7. The Mind Changes Matter : Mind and Meditation

Where does the human mind originate?

And can the mind be controlled by rational will?

Conventional theories about the origin of the mind have asserted that human thoughts and emotions are nothing more than phenomena arising from the combinations of nerve cells and countless molecular interactions. However, with the development of science and technology, various experiments and new theories are increasingly suggesting that the mind and the body may exist independently.

• Thomson’s electron beam experiment demonstrated that electrons behave as particles or waves depending on the observer’s intention—proving that matter can exist as either physical or non-physical, depending on consciousness.

• A hypothesis proposes that the mind arises from quantum mechanical phenomena in the brain, specifically within the microtubules inside cells.

• The principle of non-locality suggests that the mind can transcend space and expand to distant locations.

• Quantum wave theory argues that the mind can influence living or non-living things over great distances.

• The Unified Field Theory posits that the entire universe is filled with consciousness.

• The torsion field theory asserts that all matter and mind arise from the spatial field of the universe.

These research findings are shifting the perspective on the existence of the mind. After facing the limitations of conventional medicine, the U.S. government established the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) in 1993 to support extensive research into meditation. Since the 1980s, meditation has been actively applied to the treatment of various illnesses. Western medicine, which had long focused solely on physical physiology, began to accept the existence of the mind and adopted meditation as a key therapeutic approach.

In contrast, our own Eastern tradition has for thousands of years understood that all diseases originate in the mind and has never neglected the task of “looking within.”

According to my own realizations and experiences, the essence of meditation lies in focusing on the breath. All living beings share one common trait: they breathe. Thus, by focusing on the breath, we can reach the root of life itself and return to the original state of the mind—one that is free from selfish desires, a state of pure awareness or “no-thought.”

I believe this state has been variously described as:

• “The Holy Spirit has come upon me,”

• “I am awakened,”

• “I have attained enlightenment.”

• “I have seen my true nature,”

• “I have become Buddha,”

• “I have visited the world beyond,” and

• “I have found my true self.”

Through breathing, we receive the Qi of Heaven (天氣), and through food, we receive the Qi of Earth (地氣)—this is the essence of being human.

Though still unstable and imperfect, I believe that the purpose of this life is to gradually align and restore our body and mind each day, striving toward a complete state—a state I define as the complete absence of selfish desire.

Dr. Jin-man Kim, director of Peace Oriental Clinic