Will the soul leaves one when one meditate
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Human language sometimes difficult to fully explain Dharma.
The word "Soul" or "Consciences" myself find pretty misleading for common to understand. I always find "Energy" may be a better word in place for Soul or Consciences. More towards science & easier to understand.
Many times meditator are been fooled by our wonderful mind. Do you know our minds can create "Movies" to entertain ourself? Don't be fool by images during meditations. Yes in meditations you can "KNOW" what others doing, seeing, feeling, or even know future or past-life. This is nothing of high skill at all & this is not the goal you want to achieve.
Just for understanding:
Out-of-body is not a good word to explain, rather "Knowing" or "Tune in to feel" is easier to understand.
"Knowing" for commonly to understand :
These "Knowing" of informations is like "Switching On to Listen" radio wave or ultra-violet wave or any kind of wave present in the air or enviroment. So basically meditations enable a person to tune inline to "Listen, feel, See, ..." You are not out-of-body. Just tune into the flows of energy & informations. There is no distant, time, past, present & future barrier. This informations is always there to be access. A clear minded experiance meditator can immediately switch on without sitting down to go into meditation state of mind.
Why the informations is always there: Go read about Karmaic effect, everything have cause & effect. Even a grass takes time, space to grow, so to karma & informations.
When we move from life to life Energy are always releasing, stored, mixing & matching. Karma seems to me is energy, it can be stored, release, attract, reject & used up. I can't explain further because of my limited understanding now.
That is why we should not cling onto things or bear feelings on anything. Everything happened do have it's cause. Buddhism is an training part. In the end, don't let Buddhism be your tripping stone.
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Seeing so many reply it is really good
Because the next thing I can bring out is the Abidhamma training and the Mind-only school in Mahyana soon
so do stay tuned -
I wish to get my facts and understanding right. Nevertheless, I'll ascertain it for myself again. I remembered I came across Shen2 Shi2, which I am not quite sure whether is it the same as conciousness. Althought our Shen2 Shi2 is always there, but for Fan2 Fu1's, the Shi2 is always constantly changing.
Memories of all from the imnumeral past lives were stored here (the 8th sense, A1 Lai2 Ye2 Shi2) and our karma seeds were also registered. The seeds, depending of Yuan2 (Conditions) will contribute/realise to an effect over time, which can span across from 1 to many lifetimes.
Because, our Shi2 always differentiates, has constantly wondering thoughts and attachments, our mind actually created the samsara world we are now living. We are really what we think about and we actually created our world based on what is in our mind. "Yi2 Qie4 Fa3 Chong2 Xin1 Xiang3 Shen1, Wei2 Xin1 Suo3 Xian4, Wei2 Shi2 Suo3 Bian4".
The beautiful thing about Buddhism, to me, is the understanding of the mechanism of the mind. And they are spectacularly beautiful. -
Shen shi is consciousnessOriginally posted by concerned_man:I wish to get my facts and understanding right. Nevertheless, I'll ascertain it for myself again. I remembered I came across Shen2 Shi2, which I am not quite sure whether is it the same as conciousness. Althought our Shen2 Shi2 is always there, but for Fan2 Fu1's, the Shi2 is always constantly changing.
Memories of all from the imnumeral past lives were stored here (the 8th sense, A1 Lai2 Ye2 Shi2) and our karma seeds were also registered. The seeds, depending of Yuan2 (Conditions) will contribute/realise to an effect over time, which can span across from 1 to many lifetimes.
Because, our Shi2 always differentiates, has constantly wondering thoughts and attachments, our mind actually created the samsara world we are now living. We are really what we think about and we actually created our world based on what is in our mind. "Yi2 Qie4 Fa3 Chong2 Xin1 Xiang3 Shen1, Wei2 Xin1 Suo3 Xian4, Wei2 Shi2 Suo3 Bian4".
The beautiful thing about Buddhism, to me, is the understanding of the mechanism of the mind. And they are spectacularly beautiful.
A la ye shi in Yogacara Buddhism is term Alayavijnana
yi qie fa chong xin xiang shen ,wei xing suo xian , wei shi shuo bian
(All Pheonomena arise from the thinking mind,created by the mind ,and consciousness changes ) -
Wonderful!Originally posted by bohiruci:Shen shi is consciousness
A la ye shi in Yogacara Buddhism is term Alayavijnana
yi qie fa chong xin xiang shen ,wei xing suo xian , wei shi shuo bian
(All Pheonomena arise from the thinking mind,created by the mind ,and consciousness changes ) -
agree.... there is no sense of "touch" sensation, hearing becomes like echos.... there is no real sound...., no breathing.... but i didn't get to see myself though but that's not important. the importance is the "teaching";life is a lesson so is meditation... living life is like meditation, meditation is like living life.... all merge into oneness..... that's when clarity becomes clearer than before, naturally.......Originally posted by concerned_man:He claimed that the feeling was good. That he can see his own body and he is on top. There is no sense of touch, no breathing. It is just very calm and at peace. Cannot be describe unless we can experience for it ourselve.
it takes one to experience to know it well, cos it is hard to describe in words sometimes no words can describe such...... is that what it is said......"it is as such"....... -
Originally posted by _wanderer_:
Good use of Examples
There [b]appears to be a 'self' undergoing rebirth, but the ultimate reality is that there is no real 'self' going through rebirth.
There is only rebirth, with no 'self' undergoing rebirth.
It is not easy to comprehend in the beginning, but the difficulty is due to the limitation of the conceptual mind.
Nagarjuna used the eg of a waterfall. You see a 'waterfall', but when you examine further, you cannot find a truly existing 'waterfall' that never changes. 'It' changes every moment, yet 'it' is there. Actually there is no one truly existing unchanging 'waterfall' that exists there; there is only continous flowing, forming the illusion of a 'truly existing entity called ' waterfall'.
Because there is continuity, we mistakenly think that there is a thing called "waterfall" truly existing there.
Similarly, because there is continuity in our lives from moment to moment and from live to live, we mistakenly think that there is such a thing called a "real me" truly existing and undergoing rebirth.
In the Milinda Panha, Ven Nagasena gave excellent replies to questions by King Milinda.
(http://web.singnet.com.sg/~rjp31831/nagasena.htm#ID)
Just as the flame of a candle. At moment 1, the 'flame1' is a production of the candle, the oil, the wick, the oxygen etc at moment 1.
At moment 2, the 'flame2' is the production of the candle oil wick etc at moment 2.
At moment 3, the 'flame3' is the production of those conditions at moment 3.
Each of these conditions are changing at every instant. Eg. the wick is shortening, the oil is depleting, the candle's mixture of elements have changed. So since these conditions have changed, the 'flames' have also changed.
Therefore, there is no one 'flame' existing throughout the night. There is only a succession of dependently arisen 'flames', which instantaneously arise and simultaneously cease, in a continuous fashion.
... flame 1 - flame 2 - flame 3 - flame 4 - ...
This is analogous to our experience of 'self'.
There appears to be a 'wanderer' that existed since age 1 till age 20.
However, 'age 1 wanderer' liked toys and 'age 20 wanderer' liked books.
'age 1 wanderer' had small hands while 'age 20 wanderer' has big hands.
'age 5 wanderer' wanted to be a teacher while 'age 20 wanderer' hated teaching.
now which is the real 'wanderer'?
while 'wanderer' recalls a continuity of growth from 'wanderer 1' to 'wanderer 20' and so on... there is no one truly existing 'wanderer' that grew up.
from wanderer 1 to wanderer 20, all the instantaneous moments of the 'wanderers' are merely dependently arisen, based on the coming together and falling apart of temporary causes and conditions. These causes and conditions, sometimes also known as karma, provide the force that continually brings about birth-death... This forms the illusion of a 'self' undergoing rebirth.
Your question of why some people can remember their past lives - it's because even though there is no 'self' truly existing, there is continuity due to the continuous occurrence of karma. Under particular circumstances, with the right conditions, people are able to have a glimpse of what happened in 'their' past lives.
It is just like when you sleep last night and you woke up this morning, you remember what happened to you last night. However, if you analyse the 'you' yesterday and the 'you' today, you realize that there is no real 'you' that slept through the night and woke up in the day, but there is a continuity of a dependently arisen temporary 'you before sleep' to the dependently arisen temporary 'you while sleeping' to the dependently arisen temporary 'you awake'.
*Phew* very lengthy.
Hope it helps to clarify and doesn't create even more confusion.
This is a very impt qn in Buddhism. Thanks for raising it. [/b] -
What we are is not a body and do not reside in a body.
What we are is all-pervading.
The impression of a something leaving the body is not a soul. It is just that the body has several vibrational layers.. some layers are invisible to the physical eye. It is invisible because it energy frequency is higher than the physical forms vibration rate.
It is precisely because that there are other layers that exist after death that cause people to think that that is a soul. -
III. The Yogacara View of the Role and Nature of Consciousness
A. In addition to 6 senses of early Buddhism (eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, mind), Yogacara adds two: manas (a kind of subliminal consciousness) and the alaya ( a kind of non-conscious mind); this is the "storehouse consciousness."
B. The role of the Alaya-consciousness: when a person performs an action, karmic traces are left in the alaya. These traces are "seeds" that reproduce over time. Memories also are stored here as seeds. The result is a continuity of consciousnness and personality over time and beyond death into new births. The alaya also preserves the continuity of consciousness during nonconscious states such as sleep.
C. The alaya consciousness also contains "pure" seeds, the source of religious striving. The deepest level of alaya consciousness goes beyond individuality to a universal reality "within" all beings.
D. All forms of individual consciousness (the six sense fields plus manas -- see A above) are projected from the alaya. This "projection" is thus determined by our past karma that helps shape our consciousness and is equivalent to our "construction" of the world.
E. Mechanics of "world-construction": Within the alaya, karmic seeds are matured through attachments to mental constructions. The seeds then ripen in the flow of mental experience (6 fields + manas). The flow of experience is split (by manas) into subject and object (an illusory distinction reinforced by language. The subject is taken to be real permanent "I." This "I delusion" causes attachment and more planting of karmic seeds leading to rebirth.
-----
Note: the 7th Consciousness is the Manas consciousness and is the consciousness of dualism and ego. The 7th Consciousness takes the 8th Consciousness - alaya/storehouse to be its 'self' and conventionally speaking, the 8th consciousness is 'yourself' on the karmic level. It is the storehouse of your entire history, memories, karmic seeds. During dreams our 7th consciousness sorts of replay the videotapes within our 8th consciousness. The 7th Consciousness also becomes an Antarabhava (zhong ying shen) after death and takes rebirth due to the ripening of the karmic seeds in the 8th Consciousness. One becomes enlightened by eliminating, transmuting the 7th Consciousness into pure awareness.
Although Alaya Consciousness is only found in Mahayana/Vajrayana Buddhism, it is actually also in Theravada Buddhism and one needs to look deeper into the scriptures to see it. See Alayavijnana - Store Consciousness by Venerable Dr. Walpola Rahula -
Hi Surf188,Originally posted by surfer188:Human language sometimes difficult to fully explain Dharma.
The word "Soul" or "Consciences" myself find pretty misleading for common to understand. I always find "Energy" may be a better word in place for Soul or Consciences. More towards science & easier to understand.
Many times meditator are been fooled by our wonderful mind. Do you know our minds can create "Movies" to entertain ourself? Don't be fool by images during meditations. Yes in meditations you can "KNOW" what others doing, seeing, feeling, or even know future or past-life. This is nothing of high skill at all & this is not the goal you want to achieve.
Just for understanding:
Out-of-body is not a good word to explain, rather "Knowing" or "Tune in to feel" is easier to understand.
"Knowing" for commonly to understand :
These "Knowing" of informations is like "Switching On to Listen" radio wave or ultra-violet wave or any kind of wave present in the air or enviroment. So basically meditations enable a person to tune inline to "Listen, feel, See, ..." You are not out-of-body. Just tune into the flows of energy & informations. There is no distant, time, past, present & future barrier. This informations is always there to be access. A clear minded experiance meditator can immediately switch on without sitting down to go into meditation state of mind.
Why the informations is always there: Go read about Karmaic effect, everything have cause & effect. Even a grass takes time, space to grow, so to karma & informations.
When we move from life to life Energy are always releasing, stored, mixing & matching. Karma seems to me is energy, it can be stored, release, attract, reject & used up. I can't explain further because of my limited understanding now.
That is why we should not cling onto things or bear feelings on anything. Everything happened do have it's cause. Buddhism is an training part. In the end, don't let Buddhism be your tripping stone.
From my understanding... the human form itself is a tuning device/channel for information. It is just that we all are tuning to physical reality at the moment.
I tend to disagree with your idea of knowing. The knowing is what allows us to awake and understand... Otherwise without the knowing, when one is enlightened, they won't even know!
Also... the knowing is always there. It is our full focus and belief in being a 'person' expereincing and acquiring knowledge externally that blocks us from this knowing...
Is Buddha's Omniscience a all-knowingness?
just my opinion. -
repeat post...
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Hi Longchen,Originally posted by longchen:Hi Surf188,
From my understanding... the human form itself is a tuning device/channel for information. It is just that we all are tuning to physical reality at the moment.
!!Brovo!!
I tend to disagree with your idea of knowing. The knowing is what allows us to awake and understand... Otherwise without the knowing, when one is enlightened, they won't even know!
!!Brovo!!
Also... the knowing is always there. It is our full focus and belief in being a 'person' expereincing and acquiring knowledge externally that blocks us from this knowing...
!!Brovo!!
Is Buddha's Omniscience a all-knowingness?
just my opinion.
I just use different words to help common understanding. It's to break the mind from words like soul & consciousness. This topic about "Soul". Us humans understand these 2 words as there is "something". It's ourself needs to break away from this basic word meaning that always point us to "Something" (Self). We are trap in our own vocabulary. Words like "Knowing" do not have direct link to religion or believes. Neutral word. That is why I say human language is some how not enough to explain Dharma. Also when Dharma get translated, some meaning is lost.
Words like "knowing" do not point us to a "Something or self". Yes I agree that when we reached, we "Know". Clearly know. Not the actual meaning of our consciousness have reach another level. It's not like Level or stage. Much like cabbage\lotus, the heart of cabbage\lotus is always there. Just peeling away only. Even our body have layers of skin, muscle, bone structure...... But once you peel away everything "Nothing". Then we see Dharma is every where.
Sometime Dharma are express in sound, actions, pictures, ......, . Sometime these methods are better then using language as we lots of history to prove. Example beings enlighten by sound is pretty common. We have a lot of Mantra to chant. They are some example. This is a clear message that language itself is not enough to explain all.
I would agreed Buddha's Omniscience is All-Knowingness. What I understand is when a person "Know" (FULLY understand) the way mind work & how karma & how universe energy works. It's easy to understand how this earth/place/area functions. How everything functions. Like if you know the all maths fomular, there is no mathematical problems you cannot solve. Buddha himself found the "Empty" seeds. "He" gave us a very strict formular(Path). "His" great compassion fully understands in what situations we are. He have set this for us to quickly get out the fastest way. Like saving people immediately from danger.
How many people in time of danger have meet a Savior in time? Not much. That is Listening & Understanding of Dharma is very rare. -
Hi Surf188,Originally posted by surfer188:Hi Longchen,
I just use different words to help common understanding. It's to break the mind from words like soul & consciousness. This topic about "Soul". Us humans understand these 2 words as there is "something". It's ourself needs to break away from this basic word meaning that always point us to "Something" (Self). We are trap in our own vocabulary. Words like "Knowing" do not have direct link to religion or believes. Neutral word. That is why I say human language is some how not enough to explain Dharma. Also when Dharma get translated, some meaning is lost.
Words like "knowing" do not point us to a "Something or self". Yes I agree that when we reached, we "Know". Clearly know. Not the actual meaning of our consciousness have reach another level. It's not like Level or stage. Much like cabbage\lotus, the heart of cabbage\lotus is always there. Just peeling away only. Even our body have layers of skin, muscle, bone structure...... But once you peel away everything "Nothing". Then we see Dharma is every where.
Sometime Dharma are express in sound, actions, pictures, ......, . Sometime these methods are better then using language as we lots of history to prove. Example beings enlighten by sound is pretty common. We have a lot of Mantra to chant. They are some example. This is a clear message that language itself is not enough to explain all.
I would agreed Buddha's Omniscience is All-Knowingness. What I understand is when a person "Know" (FULLY understand) the way mind work & how karma & how universe energy works. It's easy to understand how this earth/place/area functions. How everything functions. Like if you know the all maths fomular, there is no mathematical problems you cannot solve. Buddha himself found the "Empty" seeds. "He" gave us a very strict formular(Path). "His" great compassion fully understands in what situations we are. He have set this for us to quickly get out the fastest way. Like saving people immediately from danger.
How many people in time of danger have meet a Savior in time? Not much. That is Listening & Understanding of Dharma is very rare.
Thanks for the reply...
Actually i find the subject of karma very interesting too...
My current understanding/experience of karma is that it is the manifestation of 'desire' emanated from 'nothingness'.
In the base, all is meaningless. Meaninglessness and symbolism(meaning) are not separated... It is a matter of perception or focus.
Karma is the meaning/symbolic aspect. It is indication of 'tangibility'. Karma is therefore like action that indicates 'happenings'. It is like the universe trying to understand itself.
You see, ... at the Base all is meaningless. A face cannot see itself. The face can see itself only when there is a mirror to reflect. The reflections are karma.
Actually, base and reflection are not separated at all...it a matter of perception.
my 2 cents -
Your understanding is not wrong at all. Reflections of energy being transform from one to one or multipules I guess. Wax burn can transform into heat, light & air movement. 1 type of material having release it's energy, can be transformed into different energy. There is no self form of wax.Originally posted by longchen:Hi Surf188,
Thanks for the reply...
Actually i find the subject of karma very interesting too...
My current understanding/experience of karma is that it is the manifestation of 'desire' emanated from 'nothingness'.
In the base, all is meaningless. Meaninglessness and symbolism(meaning) are not separated... It is a matter of perception or focus.
Karma is the meaning/symbolic aspect. It is indication of 'tangibility'. Karma is therefore like action that indicates 'happenings'. It is like the universe trying to understand itself.
You see, ... at the Base all is meaningless. A face cannot see itself. The face can see itself only when there is a mirror to reflect. The reflections are karma.
Actually, base and reflection are not separated at all...it a matter of perception.
my 2 cents
From deep meditations, Karma is felt like wind blowing & blowing. As wind is air only but wind have a lot more energy then air alone. No doubt we can feel both wind & air. We are always in wind & air. We ourself induce some energy out of nothing, like waving our hands. We feel some air & different things. That's all. Wind do not have meaning, we just feel it.
I feel karma much more like energy. Like we use heat energy to melt metals to make a car. With use of energy we can make things. Ourselfs are constantly using many kinds of energy to go around. We are physically inseparatable from this world. Dharma don't leave the world. -
The answer to this topic:
One will utimate discover the answer one day ... and it will definately come this day, this lifetime. -
Can't seems to find your next postOriginally posted by bohiruci:i dun have out of body experience , but i experience a near -death experience which i indeed understood Buddha's teaching on last thought is true and valid
but ... please dun try it , no one can control that stage , becos i also dunno how to control if i fail to wake up at that time
my serious warning
,and I am a super lousy practitioner
coolbluewater , i answered u in the next post
But do have to admit that I've learnt alot more of other aspect here. I'll look forward to see your next post. -
From a conventional point of view, it is. If we feel, see, hear and think in terms of ‘entity’, then it seems that there is a ‘self’ leaving the body. This is because all along, we experience all phenomenon appearances as ‘solid things’ existing independently. Such conventional mode of comprehending our meditative experiences masked the true character of these experiences.
If we treat consciousness to be an atomic-like-particle residing in our body somewhere, then we are making it as a self too. Do not do that. The true character of Consciousness is not a thing, it does not enter, leave, reside within or outside the body. Clear Luminosity is bonded by karmic propensities, causes and conditions. There is no need for a place ‘within’. Yes, there is a ‘mental phenomenon’ arising but the sensation of ‘entering’ and ‘leaving’ is the result of associating it with a ‘self’. Just like it is illusionary to see a ‘self’ succeeding from moment to moment, an ‘entrance’ and ‘exit’ is equally illusionary.
Mystical experiences are extremely crucial during the journey of enlightenment. Do not discard them unwisely but assign them correct places. These experiences loosen karmic bonds that latent deep down in our consciousness where it is almost impossible to break through ordinary means. It is an essential condition for the awakening of penetrating insight. The main different between non Buddhist and Buddhist practitioners is that transcendental and mystical experiences are not molded into a ‘self’ but correctly understood and purified with the wisdom of emptiness. This applies true to the Luminous Clarity Knowingness that is non-dual, it is not wrongly personified into Brahman. In perfect clarity, there are no praises for radiance bright, only the Dharma is in sight. The wisdom of emptiness is so deep and profound that even if one has entered the realm of non-dual, he/she will still not be able to grasp its essence in full. This is the wisdom of the Blessed One. The second level of Presence. -
Yes Longchen,Originally posted by longchen:You see, ... at the Base all is meaningless. A face cannot see itself. The face can see itself only when there is a mirror to reflect. The reflections are karma.
Actually, base and reflection are not separated at all...it a matter of perception.
All is meaningless because it is not in terms words, labels and symbols. These are for the 'herds' but that Presence is all. An unintented urge can arise as a result of karmic propensities but it is before the formation of perception.
The result of certain situations can be altered with powerful thought forms, however the karmic propensities if being suppressed is not lost, if possible, let it arise naturally. Try not to over use it. Happy journey. -
You refering to this?Originally posted by Thusness:The result of certain situations can be altered with powerful thought forms, however the karmic propensities if being suppressed is not lost, if possible, let it arise naturally. Try not to over use it. Happy journey.
http://simpo.proboards20.com/index.cgi?board=chat&action=display&thread=1147828880 -
Yes.Originally posted by An Eternal Now:You refering to this?
http://simpo.proboards20.com/index.cgi?board=chat&action=display&thread=1147828880 -
Originally posted by Thusness:Yes Longchen,
All is meaningless because it is not in terms words, labels and symbols. These are for the 'herds' but that Presence is all. An unintented urge can arise as a result of karmic propensities but it is before the formation of perception.
The result of certain situations can be altered with powerful thought forms, however the karmic propensities if being suppressed is not lost, if possible, let it arise naturally. Try not to over use it. Happy journey.
Thanks a lot, Thusness. You sure hit the right spot.
Thanks again for your invaluable advice
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Yes.. indeed..Originally posted by Thusness:From a conventional point of view, it is. If we feel, see, hear and think in terms of ‘entity’, then it seems that there is a ‘self’ leaving the body. This is because all along, we experience all phenomenon appearances as ‘solid things’ existing independently. Such conventional mode of comprehending our meditative experiences masked the true character of these experiences.
If we treat consciousness to be an atomic-like-particle residing in our body somewhere, then we are making it as a self too. Do not do that. The true character of Consciousness is not a thing, it does not enter, leave, reside within or outside the body. Clear Luminosity is bonded by karmic propensities, causes and conditions. There is no need for a place ‘within’. Yes, there is a ‘mental phenomenon’ arising but the sensation of ‘entering’ and ‘leaving’ is the result of associating it with a ‘self’. Just like it is illusionary to see a ‘self’ succeeding from moment to moment, an ‘entrance’ and ‘exit’ is equally illusionary.
Mystical experiences are extremely crucial during the journey of enlightenment. Do not discard them unwisely but assign them correct places. These experiences loosen karmic bonds that latent deep down in our consciousness where it is almost impossible to break through ordinary means. It is an essential condition for the awakening of penetrating insight. The main different between non Buddhist and Buddhist practitioners is that transcendental and mystical experiences are not molded into a ‘self’ but correctly understood and purified with the wisdom of emptiness. This applies true to the Luminous Clarity Knowingness that is non-dual, it is not wrongly personified into Brahman. In perfect clarity, there are no praises for radiance bright, only the Dharma is in sight. The wisdom of emptiness is so deep and profound that even if one has entered the realm of non-dual, he/she will still not be able to grasp its essence in full. This is the wisdom of the Blessed One. The second level of Presence.
It is this relinking consciousness that becomes the nucleus of a new nama-rupa or mind-body combination. This is the resultant terminal energy generated by the volitional activities of the past. Science teaches us that energy is indestructible but that it can be transmuted into other forms of energy. Why then cannot these powerful energies of the past Kamma, impelled as they are by the pulsation of craving and motivated as they are by the will-to-live, continue to exert their potent influences albeit in some other manner and in some other sphere? What is it that travels from one existence to another, you may ask. Do activities (Kammic energies) travel or do their resultant forces travel? Or does consciousness itself travel?
The answer is an emphatic, "No." None of these travel, but the Kammic energy of actions performed is a tremendous force or power which can make its influence felt and to effect this influence, distance is no bar. Distance is never a bar to Kammic energies making themselves felt. In the Maha-tanha-sankhaya Sutta of Majjhima Nikaya, the Buddha strongly reprimanded the bhikkhu Sati for declaring as the Buddha's teachings that viññana or consciousness travels from existence to existence. "Foolish man," said the Buddha, "has not consciousness generated by conditions been spoken of in many a figure of speech by me saying, 'apart from conditions there is no origination of consciousness'?" No physical contact is necessary for mind to influence matter. Sir William Crooke, in his Edinburgh lectures on mental science has said, "It has also been proved by experiment that by an act of will the mind can cause objects such as metal levers to move."
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/gunaratna/wheel102.html
On the nature of consciousness .... according to Yogacara:
it is the 7th Consciousness that perceives a dualism and self apart from all other phenomena, thus dividing 'inner and outer' and creating 'entering and leaving', thus creating an antarabhava even after we died. So illusion is the cause of the samsaric cycle. If one can transmute this 7th consciousness into awareness, at one's death one can enter the 'ji guang jing tu' (in pure land terms) or the clear light (tibetan terms)