Evidence of Self-Directed Death

Deiform Buddha

June 15, 2006

“I have shared with several Chanyuan celestials that humans have the ability to control their own life and death. If necessary, death can be completed through the power of the mind. However, before death, one must be clear about where to go afterward. When you thoroughly understand the heavenly realm you should reach and have repaid all debts of the human world—after resolving all earthly attachments—you can decide the time to leave the human world at any moment. This may sound incomprehensible and incredible, but it is indeed true. As for how to control death, it involves the secrets of Lifechanyuan and will not be disclosed now, but you can gain insight from the facts below.

Older Chanyuan celestials should contemplate this issue carefully, read this article seriously, and seek a perfect conclusion in their practice and cultivation. The selected article below includes a story about a white mouse, illustrating that life only holds hope when a direction is determined. Lifechanyuan has clearly pointed out the direction of life and revealed the principles of understanding one's destination after death and how to reach the ideal shore through the eight levels of thinking and the Eight Major Mysteries of Life. This should be deeply contemplated.

Evidence from Science

Where does the human mind come from? Can the mind be naturally produced within the human body?

For a long time, people believed that the mind was naturally produced by the brain. To answer how the human mind differs from that of animals, it was necessary to find the fundamental differences between the human brain and animal brains. Many scientists devoted their lives to seeking evidence, but later scientific research proved that much of this evidence was flawed.

The average weight of the human brain is about 1300 grams, but this does not signify much. Larger animals have proportionally larger brains. For example, an elephant's brain weighs about 4000 grams, and a whale's brain weighs about 7000 grams.

Later, people invented the method of comparing brain volume to body weight to explain the origin of the mind. However, this method proved to be ineffective. Look at the data: humans are 1:38, whales are 1:2500, elephants are 1:500, and gorillas are 1:100. Humans seem to have an advantage, yet a white mouse is 1:26, a gibbon is 1:28, and a sparrow is 1:34, all superior to humans in this aspect, but they do not possess a mind.

With the further development of brain science, it seemed that humans had finally discovered the source of the mind: the many convolutions of the human brain, causing the mind to flow like spring water from mountain valleys. The surface area of the human brain's hemispheres is about 2250 square centimeters, equivalent to the size of a large newspaper, while the surfaces of mouse and rabbit brains are relatively flat. This seems reasonable! However, scientists soon discovered that dolphins in the ocean have brain convolutions that are no less than humans and even more. If we judged the richness of the mind based on brain convolutions alone, the result would likely not favor humans but rather an unexpected animal.

Some people believe that the number of brain cells in humans exceeds that of other animals, which is why humans can generate a mind. Unfortunately, the facts do not support this. If we use the number of brain cells per 0.0001 cubic millimeter as a standard, we find humans have 10.5, whales 6.8, cats 30.8, and mice 105.0. The smaller the animal, the higher the density of brain cells.

Evolutionary biologists have pointed out that the human frontal lobe is much larger than that of other primates, suggesting it to be the source of our creative thinking and language abilities. However, scholars at the University of Iowa believe that the size of the human frontal lobe is not significantly different from that of other primates. Researchers Marsh and Semendeferi at Iowa scanned some primates, including humans, using magnetic resonance imaging and measured the size of each brain part. They found that the human frontal lobe is not markedly different from that of primates: gorillas have 31.7%, chimpanzees 36.1%, and humans 36.8%. Chimpanzees have 5.4% more than gorillas but are not significantly smarter. Humans only have 0.7% more than chimpanzees but are much smarter. Thus, the size of the frontal lobe does not explain much.

Scientific discoveries indicate that the brain, as a natural information processing system, exhibits consciousness that, in terms of its physiological mechanisms, differs from that of other animals only in complexity, not in essence. Both are manifestations of a common biological electrical and biochemical process.

In a hospital in Virginia, USA, a peculiar baby was born whose entire cranial cavity was essentially a cyst filled with water, making the baby effectively brainless. Doctors predicted that this brainless baby would not have any mental activity, would never laugh, and would be very lucky to survive a few weeks. However, contrary to the prediction, the baby exhibited some human-like awareness, enjoyed watching TV, and would laugh at interesting TV programs. It lived for a full five years. Where did this baby’s consciousness come from? Surely, it cannot come from water!

Modern science has proven that the brain will die completely within a few minutes in the absence of oxygen. In former East Germany, an experiment was conducted where a head was severed from a body after a car accident, in which the body had been shattered, but the head remained intact. The severed head survived without oxygen for 146 hours. Electronic instruments continuously tracked the electronic signals from the head. For 76 hours, the head functioned normally and could communicate by blinking. After that, it gradually declined, and brainwaves disappeared after 146 hours. This is an unconventional example of the existence of consciousness that is difficult to explain with modern brain science.

At the University of Sheffield in northern England, there was a student in the mathematics department with consistently high intelligence. He excelled in all exams and was well-liked by his peers and professors. However, during a physical examination, Professor John Lorber, a neurology expert at the University of Sheffield, made a surprising discovery while performing a CT scan on the student. Despite the student's high IQ, he had almost no brain. His cerebral cortex was only 0.3 millimeters thick, whereas a normal person’s cortex is about 4.5 millimeters thick. Beneath his cortex was cerebrospinal fluid. The professor was astonished and could not understand where the student’s high intelligence came from.

In modern life, with the increasing maturity of neurosurgery, more and more people survive after having half their brains removed. In Kunming, a patient had half his brain removed in 1960 due to illness but functioned almost normally and was able to perform his job effectively after starting work in 1973.

All evidence seems to suggest that the human mind likely exists independently of the physical body. The mind exists as an independent entity apart from the body. If this hypothesis holds, then all early human theories about the soul should be reconsidered.

An American psychologist conducted a psychological experiment in which a subject was brought into an empty room while screams could be heard from an adjacent room. The psychologist told the subject that the experiment was to test the limits of human pain endurance. The window was opened to show the entire process. A person was tied tightly to a chair, and nearby a furnace glowed with red-hot coals. A doctor used tongs to take out a red-hot coin from the furnace and placed it on the person's arm. There was a hissing sound, the arm began to smoke, and a scream of excruciating pain followed. After the experiment, the person stumbled down from the chair, clutching their burnt arm, with a coin-sized burn scar clearly visible on their arm.

The psychologist showed several similar experiments to the subject. Afterward, the subject was taken to the experiment room and tied tightly to a chair. A red-hot coin was taken from the furnace, and the psychologist said, "I am now going to place this coin on your arm." The subject suddenly felt a hot object on their arm, followed by intense, piercing pain, and screamed loudly. The doctors found that the subject had developed a third-degree burn scar the size of a coin on his arm.

In fact, all the experiments were fake—the burns and screams were simulated. The true experiment subject was the last one. The coin placed on the subject’s arm was only slightly warmed, just above body temperature, and could not cause burns. Therefore, where did this third-degree burn scar come from? Since there were no external factors, it must be attributed to consciousness and mind causing the body to burn because the mind believed the body should burn under such conditions. In this experiment, the possibility of the body causing its own burns was eliminated because the body can only passively react to external stimuli.

This experiment proves that the mind has absolute control over the body, allowing the body to react in unimaginable ways under certain conditions. The body is merely a slave or tool of the mind.

This conclusion from scientific experiments is similar to various religious views on the soul. For example, Taoism believes that the body is merely a furnace for cultivation, where one refines their "Three Treasures" to achieve spiritual evolution. Buddhism also believes that "Buddha-nature" can control the body.

The American journal Biopsychology published an example of a psychological experiment by psychologist Kratz, which originated from a legal case involving a death.

At a university in the United States, a group of college students orchestrated a prank. Late one night, they suddenly put an unsuspecting friend into a bag. Without saying a word, they carried the bag to a train station, chose a long-abandoned railway track, and placed their poor friend on it. Then they squatted nearby to watch. At that moment, the sound of a train leaving the station echoed from a distance, and the ground began to tremble slightly. The friend lying on the tracks started to struggle, unaware that the railway track he was on had been abandoned and that the approaching train would pass by on another track. As the train got closer, the pranksters noticed that when the train was still about 100 meters away, their poor friend stopped moving. The roaring train passed with an ear-piercing sound of metal clashing.

However, when the pranksters went to their friend's side after the train had passed, they found that their friend was dead.

In the subsequent autopsy, the coroner found no signs of damage to any internal organs. So, how did this person die? Was it homicide or suicide? How should the law rule on this case? This incident became a hot topic of discussion.

Psychologists did not partake in the idle chatter; instead, they conducted a series of psychological experiments to unravel this mystery. Among the many psychological experiments, one was conducted by Crat, and it went like this:

They placed a small white mouse into a large pool to observe its behavior under dangerous circumstances. It is well known that mice generally have strong swimming abilities, and the pool, although large, was within the swimming range of the mouse. When the mouse fell into the water, it did not swim immediately but circled around, squeaking. It was assessing its location, using its whiskers as sensors to detect its surroundings. The mouse's squeaks would bounce off the pool's edges and reflect back, allowing the whiskers to detect the size, direction, and distance of the target. After squeaking and circling a few times, the mouse swam energetically in a chosen direction and soon reached the shore. This happened repeatedly in the experiments.

The psychologists then selected another mouse, this time cutting off all its whiskers before placing it in the center of the pool. The mouse circled around, squeaking, but without its whiskers, it could not determine its location. It continued circling and squeaking anxiously but to no avail. Soon, this mouse drowned at the bottom of the pool.

Psychologists explained the mouse's death as follows: because the mouse's whiskers were cut, it could not accurately determine its location. In its mind, it was surrounded by water and believed there was no way to escape. In such a situation, the mouse stopped all efforts and forcibly ended its own life. In reality, the mouse had died before it sank to the bottom, effectively killing itself.

Psychologists concluded that all animals, when confronted with utterly hopeless situations, would forcibly end their own lives. This is known as "mental suicide." When the person on the railway track heard the train approaching and felt the track vibrating, he struggled to escape the danger. But, tied in a bag, he knew he couldn't escape. To avoid the agony of being dismembered by the train, he ended his life when the train was still about 100 meters away. Therefore, he died by suicide.

So, what is the mechanism behind his suicide? In this case, we once again see the role of the independent spiritual life separate from the physical body. In fact, there are countless examples supporting this argument. In deep hypnosis psychological experiments, we are often baffled by phenomena such as unexplained increases in blood sugar levels. These experiments all point to one conclusion: the mind is independent of the body and can control the body. Ancient religious beliefs held this view, as do rigorous traditional Chinese medicine and scientifically inclined Taoist theories. Modern scientific experiments have also proven this point. This series of clues convinces us that this conclusion is correct.

In fact, there are numerous examples in the history of human scientific development that can prove our point, though these experiments were previously overlooked:

In 1934, in New Delhi, the capital of India, several psychologists sought to conduct an unusual psychological experiment, but finding subjects proved challenging. After much effort, they found a criminal who was about to be executed with the help of the police and the courts.

One day, the police brought the criminal to a laboratory and told him: "Because of your heinous crimes, we have decided to drain your blood to death." They then tied the criminal to a bed, stretched out his arm, and fixed it. The criminal's line of sight was blocked.

A doctor held a gleaming scalpel in front of the criminal and said, “I will use this scalpel to cut your artery.” He lightly cut the artery, causing minimal bleeding that soon stopped. However, psychologists placed a metal basin with good echo properties under his arm and used a drip to drop water into the basin.

The dripping water made a ticking sound as it struck the metal basin. The room was silent, and everyone held their breath to observe the criminal's expression. Occasionally, the disguised psychologists would say things like, "300 milliliters already" or "Almost half a basin." As the ticking sound continued, the criminal's face turned pale as if he had really lost blood. After a while, his breathing weakened, and he eventually died, his face deathly pale.

After the experiment, psychologists were left puzzled: how did this criminal die? Was it a case of homicide or suicide?

Modern psychological therapy often uncovers strange phenomena of life. Let us examine two real psychological experiments.

In a hypnosis test, the doctor casually picked up a cup of plain water and told the subject: “This is a cup of water filled with a lot of sugar. It’s very sweet, and you will feel very comfortable after drinking it.” The subject, under deep hypnosis, drank the plain water. As we know, when we drink a sugary beverage, the sugar is absorbed into the blood through the digestive system, increasing the blood sugar concentration.

Strangely, after the subject drank the plain water, they were immediately awakened, and blood tests were conducted to check the subject's blood sugar concentration. The result was unexpected: despite the digestive system not absorbing any sugar, the subject's blood sugar concentration was significantly higher, as if they had drunk a very sweet beverage. Where did this mysterious sugar come from? Who produced this sugar?

In another hypnosis test, a person was deeply hypnotized, and the doctor told him: "When you wake up and see me pick up the cup, you will throw this pen out of the window." The subject was then awakened. After a considerable amount of time, when the doctor picked up the cup, the subject actually grabbed the pen from the table and threw it out of the window. Later, when asked why he threw the pen out of the window, the subject had no idea why they did it. This is a thought-provoking result.

The separation of mind and body is also evidenced by other scientific experiments. In 1966, when doctors opened one skull and stimulated a specific area of the brain with tiny electrodes, they found a delay of 0.5 seconds between the start of the stimulation and the corresponding reaction of the body. If consciousness were a function of the brain, the stimulation and reaction should be simultaneous. This situation suggests only one possibility: consciousness and the brain are not one entity; consciousness is independent of the brain.

In 1978, Nobel Prize winner and neurophysiologist Eccles summarized his years of research and proposed a shocking new viewpoint: brain excitation is not equivalent to mind and consciousness. He believed that humans have a "self-aware mind" independent of the brain, and the brain is merely its material tool. He said, "Each of us has had non-material thinking and self-awareness capabilities during some period of embryonic development or early childhood. This “soul” endows us with human characteristics: consciousness, thought, love, hate, fear, etc." He speculated that the non-material "self" continues to exist after the material brain dies.

What Eccles referred to as "self-aware mind" is not the type of consciousness typically derived from brain function but something similar to the "soul" in religious and mythological contexts.

The issue has come full circle and returned to its original starting point. We have spent hundreds of years realizing that the viewpoint of "mind-body separation" may not be mere absurd religious superstition.

This article is excerpted from the book Humanity Was Once Destroyed, by Li Weidong.