I met Swami Sankarananda online while I was pursuing a masters degree in data science in 2017. In my then newly acquired understanding of Artificial intelligence and from my background as a biochemist and a former youth member of Chinmaya Mission, I had stitched together arguments contending that intelligence that we find in organic matter of the brain is not special as it can be created in silicon chips or any configuration of matter that permits computations which then has implications about consciousness that contradicts theology of all kinds. The Buddhist notions were vindicated was my contention.

I had opportunity two weeks ago to meet and spend time with him continuing this dialogue. Our dialogue is not about theory as much as it is about “practice”, “mindset” and the “weltanschaaung or world view”.

Last year at this time I hosted him in Dallas to conduct a day camp on a contemplative text from Vedanta.

What follows is an excerpt from a diary self published on Amazon, where the author has provided explicit release of copyright to share.

ISBN 9798831610468

Pilgrimage Home: Journey to the Heart

A discussion of our true home in the universal Heart and the steps we take to discover it

Swami Sankarananda

There are both ups and downs, there is pleasure and pain; there is what is beautiful and what is ugly.

There is gain and there is loss, there are good times, and there are bad times. Our mind will tell us that these rules need not apply to “me”, and yet this is delusion, a universal quality of the mind. For me, the bad times were coming as were events that would cause me to start to think more deeply about what is life and what is its meaning.

This was a question that I had never asked and I had made fun of others when I heard that they were “searching for themselves”. I had thought, “How could you lose yourself to begin with?” It seemed so clear for so long that success was the way to happiness, and life seemed all about being successful.

I had never seriously contemplated death either. That changed when the sixteen-year-old daughter of close friends died in a terribly tragic car crash. She passed in their arms while they waited some forty-five minutes for an ambulance to arrive. Perhaps you can imagine the terrible pain of experiencing tragedy such as this. Our friends were devastated, inconsolable. These were our closest “couples friends”, they were neighbors and we had enjoyed much beautiful time together. I had no idea what to do; we were there but we observed as they both, the man in particular, sunk rapidly. Their life force seemed to be draining away, and of course this was not a surprise. It was simply horrible.

The daughter was outgoing, gifted, loveable, and greatly loved. Her entire school class came for her funeral, as well as much of the school. At the service so many talked of her and her magical gifts. She was a gifted artist and writer, she seemed to care deeply for everyone, she was always fair in her dealings with others. She was a very good person marked with the potential for greatness.

After a short time something strange started to happen; their daughter began to communicate with both of them. The communication was through signs, and there were many signs. Papers from her would appear in mysterious ways, one of them explaining that she was Ok where she was, another a contemplation on death which seemed to have been written from the other side. There was much more, suffice it to say that many stories were shared with us and the occurrences were not in any stretch of the imagination random. Her engagement with them was as real as talking with someone in front of you now. This was completely at odds with our general beliefs about life, but there was no question of it. Our friends brought in mediums, something that they would have never imagined doing, and at first m frauds but then one that was clearly able to help them to communicate with their daughter.

They stepped up their search and met scientists who research “continuation of consciousness after bodily death”. I learned that there are many scientists researching this subject and there is much rock o solid objective and subjective evidence both about us continuing on in some way after death. Although there is not so much money spent on the research, as death is a topic not many really want to think or talk about (we mysteriously ignore the concept of “my” death though it is an absolute certainty), there are many brilliant and dedicated people working in this area.

Our friends started a foundation to provide support for people who lost family members and other loved ones; they provide such beneficial support through counseling, friendship and loving kindness, scientific research and help in communicating with lost loved ones; it is truly a great work. The organization, named Forever Family Foundation, now has thousands of members. My wife and I attended an annual conference and some local ones, I got to know some of the people involved in the effort, and this spurred me to begin to alter my view of what life is and what this world is, even what I am. It was no longer obvious.

At this same time frustration and an odd dreamlike quality about life had grown to an abiding discontent with it. Although I was investing little conscious time thinking about this one veil had lifted and it had become painfully clear to me that I was not happy. I was also starting to understand that | was not going to be happy continuing in the direction I was. It seemed that the basis for whatever little joy I had was crumbling and I was starting to feel depression.

The technology business is cyclical, and the downturns were becoming more painful. My income had peaked and was declining with an extended downturn. With the decline in income l was thinking more about the need to dispose of things I liked and less about acquiring more. Boating was over after an accident ended that. I was getting older, even though inside I felt no older.

End of excerpt.