Beyond Biocentrism Rethinking Time Space Consciousness and the Illusion of Death

In Beyond Biocentrism, acclaimed biologist Robert Lanza, one of TIME Magazine’s "100 Most Influential People in 2014," and leading astronomer Bob Berman, take the reader on an intellectual thrill-ride as they re-examine everything we thought we knew about life, death, the universe, and the nature of reality itself.

The first step is acknowledging that our existing model of reality is looking increasingly creaky in the face of recent scientific discoveries. Science tells us with some precision that the universe is 26.8 percent dark matter, 68.3 percent dark energy, and only 4.9 percent ordinary matter, but must confess that it doesn’t really know what dark matter is and knows even less about dark energy. Science is increasingly pointing toward an infinite universe but has no ability to explain what that really means. Concepts such as time, space, and even causality are increasingly being demonstrated as meaningless.

All of science is based on information passing through our consciousness but science hasn’t the foggiest idea what consciousness is, and it can’t explain the linkage between subatomic states and observation by conscious observers. Science describes life as an random occurrence in a dead universe but has no real understanding of how life began or why the universe appears to be exquisitely designed for the emergence of life.

The biocentrism theory isn’t a rejection of science. Quite the opposite. Biocentrism challenges us to fully accept the implications of the latest scientific findings in fields ranging from plant biology and cosmology to quantum entanglement and consciousness.

By listening to what the science is telling us, it becomes increasingly clear that life and consciousness are fundamental to any true understanding of the universe. This forces a fundamental rethinking of everything we thought we knew about life, death, and our place in the universe.

The first thing I must say about this book it that there are not enough stars to describe what a good read this book truly is. Robert Lanza, MD teamed up with Bob Berman (astrophysicist) to write this wonderful 200 page book that for me -- finally put it all together. I studied physics and can say for myself that I have a mind of scientist that is (over)loaded with logic. But I am also a yoga teacher and since my father's death nearly 10 years ago, I have been actively looking for answers about death, immortality and nature of space and time. I read so many books about the topic, I lost count. That was until I came across this book. Authors finally put it all together for me that both my scientific, logical mind and my spiritual mind could put it all together in a manner that it finally all made sense.

One of the 'a-ha" moments was towards the end of the book when author Lanza acknowledges the fact that plants have consciousness. I was reading that part of the book on the train on my way form work and at one moment, I said out loud (without realizing it) - "Oh my God!" An older gentlemen, a professional man, sitting in a fine, tailored suit next to my seat, was startled and he replied: "Did you miss your train exit? Was I in a way?". I just looked at him and smiled and my response was simply:" Oh, no. It is just that I learned from this book that plants have consciousness! Can you believe it? And there is a proof!".. He was so kind, he looked at me and said after a longer pause replied: "Well, it does kind of make sense - the fact that plants have consciousness...." What can I say - I repeated the same story to my yoga students I was teaching that same night.

The fact is that this book is so rich with references to ancient philosophical books, logic from ancient Greece and how all of that information is relevant today. Authors provide scientific insight on classical physics (Newton) to modern physics (quantum mechanics and relativity). For me personally, this book, every single page of it was food for my soul. Not to mention that I was delighted to learn (and accept) the premise that authors have that, after all, we are all immortal. Some of the very fortunate people on earth experience enlightenment, and this book will show every reader that there is a potential in each and every one of us to experience it. This book opened my eyes to possibilities that no one has ever presented in such a concise and beautiful way before.

There is one portion of the book where authors discuss how human beings are used to observing and exploring universe by "looking" at the skies. This book missed it by a couple of months, since it's been announced a few months back that scientists in New Mexico, for the first time, "heard" creation of the black hole. This was just an idea that Einstein had nearly 50 years ago that the events in the universe can be heard and not just seen and it was only recently that scientists could prove that events in the universe can indeed be heard by human beings. Nevertheless, this book is priceless and I am keeping it as a reference in my library. It has underlining all over the place and I just cannot stop talking about it to everyone I know.

Another wonderful thing that must be mentioned is that one author (Lanza) relies strictly on science and logic, while the other co-author (Berman) believes in a "gut" feeling in spite of the fact that he received a training as a scientist. Perhaps the part of the reason is the fact that for the period of three weeks, Mr. Berman experienced enlightenment himself. I must quote one part of the book, where Mr. Berman says: "We trust our instincts. We need no textbook to teach us to love, or to recognize danger, or to be swept into a joy by a beautiful garden. Yet when it comes to grasping the nature of existence, we fumble and stumble through insensate theories, our eyes glazed over as we hear about string theory's extra dimensions".

My personal struggle my entire life has been to reconcile my scientific mind with my deep sense of intuition. For a long time I denied myself my intuition because my rational mind always felt that there has to be a rational "proof" first before I make up my mind and fully accept my gut feeling. This book has finally thought me a lesson that I will allow my intuition to lead me first, I will trust it unconditionally and rationality will follow in its own time and show itself when it is ready. For that lesson I am so thankful to both of these authors. They are my personal heroes.

Paper back like new!