Are ghosts always hallucinations? What is an hallucination? In the case of hallucinations, there is no defect in optics, the defect is in ocularity – that is, the ocular vision is influenced by different thought-waves. These hallucinations may be of two types, positive and negative. In a positive hallucination, there is no defect in optical vision, but the ocular vision is affected by the thought-wave which wants to see something, whereas as per opticality there is nothing physical.

And what is a negative hallucination? Here also there is no defect in optical vision, but the ocular vision becomes negative due to excessive pressure of thought-waves. We say “auto-suggestion”. The thought-wave doesn’t want to see something which is actually present as per optical vision.

Many scholars are of the opinion that so-called ghosts are positive hallucinations, and sometimes people are also misguided by negative hallucinations. They say that in this case the [optical] vision – the optic nerves – are deceiving them, but actually the main role here is played by the thought-waves, not by any physical organ, or psychic cells, or psycho-physical cells (ectoplasm).

It is said, Abhibhávańát pretadarshanam [“The sight of ghosts is created in concentrated thought”]. Abhibhávańa means “cellular suggestion” – that which affects not only the mind but also the nerve cells, as a result of which fight takes place between nerve fibres and nerve cells. And when the functioning of the nerve fibres is defeated, then a human being – not only human beings but many living beings – see something which is not present or do not see something which is actually physically present. Cellular suggestion is of two types: auto-suggestion and outer-suggestion. Auto-suggestion takes place within the jurisdiction of one’s own mind, in the individual mind, whereas outer-suggestion is the transmission of suggestion from another’s mind, from another, stronger, mind. The result of outer-suggestion is⁽¹⁾ that the mind of the weaker man, that is, the weaker mind, is highly influenced by that greater mind, bigger mind, and as a result something is not seen or nothing is seen.

You know, philosophically, whatever we see in this universe is another suggestion, is, we may say, a positive hallucination created by Parama Puruśa. Whatever He thinks is seen by the nerve cells of the individual mind. The difference between this practical world and ghosts is that in the case of ghosts the suggestion comes from the individual mind; be it one’s own or be it from outside.

But when people see so-called ghosts and apparitions, are they always positive hallucinations? No, they are not. Whatever we observe in this physical world is made of the five fundamental factors (solid, liquid, luminous, aerial and ethereal), created in such a way that it functions autonomously. Its inherent capacity for autonomous action is derived from this physical world under the inspiration of the Supreme Consciousness.

There may be some entities that do not require food and drink. Any entity composed of solid and liquid factors will certainly require food and drink, because food is mainly composed of the solid factor, and drink is mainly composed of the liquid factor. But if any entity is composed only of the other three factors – luminous, aerial, and ethereal – without any solid or liquid, then that entity is called a “luminous body”.

These luminous bodies are do not have nerves or nerve cells, because nerves and nerve cells are composed of the five fundamental factors. By means of nerve cells, the mind operates the physical body: by creating vibrations such as smell, form, touch, taste, etc., the nerve cells either receive tanmátras (inferential essences) or project them externally. But luminous bodies have no nerves, because nerve cells and nerve fibres are all physical; thus they cannot function properly. Only, as in auto-suggestion, they may create a vibration within, and experience some type of feeling.

These luminous bodies are not ghosts or apparitions; they have nothing to do with them. Neither are they created by auto-suggestion or outer-suggestion or cellular suggestion. Under some circumstances, if someone happens to see this kind of luminous body, one may think one is seeing a ghost. But actually there is no ghost at all – it is only a luminous body. It is not possible to see luminous bodies in broad daylight; it may be possible during the darkness of night, but then not everywhere.

It is said that there are seven kinds of luminous bodies: yakśa, siddha, gandharva, kinnara, vidyádhara, Prakrtiliina and videhaliina. They are categorized according to their respective psychologies.

Suppose there is a very elevated person who often ideates on the Supreme Consciousness, but who has some greed for wealth. He or she does not, however, express it openly to the Supreme, nor does he or she even think of it directly. He or she thinks indirectly, “Oh, since I am a devotee of the Supreme Consciousness, He will certainly give me enormous wealth and make me immensely rich.” Those who harbour this sort of covert desire are reborn as yakśas. Thus sometimes we refer to “the wealth of the yakśas”.

I will explain something about siddhas a bit later.

The next is vidyádhara. Those who have vanity of knowledge, although they do not expressly beseech this from the Supreme, but rather think inwardly that the Supreme should bestow an enormous wealth of knowledge upon them – this type of person is reborn as vidyádhara. Vidyádhara is also a luminous body.

The third is gandharva. Those who have a great talent for higher music (people should cultivate music to the maximum to give pleasure to the Supreme Consciousness) and mentally think, “Oh, Parama Puruśa, I want knowledge of the science of music, not You” – they are reborn as gandharvas. (In Sanskrit the science of music is called gándharva vidyá.) They are also luminous bodies; they are not ghosts at all. They are also not visible in daylight, just as other luminous bodies are not visible, for the same reason that stars are not visible in daylight.

Rúpaḿ dehi, jayaḿ dehi, yasho dehi, dviśo jahi [“Give me beauty, give me victory, give me fame, and vanquish my enemy”]. Rúpaḿ dehi, dehi, dehi [“Give me beauty, give me, give me”]. The next is kinnara. Those who are vain about their physical beauty, or those who pray to the Supreme to give them more and more physical charm, are reborn as kinnaras. They are also luminous bodies.

Then siddha. Those human beings who are doing sádhaná, who have great love for Parama Puruśa, but in their heart of hearts are proud of their occult powers or pray to Parama Puruśa to grant them still more occult powers – these people after death are reborn as siddhas. Of all the categories of luminous bodies, the siddhas are the most elevated. They often help sádhakas in their sádhaná.

All these luminous bodies are collectively called devayoni. Besides the above, there are videhaliina and Prakrtiliina. Those who wrongly worship Parama Puruśa in the form of clay, iron or other material substances, are ultimately transformed into Prakrtiliina.

The next is videhaliina: those who run after occult powers and think, “I will attain such great occult power that with it, I will move from place to place.” These are all luminous bodies; they are not ghosts, nor are they positive or negative hallucinations.

Thus ghosts are not positive hallucinations, or negative hallucinations, or siddhas or devayonis. Then is there any such things as ghosts? Not exactly ghosts, but there is something like that.

After death, when the mind dissociates from the body, the accumulation of unfulfilled saḿskáras or reactive momenta remains, although the body with the five fundamental factors no longer exists. Thus, the mind cannot function, but it remains in potential form. Now, in some circumstances, if the ectoplasm of a living person is associated with that disembodied potential mind, then that disembodied mind gets a mental body temporarily, for a very short time. Then that mental body can start functioning with the help of the nerve cells and nerve fibres of that living person, but only for a few minutes.

What is this called? It is neither a positive hallucination nor a negative hallucination, nor is it a luminous body (devayoni). Then what is it? A living person’s ectoplasmic cells become the mental body of a dead person for a few minutes until – after a few minutes – that mental body again dies. This mental body I will call preśitamánas – “recreated mind.”

Some people may do good works or get good works done with the help of these preśitamánas, but only those who have perfect control over their minds and over the nerve cells and nerve fibres of their bodies can do this.

Those who are bad people can do evil deeds with the help of these preśitamánas. They can hurl stones into others’ houses, throw bones, or overturn tables and cots – all these things can be done for only a few minutes.

So here ghosts are not always positive hallucinations, and really speaking, those luminous bodies are not a creation of positive hallucination. And those recreated minds, those preśitamánasas, are not ghosts either. Luminous bodies are not ghosts. Then what is a ghost? Positive hallucinations, creations of positive hallucination, are ghosts. And they are of human creation, so actually there is no ghost. Now, suppose due to positive hallucination, or due to coming in contact with those luminous bodies, or due to coming in contact with those recreated minds, one thinks that it’s a ghost, then what is the medicine? What is the psychic medicine for such a disease?

In the case of a positive hallucination, we may say it is a sort of disease, but in case of luminous bodies, or recreated minds, it is not disease, because it is something physico-psychic – it is not disease. But in the case of a psychic disease or when one gets afraid while coming in contact with those luminous bodies or recreated minds, those preśitamánasas, what is the medicine? The medicine is, do kiirtana or devotional chanting. Do kiirtana for one minute or repeat your guru mantra, and that “ghost” will instantly vanish into thin air. So under no circumstances should you be afraid.

Footnotes

(1) [[A word here was not clear on the tape. –Eds.]]