When we experience emotions, are they real or illusory?

This is an AI-generated transcript and it might not be fully accurate:

When we experience emotions, are the emotions that we experience real or not real? Are they illusory? Well, it depends on what we are referring to. So the experience of emotions is real. So even when somebody has a hallucination, that means they say, I hear some voice, I see some form, I think somebody is chasing me.

Now the point is, there is no external stimulation, but there is no external stimulus, but there is an internal effect. So the internal effect is coming, so the emotions are real. But is there a stimulus object out there that is still causing the stimulation? But that is not there.

That is called a hallucination, generally speaking. So now, from the philosophical perspective, Krishna is real. Krishna is the supreme reality.

And when we experience some joy, is it a hallucination? Well, if we are connecting with Krishna through the practice of bhakti, then it is not a hallucination. Now, how do you know Krishna really exists? That is a valid question. Now, it is the most promising area of interface between science and spirituality, tomorrow afternoon we will talk on this topic, is that is brain science.

Now, more and more neuroscience is revealing the benefits of spirituality, of meditation, of mantra chanting, of mindfulness, of deep breathing, of recitation of prayers, whatever. And what do they find that? Actually the brain gets rewired, that certain areas of the brain which are associated with a very calm state of very peaceful, joyful state of being, those areas of the brain are activated. Now, this is undeniable.

But what is the implication of that? With respect to that, there are books like the Brain Wars, which have been written. Brain Wars means, some people say that God is not a reality. What you think of God, it is just that part of the brain being activated.

That part of the brain is activated, you experience that, but that is all there is to it. The other people who say that, actually when we experience something, there is a reality and we are connecting with that reality. Now, how do we actually know that? So, the two tests, the two main tests for knowing whether it is just an experience inside or there is an object outside based on your experience.

One of the tests is how long does the effect last? That if somebody is practicing bhakti not just for one day, two days, but for one year, two years, 10 years, 20 years, 30 years. So generally, while the mind can create hallucinations, for it to hold on to the same hallucination for week after week, month after month, year after year, decade after decade, that is very unlikely. And especially when that hallucination actually does not bring joy.

The test is that if religion and spirituality is just like a placebo, you just do something because it feels good for you. But the whole point is that when there are people who practice religion and devotion, they do many activities that do not feel good. People are ready to sacrifice for that particular cause.

So, if it is all a matter of just good emotions, in every religious tradition, there are people who become martyrs, they are killed for their religion. Or those people could just have given up their religion, they would not be killed. So now, why if it is just a matter of positive emotions, then why would, when they are experiencing negative emotions, why would they hold on to that? Now you can say the hallucination is so deep, but why would it be so deep? So, broadly speaking, spiritual practices, yes, they activate certain parts of the brain, they help us to experience certain emotions.

But the process of bhakti, it also gives us experience of a higher reality. That higher reality is not something which you can immediately experience, but we will experience with the gradual practice. So, can sahajiyas experience Krishna also? Yes, they can.

But the problem is, it is very difficult to distinguish between what is an experience of Krishna and what is just an imagination created by their mind. The key point is not just to have a spiritual experience. The key point is to follow a spiritual process by which our consciousness rises to a higher level of reality.

So, the sahajiyas, those who are sentimentalists in the practice of bhakti, they do not follow a process. And because they do not follow a process, they do not really experience a higher reality on a regular basis. They do not rise to a higher level of consciousness.