J. Shashi Kiran Reddy | National Institute of Advanced Studies (original) (raw)
Papers by J. Shashi Kiran Reddy
Meditation and yoga have become so popular that we not only started devising new interventions ba... more Meditation and yoga have become so popular that we not only started devising new interventions based on these practices in the context of health and wellbeing, but in the process, we also deviated from the actual purpose and goals set by different traditions.1 Numerous scientific studies have been conducted on different practices of meditation to study the efficacy and potential of these techniques. But, neglecting various aspects that are to be taken into consideration, most of these studies are aimed only at delineating the underlying mechanisms of influence, thus, they involve various issues. Hence, the prime purpose of this paper is to shortlist a few issues in current meditation research and emphasise that meditation has a very deeper purpose and it is not a mere tool to heal nor for enhancing cognitive faculties. The essential message of the ancient traditions is lost and neglected by many present- day practitioners. Therefore, we summarise some obstacles that may surface from...
Scientific GOD Journal, 2016
Just as religion is impassable to its own dogmatic philosophies and ideas, present day science al... more Just as religion is impassable to its own dogmatic philosophies and ideas, present day science also acts in the same manner. Embracing its reductionist approach, it loses its sight to the most beautiful and insightful possibilities associated with the cosmos and its fundamental constituents around us. The present paper is a holistic ride into few of life’s beautiful constructs that occur as a playful act of the cosmos, and in part hypothesize that the dynamic biological structures or forms could be thought of as frozen energy patterns. Here, the supposition is that the electromagnetic (EM) fields that envelop our ecosystems play a central role in its functioning and evolution acting as a unified network interconnecting life at various scales. Supporting a synergetic and holistic view, the present paper is skeptical about the present school of thought, and to other investigations carried out under the sheath of modern science by raising a few fundamental questions.
Journal of Consciousness Exploration & Research, 2017
Consciousness being the very source of subjective experience is needed for our life experiences, ... more Consciousness being the very source of subjective experience is needed for our life experiences, for the working of our body, to perceive, to cognize, and to express. Agreeing to a fundamental approach for consciousness is more about embracing the true understanding of consciousness rather than avoiding it. Consciousness can, therefore, be located anywhere and everywhere, but in a form that we do not understand until it takes shape within the limits of our reality. Monism related approaches to consciousness are an act to run away from the problems associated with dualism and therefore the need of the hour is a holistic sense of consciousness. Holistic approaches to understand consciousness opens the doors to many versions of this unique ubiquitous feature that we possess; that we do not understand, and that which gives us the ability to go over and beyond emergence.
Journal of Consciousness Exploration & Research, 2016
The present mainstream science tackles the problem of Consciousness by embracing the objective or... more The present mainstream science tackles the problem of Consciousness by embracing the objective or third person perspective; hence, it fails in understanding many fundamental aspects of life. Further, knowledge gained from science is not absolute in the sense that it is based on a human-centric view. This brings us to the question of how to access absolute reality? In this article, we consider the subjective aspect associated with the objective phenomena and explore a possible new science of subjective experience.
The word soul in the cell-soul pathway does not have a scientific definition but has been hypothe... more The word soul in the cell-soul pathway does not have a scientific definition but has been hypothesized to be an indefinite, non-structured, massless energy made up of electromagnetic radiations that is confined in the cytoskeletal network of a living cell. It is a coherent, imperceptible, uncontainable and recyclable support pathway, which uses energy to promulgate consciousness in the cell supporting its functions (Pereira 2015). The pathway currently provides a mechanistic explanation of the flow of consciousness within the body, but the intent of this paper is to provide an arduous explanation of non-local consciousness or disembodiment observed in near-death experiences. The paper hypothetically subsets the cell-soul pathway with the presence of two forms of consciousness, consistent with a recently developed model by Reddy (2016b): bodily consciousness, which manages functions only at cellular level, and functional consciousness, which is present in the body but can get disembo...
In this paper, we argue on the ability of science to capture the true subjective experience of li... more In this paper, we argue on the ability of science to capture the true subjective experience of life, blinded within the limits of its reductionist approaches. With this approach, even though science can explain well the physics behind the objective phenomenon, it fails fundamentally in understanding the various aspects associated with the biological entities. In this sense, we are skeptical to the present approach of science and calls out for a more fundamental theory of life that considers not only the objectivity aspect of a biological entity but also the subjective experience as well. It raises questions as to what does it takes to develop a new science from a subjective standpoint.
Imagination is the art of exploring beyond the depths of one’s body. Imagination allows one to pe... more Imagination is the art of exploring beyond the depths of one’s body. Imagination allows one to peek into the void to realize the true existence of its self and feel the existence of eternity. The experience of imagination is a subjective experience of one’s own consciousness and it is this experience makes the experiencer worthy. Creation and creativity are the end aspects of imagination and unfold the hidden mysteries of the cosmos. This essay is a trip across the cosmic energy that creates the self for experiencing its self - a first-hand experience through the virtuosity of imagination.
The nature of the soul is attribute-less and boundless. To experience its true potential, the dim... more The nature of the soul is attribute-less and boundless. To experience its true potential, the dimensionless soul manifests itself in the physical dimension as a body. Materialism originates with the creation of the body as it grows around the soul and in the process of forming, enchants the soul with its materialistic conducts. The soul has the ability to materialize and dematerialize into bodily forms as per will, but such an entropic amendment may change the true essence of bodily life. The avarice for materialistic needs mutilates the body physically and mentally, and unshackles the soul; for as we grow in our materialistic conducts, the body and its senses endure this burden, gradually progressing towards a lesser body and more soul.
Journal of Psychosocial Research, 2020
New Ideas in Psychology, 2020
Frontiers in Psychology, 2019
Integrative Psychological and Behavioral Science, 2019
The present article is limited to research studies focused on understanding the phenomenon and co... more The present article is limited to research studies focused on understanding the phenomenon and construction of the concept of ‘Self.’ When we look at one’s experience of the Self, as a whole, it involves various components associated with different aspects like self-identification, self-location and the sense of the existence of oneself or the sense of Self. While exploring the Self phenomenon, many scientific studies consider only partial aspects of the experience, and hence any understanding resulting from such an evaluation makes it difficult to comment on the nature of the Self. We emphasize that while studying the Self, to understand it totally, one would need to include all the components of the Self. In this connection, we raise the following two theses: a) Ontologically, the Self is conceived as a sentient entity, the bearer of the “what it is like to be” type of feeling, and b) Phenomenologically, we do not have a direct apprehension of the Self, but experience various aspects of the Self through the Senses of Existence, Identification, and Location.
Investigation of the mechanisms and pathways of waste clearance in the brain has received much at... more Investigation of the mechanisms and pathways of waste clearance in the brain has received much attention lately because of their functional significance and clinical implications (1,2). In a recent study (3), Hablitz et al. made an attempt to bring us one step forward in tackling the puzzling question of how and when the brain clears its waste. Here, the authors studied the influence of different anesthetics (known to emulate sleep like conditions) on the glymphatic influx, which subsequently promotes waste clearance. It is the first study to demonstrate that the rate of glymphatic influx can be correlated to the prevalence of high EEG delta power and low heart rate variability. This relation also seems to vary uniquely based on the type of anesthetic substance administered. Analyzing the findings, they propose that the prevalence of the slow delta waves of highly synchronized neuronal activity promotes glymphatic influx. But we suggest, while assigning such role to the delta waves ...
Journal of Near-Death Studies, 2016
No individual exists without exhibiting prosociality in one or another situation during their lif... more No individual exists without exhibiting prosociality in one or another situation during their lifetime. The argument however, is to what extent? Does it arise spontaneously, out of true empathy and compassion for others, or it is goal-oriented with some hidden motive? Here, our primary intention is to convey that, though various meditation-based interventions can be utilized for different purposes like cultivating prosocial behaviors such as compassion, empathy etc., one’s underlying motive and intent seems to play a crucial role in an individual’s development. Most of the studies exploring prosociality, in the context of meditation, usually do not consider the role of hidden or underlying motivation in one’s prosocial expression. By considering an example of how mindfulness may sometimes lead to the wrong consequences, we try to analyze why it is important to include the aspect of inner motivation in future studies exploring the effects of meditation on prosociality. We also propos...
Meditation and yoga have become so popular that we not only started devising new interventions ba... more Meditation and yoga have become so popular that we not only started devising new interventions based on these practices in the context of health and wellbeing, but in the process, we also deviated from the actual purpose and goals set by different traditions.1 Numerous scientific studies have been conducted on different practices of meditation to study the efficacy and potential of these techniques. But, neglecting various aspects that are to be taken into consideration, most of these studies are aimed only at delineating the underlying mechanisms of influence, thus, they involve various issues. Hence, the prime purpose of this paper is to shortlist a few issues in current meditation research and emphasise that meditation has a very deeper purpose and it is not a mere tool to heal nor for enhancing cognitive faculties. The essential message of the ancient traditions is lost and neglected by many present- day practitioners. Therefore, we summarise some obstacles that may surface from...
Scientific GOD Journal, 2016
Just as religion is impassable to its own dogmatic philosophies and ideas, present day science al... more Just as religion is impassable to its own dogmatic philosophies and ideas, present day science also acts in the same manner. Embracing its reductionist approach, it loses its sight to the most beautiful and insightful possibilities associated with the cosmos and its fundamental constituents around us. The present paper is a holistic ride into few of life’s beautiful constructs that occur as a playful act of the cosmos, and in part hypothesize that the dynamic biological structures or forms could be thought of as frozen energy patterns. Here, the supposition is that the electromagnetic (EM) fields that envelop our ecosystems play a central role in its functioning and evolution acting as a unified network interconnecting life at various scales. Supporting a synergetic and holistic view, the present paper is skeptical about the present school of thought, and to other investigations carried out under the sheath of modern science by raising a few fundamental questions.
Journal of Consciousness Exploration & Research, 2017
Consciousness being the very source of subjective experience is needed for our life experiences, ... more Consciousness being the very source of subjective experience is needed for our life experiences, for the working of our body, to perceive, to cognize, and to express. Agreeing to a fundamental approach for consciousness is more about embracing the true understanding of consciousness rather than avoiding it. Consciousness can, therefore, be located anywhere and everywhere, but in a form that we do not understand until it takes shape within the limits of our reality. Monism related approaches to consciousness are an act to run away from the problems associated with dualism and therefore the need of the hour is a holistic sense of consciousness. Holistic approaches to understand consciousness opens the doors to many versions of this unique ubiquitous feature that we possess; that we do not understand, and that which gives us the ability to go over and beyond emergence.
Journal of Consciousness Exploration & Research, 2016
The present mainstream science tackles the problem of Consciousness by embracing the objective or... more The present mainstream science tackles the problem of Consciousness by embracing the objective or third person perspective; hence, it fails in understanding many fundamental aspects of life. Further, knowledge gained from science is not absolute in the sense that it is based on a human-centric view. This brings us to the question of how to access absolute reality? In this article, we consider the subjective aspect associated with the objective phenomena and explore a possible new science of subjective experience.
The word soul in the cell-soul pathway does not have a scientific definition but has been hypothe... more The word soul in the cell-soul pathway does not have a scientific definition but has been hypothesized to be an indefinite, non-structured, massless energy made up of electromagnetic radiations that is confined in the cytoskeletal network of a living cell. It is a coherent, imperceptible, uncontainable and recyclable support pathway, which uses energy to promulgate consciousness in the cell supporting its functions (Pereira 2015). The pathway currently provides a mechanistic explanation of the flow of consciousness within the body, but the intent of this paper is to provide an arduous explanation of non-local consciousness or disembodiment observed in near-death experiences. The paper hypothetically subsets the cell-soul pathway with the presence of two forms of consciousness, consistent with a recently developed model by Reddy (2016b): bodily consciousness, which manages functions only at cellular level, and functional consciousness, which is present in the body but can get disembo...
In this paper, we argue on the ability of science to capture the true subjective experience of li... more In this paper, we argue on the ability of science to capture the true subjective experience of life, blinded within the limits of its reductionist approaches. With this approach, even though science can explain well the physics behind the objective phenomenon, it fails fundamentally in understanding the various aspects associated with the biological entities. In this sense, we are skeptical to the present approach of science and calls out for a more fundamental theory of life that considers not only the objectivity aspect of a biological entity but also the subjective experience as well. It raises questions as to what does it takes to develop a new science from a subjective standpoint.
Imagination is the art of exploring beyond the depths of one’s body. Imagination allows one to pe... more Imagination is the art of exploring beyond the depths of one’s body. Imagination allows one to peek into the void to realize the true existence of its self and feel the existence of eternity. The experience of imagination is a subjective experience of one’s own consciousness and it is this experience makes the experiencer worthy. Creation and creativity are the end aspects of imagination and unfold the hidden mysteries of the cosmos. This essay is a trip across the cosmic energy that creates the self for experiencing its self - a first-hand experience through the virtuosity of imagination.
The nature of the soul is attribute-less and boundless. To experience its true potential, the dim... more The nature of the soul is attribute-less and boundless. To experience its true potential, the dimensionless soul manifests itself in the physical dimension as a body. Materialism originates with the creation of the body as it grows around the soul and in the process of forming, enchants the soul with its materialistic conducts. The soul has the ability to materialize and dematerialize into bodily forms as per will, but such an entropic amendment may change the true essence of bodily life. The avarice for materialistic needs mutilates the body physically and mentally, and unshackles the soul; for as we grow in our materialistic conducts, the body and its senses endure this burden, gradually progressing towards a lesser body and more soul.
Journal of Psychosocial Research, 2020
New Ideas in Psychology, 2020
Frontiers in Psychology, 2019
Integrative Psychological and Behavioral Science, 2019
The present article is limited to research studies focused on understanding the phenomenon and co... more The present article is limited to research studies focused on understanding the phenomenon and construction of the concept of ‘Self.’ When we look at one’s experience of the Self, as a whole, it involves various components associated with different aspects like self-identification, self-location and the sense of the existence of oneself or the sense of Self. While exploring the Self phenomenon, many scientific studies consider only partial aspects of the experience, and hence any understanding resulting from such an evaluation makes it difficult to comment on the nature of the Self. We emphasize that while studying the Self, to understand it totally, one would need to include all the components of the Self. In this connection, we raise the following two theses: a) Ontologically, the Self is conceived as a sentient entity, the bearer of the “what it is like to be” type of feeling, and b) Phenomenologically, we do not have a direct apprehension of the Self, but experience various aspects of the Self through the Senses of Existence, Identification, and Location.
Investigation of the mechanisms and pathways of waste clearance in the brain has received much at... more Investigation of the mechanisms and pathways of waste clearance in the brain has received much attention lately because of their functional significance and clinical implications (1,2). In a recent study (3), Hablitz et al. made an attempt to bring us one step forward in tackling the puzzling question of how and when the brain clears its waste. Here, the authors studied the influence of different anesthetics (known to emulate sleep like conditions) on the glymphatic influx, which subsequently promotes waste clearance. It is the first study to demonstrate that the rate of glymphatic influx can be correlated to the prevalence of high EEG delta power and low heart rate variability. This relation also seems to vary uniquely based on the type of anesthetic substance administered. Analyzing the findings, they propose that the prevalence of the slow delta waves of highly synchronized neuronal activity promotes glymphatic influx. But we suggest, while assigning such role to the delta waves ...
Journal of Near-Death Studies, 2016
No individual exists without exhibiting prosociality in one or another situation during their lif... more No individual exists without exhibiting prosociality in one or another situation during their lifetime. The argument however, is to what extent? Does it arise spontaneously, out of true empathy and compassion for others, or it is goal-oriented with some hidden motive? Here, our primary intention is to convey that, though various meditation-based interventions can be utilized for different purposes like cultivating prosocial behaviors such as compassion, empathy etc., one’s underlying motive and intent seems to play a crucial role in an individual’s development. Most of the studies exploring prosociality, in the context of meditation, usually do not consider the role of hidden or underlying motivation in one’s prosocial expression. By considering an example of how mindfulness may sometimes lead to the wrong consequences, we try to analyze why it is important to include the aspect of inner motivation in future studies exploring the effects of meditation on prosociality. We also propos...
This book is a compilation of the work published by the present authors in various scientific jou... more This book is a compilation of the work published by the present authors in various scientific journals mainly focused on understanding how quantum physics could decipher the experiences observed and reported during near-death and end-of-life situations. The authors claim that various theories and models proposed herein (though not propounding to be a complete one) are just an attempt to understand few aspects associated with such experiences connected to the phenomenon of death. They investigate the possible role of the quantum phenomenon in the occurrence of these events and call for a detailed scientific investigation to validate any hypotheses made.
09/2017, Conference: Indian Music and Dance: The Absence of Critical Attention and Analysis, Indian Institute of Advanced Study (IIAS)
This presentation is about the importance of Cham dance or Vajra Nrithyam in Tibetan Tantric Budd... more This presentation is about the importance of Cham dance or Vajra Nrithyam in Tibetan Tantric Buddhism and the role of scientific studies in reviving this art form from extinction.
Microorganisms demonstrate conscious-like intelligent behaviour and this form of consciousness ma... more Microorganisms demonstrate conscious-like intelligent behaviour and this form of consciousness may have emerged from a quantum mediated mechanism as observed in cytoskeletal structures like the microtubules present in nerve cells which apparently have the architecture to quantum compute. This paper hypothesises the emergence of proto-consciousness in primitive cytoskeletal systems found in the microbial kingdoms of archaea, bacteria and eukarya. To explain this, we make use of the Subject-Object Model (SOM) of consciousness which evaluates the rise of the degree of consciousness to conscious behaviour in these systems supporting the hypothesis of emergence and propagation of conscious behaviour during the pre-Cambrian part of Earth's evolutionary history. Consciousness as proto-consciousness or sentience computed via primitive cytoskeletal structures substantiates as a driver for the intelligence observed in the microbial world during this period ranging from single-cellular to collective intelligence as a means to adapt and survive. Growth in complexity of intelligence, the cytoskeletal system, adaptive behaviours are a key to evolution and wholly support the Lamarckian theory of evolution driven by quantum mediated proto-consciousness to consciousness as described in the SOM of consciousness.