What happens to 'me' when I sleep? - Post 3

"Ok, you can ask me about that question you wanted to but did not as we got interrupted," Prof Earlshaw said. 

"Certainly, Prof, I was interested in the copy of the external space that you said seemed to present itself in the mind-space."

"Of course," he responded, "But you must remember I did not use the word, "seemed". I really experienced it. Yes, I did see a copy of the external space in the mind-space. But it's so difficult to convey the same. I don't know if you are really getting at it. It's not like as if the external space had a boundary and it fit into the mind-space as a subset. You know what I mean?"

"Yes, I know. It is analogous to what is done in mathematics, in a branch known as Differential Topology, but let's me not get into that," I replied.

"Is it so? I know that you refer to that because you feel it clarifies things. Perhaps you could teach me a bit of that you know, some semi-technical stuff I could appreciate. Anyway from your look I can see that you are following what I am saying. Well, I did find my mind-space extending and enveloping the copy of external space."

"Prof Earlshaw, this could be utterly confusing to anyone who reads it. For, whoever heard of someone examining space in the way you are doing? How did your students respond to it?"

"You must understand we did this as a team. We drew conclusions only after all four of us, me and my three students had individually and independently verified and correlated our experiences. We all came to a common consensus. Also, there is nothing odd about what we did. We merely extended the spirit of experimentation and inquiry into the domain of the mind. Normally one hesitates to do such a thing. That is because no one has really tried consistently and persistently as a team. One here and there might have done it. But that is not sufficient to build a scientific theory or model. What we found was that we could begin a process of inquiry and experimentation of the mind as similarly as we do of the external world. I wonder if this has ever been attempted before. Prof. Kunneth says that it has been done with great thoroughness in an Indian work known as the Yoga Sutras. But I don't know much about that. Next week I am meeting him on Skype. In fact, he is working on a new translation of that work from a cognitive perspective. If you wish you can join. I can drop him an email once you confirm."

"Oh, that's really interesting to me. I am very familiar with the Yoga Sutras. I just did not want to bring that into the picture because though it is profound in the real sense of the term, I would like to go into it further only after carrying on independent investigations into the mind. Too many people would like to hastily correlate modern inquiries with that ancient work. So I have kept it on hold."

"So, you wouldn't like to join me?"

"Not at the moment, Prof. You can please meet him and tell me about it later."

"Well, let's continue our conversation, then..."