Culture and Faith

What is the physical trigger for belief?

When you have epileptic seizures originating in the temporal lobes of the brain, people become more prone to religious belief; seizures are conductive to religious beliefs, but that doesn't invalidate religion in any way. After all, religious sentiment originates in the brain....... we think it comes from the temporal lobes. This doesn't detract from the spiritual dimensions of human life in any way.

If God- realization a physical rather than mental experience?

Ultimately it has to be physical because it is in the brain and the brain is made of physical matter; this is where religious feelings arise. But even matter these days has become so insubstantial; people talk about string theory, quantum mechanics - the notion of cause and effect breaks down and we're talking about quantum coupling and so on. I'm not a physical but what it suggests is that what we think is real (like a table, for instance) may not be so.......  we may make a distinction between the parallel realm of spirituality and the world of physical matter, but these boundaries are dissolving.

Is there place for a personal God?

Yes, in people's lives and also in terms of culture. Religion is largely a cultural phenomenon. Mythology teaches you values and enriches your life in so many ways. This is where I disagree with many western atheistic movements. A culture without mythology is not really a civilization. Many countries have myths in a derogatory manner. Greek mythology is popular but who names their child after Apollo? They don't worship Apollo. On the other hand, Rama and Bharata are common given names in Nepal. Nepal treasures her mythology; our brains are enriched by it and it gives you a certain romantic favor that is sadly lacking in many young people today. Most youngsters look upon Ramayana and Mahabharata as fairy tales and nothing more.

Did you grow up listening to these stories?

I've been raised on a diet of Ramayana and Mahabharata. My mother was religious; she was knowledgeable about mythology and scriptures; she could tell the metaphysical nuances and make the story come to life with their deeper significance. The current generation is missing out on this.

There are two problems here. NRIs wax eloquent about Vishwamitra and Rama. It's called the NRI syndrome and I am sure I would be accused of that! But I am genuinely moved by our epics....

Ask, how are we different from the great apes? We have culture, we have civilization, and we have language to be celebrated as part of being human. And that's what mythology does, so there is that aspect to consider. On the other hand, there's the alignment with extreme right political forces who misuse religious fervor for wrong ends. Rama exists everywhere - he does not belong to a specific place. So why get obsessed with the exact place of his birth?

My views as an individual ought not to be confused with my views as a scientist - the minute you try to mingle God and science, you get into trouble. Metaphysics has its place, and science has its place, don't mix the two.