Mind and Consciousness: Eastern and Western Perspectives
What is the mind and consciousness?
Despite decades of neuroscience, these remain among science's deepest open questions. Eastern contemplative traditions have explored the same terrain for centuries through systematic inner inquiry frameworks, only now being examined empirically.
This talk bridges both worlds.
Drawing on EEG-based meditation research, it shows how the brain dynamically shifts during changes in attention, awareness, and self-processing, with measurable changes emerging within just minutes of meditation.
Western science frames the mind through neural networks underlying cognition and selfhood. Eastern traditions describe it as a fluid process, emphasising equanimity, non-reactivity, and non-dual awareness, where the boundary between observer and observed dissolves. This talk maps those descriptions onto neural dynamics: reduced self-referential processing, greater integration across internal and external awareness.
A key focus is temporal dynamics, how quickly the mind stabilises, when neural changes emerge, and how this differs from novices to advanced meditators. The findings challenge the assumption that meaningful mental change takes time, suggesting the brain is far more rapidly adaptable than we thought.
By weaving first-person experience with third-person neuroscience, this talk moves toward a unified science of consciousness, one that respects subjectivity while grounding it in measurement, and reimagines the mind as a trainable, dynamic process with real implications for mental health and human potential.
About the speaker:
Dr Saketh Malipeddi is a neuroscientist bridging modern brain science with ancient mind-body traditions, using EEG to investigate meditation, consciousness, and the sense of self. He completed his PhD in Neuroscience at NIMHANS, one of India's premier brain research institutes.
His research ranks in the global top 5% for reach and 99th percentile for scientific impact. His key finding — that measurable neural shifts emerge within minutes of meditation — has challenged long-held assumptions about how quickly the brain can change.
His work has generated over 10 million media impressions, featured in The Washington Post, Forbes, and Newsweek, among 20+ international outlets.
Dr Saketh's mission: a rigorous, experiential science of consciousness that doesn't just explain the mind — but reveals its capacity for transformation.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saketh-reddy-54657977/
To attend online:
Add to calendar: https://shorturl.at/GWWNI
Gmeet link: meet.google.com/pgw-rpum-obu
Look forward to seeing you!