Meditation and Consciousness

By Ac. Shambhushivananda Avt.

Introduction

When prehistoric humans separated from their nonhuman ancestors, they had not even the slightest inkling that one day their descendants would touch the stars, split the atom, discover the genetic codes that carry the secrets of life, communicate through a rich vocabulary, unravel the mysteries of the brain, or fathom the invisible via nanotechnologies. The progress that human beings have made in the past few thousand years is quite impressive. The development of artificial intelligence (AI), genetic engineering, and control over algorithms may even further help humans to engineer entities that are partly organic and partly inorganic. It will obviously pose new challenges to the human society.

Yet we are far from establishing a socioeconomic system or following an ideal lifestyle that ensures peace and happiness to all creatures, for both their individual survival and their collective flourishing. The answers to perennial questions about the meaning of life and purpose of existence remain speculative. All creatures are born to die one day and it is still a challenge to build a society where all who are born on this earth can coexist in peace and harmony while continuing to explore and understand the unknown.

Redefining the Role of Macroeconomics

To be optimistic, the survival for human beings could become easier in the future, possibly through the widespread benevolent use of science and technology and shared information. A standard universal basic income benefit ensured to all adult citizens could become common in all societies. The collective wealth generated by human ingenuity and passion for social justice could create surpluses and spare greater leisure time in the future for the common person. The freed-up unused capabilities of living beings could then lead us beyond obsession with physical sources of sustenance toward psychic sources like scientific and literary pursuits, and ultimately escort us unto the transcendental realm of higher consciousness—wherein lies the perennial source of intuition, deep inner peace, and tranquility. It is timely, therefore, to cross into the domain of psycho-economics, where the goal of macroeconomics is no longer the mere pursuit of never-ending and illusory satisfaction of unlimited wants through “scarce” resources but it is to optimally utilise mundane assets to free human beings for intellectual and intuitional pursuits or engagement in activities for the universal welfare of all entities beyond individual personal wants.

Pursuit of Material Happiness and Human Longings

Striving for greater pleasure and physical comfort is built into human biology. This longing for material pleasure drives us to actualise our desires and will be healthy or unhealthy depending on the degree of restraint over human longings. Toward this end, ensuring full employment or economic security is a sine qua non for a peaceful and progressive society. Adequate, even comfortable, purchasing power needs to be ensured to one and all. However, it is also true that pursuit of material happiness creates an insatiable craving and subliminal addiction to sensory pleasures, providing only a transient source of mental happiness. The more we have, the more we want. With the increase of purchasing power and a ready access to material comforts of life, the obsession with material objects also increases. Ultimately, though, as needs become less pressing, there is a propulsion toward fulfilment of higher order wants, beyond the physiological, to include psychological (belongingness, self-esteem, etc.) and eventually self-actualisation needs. Psychologist Abraham Maslow articulated this very well as early as 1943.¹

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs are as mentioned as follows:

1. Biological and physiological needs—air, food, drink, shelter, warmth, sex, sleep.
2. Safety needs—protection from elements, security, order, law, stability, freedom from fear.
3. Love and belongingness needs—friendship, intimacy, trust and acceptance, receiving and giving affection and love, affiliating, being part of a group (family, friends, work).
4. Esteem needs—which Maslow classified into two categories: (i) esteem for oneself (dignity, achievement, mastery, independence) and (ii) the desire for reputation or respect from others (e.g., status, prestige). Maslow indicated that the need for respect or reputation is most important for children and adolescents and precedes real self-esteem or dignity.
5. Self-actualisation needs—realising personal potential, self-fulfillment, seeking personal growth and peak experiences. A desire “to become everything one is capable of becoming.”

The ancient science of yoga also delved into the same subject thou- sands of years ago. The yogic perspective ties the subtlest layers of mind and body together with the potential for a new economic approach as has been attempted in the progressive utilisation theory propounded by the late Shrii Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar starting in 1959. Human longings in an Indic perspective were observed to be of four types:

• Káma—physical, representing actions for gaining immediate pleasures;
• Artha—physico-psychic, representing a drive to secure future pleasures;
• Dharma—psycho-spiritual, representing an access to the source of power; and
• Mokśa—spiritual, representing freedom from all material bondages.

These four basic longings collectively were called Puruśárthas, which is a key concept in oriental philosophy.² The Puruśártha signifies that every human being has four goals that are necessary and sufficient for a fulfilling and happy life. Indulgence in these four longings for purely personal fulfilment can lead to obsession for material things, and mate- rial accumulation ends up creating wide disparities among fellow beings. Wealth inequality is the result of how our society distributes the power and property rights that ultimately make up wealth ownership, and how easily that ownership perpetuates across generations. The issue of increasing wealth inequalities will remain the focal critical issue for the coming generation.

The widespread application of restraint could create a more sustainable economic environment for all beings. The future of humanity depends on whether we choose to use these longings for merely personal consumption, ignoring the needs of everyone else, or rather create a system of progressive utilisations and enlightened leadership at all levels. The latter is the need of the hour, as portrayed in the two paths indicated in the bliss pyramid (Figure 1 below). If we ignore the critical issue of economic inequality,³ we may indeed end up in a world of biological inequality that would relegate ordinary humans to an irrelevant and subordinated space, like other mammals, and threaten the peace and harmony of the entire society. Building a society through coordinated cooperation among all beings needs to be explored in the interest of preserving diversity in the world. Diversity—variety—adds to the beauty of creation while dispariity—discrepancy—mars the beauty of creation.

A review of the literature on biological psychology⁴ or, in short, bio- psychology, further reveals that human beings are propelled by a host of other propensities like lust, hatred, anger, fear, envy, attachment, shyness, greed, selfishness, compassion, and the like. The objective of any action is not merely to fulfil material wants but also to consummate the expression of mental propensities. Above all, the ultimate propensity goading the human mind is longing for unison (yoga) with universal consciousness, called yoga.

Yogic literature spells out that the 50 basic propensities in human beings are controlled by different plexi in the human body, which are supported by secretion of hormones, neurotransmitters, and scores of chemicals. The list of 50 propensities include the four basic propensities: káma (physical longings), artha (psycho-physical and psychic longings), dharma (psycho-spiritual longings), and mokśa (spiritual longings), as the root of all others. The propensities supported by chemical and biological processes elicit emotions and further drive individual motivations and social interactions. It is important to explore ways to satisfy human long- ings using more lasting non-material nourishment. This is at the crux of yogic and meditative practices as enshrined in the yogic and spiritual life- style. Meditation provides numerous benefits such as overcoming stress, increasing concentration and emotional stability, higher awareness, and blissful experiences arising out of inner serenity.

In recent decades, scientists⁵ have been able to discover a host of neuropeptides responsible for human emotions and behaviors as indicated in Figure 2 below.

We are just beginning to understand the links between mental functions, brain activity, and physiological processes involved in biopsychological neural dynamics. It is quite likely that as we come to understand the control processes, we will be able to fathom the higher order functions of the mind and the reflective self that comprise the core of human consciousness. Prof. Ramachandran and others have speculated on this subject at great length over the last decade.⁶

Scientific Research on Inner Consciousness

What is the self? How does the activity of neurons give rise to the sense of being a conscious human being? According to Prof. Ramachandran,

the self is not a holistic property of the entire brain; it arises from the activity of specific sets of inter-linked brain circuits. But we need to know which circuits are critically involved and what their functions might be. It is the ‘turning inward’ aspect of the self—its recursiveness—that gives it its peculiar paradoxical quality.

The scientific research on self (unit consciousness) is still speculative and in its embryonic stages.

Prof. Ramachandran adds:

There are many aspects of self. It has a sense of unity despite the multitude of sense impressions and beliefs. In addition, it has a sense of continuity in time, of being in control of its actions (‘free will’), of being anchored in a body, a sense of its worth, dignity and mortality (or immortality). Each of these aspects of self may be mediated by different centers in different parts of the brain and it is only for convenience that we lump them together in a single word. There is one aspect of self that seems stranger than all the others—the fact that it is aware of itself. I would like to suggest that groups of neurons called mirror neurons are critically involved in this ability. In the early 1990s, a team of neuroscientists at the University of Parma (G. Rizzolatti, V. Gallase, I. Iacoboni) made a surprising discovery: Certain groups of neurons in the brains of macaque monkeys fired not only when a monkey performed an action—grabbing an apple out of a box, for instance—but also when the monkey watched someone else performing that action; and even when the monkey heard someone performing the action in another room. The existence of command neurons that control voluntary movements has been known for decades. Amazingly, a subset of these neurons had an additional peculiar property. The neuron fired not only (say) when the monkey reached for a pea- nut but also when it watched another monkey reach for a peanut! Thus, the ability to turn inward to introspect or reflect may be a sort of metaphorical extension of the mirror neurons ability to read others’ minds.⁷

Yogis, however, postulate that the physical activities of the millions of neurons are merely physical correlates of mind power, which lies beyond the crude physical domain. The existences of subtle “ectoplasmic mind” or even subtler domains called kośas (layers) still remain undiscovered by present sciences. The rare mental powers displayed by select individuals over the ages are a testimony to the possible existence of cerebral and noncerebral memory. Advanced meditation practitioners may be able to tune into those subtler domains and contribute to the progress of human society.

Body–Mind Spectrum and the Key Role of Sentient Lifestyle

The intake of a sentient vegetarian diet, regular practice of yoga postures, and daily practice of apexed meditation are part of a sentient lifestyle and constitute the core of movement toward self-realization and awareness of higher consciousness.

On the physical level, according to yogic science and Ayurveda as depicted in Figure 3, the food that we take in gets converted into a juicy mass with the help of digestive fluids and is transformed into chyle, blood, flesh, fat, bone, bone marrow, and shukra (vital essence) excret- ing urine, sweat, and stool. Shukra has three stages: lymph, or práńa-rasa (lasiká); spermatozoa; and seminal fluid. The sublimation of shukra into ojas (effulgence) brings luster to the human body and provides strength and stability. Shukra also provides food to the brain and strengthens the immune system. If the body becomes deficient in shukra, it may also influence the general health of the person. The human body functions like a biological machine following the well-defined laws of cause and effect. Any slackness or deviation in maintaining law and order leads to disease and ultimate death of the unit being. On death, the mind leaves the body in search of another body according to its inherent reactive momenta (samskáras).

The function of sensory organs is to receive inferences; the function of motor organs (vocal cord, hands, legs, anus, and genitals) is to transmit vibrations with the help of the internal sense; and the function of vital airs is to conjoin objectivity with mind-stuff (citta or ectoplasmic mind). The organs are comprised of:

1. Gateways like ears, eyes, skin, tongue and nose;
2. Nerve fibers, which react to the waves of inferences;
3. Nerve secretions, which further transmit the waves to the nerve cells; and
4. Nerve-cell points in the brain where the inferential waves are finally conjoined with the unit mind.

Thus, for example, the optical nerve, optical fluid, and the optic point of the nerve cell (in the brain) that are active behind the scenes are what we commonly call the organ of sight. When a particular set of neurons (brain cells) are activated, the ectoplasmic mind plate (citta) adopts the vibrational forms of what is seen. Such a process is experienced by one and all daily even in the dream state. In the dream state, the leftover impres- sions continue to play on the ectoplasmic mind long after they have been dissociated from the organs of sound, touch, form, taste, or smell. The activation of ectoplasmic mind can take place by a host of physiological or psychological factors such as gases produced by the digestive system, ner- vous tensions, and past reactive momenta. The sensory and motor organs maintain link between the physical world and the psychic world. Thus, sensory organs facilitate carrying information to the brain and mind.⁸

The mind consists of citta (ectoplasm), aham (doer “I” feeling), and mahat (pure “I” feeling) and is the controller of the ten motor and sensory organs. Vital energy (práńa) is the controller of the mind in the physiological stratum. The mind does not contain any inferential waves and therefore cannot be heard, touched, seen, tasted, or smelt. It has the qualities of grasping an idea, thinking, and feeling. Some robots are being programmed to capture some of the attributes of this mental phenomenon but the human mind is unique in its ability to master emotions. The mind is, therefore, a suitable candidate for pursuing the realization of highest consciousness.

The mind—a very peculiar entity—moves within the domain of the abstract material world. Breathing is the nexus between the body and the mind. Práńáyáma (a breathing exercise in yoga) slows down the breath- ing, thereby establishing control over vital energy (práńa) and thereby over the motor and sensory organs and, in turn, over the body.

Science Behind Virtual Reality

The existence of mind may be found in the pure “I” feeling. This itself does not perform any action but remains involved with the sense of an action. Doer-I feeling is really the doer of actions and enjoyer of the fruits of the actions. The ectoplasmic mind actually takes the form of the object of our ideations, mental actions. The external application of citta (mind plate) only comes about with the help of the ten motor or sensory organs. While imagining London, for instance, the help of none of those organs is required, because London may be physically far away and therefore beyond the reach of perception. Thus the citta loses its contact with the sensory organs and takes the shape of London on its own. When citta loses contact with the sensory organs, they become nonfunctional, and a person loses his or her sense of relationship and distinction of place, time, and person. As soon as the imagination of ahamtattva (doer “I” feeling) ceases, citta (mind plate) also loses its shape, and, at the same moment, the sensory organs start functioning. Then alone does a person realise that the London, that he/she had been seeing, existed only in imagination. It is due to this process that the imagined object appears factual as long as the spell of the imagination lasts. The moment that spell is broken it appears to be imaginary and not real. This is what happens during the process of virtual reality (VR). VR blurs the line between digital and physical worlds, thereby generating a sense of being present in the virtual environment for the consumer. According to 2018 Mordor Intelligence Report,⁹ the global VR market was valued at $3.13 billion in 2017 and is expected to reach $49.7 billion by 2023, at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 58.54 percent over the forecast period (2018–2023).

Mind–Spirit Realm and Psycho-Spiritual training: A Yogic Perspective

According to yogic science, cakras or plexi act as the substations of the mind from which vibrational expressions occur. They constitute the metazoic (multicellular) structures. The attractive force of supreme consciousness when passing through these metazoic structures, gives rise to scores of propensities, which may increase with the growing complexity of the human mind. Each plexus is a collection of certain glands and sub glands. The plexi are situated at the intersecting points of ida, suśumńá, and pingala nadiis (nerves). The vibrational expressions of propensities such as anger, fear, hatred, jealousy, greed, and fear cause hormones to secrete from the glands, which, in turn, set in motion different actions and reactions in the human body. The existence of the mind to a large extent depends on the existence of its propensities, which is the result of inherent sam¢ skáras (reactive-momenta) carried by a living being over its evolutionary cycle.

Higher plexi control the lower plexi and the Supreme Self functions directly through the higher plexus known as Guru Cakra (multi-propensive plexus) and Sahasrara Cakra (seat of unit-consciousness). Supreme Self is the rudimental cause of all diversities, creating and controlling the crude, subtle, and causal worlds. It is the material cause, the efficient cause, and the witnessing entity. The entire colorful panorama of the universe is a condensed form of countless inferential waves emerging in the stream of the macrocosmic imagination and reverts to its ultimate owner by the cosmic will. Thus, the unity of Supreme Consciousness lies beneath the endless diversities of nature.

The unending flow of consciousness and bliss takes different forms, depending on whether it is mind, organs, or inferences. The difference in peoples’ thoughts, ideas, manners, customs, dress, and food habits are all due to their varying samskáras. The moment individual sam¢ skáras are removed, the mind loses its independent existence and only the soul or spirit remains. Differences are nothing but the divine play of the Supreme Consciousness. This play can come to an end in individual life but never collectively. Thus, universe continues in its eternal journey according to the will of macrocosm.

The stages through which the cosmic force manifests itself in a unit body are called kośas (sheaths, layers). Kośas are like layers of the plantain flower, ranging from crude to subtle. They are all embodied in the citta (crude mind). The outermost layer is called Annamaya kośa and rep- resents the body layer. The food we take, the water we drink, the air we breathe, and whatever our senses are exposed to directly affect this layer. Conscious mind is the Kámamaya kośa and is intimately connected with sense perceptions. Manomaya kośa is sometimes called the subconscious mind and is responsible for all deep cognitive functions, memory, logical thought, problem solving, decision-making, and so on. The other three kośas are part of the causal mind and termed Atimánas kośa, Vijinánamaya kośa, and Hirańamaya kośa.

These layers of mind display a wide spectrum of psychic phenomena, consisting of thinking, remembering, meditation, transmutation, and diversion of psychic sustenance, rationalisation, para-psychology, and sublimation of mind to the Higher Consciousness. All past, present, and future knowledge remains stored in the causal mind, so it is not unusual to predict the future by delving into the causal mind. Phenomena such as telepathy, omniscience, clairvoyance, and transference of thought are all products of the causal mind. Supreme Consciousness is the subtlest state of consciousness and remains beyond the ambit of the unit mind. It is the Supreme Consciousness alone that can establish one in the meta- empirical omni-telepathic stance of Nonattributional Consciousness.

As indicated earlier, human beings are born with dominant inborn instincts, strong propensities for immediate and ensured pleasure, and future happiness. However, the path of evolution requires that lasting bliss can only be achieved if mind is elevated to higher levels of conscious- ness. For this, one’s lifestyle must include sentient diet, proper training for restraint in diet and dealings, regular exercise of body and mind, right occupation, and adherence to codes of conduct representing higher values of life. Hence, the need to undergo proper psycho-spiritual training is paramount to the achievement of progress and happiness in life.

Overall Progress through a Balanced Approach

Everybody thinks, but not every thought brings about individual progress or universal welfare. Hence, it is important to know how to use the power of thought for nurturing individual and collective peace and happiness.

In order to control one’s thoughts, one must engage in cognitive exercises and meditative practices. What the cosmic mind has done to date will continue to be done by unit minds or their robotic assistants in slow and gradual steps. The changes come about at the personal level (personality– charisma effect), organisational level (strategy effect), and the mythical ideological level (narrative effect), and each level interpenetrates the oth- ers at both the “macro” and “micro” levels to accelerate the process of transformation.

Nunez¹⁰ has explored the complexity of changes at the “micro” and “macro” levels in the following manner:

Wars, religions, and national economic and political policies are large-scale phenomena that act top down on individuals at small scales, who then act bottom up on the larger scales, as in the prominent examples of Jesus, Darwin, Marx, Einstein, and Hitler. Modern complexity science explicitly recognises such circular causality; that is, interactions across multiple levels of organisation in both directions. The brain’s neural networks, which can form nested hierarchies at multiple spatial scales, may act in an analogous manner to produce various conscious, preconscious, and unconscious processes.

Progress is about management of change. There is nothing constant in the universe. Changes in broader collective psychology lead to new systems of social and economic management. Sometimes far-sighted individuals spearhead the changes and at other times changes are the product of initiatives of grassroots movements. Technological developments are hastening the advent of distributed authority with a clear and transparent structure of roles and accountabilities. The emphasis is likely to shift from “who is right?” to “what is right?” Thus, the purpose is likely to dictate organisational culture and pave a way for progress at all levels.

Human beings sometimes forget that their sojourn on this earth is a transitory one. We live for a hundred or at most a hundred and twenty years. We must never forget that we grow only with the help of nutrients provided by Mother Earth, begotten of the Cosmic Operative Principle. All that we have borrowed will one day be returned to Mother Earth.

We are born only for a single purpose: to unite with the source of All- Universal Consciousness, and to pave the way for all other creatures to attain the same stance. In order to achieve this goal, we need to adopt a dual approach: use of cosmic ideation (subjective approach) and objective adjustment (utilising all faculties for all-round welfare).

Thus, we cannot lead a secluded existence in some cave or on some mountain top. We need to live like a lotus, which has its roots in the mud and yet stays above the water. I am very hopeful that we will take all necessary steps in order to establish a world where everyone is respected as the embodiment of divinity, where all get the opportunity to utilise their capabilities for imparting joy and happiness to all around, and where all stay engaged in blissful realisation of Universal Consciousness. That would be the path of subjective approach and objective adjustment.

The Journey to Inner Space

Nothing is as old as the Truth and nothing is as new as the Truth. It requires wisdom to discover the élan vital, the embodiment of Eternal Absolute Truth and to keep adjustment with the relative truth, subject to eternal change.

A little reflection will remind us that every creature and every nation longs for freedom, good health and happiness, material prosperity and abundance, progress and justice for all. Yet, these ideals remain elusive for us. Unless we develop and awaken our inner higher consciousness, we are likely to fall short of achieving these goals.

We are more than mere body and mind. We are not just “limited” creatures to be moulded by our societies and the natural environment. We are the embodiment of a life force (élan vital, unit-consciousness): something much greater and more precious, with which every one of us is endowed from birth. Information may be stored in the cloud, in computers, or in books, and is easily accessible to anyone today. Knowledge may be extracted from the patterns of information contained in databases. Yet, there will always be a need of wisdom masters. And wisdom can only be drawn from within.

A question we need to ponder in every age is what type of society or development we want, and why. This question is as relevant to business and government as it is to citizens like you and me. We should also con- sider which aspects of our past we need to hold on to, and what should be released. We do indeed live in a rapidly changing world, but the mod- ern notion of “development” tends to reduce everything to a commodity. These are questions to be answered as much from the heart or spirit— intuitively—as from the intellect. The diversity of nature is fast disappear- ing. The clock is ticking and immediate action is needed.

The experience of old civilizations amply demonstrates that there is great worth in the old cultures. For instance, the Vedas, Upanishads, and Tantras in India were the products of intuitive knowledge, linking us to the spirit within us. The Greeks also affirmed the message of “know thyself.” And the Chinese pursued Tao. This knowledge is not mere information, but life-transforming wisdom. It is trans-disciplinary and transcendental and imbued with the tender sweetness of universal love. It is the basis for human longings.

Human longings are multifarious, ranging from the physical to the spiritual. The exclusive pursuit of pleasure-seeking physical longings consumes the lives of most people. There is nothing wrong with the pursuit of pleasure; it is indeed built into our biology. The drawback is that pleasures do not provide permanent happiness and carry the seeds of unbridled desire for accumulation. This creates unreasonable disparities and causes unneeded sufferings to many creatures.

Today, just one percent of the population controls the bulk of the resources in almost every country. The thirst for power is an expression of a deep inherent longing to ensure lasting peace and happiness. However, lasting happiness cannot be found in individual gain but can be attained only by balancing personal desires with the yoga of restraint. Herein lies the secret of integrating the psychology of self-enrichment with the desire and endeavour for broader flourishing. The long journey toward bliss (ananda) is both an inner journey and an outward journey. When the inner and outer are integrated, bliss is within reach.

The inner journey is thus no less of a challenge than reaching distant stars. We place high value on “book knowledge”—the type of knowledge that can take us to the farthest fringes of outer space—but much less on that which can take us into the deepest mysteries of inner space. We need to nurture the spiritual as well as the material. Spiritual here is not an expression of religion, but of the life force that resides in each one of us, and yet remains so distant from our everyday consciousness. On the path to fully expressing our individual potentials, we are the repositories of a great invisible treasure, which we can manifest to empower good over evil, rationality over dogma, culture over brute force, truth over falsehood, selflessness over selfishness, peace over war, and spirit over matter.

The future of humanity lies in which of our longings we will prioritise. A happy blending of intuitive knowledge and mundane knowledge can ensure harmony between the inner and the outer spheres of life, and offers great promise to create a progressive society, a world where there is inner tranquility as well as a compassionate, just, and sustainable civilisation. The spirit of empathy, discrimination, and altruism needs to be cultivated from an early age so that the coming generation can deal with the challenges of the age. The support of wisdom teachers is required to impart this impulse. The central task of educational renewal is: how to create such wisdom teachers with a holistic vision?

Summary

Humans are born with an ability to question their own existence: its origins, its evolution, its possibilities, and its purpose. Scientists, philosophers, and lay people are endowed with the curiosity to know and experience all that there is. The ultimate answers to reality may per- haps never be readily available for all, yet that has not stopped us from speculating and exploring pathways to achieve better answers. We know more today than we knew even a hundred years ago. Of course, there is also knowledge that was available a few thousand years ago, which has remained hidden from the general masses.

In this chapter (of the book), we have taken an inner journey that shows that answers lie not only outside of us but also within us; and the journey to Higher Consciousness is as fascinating as the journey to the farthest reaches of outer space. The science of bio-psychology leads us to understand the important roles of a sentient lifestyle and meditation in helping us to control our emotions and experience and lift the mind through different states of consciousness to the highest state.

The goal of meditative pursuits is not merely to better understand our inner urges or control our emotions but also to develop attitudes that enable us to control technology and function as better leaders or role players—whether in business, at home, in politics or in any other public domain. What emerges from this pursuit is a new mindset, which can bring inner peace as well as a progressive social, economic, and political order. In a world where violence is rampant, it is even more important to build a peaceful mind from an early age. In order to achieve this, we must have a subjective approach and objective adjustment. That is, we must never lose sight of our absolute goal of uniting each unit consciousness with Supreme Consciousness, while building a compassionate, sustainable, and progressive world where needs on all levels of one and all are met.

To make such a society possible should be the goal of our educational system and the socioeconomic system. We cannot let emotionless technology bereft of higher consciousness convert future human society into a world of robots as envisioned by science fiction writers and affirmed by some scholars. The world requires wisdom teachers and enlightened leaders at all levels and science, technology, and arts must be guided by higher consciousness and not baser propensities. Let “arts and sciences for service and blessedness” be the slogan of our generation! Let the universal economic renaissance minimise all disparities while preserving all diversities!

Taken from the book Economic Renaissance in the Age of Artificial Intelligence, with permission. Economic Renaissance in the Age of Artificial Intelligence, Apek Mulay (Ed.) Business Expert Press, LLC (2019), 222 East 46th Street, New York, NY 10017. www.businessexpertpress.com

References

1 Maslow, A.H. 1943. “A Theory of Human Motivation.” Psychological Review
50, no. 4, pp. 370–96.
2 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purusartha
3 Spross, J. 2018. http://theweek.com/articles/717294/wealth-inequality-even- worse-than-income-inequality. UK: The Week Publications Inc.
4 Suzanne, H., A. Cooper, J. Lee, and M. Harris. 2015. Biological Psychology, 439–79. New York, NY: Sage.
5 Panksepp, J. 2004. Affective Neuroscience: The Foundations of Human and Animal Emotions, 101. New York, NY: Oxford University Press; and Klavdieva,
M.M. 1995 “The History of Neuropeptides.” Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology
16, pp. 293–321.
6 Ramachandran, V.S. 2004. A Brief Tour of Human Consciousness. Serbia: Pi-Press.
7 Ramachandran, V.S. 2007 “The Neurology of Self-Awareness.” The Edge 10th Anniversary Essay, The Third Culture , USA: Edge Foundation Inc. https://edge.org/3rd_culture/ramachandran07/ramachandran07_index.html
8 Sarkar, P.R. 1959. Idea and Ideology, Calcutta: A.M. Publications; and Shambhushivananda. 2018. “Body-Mind-Spirit Spectrum.” In Thoughts for a New Era. Sweden: Gurukul Press.
9 Mordor Intelligence, Industry Report, Virtual Reality Markets. April 2018. https://mordorintelligence.com/industry-reports/virtual-reality-market
10 Nunez, P.L. 2016. The New Science of Consciousness: Exploring the Complexity of Brain, Mind, and Self. Amherst, New York, NY: Prometheus Books.