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Yoga Vacation Program
June 20 — 22, 2024

Comparing Scientific and Mystical Models of the Human Mind in the AI Era

Prantik Kundu

As humanity enters the age of computerized artificial intelligence (AI), it becomes ever more important to understand human intelligence, its components, and what it means to be a person overall. In service to the human experience, this lecture will adopt an inclusive approach. We will explore the architecture of the human mind from a rigorous, modern, scientific perspective, informed by advanced neuroscience and brain imaging techniques. Additionally, we will examine a mystical model of the human mind, drawing on elements spanning Babylonian to Vedic cosmologies. We will compare these models, observing a juxtaposition of ontologies, yet finding surprising confluences that extend even to human brain anatomy, alongside stark differences with the architecture of AI.

Offered as 1 satsang and 2 workshops (subject to change).

The presentations associated with this Yoga Vacation Program begin with an 8pm satsang on the first day of the program and conclude with a 90-minute noon workshop on the last day of the program.  Click here to read more about the Yoga Vacation Program details and view the ashram schedule for yoga classes and meals during your stay. We suggest you arrive at least one day prior to the start of your program for the optimal experience.

Prantik Kundu is a neuroscientist and biophysicist with specialities in magnetic resonance imaging and psychiatric disease. A senior scientist in a startup to make MRI technology more accessible, he draws from years of expertise from many years in academia and research.
He was an assistant professor in psychiatry and radiology at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine for several years, where he still serves as adjunct professor.

Prantik received his training at the Brain Mapping Unit at the University of Cambridge, UK, and the Section on Functional Imaging Methods at the National Institute of Mental Health in Washington, DC. His papers have been published in Cerebral Cortex, NeuroImage, and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Kundu also has strong interests in Indic philosophy, having completed an undergraduate independent study on the theoretical implications of Kali and having been a Research Fellow at the Mind and Life Summer Institute, where the interface between the Buddhist philosophy and the neurosciences is investigated and practiced.

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