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Event
BHAKTI & PHYSICS SEMINAR SERIES 2
BHAKTI & PHYSICS SEMINAR SERIES 2
A 6 CLASS SEMINAR with MURALI GOPAL
2:00-5:00PM / SATURDAYS, JANUARY 30 MARCH 5
THE BHAKTI CENTER 25 FIRST AVENUE NYC
ADMISSION: $100
Following in the spirit of the first seminar series, this seminar series is designed to introduce the student to some concepts and questions of artificial intelligence, neuroscience, astronomy, general relativity, and philosophies about reality, and then view the same in light of the Bhakti tradition. From questioning reality, to re-defining space and time, to searching for robots that can feel, to plunging into the world of dreams, to exploring the 14 planetary systems, you'll never view the world the same way. In the words of Frank Herbert:
"Deep in the human unconscious is a pervasive need for a logical universe that makes sense. But the real universe is always one step beyond logic."
Frank Herbert, Dune
Ever wondered if there is more to reality than working a 9 to 5 job, discussing politics and sports, or trying to keep status in a suburban neighborhood? Science seems to stretch the limits for a few intellectual adventurers, but is this as far as we can go? Throughout millennia countless saints, mystics and yogis from the Indian wisdom tradition of Bhakti have set out on a journey searching for the foundation of this reality. Though following a method different from the orthodox scientific method, their findings are objectively experiential and nothing short of amazing; sometimes agreeing with science and sometimes challenging it to go deeper. The richness of the Bhakti tradition includes elaborate descriptions of the nature of the material world, the spiritual world, consciousness, God, etc. within a single framework not found in any other spiritual tradition in the world. These sages are calling out to us. Encouraging us all, whoever we are, wherever we are at, to pick up our walking sticks, to follow in their footsteps, to explore and finally to realize by ourselves those truths they themselves have experienced. Are you ready begin?
The seminar series consists of five modules.
1st ModuleWhat is Reality?
Philosophies of mind, 6 schools of traditional Indian philosophy.
2nd ModuleThe Nature of Space and Time
Classical unanswered questions about the nature of space and time and new takes and questions from relativity theory, origin and evolution of space and time in the Bhagavata Purana, time travel.
3rd ModuleArtificial Intelligence
Is the mind a computer or can a computer have a mind, the Turing test, non-computational problems, the Chinese room argument, the hard problem of consciousness, elements of Sankhya, modes of material nature, conditioning and free will, transcending the modes.
4th ModuleNeuroscience
Neural correlates of consciousness, states of consciousness, consciousness in animals, states of consciousness in Vedanta Sutra, stages of development of consciousness.
5th ModuleAstronomy
Celestial coordinates, heliocentric vs geocentric model, the center of the universe, scale and structure of the universe, the cosmic distance ladder, planetary motion in the Bhagavata Purana, the size of Brahmanda (Puranic universe), 14 planetary systems, Bhu-mandala.
Prior knowledge of any of these topics or the previous seminar series is not necessary.
Murali Gopal (Mauricio Garrido) graduated from the Universidad de los Andes, Colombia with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering and in Physics. He received his M.A. and Ph.D. in Physics from Ohio University. During this time, he interned at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD. He later went on to Columbia University in the City of New York as a postdoctoral research scientist. Since 2006, he has been a practitioner of the Bhakti yoga tradition and as of 2011, he joined The Bhakti Center in the Lower East Side of Manhattan as a monk. During the following three years he assisted the Hindu Chaplain at Columbia University in sessions on the art and practice of mantra meditation and taught the Bhagavad Gita at The Bhakti Center. In 2012 he was ordained as a brahmana (priest) and since then has been conducting worship and teaching classes on the Srimad Bhagavatam. Currently he is also teaching martial arts at The Bhakti Center and researching on Hindu philosophy, astronomy and cosmology. He also leads meditation sessions and teaches classes on Kobayashi Shorin-ryu Karate.
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LocationThe Bhakti Center - Room 4W (View)
25 First Avenue
New York, NY 10003
United States
Categories
| Non-Smoking: Yes! |
| Wheelchair Accessible: Yes! |
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