Mind is Mind Boggling Stuff

Citta (substitute mind or consciousness in English)

  
1. Mind (Citta) in fact, is a factory of formation of mental factors of diverse ideas, opinions, contradictions and conflicts.

2. It is a never ending process.

3. It is a tool for attention and distraction.

4. It has the flux of rising, peaking and falling formations or phenomena.

5. It is an agent of attachment.

6. It has no self or ego but boundless cosmological presence.

7. It is in motion and continuity of concepts but no real or virtual purpose. 

8. Ciita, Cetasikas and Sankhars are its  domains.

9.  It can exist both bound to and outside the matter principle.

10. It is never free but bound by its own compulsions and inconsistencies.

11. That is why I call it a mystery.

12 Try to free it from dogmas, opinions and conventions and try to elevate it to a higher dimension blend with kindness, joy and pleasantness.


Stream of Consciousness is mind boggling?

This piece is a Hypothesis not a Concept to arouse investigation of the mind and its underlying force.

Some of the things proposed are outrageous but one should not throw away the basic tenet of the hypothesis due to inconsistencies.

I do not want to use the word consciousness and specially the subconscious mind with only two layers of mind (essentially matter or brain bound).

I prefer the eminent philosopher James William’s theme, the stream of consciousness as a near enough hypothesis.

The word “Awareness” of itself and its surroundings, irrespective of its proximity (far or near) in space dimension is my invention.

The most outlandish statement to begin with is that the stream of mind (consciousness as stated in modern western terminology) does not necessarily need a brain or matter for its existence.

It can exist without the matter principle.

 

Even though, in Indian and Buddhist cosmology there are many domains of existence of beings, I would like to narrow it to three levels for the purpose of simplification but would dare say, the potential and the sphere of the stream of mind is so limited.

In actual fact, it is very difficult to comprehend.

The three levels for discussion are;

1. Mind without matter principle, essentially an energy form with unlimited extensibility.

2. Mind with matter principle invariably bound to the matter in the form of neural system extending to the level of many “brain forms” (human brain is not supposed to be the ultimate and the highest).

3. The third is the transitional or subtle form, there is neither matter nor no matter but interaction of the stream of mind in many forms.

Why this subdivision?

It is all, to explain, the behavior of the mind of gifted individuals, mediums, those cultivated by meditation, those who posses ability to remember past lives, telepathy, hypnotic transgression and such experiences like tunnel vision in near death syndrome.

The way, we look at the mind and its awareness in modern science, many of the above cannot be explained or disputed by mere conjecture or by preposition or hypothesis.

 

I won’t go into many details but start with few examples.

 

Take the case of amoeba.

It is the simplest of living forms but it has an enormous amount of DNA material for its simple survival. The genetic pool is enormous for its simplicity. It does not have a brain or brain material to think and to do purposeful workout.

But seemingly handicapped, as it may sound, it does all what is necessary for living, reproduction and survival.

There is a purpose for survival and “the purposeful activity is not too different from a higher order animal with a primitive brain”.

The will for existence and purposeful collection of genetic material for future evolution into a higher form of being, yet without a brain.

I call this form of existence, “the brainy mechanism of sustenance” what a single cell accomplishes on its own.

The single cell is the brain for its own existence.

When we take multiples of these cells when organized purposely as brains in different species including aliens that may exist in other worlds, the potential of the brain systems and stream of mind is enormous.

So one should not get surprised for somebody having telepathic ability or to communicate with the dead or subsequent lives or departed dear ones (assuming rebirth as distinct possibility) with paranormal ability.

Simple disputing of paranormal ability is not the way about it.

There were many in our history and often disputed (deliberately by vested interests).

Madam Helena Blavatsky is a case in point.

We have not developed sufficiently sensitive instruments to detect these “energy forms” and EEG is not the “be all and end all instrument of detection”.

My personal view is we need a finely tuned ‘another higher brain’ to monitor these activities.

Not all of us have these abilities inbuilt.

It is the duty of the psychologists and psychiatrists to invest in these areas of training, instead of denial and disputation.

One way of developing this power is through meditation but only a few of us can sustain it to such a higher levels. One should be cautious when one attains meditative states that are transient in nature but with profound spiritual nature (Ayarhuask inhalation is one example) that could either alarm the meditating guy or girl or get morbid attachment to this transient state.

My own conviction is that the practice of meditation has many other benefits apart from achieving goals mentioned above and one should use it for one’s own higher transition rather than using it as a diagnostic tool.

But I won’t condone anyone who is pursuing scientific and diagnostic pathways.

Now let me dish out some outlandish views.

The mind on its own without a material base.

Can it exist on its own?

Where does its energy come from without a biological base?

If the cell can survive without a brain (amoeba) why not a mind without a brain?

In the material world there are so many energy forms including cosmic radiation.

In that spectrum not having an energy form called stream of mind (James William’s own description of the mind as a stream) is unacceptable to an inquiring mind.

If the medical world (I do not divide the mind only two states) could formulate something called subconscious mind for centuries, above hypothesis is an antithesis.

In the eastern cosmology, beings with subtle bodies with spiritually developed minds are tenable.

It is often said people who had attained different level of absorptions through meditation are born in these worlds and live a long life.

It is also said these beings can travel vast distances from their mother planets and visit alternative universes.

In literal terms they are the Devas or Gods.

Extension of that theory is what I am proposing not the alteration of the eastern cosmology.

If that scenario is possible, that mind stream would penetrate atomic, subatomic and quantum levels of uncertainty and comprehend everything the modern science delve in.

So what?

The mind should theoretically (mind’s behavior is attachment to entities or ideas) be able to merge with subtle material and change (shape change described in alien films) its form at will or wish.

I think my hypothesis is going well beyond this world to other dimensions.

Is it 7, 10 or 13 or string theory of mathematics?

The possibility of the stream of mind is incomprehensible and vast.

Binding it to a dogma, idea, religion, culture, politics, race or science is very narrow.

Try to discover your own mind potential but remain within the limits, lest you get virtually mad.

Come to think about it, this world is full of mad guys/girls especially in the political field.

Mind and its Repertoire

Mind is a powerful entity with boundless energy within.

It is very difficult to explain its repertoire.

Below is a few descriptions extracted from Dhamma Pada.

Before that, I will try to describe in Simple English how I describe the “Entity called Mind”.

Mind is Universal Entity in certain forms of life.

We believe it is related to the existence of the brain but if I ask the question myself, “Can I locate or pinpoint it for somebody to scientifically investigate it?”, I run short of methodology to project my mind out.

It seems to be intrinsically bound to every cell in my body not heart or brain.

I do not like the word conscious and unconscious since mind is never at rest even in one’s deep sleep.

It is a living but changing entity and part and parcel of life of beings.

So I prefer the word “Awareness” of itself and its surroundings irrespective of its proximity (far or near) in space dimension.

I can visit moon in a fraction of a second (faster than speed of light) while smoking my cigar and exhaling rounds and rounds of smoke circles.

Like the smoke circles from a cigar appear and disappear, my thought moments can appear and disappear with tremendous rapidity and next moment my mind is in mars or outside the boundaries of the known universe.

That is the beauty of the mind.

Next thing I want to do is to address the “Level of Awareness”.

The base level is Awake State.

A lower level is Dream State.

Third level is “Knocked Out State”, hit on the head by a club or live electricity shock or ECT (Electro Convulsive Therapy) or Medical Drugs with anesthetic properties or psychedelics.

Now the bombshell.

Just as we can have substandard levels of mind to normal awake state, I want to propose that there are seven or more levels of super-standard states of mind (for the purpose of my argument- it may be much more than seven, never less).

For a person of Western upbringing brought up with God Concept, God is another “Spiritual Level”of Awareness much more than our base level.

Now the second bombshell.

There are life forms outside our domain, for the want of a better term I use, Alien Beings have Awareness Levels (going up to seven or more) far more superior to ours.

The caveat here is some of these beings are very inquisitive especially the level I (one) and II (two) civilizations that may or may not visit us from time to time for formal investigations.

The question is can we reach them?

I tend to believe that we can.

How?

We can increase our level of awareness with Mind Training.

That Mind Training is Meditation (for want of better term).

It is within our brain  potential.

All this preamble is to find an answer to the question of “Mediums” and “Channels” or the Ancient Wisdom Masters (of Red Indians, of Aborigines and Indian Sages).

Christianity has suppressed these phenomena by their world domination by “Mighty Economic Power” (both UK and USA).

Good example is Madam Helena Blavatsky and the attack on her by the Western authors (Theosophy) of profundity.

The domain of Christianity is in its wane, so it time to address other states of mind including the “Aliens who would visit us” when we are ready.

For the sake of my argument, “Mediums” and “Channels” are altered states of mind of awareness of the bearer.

They are usually females who are amenable to such states of “fantasy”.

They should not be addressed as fakes (large majority are fakes for the purpose of publicity).

I should wind up this with few verses from Dhamma Pada.

I do not like the English words, Ego, I, Soul and Spirituality.

To drop those entities from our minds’ vocabulary one has to attain a certain level of of meditative instances or Jhanas.

Mano Puggamgamaa Dhamma

Mano Setta Manomaya

Manasa che Passannena

Basthi va Karothi va

Tatho Nam Sukka Manchethi

Chayava Anupayini

  

Mind precedes all mental states

Mind is the chief chef,

They are all mind-wrought (fashioned)

If with pure (perfect) mind one speaks or acts happiness follows like never departing shadow of oneself.

  

Durangaman ekamchram

Asariram guhasayam

Ye sittam sangnamesanti

Mokkanthi Marabandhana

Dwelling in the cave

Without form

The Mind wonders far

And moves alone.

Those who subdue this mind

Are liberated from the bond of Mara

(The meaning of Mara here is somewhat equivalent to death in every being but in philosophical terms means much more of the unsatisfactory nature of all living phenomena including mental formations).

I am not a Pali scholar and Pali scholars (neither in English) are hard to come by and my humble attempt is to bring simple English connotation into lifeforms.

Any errors of commission and omission are all mine.

Please note that I do not academically or literally follow every bit of mystic phenomena but want the readers to be open minded.

I have had first hand encounters with similar ability but never tried to stop them or encourage them (kept my comfortable scientific dissociation) or assess them scientifically.

Reincarnation means the same thing as re-embodiment and rebirth. It is the human soul returning to the worlds of many forms again and again, taking up residence each time in a new physical body in order to continue the soul’s progressive/regressive journey of inner evolution/ devolution, advancement/depreciation, development/decay and many ways of unfolding.

Death is not the end and birth is not the beginning.

The soul reincarnates due to three main reasons 

(I avoided using Buddhist context of rebirth (no permanent soul but rolling phenomena or Sanskhars) since many still use this word reincarnation as a permanent soul entity)  

(1) It still has lessons to learn,

(2) It still has “karmic debts” which it needs to work off in order to balance its sheets of Karma,

(3) It has not yet fully realized its own divine nature or its absolute oneness with the higher self (Divine) and has not yet re-become into higher order of consciousness which is truly and really possible with sustained effort (by sustained and right Meditation).

Reincarnation is a Law in Nature.  

It is not true that “only some souls reincarnate” or that “reincarnation is the exception rather than the rule,” as some have claimed.

It is an ongoing cyclic process and necessity for each soul go through relentlessly.

There are three possibilities regarding what happens to us when we die.

View One

There is the view of the atheists and materialists, who say that we are nothing more than a lump of soulless purposeless matter and that we simply cease to be, when the physical body dies.

View Two

Then there is the “one life only” view held by some religions, who maintain that the soul only lives once on Earth and that after the body dies the soul either goes to Heaven for all eternity or burns in Hell for all eternity.

The religions which teach this concept usually insist that they are the only right religion and that only the people belonging to that particular religion will go to Heaven and the rest to Hell.

View Three

The third possibility is that of an ongoing process of reincarnation. 25-30% of people in the West today say that they believe in reincarnation and it has been a standard belief in much of the East for thousands of years, having its origin in Hinduism, which is the world’s oldest religion.

It is also a central feature of Buddhism and other Indic religions.

If one does not fall to any of the above three, he or she could become open other dimensions and say I do not know what is going on.

 

Mind boggling question

Mind is

Fluid

Frequently

Flying

To reach

A distant goal

Flitting

And Fleeing

Why not call

It a mystery?

Which it is

Instead of the

Ill conceived

Ill understood

All abiding

All encompassing

Term called consciousness

Which truly

Is a misnomer par excellence