Psychedelics and Nonduality

To celebrate the 125th anniversary of the journal, Science Magazine published a list of the 125 greatest unsolved questions in science. Top of the list were:

1. What is the Universe made of?
2. What is the biological basis of consciousness? (How does the brain generate consciousness?)

Whilst these questions may seem baffling under the scientific materialist worldview, to philosophers of nonduality, including scholars of ancient traditions such as Advaita, Taoism and Zen, the resolution is simple.

“Matter derives from mind, not mind from matter.”
— Tibetan Book of the Great Liberation

“The world you perceive is made of consciousness: what you call matter is consciousness itself.”
— Nisargadatta

“I incline to the idealistic theory that consciousness is fundamental, and that the material universe is derivative from consciousness, not consciousness from the material universe… In general the universe seems to me to be nearer to a great thought than to a great machine.”
— Sir James Jeans

Nondual (or monistic idealist) philosophers put forward the notion that reality is a kind of collective dream. Psychedelics seem to allow people to experience more clearly this unified mental character of the Universe.

At this highly anticipated event, we will explore questions including:
Is the Universe fundamentally mental, rather than material?
What is the relationship between the mind and the brain/body?
Why do psychedelics reliably induce feelings of unity and cosmic consciousness?
What are the practical consequences of the nondual worldview?

Speakers:
Peter Russell
Bernardo Kastrup

Introduction from Stephen Reid (Director of The Psychedelic Society)