'What Is Consciousness & Where Is It?' - Deepak Chopra

What Is Consciousness & Where Is It?" Featuring Deepak Chopra

What is the fundamental activity in the universe? Although neuroscience has made enormous progress in looking at the brain correlates of subjective and objective experience, there is still no theory on how we experience mental or perceptual reality. This is known as the "hard problem" in consciousness research.

• Is there a scientifically viable way to explain consciousness?
• Does mainstream science have the methodologies to address this question?
• How do we explain intention, insight, intuition, imagination, creativity, or free will?
• Is free will an illusion?
• Are there states of consciousness that go beyond waking, dreaming and sleeping?

Wisdom traditions speak of higher states of consciousness such as soul consciousness, cosmic consciousness, divine consciousness, and unity consciousness. Is there a way of understanding these states or validating them scientifically? Is our current science which is based on a subject/object split equipped to answer these mysteries? What is the nature of the universe? What is the of nature awareness that makes it possible for us to experience the universe?

Deepak is addressing in this talk these questions as well as others cosmic riddles.

DEEPAK CHOPRA is the author of more than seventy books translated into over thirty-five languages, including numerous New York Times bestsellers in both the fiction and nonfiction categories. Deepak is the Founder of The Chopra Foundation, Co-founder of The Chopra Center for Wellbeing, Adjunct Professor of Executive Programs at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, Adjunct Professor at Columbia Business School, Columbia University, and Senior Scientist with The Gallup Organization. Time magazine heralds Deepak Chopra as one of the top 100 heroes and icons of the century and credits him as 'the poet-prophet of alternative medicine'.

The "birds on a wire" cartoon shown in in the video has been used with the approval of YouTube/The Chopra Well. We thank Deepak Chopra and his team for his support and generosity.

[phoenixstar]

Interesting! (consciousness cannot be directly observed or measured) ... "consciousness cannot be observed because it's always the observer it cannot be measured because its doing the measuring" ... "the only way to have a direct experience of consciousness is through self awareness" And spirituality is that progressive journey into self awareness! Thank you Deepak ...

[TruthGatherer]

people don't create conciousness, conciousness creates people

[godxzero]

Thank you so much. This is one of best, most practical videos I've ever seen. You're doing amazing work. Have a Happy New Year :)

[CaptainPhilosophical]

What's maturity 

1. Maturity is when you stop trying to change others, but instead focus on changing yourself. 
2. Maturity is when you accept people who they are. 
3. Maturity is when you understand everyone is right in their own perspective. 
4. Maturity is when you learn to "let go". 
5. Maturity is when you are able to drop "expectations" from a relationship and give for the sake of giving. 
6. Maturity is when you understand whatever you do, you do for your own peace. 
7. Maturity is when you stop proving to the world, how intelligent you are. 
8. Maturity is when you do not seek approval from others. 
9. Maturity is when you stop comparing with others. 
10. Maturity is when you are at peace with yourself. 
11. Maturity is when you are able to differentiate between "need" and "want" and are able to let go of your wants. 
& last but most meaningful ! 
12. You gain Maturity when you stop attaching "happiness" to material things !!

[lauraelizabethgoodyear]

Ah Ha!! At 3:40 of so... I so resonated with Krishnamurti’s comment, “I use to be an atheist until I realized/found out I was God.” Same here. YES! (It was my experience & I’m sure that of many, that early on in Catholicism- or any other religion of course- I heard such Nonsense about ‘original sin’ that my little 5yo self said, “Ah, yeaahh... I DONT THINK SO!”) ~*~

[fuldagermany]

Science does not have all the answers to the deep questions.  Life is the biggest mystery of all ... the whole thing is beyond one's comprehension.  Truly the Magical Mystery Tour.  What came first ... the chicken or the egg? Sounds trite, but it is a heavy question.  Something creates.  Why do I say that?  Well, it could not just be random chaos because of the way things all fit together like a magnificent puzzle.  Also, I feel that that which creates is the ultimate artist.  Look at all the beauty that exists.  All the varieties of life ... so much of which we have not even yet seen or know of because new things are always being discovered and some very old things reappear (because they never disappeared).  Hard for humans to be okay with not having answers.  I just view all the good and beautiful things of life and say "Ahhh, " and "thank you."  There is room in life for scientists ... mystics ... artists ... seekers ... and they are all good in their own ways to open different doors of perception.  

[abufahad]

God bless you deepak...hope you visit us in Sadi Arabia : )

[karlpatureau]

I was at the very crowded DMV a couple of weeks ago. I had recently been through a thing. This random woman sat down next to me and KNEW. So did I. I was dressed appropriately - by all means looked like a regular dude. She was groomed and proper herself. You'd assume we would be the type to wear tinfoil hats everywhere outside of our lead walled bunkers. We were discussing the nature of existence. She was the one to mention we might be living in a matrix of a type. I can't remember who brought up A.I. It was as if she could read my mind. I would normally bring up something about weather. Or the crowded nature of the building. I bet she normally would, too. Did she go through a thing, too? or was it all me?

[Pakkanaar]

What spirituality knew 5000 years back in India and what science knows in 2014 about who we are, what  the universe is, time, space, consciousness and awareness. Please listen.

[ferdinandalexander]

All the "you" as you know yourself can do is interpret who or what is listening. The organism listens and everything else is interpreted through thinking and the knowledge put into you. You are living a continuity of the past. This is all thinking is interested in, thinking, thinking and more thinking, better thinking, clearer thinking. That thinking is sometimes called your mind. But there seems to be no my mind and your mind, just mind and perhaps that's another interpretation.

[SScherliss]

I agree with your unwillingness to accept what doesn't fit your own experience. It is preferable to know than to believe. Spirituality is about knowing the most important thing there is to know your self. I am like you and have always been eager to know myself for myself and was determined to get that knowledge. I don't generally follow Depak's or anyone's intellectual discussions on a subject that can be and must be experienced directly. For that I have found epistemological discussion peripheral and sometimes if not generally confusing.
If you are sincerely open to let science be science and still interested in self knowledge there are sources teachers masters past and present who can give you direction however the discovery is still up to you. After all it is Self Knowledge. Here are a few sources in the off chance you are interested: Prem Pal, Adyashanti, Mooji, Ramana Maharshi, these are authentic teachers with accessible messages that will require no belief on your part.

[GUPTAYOGENDRA]

1. Consciousness is holding the same place in the universe what it holds in my dream.
2. My dream (Including me and others, who were living in my dream) was imagined, seen and known by consciousness, which was independent of my dream.
3. The universe(Including me and others who are living in the universe) is imagined, seen and known by consciousness, which is independent of the universe.

[wernertrptube]

What would Gurdjieff say to Deepak Chopra:
"You are a downsplitted idiot in a squared form." 

But Deepak Chopra  has never experienced those special "toast of the idiots" .

[bobgilmour]

*I Wonder Why Deepak Chopra Doesn't Have An Entry On This Amazing Website Called "The Truth Contest".*

[yosaakshi]

when budhaa himself is alive on this very esrth, nobody cared and people are trying to understand what budhaahood.

[eyeboule]

This guy is terrific - thanks for sharing :-)

[sngscratcher]

I think Deepak is on the right track toward a fuller understanding this mysterious reality. I always enjoy his lectures. Cheers.

[astrophonix]

Consciousness is non-localised, so it's everywhere and nowhere baby, that's were it's at.

[miekevanderpoll]

The first part of this lecture is truly clear as long as I am listening to you dear Deepak. The moment I start thinking about it the clarity is totally gone lol!
Now I finally understand what you mean by the "Seduction of Spirit"~:D~

I understand by now what you mean by the consciousness of every cell and what Jesus said about this in the Bible: "Before Abraham I am"... thanks

Substracting from my own "out of body" experience I now also realize that every discipline whether it is science, religion, philosophy, non-duality, psychology, gestalt., etc. are all disciplines invented by the human mind: all pieces of the puzzle where each piece carries the completeness of the whole puzzle inside itself.

You say: "Consciousness is subject and object as potential"
To me this means: consciousness is That to which I give meaning. I am That meaning.

It is so simple so why on Earth have we made it so difficult?

Thank you for putting the puzzle together.

In the end we'll probably all merge into the Cloud of pure potential (like Google is aiming at LOL).

Welcome to Cloud nine, my special space ~:D~

[frichickie]

Nice.  I also like "How to Create Reality by Al Smith", although a little to tough to get through, the second half of video is best.  Powerful ideas.  Thank you