The book is an exploration of the intersection between the Buddha’s teachings, particularly mindfulness and meditative practices, and modern scientific theories about matter, consciousness, reality, and the universe. Divided into three self-contained parts, it examines Buddhist terms like mindfulness, Jhana, Nibbana, and emptiness, drawing parallels to ideas in quantum mechanics and parallel universes.
By emphasizing practices from the Pali Suttas left by the historical Buddha, the text suggests that meditation offers deeper insights into reality, gradually leading to experience of Nibbana, the ultimate state of peace and freedom. The author combines personal meditative experiences with scientific and philosophical reflections to present a holistic view of consciousness. He uses real-life examples to provide the best possible accounts of these experiences, bringing much-needed awareness and optimism. He emphasizes that the experience of Nibbana left by the historical Buddha, is real and attainable even today. It’s simply a matter of dedicating time and effort to experience it.
The book is an exploration of the intersection between the Buddha’s teachings, particularly mindfulness and meditative practices, and modern scientific theories about matter, consciousness, reality, and the universe. Divided into three self-contained parts, it examines Buddhist terms like mindfulness, Jhana, Nibbana, and emptiness, drawing parallels to ideas in quantum mechanics and parallel universes.
By emphasizing practices from the Pali Suttas left by the historical Buddha, the text suggests that meditation offers deeper insights into reality, gradually leading to experience of Nibbana, the ultimate state of peace and freedom. The author combines personal meditative experiences with scientific and philosophical reflections to present a holistic view of consciousness. He uses real-life examples to provide the best possible accounts of these experiences, bringing much-needed awareness and optimism. He emphasizes that the experience of Nibbana left by the historical Buddha, is real and attainable even today. It’s simply a matter of dedicating time and effort to experience it.
Those of peaceful mind, discerning,
Mindful, given to meditation (Jhana),
Clearly see things rightly
And long not for sensual pleasures.
Those peaceful ones, delighting in diligence,
Who see fear in negligence,
Are incapable of falling away
And are close to Nibbána.
[Itivuttaka 2.45: Living in Seclusion]
I am beginning this book with a wonderful summary text taken from the Itivuttaka, which encapsulates the entirety of the Buddha’s teachings. It evokes a warm feeling and a sense of happiness that awaits us as a gift for practicing diligently and remaining calm, composed, and careful in our attitudes. The subjects of this book are Jhanas and Nibbana, and how we can directly experience these sublime states of happiness. Now, let's delve into more details of the text:
This means that those who know and see the arising of craving directly let go of it right then. These individuals possess a peaceful mind. How does one know and see craving? One should constantly observe the mind and see where it leans when any phenomenon arises in our awareness. This could be a thought, feeling, emotion, sound, idea, imagination, and so on. A mind affected by craving always leans towards liking something or disliking it. It may manifest as a gross movement of the mind or a subtle reaction, or the mind may simply shut off by showing indifference. All these are reactions of the mind that manifest craving towards the things entering its awareness. One lets go of craving not by forcefully suppressing or avoiding them, but by mindfully being aware and simply not keeping attention on them. This is a crucial point. Trying to suppress phenomena through reactions or by force causes craving to grow rather than subside. Then, one observes that there was some subtle tension or tightness in the mind because of those phenomena. One then relaxes the mind and body by releasing any tension in the body. This covers the attitudes of "Those of peaceful mind, discerning."
Being mindful means having that observation of the mind that is neither too lax nor too energetic. The Buddha gives the simile of holding a quail gently in one's hands. It needs to be held very gently but kept close. Essentially, one needs to have a relaxed attitude but with keen interest in the meditation object. The object of meditation can be mindfulness of loving-kindness, breath, observation of elements, the five aggregates, and so on. Personally, I have been trained in mindfulness of loving-kindness, and I find it to be a very beneficial practice in many ways. But the key lies in the attitude towards the meditation object.
After practicing in this manner for some time, the mind settles in a comfortable and peaceful way. The hindrances do not find any foothold in the mind because we are not paying attention to them and are relaxing any tension or tightness as they arise. it is akin to mud settling in the water of a pond, gradually revealing clear water in front of our awareness. What we see is the mind that is pure and empty of all distractions caused by the hindrances. This state of mind is called Jhana. Now, the mind is ready to observe things as they truly are. What is the reality of phenomena? They are not external to our mind; rather, they arise because of the mind reacting to situations. When one realizes this through direct experience, Cessation or Nirodha occurs—the culmination of the Noble Eightfold Path. Therefore, knowing and seeing Jhana is extremely important on this path.
Indeed, if one experiences the happiness that arises from letting go of craving, one will understand exactly what this means. Essentially, the happiness or pleasure from letting go—or from Jhanas—is far superior to what we experience from sense pleasures. Why? Because there are no sensual thoughts, no aversion, no excitement, no lustful intentions—all the worldly pursuits containing traces of greed, hatred, and delusion are absent. The mind experiences this otherworldly joy or happiness, which permeates and overflows through every cell of the body. The Buddha and his disciples were nourished by this sublime happiness; hence, they did not seek sensual happiness and were content living in secluded places and forests.
Now peace has become second nature for these meditators. They do not try to create peace or force themselves to be peaceful. They understand that peace naturally arises when the mind dissociates from phenomena, stops taking things personally, and avoids getting entangled in the mind's attempts to engage with them. They act in ways that maintain a balanced mind, naturally leading to inner peace. They are unwavering in their commitment to maintain this composure, adjusting their energy and practicing the other Awakening factors. They live harmoniously, in alignment with societal norms and nature, always adhering to the five precepts or more. They are acutely aware of personal suffering and remain mindful not to cause pain to anyone, demonstrating love and kindness towards all, including themselves. They understand that any attempt to inflict pain leads to restlessness and remorse, requiring significant effort and time to regain mental composure if deviating from the practice of right effort. They are cautious and mindful in sustaining their practice and continuously purifying their minds.
Those who live mindfully, practicing right effort, and have experienced the results of this path personally, know the Four Noble Truths intimately. When someone enters a state of Cessation (Nirodha) and awakens from it, they gain direct insight into the arising of the universe and the world of experiences. They have no doubts about the path leading to truth. The depth of Awakening to this experience deepens with each moment of practice. Essentially, this is what the Buddha conveyed. They have embarked on a gradual journey away from Samsara and will inevitably reach the state of Nibbana at some point in this life or the next few.
Around the end of 2017, my life took a major turn. I learned that my mother had been suffering from a chronic cough for the past few years, and her condition was worsening due to irreversible lung tissue decay. In late November, I travelled from the UK to Nepal for a few weeks to care for her. It was an emotionally challenging time. She was hoping that I could manage her deteriorating health and provide assurance that her lung condition could be treated. We consulted the best doctors in Nepal in the hope of finding the right medication. Spending three weeks watching her become increasingly frail and helpless was extremely difficult for me.
She has been my greatest inspiration to seek the path leading to the end of suffering. I had seen her meditate daily and explain the Suttas. She used to say that the Dhamma is so profound that we, her children, would not fully grasp its true meaning. Her words propelled me to explore the path of direct experience and the essence of true Dhamma. By then, I had been practicing TWIM for about two years and had undergone some profound experiences. I wished to teach her this practice, but time was running out. Her deteriorating health prevented her from practicing with me.
I gave her the book ‘The Path to Nibbana’ by David Johnson. Her English skills were limited, but she made efforts to understand the TWIM method. I explained the 6R technique and the importance of relaxing the mind and body to release craving, which resonated with her. From the book, she grasped the significance of the word ‘Relax’, which was truly inspiring for me. I wished I had more time to be with her and guide her through all the stages of Jhanas using the TWIM approach.
In January 2018, I received a call from Nepal urging me to take the earliest flight possible to see my mother before she passed away. I knew she was struggling due to the latest medication causing dizziness and weakness. She was on a ventilator, and the doctors were doing their best. As I landed at Kathmandu airport, my thoughts were filled with wishes for her comfort and recovery. Deep down, I held onto hope that she might survive this ordeal and eventually find freedom from her suffering, even though I knew it was a wish that kept my spirits up.
Unfortunately, I arrived too late to see her alive. Not a day goes by that I do not think about her. I take solace in the belief that she has found freedom from suffering after leaving this life, guided by the Dhamma that she held dear throughout her life. I recall a Sutta where the Buddha told Mahanama1 that those who have unwavering faith in the Dhamma are like ghee that never sinks, a thought that brings me comfort whenever I think of her.
Witnessing death up close made me realize the harsh truths of life. Imagine suddenly discovering you have very little time left due to unforeseen medical conditions. What becomes the most important in such critical moments? Some might say winning a billion-dollar lottery, others might dream of traveling the world or ruling it. Physicists and scientists might hope to teleport or explore the mysteries of the universe. Philosophers might seek answers about our purpose and what lies beyond death.
Perhaps the greatest questions of all time may boil down to this: What drives this life filled with endless experiences of suffering and joy? Is there a lasting happiness and freedom beyond these experiences? These questions have plagued humanity since ancient times.
What if we were told that death is merely a concept, a dream that we unknowingly fabricate, and that we can bring this dream to a complete halt? The existence we live, with its vivid experiences lasting decades for us humans, parallels the dreams we experience nightly.
The Buddha discovered over 2,600 years ago that we live in an incredibly real-looking dream. He left us the means to awaken permanently from this dream and achieve freedom from the miseries we endure life after life. He called this state of Awakening and freedom, which transcends space and time and all feelings, Nibbana: a perpetual state of peace, calm, and tranquillity attained through the extinguishing of the fire of craving.
While this may sound too far-fetched and fantastic to take seriously, there are indeed methods that can gradually guide anyone towards Awakening by training the mind in the right way. Often, we become absorbed in the reality of everyday life, focusing on making the most out of our few decades of existence by indulging our senses with whatever pleases them. We pursue the finest tasting foods, the most luxurious cars, holidays in exotic destinations, and other pleasures to satisfy our sensual desires.
But did you know there is a far superior pleasure and happiness that lies beyond these sensory pleasures? What's more, it is completely free for anyone to experience through simple exercises of training the mind. The Buddha called these experiences Jhanas—milestones of spiritual success accompanied by mindfulness and full awareness. They are attained by precisely following the recipe of Nibbana that he left for the world to practice and experience. This book will delve deeply into the remarkable developments of modern times to draw conclusions that support my convictions and direct experiences. Perhaps it is time to give these ancient wisdoms extra consideration and see for oneself that they are real and attainable experiences for our ultimate happiness and benefit, rather than pretending we are too busy.
Immediate questions may arise. Someone might say, "What you are talking about is nonsense; there is no happiness outside the realm of our senses." I could not agree more! This non-sensual happiness will not make sense to us until we experience it directly. In fact, we need to let go of all our preconceived ideas and concepts of happiness. Deep within our minds lie layers of mental dispositions that shape our awareness and experiences. We favor certain experiences and avoid those that are disagreeable, almost as if we have no control over them.
Figure 1: Too busy to explore new solutions to problems.
Deeper than these experiences lie another layer consisting of subtler experiences and attitudes that may challenge our perceptions slightly, but not significantly. These experiences are harder to let go of because we attach a sense of identity to them. We tend to believe that these attitudes and preferences constitute our personalities or are symbols of our existence and character.
As we unravel these subtler layers of experience, they begin to lose their solidity, revealing more experiences of emptiness. We come to realize that our experiences are composed of constituent parts, like bricks and mortar in a building or composites in construction. These components are held together by a process we generally do not comprehend, yet it operates swiftly to make everything around us appear smooth and real.
Now, questions may arise: What is this thing we call reality, actually? Are solid objects, liquids, and substances around us truly real? What about our bodies, sensations, feelings, thoughts, imaginations, and preferences? Natural sciences such as physics, chemistry, biology, and cosmology have made significant strides in analyzing the nature of matter that constitutes the objects we perceive.
The course of discoveries in recent years, decades, and centuries has brought us closer to realizing that the reality we ascribe to these objects is not as solid as we once thought in the early Newtonian era. Moreover, the recent developments in quantum physics and the entanglement of phenomena have completely disrupted the predictable and smooth framework of space-time that Newton and Einstein introduced in their theories.
If we review the last few hundred years of development in physics and other natural sciences, we have now reached a point where any scientific discovery may no longer be considered confined to an objective reality unaffected by the presence of a conscious observer. In this book, I will closely examine how we can release ourselves from rigid theories or speculations about consciousness. I will personally explore what it means to be mindful of all mental processes, including consciousness, and how they operate in our human experiences. I will detail techniques that allow our minds to train to such a degree that we can break through to even the subtlest experiences and observe the process of experience itself through the sharpest lens of mindfulness.
Obviously, the terms consciousness, mind, and mindfulness are largely unfamiliar to many proponents of science who believe that science should not be influenced by human factors or subjectivity. It should be defined by the precise laws of nature that underlie them. This fact is verifiable by many observers, who can arrive at a common conclusion asserting the results of the theories being investigated.
Perhaps the time is now ripe to ask the scientific community what they perceive as the ultimate objectives of all their pursuits? The answers often revolve around maximizing or minimizing certain metrics, such as minimizing energy expenditure for a process or maximizing the area served, and so on. These are always measured, compared, or quantitatively analyzed. If we step back and observe, there seems to be no end in sight to this process. It is an infinite loop where one can never find a state of total satisfaction, perpetual happiness, or complete cessation of desires. Pursuing the exploration of natural sciences solves our immediate problems—there is no denying this fact. But will it bring us long-term happiness? The answer to this question is not found within the domain of science.
This is where this book comes in: to provide descriptions of techniques, practices, paths, and experiences of long-term happiness with freedom of mind that one can personally observe, be assured of the outcomes, and where one can be free of any perplexity irrespective of what they are.
Throughout the book, I will use texts from the Pali Canon translated into English to ensure that my experiences and words can be traced back to these texts, assuring you that these are not merely my creative ideas. The Pali Canon contains the words of the historical Buddha on thousands of occasions throughout his life. They largely convey his messages to his disciples and all practitioners on how all our sufferings can be ended for good. While many of his words appear simple, their meanings run much deeper, and their significance is realized when one directly experiences them in meditative states. These are dimensions of super-human experiences, leading one to remain free from all distractions and entanglements of the mind.
For 2,600 years, the teachings of the Buddha about mindfulness and lovingkindness have permeated many cultures and societies, often forming an important anchor for social and moral cohesion. More than ever, the lessons and practices described in the Pali canon, a collection of scriptures in the Theravada Buddhist tradition, are relevant and helpful to guide people to deal with numerous challenges in modern life. In “Beyond the Edge of the Universe: A Steady Path of Mindfulness and Letting Go,” Dr. Indu Shakya, a longtime Buddhist practitioner, scientist, and researcher, explores the intersection of the Buddha’s teachings with contemporary scientific theories about consciousness, reality, and the universe. Shakya centers his discourse on his experience with Tranquil Wisdom Insight Meditation (TWIM), a meditation practice based on the original teachings of the Buddha, as found in the Pali Suttas.
I was drawn to the book because of my own exploration of Buddhism from different traditions, including Thai Forest, Tibetan and Soto Zen. Even after more than 20 years of exploring the Dharma, I approach my practice with a ”beginner’s mind,” to stay open to possibilities of understanding different perspectives and deeper meaning of the original teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha. What sets this book apart is the personal reflections and awakenings offered by Shakya derived from a 10-day online retreat with David Johnson in 2017. The author presents his insights into three parts, covering topics that blend Buddhist insights with modern scientific concepts such as quantum mechanics and the nature of reality. He emphasizes the practical aspects of mindfulness and meditation as a means to experience “nibbana,” the ultimate state of peace and freedom from suffering.
This book will benefit readers who are interested in the intersection of spirituality and science. I appreciated Dr. Shakya’s critique of materialist perspectives in science, which supports views that consciousness may be more fundamental than matter. He delves into various meditative practices taught by the historical Buddha, presenting them as pathways to experiencing the true nature of the mind and reality.
One challenging aspect of the book is that it requires some prior knowledge of Buddhist teachings. However, on the plus side, Dr. Shakya writes in a reflective, engaging and insightful way, encouraging readers to explore their own experiences and understanding of reality. Shakya refers to foundational texts that have been central to our modern understanding of Buddhism. He offers clear and concise explanations, making complex concepts accessible to readers who do not have a lot of exposure to Buddhist philosophy and practices, ensuring that everyone can benefit from his insights.