BOOK REVIEW: THE MIND OF GOD: BY DR JAY LOMBARD

THE MIND OF GOD: NEUROSCIENCE, FAITH, AND A SEARCH FOR THE SOUL: DR JAY LOMBARD: HARMONY BOOKS: PAGES: 197: PRICE: RS 1600/-

I just completed reading an extraordinary book written by Dr. Jay Lombard, a renowned and internationally acclaimed neurologist. I immediately decided to share my review of the book with readers of Dignity Dialogue. Dr. Lombard is the co-founder and developer of Genomind, a personalized medicine company for brain health which utilizes genetic testing to improve neuropsychiatric conditions, including Alzheimer’s, Autism, and Depression. Dr. Lombard’s discoveries have been regarded by key opinion leaders as fundamentally shifting the paradigm of psychiatric medicine. He is considered by those who know him intimately as “part Freud, part Sherlock Holmes.” He served as Chief of Neurology at Bronx Lebanon Hospital in New York, and currently is in clinical practice in Manhattan. He has appeared as a guest on many TV programmes including Larry King Live and CBS News. He is well known for his compassion and commitment to his patients and has received multiple honours as a top neurologist in New York.

For me it was a great journey into the far depths of the mind and to experience how Dr. Lombard has tried to reconcile the doubts and beliefs that lie at the interface of religion/faith and science. He has addressed this subject in a very compelling and convincing manner. Science is science and Faith is faith and the twain shall never meet. Is that true? Or can both meet on a common ground when the physical and the metaphysical come very close to the answer to the question- Is there truly a God?

Contrary to the belief held by many neurologists, Dr. Lombard does not believe in the incompatibility and irreconcilability of science and faith. Instead, he views his extensive medical background as a gateway through which he is able to access human minds and understand and appreciate its complexity. While on this mission, Dr. Lombard has discovered in his own words “many secrets about the nature of human beings, the universe, the purpose of our lives and the possible existence of something beyond all of this”. As a firm believer in science and quantifiable data, he shows a very sharp and insightful perspective by trying to use science as a platform to discover hitherto unacceptable or unknown aspects of metaphysics and how both can answer the following questions:

 * Does God exist?
 * Do human beings have souls?
 * Are human any different from other animals?
 * Do we have free will or is life predetermined for us?
 * Is there a meaning for life, and is there a higher purpose to human existence?
 * Is there life after death?

The author uses remarkable case studies from his own extensive neurology practice to prove the dominant role that faith plays in sustaining life. Neuroscience helps us to learn how our brains interpret reality and how this could result in more satisfying and fulfilling lives. Though most neuroscientists insist that beyond the flesh there is no physical evidence of existence and that the concept of a soul is nothing but an illusion, Dr. Lombard begs to differ. There are gaps in conventional scientific thinking referred to as the “hard problem of consciousness” which refers to the grey zone between “tangible senses and the supra-sensory experience we have of them.” Consciousness is a gift which enables human beings to inquire about the meaning of existence, says Dr. Lombard. There is hidden deep inside us a ‘deeper, intrinsic and fascinating reality”. Call it mind, soul or energy it is irreducibly complex and basic to our existence. Dr. Lombard argues that with science, faith and reasoning we can surely see something beyond and what we see will be extraordinary. We have to understand how the biological and transcendental can complement each other positively and strike a balance as we need both not either/or.

The purpose of this book is to enable us to first understand the brain (not mind) in a better manner. That leads us to a better understanding of the mind. Through this mind if we start probing the Mind of God, we can discover a mind that is helpful and “constantly embracing and ultimately creates and doesn’t destroy”. With such a thinking process without inhibitions, one can positively and radically change one’s life. All the questions raised above   can be answered by using the brain and the mind as tools. They equip us to know the meaning and purpose of life and probably “the wizard behind the curtain.”

With several case studies as examples Dr. Lombard admirably conveys his thinking that through our beliefs and actions we manifest God’s otherwise unknowable reality. We are all divine sparks of “not merely a piece of the entire existence, but in a certain sense the whole.” Our existence is because of God and He exists in tangible ways through us. Our faith can be seen in our deeds, our love and our caring for each other. Our understanding of God is not to promote separation or fighting among ourselves. He has knit us all together in love.
And it is in this love that we become immortal.