Really, the mind does not move. It is the truth, but it seems so counter intuitive. We see people moving everywhere and we know each one of us has a mind. If people are moving, then the mind must also move. Correct? No this is incorrect.

In other articles we have discussed that the mind is outside the spacetime fabric. We know that the mind is t = 0 and it projects the spacetime fabric and the world out there. Your mind is at t = 0 and it projects the spacetime fabric and contents of the visible universe. I have my mind at t = 0 and my projection of the spacetime fabric and my visible universe. This applies to every living being who has a mind. The t = 0 is the ‘now’ moment and all the individual minds at this ‘now’ moment is at the same place, just outside the spacetime fabric.

It is only logical that the movement takes place in the spacetime fabric. Movement needs space. Without space there can be no movement. The mind is outside the spacetime fabric and therefore the movement of mind is impossible. Since there is no space outside the spacetime fabric, movement of the mind is impossible. It is therefore correct to conclude that the mind is fixed, and it does not move. Okay the mind is fixed and does not move, what about the body? The body is within the spacetime fabric. In fact, my body, your body is at the starting point of the spacetime fabric. If the mind is fixed, can the body move in the spacetime fabric? It is a good question and needs some logical thinking. One thing all of us are sure of is that, wherever we are, we always have our mind with us. We know we have a mind, and we know the mind is always with us. It is never separate from us. The body and mind are always together. I do not think any of us has a ‘out of body’ experience, with the body in one place the mind at another place. If this is right, it is only correct to conclude that the body and mind are inseparable. If the mind is fixed outside the spacetime fabric, the body even though is within the spacetime fabric, it must be fixed, it cannot not move.

Wow! So, the body/mind complex does not move, it is fixed. My body/mind complex is fixed, your body/mind complex is fixed and in the same way the body/mind complex of all living is fixed. If this is correct, how to explain the movement we undertake. We are rarely static and in the waking state, we are moving around quite a bit. A simple example will explain this. It is like what we have seen so many times in the movies. A movie scene which shows a car with a driver which is fixed, and the outdoor scenery is passing by. We in the audience feel that the car is moving, and the passing scenery is stationery This is an illusion which is created, and it seems very realistic. Is it possible this illusion takes place in real life also? We have just seen that the body/mind complex is fixed and everything else is moving. This illusion is exactly like what we see in movies about the stationary car with the moving background.

Is this possible? We do not feel it. We feel, we are moving, while external objects like trees, houses, lamppost are fixed. We need to understand this because we have discussed that the body/mind complex is fixed and does not move. So how to explain, the trees, houses and lamppost are moving, while the body/mind complex is fixed. To get a proper understanding of this, we need to understand the Einstein theory of special relativity and some basic concepts of Vedanta.

Theory of Special Relativity:

If you understand the Einstein theory of special relativity, you will see that there is a connection between motion and time. There are two cars, if one driver is driving at 60 mph and other person at 55 mph, they will experience a relative speed of 5 mph. This is true for any relative motion we experience. Unfortunately, we don’t have this experience with reference to speed of light. Light is travelling at 186,000 miles per sec and suppose you are traveling in a car at 60% of the speed of light. Sitting in the car, you would logically expect the light to travel at only 40% of its usual speed, but if you take measurements you will find to your amazement that light is still travelling at 186k miles per sec. The same applies if you increase the speed of the car to 80% of speed of light or slow down to 30% of the speed of light. The speed of light is fixed at 186,000 miles per hour irrespective of the frame of reference.

What has happened is that time has slowed down so that light still covers 186K miles in one second. Since time has slowed down, the space of 186K miles will be smaller as compared to earlier. The space is still 186k, but the measuring ruler has shrunk, so the space measurement is still 186K. Amazing but true. If you increase the speed of the car to 80% of speed of light, time will slow down further, and space will further contract. If you now slow down to 30% of the speed of light, space will now expand. All this is done to ensure that the speed of light is a constant at 186,000 miles per sec. This expansion and contraction of spacetime also happens even when walking or running. However, the speed at which you walk, or run is so slow when compared to the speed of light that you are unable to notice, but the changes to the space time framework are always occurring. This mean motion and time are interconnected. As speed of motion goes up, time slows down. If you reach the speed of light, time will not move, it will be fixed.

Time and Motion

From the theory of special relativity, we can conclude that the motion and time are interconnected. When motion speed increases, then the time slows down. It seems motion comes first and then the time slow down. Motion is the cause and the slowdown of time is the effect. Is this the correct interpretation? I don’t think so. Motion is gross, we see motion everywhere. In contrast time is subtle – you cannot see it, touch it or feel it. Time is present in the mind as a mental wave. This wave has the power to create Time. It is quite difficult for us to understand or visualize the composition of this waveform, but one thing is certain that Time is subtle and therefore it is a waveform and is present in everyone’s mind.

Vedanta teaches us that subtle mental waves comes first, and the subtle waveforms is the cause for the gross world around us. The subtle waveform projects the physical world out there. If you apply this reasoning, time must come first, and the time waveform is the cause for motion. So, the correct way to interpret the connection between motion and time is that when time slows down, then motion is created. Not the other way around.

When time slows down, it is only logical to expect the objects would be closer to the fixed observer. The physics equation s = v*t will support this. When time t is a smaller value, the distance s will be smaller, meaning it is closer to the fixed observer. This means there is motion of the object by slowing of time. Before the slowdown of time, the objects were at a certain distance. By slowing down of time, the objects have moved closer to the fixed observer. The objects have moved, meaning there is motion. This is exactly what is happening, the body/mind complex is fixed, and by slowing down of time, the external objects move closer giving a sense of motion. It is not easy to understand how a tree or house, or a lamppost uproots itself and moves closer. As explained in ‘Life is a Living Wave’ or the ‘Construction of the Universe’, that the physical world is a projection of the mind. If this is understood, it is easier to understand that the external objects can move closer. The external objects are nothing but a projection of the mind.

It is like having a potentiometer for time in the mind. Move this potentiometer and slow down time, this will bring the objects closer to the fixed body/mind, giving a sense of motion. Just like in the movies, we feel the car is moving in relation to the external objects. In the same way, we have the illusion that body/mind complex is moving in relation to the external objects. Actually, the body/mind complex does not move.

So, time controls motion and not the other way around. Time is the cause for motion. Increase or decrease the time factor in the mind, the resulting motion (or speed) of the objects will change in the physical world. Time is also the cause for the spacetime fabric expansion or contraction. Increase or decrease the time, space time fabric will also expand or contract. This corroborates the Einstein theory of special relativity.

A good way to corelate this with our daily experience is with the navigation system we use in the car. We see the map and the car is moving in the map. What if the car is fixed and the map keeps moving to give a sense of movement and motion. In real life this is what is happening. The body/mind complex is fixed and does not move. If the body/mind complex wants to move, it slows down time in the mind. When this is done, the map of the universe out there starts moving closer to the fixed body/mind complex giving a sense of motion. Slow down the time potentiometer further, the objects will come closer to the observer more quickly, giving a sense of increased speed of motion. Increase or decrease the time factor will increase or decrease the speed to motion. This is how motion and speed are managed in this world. Time is the king.

One may ask this question – if the body/mind complex is fixed, how come we see and perceive so many bodies (human + living being) moving around us? This is a good question, but it must be understood that the bodies of living being we see out there are memory objects and not ‘now’ objects. If you are standing in front of me, I see a memory object of you. It is not a ‘now’ object but a memory object which is a dated version of you. Why? Light takes some finite time to reach me, so it means that I see a dated version of you, which I call is a memory object. In the same way you will see a dated version of me standing in front you. Everything in the world out there is made up of memory objects only. As we have discussed in the post ‘Unity of Minds’, all the minds, your mind, my mind and everyone’s mind are at t = 0 which is the ‘now’ location. The memory objects are out there, but the mind is at t = 0 which is within each one of us. In other words, there is no mind within the memory objects we see out there, the mind is within us at t = 0. For me, I have my body/mind complex which does not move, but all the memory objects move around me. In the same way, your body/complex does not move but the memory objects will move. This logic will apply to all living beings.

Next time you go for a walk or drive in a car, you should imagine that you are not moving, but the objects around you are moving closer. This is the only reality. The theory of special relativity supports this by showing the connection between time and motion.