Authors of Living in a Mindful Universe, Dr. Eben Alexander and Karen Newell, join Raghu for a conversation about what Near Death Experiences can teach us about the nature of consciousness and how we interact with the world.
Dr. Eben Alexander spent over 25 years as an academic neurosurgeon. Since recovering from a coma induced by a rare infection, Dr. Alexander shares his personal Near Death Experience in order to inspire others to seek within for spiritual growth, greater knowledge and connection to the ongoing evolution of consciousness. Learn more at: ebenalexander.com
Karen Newell is co-author of Living in a Mindful Universe with Dr. Eben Alexander. At international workshops presented with Dr. Alexander, Karen demonstrates key practices of consciousness exploration: heart awareness, intention, and emotional management. Learn more at: SacredAcoustics.com
Show Notes
Proof of Heaven (Opening) – Dr. Eben Alexander shares his background and describes the coma and Near Death Experience (NDE) that transformed his beliefs about consciousness and spirituality. We hear a detailed account of this experience and Dr. Alexander’s journey to understand more about what happened to him.
“I encountered the presence of that infinitely loving divine force of pure love that so many who have been to that realm have described, either through NDEs or other spiritually transformative experience. The ensuing ten years has been my effort to understand this in a modern scientific context.” – Dr. Eben Alexander
Understanding Consciousness (17:55) – Like Ram Dass’s stroke, Dr. Alexander’s coma was a moment of fierce grace that became the catalyst for spiritual growth. Eben shares what his NDE taught him about the nature of consciousness and discusses what science is coming to understand about where our awareness lies.
“There was very profound evidence in my journey, especially for a neuroscientist, that consciousness is not created by the brain at all. In fact, I would say that we are conscious in spite of our brain. That’s why the work of Ram Dass is so important because we are coming to realize now in modern scientific investigation that the brain is not the producer of all this, it’s more of a gatekeeper.” – Dr. Eben Alexander
Dr. Jeffrey Long discusses his fascinating research around near-death experiences on Ep. 206 of the Mindrolling Podcast.
Opening the Heart (33:00) – Co-author of Living in a Mindful Universe, Karen Newell, talks about the consciousness of the heart and the science of the heart’s electromagnetic field.
“There is no need for talking when it comes to the heart, you feel it. So many of us are not used to doing that when we speak about love in our culture.” – Karen Newell
The Eternal Moment (40:00) – In his NDE, Dr. Alexander reports on a perception of timelessness that will sound familiar to many spiritual practitioners. Raghu shares his own experience of this eternal moment he experienced in the presence of Neem Karoli Baba. The group discusses the power of prayer through various modalities. Karen and Eben reflect on how we can find the same unconditional love that Eben experienced during his coma though dedicated spiritual practice.
Intention and Trust (58:35) – We close with a conversation about the qualities of intention and trust necessary to do the kinds of practices that can loosen attachments and retrain our patterns.
Ram Dass and Mirabai Bush’s newest book release, Walking Each Other Home: Conversations on Loving and Dying, is now available for pre-order! In Walking Each Other Home, Ram Dass and Mirabai explore the ways in which we can be present with dying and help ourselves and others leave this world consciously. Through masterful storytelling and practical guidance, these two teachers offer an intimate, thoughtful, and uplifting exploration of the greatest of human mysteries—and show us how death gives us an unparalleled opening to cultivate gratitude, compassion, mindfulness, and an abiding joy in the simple beauty of living. Pre-order here: Walking Each Other Home
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Image via Bruce Rolff
