial argumentation for their position. - Sometimes it is even

enhanced by emotions. You know, because it is such a sensitive topic.

The mainstream science, for example,

will try to explain the whole Near-death experience purely materialistically

as a result of the brain chemistry:

all these neurotransmitters, endorphins,

dopamine, serotonin, all that -

and certainly they have quite a heavy weighting argumentation.

For example, that you don't need

to be dying to have this kind of experiences similar to

Near-death experiences,

and it's true, another situations may lead to similar experiences.

But, actually, in the science the predominant

explanation is in this "dying brain surge"

kind of a last goodbye

of the dying brain, you know, putting out this final

spectacular firework of brain chemistry.

So, that would be the position of mainstream science.

But then we have another angle

of argumentation and this comes

from the side of psychology, coming with the hypothesis

that the Near-death experience can be

actually kind of recalling,

or reliving

of the trauma of birth - you know,

this tunnel and the white light

and the spiritual unconditioned love so many times reported

in the Near-death experiences,

comparing it with the birth channel, the baby coming out

to the dayligt, being covered

by the unconditioned love from the parents -

hmmm

So, that would be the argumentation

from the psychology side.

And then we have, of course, the religious community

seeing in it rather

the confirmation of the oldest religious idea actually

that there is a continuation

of existence after the body dies

this kind of afterlife, that only the soul is leaving

the dying body and goes its way

to the different destiny.

Actually, Buddhism is not really working with the concept of soul,

of eternal soul, but it has

the idea of eternal rebirth:

coming from lifetime to the other one

and again in different spheres of existence -

that is the Buddhist point of view.

It is clear that in my explanations I will use predominantly

the wisdom an insight coming from the Buddhist teachings

because it opens the biggest picture

above all these phenomena of Near-death experiences

of afterlife, even of this contemporary

existence here and now, explaining so many things.

So, in this talk

wanting to take this superposition

trying to incorporate all these kinds

of argumentation into one clear explanation.

It is little bit like

the three facets or three sides

of this strange object. So the circle would represent

let's say, the psychology view,

the square would represent the scientific way of explanation,

and the cross would be the religious way of understanding.

You know, like three facets of one object

and our task would be rather

to see the whole object

in one glance.

Not that one of these is correct at the other false,

that is not very helpful. The truth is mainly contained in this

kind of an explanation which covers all the existing ones.

- Actually, I've done it already,

if you have seen the Video "UFO and Buddhism"

in the second half, beside many other things,

I was also explaining this

juxtaposition of Darwinism and creationism

with this superposition, finding a kind of

position from where these two are fully

integrated - not that one is right and

the other is completely false, it doesn't work so.

The truth is more contained in this kind of

embracing all what we know. It is something like

searching for a common denominator.

You may know it from mathematic. If you have

let's say, number 2, 3, 4:

it is not 4 because the 3 is not properly contained in that,

it is not the 6, 9, no,

12! You have to go up to 12

because all the three are properly

contained in that.

So, for task of this magnitude I will start with explanation,

with a fundamental explanation

of the relationship between brain and mind

because this is the foundation,

we have to start with that.

So, I will explain it with the help

of a computer

but I ask you, please, be attentive to it

even if it may appear to you somehow

primitive, or boring, or whatever. Stay attentive through this

little exercise

because I 'will refer to it many times

even later in this talk.

So, get it properly, here it is:

So, as you can see, I have attached many of the peripheral devices

to make the analogy to a living human being

as complete as possible.

The camera is really connected

and that's the symbol of a human seeing

and it works,

microphone is the hearing, symbol for the hearing ability.

Speaker is clear, that is the speaking,

and the modem connected to internet is the symbol for

our social contacts, socializing.

Keyboard and the mouse

is the symbol for

our active, for the active part of our life,

when we are doing things, executing things.

The mouse: symbol for decisions,

deciding every day many things.

The little light in the back is the symbol for

conceptual thinking - sometimes on,

sometimes off, and the hard disc,

the external hard drive, in this case

worldly data, the worldly

information stored in the memory.

And now we have the mind -

the notebook is the symbol, symbolizing the human mind,

and the screen = the consciousness.

The experience of our life is happening

actually, on the screen of consciousness,

and we see already now, experience is running.

So, I think that the representation of a living human being

is as complete as possible,

but now we have here two different switches:

one button has the label "OBE"

which means "out-of-body experience"

and the other one, the red one, has the label

"death of the body".

So first, let us see what will happen

when I press the OBE-button

let's do it - okay:

the notebook is now

undocked from the docking station

so the first think you can see

that the experience continues.

If we look in detail

to the docking station left behind

this is the representation of the human body

with the sensory organs and the brain

and now you see

that the mind actually is working even when it is undocked.

Very important message from that!

Now we can see that the notebook

has its own camera, has its own microphones, and the speaker,

and the keyboard, and the touchpad,

and the hard disk with its own memory

and only it is now wireless:

it has also antenna

so still connections with other beings is possible

buy the communication now

is more-or-less telepathic, it doesn't use normally

the slow human language

the contacts with other beings are now much

more direct mind-to-mind.

Now, this is the analogy for

out-of-body experiences some people are reporting

but what I mean, out-of-body experiences really verified

when the mind of the people really is witnessing something

which can be later verified and really

bringing testimony about things happening

in another places, so that's a classic

out-of-body experience. Now if we look back

in detail on the docking station

symbolizing the human body with the sensory organs

and the brain - all the material components

of our body -

it is still alive, some lights little are

on, but it is in a vegetative state,

it is like vegetable - the mind and consciousness has gone,

only the basic functions of

the body, of the living body, are still directed directly by brain:

the heartbeat, the breathing ..

Now, for the purpose of this demonstration I dared even

to open the docking station to see inside

so that what I'm doing now is like

neuro-surgeon opening the skull

in the case of human body

and, you see, here is the brain. This is the symbol for human brain

and you can see, there is quite lots of electronics

actually involved, these interfaces for the individual peripheral devices,

there is also the important

outlet from the docking station which connects

actually the notebook directly to the motherboard.

When the notebook is docked, the connection with the processor

is very direct: all these peripheral

devices are actually giving input and data

to do bus of the motherboard which is quite direct