Page 55 - Timelessness and the Reality of Fate

The Secret Beyond Matter 53

mounted next to the subjects' eyes spread the pulses over their backs so they
had continuous sensory input from the visual world. The patients started to
behave as if they could really see, after a while. For example, there was a
zoom lens in one of the devices so as to move closer the image. When the
zoom is operated without informing the patient beforehand, the patient had
an urge to protect himself with two arms because the image on the subject's
back expanded suddenly as though the world was looming in. 48
As it is seen from this experiment, we can form sensations even when
they are not caused by material equivalents in the outside world. All stimuli
can be created artificially.

"The World of Senses" that We Experience in Dreams
A person can experience all senses vividly without the presence of the
outside world. The most obvious example of this is dreams. A person lies on
his bed with closed eyes while dreaming. However, in spite of this, that per-
son senses many things which he or she experiences in real life, and experi-
ences them so realistically that the dreams are indistinguishable from the
real life experience. Everyone who reads this book will often bear witness to
this truth in their own dreams. For example, a person lying down alone on a
bed in a calm and quiet atmosphere at night might, in his dream, see himself
in danger in a very crowded place. He could experience the event as if it
were real, fleeing from danger in desperation and hiding behind a wall.
Moreover, the images in his dreams are so realistic that he feels fear and
panic as if he really was in danger. He has his heart in his mouth with every
noise, is shaken with fear, his heart beats fast, he sweats and demonstrates
the other physical affects that the human body undergoes in a dangerous
situation.
A person who falls from a high place in his dream feels it with all his
body, even though he is lying in bed without moving. Alternatively, one
might see oneself slipping into a puddle, getting soaked and feeling cold
because of a cold wind. However, in such a case, there is neither a puddle,
nor is there wind. Furthermore, despite sleeping in a very hot room, one
experiences the wetness and the cold, as if one were awake.
Someone who believes he is dealing with the original of the material
world in his dream can be very sure of himself. He can put his hand on his
friend's shoulder when the friend tells him that "it isn't possible to deal with