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Newsletter Nr. 814
Amsterdam, December 4th, 2019


THE SKEPTICAL YOGI - Part Ten: Conclusion - DAVID LANE

When I was young and very naïve I believed almost every miracle story told in Paramahansa Yogananda's Autobiography of a Yogi. Now fifty-two years later I have a hard time accepting any of the wondrous tales as true. Yet, even though I doubt that saints can levitate, or produce perfume at will, or raise the dead, I am convinced that the practice of yoga and meditation shorn of its encrusted mythic elements is of exceptional value for human flourishing. And, in this regard, I think Yogananda has performed a valuable service by introducing his system of pranayama, asanas, mudras, and dhyan to the West, despite that it has been overly hyped and romanticized for too long.

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http://www.integralworld.net/lane181a.html


THE QUALIA QUESTION - What is the Evolutionary Advantage of Subjective Awareness? A Two-Minded Discussion - BRANDON GILLETT AND DAVID LANE

Brandon Gillett: I am having a problem with your interpretation of the purely physical basis of consciousness. You claim that evolution provides the necessary explanation for the origin of consciousness. You say that creatures which developed the ability to simulate their surroundings effectively were more fit to survive in their environment, and therefore evolutionary forces will have selected for such self-reflective awareness. The way I see it, there seem to be two distinct realms of existence. The first is a realm of pure behavior; the second, where qualia (what it feels to be someone) is fundamental. One is an objective set of mutually verifiable facts; the other is a subjective awareness of sensory experiences.

Read more:
http://www.integralworld.net/lane182.html