Can you solve the hard problem of consciousness? | Swami Sarvapriyananda

Swami Sarvapriyananda is a distinguished monk of the Ramakrishna Order, widely revered for his profound insights into Vedanta and spirituality. With an erudite understanding and eloquent delivery, he has captivated audiences worldwide, elucidating complex philosophical concepts with clarity and relevance to contemporary life. Ordained into monastic life in 1994, he holds a degree in Business Management from Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar, and a scholarly background in Indian philosophy.

Swami Sarvapriyananda has served in various capacities within the Ramakrishna Mission, including as an acharya (teacher) at the monastic probationers' training center at Belur Math, the headquarters of the Ramakrishna Order. His teachings, often centered on Advaita Vedanta, aim to bridge the gap between ancient wisdom and modern thought, making spirituality accessible and actionable for people from all walks of life.

Currently, he serves as the Minister and Spiritual Leader of the Vedanta Society of New York, where he continues to share his profound knowledge through talks, seminars, and retreats. Swami Sarvapriyananda's engaging lectures on the Bhagavad Gita, Upanishads, and other texts of Vedanta philosophy are widely available online, attracting a global following. His approachable demeanor, combined with his depth of knowledge, makes him a beloved figure to those seeking spiritual growth and understanding.

[iliveinclouds]

The more i learn spiritual and science i find both kind of similar.

[luketennant]

I though he was Jeff goldblume for a hot second 💀

[julianshepherd]

In science you have to prove your answer.
In religion you just have to believe you know the answer.

[ShiniestMew]

Someone is comparing this to religion but I see this as a more progressive approach to reality. I believe our understanding is comparable to an ant looking at the moon. There is too much to grasp and process.

[naiwi]

Science is more to ensure the survival of our species. Most times that means trying to understand reality, or more accurately how things work.

[LlamaWarriorMan]

Science.... religion.... it's all aiming at finding the deepest truths, but in different ways.

[wenapse]

The elephant in the science room… consciousness. No one understands it, but everyone experiences it

[AdrianColley]

Either thoughts and consciousness are real, or they are beyond the reach of an inquiry into reality. You can't have it both ways.

[bcataiji]

Consciousness is just one part of the brain paying attention to another part of the brain so it seems like there's a "you" in there separate from other things.

[piRatCaptain]

Way to your realizes that the physical world is emergent only on top of a quantum substrate. So even the physical world isn't real. And yet we have tools to be able to measure it. So he should probably stop ignoring the tools that we use to measure thought. Stop trying to make religion the solution

[sinkec]

Try getting rid of the belief that this is real and see how that goes. Perhaps you could do that if there was something real and something called you 😂

[subhabanerji]

Just going to SBI for introducung my card. And hv to go LI C also.
PRANAM

[HJRC_]

Okay, perhaps. But you seem very sure, so prove it. 😂😂

[notbanksy]

You don't get to know, just like the expanding universe will never allow you to reach the end of it all.

[RichardsNickname]

A thought is a chemical reaction stored as a physical medium within a complex program existing among a series of biological reactions

[GnanaPrakashAP]

What hes talking about is philosophy which is also important to our species' understanding of existence, but confusing between them like this doesnt help IMO. We need both the approaches to arrive at the truth.

[BigRalphSmith]

Of course there's "space" for thought in science. Thoughts are not "things", they are the result of a process which is in fact what mind or more narrowly "consciousness" is.
The big difference is that science doesn't assume that thoughts or the mind are "magic" or "supernatural" while religion or "spiritualism" almost _insists_ on it.

[ericbromley]

Consciousness is just the iridescence on the surface of narrow processing that we mistake for true being

[meandyouagainstthealgorith]

Science does not owe any explanations. Science is a tool for learning. Science sheds light on a subject in the way light illuminates a cave. But, in the distance there is still darkness even when the light is turned on. Therefore, in the presence of ignorance, it is not for us to judge what is possible or impossible. Instead, ask is there light?

[Micheal]

I just think we get quickly confused about science and what it actually can do compared to what people can claim because we try to possess everything down into a tangible point instead of appreciating spectral nature.

Just consider that science does work but that there's not a single complete theory of anything.