Right Brain is the Doorway to Awakening

August 9th, 2011 by Alex 5 comments »

I have called the right brain the “Doorway to Awakening”, or the “Door to Enlightenment”.

This is because evidence suggests that in order for you to have an awakening or epiphany, you must access the right brain and the subconscious mind.

LEFT BRAIN DOMINANCE IN DAILY LIFE

In previous articles I have proposed that, many people in modern society are left-brain dominated. (See “Left Brain Dominance“)  Many of us only get glimpses into the right brain functioning in our lives, while living predominantly in the left brain.  We think, plan, worry, remember, organize, prepare, rationalize, and compare all day long… while rarely “living in the moment” and “smelling the roses”.

The left brain activity is one of the wonderful things that has brought us many of the conveniences and advances of modern society. Technology and science, rational analytic thought,  and the usefulness of facts and logic.  However, it seems that the chatter and excessive activity of the left brain has to be shut down somewhat in order for the right brain to be able to exert its influence in a more deeply meaningful way.

If what I am proposing in this article from here on doesn’t seem fully clear, please review some earlier background on Left Brain / Right Brain issues, and see my earlier articles; ”Findings on Left Brain / Left Hemisphere“,  “Left Brain / Right Brain Generalizations“,  “Left Brain / Right Brain Thoughts“, and “Left Brain / Right Brain Refresher“. This may be necessary to follow my reasoning on how the right brain is the doorway to awakening, and what I mean by that phrase.

FACTORS IN RIGHT BRAIN AWAKENING

The subjective experience of timelessness, and other experiences of unity,  primarily involve the functioning of the right brain.

To come close to experiencing “wholeness”, rather than the breakdown of the parts, we must access the right brain.  To see the big picture, to experience a holistic view, we move into the domain of the right brain.

A big factor in blocking these experiences is our verbal processing, and our mental mode of “thinking”.

In my own experience, it seems that when I am verbalizing something, putting it into words… either in the spoken word or even in inward thoughts… I am one step removed from a deeper experience of the present moment.

Verbalization takes a sort of concentration, a time factor of  having a thought, and then a slight delay in expressing that thought. This whole process removes us from a simple awareness of the present moment.

It SEEMS like the present moment, because it happens very quickly in most cases. And for most of us, that is almost all we know. But if you closely examine the experience of thinking and verbalizing, you will see that you are slightly removed from the present moment by the internal process.

The supposition that the right brain is involved in awakenings is partly attested to by the fact that nearly every account of these experiences begins with, “I can’t put it into words, but this is what happened”. Or, “it is impossible to describe”, etc.

Words cannot describe these experiences, not because they are profoundly beyond words… but because they happen in the right brain, where words are not necessarily accessible.

We connect with the experience, without the words to go along with it. We deeply “feel” something, and feel that it is profound and meaningful, but can’t be put into words exactly. All of this is connected factually with the functioning of the right brain.

HOW TIME FACTORS IN – SHORT TERM AND LONG TERM – RIGHT BRAIN AND TIMELESSNESS

There are two aspects of how time factors in to this issue of the right brain being involved in awakenings and enlightenment.

One, is the short term, the immediate experience of a profound awakening or enlightenment.

I believe that it is likely that the MOMENT of awakening is realized in the right brain.

Time and again, descriptions of enlightenment and most epiphanies involves the element of “timelessness”… one experiences the present moment in a deep, and total manner. Another aspect related to this timelessness is the description of enlightenment being beyond words.

It is “impossible to describe”… that is because descriptions come from the left brain. Timelessness and experiences beyond description come from the right brain.

Eckhart Tolle also touched on another aspect of this when, in a video he made on Enlightenment, he said this;

“The ego can only be transcended through accessing the power of the present moment. No other way. Enlightenment is only in the power of the present moment – nowhere else.”

Enlightenment is not experienced in the future, or in the past, it is an intense experience of the present moment.

So, in the short term, enlightenment is experienced as a deep involvement in the present moment, and that is made possible by the right brain.

In the LONG TERM, it seems that continual practice of “training” yourself to experience the right brain by dropping into the present moment… by continued practice you allow an increased ease of ability to access the present moment through the use of the right brain.

I believe this is one of the things that meditation does.

By taking part in activities that allow us to access the right brain and fully experience the present moment, we are reinforcing those pathways in the brain that will smooth the way for you to make this happen more often, and with greater success.

Stepping out of the grip of time and our obsession with it, we are preparing, in some ways, the ability of the brain to drop into right brain timelessness, and thereby create the opportunity for awakening to occur. It may “increase the likelihood” of stepping out of time bound awareness into awakening… by the habit of doing so.

“Spiritual” type activities seem to enhance present moment awareness, and bring an increasing likelihood that we can access our right brains and be on the threshold of an awakening.

So, to sum up, in the LONG TERM, using methods to access the right brain sort of “trains” us in the ability to experience the present moment more fully, and step into the world of the right brain.

This increases the likelihood that we can easily move into the moment of awakening that happens in the deep experience of the present moment of a full experience of reality.

I will have one more entry to write about the right brain and epiphanies, in which some recent studies are showing through physical evidence, that “ah-hah” moments ARE in fact experienced in the right brain.

In Unity,
AJ

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My Dream of Enlightenment

February 28th, 2011 by Alex 2 comments »

Some months ago I had a dream about enlightenment.

I had initially not wanted to post any articles or talk about it in public, because somehow it seemed a little strange, a bit too personal, and mostly indescribable.

But I keep coming back to this dream over and over in my life now. Because of this, and just for the record, I am going to make an attempt to explain it. I think it has a simple message that applies to enlightenment in a number of ways.

THE DREAM – A GLIMPSE OF ENLIGHTENMENT

In the dream I remember sensing a voice, I am not sure if it was my own or from somewhere else … the voice said; “I will give you just a glimpse of enlightenment, if you would like to see it“.  I didn’t even need to ”say” yes, but immediately got ready. I sort of gave myself a brief preparation, kind of a shrug of my shoulders to loosen myself up, in a figurative way, and brace myself.

Then I was shown.

What I saw in front of me was a scene, somewhat like a small field, with a tree line in the distance. I don’t remember any of the details of the scene, except that it reminded me of an area that I walk through when walking down to the river near my house. There is a swampy type area, with green foliage and different types of plants in the foreground, and a line of trees perhaps 50 yards away. It was similar to that scene.

My mind went blank.

The view was perhaps somewhat like an impressionistic painting… it was not one big blur, but there was not the kind of “detail” that one ordinarily sees while looking at a scene. It was as if the entire “energy” of the scene in front of me was all together, it was all ONE scene and there was no separation of its parts. It felt very “vibrant” and energetic, but without variance or distinctions. It seemed “alive” somehow, in a general sort of way.

I felt as if I were absorbing the scene, rather than looking at it. And it felt somehow like I was immersed in it, almost a feeling as in the connection that is felt when you are in a body of warm water – the feeling that you are able to sense all of the other water. There was a seamless connection. “I’ wasn’t part of it, because “I” wasn’t really there… my mind was empty and blank. It was not freaky, or scary, or even shocking.

This experience only lasted for the briefest of moments in the dream. I “saw” the scene, and felt it, and then began notice that it was beautiful.

I started to feel a gentle feeling of emotion, and then I could sense a change as the feeling of beauty started to flood into me. A feeling of being choked up started to come over me, and a feeling as if a tear were coming to my eyes, or that my eyes were beginning to moisten came to me. 

As soon as the emotion appeared, the scene disappeared and the moment was gone.

Immediately after that, I remember thinking -
“Seeing without labeling… I was seeing without labeling“.

This phrase just kept going over and over in my mind.

I remember thinking, “I have to remember this!”, and woke up from my sleep shortly afterwords.

Most of my dreams go unnoticed and are lost to me, but for some reason, I was able to wake up, and repeat what I was trying to remember – “seeing without labeling”,  “seeing without labeling”, and tried to remember as much of the dream as I could.

At first, I passed the dream off as interesting, but a relatively small insight. The notion of “seeing without labeling” did not seem to me to be a profound statement or insight, and that is why I did not take much note of it. I immediately thought that the feeling of “emptiness” was very interesting and real, and I liked the idea that I would have a dream about getting a taste of what it felt like to be enlightened.

However, after thinking it was not much of anything, for some reason the dream kept coming back to me. I could continue to remember the ideas of the dream, and the feelings I had, as well as the feeling of the period of “blankness” when I had “no mind” as I was viewing the scene.

I could remember all of these things, and kept thinking about them.

THE MESSAGE – “SEEING WITHOUT LABELING“

What I saw in the dream, and kept going through my head at the time was that I was “Seeing Without Labeling”.

That is, in the dream, as soon as I came out of the “blank” empty-mind state I was in while viewing the scene, I kept repeating to myself that I had been “seeing without labeling”. It kept going over and over in my head.

Later I realized that this message is deceptively simple. It is basic, and to the point, but actually has some extensive ramifications.

In the dream I was able to view a simple scene without any thought or judgement, without any labeling or naming. What this means is that I was open to the pure energy of the scene, without breaking it down into parts or segments.  I was able to view without emotion, attachment or distaste.

The act of “labeling” and “naming” involves much more than just putting a word to represent something. It involves a whole series of judgements and values, most of them subconscious. It involves a certain amount of emotion; if you are attracted to the word and what it is labeling the emotion is positive, if you are not, it is often negative. These emotions don’t need to necessarily be strong, but they are there nonetheless.

To see something without labeling is to be totally neutral to what you are seeing… and you can see it for what it IS, rather than what you bring to it with your own emotions and attachments. I believe that this is why, as soon as emotion started to come over me in the dream the scene evaporated. That is, as soon as emotion became involved I lost the ability to see the scene “as it is”, without labeling.

When the emotion became involved, I was in the act of “labeling” again.

I began to see it as “beautiful”.

When I saw the scene as beautiful, when the feeling and idea of “beauty” came to me, the objective view was lost… and I was no longer “seeing without labeling”. I was labeling it “beautiful”.

OTHER IDEAS SPURRED BY THE DREAM

* I realized later that this dream only included visual information… the experience of enlightenment was only displayed in the dream in visual terms. Actual enlightenment would also involve the same sort of experience, but to additionally include the senses of smell, sound, taste, and touch.

* There was a sort of “unity” experience, but one without emotion or drama. There was a “unity experience”… but  no one there to experience it! That experience came during the period of “blankness”, the time when my mind went blank in the dream. I know the difficulties that the Buddha was going through when trying to describe things using this type of  phrase; “Subhuti, what the Buddha calls a self essentially has no self in the way that ordinary persons think there is a self“. There was a scene in the dream, and an experience of the scene, but no “self”, no “me” to experience it. My mind was blank.

* The feeling of blankness was vivid and distinct, as much as can be described about “blankness”. Somehow I just “knew” in the dream that my mind was blank. There were no words, and it FELT blank. Though it was blank, there was still a presence there. Just an awareness.

* The blankness was a sort of lack of judgement, a direct experience. There were no thoughts, but a feeling of awareness… a feeling of blending in with the scene before me.

* The dream was short, but vivid.

Over time this dream will fade from my memory.

I note it here in this article so that I can come back to it and compare it to what I learn and experience in the future.

If you have had your own dream of enlightenment, please write and tell me.

In Unity,
AJ

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Name Change to AJ Unity Project

February 23rd, 2011 by Alex No comments »

I had to change the name of “The Unity Project” to “AJ Unity Project” recently.

There are numerous other “The” Unity Project websites and organizations out there on the web now, so to avoid conflict, and to try to separate out this effort from the others, I decided to change the name to AJ Unity Project.

This might be a little easier to remember over time, and will allow us to retain an individual identity different from all of the other “unity projects”. We should be able to keep this name, since there are no others out there at this time.

Same great service… just a new, slightly different, name!

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The Nature of Epiphany, Pt. 2. By Terren Suydam

January 17th, 2011 by Alex 2 comments »

Welcome to Part 2 of the series on Epiphanies. Part 1 provided a framework for understanding what is happening when we have an epiphany.

In short, when we replace two or more mental models with a unified whole (a so-called “map-congealing moment”), we experience it as an epiphany if this takes place on a large scale. Part 1 went into some detail about what mental models are – our taken-for-granted ways of making sense of and predicting the world.

This article will get into some detail about what is happening when this “map-congealing moment” occurs. We will also see why epiphanies are relatively rare and what we can do if we want to have more of them.

But first, let’s explore some imagery that will help us later on.

The Sand Pile

Imagine that you are sitting at a table and you have a bucket of dry sand and some tweezers. One at a time, you drop single grains of sand in the center of the table. Over time, a small pile develops. As you add more and more grains, you notice that most of the time when you drop a grain of sand, it simply lands somewhere. Once in a while though, a few other grains of sand shift in response to dropping one. And rarely, dropping a single grain causes a large avalanche in which perhaps hundreds, even thousands of other grains slide down the pile.

This behavior has a name: self-organized criticality. It’s a technical name for a fairly intuitive phenomenon. A system that exhibits self-organized criticality has a lot of small parts which are held together collectively in a state of dynamic tension. Think of the uneasy stability of our sand pile. The pile is held together by friction and gravity, but as we keep adding sand, the weight of the new sand keeps adding to the existing tension until it becomes too much.  When that happens, an avalanche occurs. Energy is released as the system reorganizes and finds a new equilibrium.

As it turns out, a number of other natural phenomena can be described by self-organized criticality besides sand piles. Actual avalanches made of snow are an obvious example. Earthquakes too – the arrangement of all the Earth’s tectonic plates exists in a state of dynamic tension.  They are always moving, very slowly. Each small movement adds to the tension of the existing arrangement, until one day, the tension is too much and the energy is released as an earthquake.

What if self-organized criticality is at work in our minds? The grains of sand in our mental environment would be the millions of different interlocking mental models, which exist together in a state of dynamic tension as our worldview. As our mental models accumulate changes, they put pressure on other relevant models to change as well. Sometimes this happens in a cascading, dramatic fashion, like an avalanche… an epiphany, perhaps?

Our Mental Sand Piles

There is an uneasy stability in our mental models, as in the sand pile. Rather than friction and gravity, what holds together our mental models is the bond of reinforcement. Each time our models help us meet some goal, the network they are part of gets stronger. But these bonds can be broken at any time, replaced with other configurations as our models change.

Each new fact we might learn is a new grain of sand we drop on the sand-pile of our worldview. We can accommodate potentially many new grains of sand before an ‘avalanche’ occurs, and we sometimes experience this increasing tension between our models as a form of confusion. At some point, the tension becomes too great, and a simple trigger (the next grain of sand) causes the system (our worldview) to reorganize. This entails the “map-congealing moment” discussed in Part 1.

We experience a release of energy and good feelings when this happens, because it takes energy to maintain mental models that are in tension. The more tension we build up, the more we release in the ensuing “avalanche” and the more exhilarating and profound it feels. After the reorganization, we usually understand which mental models were in conflict, preventing us from achieving the new, more harmonious structuring.

Epiphanies Imply Discomfort

Why are epiphanies so rare? It would seem that with all the new information we take in on a daily basis, we should be having epiphanies all the time. And yet, the human species has evolved a trait that acts to counter the processes that lead to epiphany. That is, we are wired to filter out information that does not confirm what we already believe… this is commonly referred to as “confirmation bias”. Confirmation bias acts to deflect grains of sand from falling onto our piles.

Confirmation bias is there to make our worldview more stable. It allows us to constantly reinforce, and take refuge in, our network of beliefs without spending too much time and effort questioning them. This evidently was an important adaptation during our evolutionary history, even if today it can make our belief systems more rigid than they need to be.

There is another psychological feature that makes us rigid as well. Very often, our identities are wrapped up in what we believe and how we make sense of the world – to a large extent, what we believe is who we are. There is in particular an emotional sense of comfort that comes with identifying with some shared belief system, such as a religion.

When someone contradicts a belief we draw comfort from (e.g. an inflated ego, or a belief in God), it can provoke serious emotional responses. Unfortunately, when our emotional system gets involved, we are much more likely to act rigidly.

That rigidity is there for a reason, to protect us, but from what? It can be very anxiety-producing to not know what you think, where you belong, or who is right. Creating the conditions that foster epiphanies, as we will see, necessarily creates conditions that lead directly to those uncomfortable states of confusion, not to mention anxiety about who you really are.

I like discomfort and confusion. How do I get more of it?

In spite of the perceived risks, there are many of us who would court these kinds of worldview reorganizations. So how do we make epiphanies more likely? First and foremost, a curiosity or thirst for understanding is what puts us on the path. Without this, change to our worldviews can only be forced on us against our will. Epiphanies are still possible, strictly speaking, but they are likely only to happen during periods of crisis.

Beyond that, if we want to foster epiphanies, we need to understand the role of tension, flexibility, and creativity in the underlying process.

Tension is just a basic part of the sand-pile imagery we’re using to explain epiphany. Causing mental avalanches requires that we increase the tension in our network of mental models. We do that by assimilating information that challenges our preconceived ways of making sense of the world.

To cultivate tension, we must deal with confirmation bias, and other biases as well. This entails an intentional act of questioning our own belief systems and consistently working to discover how our beliefs may be inadequate or invalid in some important way. It means, for example, being open-minded and receptive to people and ideas you may not agree with.  We must also be persistent. If we do not keep challenging ourselves, the tension can dissipate.

Flexibility is required in our sand-pile, because flexibility is what allows tension to build up. Epiphanies are experienced as large-scale avalanches. You cannot get large-scale avalanches without allowing a lot of tension to build up. A rigid system dispenses with the grains of sand before they get a chance to weigh on the pile. A flexible system accommodates a lot of sand.

Flexibility in the mental domain requires that we be able to hold competing ideas together at the same time without distress. If we’re flexible, we can compare ideas without too much attachment to one idea or the other. This doesn’t come naturally, it must be practiced. Probably for similar reasons that confirmation bias exists, we are wired to take sides, so flexibility is the ability to straddle a fence. Also, flexibility is intimately linked with our sense of safety. If our belief systems make us feel safe, we will be rigid about giving them up.

There are therefore at least two ways we can cultivate flexibility. One is to resist the urge to “pick a side”, as this biases all new information. A tried and true debating technique of arguing for the side you disagree with is a great technique. Another is to develop a tolerance for risk, by taking small risks, every day. There is no possible way of improving psychological flexibility without “getting out of your comfort zone”, to borrow a cliché.

Finally, to resolve the tension between conflicting maps, we tap into our creativity. The “map-congealing moment” of epiphany, the avalanche, involves replacing several seemingly disconnected models with an integrated whole. To do this we creatively make connections between two separate mental models. This is one aspect of human intelligence that is very poorly understood. Interestingly, it’s the same kind of intelligence that is at play in much of humor – making surprising connections and juxtapositions. It’s also the principle by which Zen koans operate.

There are millions of ideas out there about how to cultivate creativity. One idea that seems to be key to epiphany is the need to relax. Creativity requires a kind of playfulness, which in turn requires a certain amount of relaxation. It may be hard to be playful while we are literally experiencing the tension between conflicting ways of seeing the world or ourselves. Perhaps this is why so many folks experience epiphanies in the shower, or in similarly mundane circumstances, because we can relax in the routine of the day, and the mind can be freer to embody the creativity necessary to make that last creative triggering realization.

The Road to Self Realization

Epiphanies are accessible to anyone who is willing to challenge their taken-for-granted ways of making sense of the world. Curiosity and a desire to understand ourselves and the world at large, coupled with a willingness to let go of cherished beliefs and try on different viewpoints, are the key traits needed to start down the road to epiphany. Persistence, playfulness, and courage are also necessary in no small measure.

In Part 3, we will see that what is involved in fostering epiphany is part of a larger dynamic – that epiphanies are a rewarding byproduct of what is really a spiritual journey of self-discovery and realization, the road to enlightenment.

For more on self-organized criticality, see Wikipedia, or the excellent book How Nature Worksby Per Bak.

Terren Suydam

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Deepak Chopra on Enlightenment

November 9th, 2010 by Alex No comments »

The other day I read this passage in Deepak Chopra’s book
“Life After Death: The Burden of Proof“. 

Deepak has an interesting perspective here that relates to The Unity Project in some ways.

Below is the full quote, from ”Life After Death”, page 232;

The most profound of contradictions is that to reach enlightenment, which is free from past impressions, you have no choice but to use your brain, and the brain is mired in its habit of filtering, choosing, preferring, rejecting, etc. Krishnamurti stated this elegantly when he asked, “Can a fragmented mind ever experience wholeness?”

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The answer is that it cannot, but all any of us are equipped with is a fragmented mind. A mind made up of memes and samskaras. Asserting that you have an open mind while someone else’s mind is closed, or claiming that you experience reality instead of illusion, seems like a reasonable statement, but in Krishnamurti’s terms – which are pure Vedanta – it is impossible to do things like “trying to be more open” or “trying to get more real”. You are simply fighting with your own divided self.

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So what is the way out of this paradox? There is a way to approach the tricky business of opening your mind.

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  1. Know that you are going to identify with your worldview at every stage of personal growth.
  2. Accept that these identifications are temporary. You will never be truly yourself until you reach unity.
  3. Be willing to change your identity every day. Take a flexible attitude. Don’t defend an “I” that you know is just temporary.
  4. Allow your ability to quietly observe without judgment to replace the ingrained ideas you reach for automatically.
  5. When you have the impulse to struggle, use that as an immediate signal to let go. Open a space for a new answer to unfold on its own.
  6. When you can’t let go, forgive yourself and move on.
  7. Use every opportunity to tell yourself that all viewpoints are valid, every experience valuable, every insight a moment of freedom.

These steps cultivate an open mind by exposing you to the mind field itself, witnessing without judgment. They will orient you to the possibility that you can be redefined continuously. In other words, give your allegiance to transformation rather than defending the status-quo. Now you are ready to disassemble your worldview. You are ready to stop having a stake in the world limited to the narrow confines of I, me, mine.

“You will never be truly yourself until you reach unity” seemed to me a nice quote to relate this passage to The Unity Project, and echoed in some ways some of my earlier posts about my definition of enlightenment, and how it is a state free from filters and distortions. 

In this case, Deepak gives a possible “practical” guide in how to “open your mind”.

I thought it might be good to share this quote with you, and wanted to note it for possible inclusion in some of the more practical ideas I will be coming up with relating to how one might move towards enlightenment.

In Unity,
AJ

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Enlightenment – Gradual, or Sudden?

October 21st, 2010 by Alex No comments »

One of the themes that seems to pop up most often in our conversations about enlightenment is the issue of “sudden” versus “gradual” enlightenment.

A main sticking point for many who are following these topics relating to enlightenment, is the idea that someone could “spontaneously” become enlightened - without studying Buddhism, or working out a rigorous process of eliminating the ego before hand.

Brian High left a good comment on an earlier blog related to this topic. In his post, he said this;  “The last thing I’d be interested in doing is supporting the belief that ‘enlightenment is too difficult,’ yet I do not fully embrace the idea that *anyone* can be enlightened *at any time*. If that were true, I’d think we’d have a lot more spontaneously enlightened people than I believe exist among our population. This is why I believe the concepts taught in Buddhism are critical to the gradual attainment course. Our egos are more than satisfied to understand the *concept* of gratitude, equanimity and compassion, however it is the *actual experience* of these things that triggers the change in our thinking.” 

His point here, well stated and articulated, is one shared by many.

This seems to be one of the more problematic aspects of thinking about enlightenment.

Is enlightenment a sudden, or gradual realization?

For my part, I think it is BOTH.

One of the things that set this issue off in my blog posts is the question I asked about whether it is possible to achieve enlightenment WITHOUT knowing ANYTHING about Buddhism, or Buddhist concepts and ideas. I cover this more thoroughly in my “What is Enlightenment” post, and the “Enlightenment Without Buddhism” post. The idea that I put forth was that to experience enlightenment was to see the “truth”, which is seeing “reality” unfiltered through our normal mental, physical, or psychological filters. The idea is that, regardless of any prior spiritual or philosophical training or procedures, one could attain enlightenment by eliminating any filters that prevent us from experiencing reality unfiltered.

I did not come by this position easily, or quickly.

But the more I studied this issue, the more I came across ideas and positions by others who feel that this process necessarily takes a LONG time. It takes a long time to overcome our life-long process of ego solidification that blinds us to so much of reality.

I have dubbed this view the “Long Hard Road” philosophy of enlightenment. That philosophy proposes that the process of becoming enlightened is an arduous, lengthy process with many twists and turns, leading to a slow and gradual realization of “the truth”.

I have since come to question whether this lengthy process is entirely necessary, and I will discuss that further in this article.

THE “LONG HARD ROAD” PHILOSOPHY

The dismantling of our filtering systems, of which the ego, or “self” is one of the primary illusions, would seem to take a proportionately long time as the time it took to assemble them in the first place. You don’t suddenly build your world view, so it seems logical that you would not suddenly dismantle it.

One of the things that made an impression on me while studying this topic, was the information about studies done on young children only 9 months old or younger. Overwhelmingly, children of both sexes make preferential choices about human behavior even before they can speak. One study showed 3 rather generic teddy bear figures to children but the behaviour of these figures differed dramatically. One figure was “helpful” and “empathetic” in its actions towards another teddy bear, and the other one was “unhelpful” and ”uncooperative” towards the neutral teddy bear. After the short display of action on the part of the teddy bears, the children overwhelmingly chose the “helpful” teddy bear as the one they wanted to play with after the test. The implication to the people making the study was that children almost innately chose to like, or associate with, others who are empathetic and helpful.

What struck me about this study was that, as children we are making choices about others, based on their behaviour, that is almost “hard wired” into us. It wasn’t language, or concepts, that were moving us as children to choose one teddy bear over the other one. It was an innate tendency built into us on almost a genetic level. What this says to me is that we have been making unconscious choices about our interaction with reality since long before we could even speak.

Now, if that kind of powerful choice making is going on even before we can formulate a concept to back it up, then our lives have been one LONG series of choices made without any idea of what we were doing, or how we were doing it.

So, it seems entirely logical that to unravel that long, tireless accretion of choices, preferences, viewpoints and beliefs, would take an equally long time. Slowly but surely, we can dismantle any of those beliefs, views, or preferences that hinder our perception of undistorted reality.

The paradox is that, it is often only much later in this process that we can realize that we have been making choices, and developing beliefs and ideas our whole lives, but without actually being fully aware of how we were doing it, and what the long term impact was, at the time. Once we realize that this process has been going on relentlessly, we can then begin the long tedious work of undoing any harmful or distorting beliefs and behaviours that stop us from experiencing reality “unfiltered”.

After this difficult reverse process of unraveling our previous stockpiling of unconscious choices and assumptions, comes a point where there is a breakthrough.

In this model, the experience of enlightenment happens as a “sudden realization”, but only after a lengthy process of dismantling our false beliefs or illusions that we unconsciously built up over a lifetime of living.

In other words, the realization may be sudden, but the preparation was gradual and proportionately lengthy to the time involved in creating the illusions.

THE “SUDDEN REALIZATON” PHILOSOPHY

The alternate scenario is that a person can achieve a sudden enlightenment, without years of preparation and work.

I view this alternative as more akin to the realization that happens when you “see through an illusion”.

One of the more famous examples, is the metaphor of the coil of rope mistaken for a snake.  As the story goes, at dusk, a coil of rope is seen in the shadows, and mistaken for a snake.

If you don’t investigate, or can’t see clearly, you may continue to think that the coil of rope is a snake. However,  once you see that the rope is not a snake, you cannot go back and turn it into a snake again in your imagination. Once you see the “reality” of the rope, you are forever rid of the mistaken perception of the snake.

In this example you don’t, “slowly but surely” come to this realization that the rope is not a snake over a period of days, months, or years. You don’t have to slowly unravel all of the impressions and ideas that went into your mind that made you initially see the rope as a snake. All you have to do is shift your position, or perspective, and you see, for a fact, that the rope is not a snake.

It is sudden, and complete.

Some might say that this type of realization is very unlike a complete, transformational realization of the mind involving the depths of ones being. However, it illustrates that when truth is seen over illusion, it is a sudden realization, and the length of time involved in creating the illusion is irrelevant.

OTHER EXAMPLES OF “SUDDEN” REALIZATIONS

  • Sudden, dramatic realizations reached under the influence of drugs or altered states. See my blog posting on “The Enlightenment Pill“.
  • Brain “damage”, or sudden changes in brain chemistry or physical structure. See my blog posting referencing Savants and my blog posting referencing Jill Bolte Taylor and the insights she had during a stroke which affected the left hemisphere of her brain.
  • Humor, and the punch line of a joke. What makes us laugh, and gives us a semblance of an “ah-ha moment” in a joke, is the juxtapositioning of what we *thought* the joke was leading to, and what the punch line actually portrayed. A good joke leads you down one path of expectation, and then flips the result upside down for the punch line. This realization is sudden, and complete… the only preparation being the false trail leading up to the revelation.
  • Tricks and koans. See my blog posting “Tricks and Koans” where I discuss visual illusions that trick the visual system, and koans that trick the mind. When you realize a visual illusion, or rather, see the “switch” that takes place in a visual perceptual illusion, it is very sudden, and complete.

The “sudden realization” model of enlightenment has as its basis an unspoken assumption that we are already on the verge of enlightenment at any time.

The event that triggers enlightenment is one that reveals our true nature, which is inherently perfect as it is. In this model, we don’t necessarily need to “purify” ourselves, or change our selves… but essentially need to somehow uncover our existing nature.

There is a reference to these issues that I read recently that I will quote here, which touches on this rather eloquently:

“Throughout the Buddhist tradition, one finds two apparently contradictory models of human nature. One view holds that human beings are fundamentally flawed and laced with impurities, while Dharma training is a heroic struggle to rise above the unwholesome psychological roots that have been entrenched in the mind for incalculable eons. Awakening, then, is a supremely difficult task, requiring unrelenting effort to go ‘against the stream,’ as the Buddha said, of our natural tendencies. The other model takes the view that humans are, in our true nature, intrinsically enlightened and virtuous.  From this perspective, practice is a matter of uncovering our original purity. The process is based less on striving than on letting go and gently opening up to our innate goodness.”

Unlimiting Mind, by Andrew Olendzki. Page 139

SOME QUESTIONS

Does the length of preparation really affect the depth and profundity of a realization?
Or, in other words, does a longer preparation lead to a more profound realization?
Does it take a lifetime of building up, to create a sudden, complete and profound dismantling of our preconceptions?
Is there really a “one to one” correspondence between preparation time and a realization?

SUMMARY

It seems to me that some degree of both of these schools of thought are necessary for enlightenment.

There must be some build up of “illusion” over time, coupled with a “sudden” realization. There is a period of preparation, and then a sudden realization.

I would note here that,  in my opinion,  the period of preparation is likely much LESS than has previously been thought by most people. I think it possible that much of the “long hard road” we often go through to reach enlightenment, or have an awakening, is largely unnecessary.

This is part of what motivates me to continue in the Unity Project. I hope to find ways to shorten the distance between the preparation necessary for enlightenment, and the sudden realization of it.

Let me know your thoughts on this.

In Unity,
AJ

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Doing Research Again, Back Soon!

October 7th, 2010 by Alex No comments »

Just a quick update on my lengthy absence from posting in this blog.

I was writing an article on the “sudden” as opposed to the “gradual” nature of enlightenment and ran into a bit of a problem.

This required me to begin further research on these issues:

  • Free will, or rather, the “myth” of free will
  • Interdependent origination
  • Determinism

I am nearing the end of this study, so hope to be back soon with more postings.

I am finding that the deeper I get into these issues of enlightenment and epiphanies, the more complex they seem to become!

I hope to surface again here soon!

In Unity,
AJ

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I Am Not Seeking Enlightenment

July 28th, 2010 by Alex 4 comments »

Buddha and catOn a personal note, this post will briefly explain my position and motivations for doing this work with The Unity Project, and why I created it.

On occasion, when speaking with people about The Unity Project, I realize that sometimes they assume that my motivation for studying enlightenment, epiphanies, and awakenings, is so that I can get information or ideas to help ME achieve enlightenment.

It is a natural assumption. However, that is not the case.

There are several reasons that “I am NOT seeking enlightenment”:

1.  I am not really motivated to achieve enlightenment.

I am not unhappy with my life at all, and am not “driven” in any way to change my outlook at this time. I might say, that I am a “truth seeker”, in a way. That is, I am driven to find out about things, and to uncover the true nature of life and the universe.  I love to always learn, and broaden my outlook and understanding of life. So, you might say that I am driven to learn and grow, but not from pain or negativity, only from curiosity and love of life. It may sound funny, but there is no deep motivation for me to fundamentally change the way I am now.
( Some others I know might disagree, but I won’t go into that now!)

2.  To “Seek” enlightenment would block any chance of it happening.

This is what I have heard referred to as “the paradox of spiritual effort”. 
Nitin Trasi, in his book “The Science of Enlightenment” sums this up well;

“Actually it is not very surprising that Enlightenment should occur so rarely.
Enlightenment, as it has already been explained, is the actual perception or realization
(not belief or mere intellectual understanding) that one is not a separate entity. 
Therefore, the very pursuit of this as a goal to be ‘attained’ by a ‘me’ will be counter-productive,
because the very effort will reinforce the conviction in the existence of a ‘me’ as a separte entity.
As this is the exact opposite of the result desired, the aspirant will be moving around in circles.”
The Science of Enlightenment, p. 38.

In many cases, it is when a person “gives up” on “spiritual pursuits”, that they make the most progress. I am not motivated to achieve enlightenment, and if I were, I would realize that to “seek” it would be to destroy my chances of achieving it.

Eckhart Tolle, in a video online titled “Enlightenment”, says this;

“You cannot make – whether you call it the ego-less state, or whether you call it enlightenment – you cannot make it into a goal.  Goal implies future. Because the very entry point into the ego-less state, or the enlightened state, is the present moment. If you make it into a goal, that you want to achieve, you MISS the entry point, because you’re looking to the future, because “goal” implies future. That is the dilemma of all spiritual seekers.”

 3.  I am open to enlightenment, awakenings and epiphanies.

Though I am not actively “seeking” enlightenment, I am fully open to the possibility that it COULD happen to me, at any time.  This is also true for any other awakenings or epiphanies. (In fact, I have smaller level epiphanies quite often.)

This is part of ideas I have developed in The Unity Project, relating to the following items;

  • You would likely never achieve enlightenment, or awakenings, if you actively thought that you were NOT capable of it, or if you thought that it would never happen to you.
  • You must entertain the possibility that enlightenment could happen to you. That is, you must not actively “block” your possibilities by your attitudes.
  • To be open to experiencing awakenings and epiphanies, at any time, is necessary. Even though you are open to the possibility of it happening, you must also be open to it happening AT ANY TIME. Some may believe that they could become enlightened, but that it would happen “out there”, sometime “in the future”, or even in “another lifetime” etc. What I mean here, is to be open to these experiences at any moment.

WHY STUDY ENLIGHTENMENT, EPIPHANIES, AND AWAKENINGS?

Though I am not actively seeking enlightenment myself, I am still extremely interested in these subjects.

Enlightenment, awakenings and epiphanies are extremely interesting to me for the following reasons:

* They involve a “sudden” insight that has the power to transform our lives.
Unlike an automobile accident, or winning the lottery, this sudden transformation comes from within. When I refer to “enlightenment” and “awakenings” or “epiphanies”, what I am generally referring to are experiences that are PROFOUND… potentially life changing.  What interests me is how our consciousness could create a situation where an entirely new perspective is experienced, where our life is profoundly changed in a positive way. HOW does this happen, and WHY?

* There is a “light switch” character to these transformations.
There most often seems to be a strong distinction between the moment BEFORE an awakening or epiphany, and the moment AFTER. In addition, once this threshold is crossed, there is no going back. This is fascinating to me. How does a permanent change in our makeup take place? What happens in the brain, and in our mental makeup, to have a shift like this possible?

* This is the cutting edge of consciousness studies.
Enlightenment, awakenings, and epiphanies are unique phenomena. They are dealing with the highest levels of brain functioning and mind, and their relative rarity makes them even more important to study. I have found a fairly wide crossover of these topics with other studies involving ESP, Near Death Experiences, and the mystery of sleep. So these phenomenon can point to areas of understanding that may have applications in other aspects of consciousness studies.

* There might be a way to facilitate the occurrence of these experiences.
Aside from Buddhism, there doesn’t seem to be much practical advice one can take to learn how to have, or to facilitate these experiences. I know that, as far as enlightenment is concerned, there are some who will say; “Just practice Buddhism, this will lead to enlightenment”. While I agree that practicing Buddhism has that potential, I think that it is, what I have termed, “The Long Hard Road” method of doing it. I believe there may be OTHER ways of achieving enlightenment today that are more conducive to our modern way of life and thinking. It seems that a new, fresh look at this whole topic is in order.

* Studying these experiences will likely lead to unexpected surprises.
Focusing in on awakenings, epiphanies, and enlightenment will likely lead to breakthroughs in our understanding of consciousness, and perhaps even lead to practical applications that can actually make a difference in people’s lives. What IF there were methods available that could facilitate profound awakenings or epiphanies? We don’t know what we will find in these studies, but I believe that, due to the profound and complex nature of these phenomena, that we will find something very important – something that could potentially change the lives of many people in a positive direction.

* Awakenings and epiphanies are linked to creativity.
I think that it is likely that the findings of these studies will improve the odds of people being able to make huge leaps in creativity. Most profound insights lead to renewed energy and excitement, and are often followed up by healthy and joyful activity. Renewed creativity and quantum leaps in insight could have exponentially large positive outcomes. For example, if that creativity were to result in things like new answers to energy problems, environmental issues, and  other major life factors for the future of our planet and our species.

All of these points are inherently fascinating to me.

I would study them even if there were no chance at all that I would personally reap the benefits in practical terms. Just the sheer enjoyment of studying and learning about these experiences and how they are possible is motivating enough for me.

In fact, I HAVE thought about the dilemma of actually achieving enlightenment, or a profound awakening in my life. I have wondered how that might change my study of these issues.

It seems, at first, that it would be a very strong advantage to actually experience these things first hand before writing about them. But I am not so sure about that.

I think what I would prefer is to study as much about these topics as I can for some good period of time… and THEN experience a profound awakening.

That way, I could put the “icing on the cake” and tell what could not be told before, about the actual experience.  In addition, if these studies lead to methods that could facilitate an awakening, I would need to be able to experience THAT process in order to know it from the inside out.

Another way of putting it, is that sometimes I think I need to “think like an unenlightened person”, in order to develop what will work for everyone who IS unenlightened. I am fairly sure that there will be many people who disagree with me on this point, thinking even that it is a logical inconsistency.

But let me just say, that since I am in no big hurry to experience enlightenment or an awakening, I can use this time to delve as deeply into it as I can… from the perspective of an ordinary, “unenlightened” individual.

I better get back to work on this project… if I become enlightened too soon it could ruin the whole thing!

I might just turn into one of those people who say; “you can’t talk about it”, “it is something that words just can’t describe”, “you can never get there by thinking about it”, etc.  – I might just turn away with a blissful look on my face and say; “this study is ended”.

In Unity,
AJ

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The Nature of Epiphany, Pt. 1

July 21st, 2010 by Terren Suydam No comments »

In this multipart article I will talk in depth about epiphanies – the sudden, profound insights that often seemingly come out of nowhere.

This first part will examine epiphanies from the standpoint of what is happening when we have one. Subsequent parts will focus on the introspective nature of epiphany, the appreciation of epiphany as an ongoing process, why they feel so profound, how to have more of them, and the connection between epiphany and enlightenment.

Part 1 – the nature of epiphany

Chances are, you’ve heard the famous question “what is the sound of one hand clapping?” This is perhaps the most well-known Zen koan. A koan is a story-telling tool used in the practice of Zen Buddhism and is often structured in terms of one who is unenlightened receiving a surprising nugget of wisdom from one who is enlightened.

Here is another example of a koan:

Two monks were arguing about a flag. One said: `The flag is moving.’

 

The other said: `The wind is moving.’

 

The sixth patriach happened to be passing by. He told them: `Not the wind, not the flag; mind is moving.’

The zen master’s answer is often absurd or nonsensical on its face, unless one has already had the insight that renders meaning to it. Trying to find meaning in a koan can usefully challenge one’s mental models, or taken-for-granted ways of making sense of the world. Often, koans end with an unenlightened monk becoming enlightened as a result of hearing the master’s response. This sudden moment of enlightenment is an epiphany.

Epiphanies are sudden profound insights, reflecting large-scale transformations of our mental models. Such radical cognitive restructuring is a necessary part of the organic process that leads to enlightenment, because enlightenment entails radical changes to the way we relate to the world.

Mental Models

Before we can get into what the nature of epiphany is, we need to look at what it means to have “taken-for-granted ways of making sense of the world”, or mental models.

Mental models are patterns in our mind that help us navigate and derive meaning from our world. If you can navigate your house blindfolded, that is because you have a well-developed model of your house in your mind. You can imagine walking through it. Any act of imagination, in fact, entails the use of a mental model.

Our mental models are representations of our world that allow us to predict what will happen as we go about our day. When you cross a busy intersection, you employ your model of a traffic light, plus behavioral models of how people will behave as they drive, bike, and walk through it. Your models give you the confidence to cross the street without getting hit by a bus. The usefulness of these models lies in how they make the world predictable, and how they allow for our actions to become automatic, freeing up mental resources for more important problems. We can cross that intersection while thinking about an upcoming exam or presentation, even as vehicles weighing several thousand pounds are speeding by you.

As you learn new skills and knowledge, you are developing your mental models. When you learn how to drive a car, for example, you are developing several models at once. First, you develop your model of how a car is operated. As you do this, you must concentrate your full awareness on the mechanics of driving. Soon, however, the process becomes automatic. Your model has become developed enough to free your mind for developing other models, such as learning how to drive with other people on the road. Your mental models are considered to be well developed when they are automatic. That is, you are not devoting any significant mental energy to using them – you are not even aware of doing so.

But no matter how well developed your models are, they are wrong to some degree, because they always simplify what they model. Models abstract away details. In my shower, for instance, the fixture that controls the temperature of the water is a single handle that you rotate. My mental model of that fixture is devoted to quickly finding that hair’s-width range between screaming hot and bone-chilling cold. My model could include how the fixture actually mixes the hot and cold water sources together, but it doesn’t. I don’t really care. It’s an important point: all models are wrong, even if they work.

Of course, sometimes models can be very, very wrong. When I was a little boy I thought that traffic lights worked because little mice inside the traffic light held up colored sponges at the appropriate times. Now I know better… the mice switch on colored lights, not sponges.

But seriously, my flawed traffic light model shows how models must be brought into agreement with other models. As my mental model of a mouse became more sophisticated, I would have realized that they are simple animals that would not be able to carry out the important task of synchronizing traffic at an intersection. Not to mention, how would you keep them alive in there for any length of time? The mouse theory of traffic lights is easy for you to demolish, but only because you already have sophisticated mental models that allow you to find flaws with it.

So as we go about our lives, we are, mostly unconsciously, employing and improving a vast network of interconnected mental models. If our models are good, we do not need to waste our mental resources on simple tasks like driving or brushing teeth. We easily grasp situations we are familiar with and can make effective plans to accomplish goals. If they are not so good, we are more likely to see the world as confusing, unpredictable, and threatening. It is hard to act effectively when our models are not good.

Epiphanies and Mental Models

Epiphanies ultimately spring out of what happens when our mental models are wrong or inadequate, and we make an effort to improve them. The understanding that comes with an epiphany reflects that we have found a superior way of modeling the world.

There are several basic ways we can change our mental models, but only one corresponds with epiphanies. We can get rid of old models that don’t work (“Oh, I thought ‘string theory’ was about how to tie knots”); we can get add to or improve existing models (“Wow, I didn’t realize Ralph had a prosthetic leg”); and we create new models as we learn altogether new things.

But there is a special kind of transformation that underlies epiphanies – the joining of two separate models. This transformation is what I refer to as a “map-congealing moment”:

Imagine you have moved to a new town, and though you’ve been there for a little while, you are still getting to know the area. One day you are going further down one street than you normally go, only to suddenly realize you have arrived at an unexpectedly familiar place. You didn’t realize, until just then, that that street takes you to that place. A-ha! You have just had a “map-congealing moment”. You had two maps – one that included the familiar street, and one that included the familiar place – and suddenly, those two maps fused into one. They were separate before, and now they have become joined. They have congealed.

The a-ha! of that experience is rooted in the surprise of the two maps being connected in a way that we didn’t see before. It is inherently rewarding to join maps, in the same way it is rewarding to solve a jigsaw puzzle. Beyond that inherent satisfaction, there is the reward of simplifying our maps. It makes life easier when we can use one map instead of two.

This kind of transformation doesn’t just occur with spatial maps. It actually happens all the time. Anytime we “put the pieces together” and figure something out, we are joining mental models together. Here are some examples:

  1. you figure out how you know some familiar person you just bumped into
  2. you realize that the burger you’re eating came from a real live cow
  3. you realize that you eat too much because it covers up feelings of emotional distress

In the first example, you run into someone and it’s obvious to both of you that you know each other, but you cannot remember how. Suddenly one of you makes the connection, a-ha! It’s a tiny version of an epiphany, but you make the connection between the mental model of the person standing in front of you, and the model of that person you already had, prior to running into them. They become one and the same model. If you have the misfortune of not realizing how you know the person, you will probably devote significant effort to figuring it out, even after you part company.

The second example may seem completely obvious, but probably most of us can relate to a sense of realization at some point in our lives that the meat we consume has to be grown in the form of living animals. In this example, our model of the food we eat joins with the model we have of cows, chickens, and so on, in a way they weren’t connected before. That realization turns some people into vegetarians – and we would not be surprised to hear such folks describe this as an epiphany.

In the third example, an introspective insight connects a model of one’s behavior as an undisciplined eater with a model of how one deals with anxiety. This troubling aspect of one’s behavior (“I don’t understand why I can’t stop myself”) is rendered predictable and less mysterious, once one connects the dots. Two maps become one.

The word epiphany is usually reserved for profound, even life-altering insights. In future installments, we will examine the process that leads to epiphany, and see why we experience epiphanies as sudden and dramatic. We will see how we can increase the likelihood of having an epiphany, and how they relate to enlightenment.

Post by Terren Suydam.

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The Unity Project Welcomes Terren Suydam

July 21st, 2010 by Alex No comments »

In my initial “overview of The Unity Project” I stated the following;

The initial efforts of the project will be to gather information about epiphanies, enlightenment, awakenings, and other “life changing” experiences of a profound nature. More particularly, these experiences should be such that they have a significantly positive influence on the person as a result.

-

The Unity Project will act as a clearing house, or gathering point, for this information. We will review information about these experiences with the purpose of finding commonalities and similar characteristics which might point to methods of creating or reproducing those experiences.

This process began with my own contributions and ideas.

I am happy to announce that The Unity Project has a new “contributor”.

Terren Suydam has been participating in this forum so far by providing cogent and well thought out views via comments on this blog, as well as private emails to me personally.

Since his input has been considered, well-balanced, and clearly stated I have asked him if he would like to contribute to the project.

He has agreed.

Terren will make available a series of articles relating to “epiphanies” very soon. I am looking forward to reading what he has to say.

At this point, a “Contributor” is someone who is willing to contribute their own theories and points of view related to the focus of our investigation, i.e. enlightenment, epiphanies, and awakenings.

If you would like to contribute to this project, please contact me and we can discuss this. Or, you can start by contributing your comments to our blog on a regular basis.

Please welcome Terren Suydam to The Unity Project!

In Unity,
AJ

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What Is Enlightenment?

July 17th, 2010 by Alex 13 comments »

One of my first posts in this blog dealt with the problem of defining enlightenment. (See “A Little Background – Definitions“).

The more I study this subject, the more definitions I find.

After thinking for some time about exactly “what is enlightenment”, I have come up with MY OWN definition of enlightenment. 

Following my definition of enlightenment I will present some other definitions that I have come across recently, so that you can compare.

This is my current definition of enlightenment, subject to change without notice…

ENLIGHTENMENT: A state of consciousness that experiences reality unfiltered through any
mental, physical, or psychological distortions.

In my view, enlightenment is an ability to experience the world WITHOUT any personal perceptual filters.

By perceptual filters I mean the following (among others):

  • the false idea of a “self”
  • beliefs
  • expectations
  • desires
  • values
  • languages

In other words, enlightenment is a DIRECT EXPERIENCE OF REALITY.

Before I break down my definition of enlightenment into its separate parts, I would like to address the question of “What is REALITY?”

======================
*  WHAT IS ”REALITY”?
======================

Rainbow BuddhaWhen I refer to enlightenment as “the direct experience of reality”, I can imagine that some readers may have questions or objections about what I may mean by ”reality”.

It is not my purpose to define “reality” here, but I will list some of the objections that may arise in this context:

  1. You cannot define reality.  It is not definable.
  2. There is no such thing as “one” reality – reality is a subjective experience, different for each consciousness.
  3. There is no ”one” reality - reality exists on many levels.

These are all valid points.

When you look up “REALITY” in the dictionary you will find definitions like this:

Reality: “The state of being actual or real; A real entity, event or other fact; The entirety of all that is real; An individual observer’s own subjective perception of that which is real”
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/reality

In other words, most definitions say that reality is the state of being real… which really doesn’t tell you much. There are various definitions, but many of them go around in circles without really defining it.

And in a larger sense, to verify something as “real” may seem simple, but can actually be far more problematic than might first be evident. How to verify “reality” is beyond the scope of this post, but is a very interesting topic in itself.

So, in some sense the first objection, that one cannot define reality, is valid.

As to the second objection, that reality is a subjective experience - this can also be true.

Our own EXPERIENCE of reality is subjective, and each person’s is somewhat different. This is AN aspect of reality, but the subjective aspect is only one aspect of reality. Because most of us experience reality subjectively, does not mean that it cannot be experienced objectively. 

And finally, the third objection, that reality exists on many levels, may also be true. There is the macro level, the micro level, the quantum level, the cosmic level, the material level, the seen, the unseen, and on ad infinitum.

When I use the word reality in this definition of enlightenment, what I mean is this:
REALITY IS ALL OF THAT.

Reality is indefinable, it is subjective, and it is multi-level. My definition of reality means that it is EVERYTHING THAT IS, including the contradictory and problematic states of indefinability, subjectivity, and multiplicity.

Enlightenment signifies the ability to see through the “subjective” aspect of our experience of reality, as much as is humanly possible.

My definition proposes that enlightenment is a “state of consciousness”, that “experiences reality” UNFILTERED “through any mental, physical, or psychological distortions”.

===========================
*  UNDERLYING ASSUMPTIONS
===========================

There are several underlying assumptions here.

  1. There is a “reality” that can be fully experienced by a state of consciousness.
  2. That reality is normally “filtered” before it is experienced by our consciousness.
  3. Those filters are mental, physical, and psychological.
  4. Those filters “distort” reality, in such a manner as to change our consciousness of it.
  5. It is possible to experience reality in an unfiltered, undistorted manner through human consciousness.

The “filters” that distort reality for most of us consist of mental, physical, and psychological filters.

I hope to write about this more in the future, but here I will give a very brief overview of these distorting filters.

========================
*  ABOUT THESE “FILTERS”
========================

BuddhaIn putting forth these ideas about how these “filters” alter our perception of reality, I am not overly concerned with the quantification of these points.

That is, it doesn’t really matter exactly what filters what, or how it filters it, at this point.

What I am driving at is that our perception of reality IS FILTERED.

If you, or anyone you know, can present me with a better, more exact or verifiable model of filters and how they work, I would welcome your input and feedback. In the future all of these filters of reality could be looked at in detail, parsed, categorized, and refined.

My main point here, at this time, is that these filters exist, and that it is possible to see reality with a minimum of interference from them – in a state we call enlightenment.

+ +  MENTAL FILTERS -

Your brain is flooded with information every second. Much of that information is filtered out of your conscious awareness from moment to moment.

A mental filter is, in broad terms, a filter that acts primarily through the subconscious, or pre-conscious mind.

Here is an example - If I ask you what your right foot feels like you can tell me. However, before I asked, you probably weren’t consciously aware of the feelings coming from your foot.  That feeling and consciousness of your foot has been filtered out of your primary experience, by what I am calling a “mental filter”.

Another example of how this works might be in driving. Have you ever noticed someone else driving the same model of car as the one that you are driving? Your mental filter normally filters out most of the other cars around you. But when you see a car similar to, or the same as your make and model, your awareness picks it out of all of the other cars and calls your attention to it. This happens automatically, and unconsciously.

Our mental filters significantly change what we see and what we notice about our selves and our surroundings.

For more information, here is an article titled “How Thought Creates Reality“, that touches on some of these ideas.

+ +  PHYSICAL FILTERS -

When using the term “physical filters” I am speaking primarily about any physical impairment, or alteration, that changes our perception of reality.

Some examples of physical filters may be:

  • Drugs or other chemical stimulants
  • Alcohol
  • Prescription drugs that alter perceptions
  • Other physical impairments

I am not a doctor or a scientist, so I cannot scientifically prove these points at this time.

However, it seems very likely that there ARE physical filters that could PREVENT the conditions of enlightenment.

It is an interesting question. Exactly which physical changes or impairments would prevent enlightenment, and which would not?

For example, it seems to me that one could be blind or deaf, and experience enlightenment. On the other hand, if certain parts of the brain were impaired or removed that would likely preclude the possibility of enlightenment.

In Buddhism, use of drugs or stimulants is strongly discouraged.

I believe that the brain (and body) should be as free as is possible from all unnatural conditions, in order to be prepared for enlightenment.

It is hard to imagine one becoming enlightened while on a cocaine high, or drunk on alcohol.

If you have any information about ”physical filters”, or impairments, that would impact or prevent the occurrence of enlightenment, I invite you to contact me so that we might present accurate and credible information on this website.

+ +  PSYCHOLOGICAL FILTERS -

Here is an entry in Wikipedia about  “Reality Tunnel“.  This entry points to the type of “psychological filters” I am talking about; 

Every kind of ignorance in the world all results from not realizing that our perceptions are gambles. We believe what we see and then we believe our interpretation of it, we don’t even know we are making an interpretation most of the time. We think this is reality.
– Robert Anton Wilson

“The idea does not necessarily imply that there is no objective truth; rather that our access to it is mediated through our senses, experience, conditioning, prior beliefs, and other non-objective factors. The individual world each person occupies is said to be their reality tunnel. The term can also apply to groups of people united by beliefs: we can speak of the fundamentalist Christian reality tunnel or the scientific materialist reality tunnel.”

“A parallel can be seen in the psychological concept of confirmation bias—our tendency to notice and assign significance to observations that confirm our beliefs, while filtering out or rationalizing away observations that do not fit with our prior beliefs and expectations. This helps to explain why reality tunnels are usually transparent to their inhabitants. While it seems most people take their beliefs to correspond to the ‘one true objective reality’, Robert Anton Wilson emphasizes that each person’s reality tunnel is their own artistic creation, whether they realize it or not.”
(End quote.)

There are MANY psychological filters.

Our environment, our upbringing, our natural tendencies, our past experiences - all of these contribute to psychological factors that filter our experience of “reality”.

For the sake of understanding and insight, these psychological factors could be identified, categorized, and prioritized in more detail in the future.

For now, I would suggest that our “picture” of reality is flawed by a whole collection of factors, most of them going almost entirely unnoticed by the average person.

To peel these filters away can lead to enlightenment -
to experience reality WITHOUT them, IS enlightenment.

============================= buddha enlightenment
* ENLIGHTENMENT AS “TRUTH”
=============================

When I asked a Buddhist monk from Sri Lanka whether it was possible for someone entirely ignorant of Buddhist principles and ideas to become enlightened, he immediately, and unequivocally said; YES.

When I asked him why, he said; “BECAUSE IT IS THE TRUTH”.

This is one of the ideas that lead me to my definition of enlightenment.

I thought: “If enlightenment is TRUTH, then it is REALITY”.

Truth: ” Ideal or fundamental reality apart from and transcending perceived experience:
the basic truths of life.”
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/truth

It seems to me that enlightenment is seeing “truth”, which is seeing “reality”.

The difference between enlightened experience of reality, and our “normal” experience of reality, is that enlightenment is a state of consciousness that experiences reality without our normal subjective, unconsciously created filters and distortions.

When we see reality “as it is”, we see the “truth”.

When we can see the truth, in this manner, we are said to be “enlightened”.

+++

===============================================================
DEFINITIONS OF ENLIGHTENMENT / DESCRIPTIONS OF ENLIGHTENMENT
===============================================================

David Smith, in his book “A Record of Awakening”, says this; 
“We Buddhists have decided, when reality is fully seen and known, to call that enlightenment or awakening.” (p. 122)
—————————-
Nitin Trasi defines enlightenment in this way;
“Enlightenment is defined as the intuitive understanding that one is not a separate entity.”
(p.5 The Science of Enlightenment.)

In his chapter on “Enlightenment” (p. 53) he defines enlightenment in this way;
“Enlightenment can be defined as the clear and deep intuitive perception (‘apperception’) or intuitive understanding (not just belief or intellectual comprehension) of the entire situation, that is, of the unity of Consciousness and of the  absence of the ‘me’ or ‘I’ as a separate, autonomous entity.”

Mr. Trasi also lists these synonyms at the top of the chapter: Realization; self-realization; awakening; satori; jnana; gyana.
—————————-
Jill Bolte Taylor, in her book “My Stroke of Insight”, quotes Dr. Kat Domingo  as saying;
“Enlightenment is not a process of learning, it is a process of unlearning.”  (p. 169)
—————————-
“It is, according to Buddha, the end of suffering. Physical pain is still experienced but it is no longer compounded by worries and fears, by mental suffering, which has ended. Enlightenment is the ability to see things as they really are, to accept that what is is, and to say ‘yes’ to all of life. This is done, not out of naivete or denial, but out of a profound realization of the selfless, interconnected, interdependent unity and oneness of all mental and physical phenomena, of all experience.”
http://www.scribd.com/doc/11680701/What-is-Enlightenment
—————————-
“In Buddhism, enlightenment (Bodhi in Sanskrit) refers to a unique experience which wholly transforms the individual from their previous state in samsara.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enlightenment_(Buddhism)

“(Samsara is the cycle of birth, death and rebirth (i.e. reincarnation) within Hinduism, Buddhism, Bön, Jainism, Sikhism, Vaishnavism and other Indian religions. Colloquially, “Samsara” can also refer to a general state of overt or subtle sufferings that occur in day to day life.)”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samsara
—————————-
“Enlightenment is essentially realizing the non-dual nature of reality, and for those who understand Hindu philosophy, non-duality is Creation (Param Brahman).”
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/what-is-enlightenment.html
—————————-
The Shambhala Dictionary defines enlightenment as -

“Enlightenment -  The word used to translate the Sanskrit term bodhi (lit., “awakened”) and the Japanese satori or kensho. A person awakens to a nowness of emptiness, which he or she is – even as the en­tire universe is emptiness – and which alone en­ables him or her to comprehend the true nature of things. Since enlightenment is repeatedly mis­understood as an experience of light and experi­ences of light wrongly understood as enlighten­ment, the term awakening is preferable, since it more accurately conveys the experience.”
http://www.shambhala.com/html/learn/features/buddhism/glossary/glossary-E-H.cfm#e-link
—————————-
“If you look at the Hindu and Buddhist tales of enlightenment you’ll find that they aren’t quite sure what it is. Many words are used to describe it, all of the sounding equally exalted in English. Liberation, perfection, freedom, the ‘cessation of the illusion of self”, “crossing over to the other shore”, “truth – consciousness – bliss” (satchitananda), “the supreme awakening”, “great orgasm” (mahamudra).” – Kevin Murphy
http://www.shaktitechnology.com/enlightenment.htm
—————————-
Enlightenment: “A blessed state in which the individual transcends desire and suffering and attains Nirvana.”
(The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language)
—————————-
Enlightenment:  ”The awakening to ultimate truth by which man is freed from the endless cycle of personal reincarnations
to which all men are otherwise subject.”
(Collins English Dictionary)
—————————-
Enlightenment:  ”The beatitude that transcends the cycle of reincarnation; characterized by the extinction of desire and suffering
and individual consciousness.”
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/enlightenment
—————————-
“Enlightenment, Buddhism : a final blessed state marked by the absence of desire or suffering”
http://www.merriam-webster.com/netdict/enlightenment
—————————-
“Enlightenment can refer to many different concepts. In a secular or non-Buddhist context, the word enlightenment often means “full comprehension of a situation”.  Spiritual enlightenment means to obtain a spiritual revelation or deep insight into the meaning and purpose of all things, to communicate with or understand the mind of God, to achieve some other type of profound spiritual understanding, or to achieve a fundamentally changed level of existence whereby one’s self is experienced as a nonchanging field of pure consciousness.  Some scientists believe that during meditative states leading up to the subjective experience of enlightenment there are actual physical changes in the brain.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enlightenment_(spiritual)

—————————-
“Enlightenment is awakening to the experience of the world as a unity.” – Terren Suydam
—————————-

ENLIGHTENMENT: 
A state of consciousness that experiences reality
unfiltered through any mental, physical, or psychological distortions.
The Unity Project

If you care to have YOUR definition of enlightenment added to this list, send it in to me!

Either use the form below, or go to the contact page by clicking here.

In Unity,
AJ

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The Enlightenment Pill

June 9th, 2010 by Alex 1 comment »

Imagine a day in the future when scientists have made major breakthroughs in brain chemistry and physiology… and after much research they have been able to develop a PILL that would allow the brain to see reality as it “REALLY IS”. 

“The Enlightenment Pill” -- A pill that allows the brain to cut through any illusion or misconception regarding it’s sense of self, and it’s filtering of reality through the distortions of perception and preconceived views.  An enlightenment pill, that peels away like the layers of an onion, any perceptual or mental mechanisms that block our experience of direct “reality”.

What if there were a pill you could take to experience enlightenment? 

In the Diamond Sutra the Buddha said;

Buddhas and disciples are not enlightened by a set method of teachings, but by an internally intuitive process which is spontaneous and is part of their own inner nature.
- Diamond Sutra, Chapter 7

Is it possible that “their own inner nature” could include chemical and biological factors?

If enlightenment is “spontaneous” and “part of their own inner nature”, it seems that a chemical change could be a factor in triggering a person’s experience of a total shift in their perception -- in the direction of viewing reality directly, and without filters of any kind.

Many people may automatically think, “No Way, of course enlightenment is MUCH MORE than just chemistry in the brain!”

In fact, I usually think this way myself. However, I am able to allow myself the ability to concede that, since we don’t know exactly WHAT is involved in this process, we don’t REALLY know that it is impossible to achieve.

That is, with what little we know, how can one categorically rule out the scenario of creating an “enlightenment pill”?

What, exactly, are the reasons that enlightenment could NOT be achievable through chemistry and physiology?
If someone could tell me specifically why an “enlightenment pill” would be impossible, I would like to know.

HISTORY OF THE “ENLIGHTENMENT PILL”

There was research being done in the 1950s and 1960s that focused on the effects of LSD on the brain and perception.

Rather than write out all of the information about that history here, I am including a link to a YouTube video for you to watch if you are interested.

“LSD’s inventor Albert Hofmann called it “medicine for the soul.” The Beatles wrote songs about it. Secret military mind control experiments exploited its hallucinogenic powers. Outlawed in 1966, LSD became a street drug and developed a reputation as the dangerous toy of the counterculture, capable of inspiring either moments of genius, or a descent into madness. Now science is taking a fresh look at LSD, including the first human trials in over 35 years. Using enhanced brain imaging, non-hallucinogenic versions of the drug and information from an underground network of test subjects who suffer from an agonizing condition for which there is no cure, researchers are finding that this “trippy” drug could become the pharmaceutical of the future. Can it enhance our brain power, expand our creativity and cure disease? To find out, Explorer puts LSD under the microscope.”

National Geographic Inside LSD -
(This segment is only one of several, all highly recommended viewing.)

LSD -- The Beyond Within [Part 1 of 9] --  LSD -- The Beyond Within
- A BBC documentary on LSD. Part 2:

I would also point out that hallucinogenic plants and chemicals have been used in religious and spiritual ceremonies for perhaps thousands of years.

“Medicine men, shamans, and other spiritual leaders have used natural hallucinogens found in plants and mushrooms since ancient times, believing in their power to help contact the spiritual world or mystical beings for guidance in serving their people.”
- Hallucinogens and Spirituality

Another reference:

Historically, hallucinogens have been most commonly used in religious or shamanic rituals. In this context they are referred to as entheogens, and they are used to facilitate healing, divination, communication with spirits, and coming-of-age ceremonies. Evidence exists for the use of entheogens in prehistoric times, as well as in numerous ancient cultures, including the Ancient Egyptian, Mycenaean, Ancient Greek, Vedic, Maya, Inca and Aztec cultures. The Upper Amazon is home to the strongest extant entheogenic tradition; the Urarina of Peruvian Amazonia, for instance, continue to practice an elaborate system of ayahuasca shamanism, coupled with an animistic belief system.
- Psychedelics, dissociatives and deliriants, Wikipedia.

NOTE: I am not recommending using drugs to find enlightenment, but reference this information to show that there is more to this story than the perception that hallucinogens and other mind altering chemicals are merely “dangerous drugs”. There is a history of use and development that continues until today.

Research was being done with various hallucinogenic drugs by universities, and even government agencies at one time. All of that was all lost when the drugs became “recreational” and considered a menace to society. Researchers and chemists had been working on taking out the “bad” parts, the “noise” of the drugs, and zeroing in on aspects of the chemical responses that induced positive, long term results. We don’t hear about these studies now, because the “war on drugs” has made any objective discussion of this topic nearly impossible.

Imagine if there were a focused and concerted effort to find and utilize ANY chemical substances that would particularly effect perceptions normally associated with “enlightenment” and awakenings.

My point here is not to be an advocate for creating an “enlightenment pill”.

But I DO feel that EVERY MEANS AVAILABLE should be used in pursuit of finding ways to achieve awakenings and breakthroughs.

If there IS a chemical or physiological factor involved in epiphanies or enlightenment…  then that should be investigated and utilized to the fullest extent possible.

Here are a couple of my reasons for considering the chemical aspect of enlightenment:

  1. What if there WERE a strong chemical component to these experiences, and we did NOT pursue that avenue? -- How much time and effort would be wasted going in the wrong direction, or in ignoring a perfectly valid means of achieving the goal of enlightenment?
  2. What if the chemical aspect turned out to be a critical factor in enlightenment, and we were constantly working around that fact? - We would mistakenly be leaving out a key element in finding ways to facilitate awakenings and enlightenment. - It would take far LONGER to achieve enlightenment if this critical factor was removed from the equation.

How many drugs are taken each day for 
conditions related to “mental” issues?

How many people are helped every day by
drugs that help depression?

Imagine a day when you could take an “enlightenment pill”…

Would you take it?

How would you feel about only having to “take a pill” to achieve enlightenment?

Would it diminish the value of enlightenment in any way?

Here is another scenario:

Imagine yourself in a study group, or “clinical trials” for testing the effectiveness of the enlightenment pill.

Imagine that you took the enlightenment pill, and amazingly - 
you actually DID achieve enlightenment!

But, when the trial was over, you found out that -

you had taken a placebo…

In Unity,
AJ

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The Ripeness Factor

May 29th, 2010 by Alex 2 comments »

While I was thinking about the timing involved in enlightenment, the image of a ripe apple falling from the tree came to me.

It seems that there must be an exact moment when the fruit falls from the tree… if we could figure out exactly what determines when that moment is, we could understand the whole process of ripening. Wouldn’t it be possible to find out exactly what the factors are that allows for the fruit to fall from the tree, to precipitate that fateful snap when the stem releases from the tree… Though when the exact moment the event happens may remain in mystery, the events leading up to that moment should theoretically be able to be traced and pinpointed to some degree of accuracy and consistency.

What is the measure of preparedness just before a sudden realization?

What conditions need to be in place before enlightenment (or awakening) can take place?

I have said that there is a process where you gather as much relevant information together as you can, you review the issue from every angle, and you do everything you can to understand it as best you can… then you step away from your left brain activity and let your right brain go to work.

Usually you receive the answer or insight you were looking for.

Perhaps, if you pack in the information and perspective, fill yourself with as much relevant information as you can – so you can get a firm foundation to base your results on - perhaps then you are “ripe”…

I am sure that one factor in the ripeness equation is a sufficient amount of information and perspective, but what the others are I am not so sure of.

I believe that one of the factors in the human who is poised for transformation, is the emotional motivation present at the time. I will cover this aspect at another time, but note it here.

If we are full to bursting with preparedness and motivation, shouldn’t we be in range of enlightenment at that point?

So, my overall question is; “When is one ripe for enlightenment?”

The timing of enlightenment strikes me as somehow similar to the timing of an apple ready to fall from the tree… the apple is ready, the conditions right, and something triggers the fall. What is that trigger?

Another image came to me that is related to this metaphor. When the fruit falls from the tree, in that exact moment that the stem releases from the tree… there is an irreversible event. It is a sudden, dramatic, and completely transforming event. It is a complete, and clear break from the past circumstance.

The same is true for enlightenment, epiphanies or awakenings. Once the experience happens there is a clear break from the past, there is a “before” and an “after”. You can’t go back.

Let me know your thoughts on this.

In Unity,
AJ

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Enlightenment Without Buddhism?

May 25th, 2010 by Alex 5 comments »

Yesterday during a conversation with a Buddhist monk from Sri Lanka I asked him;

“Is it possible for a person to experience complete enlightenment, in the Buddhist sense, without ever having heard a single word of Buddhist teachings?”

His answer was, “YES”.

I asked him how this would be possible, and he said;
“Because it is the truth“.

It struck me how simple, and yet powerful this attitude is.

From his answer, it seems that his assumption is that “enlightenment” is a fairly static, or predictable, definable event. That is, that it can be held apart from any particular mindset, or set of teachings. It is a result of understanding, in a complete and total manner, ”the truth”.

Frankly, as I have stated before, it is my present position that Buddhist enlightenment is a result of Buddhist world view and teachings.  (I am open to revision of this opinion if a more compelling argument or experience presents itself to me.)

It is ONE form of enlightenment, perhaps among many.

It seems to me that experiencing Buddhist enlightenment is a result of thoroughly steeping your mind and thoughts in the Buddhist world view, which include the concept and experience of enlightenment.

For example, one of the elements of enlightenment in Buddhism is the loss of the sense of “self”. One’s sense of having a separate, distinct self, disappears in the full realization that the self does not exist… it is an illusion, a fantasy constructed by your mind.

Once the idea that the sense of self is a false illusion is postulated, the concept that you can drop that sense of self in enlightenment becomes possible. Once it becomes possible, it can be achieved.

So, is this aspect of enlightenment a universal element of realization that happens every time?

In my view the realization of the loss of self may be a purely psychological realization. It is a change in perspective that involves instantly deconstructing an accumulation of false constructs.

Buddhism raises this point of the “no-self”, and its relationship to enlightenment, to a fairly high status of importance.  What I am wondering is - is it inevitable that one would discover this idea of “no-self” as being an essential aspect of enlightenment? And further, would one inevitably experience this without ever having even heard of such a concept?

So again, I am back to this question;

Exactly what IS Buddhist enlightenment?

My next point is this -

If you don’t have to be Buddhist to experience complete enlightenment,
there may be ANOTHER way…

One of the things I am pursuing here in the Unity Project is whether there are practices, or modes of understanding, that can lead to “enlightenment”… that do not require years of practice, meditation, and study.

I am not looking for a “quick fix”, or magical pill to take… but the idea that the only path to enlightenment is a Buddhist one, or one that inevitably takes years of dedication and sacrifice etc. – somehow that idea has never seemed completely right to me.

I know much of the theory of why this is so, why Buddhism works so well, and why it is necessary to go through persistent and focused effort, but I still think that it is possible that this view (the “long, hard road view”) is perhaps only an ASSUMPTION in itself. 

It is a belief.

The idea that the experience of enlightenment can be achieved without reference to Buddhism, or Buddhist thoughts and concepts, is a powerful one.

If this is true, then I wonder what else might exist that can come up with the same result… how does one achieve enlightenment without the Buddha’s teachings?

I realize the response of some people may be; “Well, if Buddhism will lead you to enlightenment, why do you need to worry about another way to get there?”

There are two reasons.

One, from a purely hypothetical stand point, it is a fascinating topic.

It calls into question exactly what enlightenment is.

Is enlightenment a more-or-less “static” event that follows predictable and patterned outcomes, or is it fluid and different for each person?

How similar is the experience of enlightenment for each individual, since each individual is uniquely different?

The second reason for asking this question is more practical, and that is that, other methods and ideas can come out of this investigation that may lead to quicker results.

If there is more than one way to enlightenment, perhaps the other way, or other ways, might be more efficient… might require less effort, and might increase the value of your life experience with less “wasted time” to get to the same result.

If you have a moment, feel free to leave your comments here or contact me directly via my contact page. I would be happy to hear your thoughts and input into this conversation.

In Unity,
AJ

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The Brain During Dreaming

May 24th, 2010 by Alex No comments »

The sleeping, dreaming brain is a profound mystery. In researching how left hemisphere functioning differs from right hemisphere functioning, I came across some information about what happens in the brain during dreaming and sleep.

I feel that this information may somehow be related to the subject of epiphanies and awakenings. This is because of the relationship of the dreaming brain to rational thought (commonly referred to as a “left brain function”).

During dreaming there is only one part of the brain that virtually shuts down, and that is our logic center.

This seems significant. For the brain to actually develop a mechanism within itself that purposely, and actively, SHUTS DOWN rational thought is amazing.

It seems logical that the brain is doing this for some particular reason, and that reason must be that the logic center of the brain might “interfere” somehow with the important activities that take place in the brain during sleep.

It doesn’t seem to me that the brain would actively force the shutting down of a particular function (logic), if that function was incidental, or would not interfere with the purpose of the overall functioning of the brain at the time of sleep.

The overall activity of the brain during sleep actually increases significantly.  During REM sleep our brain grows so busy that blood flow to it nearly doubles.

Here are a few other facts about dreaming that may, or may not, be related to our study here:

  • We dream in “bursts”, a few minutes at a time
  • Dreams store memories, perhaps by sifting through the days experiences somehow, discarding non-essentials… filing things that are important, discarding those that aren’t
  • REM sleep is “almost like a filing system” – (Michael Salemi)
  • Events occurring while we’re awake are only stored in temporarily memory. In dreams we throw away irrelevant material and file useful information into permanent storage
  • “Study and then sleep, you will do better on the test”
  • Sleep is critical for memory and learning
  • During sleep there is no logic to impose order, so “thoughts can collide, unleashing creativity, and generating fresh ideas”
  • Scientific discoveries and other breakthroughs and insights are regularly reported to be linked to dreams

And finally there is a story I came across that ties this together in a way -

Bruce Damer is a NASA designer, and founder of DigitalSpace. At one time he was working for months on a big problem that had been perplexing him and seemed to have no solution.

Then one night he consciously said to himself; “Ok, everything is in there, go for it! – boot up the dream processor, and give me SOMETHING!”

The next morning when he woke up he began sketching. He had found an idea that put everything together, and had a concept that would work. He presented his idea to his colleagues at work and they thought the idea was intriguing.

“The NASA civil servants have written reports about how innovative the work is, and how forward thinking it is – and I credit this to, sort of the, unfettered world of dreaming.”

Unhindered by the rational, compulsive mind, the brain can process information in a more efficient, perhaps more holistic way during sleep.

Perhaps this overarching principle could play a part in our search for significant factors relating to breakthroughs, epiphanies and awakenings.

I may get back to this in the future if it has a role to play. For now I think it is interesting to note these fascinating characteristics of the sleeping, dreaming brain.

(Note: The source for much of this information was “Brainpower“.)
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Findings on Left Brain / Left Hemisphere

May 21st, 2010 by Alex No comments »

Left Hemisphere GraphicHere are some of the highlights of my recent study of the left brain.

I was attempting to find out more about the left brain and how it may influence (or block) our potential for having an epiphany or awakening.

** SAVANTS

The definition of savant is: “a person of profound or extensive learning; learned scholar”.

Linked to that definition was the definition for “idiot savant”, now more commonly referred to as just “savant”;

“a mentally defective person with an exceptional skill or talent in a special field, as a highly developed ability to play music or to solve complex mathematical problems mentally at great speed.”  http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/idiot+savant

Savants can possess truly amazing powers of memory, mathematical, musical, or artistic ability.

Here are some points relating to savants:

* Art, math, and musical abilities – primarily the characteristics of right brain activity – are “the domain of savants”. (Darold Treffert, MD)

* Savants often suffer other consequences of their condition, resulting from left brain damage sustained either in development, or from an injury. In early stages of development in the fetal brain the right hemisphere often finishes development ahead of the left hemisphere. This leaves the left hemisphere more vulnerable to damage at that time. (A factor in some cases involves a too high level of testosterone).  As the left hemisphere is compromised, the right hemisphere compensates.

* Dr. Darold Treffert, a Wisconsin psychiatrist, who has been studying Savant Syndrome for over 40 years, stated that we live in “sort of a left brain society”. He also said, “Until we can explain the savant, I don’t think we can explain ourselves. No model of brain function is complete until we can fully account for the savant”. For more information see http://www.daroldtreffert.com/

* Professor Allan Snyder, of Sydney Australia, is recognised for groundbreaking discoveries covering the fields of visual neurobiology, communications, optical physics and the mind sciences.

He has developed a method he calls Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) that shoots a magnetic pulse into the left side of the brain to “scramble” the electrical impulses there for short periods of time. He conducts before and after tests on a series of tasks relating to artistic ability, language ability and math.

After “shutting down” the left hemisphere, he sees noticeable improvement in 40% of subjects. The effects disappear within an hour.

Here are a few quotes from Professor Snyder that I thought might apply here:

  • Referring to savants he said: “What intrigued me most, is why we all can’t do this – and its not by having better brains, its by having something less… by having some sort of brain impairment”.
  • “You can look at the hemispheres as a struggle, there’s a kind of tension between them, with the left normally oppressing, or suppressing the right… and by inhibiting the left we dis-inhibit, we free up, the right.”

You can find out more about Professor Snyder and his studies here http://www.centreforthemind.com/director/index.cfm.
Here is a link directly to information about the suppression of the left brain to “dis-inhibit” the right brain: “Savant-like skills exposed in normal people by supressing the left fronto-temporal lobe”

* Kim Peek – one of the most famous of the savants, popularized in the movie “Rain Man”, had some interesting brain anomalies.

The left half of his cerebellum was smaller, and he did not have a corpus callosum. The corpus callosum is the large bundle of nerve fibers that connect the two hemispheres of the brain. This connection allows the two halves of the brain to “talk” to each other. This condition is normally only seen in “split brain” patients, like epileptics.

So, putting this type of evidence together, it seems to me to point in the direction that savants experience exceptional brain power in what is normally considered to be “right brain activity”, as a result of, or related to a decrease in functioning, or damage to the left hemisphere.

** DREAMING

Some of the characteristics of the brain and dreaming are very interesting, and relate to the left brain issue in a round-about way.

During dreaming there is only one part of our brain that virtually shuts down, and that is our logic center.

During REM sleep our brain is so busy that blood flow to it nearly doubles.

So this mean that while our brain kicks into high activity, requiring nearly double the blood flow, it “shuts off” our logical, rational thinking abilities.

Why would it do that?

Why would our own brain want to forcibly shut down our logical, rational thinking?

I think it might be so that the brain is freed up to use other parts of itself that are required for the tasks that it is fulfilling. Those tasks are critical to our being. We can’t live without sleep… and we sleep a significant block of time in our life span. I will write more about sleep and dreaming in my next post.

For now, let me conclude by saying that, I think it may be highly significant that our brains forcibly shut down our logic centers during sleep.

** GENERAL FUNCTIONING

Below is a quote I found on this website: http://viewzone2.com/bicamx.html. This seems to show, in a general way, where the broad generalizations of left brain / right brain functioning comes from.

Quote:

Further studies showed that various functions of thought are physically separated and localized to a specific area on either the left or right side of the human brain. This functional map is consistent for an estimated 70 to 95 percent of us.

The main theme to emerge… is that there appear to be two modes of thinking, verbal and nonverbal, represented rather separately in left and right hemispheres respectively and that our education system, as well as science in general, tends to neglect the nonverbal form of intellect. What it comes down to is that modern society discriminates against the right hemisphere.-Roger Sperry (1973)
 

Upon completing the map, it was becoming clear to researchers that each side of the brain had a characteristic way that it both interpreted the world and reacted to it. The chart below will help illustrate the characteristics which are known to reside on each side of our brains.

LEFT BRAIN FUNCTIONS
 
uses logic
detail oriented
facts rule
words and language
present and past
math and science
can comprehend
knowing
acknowledges
order/pattern perception
knows object name
reality based
forms strategies
practical
safe          

 RIGHT BRAIN FUNCTIONS
 
uses feeling
“big picture” oriented
imagination rules
symbols and images
present and future
philosophy & religion
can “get it” (i.e. meaning)
believes
appreciates
spatial perception
knows object function
fantasy based
presents possibilities
impetuous
risk taking          

Our personality can be thought of as a result of the degree to which these left and right brains interact, or, in some cases, do not interact. It is a simplification to identify “left brain” types who are very analytical and orderly. We likewise certainly know of the artistic, unpredictability and creativity of “right brain” types. But each of us draws upon specific sides of our brain for a variety of daily functions, depending on such things as our age, education and life experiences. The choices of which brain is in control of which situations is what forges our personalities and determines our character.Experiments show that most children rank highly creative (right brain) before entering school. Because our educational systems place a higher value on left brain skills such as mathematics, logic and language than it does on drawing or using our imagination, only ten percent of these same children will rank highly creative by age 7. By the time we are adults, high creativity remains in only 2 percent of the population. 

 End Quote.

Another factor pointing to the “overall dominance of left brain thinking” seems to be the dramatically lopsided emphasis that our educational institutions put on logic, and language.

Send me your feedback or input on this and let me know what you think.

In Unity,
AJ

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Left Brain / Right Brain Generalizations

May 20th, 2010 by Alex No comments »

I got sidetracked and bogged down in my research about left brain / right brain issues.

I have since realized that the main problem I was facing was one of scope. That is, I need to clarify what I am talking about when I am using the terms “left brain” and “right brain”. To remind you of my references about left brain / right brain, read my earlier post on “Left Brain / Right Brain Refresher” .

The reason I ran into some setbacks on this subject is because I believe I was trying to answer questions about right brain left brain without clarifying what “level” of brain I was talking about.

So, here are some clarifications.
“Left Brain / Right Brain”, how I use these terms.

1. I am only using these terms as “broad generalizations”, in terms that the average layperson (like myself) can easily grasp.

I had taken some time to see how far down into brain activity I could track these generalizations, and found that it wasn’t too far. I believe that there is a functional difference, in a broad and general sense, but (not being a brain scientist) I can’t prove that.

Perhaps I was led down this road because of my interpretation of Jill Taylor Bolte, who IS a brain scientist, and her comments about both the topics of left brain /right brain function, and her own personal experience of what happened to her when her left brain was physically shut down.

One of the factors contributing to my dilemma was a comment left by a reader. Here is his comment:

Unless you were able to point to research that validates that model, I would hope that your ideas don’t depend on left/brain dominance or “imbalance”, at least from a neurology point of view. If it’s just a metaphor for how we think, I guess that would be ok but I would still be bothered that articulating it as such reinforces the popular misconception that some of us use one side of our brains more than the other side.

He makes an excellent point here. If it is a misconception I don’t want to feed into that.

2. Even if these terms are not 100% factually correct or provable, they define general characteristics that are commonly assumed to exist.

Common usage, factually provable or not, points to a general understanding of the larger issues. If someone can show me that these generalizations are wrong, I would revise my thinking entirely. Even though they are simple generalizations of characteristic brain functioning, everyone knows what I am talking about when I use these terms.

3. I am looking for the “practical” results of these generalizations, not scientific verification.

These references and concepts are used as tools. Ultimately I would like to find ways to back up my hypothesis and findings in a scientific way, with data and studies to prove the points. But my main purpose here is to find tools to use in facilitating and stimulating epiphanies and awakenings.

 4. “Left Brain /Right Brain” refers to brain functioning in a general, commonly used sense. “Left Hemisphere / Right Hemisphere” refers to the actual brain or brain physiology.

I normally refer to “brain” in terms of brain functioning – brain functioning in the sense of the broad results and experiences of using the brain. References to “hemisphere” relates to a more restricted, physiologically related functioning.

That is, “left brain” functioning would include activities and responses relating to logic, analytical thought, or science – whereas “left hemisphere” functioning might refer to actual physiological processes going on within the brain.

So I hope these clarifications clear up my position on these issues around left brain / right brain.

The dominance of the left brain over right brain functions in many of us may play an important role in facilitating the occurrence of an epiphany or awakening.

It is my contention that our left brain blocks our potential for epiphanies and awakenings. I also claim that left brain characteristics, in a general sense, dominate most of us in modern society.

Since my first entry into this blog, and my first steps on this project, it has been a goal of mine to define the terms I am using, and to speak as clearly as possible about these subjects.

It is also my goal to back up as much of my thought as is possible with scientific, rational and reasoned thought. (Did you notice how I am in the grip of the dominance of my left brain by focusing so much on scientific validity as a priority?!)

I will be able to move on now with my further conclusions in the near future. Before I move on though, I will present some of my findings in studying the left brain /right brain topic. I will do this to share that information with you, and to show just how my thinking and reasoning leads to my conclusions.

In Unity,
AJ

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Left Brain / Right Brain Thoughts

April 30th, 2010 by Alex No comments »

I have been taking some time in following up on the “left brain / right brain” issue because the issue is a deep and complex one.

As in all other mysteries of the universe that are probed deeply, the more one learns about this topic the more difficult it becomes. I mean difficult in the sense of deep, complex, far from clear cut answers, more questions than answers… that kind of difficult.

I am going to continue soon with my main thoughts on this topic, but am researching more information and attempting to make sure that I don’t put out ideas in this area that are not  backed up by something other than my own “opinions”.

As one comment left by a thoughtful reader pointed out - the issue and difference of neurology and physical characteristics of the right brain / left brain topic is NOT being covered here. So, part of talking about this is to clarify exactly what areas we ARE talking about.

The human brain is multi-dimensional, dynamic, and stunningly complex. For as much as we know about the brain, and as much as we have learned in the last decade or so,  it still seems to me that the vast majority of how the brain works is completely unknown.

In talking about the brain and brain studies, it is important to know which “level” of the brain and functioning we are talking about.

So, I have been balancing the problem of wanting to cover this issue in some depth, but then finding that the depth is so deep that it would take a lifetime! On the other hand, I don’t want it to be so superficial that there is not acceptable agreement on most of the basic scientific facts.

I believe I will need to just throw my ideas out there and hope for the best. Some of my thoughts may not be able to be backed up by scientific fact… but I am in the same boat as many other people in this regard.

So, my left brain / right brain studies will end in the very near future, and I hope to have some more information posted to move us along on our path to achieving awakenings and enlightenment!

In Unity,
AJ

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Left Brain Dominance

March 29th, 2010 by Alex 2 comments »

In preparation for my next ideas about how the “left brain / right brain” issue fits into awakenings and epiphanies, the issue of left brain dominance needs to be addressed.

It seems to me that the left brain has a significant dominance in most people in our modern society.

There are several factors that go into this assumption, and among them are the following:

* the importance and dominance of language in life today
* the stresses of modern living which emphasise organization of daily life
* the significance of the structure of time, and it’s organization, to live in today’s society
* the predominance of technology and science in daily living
* the fragmentation of social life, in part due to pressures of time constraints combined with the use of the Internet. This includes the dominance of Television in many peoples lives today.

Let me take a moment to point out that these ideas of mine are only hypothetical. I am not presenting these ideas as fact, but as raw generalizations that may be true. It is extremely difficult to pinpoint any of these things with any accuracy, but my overall perception of people today is that the balance is shifted to left brain dominance.

LEFT BRAIN / RIGHT BRAIN DOMINANCE IN INDIVIDUALS

What I am addressing in this post is not the issue of whether an individual is left brain or right brain dominant, but rather, whether, ON THE WHOLE people in our modern society are MORE left brain oriented than right brain.

Every person has a particular balance, or rather imbalance, of tendencies towards right brain activity or left brain activity. For example, they may be more “scientific” or “math” oriented, or more “music” or “artistically” oriented.

What I am discussing here is not this issue. What I am discussing is a general trend, or general preponderance of a “type” of thinking in the brain, which leans to the left brain.

It seems to me that the individual can swing one way or the other in their personal tendencies, but that overall, most people today are in the grip of left brain activity rather than right brain.

The structure, and character of modern society would lend itself to this generalization.

VARIABLES AND QUESTIONS

Some areas that may come into play that I am not able to fully deal with in this broad, general discussion are these:

* The role of “culture”: that is, IS there a difference in left brain / right brain dominance, OVERALL, related to cultural differences?. In the broadest sense,  is there a difference in hemispheric dominance issues relating to Eastern versus Western cultures?

* The role of language: what part does language play in this whole picture? Language affects thinking and “world view”, so how does it affect issues of left brain / right brain dominance?

* Age: is there a difference between generations?

* Technology: what role does technology play in the overall effect of how people think, and  consequently, which hemisphere they tend to use more dominantly? I include in this Television, media, and multi media – including the Internet and social networking.

OPEN TO YOUR SUGGESTIONS AND ARGUMENTS

In subsequent postings you will see where I am going with this argument, and more detailed reasons behind it.

However, this is a relatively unknown, new area of study and understanding. My opinions are based on the knowledge that I have at this point, and I welcome any new insight into this area.

If you have opinions, or specific knowledge of any of these areas, and wish to contribute to this topic in any way, I would welcome your feedback and input.

Just leave your comments here and I will get back to you.  I am not here to dictate my opinions in an autocratic way, but to explore this subject in as much detail as I can, while still making progress in my overall goal of finding better ways to facilitate the increase in abilities to achieve profound awakenings and epiphanies.

In Unity,
AJ

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Back From India

March 26th, 2010 by Alex No comments »

I am back from my recent trip to India. 

There has been a prolonged absence from this blog and writing while I was occupied with planning the trip and taking care of other concerns.

If you are interested in India you can get more information from my blog that tracked my adventures to the Kumbha Mela in Haridwar, located at http://www.kmp2010.com/blog - I went with my friend David Brunn, and there are many good photos there and some descriptions of our experiences.

My mind and body are back now… and ready to pick up where I left off.

I will have more entries here soon, so check back if you are interested.

Some time was needed for my ideas to germinate and mature. I did not find enlightenment in India… perhaps because I wasn’t looking for it there. However, I DID step out of my normal reality here, and stepped far into my “right brain” – with many experiences that defy description.

My plan is to pick up on the topic of “Left Brain Dominance” in the near future.

In Unity,
AJ

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