Believe or not:A quick view on belief,God,karma,rebirth and salvation.
Buddha perhaps kept an agnostic stand.One book I read said that this was one of the few questions he refused to answer.Whilst Mahavira was unambiguously athiestic which maybe oblivious to most jain.
On rebirth:
The monk and the philosopher by Francois and Mathieu Ricard gives a detailed and very clear understanding of the process of rebirth just like a stream of consciousness which thru karmic impressions and its continuity resurfaces . So in a way memory survives and resurfaces.Perfectly scientific as matter and energy cannot created nor destroyed and avoids any leap of faith(faith not bad by iteself but prone to dangers and conditioning).I atleast subscribe to it in its entirety without any mental compromise or idealistc conditioning or birth given conditioning..More like a matter of fact in the same manner as u donot challenge lets say existence of table in your room which according to quantum physics maybe nothing but empty space..It doesnot require faith. It is.Rebirth is like bucket of water from the ocean.Take a bucket from the ocean and put it back and take another one.Its water not necessarily the same water.Giving particularness to that water is meaningless.
Then ther is soul.......
Substitute stream of consciousness with soul.Though the purist maynot agree.Complete comparative analysis is available between Nagarjuna and Sankara`s philosophy. Its just the same as long as it presupposes non duality.Permanence of soul need not be particular soul.Its universal cosmic potential life force.Its all words and corruption of words and interpretational hazard..The description is not the described.
Karmic impressions( seriesof acts and events,relational ,factual and emotional) need certain energy upon which it gets emmmbedded just like software embedded on a chip.Karmic impressions can be neutralised by cessation of thought reaction processes..pretty scientific.(Because thought is subtle matter). Memory by definition survives till it is completely empty.Stop carrying images,stop memory creation. Use memory and store for survival of physical self not psychical self.
Emptiness or sunyata is the POTENTIAL on which the particular can precipitate.A receptacle to hold life.Just like you can fill an empty space.The only difference is that this emptiness is vibrant.It is no- thing and not nothing.Again in conformity with modern science viz quantum physics.Schrodingers thought experiment on cat is one example of science experimenting on when and how does reality collapse into existence.Till then it is a hanging potential or proposition.The observer makes it happen.If I- thought is not there then how do u know that u exist.If there is no experiencer there is only experience.Experiencer is the illusion emerging out of experiencing because the neurons are great storehouse.The warehouse space of neurons is infinite and hence there is an infinitesemally strong accumulated identity.It is like Kabhie Yahi and Kabhi nahin only if you are aware..Catch me if u can it prompts and laughs away playing a cruel joke.Actually self search is a metaphoric oxymoron as there is nothing to search.More like Dhoondte Rahe Jaoge situation.
It is necessary not to read buddhism or jainism or hinduism but to remain unconditioned.CHOICELESS AWARENESS takes care of everything and avoids the trap of conceptual reality.Either something is in the realm of thought or something is outside the realm of thought.either there is identification and therefore identity or there is only existence with a natural force of action.
For survival humans need identity and for salvation he needs to shed identity.Ego self is a biological creation not an existential reality.Only choiceless awareness can help.
GOD,levels of existence,mysticism and the rest requires faith to believe if u have not experienced and requires no explanation if u have experienced.Creator God is anyway a corruption of thought though god at an alternate level of existence is neither inconceivable nor preposterous.More like a rationally probable event.J.Krishnamurti`s life has been full of mystical experience which in large part he disowned and some part underplayed. It is neither relevant nor conducive to delve into something from the point of view of deliverance and hence best ignored.Truth has nothing to do with other people`s experience or believes.Thats all in the realm of thought even if the thoughts are benign and beneficial to mankind.
Having said that the jury is out still on whether world is a better place with theistic believers than athiestic non believers or not.Because max killings have taken place under Christanity during renaissance and now Islam promises to overtake .Conventional religion fails to transform.It is non transformational for most and creates illusion of superior morality and proposes non believers as inferior .Complete surender to devotion like Mirabai is transformational but is more scarce than meditational transformation.The probability is infinitesamally low towards zero.However conventional religion provides code of good conduct and promotes humanism.It also helps to alleviate misery of existence just like antibiotics help to alleviate pain of physical suffering.A true devotee is less becoming especially if he is aware.A believer who thinks of Narayan( God) on death bed carrying less karmic impressions than somebody who is wanting,desiring,regretting,revengeful,apathethic,bitter,pleasureful and so on when on death bed.A believer is supposed to be self effacing save one crutch of image ,God.Maybe its an intermediate stage.Afterall no crutch at all is so damn difficult .Almost impossible due to compulsive nature of mind to form images.
As such the debate is irrelevant . Believe and be self effacing or donot believe and be self effacing.The idea is to stop becoming.Then there is none.There is only creation.Blessed is the guy who is nobody .
Scientific Inquiry:
Quantum physics and cognitive science will take human beings to an extent closer to understanding reality.Beyond a particualr level it will require either leap of faith to cross the bridge or a change in consciousness which cannot be expressed in words. Therefore the ultimate salvation is personal. Theology and Guru can provide a platform and guidelines.They cannot describe the indescribable.Science and Guru can take you thus far and not beyond.
Ground of existence has no begining and no end and thats the only way the laws of cause and effect get explained .Otherwise there is an endless loop of cause .The levels of awareness between death and birth and between death and salvation is unfathomable and various words are put to approximately describe it.Thus atma,anatma and so on.According to principles of hologram everything can be reduced to nothing and still contain everything.This is not belief or mumbo jumbo but the most engaging inquiry of science today.(scientist Pilbrim)
There is a story.Either god is can create the world or not.If he cannot he is impotent and not god.if he can he either is compelled to create or he choses to create. Therefore either is powerless or he falls victim to his desire to create. Therefore God cannot be a creator..(Not to be mistaken with existence of God)
For more scientific students there is zeno`s paradox on God .
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Everything to achieve Nobody to achieve
If everything is projection of mind then perceiving the mind deception is awareness.In that constant state of vigil human motivations,behavioural pattern, response system ,action and reaction emerge out crystal clear.What emerges is formation of individual entity creeping in stealthily like a thief and sets out to steer the life course .Can this thief (ego self) be caught as it emerges?Is it an inevitable formation? Can it be stopped,erased or obliterated and how? Is constant awareness an energy sapping vigil or energy releasing mechanism? Such questions donot render to easy answers .
How best to deploy human energy is a constant challenge.Deploying in a broader sense of relating to life itself in a manner such that life is on auto pilot.Where there is no doubt,no compulsion,no fear,no anxiety no hesitation.state In such a state of total clarity doing things one knows the best and likes the best becomes a way of life.Doing itself is an act of certainty.Doing itself is an end.Perhaps there is no need to be deeply philosophical about it then just accepting reality as it is and conducting oneself in that reality drama simply as a natural flow.Its essential to ensure that avowed vocation is of natural fit and choice.Obstruction/distraction to natural flow would be encountered and courage has to be summoned to crossover such a hump.Courage is needed to redefine success on your terms and not societal terms and once thats anchored rest is easy.For then the stealthy thief is always at bay and not at the dictates of perceived societal approval.Then there is everything to achieve and nobody to achieve.Living itself has no tomorrow.
How best to deploy human energy is a constant challenge.Deploying in a broader sense of relating to life itself in a manner such that life is on auto pilot.Where there is no doubt,no compulsion,no fear,no anxiety no hesitation.state In such a state of total clarity doing things one knows the best and likes the best becomes a way of life.Doing itself is an act of certainty.Doing itself is an end.Perhaps there is no need to be deeply philosophical about it then just accepting reality as it is and conducting oneself in that reality drama simply as a natural flow.Its essential to ensure that avowed vocation is of natural fit and choice.Obstruction/distraction to natural flow would be encountered and courage has to be summoned to crossover such a hump.Courage is needed to redefine success on your terms and not societal terms and once thats anchored rest is easy.For then the stealthy thief is always at bay and not at the dictates of perceived societal approval.Then there is everything to achieve and nobody to achieve.Living itself has no tomorrow.
Monday, December 29, 2008
Train Your Mind, Change Your Brain :NeuroplasicityAnd Buddhism
Net Review of Train your Mind and Change your Brain by Sharon Begley
Is it really possible to change the structure and function of the brain, and in so doing alter how we think and feel?
The answer is a resounding yes.
In late 2004, leading Western scientists joined the
Dalai Lama at his home in Dharamsala, India, to address this very question — and in the process brought about a revolution in our understanding of the human mind. In this fascinating and far-reaching book, Wall Street Journal science writer Sharon Begley reports on how cutting-edge science and the ancient wisdom of Buddhism have come together to show how we all have the power to literally change our brains by changing our minds. These findings hold exciting implications for personal transformation.
For decades, the conventional wisdom of neuroscience held that the hardware of the brain is fixed and immutable — that we are stuck with what we were born with. As Begley shows, however, recent pioneering experiments in neuroplasticity, a new science that investigates whether and how the brain can undergo wholesale change, reveal that the brain is capable not only of altering its structure but also of generating new neurons, even into old age. The brain can adapt, heal, renew itself after trauma, and compensate for disability.
Begley documents how this fundamental paradigm shift is transforming both our understanding of the human mind and our approach to deep-seated emotional, cognitive, and behavioral problems. These breakthroughs show that it is possible to reset our happiness meter, regain the use of limbs disabled by stroke, train the mind to break cycles of depression and OCD, and reverse age-related changes in the brain. They also suggest that it is possible to teach and learn compassion, a key step in the Dalai Lama's quest for a more peaceful world. But as we learn from studies performed on Buddhist monks, an important component in changing the brain is to tap the power of mind and, if particular, focused attention. This is the classic Buddhist practice of mindfulness, a technique that has become popular in the West and that is immediately available to everyone.
With her extraordinary gift for making science accessible, meaningful, and compelling, Sharon Begley illuminates a profound shift in our understanding of how the brain and the mind interact. This tremendously hopeful book takes us to the leading edge of a revolution in what it means to be human.
Bloggers Comment
The keypoint of J.Krishnamurti`s teaching is to look inwards to a point that observer is observed.Then your action springs out of insights.Then you awaken to the possibility of alteration/regeneration of brain cells .He did so by substantial dialogues with scientist of nobel prize genre to establish the scientific veracity of his claim.All the queries re God, karma, reincarnation etc then get answered without posing the question or without believing because vedanta said so or buddha said so or mahavir said so..Love , compassion belong to that field which is outside the realm of thought.He called it living with attention,awareness and insights
Is it really possible to change the structure and function of the brain, and in so doing alter how we think and feel?
The answer is a resounding yes.
In late 2004, leading Western scientists joined the
Dalai Lama at his home in Dharamsala, India, to address this very question — and in the process brought about a revolution in our understanding of the human mind. In this fascinating and far-reaching book, Wall Street Journal science writer Sharon Begley reports on how cutting-edge science and the ancient wisdom of Buddhism have come together to show how we all have the power to literally change our brains by changing our minds. These findings hold exciting implications for personal transformation.
For decades, the conventional wisdom of neuroscience held that the hardware of the brain is fixed and immutable — that we are stuck with what we were born with. As Begley shows, however, recent pioneering experiments in neuroplasticity, a new science that investigates whether and how the brain can undergo wholesale change, reveal that the brain is capable not only of altering its structure but also of generating new neurons, even into old age. The brain can adapt, heal, renew itself after trauma, and compensate for disability.
Begley documents how this fundamental paradigm shift is transforming both our understanding of the human mind and our approach to deep-seated emotional, cognitive, and behavioral problems. These breakthroughs show that it is possible to reset our happiness meter, regain the use of limbs disabled by stroke, train the mind to break cycles of depression and OCD, and reverse age-related changes in the brain. They also suggest that it is possible to teach and learn compassion, a key step in the Dalai Lama's quest for a more peaceful world. But as we learn from studies performed on Buddhist monks, an important component in changing the brain is to tap the power of mind and, if particular, focused attention. This is the classic Buddhist practice of mindfulness, a technique that has become popular in the West and that is immediately available to everyone.
With her extraordinary gift for making science accessible, meaningful, and compelling, Sharon Begley illuminates a profound shift in our understanding of how the brain and the mind interact. This tremendously hopeful book takes us to the leading edge of a revolution in what it means to be human.
Bloggers Comment
The keypoint of J.Krishnamurti`s teaching is to look inwards to a point that observer is observed.Then your action springs out of insights.Then you awaken to the possibility of alteration/regeneration of brain cells .He did so by substantial dialogues with scientist of nobel prize genre to establish the scientific veracity of his claim.All the queries re God, karma, reincarnation etc then get answered without posing the question or without believing because vedanta said so or buddha said so or mahavir said so..Love , compassion belong to that field which is outside the realm of thought.He called it living with attention,awareness and insights
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