[Buddha-l] Re: Inducing Out-of-Body Experience

[Richard Hayes]

On Fri, 2007-08-24 at 12:05 -0400, Vera, Pedro L. wrote:

> I have not read the full article, however, I do not see such blatant
> circularity in the thinking. 

Neither do I. I can't even see a subtle form of circularity in the
article (which I have read). I quite agree with your careful analysis,
Pedro.

Some years ago I had an exchange with Charles Tart, who has made a
career out of studying instances of people who have had "out-of-body"
experiences. He had made some claim (right here on buddha-l) that no one
who has had an out-of-body experience can possible deny that
consciousness is not dependent on the brain. 

I wrote him privately to report that when I was 19 or 20 I had an
experience in which I felt as though I were rising above the bed in
which I was lying. I then turned over and saw my body lying in the bed.
I then went out the window of the second-story bedroom and examined the
brickwork around the window and then examined some leaves decomposing in
the rain gutters around the roof. It was all so vivid that I can still
recall it in great detail. Professor Tart said this was a classical
example of an out-of-body experience. I then told him that I do not
believe that consciousness can exist independent of the brain. He then
wrote back and said that mine had not been a "genuine" out-of-body
experience; if it had been, then I would not be able to believe that
consciousness is dependent on the brain. Now THAT, it seemed to me, was
circular reasoning on his part. I pointed the circularity out to him. He
never wrote back.

-- 
Richard Hayes
Department of Philosophy
University of New Mexico