Talk Details
Title : Srila Prabhupada view of Consciousness – the hard problem of physics
Mr. Bob Cohen
BIHS Florida
Abstract:
Srila Prabhupada named his first science conference "Life Comes From Life," because he posited that consciousness is antecedent to biological life, challenging the prevailing notion that consciousness is a mere emergent property of material interactions. Employing the traditions Gaudiya Vaishnava Sankhya philosophy as an analytical framework, Prabhupada sought to delineate the functional boundaries between consciousness, the mind, and the brain. This theoretical framework opens new interdisciplinary avenues for explanatory research into the nature of consciousness.
Within this paradigm, Prabhupada coined the term "Krishna Consciousness" to encapsulate his presentation of Gaudiya Vaishnava Vedic wisdom. The fundamental premise here is that a nuanced understanding of individual consciousness can lead to an broader epistemological grasp of what Prabhupada terms the 'Supreme Consciousness.'
And by providing a rigorous academic structure to Prabhupada's conceptual ideas, this study aspires to contribute meaningful insights to the greater and ongoing dialogue about the nature and origins of consciousness.
Bio:
Bob Cohen has degrees in Chemistry and Geology. He is the Executive Director of the Bhaktivedanta Institute for Higher Studies and one of the original members of the BI having presented at the 1977 conference Life Comes from Life. He has a many faceted career in environmental sciences, court certified mediator, school headmaster among other endeavors. He met Srila Prabhupada in 1972 while a Peace Corps Teacher in Bihar, India. His conversation with Prabhupada was memorialized in the book “Perfect Questions/Perfect Answers” which is available in 62 languages.