Subtle Energy Perception: Pilot Study with a Buddha Relic

Objective: Clairvoyance denotes the purported capacity to perceive events or objects beyond the reach of the ordinary senses. We investigated this ability in a laboratory experiment with four self-identified professional clairvoyants and three laboratory staff who did not consider themselves to possess clairvoyant skills (as controls). Participants were asked to use extrasensory perception to sense a Buddha relic said to emanate “subtle energy.” Before the experiment, the relic was placed inside an opaque container, and the participants were allowed to familiarize themselves with any subtle energies they felt were emitted by the relic. They were permitted to hold their hands next to the opaque container but not touch it. For each experimental session, the relic was placed inside an opaque container randomly arranged alongside nine other identical containers. In a series of ten consecutive experimental sessions, participants attempted to detect which container held the relic without touching any of the containers. Sessions were conducted inside an electromagnetically shielded room, and the research staff followed strict blinding procedures. Results: The number of times that the container that held the Buddha relic was correctly identified was at or below chance for all participants.