Science Meets Vedanta
The scientific rigor, logic, and reasoning of the teachings of Vedanta, applied to some key concepts in science, will lead to the realization that they share common ground—in fact, that they are looking at the same Reality. The ancient Indian rishis had already discovered this Reality and expounded their findings in the various Upanishads and scriptures. We can learn much from Vedanta about science. For example, it helps us interpret Einstein’s Theory of Relativity and quantum physics correctly. The interconnection of science with Vedanta can bring about a dramatic change in the way we perceive and understand the universe.
The focus of the podcast is to highlight these changes, which encourage us to question the conventional understanding of the universe. So, be prepared!
Science Meets Vedanta
Physical Body You See Has No Mind!
Have you ever wondered whether a physical body could exist without a mind? At first glance, this might seem impossible, but this question opens a fascinating area of exploration. In this episode, we will delve into this intriguing topic and unravel the subtle relationship between physical bodies and our minds.
Our physical bodies clearly exist in different locations—your body is in one place, mine in another, which means we are physically separated in space.
But what about our minds? If we examine this closely, we discover a fascinating truth: each individual mind exists outside of space. This means that while our physical bodies occupy space, our minds do not. So, does this imply that a physical body can exist with a remote mind?
Keep listening to find out the answer.
We look forward to hear back from you!
For questions or feedback please email us at
jayant@staminteractive.com
Hello and welcome to Science Meets Vedanta—a platform dedicated to delving into the core principles of Vedanta and uncovering the remarkable connections between scientific inquiry and ancient wisdom. I’m Jayant Kapatker, author of the book Science Meets Vedanta.
Each week, inspired by insights from my book, we’ll journey through a range of topics aimed at deepening your understanding of the essential teachings of Vedanta. Along the way, we’ll also examine scientific concepts and demonstrate how the wisdom of Vedanta can offer new and meaningful perspectives. Be sure to join us as we embark on this enlightening path together!
Have you ever wondered whether a physical body could exist without a mind? At first glance, this might seem impossible, but this question opens a fascinating area of exploration. In this episode, we will delve into this intriguing topic and unravel the subtle relationship between physical bodies and our minds.
Each of us has a mind, which, according to Vedanta, is a part of our subtle body. This subtle body consists of our thoughts, perceptions, feelings, and emotions. In addition to the subtle body, we also have a gross or physical body. Our physical bodies clearly exist in different locations—your body is in one place, mine in another, which means we are physically separated in space.
But what about our minds? If we examine this closely, we discover a fascinating truth: each individual mind exists outside of space. This means that while our physical bodies occupy space, our minds do not. So, does this imply that a physical body can exist with a remote mind? Keep listening to find out the answer.
Location of the Mind
A question - where is the mind located? Intuitively, we understand that the mind does not occupy a specific place in physical space. Unlike tangible objects, you cannot point to a spot in the universe and say, “There is the mind.” What we encounter in space are only physical entities—objects composed of matter that we can see and touch. The mind, by contrast, is subtle, intangible, and cannot be found through physical means. This can lead to the conclusion that the mind might exist outside of space. The next question is how to find something outside space? The best way would be to find the starting point of space. When this is found, we can guess that the mind will be outside that starting point.
Starting Point of Space:
To identify a starting point in space, one would need to find a stationary point, something that remains fixed and unmoving. However, this is extremely difficult because everything in space is in constant motion. The Earth spins on its axis and orbits the sun. The sun, along with the entire solar system, travels through the Milky Way galaxy. Furthermore, galaxies themselves are moving, either drifting apart or coming closer together. In reality, nothing in space is truly fixed. Even the Big Bang, which is considered the origin of space itself, is not a stationary point; as the universe expands, that origin point is also moving farther away.
Our usual perception of space is shaped by thinking in terms of distance—how far one object is. For example, a tree might be 100 feet away, a house a mile, or a plane cruising at 30,000 feet. While this perspective is practical, it obscures the possibility of finding a true origin point for space. Alternatively, we can consider space in terms of time—specifically, the time it takes for light to travel from an object to us. This opens a new way of understanding the universe.
The Mind as the Starting Point of Space
Let’s explore the idea of the “starting point” of space in terms of time. The farther away something is, the longer its light takes to reach us. For instance, sunlight takes about eight minutes to arrive at Earth, while light from a nearby tree travels in roughly ten microseconds. As the distance between observer and object shrinks, so too does the time light require to bridge the gap. If we extrapolate this idea, the only situation in which light would take zero time to reach us is if the source and observer are one and the same—within the mind itself. This can be seen as the origin of space from the vantage point of the observer.
The mind within you serves as the origin of space. In other words, your mind represents the point where space begins. The mind exists just outside of space, and space commences precisely where the mind concludes. This out of space is right within us and this thought is indeed breathtaking. We have something which is out of space within us. This principle holds true for every living being. Each person should realize that the starting point of space is found within themselves. This starting point is fixed and the same for everyone. No matter where you go, your mind remains the reference point from which space begins. Wherever your body is located, your mind is always the origin of space.
All Minds Exist Beyond Space
Every mind—yours, mine, and those of all living beings—exists beyond the confines of physical space. This suggests that all minds share a single, unified location, and that this location lies outside of space itself. Because my mind is an integral part of who I am and this realm beyond space is within me, it logically follows that the entirety of all minds is contained within me.
You might wonder, “What about me?” The response is that your mind—just like every individual mind—is contained within you. This concept applies to every living creature. Each being, in its unique way, encompasses the entire range of minds within itself, all existing beyond the boundaries of physical space. However, this doesn’t imply that there are separate copies of the mind; rather, there is a single set of individual minds.
Connecting Body and Mind
If your friend is sitting in front of you, his physical body is in front of you, but his mind which is out of space is within you. Your friend will also have the same experience. He will see your physical body in front of him, but your mind will be within him. In a similar fashion, if there are 10 people sitting in the same room, each one of them will have the same experience. Each of them will see the nine physical bodies out there, but all the minds will be within them outside space. It does seem all the minds are within you, but the physical bodies you see are out there. Since the minds are within you and physical body out there, it is correct to conclude that the physical body is without the mind. Wow! is this even possible.
I am sure your first reaction will be that people around you are human beings and so their mind and body will be in one place. Okay, people around you are human beings, but are the mind and body of these people at the same location? I am sure you cannot guarantee that. You can see the body of the people around you, but you cannot see their minds. You cannot be 100% sure if the mind is with them. You do assume that, since you have the body–mind complex within yourself, all the people around you will also have the body–mind complex within themselves. It does seem that way. Unfortunately, this is a wrong assumption. You may have the body and mind in one place, but the people you see around you do not have the body and mind in one place. Yes, this is true!
Different versions of the Physical Body
1. Consider this: if your friend is sitting 100 feet away from you, are their body and mind truly present in the same place from your perspective? The answer is not exactly. Why? Because the light reflecting off your friend takes about 0.10 microseconds to reach you. This means you are never seeing the exact, present moment—or the “now”—version of your friend. The only way you could see the true “now” version is if light could reach you instantaneously, which is impossible according to the laws of physics. As a result, you’re always seeing your friends as they were 0.10 microseconds ago—a slightly outdated version. This is not only true for your friend, but for everyone and everything around you; you’re always witnessing the past, however minuscule that delay may be. You might argue that a microsecond is far too small for humans to notice, and while that's true for our minds, nature itself operates on these precise timescales.
To clarify this idea further, think about watching a movie. When you view actors on the screen, you’re not seeing them live; you’re seeing a recorded, past version of their performance. If asked whether the actors’ minds are present on the screen, you’d say no—you only see their images, not their mind which exist elsewhere, off screen; what you see is just a physical, outdated representation.
This is exactly what happens with your friends and everyone else around you. Just like actors in a movie, you’re only perceiving the “dated” physical version of their bodies. Their minds are not actually where their bodies are. Their mind is outside space, which is within you. Isn’t this amazing.
2. Imagine a scenario where another person is seated two hundred feet away from your friend, observing him. Because light takes time to travel, the version of your friend that this distant observer sees is actually your friend as he was “now minus 0.20 microseconds.” This delay occurs because light needs a bit longer to cover the extra one hundred feet compared to someone who is only one hundred feet away. As a result, the observer at 200 feet perceives a slightly older image of your friend than someone closer does. In fact, each person sees a unique version of your friend that depends entirely on their distance from him, since the light that delivers his image to each observer takes a different amount of time to arrive.
This principle means that everyone looking at your friend is experiencing their own distinct “version” of him, because each person is at a different distance. At any given moment, your friend is being observed in many different versions, one for each observer. Importantly, this concept applies to all living beings. From your friend’s perspective, he too sees “dated” versions of the people around him, since the light from each person takes a different time to reach his eyes. In the same way, everyone sees slightly outdated versions of everyone else.
3. If we reflect on this, it becomes clear that the mind cannot be present in all these observed versions of your friend simultaneously. There are so many versions of the physical body, the mind cannot exist in each version. The mind, therefore, does not exist within these “dated” physical versions. Instead, the mind resides outside of physical space, existing fully within each living being. The images of physical bodies that others see around them are merely delayed or “dated” versions, and do not contain the mind itself. So, when you look at those around you, you are seeing only the past, physical versions of their bodies, while their minds remain within you. This logic applies to each living being.
4. A natural question arises: if the mind is internal and the dated physical body is what we observe externally, how do we explain all the actions we see—people talking, moving, and interacting? Our understanding is that the mind is the source that directs all actions in living beings. But if the mind is internal, how does it influence the “dated” physical body that appears in remote locations in space? The answer lies in that all actions originate first within the mind and then are projected outward as physical events in the world. This means the actions we observe in the world are the outward, “dated” projections of what first occurred in the mind.
We explored this concept in detail in our episode “Understanding the World of Waveforms.” If you have time, please listen to this episode. In that discussion, we explained that the universe is composed of waveforms, and every object—living or non-living—has a subtle version made up of intelligent waveforms. These waveforms interact first in the mind, and only after this interaction is completed are they projected outward as the “dated” physical objects we perceive. Thus, the actions we see in the world are the visible results of events that have already occurred within the realm of the mind.
We hope this discussion has provided a compelling perspective: the individuals we encounter are only dated physical bodies without a mind. All the minds are within each living being. Although this may seem to contradict our usual understanding, we have demonstrated that it is the most accurate way to view the universe. We encourage you to contemplate and reflect on these ideas presented in this episode.
If you’re interested in delving deeper into topics like this, we invite you to explore our blog at Vedanta and Science dot com or discover more in my book, Science Meets Vedanta., available on Amazon. Additionally, we offer a growing library of episodes covering many different topics —feel free to browse through them at your convenience.
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