The Song of the Brain

Many people associate their mind with their brain. Their thinking self with the physical mass in the upper skull. But the physical brain is more like a receiver. Like a portable radio, tuned to your mind.

Rupert Sheldrake, for example, has done extensive research on his ideas of “morphic fields” and “morphic resonance”, establishing that memory is stored “in the field” rather than the brain.*

When people measure brain activity with devices like an EEG, they are not monitoring the thoughts in the mind but rather a side effect of brain activity. The ghosts of mind-brain chatter. Kind of like the hum of an old-fashioned tube radio.

Most peoples EEG readouts are random noise. Different parts of the brain each doing their own thing. The frequencies can indicate the state of mind, like the well known alpha and beta waves. But there are other interesting developments possible. For experienced meditators, research has discovered high degrees of EEG coherence between the different parts of the brain, like they are stepping into sync, behaving like a cohesive whole. In subjects who are spiritually awakened, this is more pronounced and continues outside of meditation into their daily life.

What is most interesting is the sync between the 2 lobes of the upper brain, the left brain & right brain, the scientist & artist, the logic and the lateral, the male and female aspects.

There is an experience where the 2 sides of the brain are seen as Shiva and Shakti, the essence of observer and creator. When these 2 aspects begin to “talk” and then sync, life comes into much greater balance and wholeness. Even our physical brain begins to sing its song of life. The dance of love is right here.

Of course, we’re not talking of a personal human brain but the experience of the cosmic brain, the godhead. Tuning the station to the nature of the cosmic being itself, lived through human form. This is how intimate life can be. Every aspect of our being can step into the flow of the one.
Davidya

*you can explore his web site for more fascinating ideas – many of them a scientific outlook on long-held spiritual ideas. Like laws of nature being habits of the universe.

A Secret of Manifestation

An off-line discussion lead to a few interesting points worth touching on. There’s a little trick to making things happen that’s useful to know. The mind doesn’t always differentiate between a dream, a memory and the physical world. If you dream about something and feel it happen, that desire has been completed and resolved. It will not move forward into your life. When the desire comes up again, it has to start over.

This is similar to how doubt and negativity can cancel our wishes. First we want, then we second guess, doubt and cancel it.

There are probably things you’d be happy to fantasize about but never have in your life. But some things you do want to see before you and do have a clear desire about. Check and see if you’re dreaming them away.

This is not to say that it’s not useful to visualize something and dream about it. Just that it’s important to be internally clear what is dream and what is past and what is now. If you want to see it happen, you don’t want it to end.

But this is subtle. If you resist a dream completing, you can muddy the desire. The issue is not seeing it fulfilled. The issue is feeling it fulfilled. Feeling the desire complete. Desire is a feeling value. If you want the dream to continue, you want to see these dream as a practice run.

This is where intention comes in. You have to move a little past thinking and feeling about something and give consciousness a firm direction. Some also suggest energizing it with satisfying emotion. But the key is being clear. And then you move towards it happening.

Another tricky area is around “concentrate” and “will”. We in North America have learned to try and force things. It’s better to be clear, to give it our energy but for it to happen you have to allow it, let it show up, flow into your life.  Pushing it just gets in the way. The watched pot never boils.

You may also find it useful to understand how to see the origins of desire so you can be clear what to let go of and what to give your attention to. Then you’re supporting life rather than pain. Life becomes a flow of joyful fulfillment.
Davidya

Pure Intention

Pure intention is best described as a wave or vector of intelligence. A clear  intent. As it moves into mind, we experience an idea or concept, an inspiration, a focus. Into emotions, a desire, wish or need.

What often happens though is that it gets cluttered by mental associations and stories, emotional resistance, reactivity, doubts, and other energy dissipaters. Just as pure consciousness becomes filled with thoughts and emotions, so too is pure intent cluttered by same.

In the prior post Behind all Pain is Happiness, we touched on the emotional coverings of happiness. What about the closely related desire?

As emotions are the energy drivers of doing, we can look within emotions to find intention. What is behind this drive to act a certain way? First, there are general feelings. Behind that, desire. And behind that gets interesting.

We may discover there are unhealthy or conflicting feelings behind some desires. It can be quite curious to discover that behind a “positive” desire is fear, for example. The desire thus has its own canceling energy. We don’t even need to doubt to void the driver of success.

Other desires may be rooted in uncertainty, thus giving us mixed results. This is why we admire someone with self-confidence who gets results – they are not driven by doubt built into their drive. However, we’ll find that just about everyone has areas of life where they are effective and areas where they could use some work. Where there is some less healthy energetic/emotional drivers.

But all this is not really intention. It is emotionally driven desire.

Under these sorts of emotional desires is another kind. Desires driven by intention. These often then pick up emotions on their way up so can seem on the surface to be quite similar. For example, we may find an intention under those muddied emotions beneath a desire.

What’s the difference? Desires driven by emotions are coming from a me. They are reactionary and have a quality of craving. Trying to fill something empty, like wanting a new car so you’ll feel more worthy.

Desires driven by intention are quite a bit different. They are intentional, driven from a much deeper place. Intellect, soul, even the divine. Intention also has a deeper kind of power than simple emotion. One driven by the power of life itself.

These are more subtle than emotions so may not be obvious at first. But there will be a sense of push or urging, a sense of simple clarity or certainty or rightness, perhaps a sense of power moving within or through us.

You can begin to see why it’s advantageous to practice a little mindful observation of our drivers. Reactionary ones are less useful to engage. Those are the ones where we’re resisting or spinning our wheels. But intentional desires driven from within are more likely to reflect our dharma or purpose. The flow of life through us. The divine in us. Thus they are far more likely to be fulfilled.

It is learning to work with this movement through our lives that shifts life from being a struggle to being a flow, from suffering to joy, from confusion to clarity.

As we connect deeper and deeper with who we are within, much of this will be spontaneous. But the stories we have running in our lives may require a little attention to diffuse. May require some technique or attention.

The inquiry process I touched on in the prior post is the same here. Instead of “what is behind the emotion” it is “what is behind this push to act”?

We’ll feel a sense of resistance or craving if there are emotional entanglements. Although sometimes resistance can be a push back – a sign not to move just yet. So we may have to look deeper at the resistance – is this a cautionary sense? Or is it fear driven?

Soon we’ll get the idea of living a more conscious, purposeful life. One that’s a lot more fun. If we understand that intention is the flow of consciousness, we can see why cooperating is a great idea. We’re just learning to cooperate with ourSelves. Another word for this flow? Love.
Davidya

Behind all Pain is Happiness

During a recent discussion on Shared Vision and Untethered Perception, a key point came up. That behind all pain or suffering is pure happiness.

I’ve touched on this in several prior posts such as Clearing the Heart and Love is Pain.

It may seem a very odd statement to make if you are used to living in some kind of emotional turmoil or difficulty. It can seem that life is hard and happiness fleeting. That we are born to suffer. But we can discover a deeper more satisfying way to be.

It is only that we have become identified with our feelings and reactions that we have come to see them as us. “I feel upset.” or “I am angry” tell the story. Because we see them as us, we take events that cause us grief as personal. And that is the simple mechanism of suffering.

While we’re having this experience there does not seem to be a way out. That which wants out is the same thing that’s become identified. The ego that is the cage cannot escape itself.

Thus, the ultimate solution is to transcend the ego altogether. Once seen deeply enough, fear will end and thus suffering. As I’ve mentioned before, effortless meditation is the key there. Connecting with who we are within.

In the meantime, there are some things we can do to help ease the process. To clear the deck so the seeing is easier. And to release reactions that keep things activated, that feed the “sprouted seeds“.

When we get under the drama, we will have the direct experience that all life and all events are the flow of happiness. It is only our struggles against this flow that causes us to suffer.

Some suggest we simply culture feelings like gratitude. Or look directly at our experiences and ask – is this true? (Byron Katie or Ruiz). Sometimes, the deepening of silence allows us to see our stories as stories while they’re at play. Then we can choose not to respond to them and eventually choose not to play them – if they’re not wanted.

People like Gangaji in the Ramana Maharishi lineage use techniques like inquiry and diad to directly look behind. This does require clear awareness so may be easier in a retreat setting. But it’s just a simple process of asking whats behind this emotion. You feel anger. What’s behind it? Often we’ll find something like fear of hurt. And what’s behind that? As you go through these little steps, behind the fear or base emotion is always found either silence, peace, or happiness. Perhaps even love.

It can be quite startling to discover the energy behind your dark emotions is happiness. You’ve simply been too caught up in the experience to see it.

As this is seen a few times, we begin to experience feelings differently and take the surface drama less seriously. The story (mind) that these emotions have been energizing begins to wind down as well. And that can be such a nice relief.
Davidya

What is Consciousness?

In 2004, an unusual film was released called What the BLEEP do we Know? It was a series of interviews with various scientists and philosophers, told over a dramatic back-story. The theme was what modern physics might suggest about the nature of reality. It was one of those films that people loved or hated as it suggested our common view of the world was incomplete.

A year after the film was released, there was a conference in California where they reinterviewed the original speakers and added to the original production, creating a second 2.5 hr. edition – Down the Rabbit Hole. And then a 5 hr. Quantum edition.

In the below, they are reinterviewing Physicist John Hagelin in unedited footage. (John got  a standing ovation at the 2005 Bleep conference near Vancouver.)
They discuss:
- What is consciousness, and Unified Field Theory
- How knowledge of enlightenment is lost
- The Observer and Unity, more than one truth.

Part 1:

Part 2:

Seer and Seen

In a discussion on Reframing Emotions, personal vs. impersonal perspectives arose. Seeing with the heart vs. seeing with the intellect.

I’ve spoken of this a number of times, both on it’s role in the awakening process and in how we see the world.

The personal is seeing the world from the heart, intimate and alive. It is seeing the seen, the expression of consciousness in all things. It is exploring how things are created and connected. It is seeing the flow of Love in all being, Shakti. It is intention, creative power, beauty. This approach is less familiar to western culture so may show up later on the path, especially for men. It is key for God Realization.

The impersonal is the way of the intellect, of discrimination. It is what allows us to see the seer itself, who we are and how it is we see what is there. It is how we see the mechanics of becoming, how the seer becomes the seen. It is the flow of intellect that structures all being. It is Shiva. It is attention. It is truth. It is key for Self Realization and Unity.

These aspects are not separate things – just the same thing seen in different ways. The 2 modes of seeing help us see the full picture. Help us complete the journey.

There is one cosmic being. We are that one. We share everything. We are never separated. We simply appear to open to ourselves so that we may know ourselves more fully. Small shifts in being and seeing unfolds everything to ourselves.
Davidya

Untethering Perception

In a discussion over on Shared Vision, some questions came up that drew out an answer worth posting.

Is attention tethered perception? Does having an intention also create a tethering…? Can there be layers of perception happening all at once so that on one level, perception is untethered and on another level, perception is tethered?

Identification is tethered perception. When we are identified, we have connected ourselves with the objects of perception. We think “I am this body”. “I am these thoughts”. “I am sad/happy/angry” (ie: I am emotions)

Mind then makes stories about it to justify this perception. “I am angry because…”. “That person made me…”. Using memory, mind associates the stories with our experiences. Thus, when an experience arises in life, the first thing we do is call up our stories. Very much the actor on stage, in their role. It is an attempt by the mind to feel comfortable and in control. But it has the side effect of causing suffering. And disconnecting us further from who we really are, under the stories, under the identification.

Intention is directed or focused awareness. It may be encumbered by memory associations and such, but in it’s pure state is it is untethered. It is focused infinity. In our identification with the stories, we may see the intention as a fettering, like how we may see some desires as limiting or undesirable. But this is due to identification, not the inherent limits of any given intention.

We can also see that when there is a lot of resistance and drama at play, intentions will squeeze out in distorted sorts of ways. Unhealthy desires, for example. Underneath them, there is something pure. But it finds expression how it can, in ways that may be anything but.

And yes, there can be layered perception taking place, so we see both tethering and untethered. A classic example would be pre-awakening, when we experience that we are the Self, yet the ego-self remains. The identification with ego is much loosened, but enough is still there to hold it. Put another way, Self has begun waking to Itself, but is still in a pre-wakening semi-groggy state.
Davidya

Boundless Faith

Humans are at root social creatures. We have a need to relate and to belong. Thus, the popularity of social media on-line. The neighbourhood pub or cafe. Gathering together for celebrations, sports, and memorials.

For many of us, we define ourselves by the people we associate with and by how others have treated us or told us we are. This is a strong aspect of the identity, the ego-self we use to relate with the world.

If we listen to the stories we tell ourselves that run through our mind, it’s easy to see some of that. We remind ourselves of our role all the time. I’m this or that, can or can’t do this or that, and so on.

For most people on earth, a big part of that is their faith. Their primary belief system, one often prescribed to them by the family and culture into which they were born. In the west, we may reject this but will commonly come up with something else instead. We’ll believe in science or new age or some other framework to define ourselves and our relationship with the world.

Even if we call ourselves atheists or non-believers, this is still a belief. The mind cannot function without developing beliefs about the world and it’s much easier to choose a predefined set. Could you even get out of bed in the morning if you were not confident the floor would be there? How would you go to sleep at night if you were uncertain you’d wake up again?

Beliefs are fine if they help us make sense of the world. And they’re not held too firmly to allow for new information. A problem arises when we define ourselves too much by our belief system. If what we believe is right, anyone who believes something else must be wrong. Framed like that, another belief system is a threat to my well-being making them an enemy. When we make them wrong, we can justify all sorts of things against another, forgetting they are simply other humans developing beliefs based on their own experiences and background. It doesn’t help that the media tends to highlight differences and what’s wrong with others.

Awhile back, I wrote about the need for something deeper than tolerance if we were to find peace. Tolerance still implies we believe something better. When conflict arises, tolerance flies out the window. This is why we must find peace within if we are to find peace in the world. As long as we are threatened by anothers ideas, we will fail to see our commonality. As long as we relate to the world through a judging ego-self, we will see the world as an us vs them.

The same thing happens between a teenager and their parents. To find their own truth, they reexamine and begin to pull away from parents to “find themselves” as adults.

I’ve also seen this in many spiritual circles and traditions. Meditators who dismiss any other practice as useless. New Thought churches where someone who likes another church is seen as a threat. Traditional churches where they invite everyone but see others as in need of conversion or correction.

Jesus said “I am the way and the truth and the light”. This is taken to mean this church is the only way and anything else is Satan. This fails to recognize Jesus is saying he’s become One and there is no other. Not that anything else is bad but that it’s all one. We are all that oneness. “Only” is the real Satan as it makes the ego that divides stronger.

It’s the reason they suggest you not talk politics or religion at social events. This is especially true if someone has not considered their faith and is threatened by any discussion (defense) of something nebulous in their own mind. It can be scary to realize what you base your sense of self on is a pretty empty space.

Recently, I ran into a book called “Getting to the Heart of Interfaith.” Interfaith is a focus on “inclusive spirituality”. What is common to all faiths, especially the Abrahamic faiths of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam as they share common roots. The authors are a Pastor, a Rabbi, and a Sheikh.

Rather than focusing on differences (the ego, what’s wrong), they focus on universalities, what we all share. From a point of commonality, no one is wrong. Differences can then be embraced and there is no need to believe the same things.

Early in the book, they introduce the 5 stages of an Interfaith journey. I thought this was interesting as it strongly reflects what I’ve seen in many peoples journeys. There is a natural cycle where the newbie matures in understanding and at some point outgrows the teaching. If the organization is not structured to handle this, they may fall or drift away.

Sometimes, this can be a difficult separation. Even a rejection of the teaching, throwing the baby out with the bathwater. But at some point, they find their new ground and the role the teaching had in their journey. The teaching may then regain its role but perhaps in a more distant way. Perhaps enjoying the community but not engaging so deeply. It depends on the nature of the organization and the persons own path.

The 5 stages of an Interfaith journey:
1 – Moving beyond separation and suspicion
2 – Inquiring more deeply
3 – Sharing both the easy and difficult parts
4 – Moving beyond safe territory
5 – Exploring spiritual practices from other traditions

I’ve seen this process in many people and myself. Understanding it can help it go much smoother for everyone.

Note that these are personal stages but they may also be implemented in a community as a whole. Results will vary by participants willing to make the journey. But I’ve found it a good sign when a community quotes from many sources and blends many teachings.

I have also noted this coming together is getting stronger over time. Communities of all kinds are getting less exclusive and more inclusive. And we’re all the richer for it.

I look forward to reading the rest of the book.
Davidya

Reframing Emotions

For many people, there are “good” emotions and “bad” emotions. Good emotions “make” us feel better, bad emotions “make” us feel worse. (“make” only because we identify with them as “mine”)

As we’ve been discussing recently, people have the habit sometimes of dwelling in their “bad” emotions. Staying in a place of discomfort, mainly because it’s familiar. Or it may distract us from how we really feel. I know people who maintain a constant state of fatigue, requiring coffee to function, for similar reasons. If we stay inside our little box, we’ll be safe from how we really feel. Like our true feelings were a bogey man.

If we allow ourselves to experience our emotions more openly, we’ll find some have a more constricting quality. Feelings of fear and shame for example, make us feel small. Feelings of joy and love make us feel more expanded. This is a deeper aspect of why we judge some emotions as “bad” – they make us feel more constrained, lesser.

What’s notable here though is that it’s not the emotion itself that brings this “bad” response. It is the minds response to the experience. If we are identified with a mental concept of a “me” or ego, mind as me feels limited by sadness so judges it “bad”. In fact, if the mind takes itself to be in charge, everything in our experience is labeled and categorized, usually in an either/or black and white way. This is all mind. It is not the emotions doing this, although emotions may be associated.

Put another way, it is our reaction to emotions that causes us to judge them, to resist them, and to suffer by them.

This aspect of suffering becomes much more clear when you begin to see the drama and turmoil, when you begin to step out of it. In a way, we fear the experience of our suffering because it’s worse than we’ll recognize. In another way, the escape is much easier than we know. That brief phase where we become aware of it, learn to step through and release it, and come to peace can be a bumpy period but one well worth the effort.

You may also have noticed how I differentiate between love and Love. Small love is an emotion. When we begin to experience divine Love, we discover that even the lofty emotion of love is still a constriction, a boundary on infinity. When we step into divine Love, we discover the deeper roots of feeling that are without boundaries, that place with no constriction on being.

This is when we move into a place where feelings are just energy, flowing through our life. While emotions will still arise and constrict some aspect of experience, it will no longer restrict who we are. Just an aspect of the experience. We remain boundless and free, whatever the waves on the surface.
Davidya