Showing results by author "David Christopher Lane" in All Categories

What makes Errol Flynn so fascinating is that he lived a life that was so adventurous and seemingly impossible it borders on the surreal. Refreshingly, Flynn makes no apologies for his lifestyle and even revels in his iconoclastic ways. Flynn captures the essence of his thinking when he opines, "I know that truth is sometimes an octagon and that I am one. Contradiction is a cardinal element of life and of itself may be no contradiction."

This little book focuses on two famous spiritual leaders: Adi Da and Paul Twitchell and how devotees of each try to defend their actions. The author then presents a counter-critique to their respective defenses. Also included is a brief essay on Ken Wilber's transcendental sociology, as well as a spirited defense of a neuroscientific approach to understanding consciousness.

This little book explores the projective nature of consciousness by using various rides at Disneyland to explain how awareness works as a virtual simulator.

I have had the wonderful privilege of introducing Einstein's theory of relativity to thousands of college students in my Introduction to Philosophy courses at Mt. San Antonio College and in my upper division course on Science and Religion at California State University, Long Beach. Although Einstein's concept is difficult to grasp at first, given enough time and study it becomes easier to understand over time.

Presents a critical overview of guru succession in the Radhasoami tradition from its inception in the mid-1850s up until early 1991. Provides vital information for anyone interested in the politics behind guru succession in general. Includes extensive notes and an exhaustive bibliography.

The first part of this work includes four original essays by Professor David Christopher Lane on the Darwin-Wallace debate, focusing on the contentious issue of whether or not natural selection can explain the human mind or soul. In part two we have included the two original essays by Darwin and Wallace in 1858 concerning their discovery of evolution by natural selection as presented to the Linnean Society in London, England.

This book provides a wide overview of Darwin's views on a variety of subjects. It also draws out some of the implications of his groundbreaking work on psychology and philosophy.

This text contains a number of timeless essays from several classic (and mostly out of print) works focusing on the love of books, collecting books, organizing one's library, and how books become lost over time. It is a judicious selection on bibliomania from such distinguished authors as Eugene Field, Christopher Morley, and Issac Disraeli

Faqir Chand was a remarkable Indian sage who spent over 75 years practicing an ancient meditation technique, popularly known today as surat shabd yoga, which attempts to induce a consciously controlled near-death experience. This book contains Faqir Chand's unique autobiography which was dictated shortly before his death in Urdu and translated during his lifetime into English. It also includes a seasoned selection of Faqir Chand's radical teachings.

What Faqir Chand has discovered is that religious visions, no matter how profound or uplifting, are self-generated and are not due to the miraculous energies of a saint or a master. Yet, disciples worldwide tend to believe otherwise and thereby project power and omniscience on their respective gurus who, in truth, have neither. Therein lies the great religious trap. An unscrupulous guru is akin to a parasitic vampire who psychically lives off the deepest yearnings and sincerest intentions of their devotees, never letting on that they are completely devoid of power.

The Chandian Effect describes subjective visionary manifestations in which a devotee has a transpersonal encounter involving a sacred figure or form, of which the object of devotion is unaware. The term was first coined by David C. Lane, and so called because Faqir Chand was the first Sant Mat guru to speak at length about the unknowing aspects of such encounters.

This book consists of six distinct essays describing how science works, with special attention to how Richard Feynman viewed the scientific method. Chapter one explores the difference between evolution and mysticism's version of intelligent design. Chapter two is entitled The Feynman Imperative and explores a contentious debate over reductionism and its role in the hard sciences, particularly in explaining consciousness.

What is matter anyways? - From organisms to cells to proteins to molecules to atoms to electrons to light? The most famous equation in modern physics is Einstein's E=MC2, which, if we pause for a second, is as mysterious as anything written in our ancient religious scriptures and measurably more radical. My point is that the resistance we have to reductionists who say we are "just matter" is because we tend to think of matter as flat. It is, of course, anything but.

Heretical Thinking has five distinct chapters, raising critical questions concerning how to properly study mysticism, the radical (and forgotten) message buried within the life and death narrative within the Four Gospels concerning what early Christianity really taught, the differences between Eastern and Western religions via certain mythological icons, why karma theory may be nonsensical, and finally exploring the connection between mysticism and quantum theory.

This book touches upon a number of cutting edge issues in science, including artificial intelligence and its impact on humankind, Darwin's moral sense and its implications, and how to think critically in an age of paranormal beliefs.

This book explores the philosophical work of Patricia Churchland and her groundbreaking studies in neurophilosophy, a field she helped to create. Includes a critical analysis of her latest work on near-death experiences and some of her controversial findings. Also included is a special interview conducted by Professor Meredith Doran dating back to 1990 which details Churchland's work on consciousness and the brain.

One of the first books ever published to objectively study the life and work of Franklin Jones, also known as Bubba Free John, Da Free John, Adi Da, an infamous cult leader who attracted both devotees and detractors. Contains original essays by Professor Scott Lowe (University of Wisconsin) and Professor David Lane (Mt. San Antonio College).

The idea that the world is an illusion that betrays its real origin has a long tradition and can be found in the writings of Hindu rishis, early Greek philosophers, and Christian Gnostics. What is perhaps surprising is to find such a rich literature on the subject in neuroscience and quantum physics. The latest, and perhaps most provocative, idea to gain some currency in varying scientific disciplines is the hypothesis that the universe is the result of a computational simulation....

Perhaps the study of consciousness has an inherent limitation, similar in import to Heisenberg's uncertainty principle in quantum mechanics or Gödel’s incompleteness theorem in mathematics. Perhaps we are like seasoned travelers on a Mobius strip in quest of the “other” side of the band who after long and arduous circular travels come to realize that no matter what route we take we will always only be touching the same surface.

This edited volume by the MSAC Philosophy Group includes a variety of essays by different authors on virtual reality, augmented reality, artificial intelligence, and those computational pioneers and thinkers who have advanced our understanding of a digital future.