Do you know what’s Panpsychism?
Don’t believe everything you think by Joseph Nguyen (when you pronounce his name, the N is silent!); is a book where the author promises you that your life will not be the same after you read the book! Luckily I am listening to the book so I am hoping it may not be applicable to me!
One of the things he talks about is the Universal mind! Or Panpsychism! It refers to the the view that mind (psyche) is found everywhere (pan)!
Panpsychism is one of the oldest of all philosophical doctrines extant and was put forth by the ancient Greeks, in particular Thales of Miletus and Plato. Philosopher Baruch Spinoza and mathematician and universal genius Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, who laid down the intellectual foundations for the Age of Enlightenment, argued for panpsychism, as did philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer, father of American psychology William James, and Jesuit paleontologist Teilhard de Chardin. It declined in popularity with the rise of positivism in the 20th century.
A revival of sorts was by Sydney Banks who similarly told about the power of mind! Sydney Banks first formulated what has come to be known as the three principles understanding (aka Inside-Out Understanding, Innate Health, & Health Realization), in the 1970s.
The 3 Principles of Mind, Consciousness and Thought, in his words are that the MIND is the universal intelligence behind life, consciousness creates an awareness of what we call reality, and thought is the power to create our moment to moment existence!
If that is too philosophical then the idea of mind or consciousness being fundamental to the Universe has often taken center stage in the field of even quantum physics! (which is the study of sub-atomic particles and one of the chief contender for explaining the origin of Universe!).
Max Planck, who is the father of Quantum Theory and received the 1918 Nobel Prize in Physics had this to say: “I regard consciousness as fundamental. I regard matter as derivative from consciousness. We cannot get behind consciousness. Everything that we talk about, everything that we regard as existing, postulates consciousness.”
Now the critical part of this theory for its practical application is Banks’ view that people’s behavior is perfectly aligned with how the three principles interact for them as individuals. In other words, whether we are saints or sinners, our everyday behavior is perfectly synchronized with the way we create our personal reality via the three principles. If we can change our psychological state from the inside out, we can change our behavior at the same time!
In essence, the model states that we create our own psychological and emotional reality via our thoughts from the inside out, and that fresh thought is available in any given moment. This means we are constantly creating new realities although we may not be aware of it. For people suffering with addictions, mental health issues or repeated unhealthy behaviors it means that they are no longer under the control of powerful emotions associated with past events!
Now all these make you feel like Neo in the Matrix and you may think that there is a Morpheus who has the answer to all your questions! If that confuses you then read about today’s birthday celebrity Dattātreya Rāmachandra Bēndre!
A multidisciplinary genius, his library is said to have held books spanning 102 subjects, including Quantum Physics, Mathematics, and Physiology. From very early on, Bendre published his poetry as Ambikātanayadatta (lit. ’Datta, son of Ambika’). Often mistaken for a pseudonym or pen name, Bendre described Ambikatanayadatta as the “universal inner voice” within him that dictated what he, Bendre, then presented in Kannada to the world!
Like it is said in the movie Baba (which I later found out that it was initially quoted by Isaac Newton!) and which is one of my favorite quotes, ‘What we know is a drop, what we don’t know is an ocean’!
Now calm your mind and sleep!
Good Nigth!
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