Synopsis

In the novel, The Separation of Being, Amrit, a savant, is a young man on the run from forces that seek his ruin. He has lived a life burnishing his intellect as a scientist, a theoretical physicist. He had worked tirelessly for the regime, for ‘the cause’ and should have been lionised for his success, for his ground-breaking discovery, but instead finds himself set upon by the dogs of war, grey men in grey suits. It seems someone in power wants him out of the way. He cannot understand this bizarre twist of fate, and the regime’s many tentacles have now tracked him to the last place on Earth he thought they would find him, in the most remote capital city in the world.

Having nowhere else to run, he seeks out Thea, the only one he could trust and she reluctantly agrees to take him to a retreat she happens to be attending later that day. He finds himself seeking refuge in a Buddhist monastery.

In the throes of the deepest of meditative experiences that enlivens his mind and captivates his senses, emerge his real feelings for Thea and an extraordinary revelation of his own consciousness where he finds what his heart seeks, truth.

 

If you liked Zen and Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, then you may just love The Separation of Being for its philosophical discussions about the reality behind the world in which we live.

The Separation of Being is a quest for meaning and for anyone seeking answers to the biggest of life’s questions in a hard-science based suspension of disbelief. It is a contribution to our body of knowledge on consciousness and an enlightening tale of the human condition.

 

What is 'the separation of being'?

The separation of being is a figment of imagination that stems from the human condition. Our reality is framed by a separation of being, divided into our conscious experience and the 'objective' world in which we live. However, a model of reality that is quickly being embraced by some of the brightest minds today is one that is steeped in biocentrism. This world view suggests there is an entanglement between the universe and consciousness that brings the material world into existence with the birth of every conscious moment.

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How this unfolds is explained in dialogue throughout the book; first in an explanation of this biocentric world view, then in describing a plausible mechanism for how consciousness manifests (extrapolating Penrose and Hameroff's Orch OR Model through the lens of Robert Lanza’s biocentrism) and ultimately in how it plays out on a journey into enlightenment, as understood by contemporary Buddhist philosophy.