NATO's Doomsday Seed Vault in the Arctic
By F. William Engdahl | GlobalResearch. ca
September 30, 2008
Using "Climate Change" as a Pretext to Appropriate World Seeds' Treasure
The controversial `Doomsday Seed Vault', a nuclear-bomb- proof vault deep into the side of a mountain in NATO-member Norway's Svalbard, near the Arctic Circle, has begun to collect seed samples from the entire world to freeze in the newly opened facility. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, along with the Rockefeller Foundation, Monsanto Corporation, Syngenta Foundation and the Government of Norway, among others, have constructed what is called by BBC the `doomsday seed bank.'
Officially the project is named the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. It sits on the Norwegian island of Spitsbergen, part of the Svalbard island group. Now scientists connected with the project are roaming the world to collect samples of every seed variety known, using the fraudulent argument of protecting against Global Warming to obtain samples of the crop diversity of the planet. The implications are potentially more dangerous than the threat of nuclear war.
As climate change is credited as one of the main drivers behind soaring food prices, the Global Crop Diversity Trust, the private organization which is responsible for maintaining the Seed Vault, is searching crop collections from Azerbaijan to Nigeria, allegedly for the traits that could defend the world agriculture against the impact of future changes. Traits, such as drought resistance in wheat, or salinity tolerance in potato, they argue, will become essential as crops around the world have to adapt to new climate conditions under forecast changes from Global Warming.
Beginning this past March, more than 200,000 crop varieties from Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East — drawn from vast seed collections maintained by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) — were shipped to the Svalbard Global Seed Vault (SGSV), a facility capable of preserving their vitality for thousands of years.
The seeds were from varieties of rice, wheat, beans, sorghum, sweet potatoes, lentils, chick peas and a host of other food, forage and agro-forestry plants. They are being safeguarded in the facility, which was created as a `repository of last resort for humanity's agricultural heritage.' The vault was officially built by the Norwegian government as a service to the global community, and a Rome-based international NGO, the Global Crop Diversity Trust, will fund its operation. It officially opened on February 26, 2008.
Unofficially, the Seed Vault project is one of the largest steps taken yet by the handful of GMO agribusiness giants including Monsanto Corporation, Syngenta of Basle, the Rockefeller Foundation in addition to the Gates family foundation, the world's largest private foundation combining the wealth as well of Warren Buffett. As I described in an earlier piece, the project appears to be far from the innocent humanitarian enterprise its promoters claim. The key organizations involved have a long, often dirty history of fraud, intimidation and dubious methods to force the spread of patented Genetically Modified plant seeds into the world agriculture food chain.
Readers seeking a more detailed background on the GMO companies, the so-called Four Horsemen of the Seeds Apokalypse — Monsanto, Syngenta, Dow Chemical and DuPont — are encouraged to look further in my book, Seeds of Destruction: The Hidden Agenda of Genetic Manipulation. There I describe the decades long background of the Rockefeller Foundation, working in close concert with Monsanto and others to create the scientifically flawed technology of introducing foreign traits into the seeds of the world's main food crops and thereby claiming grounds for exclusive patent rights to sell seeds of corn, rice, potato varieties, soybeans and countless other basic crops including cotton. GMO is a scientifically unstable technique whose long-term health impact on humans or even animals has never been independently tested by any Government.
That is a result of deliberate US policy, initiated in 1992 by then-President George H. W. Bush in consultation with top officials of Monsanto. Then Bush signed an Executive decree mandating the responsible Federal agencies such as the Department of Agriculture, the Food and Drug Administration and others NOT to independently test the genetically modified seeds for possible harmful effects, but to consider them to be `Substantially Equivalent' to conventional corn, soybeans, rice and such. That political fraud allowed Monsanto to submit GMO seed varieties for approval to plant commercially using only Monsanto-conducted test results as `proof' that the seeds were safe. That was only the beginning of a policy of malign neglect on the side of the US Government regarding the dangers of GMO. Toxic for human embryos
Compounding the dangers, the US Government also refused to examine, independently, the possible harmful effects to ground water and to humans and animals of the patented chemical herbicides which had to be sold alongside the Monsanto or DuPont or other GMO seeds. The seeds were patented in effect to force farmers to buy exclusively the herbicide of the seed patent owner.
As an example, Monsanto initially held patent rights to a powerful herbicide, Roundup®, which today is the world's most used herbicide. Monsanto developed and patented a soybean seed it names Roundup Ready®. Roudup Ready soybeans are "ready" for the Roundup herbicide. The Monsanto soybean is specially developed to be resistant to Roundup herbicide, a powerful poison that kills everything it touches. That pairing of herbicide and seed gives companies promoting the GMO product a lock on both sale of patented seeds as well as their mated herbicide chemicals. All major GMO seed giants started out as chemical companies.
More alarming is the fact that, according to numerous studies worldwide, GMO crops over time need more, not less, herbicide as the weeds develop a special resistance to become 'superweeds' . Then a scientific study that has to date been blocked out of the public debate, suggests that the active elements in the world's largest-selling herbicide, Monsanto's Roundup, are toxic and get into ground water and into the human diet. The study found that Roundup had a measurable effect on human embryonic and placental cells.
The scientific study, released in the magazine, Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology in November 2006 by a group of scientists headed by N. Benachour and G. E. Seralini of the University of Caen in France, following extensive tests with rats fed a diet of plants treated with Roundup, whose active ingredient is Glyphosate, that `we can conclude that the failure to account for the combined effects… will undoubtedly lead to the underestimation of potential hazards, especially at the endocrine disruption level, and hence to erroneous conclusions at a regulatory level regarding the risk that they provoke.' The scientists concluded, `Thus the toxic or hormonal impact of chemical mixtures in formulations (of Roundup — W.E.) appears to be underestimated. ' Moreover, the Caen University scientists found that the toxic effects of Roundup were `thus amplified with time. Taken together, these data suggest that Roundup exposure may effect human reproduction and fetal development in case of contamination. '
The last statement, translated into layman's language is that the world's most popular herbicide has manifest impact on human embryo cells and no Government is moving to call for a ban on its sale pending larger more thorough independent tests. The scientific article was buried and no one outside a tiny scientific community even knew the alarming results. The story should have been banner headline in the world press: `Scientists claim GMO Herbicide toxic to human embryo!' NATO gets world seed samples
The fact that GMO is a product of the Rockefeller Foundation, an organization which has been the leading world organization promoting the racialist eugenics agenda since the 1920's, and promoting population reduction programs including forced sterilization of women in Puerto Rico, Nicaragua and elsewhere in the developing world is relevant to the probable agenda of the people who placed a global seed vault on the property of a NATO country far remote from any prying of the public.
The picture gets more ominous in context of the Arctic Seed Vault of the Rockefeller Foundation, Gates, Monsanto et al. The seeds for the Doomsday Seed Vault are being gathered from select seed banks around the world established by CGIAR. This first installment from the CGIAR collections will contain duplicates from international agricultural research centers based in Benin, Colombia, Ethiopia, India, Kenya, Mexico, Nigeria, Peru, the Philippines and Syria. Collectively, the CGIAR centers maintain 600,000 plant varieties in crop gene-banks, which are regarded as the foundation of global efforts to conserve agricultural biodiversity. The seed banks are supposed to be protected from attempts of Monsanto et al to try to use the seeds for their patent efforts. There have been documented cases, however, where seed samples were illegally given to Monsanto or other GMO giants to develop GMO traits. Now by collecting all possible seed varieties far away from prying eyes in the Arctic, the seed companies such as Monsanto who are part of the Svalbard Doomsday Seed Vault project, have at least the theoretical possibility of taking those seeds and patenting the most essential for their proliferation of GMO across the human food chain.
"We're tempted to say that nobody in their right mind would ever use these things," remarked Stanford University biophysicist, Professor Steven Block, a man with years of personal experience with classified Pentagon and Government biological research. "But," Block added, "not everybody is in their right mind…"
The Svalbard project deserves far more public attention and scrutiny. from:
http://www.wariscri me.com/2008/09/30/news/natos-doomsday-seed-vault-in-the-arctic/
Saturday, December 27, 2008
SWAT TEAM conducts food raid in Ohio
"Over the past 20 years Congress has encouraged the U.S. military to supply intelligence, equipment, and training to civilian police. That encouragement has spawned a culture of paramilitarism in American law enforcement. The 1980s and 1990s have seen marked changes in the number of state and local paramilitary units, in their mission and deployment, and in their tactical armament." --Cato Institute (more information below)
"We cannot continue to rely on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives that we've set. We've got to have a civilian national security force that's just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded. " --Barack Obama, "Obama's Civilian National Security Force"
"At the World Food Programme we have recognized what a valuable tool food aid can be in changing behavior. In so many poorer countries food is money, food is power....." --Catherine Bertini, Executive Director of the World Food Program, "The UN Plan for Food and Land"
On Monday, December 1, a SWAT team with semi-automatic rifles entered the private home of the Stowers family in LaGrange, Ohio, herded the family onto the couches in the living room, and kept guns trained on grandparents, their daughter-in- law (whose husband is currently serving as a U.S. Navy Seabee in Iraq), their children and grandchildren for four hours. The team was aggressive and belligerent. The children were quite traumatized. At some point, the "bad cop" SWAT team was relieved by another team, a "good cop" team that tried to befriend the family.
The Stowers family has run a very large, well-known food cooperative called Manna Storehouse on the western side of the greater Cleveland area for many years. [See video: The Stowers tell their story]
There were agents from the Department of Agriculture present, one of them identified as Bill Lesho. The search warrant is reportedly suspicious-looking. Agents began rifling through all of the family's possessions, a task that lasted hours and resulted in a complete upheaval of every private area in the home. Many items were taken that were not listed on the search warrant. The family was not permitted a phone call, and they were not told what crime they were being charged with. They were not read their rights. Over ten thousand dollars worth of food was taken, including the family's personal stock of food for the coming year. All of their computers, and all of their cell phones were taken, as well as phone and contact records. The food cooperative was virtually shut down. There was no rational explanation, nor justification, for this extreme violation of Constitutional rights.
Presumably Manna Storehouse might eventually be charged with running a retail establishment without a license. Why then the Gestapo-type interrogation for a 3rd degree misdemeanor charge? This incident has raised the ominous specter of a restrictive new era in State regulation and enforcement over the nation's private food supply.
For verification see this court filing showing that government exceeding its authority
This same type of abusive search and seizure was reported by those innocents who fell victim to oppressive federal drug laws passed in the 1990s. The present circumstance raises the obvious question: is there some rabid new interpretation of an existing drug law that considers food a controlled substance worthy of a nasty SWAT operation? Or worse, is there a previously unrecognized provision(s) pertaining to food in the Homeland Security measures? Some have suggested that it was merely an out-of-control, hot-to-trot ODA [Ohio Department of Agriculture] agent, and, if so, this would be a best-case scenario. Anything else might spell the beginning of the end for the freedom to eat unregulated and unmonitored food.
One blogger familiar with the Ohio situation has reported that:
"Interestingly, I believe they [Manna Storehouse] said a month or so ago, an undercover ODA official came to their little store and claimed to have a sick father wanting to join the co-op. Both the owner and her daughter-in- law had a horrible feeling about the man, and decided not to allow him into the co-op and notified him by certified mail. He came back to the co-op demanding to be part of it. They refused and gave him names of other businesses and health food stores closer to his home. Not coincidentally, this man was there yesterday as part of the raid."
The same blog also noted that the Ohio Department of Agriculture has been chastised by the courts in several previous instances for its aggression, including trying to entrap an Amish man in a raw milk "sale," which backfired when it became known that the Amish believe in a literal interpretation of "give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away" (Matthew 5:42)
The issue appears to be the discovery of a bit of non-institutional beef in an Oberlin College food service freezer a year ago that was tracked down by a county sanitation official to Manna Storehouse. Oberlin College's student food coop is widely known for its strident ideological stance about eating organic foods. It seems that the Oberlin student food cooperative had joined the Manna Storehouse food cooperative in order to buy organic foods in bulk from the national organic food distributor United, which services buying clubs across the nation. The sanitation official, James Boddy, evidently contacted the Ohio Department of Agriculture. After the first contact by state ODA officials, Manna Storehouse reportedly wrote them a letter requesting assistance and guidelines for complying with the law. This letter was never answered. Rather, the ODA agent tried several times to infiltrate the coop, as described above. When his attempts failed, the SWAT team showed up!
Food cooperatives and buying clubs have been an active part of the American landscape for over a generation. In the 1970s, with the rise of the organic food industry (a direct outgrowth of the hippie back-to-nature movement) food coops started up all over the country. These were groups of people who freely associated for the purpose of combining their buying power so that they could order organic food items in bulk and case lots. Anyone who was part of these coops in the early era will remember the messy breakdown of 35 pounds of peanut butter and 5 gallon drums of honey!
These buying clubs have persisted and flourished over the years due to their ability to purchase high quality organic foods at reduced prices in bulk quantities. Most cooperatives have participated greatly in the local agrarian economies, supporting neighborhood organic farmers with purchases of produce, eggs, chickens, etc. The groups also purchase food from a number of different local, regional and national distributors, many of them family-based businesses who truck the food themselves. Some of these food cooperatives have become large enough to set up mini-storefront operations where members can drop in and purchase items leftover from case lot sales. Manna Storehouse had established itself in such a manner, using a small enclosed breezeway attached to their home. It was a folksy place with old wooden floors where coop members stopped by to chat and snack on bags of organic corn chips.
The state of Ohio boasts the second largest Amish population in the country. Many of the Amish live on acreages where they raise their own food, not unlike Manna Storehouse, and sell off the extras to neighbors and church members. There is a sense of foreboding that this state crackdown on a longstanding, reputable food cooperative operation could adversely impact the peaceful agrarian way of life not only for the Amish, but homeschoolers and those families living off the land on rural acreages. It raises the disturbing possibility that it could become a crime to raise your own food, buy eggs from the farmer down the road, or butcher your own chickens for family and friends – bustling activities that routinely take place in backwater America.
The freedom to purchase food directly form the source is increasingly under attack. For those who have food allergies and chemical intolerances, or who are on special medical diets, this is becoming a serious health issue. Will Americans retain the right to purchase food that is uncontaminated by pesticides, herbicides, allergens, additives, dyes, preservatives, MSG, GMOs, radiation, etc.? The melamine scare from China underscores the increasingly inferior and suspect quality of modern processed institutional foods. One blog, commenting on the bizarre and troubling Manna Storehouse situation, observed that:
"No one is saying exactly why. At the same time the FDA says it is safe to eat the 40% of tainted beef found in Costco's and Sam's all over the nation. These farm raids are very common now. Every farmer needs to fully equipped [sic] for the possibility of it happening to them. The Farmer To Consumer Legal Defense Fund was created just for this purpose. The USDA just released their plans to put a law into action that will put all small farmers out of business. Animals for the sale of meat or milk will only be allowed in commercial farms, even the organic ones." December 3, 2008 7:09 PM
"The police paramilitary units also conduct training exercises with active duty Army Rangers and Navy SEALs. State and local police departments are increasingly accepting the military as a model for their behavior and outlook.... The problem is that the mindset of the soldier is simply not appropriate for the civilian police officer. Police officers confront not an 'enemy' but individuals who are protected by the Bill of Rights. Confusing the police function with the military function can lead to dangerous and unintended consequences. ..." (Diane Cecilia Weber, Cato Institute, "Warrior Cops: The Ominous Growth of Paramilitarism in Police Departments" )
Updates: December 26: Declaration of Intent, Notice & Demand: See the last document in this pdf file -- a letter from Mrs. Stowers dated December 10.
Global Food Control. Raid on family's home and organic food co-op challenged: "The Buckeye Institute's 1851 Center for Constitutional Law today took legal action against the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) and the Lorain County Health Department for violating the constitutional rights of John and Jacqueline Stowers of LaGrange, Ohio.... ODA and Lorain County Health Department agents forcefully raided their home and unlawfully seized the family's personal food supply, cell phones and personal computers. ... The Buckeye Institute argues the right to buy food directly from local farmers; distribute locally-grown food to neighbors; and pool resources to purchase food in bulk are rights that do not require a license. In addition, the right of peaceful citizens to be free from paramilitary police raids, searches and seizures is guaranteed under the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution and Section 14, Article 1 of the Ohio Constitution.
'"The Stowers' constitutional rights were violated over grass-fed cattle, pastured chickens and pesticide-free produce.... Ohioans do not need a government permission slip to run a family farm and co-op, and should not be subjected to raids when they do not have one. This legal action will ensure the ODA understands and respects Ohioans' rights.'...
"On the morning of December 1, 2008, law enforcement officers forcefully entered the Stowers' residence, without first announcing they were police or stating the purpose of the visit. With guns drawn, officers swiftly and immediately moved to the upstairs of the home, finding ten children in the middle of a home-schooling lesson. Officers then moved Jacqueline Stowers and her children to their living room where they were held for more than six hours."
(Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund) TCLDF Joins Buckeye Institute as Co-Counsel in Civil Suit over Manna Storehouse Raid: "The complaint claims that the Stowers' due process, equal protection and other constitutional rights were violated when their house was raided by representatives from various state and local governmental agencies, including the Ohio Department of Agriculture...several of whom had guns drawn and who treated the Stowers family like drug dealers....one of the deputies even snatched a cell phone out of the hand of a teenage son who was attempting to call Mr. Stowers....
"FTCLDF General Counsel Gary Cox said 'this is an example where, once again, the government is trying to deny people their inalienable, fundamental right to produce and consume the foods of their choice. The purpose of our complaint is to correct that wrong.' The complaint also seeks a preliminary injunction against the Department of Agriculture and declarations stipulating that Manna Storehouse and the Stowers are not a 'retail food establishment' under Ohio's Food Safety Code. As a private cooperative, Manna Storehouse is exempted from the Food Safety Code."
December 11: A media response to this article repeatedly refers to Manna Storehouse as a "business," not a food cooperative. That distinction may be part of the problem. Perhaps the government wants to redefine a legal co-op as a "business" -- and is therefore using Manna Storehouse as a warning to other long-established co-ops. The Sheriff's report doesn't clarify this issue. But it does mention that one of the eleven "assisting officers" was wearing "raid pants" as "a member of the Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force."
Until now, rural co-ops like Manna Storehouse have been operating freely. For a glimpse of how they might function, look at this definition by "United Buying Clubs:
"A buying club is a group of people who pool their time, resources, and buying power to save money on high quality healthful foods. Members of a buying club share the work and expenses involved in acquiring and distributing the food to their group. Each member contributes to the buying club by doing at least one job, and the buying club in turn benefits from the talents and skills of many. Members divide the work equally among themselves, trading their time for the lower prices. Members also enjoy the camaraderie of working with other people in their community."
Most of the cooperatives buy produce, eggs, and a variety of meats from local farmers. This is part of their commitment to a simple and sustainable lifestyle, a goal many Christians share with environmentalists. Co-op members seek to reduce the costs of energy & transportation. And they like to know WHERE; HOW their food is grown, so they can avoid questionable food and ingredients from countries such as China.
What's at stake here is the freedom to purchase food directly from the farmer, or directly from one middleman. Can we no longer buy eggs or chicken from a neighbor? Would this become a crime? When does the traditional practice of communal sharing become a formal BUSINESS? If a few friends get together and split a few cases of honey and soy milk, should that be defined as a BUSINESS?
Does the local police have the constitutional right to treat peaceful, unarmed families as dangerous enemies?
It's not surprising that the mainstream news media is downplaying and distorting this event. The fact that the initial "belligerent" SWAT team was replaced by a "good cop team" that tried to befriend the family -- and the lack of specific data on the sheriff's report -- suggest that someone recognized the threat to the public image of "law enforcement" and chose to conceal the most damaging data.
Since globalist leaders plan to control food and supplements, water, physical and mental health, energy, and "human settlements" – and as the unthinkable global standards and surveillance system are being implemented -- they will obviously need paramilitary forces to control the unhappy masses.
The Stowers family has been financially devastated by this atrocity. As far as they know, they have broken no law -- no charges have been filed -- yet they lost all of their computers, phones [some have now been replaced] and personal food for the coming year. They are not asking for help, but if you can help them, you can find contact information at: www.mannastorehouse .com
from: http://www.crossroa d.to/articles2/ 08/swat-team. htm
more here: http://www.crossroa d.to/News/ food.htm
"We cannot continue to rely on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives that we've set. We've got to have a civilian national security force that's just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded. " --Barack Obama, "Obama's Civilian National Security Force"
"At the World Food Programme we have recognized what a valuable tool food aid can be in changing behavior. In so many poorer countries food is money, food is power....." --Catherine Bertini, Executive Director of the World Food Program, "The UN Plan for Food and Land"
On Monday, December 1, a SWAT team with semi-automatic rifles entered the private home of the Stowers family in LaGrange, Ohio, herded the family onto the couches in the living room, and kept guns trained on grandparents, their daughter-in- law (whose husband is currently serving as a U.S. Navy Seabee in Iraq), their children and grandchildren for four hours. The team was aggressive and belligerent. The children were quite traumatized. At some point, the "bad cop" SWAT team was relieved by another team, a "good cop" team that tried to befriend the family.
The Stowers family has run a very large, well-known food cooperative called Manna Storehouse on the western side of the greater Cleveland area for many years. [See video: The Stowers tell their story]
There were agents from the Department of Agriculture present, one of them identified as Bill Lesho. The search warrant is reportedly suspicious-looking. Agents began rifling through all of the family's possessions, a task that lasted hours and resulted in a complete upheaval of every private area in the home. Many items were taken that were not listed on the search warrant. The family was not permitted a phone call, and they were not told what crime they were being charged with. They were not read their rights. Over ten thousand dollars worth of food was taken, including the family's personal stock of food for the coming year. All of their computers, and all of their cell phones were taken, as well as phone and contact records. The food cooperative was virtually shut down. There was no rational explanation, nor justification, for this extreme violation of Constitutional rights.
Presumably Manna Storehouse might eventually be charged with running a retail establishment without a license. Why then the Gestapo-type interrogation for a 3rd degree misdemeanor charge? This incident has raised the ominous specter of a restrictive new era in State regulation and enforcement over the nation's private food supply.
For verification see this court filing showing that government exceeding its authority
This same type of abusive search and seizure was reported by those innocents who fell victim to oppressive federal drug laws passed in the 1990s. The present circumstance raises the obvious question: is there some rabid new interpretation of an existing drug law that considers food a controlled substance worthy of a nasty SWAT operation? Or worse, is there a previously unrecognized provision(s) pertaining to food in the Homeland Security measures? Some have suggested that it was merely an out-of-control, hot-to-trot ODA [Ohio Department of Agriculture] agent, and, if so, this would be a best-case scenario. Anything else might spell the beginning of the end for the freedom to eat unregulated and unmonitored food.
One blogger familiar with the Ohio situation has reported that:
"Interestingly, I believe they [Manna Storehouse] said a month or so ago, an undercover ODA official came to their little store and claimed to have a sick father wanting to join the co-op. Both the owner and her daughter-in- law had a horrible feeling about the man, and decided not to allow him into the co-op and notified him by certified mail. He came back to the co-op demanding to be part of it. They refused and gave him names of other businesses and health food stores closer to his home. Not coincidentally, this man was there yesterday as part of the raid."
The same blog also noted that the Ohio Department of Agriculture has been chastised by the courts in several previous instances for its aggression, including trying to entrap an Amish man in a raw milk "sale," which backfired when it became known that the Amish believe in a literal interpretation of "give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away" (Matthew 5:42)
The issue appears to be the discovery of a bit of non-institutional beef in an Oberlin College food service freezer a year ago that was tracked down by a county sanitation official to Manna Storehouse. Oberlin College's student food coop is widely known for its strident ideological stance about eating organic foods. It seems that the Oberlin student food cooperative had joined the Manna Storehouse food cooperative in order to buy organic foods in bulk from the national organic food distributor United, which services buying clubs across the nation. The sanitation official, James Boddy, evidently contacted the Ohio Department of Agriculture. After the first contact by state ODA officials, Manna Storehouse reportedly wrote them a letter requesting assistance and guidelines for complying with the law. This letter was never answered. Rather, the ODA agent tried several times to infiltrate the coop, as described above. When his attempts failed, the SWAT team showed up!
Food cooperatives and buying clubs have been an active part of the American landscape for over a generation. In the 1970s, with the rise of the organic food industry (a direct outgrowth of the hippie back-to-nature movement) food coops started up all over the country. These were groups of people who freely associated for the purpose of combining their buying power so that they could order organic food items in bulk and case lots. Anyone who was part of these coops in the early era will remember the messy breakdown of 35 pounds of peanut butter and 5 gallon drums of honey!
These buying clubs have persisted and flourished over the years due to their ability to purchase high quality organic foods at reduced prices in bulk quantities. Most cooperatives have participated greatly in the local agrarian economies, supporting neighborhood organic farmers with purchases of produce, eggs, chickens, etc. The groups also purchase food from a number of different local, regional and national distributors, many of them family-based businesses who truck the food themselves. Some of these food cooperatives have become large enough to set up mini-storefront operations where members can drop in and purchase items leftover from case lot sales. Manna Storehouse had established itself in such a manner, using a small enclosed breezeway attached to their home. It was a folksy place with old wooden floors where coop members stopped by to chat and snack on bags of organic corn chips.
The state of Ohio boasts the second largest Amish population in the country. Many of the Amish live on acreages where they raise their own food, not unlike Manna Storehouse, and sell off the extras to neighbors and church members. There is a sense of foreboding that this state crackdown on a longstanding, reputable food cooperative operation could adversely impact the peaceful agrarian way of life not only for the Amish, but homeschoolers and those families living off the land on rural acreages. It raises the disturbing possibility that it could become a crime to raise your own food, buy eggs from the farmer down the road, or butcher your own chickens for family and friends – bustling activities that routinely take place in backwater America.
The freedom to purchase food directly form the source is increasingly under attack. For those who have food allergies and chemical intolerances, or who are on special medical diets, this is becoming a serious health issue. Will Americans retain the right to purchase food that is uncontaminated by pesticides, herbicides, allergens, additives, dyes, preservatives, MSG, GMOs, radiation, etc.? The melamine scare from China underscores the increasingly inferior and suspect quality of modern processed institutional foods. One blog, commenting on the bizarre and troubling Manna Storehouse situation, observed that:
"No one is saying exactly why. At the same time the FDA says it is safe to eat the 40% of tainted beef found in Costco's and Sam's all over the nation. These farm raids are very common now. Every farmer needs to fully equipped [sic] for the possibility of it happening to them. The Farmer To Consumer Legal Defense Fund was created just for this purpose. The USDA just released their plans to put a law into action that will put all small farmers out of business. Animals for the sale of meat or milk will only be allowed in commercial farms, even the organic ones." December 3, 2008 7:09 PM
"The police paramilitary units also conduct training exercises with active duty Army Rangers and Navy SEALs. State and local police departments are increasingly accepting the military as a model for their behavior and outlook.... The problem is that the mindset of the soldier is simply not appropriate for the civilian police officer. Police officers confront not an 'enemy' but individuals who are protected by the Bill of Rights. Confusing the police function with the military function can lead to dangerous and unintended consequences. ..." (Diane Cecilia Weber, Cato Institute, "Warrior Cops: The Ominous Growth of Paramilitarism in Police Departments" )
Updates: December 26: Declaration of Intent, Notice & Demand: See the last document in this pdf file -- a letter from Mrs. Stowers dated December 10.
Global Food Control. Raid on family's home and organic food co-op challenged: "The Buckeye Institute's 1851 Center for Constitutional Law today took legal action against the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) and the Lorain County Health Department for violating the constitutional rights of John and Jacqueline Stowers of LaGrange, Ohio.... ODA and Lorain County Health Department agents forcefully raided their home and unlawfully seized the family's personal food supply, cell phones and personal computers. ... The Buckeye Institute argues the right to buy food directly from local farmers; distribute locally-grown food to neighbors; and pool resources to purchase food in bulk are rights that do not require a license. In addition, the right of peaceful citizens to be free from paramilitary police raids, searches and seizures is guaranteed under the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution and Section 14, Article 1 of the Ohio Constitution.
'"The Stowers' constitutional rights were violated over grass-fed cattle, pastured chickens and pesticide-free produce.... Ohioans do not need a government permission slip to run a family farm and co-op, and should not be subjected to raids when they do not have one. This legal action will ensure the ODA understands and respects Ohioans' rights.'...
"On the morning of December 1, 2008, law enforcement officers forcefully entered the Stowers' residence, without first announcing they were police or stating the purpose of the visit. With guns drawn, officers swiftly and immediately moved to the upstairs of the home, finding ten children in the middle of a home-schooling lesson. Officers then moved Jacqueline Stowers and her children to their living room where they were held for more than six hours."
(Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund) TCLDF Joins Buckeye Institute as Co-Counsel in Civil Suit over Manna Storehouse Raid: "The complaint claims that the Stowers' due process, equal protection and other constitutional rights were violated when their house was raided by representatives from various state and local governmental agencies, including the Ohio Department of Agriculture...several of whom had guns drawn and who treated the Stowers family like drug dealers....one of the deputies even snatched a cell phone out of the hand of a teenage son who was attempting to call Mr. Stowers....
"FTCLDF General Counsel Gary Cox said 'this is an example where, once again, the government is trying to deny people their inalienable, fundamental right to produce and consume the foods of their choice. The purpose of our complaint is to correct that wrong.' The complaint also seeks a preliminary injunction against the Department of Agriculture and declarations stipulating that Manna Storehouse and the Stowers are not a 'retail food establishment' under Ohio's Food Safety Code. As a private cooperative, Manna Storehouse is exempted from the Food Safety Code."
December 11: A media response to this article repeatedly refers to Manna Storehouse as a "business," not a food cooperative. That distinction may be part of the problem. Perhaps the government wants to redefine a legal co-op as a "business" -- and is therefore using Manna Storehouse as a warning to other long-established co-ops. The Sheriff's report doesn't clarify this issue. But it does mention that one of the eleven "assisting officers" was wearing "raid pants" as "a member of the Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force."
Until now, rural co-ops like Manna Storehouse have been operating freely. For a glimpse of how they might function, look at this definition by "United Buying Clubs:
"A buying club is a group of people who pool their time, resources, and buying power to save money on high quality healthful foods. Members of a buying club share the work and expenses involved in acquiring and distributing the food to their group. Each member contributes to the buying club by doing at least one job, and the buying club in turn benefits from the talents and skills of many. Members divide the work equally among themselves, trading their time for the lower prices. Members also enjoy the camaraderie of working with other people in their community."
Most of the cooperatives buy produce, eggs, and a variety of meats from local farmers. This is part of their commitment to a simple and sustainable lifestyle, a goal many Christians share with environmentalists. Co-op members seek to reduce the costs of energy & transportation. And they like to know WHERE; HOW their food is grown, so they can avoid questionable food and ingredients from countries such as China.
What's at stake here is the freedom to purchase food directly from the farmer, or directly from one middleman. Can we no longer buy eggs or chicken from a neighbor? Would this become a crime? When does the traditional practice of communal sharing become a formal BUSINESS? If a few friends get together and split a few cases of honey and soy milk, should that be defined as a BUSINESS?
Does the local police have the constitutional right to treat peaceful, unarmed families as dangerous enemies?
It's not surprising that the mainstream news media is downplaying and distorting this event. The fact that the initial "belligerent" SWAT team was replaced by a "good cop team" that tried to befriend the family -- and the lack of specific data on the sheriff's report -- suggest that someone recognized the threat to the public image of "law enforcement" and chose to conceal the most damaging data.
Since globalist leaders plan to control food and supplements, water, physical and mental health, energy, and "human settlements" – and as the unthinkable global standards and surveillance system are being implemented -- they will obviously need paramilitary forces to control the unhappy masses.
The Stowers family has been financially devastated by this atrocity. As far as they know, they have broken no law -- no charges have been filed -- yet they lost all of their computers, phones [some have now been replaced] and personal food for the coming year. They are not asking for help, but if you can help them, you can find contact information at: www.mannastorehouse .com
from: http://www.crossroa d.to/articles2/ 08/swat-team. htm
more here: http://www.crossroa d.to/News/ food.htm
Friday, December 26, 2008
Rewards of Keeping a Journal
The Surprising Rewards of Keeping a Journal
Ev Ellsworth
I started keeping a journal in 1953, not long after my mother, then 70 -- just about the age I am now -- gave me journals she had begun when I was three years old. With some breaks, I've been "journaling" ever since.
Years ago, especially when my children were small, it was harder to find the time. Now I'm a proud great-grandma with plenty of time and an increasing interest in recording my thoughts and dreams, my family history and my own past. I assigned journaling to my high school English students for many years and teach it to adults now.
WHAT'S THE POINT?
I'm often asked the difference between a diary and a journal. In diaries, we create a factual record of what we did on a given day. In journals, we may do the same, but we also describe how we felt about what happened during the day and about life's big questions.
When people ask why I keep a journal, I say, "To make sense of my life."
In her book Leaving a Trace, Alexandra Johnson observes that both "diary" and "journal" are derived from words for "day," but neither need become a daily rite. Instead, she suggests that we think of writing as a way to help us see our world differently every day.
A journal is essentially unedited. You can cross out things and play with the material later, if you wish. The purpose is not to build a storehouse of materials for polishing -- you are writing thoughts as they occur for yourself and, if you wish, for posterity.
SETTING UP
All you need is a pen and some paper, preferably bound into a book. My journals range from a silk-bound volume -- a gift and too beautiful to use, although others may prefer such things -- to dime-store notebooks. Most of my students favor the six-by-eight-inch spiral-bound type -- it's portable, but big enough for easy writing. Use what pleases and inspires you.
Running your finger down the smooth surface of creamy paper may spur you to pick up a pen. If, like me, you're intimidated by gorgeous materials, buy cheap ones.
After several years of using both sides of the paper, I began writing on one side only. That way, I can write notes and further thoughts on the back. If you decide to remove or expand on any entries later, one-sided writing will make it easier. Keep your journal with you at all times, and jot down thoughts whenever and wherever you wish.
Millions of people keep computer journals. I do, too, but my writing has a different quality then. For me, personal musings must be done at a slower pace, using nothing electric.
WHEN SHOULD I WRITE?
Some people write every morning or night. That's too often for me. I write in my journal for two to three hours three times a week. You'll learn what works for you.
Unlike a diary, a journal needn't be dated at every entry. I date mine every few weeks.
WHAT SHOULD I WRITE ABOUT?
Let your thoughts wander. Example: My journal entry about throwing out stuff to prepare for an aged relative's visit led to reflections on the visit itself... Aunt Ale's personality... the nature of aging.
You may choose to use your journal as sheer therapy. Caveat: You may want to throw certain very personal entries away.
Recording the details of important events and memorable times will give you pleasure later. Example: Rereading my journal from a trip to the Florida Keys eight years ago reminds me of the strong sense of place I felt there.
Excerpt: "I still see the long, shadowy driveways along Route 1 through the Keys... mysterious, the homes too far back to be seen. I picture women in evening gowns, stepping into Rudi Vallee roadsters, servants watching and knowing -- what family secrets? The sandy roads with overhanging vines -- what are they? Some with weathered concrete pillars, an iron gate -- and then darkness."
STRENGTH IN NUMBERS
Consider joining a journaling class for encouragement. For sufficient interaction, the ideal number of participants is six to 10. Can't find a class? Start a writers' group at a library, local school or just in members' homes.
Agenda: Taking turns, read selections from your journals. Then take turns critiquing the writing, not the content. Offer positive suggestions that are likely to be helpful for future writing.
Example: "I liked that metaphor... I enjoyed the connections you made... I'd like to know more about..."
Journal writers often omit important details when they know a story well. Ask questions about what's missing.
Participants can refrain from reading any highly personal details aloud. Maintain confidentiality and encourage candor with this rule: "What is read and said in our group stays here."
REVIEWING YOUR ENTRIES
I like to reread my journals, looking for patterns. Doing so a couple of years ago, I discovered several topics that must interest me more than I realized, since I pondered them so often.
I found that the bulk of my journals were banal, focused on my struggle with personal habits. But I seem to be fascinated by what people want done with their remains! Of the 18 or 20 volumes, I threw about half away, dispensing with those that might be hurtful or boring to my children and retaining the narratives of my childhood and other notes of interest to my family.
Here's a passage I kept. Years ago, after a brief estrangement from one of my daughters, I wrote: "How do people cope when family members break away? Who else has been through this? Barbara. Sherry. Elaine is speaking again to her son, thank goodness. What of children who join cults, join the Army, run away, disappear? What about parents who never even look for a missing child, like the ones in that Annie Proulx novel Postcards."
JUST DO IT
Most of us go about with something on our minds. In your journal, write about it.
Don't worry about titles, writing style, creating a "writing arc" or any other fancy literary terms you may know. Your journal is your special place to write your thoughts. Deciding whether to send excerpts to friends, family members or editors can come later.
Your writing style is uniquely your own. It will emerge, as will your "voice" -- the personality who speaks in your words. You may find that that person interests you very much.
Ev Ellsworth
I started keeping a journal in 1953, not long after my mother, then 70 -- just about the age I am now -- gave me journals she had begun when I was three years old. With some breaks, I've been "journaling" ever since.
Years ago, especially when my children were small, it was harder to find the time. Now I'm a proud great-grandma with plenty of time and an increasing interest in recording my thoughts and dreams, my family history and my own past. I assigned journaling to my high school English students for many years and teach it to adults now.
WHAT'S THE POINT?
I'm often asked the difference between a diary and a journal. In diaries, we create a factual record of what we did on a given day. In journals, we may do the same, but we also describe how we felt about what happened during the day and about life's big questions.
When people ask why I keep a journal, I say, "To make sense of my life."
In her book Leaving a Trace, Alexandra Johnson observes that both "diary" and "journal" are derived from words for "day," but neither need become a daily rite. Instead, she suggests that we think of writing as a way to help us see our world differently every day.
A journal is essentially unedited. You can cross out things and play with the material later, if you wish. The purpose is not to build a storehouse of materials for polishing -- you are writing thoughts as they occur for yourself and, if you wish, for posterity.
SETTING UP
All you need is a pen and some paper, preferably bound into a book. My journals range from a silk-bound volume -- a gift and too beautiful to use, although others may prefer such things -- to dime-store notebooks. Most of my students favor the six-by-eight-inch spiral-bound type -- it's portable, but big enough for easy writing. Use what pleases and inspires you.
Running your finger down the smooth surface of creamy paper may spur you to pick up a pen. If, like me, you're intimidated by gorgeous materials, buy cheap ones.
After several years of using both sides of the paper, I began writing on one side only. That way, I can write notes and further thoughts on the back. If you decide to remove or expand on any entries later, one-sided writing will make it easier. Keep your journal with you at all times, and jot down thoughts whenever and wherever you wish.
Millions of people keep computer journals. I do, too, but my writing has a different quality then. For me, personal musings must be done at a slower pace, using nothing electric.
WHEN SHOULD I WRITE?
Some people write every morning or night. That's too often for me. I write in my journal for two to three hours three times a week. You'll learn what works for you.
Unlike a diary, a journal needn't be dated at every entry. I date mine every few weeks.
WHAT SHOULD I WRITE ABOUT?
Let your thoughts wander. Example: My journal entry about throwing out stuff to prepare for an aged relative's visit led to reflections on the visit itself... Aunt Ale's personality... the nature of aging.
You may choose to use your journal as sheer therapy. Caveat: You may want to throw certain very personal entries away.
Recording the details of important events and memorable times will give you pleasure later. Example: Rereading my journal from a trip to the Florida Keys eight years ago reminds me of the strong sense of place I felt there.
Excerpt: "I still see the long, shadowy driveways along Route 1 through the Keys... mysterious, the homes too far back to be seen. I picture women in evening gowns, stepping into Rudi Vallee roadsters, servants watching and knowing -- what family secrets? The sandy roads with overhanging vines -- what are they? Some with weathered concrete pillars, an iron gate -- and then darkness."
STRENGTH IN NUMBERS
Consider joining a journaling class for encouragement. For sufficient interaction, the ideal number of participants is six to 10. Can't find a class? Start a writers' group at a library, local school or just in members' homes.
Agenda: Taking turns, read selections from your journals. Then take turns critiquing the writing, not the content. Offer positive suggestions that are likely to be helpful for future writing.
Example: "I liked that metaphor... I enjoyed the connections you made... I'd like to know more about..."
Journal writers often omit important details when they know a story well. Ask questions about what's missing.
Participants can refrain from reading any highly personal details aloud. Maintain confidentiality and encourage candor with this rule: "What is read and said in our group stays here."
REVIEWING YOUR ENTRIES
I like to reread my journals, looking for patterns. Doing so a couple of years ago, I discovered several topics that must interest me more than I realized, since I pondered them so often.
I found that the bulk of my journals were banal, focused on my struggle with personal habits. But I seem to be fascinated by what people want done with their remains! Of the 18 or 20 volumes, I threw about half away, dispensing with those that might be hurtful or boring to my children and retaining the narratives of my childhood and other notes of interest to my family.
Here's a passage I kept. Years ago, after a brief estrangement from one of my daughters, I wrote: "How do people cope when family members break away? Who else has been through this? Barbara. Sherry. Elaine is speaking again to her son, thank goodness. What of children who join cults, join the Army, run away, disappear? What about parents who never even look for a missing child, like the ones in that Annie Proulx novel Postcards."
JUST DO IT
Most of us go about with something on our minds. In your journal, write about it.
Don't worry about titles, writing style, creating a "writing arc" or any other fancy literary terms you may know. Your journal is your special place to write your thoughts. Deciding whether to send excerpts to friends, family members or editors can come later.
Your writing style is uniquely your own. It will emerge, as will your "voice" -- the personality who speaks in your words. You may find that that person interests you very much.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Safety probe of plastics chemicals urged - Yahoo! News
Safety probe of plastics chemicals urged - Yahoo! News: "Animal studies cited by the panel indicated that exposure to phthalates affected male reproductive system development. Some phthalates reduce levels of the male hormone testosterone. Studies also link phthalates to liver cancer, the panel said.
If the EPA does an assessment, it could lead to new regulations on products with phthalates, the panel said.
'If we don't do this as a cumulative risk assessment focused on these adverse effects, we're going to be underestimating risks,' said panel chairwoman, Deborah Cory-Slechta of the University of Rochester."
If the EPA does an assessment, it could lead to new regulations on products with phthalates, the panel said.
'If we don't do this as a cumulative risk assessment focused on these adverse effects, we're going to be underestimating risks,' said panel chairwoman, Deborah Cory-Slechta of the University of Rochester."
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Part II - Proven Cure and Preventative for Cancer
Documented, Proven Cure and Preventative for Cancer (Part II): "(NaturalNews) The Budwig protocol is the food treatment and cure for cancer and other major debilitating diseases created by Dr. Johanna Budwig. It was designed for use with extremely ill and wasted cancer patients who had been sent home by their doctors to die. These were patients so ill that many were unable to take any food at all in the beginning, and had to be initially treated with enemas. The protocol is so simple that it can be tailored to fit whatever situation is encountered, from use with someone at death's door to use as a preventative and part of a healthy lifestyle.
There are only two essential foods in the protocol, flax oil and cottage cheese or some other sulphurated protein such as yogurt or kefir. The oil provides electron-rich fats, and the cottage cheese provides the sulphurated protein to bind with the oil and render it water soluble. In this state, the oil is able to carry immense amounts of oxygen straight into the cells. Cancer cells cannot thrive in an oxygen rich environment."
There are only two essential foods in the protocol, flax oil and cottage cheese or some other sulphurated protein such as yogurt or kefir. The oil provides electron-rich fats, and the cottage cheese provides the sulphurated protein to bind with the oil and render it water soluble. In this state, the oil is able to carry immense amounts of oxygen straight into the cells. Cancer cells cannot thrive in an oxygen rich environment."
Documented, Proven Cure and Preventative for Cancer (Part I)
Documented, Proven Cure and Preventative for Cancer (Part I): "(NaturalNews) This article is about how you can prevent and cure cancer with a bottle of flax oil and a carton of cottage cheese. As incredible as this may seem, it is a truth that has been well proven and documented. It is also a truth that has been vigorously suppressed because the cancer industry is big business at its worst.
You or someone you love may have been diagnosed with cancer, and you are very much afraid. You have been taught by the disease establishment that you have a life threatening condition, and you had better sign on for the 'standard of care' treatments before it is too late. Your doctors have thrown all sorts of frightening statistics at you about what will happen if you don't have immediate surgery followed by radiation, chemotherapy, and probably a lifetime of debilitating drug use. You are being pressured to make an immediate commitment to these toxic treatments."
You or someone you love may have been diagnosed with cancer, and you are very much afraid. You have been taught by the disease establishment that you have a life threatening condition, and you had better sign on for the 'standard of care' treatments before it is too late. Your doctors have thrown all sorts of frightening statistics at you about what will happen if you don't have immediate surgery followed by radiation, chemotherapy, and probably a lifetime of debilitating drug use. You are being pressured to make an immediate commitment to these toxic treatments."
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
NRDC: Bottled Water - Appendix A
NRDC: Bottled Water - Appendix A: "Bottled Water
Pure Drink or Pure Hype?
Top of Report
Appendix A
SUMMARY OF NRDC'S TEST RESULTS
Bottled Water Contaminants Found"
Pure Drink or Pure Hype?
Top of Report
Appendix A
SUMMARY OF NRDC'S TEST RESULTS
Bottled Water Contaminants Found"
Monday, December 15, 2008
OpEdNews » Microwave Technology: An End to the Human Race
OpEdNews » Microwave Technology: An End to the Human Race: "Wireless radiation is repeating history
REFLEX studies confirm that a transmitting cell phone broadcasting microwaves into living tissue is essentially an X-ray machine in the context of DNA damage. Scientists say it requires only one DNA mutation to generate a cancer condition. Most tragically, a cancer condition can manifest in babies and very young children born with damaged DNA.
In the 1950s, Dr. Alice Stewart, a British pediatrician and epidemiologist, began studies to determine the cause of an alarming increase in childhood leukemia in Britain. At that time, fetuses were routinely X-rayed and Stewart suspected that the leukemia surge was connected to excessive prenatal radiation. Dr. Stewart’s research became a threat to the medical status quo and she was subjected to brutal criticism. She lost staff and funding, yet she continued gathering epidemiological evidence showing that a fetus exposed to ionizing radiation in the first three months of development was 10 times more likely to develop cancer or leukemia than a non-irradiated fetus.6 In 1962, Dr. Stewart’s work was vindicated by Dr. Brian MacMahon of the Harvard School of Public Health. Dr. MacMahon’s studies found that cancer mortality was 40 percent higher in children born to women who had been X-rayed while pregnant.7
Nearly 20 years elapsed before the American public was sufficiently warned about the dangers of X-radiation during pregnancy. Experts fought for almost two decades to obtain a national standard recommending that pregnant women not be given pelvic or abdominal X-rays except for emergencies. Finally, in 1980, the FDA and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists launched a massive public education program warning of the dangers of pregnancy X-rays.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
In the past, people understood synchronicities, signs and symbols
In every moment, the Universe is whispering to us. There are messages being carried on the winds, waiting for us to pay attention. The morning songs of the birds outside the window, the sound of an ocean spraying the cliffs, or the babbling brook gurgling over rocks. Ordinary, everyday happenings in our lives carry communication for the realm of spirit.
In the past, people understood and knew how to interpret these signs, symbols and omens. Often the entire destiny of a tribe or nation was decided by signs. As technology and science became more disconnected from the concept of the world as a whole, people became more and more isolated from their connections to the earth and their inner wisdom.
The natural essence of the Universe is perfect harmony. Spirals, labyrinths, numbers, and other symbols create a myriad of intersecting landscapes for us to investigate. There is no point where God begins or ends. Our lives are intimately connected to everything. There are those who hope to dissect the parts and thereby understand the whole. Thus mystics and scientists travel down different roads, but their destinations are the same.
The majesty of the Universe is beyond our minds. The symphony of the Cosmos is beautiful and harmonious. Sunflowers grow in spite of the weeds, reaching for the sun. Hummingbirds remind us to taste and enjoy the sweet nectar of life. Coyotes trot into our lives to help us laugh and be creative in our undertakings.
Spirals and labyrinths connect us to our souls, and remind us who we really are. Numbers, throughout the ages, guide us to the mysteries of the Universe as we learn their codes. Cooperation and harmony is the way of Nature. Greed and discord is not natural. Our lives are designed to follow a plan that promotes growth, joy and harmony. Anything that doesn't fit in that category is a waste of time.
The symbolic world is the language of the Universe. Thus words often do not convey the essence of truth. It is important to realize that our perceptions create our inner stories, which in turn create the directions of our lives. Spirals, triangles, circles, squares, and crosses evoke feelings of connectedness that seems universal among humans throughout history. Different cultures, arts, and deigns tell us their stories through the symbolic world.
One of the reasons that our systems and institutions are struggling on this planet is because people are evolving to new levels. They need different perspectives, different and more open techniques, to discover the world around them. Their stories are weaving the 21st Century's history, and as a society, we must make the necessary shift, to help our searching minds and hearts.
The symbolic world is a rich resource for us. We have symbolic systems that been used throughout history. Although many look upon tarot decks, runes and the I Ching with suspicion, these symbolic systems are tools to allow us to use and develop our own intuition. Prayer beads, prayer wheels, mantras, rosary beads, crosses and mandalas are all tools to allow us to connect with our spiritual essence.
Synchronicities, signs and symbols are at their most potent in the realm of plants, animals and insects. Patience and openness is the missing link in the discernment process. As we search for guidance and clarity in our lives, the Universe will guide us. It is our job to be still, observe, meditate and take time to connect with nature, where often the answers to our questions will gently unfold.
Throughout time, our ancestors have learned how to uncover the solutions to their problems and the guidance they needed, by paying attention to the signs and symbols in Nature. The Etruscans coined the word "ostenta." Ostenta are signs in the natural environment that usually comment on what is happening right now, or foreshadows of those events in the future. The Etruscans interpreted the direction of the wind at a particular moment, cloud designs, and patterns in lightning much as did the native people of many cultures.
While interviewing people for my latest book SYNCHRONICITY, SIGNS & SYMBOLS, I was especially touched by the stories I was told around animals and birds.
One woman told me a significant story about her encounter with the eagle. Some years ago her life was in major turmoil. She had gone through a difficult divorce and had some important decisions to make about her life and her home. She walked out to a large rock outcropping that overlooked a valley near her home. As she sat there crying, she begged God and the Universe for guidance and help. Suddenly two large golden eagles started circling about thirty feet above her as she sat on this rock overlook. She knew in that moment that no matter how bleak things looked that she was on her right path. Later in that same week, much to her delight, a pair of eagles circled her home for about a half of an hour. She had never seen eagles near there before and has not seen them since. In many traditions the eagle signals a time of power, strength and soaring freedom in our life.
Denise Linn told me a number of wonderful stories connected to the owl and the crow. She told me that they show up whenever she needs help, encouragement or wisdom, in any way. The crow is a very powerful sign. The crow is thought to have mystical powers and to be a messenger from the spiritual realm. Change is always on the way when a crow shows up in your life.
Our lives are intimately connected to everything. Stop from time to time and listen to the whispers of the Universe. You might be surprised at what you hear.
source - soulfulliving.com
by Patricia Rose Upczak -
In the past, people understood and knew how to interpret these signs, symbols and omens. Often the entire destiny of a tribe or nation was decided by signs. As technology and science became more disconnected from the concept of the world as a whole, people became more and more isolated from their connections to the earth and their inner wisdom.
The natural essence of the Universe is perfect harmony. Spirals, labyrinths, numbers, and other symbols create a myriad of intersecting landscapes for us to investigate. There is no point where God begins or ends. Our lives are intimately connected to everything. There are those who hope to dissect the parts and thereby understand the whole. Thus mystics and scientists travel down different roads, but their destinations are the same.
The majesty of the Universe is beyond our minds. The symphony of the Cosmos is beautiful and harmonious. Sunflowers grow in spite of the weeds, reaching for the sun. Hummingbirds remind us to taste and enjoy the sweet nectar of life. Coyotes trot into our lives to help us laugh and be creative in our undertakings.
Spirals and labyrinths connect us to our souls, and remind us who we really are. Numbers, throughout the ages, guide us to the mysteries of the Universe as we learn their codes. Cooperation and harmony is the way of Nature. Greed and discord is not natural. Our lives are designed to follow a plan that promotes growth, joy and harmony. Anything that doesn't fit in that category is a waste of time.
The symbolic world is the language of the Universe. Thus words often do not convey the essence of truth. It is important to realize that our perceptions create our inner stories, which in turn create the directions of our lives. Spirals, triangles, circles, squares, and crosses evoke feelings of connectedness that seems universal among humans throughout history. Different cultures, arts, and deigns tell us their stories through the symbolic world.
One of the reasons that our systems and institutions are struggling on this planet is because people are evolving to new levels. They need different perspectives, different and more open techniques, to discover the world around them. Their stories are weaving the 21st Century's history, and as a society, we must make the necessary shift, to help our searching minds and hearts.
The symbolic world is a rich resource for us. We have symbolic systems that been used throughout history. Although many look upon tarot decks, runes and the I Ching with suspicion, these symbolic systems are tools to allow us to use and develop our own intuition. Prayer beads, prayer wheels, mantras, rosary beads, crosses and mandalas are all tools to allow us to connect with our spiritual essence.
Synchronicities, signs and symbols are at their most potent in the realm of plants, animals and insects. Patience and openness is the missing link in the discernment process. As we search for guidance and clarity in our lives, the Universe will guide us. It is our job to be still, observe, meditate and take time to connect with nature, where often the answers to our questions will gently unfold.
Throughout time, our ancestors have learned how to uncover the solutions to their problems and the guidance they needed, by paying attention to the signs and symbols in Nature. The Etruscans coined the word "ostenta." Ostenta are signs in the natural environment that usually comment on what is happening right now, or foreshadows of those events in the future. The Etruscans interpreted the direction of the wind at a particular moment, cloud designs, and patterns in lightning much as did the native people of many cultures.
While interviewing people for my latest book SYNCHRONICITY, SIGNS & SYMBOLS, I was especially touched by the stories I was told around animals and birds.
One woman told me a significant story about her encounter with the eagle. Some years ago her life was in major turmoil. She had gone through a difficult divorce and had some important decisions to make about her life and her home. She walked out to a large rock outcropping that overlooked a valley near her home. As she sat there crying, she begged God and the Universe for guidance and help. Suddenly two large golden eagles started circling about thirty feet above her as she sat on this rock overlook. She knew in that moment that no matter how bleak things looked that she was on her right path. Later in that same week, much to her delight, a pair of eagles circled her home for about a half of an hour. She had never seen eagles near there before and has not seen them since. In many traditions the eagle signals a time of power, strength and soaring freedom in our life.
Denise Linn told me a number of wonderful stories connected to the owl and the crow. She told me that they show up whenever she needs help, encouragement or wisdom, in any way. The crow is a very powerful sign. The crow is thought to have mystical powers and to be a messenger from the spiritual realm. Change is always on the way when a crow shows up in your life.
Our lives are intimately connected to everything. Stop from time to time and listen to the whispers of the Universe. You might be surprised at what you hear.
source - soulfulliving.com
by Patricia Rose Upczak -
Saturday, December 13, 2008
The Money Masters
The Money Masters: "The powers of financial capitalism had a far-reaching plan, nothing less than to create a world system of financial control in private hands able to dominate the political system of each country and the economy of the world as a whole...
Their secret is that they have annexed from governments, monarchies, and republics the power to create the world's money...' .- Prof. Carroll Quigley,"
Their secret is that they have annexed from governments, monarchies, and republics the power to create the world's money...' .- Prof. Carroll Quigley,"
Truth in Prophecy
Truth in Prophecy: "The truth is there is a God who created the heavens, the earth and everything in it; it is also true God set us apart from every living creature in this world. Why would God make human beings special.....why are we capable of so much more than any other beast in the animal kingdom? Why did God create us at all, are we merely God's fish tank hobby, or is there a more meaningful purpose in all of this? What we do know for certain about God and His creation is He did not create any one of us to be an obedient robot - every one of us has the ability to choose. Therefore, a man can choose to be whatever kind of man he desires - whether that be kind and peaceful, malicious and violent, or somewhere in between; either way he is capable of justifying his actions according to what his will perceives to be true. Thus our choices have consequences; if this were not true, then justice is meaningless."
Thursday, December 11, 2008
"The science of enlightenment"?
I have been a student/teacher/practitioner of psychology now for close to 30 years. I have been profoundly affected by the power of mindfulness practice, both in my own life and in the lives of the people I serve. I have a few questions on the roots of this practice, and have wondered if they have been addressed by the scientific community.
I am aware of the phenomenological aspects of mindfulness that are described through the practice. While I am developing my awareness in this area, I am reasonably familiar with the stages of increasing refinement of attention, discernment and opening of the heart etc. And I "get" the benefit of such practice for leading a more meaningful life - indeed, the practice has changed my life.
I also understand the recent science behind the practice, through the work of Daniel Goleman, Richie Davidson, Jon Kabat-Zinn and others. The is growing evidence for the power of the practice in shaping the brain and mind.
My quandry though, is the idea that the agreed upon phenomenology of the experience of consciousness, in the raw, may be illusory - are we really seeing for what it is that which we agree we are experiencing? Or are we creating a language that reifies what we have agreed upon at the outset? The rejoinder from experienced practitioners when I entertain such questions is, "trust your body sensations, they don't lie." Well I wonder.... don't they?
I don't think that it is fair to dismiss out of hand that contemplative practice can be understood through science. The idea that enlightenment and science are differing ways of "knowing" consigns the whole enterprise to a division of the physical and the metaphysical, which science doesn't tolerate.
So essentially the question is this: How do we reconcile the dharma with the likes of Daniel C. Dennett, Roger Penrose (and others)on the nature of consciousness?
BC
Dear Barry,
I'm not a scientist, but as historian of religion there are some comments that come to mind:
> 1. What is the evidence that the Buddha was "enlightened"?
I can only think of textual evidence, that is, Buddhist texts that claim he was enlightened. As they survive, they are over half a millennium more recent than the time of the Buddha, perhaps as much as 700 years. So they are actually rather removed from the events they narrate.
In other words, unless one takes these Buddhist scriptures as authoritative, one has no evidence that the Buddha was enlightened. Even accepting them as authoritative, one should be aware of the fact that they were passed down only orally for several centuries and that they almost certainly underwent considerable revision and editing.
Now, I'm inclined to think that unless one is preaching to the choir none of this would count as evidence.
> 2. A corollary of the above might entail a question about what is the operational definition of enlightenment?
I can only say something from the point of view of the history of Buddhism. If you look at the earliest texts, there are several different definitions of enlightenment. With time there appeared rather fancy definitions, e.g. including that an enlightened person is omniscient.
If you include Chan/Zen texts, then you'll find that enlightenment has frequently become rather different from how it was for early Indian Buddhism.
> 5. Has there been any other humans who have reached enlightenment, of which we have verifiable record?
This question is problematic. What do you mean by verifiable record? And according to whom would that person have been enlightened? His/her students?
To sum up, some difficulties with the questions you asked:
- there are very different definitions of enlightenment;
- monks/nuns are traditionally prohibited from boasting about their achievements. This led to a situation where especially in Indian Buddhism no one wrote about their own level of development, though you find plenty of stories about other people's achievements;
- according to one mainstream Buddhist belief, it takes an enlightened person to recognize another enlightened person, hence in theory one couldn't trust an unenlightened person's opinion on the matter of whether someone is enlightened. Furthermore, if someone told you that she is enlightened, you would have no way of knowing unless yourself were also enlightened.
Best,
AT
Alberto:
I found your analysis enlightening - excuse the unintended boast. I see the problem here, it's one that Dennett aptly describes in "Explaining Consciousness". We have a problem with the phenomenological methodology - that of knowing whether the experience, which we are able to describe well, is what it seems to us the observer.
For example, Out of Body Experiences (OBE). I can describe what it feels like when I have had the experience of floating out of my body. I can describe the sights, sounds and a range of sensations that make up the experience. It can feel as though it really happened. I might feel inclined to attribute the experience to some meta-physical event. And there may be others who have experienced similar experiences who use the same language to describe the event. There is then, a rich phenomenological field of experience. But how are we sure that we are experiencing the same thing? I'm not sure that we can be sure - nonetheless, there may be some value in describing precisely what the differing consciousness states are and locating the brain correlates. For example, we know that OBE's can be induced by stimulation of the angular gyrus of the right parietal region of the brain.
Some days (or portion thereof) I feel enlightened, like I'm right there in the moment, taking in events as they happen, without conceptual interference, without judgement (to be sure it's fleeting - but there are moments). Is there research being conducted that is looking into these events and how they relate to brain events?
BC
What you described that you have experienced is not 'enlightenment.' It doesn't come and go! (;-)
"Some days (or portion thereof) I feel enlightened, like I'm right there in the moment, taking in events as they happen, without conceptual interference, without judgement (to be sure it's fleeting - but there are moments)."
CG
Barry,
There is a book - Contemplative Science: Where Buddhism and Neuroscience Converge (Columbia Series in Science and Religion) by Alan Wallace that you might find helpful in addressing some of your questions.
Cheers,
anna
Dear CG:
And how are we so sure about this... after all I thought one of the central tenets of the practice is the principal of impermanence?
;-)
BC
Hi Barry,
Interesting inquiry. Since the inquiry is posed in language as well as the responses, I definitely believe that it depends on your definition of enlightenment as Alberto mentioned.
In terms of research, there were some studies done in the 60's or 70's I believe by a Japanese scientist who's name escapes me in this moment. I think he had Japanese Zen masters rate their students on what stage of enlightenment they had attained and there was a correlation between brain wave activity.
Also K. Wilber, J. Engler, & D. Brown wrote a book called Transformations of Consciousness which explores this question. Some of the people studied were considered "enlightened" according to the criteria expressed in Theravada Buddhism. I believe they developed some type of assessment based on the Theravada Buddhist criteria that allowed for categorization of different stages of enlightenment. D. Brown has more recently written a book on the stages of Enlightenment in Mahamudra in the Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism.
I think as our interior maps become more refined these questions will become clearer. Hopefully we'll begin to value qualitative research as much as quantitative, phenomenology, as much as biology and neuroscience.
As Anna mentioned, I also recommend reading some of Alan Wallace's books.
Enjoy your explorations!
Best wishes,
Kelly
Hi Barry,
About the fleeting of "enlightenment" and I guess the definition of it, possibly.
These moments you describe may be what are referred to Dzochen teachings as glimpses into the awaken mind or fundamental experience of mind. Some like to call it direct experience of reality. An analogy which I have always found useful is to think of a cloudy sky and the moments in time where the clouds pass and the sun shines through. Enlightenment I have been told is akin to have clear blues sky always, or possible better yet having a perspective from above the clouds. Not sure about the latter, it just came to mind.
I hope you find the above useful.
Happy travels!
It is also possible that the experiences he is referring to are simply moments of enhanced attentional stability and vividness on perceptual (rather then conceptual) phenomena, and I would be hesitant to reduce Dzogchen to perceptual stability and vividness.
Hi
I am not a scientist, so just a couple personal comments/observations/opinions.
1) Any attempt to explain any subjective experience to another is difficult. Try to explain for the first time to a child what an itch or tingle feels like. It is only with a large number of samples/experiences (including contexts and objective components) and consensus is reached -- that we all learn to agree what itch or tingle or enlightenment are like.
The less there is for context and objective components the harder it is to agree on an/the explanation.
2) I believe enlightenment is experienced in "glimpses", before one eventually "lives there". Such "glimpse" experiences are, for many, essential to their continued "seeking". Whether or not they can clearly/meaningfully explain it to anyone else (usually they can't), such experiences are compelling to the experiencer, and often drive their "quest". You know it is real (what ever "it" is) once you have touched/seen it.
2A) The lack of any "objective" way to understand and describe satori, the grace of the Holy Spirit, or other brief experiences of enlightenment in any of its assorted forms, is a main reason why these experiences are typically explained within the framework of one's belief system that existed prior to having the experience (paradigm limitations). And this in turn exacerbates the lack of: consistent descriptions, terminology, and ultimately any "consensus" understandings of the experiences themselves.
2B) And, arguably, the experiences transcend words themselves. Words are constructs of the mind, which is not up to the task of fully explaining enlightenment. The mind and words are useful, but ultimately inadequate. "The finger pointing at the moon, not the moon".
3) And lastly, also arguably, impermanence applies only to the temporal/material world, with which so many of us are mostly if not completely identified. The soul (or consciousness itself, if you will allow) is (again arguably) permanent.
The Buddhist Nuns and Monks with whom I discuss these things stress impermanence, but also describe the (occasional, momentary) bliss experienced in meditation. If we are not "preoccupied" with the material world (even while we live and function there), it seems we can experience the permanent directly, which feels indescribably wonderful. "Be in the world but not of it" -- little baby steps at a time.
Namaste
David
Some Theravadin schools hold that enlightenment is a permanent phenomenon but according to Prasangika Madhyamika, regarded by Tibetan Buddhists at least as the highest school of Buddhist philosophy, the enlightened consciousness itself is not a permanent phenomenon - only its emptiness of inherent existence (and realisation thereof) is permanent. Permanent here meaning changing from instant to instant. In Mahayana Buddhism, Buddhas are able to assist practitioners - if they were permanent they wouldn't be able to do that, as functional phenomena must be impermanent.
Soygal Rinpoche apparently agrees with you he published this book saying so. Glimpse After Glimpse: Daily Reflections on Living and Dying (Hardcover) http://www.amazon.com/Glimpse-After-Daily-Reflections-Living/dp/0712662375/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1228802543&sr=8-1
Also if one reads Longchenpa’s Kindly Bent to Ease Your Mind.. (The Dalai Lama has translated this as Letting Your Mind Take Rest ) this book entails is a series of dharanas or meditation techniques that can be used in daily life that place your mind into non-Duality. The idea is Glimpse After Glimpse turns into a continuous experience. There is also a text in Kashmir Saivism called the Vijnana Bhairava tantra that has many of the same dharanas which put the mediator in unity with God (Bhairava)
These states are not the same as bliss experienced early on in meditation. Cultivating bliss is just another attachment. The state of unity is one of peace and contentment.
Happy glimpsing
Jan
A nice description of the various views of the nature of "perfect Buddhahood" from the Mahayana perspective preserved in the Tibetan tradition can be found in Chapter 20 of the Jewel Ornament of Liberation, which is readily available in English, in several translations.
> the enlightened consciousness itself
> is not a permanent phenomenon - only its emptiness of
> inherent existence (and realisation thereof) is permanent.
lack of the inherent existence of _all consciousness_ is permanent, as is also the lack of existence of the furry tortoise. It is the realization of reality that is permanent in "perfect Buddhahood". I think in all traditions, once on obtains full enlightmentment, one cannot relapse back into Samsara. This does not negate possible glimpses of the enlightened state.
Here is a line from the Jewel Ornament describing the awareness of enlightenment: Through this enlightenment the infinite varieties of knowables of the three times (past, present, future) are known and seen like a fresh olive in your hand. (Guenther's translation p.259)
So it seems there is wide agreement that we have to use language to communicate, and that enlightenment may be a hard thing to talk about or describe, but is best when experienced.
Your original question, Barry, also begs the question, what would enlightenment look like in the archeological record? The only traces are the power-spots of mahasiddhas which many venerate as places of pilgrimage. However, revering a location does not mean that enlightenment took place there. How would we look, and what would we look for? I am not qualified to answer this question, only to ask it.
This really begins to take on a huge issue, the tendency of groups of humans to deify "enlightened" beings, all too often as an excuse to perpetuate dogma or cop out our own potential towards spiritual progress. Personally, I assume the Buddha was enlightened, but having put some of his technology to what feels like pretty good use, don't really care if he was or if he wasn't.
Happy holidays to all,
Sameet
Thanks everyone for the suggestions in readings - more to add to my life list!
And yet my Dharma teacher tells me not to read too much because only sitting on the cushion will make me wiser. Oh well!
BC
Dear Barry,
Apparently some who have been responding to your question are hitting the" reply" button and "not the reply to all" button so we in the group are getting bits and pieces of this conversation. The book list someone sent didn't get to the group. Could you post that and any of the correspondence that doesn't contain "discussionlists" in the TO line?
In terms of physiological measurements of meditative states, a large amount of work has been done beginning with Herb Benson MD at Harvard .Additionally, there are scriptures which describe what these states are. At present I don't have time to elaborate on this. The problem is that they have not been properly quantified in terms of correlation of say levels of satori vs levels of meditation in Tibetan Buddhism, vs levels in Yoga. In some of the physiological studies contemplative practices have been compared to Dzochen like practices (Newberg) they are very different. Although they have some similarities e.g. single pointed focus. One is with thought (vikalpa in Sanskrit) one is without thought (nirvikalpa) clearly the brain will show different activity within these 2 states.
Best
Jan
I have read that simple things like opening one's eyes a small amount radically changes the quality of the meditative state and measurable responses using fMRI and so on. I certainly find this true from my own limited experience.
Very tricky to imagine correlations between experiences of different practitioners and traditions.
Back to an earlier topic - my impression is that enlightenment is not fleeting, it is a permanent condition of awareness. Once achieved it does not dissipate - it is perhaps like a new sense. One should not expect to experience this without a very great deal of hard work. The work of many lifetimes, but possible to a human in one.
When discussing enlightenment we are talking about an ultimate experience not a conventional one. This is an important distinction made in Buddhism that is not well understood in the west. At any rate is was a new idea to me not that long ago. (As if I understand it...)
Mike
Hi Jan and everyone!
Jan, I was hoping we were going to meet at the last AAPB meeting, that's the Assoc. for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback, where we were both offering seminars on meditation last spring. I'm sorry you had to cancel at the last minute. I've been doing programs there and elsewhere on the science and art of meditation for many years. Perhaps we'll meet at the April meeting in Albuquerque. (www.aapb.org for those interested in learning about this organization)
The research on physiological correlations of meditation go back into the 1950's where researchers put yogic meditators in a airtight box and discovered they used 50-60% less oxygen than was thought necessary to sustain life, and they got up and walked away perfectly fine afterwards! Almost the whole field of biofeedback grew out of early studies of yogis and Zen masters. It's always surprising to me how little the meditation researchers seem to be aware of the biofeedback and neurofeedback research and practice, though Rich Davidson was one of the keynote speakers at the AAPB conference a couple of years back. I'll be giving another half day seminar there on the science and art of meditation and yogic breathing. Breath work, pranayama and HRV, heartrate variability training, also have a profound impact on our physiology and state of conscousness.
I use simple biofeedback equipment to teach mindfulness meditation practices to children and adult for everything from peak performance training for elite swimmers being coached by an olympic coach, to individuals with stress, anxiety, high blood pressure, PTSD, etc. Neurofeedback, which enables you to learn to directly control the brain, is used for treating ADHD, OCD, head trauma, PTSD, anxiety, autism, learning disorders, etc. These methods are also used for training meditation. I got into the field of biofeedback after teaching meditation for 25 years around the world and seeing that there were always people who couldn't get into the state of meditation. 11 years ago a colleague told me they were using biofeedback and neurfeedback to train people and that's when I added it to my practice. It's extremely beneficial for meditators and when used appropriately and skillfully for clinical disorders.
One very important caveat we have to always be mindful of when discussing physiological correlates of meditation and states of consciousness is that tmany of he Eastern meditation disciplines come from an idealist, monistic philosophical perspective, not the materialist perspective that scientific research and western psychological perspectives adhere to. So the yogic, Hindu, Buddhist perspectives don't look to material causes for consciousness. Consciousness exists independent of the body/brain. So out-of-body experiences, past lives, post death, pre birth experiences are all possible and accepted as such, not needing to be dismissed as a materialist perspective needs to do because there is no material basis, no living brain present, to explain the basis for any such conscious experience. Thus scientism dismisses, explains away or pathologizes such experiences.
So when the ordinary ego mind, conditioned by western materialist perspectives, attempts to understand "enlightenment", it does so from within this box. The meditaiton disciplines and practices are all about completely and utterly dissolving the box, even the notion, the experience of being bound by the brain/body and conditioned mind; a mind conditioned to be thoroughly identified with roles, gender, body, etc.
While these meditative and yogic practices produce remarkable and measurable effects on the brain and body, ranging from changes in cortical thickness in specific areas of the brain, to frontal lobe changes, temporal lobe changes, lasting changes in alpha levels during waking state, immune system changes, lowering of blood pressure, lowering of cholesterol, etc., etc.,from the meditative perspective, these are all side-effects.
The paradigm clash between the meditative perspectives and science has been written about for decades by Roger Walsh, Ken Wilber, etc. His Holiness the Dalai Lama can have wonderful, meaningful, invaluable conversations with physicists, neurologists, etc. and appear to be on the same page, but as soon as he brings up something like yogic masters being able to leave the body and enter another's body, the scientists suddenly head for the exits! Not literally, they laugh politely, as they did when this once happened, and mentally leave the discussion and bring it back to a domain they are familiar and comfortable with.
State of enlightenment, or nirvana, "extinguished", having the condition mind and it's primal avidya, ignorance, and the desires and attachments this gives birth to extinguished, is a living state beyond whether the instrument of the brain is showing an orienting reflex and shutting down alpha rythms or not.
The yogic/Buddhist literature is also clear that enlightenment doesn't necessarily involve siddhis, extraordinary powers. Ananda, Buddha's closest disciple became enlightened and didn't have powers, while others around Buddha became enlightened and did. It's irrelevant to the the enlightened state. However, to the ego mind, which is thoroughly conditioned to seek after power and efficacy in the ordinary world, powers are marvelously attractive and thus a very enticing trap.
The instrument for measuring consciousness that would be refined enough to assess the changes in consciousness that are associated with enlightenment is consciousness itself. Thus a master, one with higher levels of refined consciousness, is always necessary. And whether material research ever finds a definitive set of neuro-physiological correlates to the sublime state of consciousness which we are capable of, with unbounded compassion, love, kindness and joy, will likely remain basically irrelevant to the dedicated practitioners and masters of yoga and meditation.
The research does serve as a valuable bridge for many to see what meditation and yogic practices can do. This has given me and many teachers entry to lecturing in medical schools, hospitals, universities, etc. that wouldn't have been possible without the research. It is our body/high performance/ health conscious culture that has had its attention drawn to meditation and its benefits so that it gets written up in the Wall Street Journal, Time, etc., etc. It's great. And it reflects the desires and attachments of our culture for health, preserved youth, peak performance, competitive edge, etc.
The mind move from the concrete to the abstract. I've had many clients who started these practices purely for the concrete health benefits and once they've had their migraines leave, their blood pressure drop, etc. they begin to discover that they have this innate capacity to experience an inner spaciousness of awareness within which the mind and body are preceived and beyond which lies an infinitude of simply being! It is a profound and truly awesome discovery to watch people make over and over again as they get beyond the limited confines of the ordinary condtioned ego mind. This is possible anywhere, everywhere with anyone and everyone. I've done probably 150 programs in prisons and seen individuals within even that horrifically stressful and bound environment changes their consciousness and tell me they are freer than they have ever been. Fleet Maul wrote a wonderful book called Dharma In Hell about living and teaching meditation and dharma to inmates while being one himself.
What a great journey we are all on!
May all our practices truly benefit everyone and may all beings become completely free of suffering.
With great respect,
LE
Thank you Lawrence ,
I agree with your delineation of perspectives between eastern ego-mind and western ego-mind, whereby the western ego-mind searchers for more, more of everything, as it tends to operate from its belief of lack and seperate-ness. I also like the rest of what you said. I enjoyed Sameet’s point about language and spiritual potential. Language can take an individual only so far to understanding enlightenment, whereas action generates a much more grounded understanding (no matter what the subject is really). The word enlightenment itself has the potential to be a “loaded term”, particularly to ones ego-mind which may perceive enlightenment as something only very few people achieve, and they got there because they’re special. My belief is that enlightenment is a path for us all to take and that we all have the potential to progress on this path and reach its culmination… enlightenment. I also perceive that this process is best described practically, therefore I like what Lama Yeshe said:
Finally I would like to share a quite by an Australian poet regarding happiness:
True happiness comes from “a transparency between our soul, our words, and our actions” [Richard Flannigan]
Imagine if everyone practiced this transparency between our soul, our words, and our actions regarding the reflection of the Dalai Lama’s ‘correct mental attitude’ that creates happiness regardless of the hostile atmosphere, then we would see the end of all war and violence immediately… now I think that’s a special power and it starts by (for example) practicing a peaceful and happy mind even though you’re being yelled at for something that wasn’t your fault, and expressing love and compassion toward the individual doing the yelling… the path to enlightenment isn’t complicated
To finish, I simply want to say that the path to enlightenment (as I imagine it) is very intimate and individual, therefore words about it are always going to become a bit of a ‘mish-mash’ of terms and adjectives. Here is the rest of the quote by Lama Yeshe:
If it doesn't, check carefully to see what you really understand about your religious practice.
Religion is not just some dry intellectual idea but rather your basic philosophy of life: you hear a teaching that makes sense to you, find through experience that it relates positively with your psychological makeup, get a real taste of it through practice, and adopt it as your spiritual path.
That's the right way to enter the spiritual path.
When Lord Buddha spoke about suffering, he wasn't referring simply to superficial problems like illness and injury, but to the fact that the dissatisfied nature of the mind itself is suffering. No matter how much of something you get, it never satisfies your desire for better or more. This unceasing desire is suffering; its nature is emotional frustration.
Be gentle first with yourself - if you wish to be gentle with others.
We are not compelled to meditate by some outside agent, by other people, or by God.
Rather, just as we are responsible for our own suffering, so are we solely responsible for our own cure.
We have created the situation in which we find ourselves, and it is up to us to create the circumstances for our release.
Regards
JM
> So essentially the question is this: How do we reconcile the dharma
> with the likes of Daniel C. Dennett, Roger Penrose (and others)on
> the nature of consciousness?
I don't see a dialectic between Dennett & Penrose vs. noumenal dharma.
Dennett & Penrose aren't naive materialists (as far as I know...) and dharmic phenomenology doesn't entail naive metaphysics. If Buddhism can be accused of anything it's material agnosticism, but that's not really an offense.
If you're worrying about the elevation of enlightenment to a mythic quality, well, Buddhism's a big tent. But considering that all phenomena are leveled, that self is knocked off its pedestal, that brahma (universal consciousness) is rejected and mind is vastly deconstructed, then the Buddhist model of mind needn't inhere anything supernatural.
-- lee
I agree, Lee.
And Barry, if you are interested in at least one reading that speaks directly to the relationship between Dennett’s work and Buddhist phenomenology situated within an exploration of Western science and philosophy of mind, I have benefited from reading The Embodied Mind: Cognitive Science and Human Experience (Varela, Thompson and Rosch, MIT Press 1992.) If you do an Amazon search for this title then several other books of related interest also appear down below.
Dennett’s review of the Varela et. al can be found here:
http://ase.tufts.edu/cogstud/papers/varela.htm
Adrian
The book Adrian mentions can be previewed here:
http://books.google.com/books?id=QY4RoH2z5DoC&printsec=frontcover
Buddhism levels it all down to essence and flux, the psychological & cognitive as well as the physical, while establishing a set of concepts that are personal but extend to the universal to bring a sense of meta-order to chaotic experience. This is religion, generally.
But what can science bring to this?
I meditate irregularly, I'm a novice meditator, really. At one point in meditative practice I encountered deep absorptions that were supernal in quality. This was exciting and a disappointment as well! I did pursue them for a time, but then had to stop meditating. Having those supernal experiences became a test of concentration. Not helpful. The lesson, of course, was that they were just another experience.
Now I can imagine an MRI of my brain would've shown something remarkable about my brain activity. But groovy experiences did not mindfulness make.
With time I've developed more from trying to share & write about dharmic practice than meditation (I do it on atheist usenet which requires a great deal of care and thought to help spread dharmic ideas to people who are inherently suspicious of it). Mindfulness is a process, and meditation doesn't inhere any particular process. In fact, meditation is pristine while wordly concerns are course and profane in contrast, meditation being almost too far removed from daily experience. That can *lend* to frustration, not mitigate it.
For some people meditation doesnt' work, it's too frustrating. Calm won't come to people who don't want it or are naturally prone (atypical depressives, anxiety cases, driven over-achievers). And some people are just naturally dharmic in nature (lots of natural GABA in their veins or something) so meditation isn't even required. So perhaps meditation isn't the best tool at our disposal?
Buddhists say everyone has Buddha nature. Meditation helps, but meditation w/out a life philosophy may not usher forth mindfulness. IOW a structured life philosophy that lends to understanding perceived threat and (perceived) reaction actually helps. Meditation detrains reaction and entrains response mitigation, allowing for cognitive response (cortical) instead of emotional (hippocampal), but then there are other means: Kung Fu (which is Buddhist... ;-), Tai Chi, walking meditation, music, prayer, writing.
MRI data of meditators seems to me a good way to pave the way for understanding "mindfulness" at large, b/c these MRI images establish something physical is going on, Having a wealth of research data will probably bear fruit, and maybe some day tech will enable us to MRI image calming processes like musicianship or kung fu.
But again, there's a broader process beyond any of these activities - meditation or Tai Chi - that server as the real quintessential tools & learning process that makes for a mindfulness-styled life experience.
--lee
Barry,
thanks for starting off this fascinating thread after a somewhat dormant period on our list - I have found all the messages very thought provoking.
The question of scientific validation of enlightenment and enlightened beings has brought to my mind the idea in some branches of Buddhism of "two truths," or ways of perceiving reality: one relative and accessible to ordinary sensory and rational understanding grounded in our individual identity, the other so subtle and inconceivably interconnected that it requires a release of grasping at personal identity as separate from the rest of reality in order to ascertain it. Enlightenment would be not just experiencing this more subtle perspective on reality, but experiencing that "emptiness" as not other than the "forms" we experience through a more narrow lens.
I think Alan Wallace and other have compared this distinction to that between Newtownian and Quantum physics, with enlightenment experiences being a sort of experiential unified field. So our ability to empirically validate this type of experience will be inherently limited by the fact that experimental science is firmly rooted in the rational, relative realm of "form." I am even more ignorant of theoretical physics than I am of Buddhist metaphysics, but I think maybe that is the closest "scientific" way of thinking to what has been approached from an experiential perspective by the great yogis and mystics.
Lee, your point about formal meditation practice maybe not being the only way to develop "mindfulness," or increase well-being is well taken. Particularly in psychology we've been looking at meditation practices as techniques to add to our arsenal of treatments to reduce suffering. And we've really benefited from the generosity of prominent teachers like the Dalai Lama who suggest we take whatever works out of Buddhist practice and teach it in a secular way if that can help reduce suffering. Clearly the research shows that practices like single-pointed concentration, mindfulness, and the generation of compassion can have clinical benefits. But then again, if we look within the tradition we see three major branches of practice that build on one another: Sila (moral behavior ), Samadhi (concentrative practices) and Pana (wisdom practices).
In some ways mindfulness, in the sense of vipassana, cuts straight to wisdom practice, though of course it often involves single-pointed concentration on the breath before opening to non-judgmental investigative awareness (wisdom). But within the traditional perspective, the cures to many of what we consider psychological and emotional ills probably lies in the realm of moral behavior, in the sense that we suffer the consequences of our own habitual negative actions. It may be that we're not as interested scientifically in that domain because it is not unique to Buddhism: we have it in many other religious and secular philosophies. And of course there's the fact that studying the consequences of behavior is nowhere nearly so sexy as studying meditation, especially if you add in all sorts of colorful pictures of brains firing and not firing in different exalted states.
Thanks,
Phil
Hi: (apologies for the length)
Amen to the idea that traditional ethical/moral practices may be as much (or more likely, more) of a key to the alleviation of many psychological/emotional ills than mindfulness practice (most of the positive psychology literature - which I personally find a good development but hopeless naive and superficial compared to traditional yogic teachings).
Regarding the question of enlightenment and "proof" - this may seem like a tangent but i think, in our scientific (or as Alan W might say, "scientistic" - that is, pervaded by materialistic scientism) culture, we tend to give far more weight to scientific research and measurable phenomena than they deserve (please, for those reaching for the keyboard in defense of 'science", just like criticism of soon-to-be-ex president Bush is not anti american, criticism of science is rather, I think pro-science, just as Teddy Roosevelt said that (something like this, Ithink) one of the most patriotic acts is to criticize one's country).
To put it a bit more simply, I think if we take a breath and a step back from some of our uncritical assumptions about what science can and cannot tell us, we might open a new window into what "enlightenmnet is".
A few points: Chip Hartranft, in his interesting "Buddhist" commentary on the yoga sutras, makes the wholly unwarranted and unfounded statement that neurosciene now shows us that awareness is entirely dependent on the brain. Alan Wallace has recently, and William James more than 100 years ago, explained quite clearly
that brain science shows us no such thing. James suggested that the evidence of neuroscience may show us that the brain produces thought but it may equally show us that the brain is a transmitter of thought. Frederic Myers (one of the founders of the society for psychical research) had what I think is a mroe itneresting idea, that the brain is a filter of consciousness, allowing through only that much of non-material consciousness which we need at the moment to function. Ed kelly and coauthors, in their book Irreducible Mind, have woven together the latest findings from neuroscience, cognitive psychology, scholarly analyses of various mystical writings, studies on memory, genius, creativity, mind-body research, etc to produce what they call a "21st century psychology" which honors both traditional yogic understanding of mind as well as the latest cognitive/affective/motivational neuroscience.
Next: What does neuroscience tell us, IF ANYTHING, about the mind? A wonderful review of a book by Antonio Damasio appeared several years back in the Journal of Consciousness Studies, referring to it as rich in neuroscience and impoverished in phenomenology. Cognitive psychologist Bernard Baars wrote a dissenting review sayign we have a science of phenomenology and "its' called psychology". To support his contention, he cited research in color perception with "rich" descriptions of "saturation, intensity and hue". This reminds me of when I was working as a composer and would read people like Marvin Minksy who were so frustrated that they couldn't find any scientific basis for human love of music (his modern day equivalent is Stephen Pinker who says he is terribly frustrated that he can't find any "evolutionary" basis for the enjoyment os such things as Debussy string quartets or 16th century madrigals.
Another thought: During the first 2 years i was doing intense research on a book on yoga psychology, I would from time to time spend an afternoon going through neuroscience/cogntiive science literature to see if there was anything of PSYCHOLOGICAL (not neurological or physiological) interest. I could never find anything beyond the most simplistic observations. during this time, I came across a 1000+ page text purporting to convey the latest, most upto date findings on the nature of emotions. In the last chapter fo the book, there were a few summary pages with 10 conclusions listed in boldface. I only remember #4, which said in essence that one of these incredibly exciting, new, radical, revolutionary discoveries was that fear interferes with our ability to think (it was of course explained by means of increidbly comlpex pathways connecting the amygdala and other sub-cortical regions of the brain to the various regions of the cortex). I do remember, though, that the other 9 were equally simplistic psychologically while providing very rich neurological information.
Last thought: Psychiatrist John Ratey has a book on the "4 theaters of the brain" (perception, cognition, memory/associations/self-consciousnes/identify, and behavior). Just a few weeks ago, I looked at the summary of his "revolutionary new theory of the brain" which he seems to feel will radically advance the field of neuroscience and dramatically transform our approach to clinical treatment. As I was reading the concluding paragraph, I realized that a) it was quite easy to insert the terms "indriyas", "chitta", "manas", "buddhi", and "ahamkara" without losing a single psychological aspect of what he was talking about and b) those yogic terms were infinitely more complex, had far more subtlety, and conveyed a far richer understanding of the mind, body and Consciousness (yes, with a captial C) than anythign I had found in Dr. Ratey's book.
So how is this relevant to the discussion about enlightenment? If we aren't willing to consider that meditative/yogic practice, and various "stages" of enlightenment, just might - might! - reveal to us somethign about the nature of matter, consciousness, the universe, the physical world, etc that hasnt' yet been glimpsed in our as yet VERY primitive exploration of the mind, we might miss more than we get when attempting to understand enlightenment.
Slight digression, but hopefully at least tangentially relevant (contemplating the potential validity of psi research may help us undo some of our assumptions about current research on meditation and what it can and cannot tell us)
I recently wrote an online response to a psi skeptic, summarizing the results of 40 years of the writings of such skeptics as Ray Hyman, James Alcock (yes, that's their real names, and they are among the most rabid and utterly biased, to the point of outright distortions and lies), James Randi, Susan Blackmore, Richard Wiseman etc. I focused in particular on palces where either they acnoweldged they could not explain the results of the best psi research (Alcock, amazingly, admitted this; Hyman has been quite honest about this at times, then later denied it) or actually admitted they hadn't told the truth about results of research they had either studied or conducted (Randi, Blackmore and Wiseman). if you're interested in an absolutely brilliant expose of the skeptics - you'll really be amazed, even if you've been familiar for years with the psi-skeptic literature and have read psicop's "Skeptical Inquirer", at the extremely poor quality of most skeptics' writing - look at Chris Carter's "Parapsychology and the Skeptics'. It's a short, great read. If more widely read, it could be enough - even more than Dean Radin's works - to jumpstart the next scientific revolution.
Considering all this, I think if we can adopt at least an agnostic attitude toward the nature of consciousness and matter, and realize that the scientific method at present does not have the means to tell us anything substantial about the primacy of consciousness and/or matter, we may view the nature of "enlightenment" in a very different fashion.
Hoping this is not too stream-of-consciousness to make sense:>) (I'd be very interested if anyone can find a specific example where purely neurological investigations have given us substantially new understandings of some psychological phenomenon).
Thanks much for this very interesting conversation,
Don
This is a great discussion taking place and involving. Thanks to everyone for taking part.
Huston Smith, along with Joseph Campbell, one of the foremost original comparitive religious scholars of the last 40 years, once said something along the lines that psychedelics can generate spiritual experiences, but not spiritual lives. The analogy seems to hold for spiritual experiences in general, in the sense that does one hold the attainment of a certain kind of spiritual experience as evidence of enlightenment, or is enlightenment a coming together of spiritual experiences, moral and ethical behavior, and supernatural powers, the siddhas that are described and experienced by regular meditation practice?
In other words, is enlightenment a sort of spiritual finish line, or is enlightenment more of a path or journey?
The history of Buddhism in the "West" is deeply interwoven with the use of psychedelics, and I think that any discussion of enlightenment would be remiss without at least mentioning the fact that many American Buddhists have come to meditation as a result of profound psychedelic experiences. As such, there is sometimes, in my opinion, an over-emphasis on individual spiritual experiences, and less so on the drudery and difficulty of translating meditation experiences and insights into every day life. As a child growing up in India, most of my spiritual teachers seemed to simply accept that it was a never-ending struggle. However, my experience in the States as an adolescent and adult is the notion that if you can just get the right experience or technique, it's smooth sailing onward. At least in my case, this has definitely not been the case.
SK
The appearance of a chicken an egg paradox exists here: Does meditation beget morality (I define morality as having positive, other directed intention), or does morality set the stage for meditative progress (more habituation of positive mental states). But there is no paradox at all.
I subscribe to the Buddhist view that morality is the foundation of a successful meditative practice, not the other way around. I think it is a significant error that discussions of what constitutes moral and ethical behavior get short shrift in the realms of psychological treatment, and personal development - in the west. For some reason there isn't much plain discussion of morality outside religious milieu. Why should morality be the coin only of religions?
There is so much pop psychology, wherein it appears the view of morality as a basis for future happiness is generally lacking. Is that why it is popular? I am not a mental health professional, so I am unfamiliar with the education of psychologists, clinical social workers, and so on. I am curious how morality is handled as part of mental health treatment. Obviously, just telling people to be moral will not be a successful approach. Self interest can be a fulcrum for leverage if the connection between morality and a better experience of life is made. Once this connection is realized all sorts of progress is possible.
In the Buddhist literature with which I am acquainted, morality is mandatory, not optional. If you want to experience more happiness, you need to concern yourself with the well being of others. This is the essence of a morality.
Intending to live according to morals and a code of ethics is equivalent to very good common sense. Even the "lesser" non-virtues can have a very detrimental effect on one's ability to merely sit, let alone habituate positive states. For instance, idle chatter and gossip can create a mental miasma that carries over into a time of active practice leading to a nervous, confused mind, and a lack of concentration (my own experience). Certainly commiting sexual misconduct, stealing and killing are obvious impediments to practice by self and others. The non-virtues of mind such as incorrect view will preclude achieving deeper states. Voiced or acted heresy can damage others practice. Etc.
I think the Buddhist list of the Ten Non-Virtues and how they are prioritized make quite a lot of sense. Simply examine how the non-virtues affect one's own or other's ability to practice successfully. Certainly killing a great teacher reaches farthest of all in terms of damaging one's own and others prospects for achieving enlightenment or happiness in the near term. Stealing damages oneself and creates anger, and fear in the person stolen from. Divisive speech, interfering with others spiritual path...allthe non-virtues are detrimental to one's ability to sit.
When I first encountered the Ten Non-Virtues they seemed strange in the light of my Christian Capitalist upbringing. Idle chatter is a bad thing? Insults are in the same list with killing? It clarifies the sense of the non-virtues when I consider how these actions decrease the efficacy (and even the mere possibility) of meditative practice. There must be a unity of morality with meditation for progress to be made.
Regarding studies of the physiological effects of meditation, I wonder if a lack of attention to morality skews the results. In the early comparative studies of monks and novice meditators, perhaps some of the differences between the groups could be attributable to no training in morality for the novices. It is nice that just a little meditating works, but I think morality is a multiplier.
Meditating with no major emphasis to develop and strengthen a heartfelt concern for the well being of others, and no attention to living a moral life will be like walking in shackles.
In an attempt to counter the preachiness of all the above, if it all sounds a like me trying to convince myself you are probably correct. I haven't won the battle.
Metta,
Mike
Dear All,
Personally, I thoroughly enjoy neuroscience, but essentially it is another way of expressing some good old-fashioned truths. That changing the way you think about things changes the way you experience those things, and that practice (meditation) can help this. While changing the way you live (reducing stress, eating healthy, exercise, sharing with, connecting with and supporting others – all of which one could argue results in leading a ‘moral’ life) can change the way you think, which can change the way you live, etc etc. This is not new information and has been a general tenant of most religions and can be clearly seen from the teachings of the great scholars and mystics such as Lao-Tzu, Buddha, Krishna, Jesus…. Etc etc. Neuroscience is simply a new language for an old idea, and this is very evident from the Mind and Life discussions whereby ancient Buddhist teachings serves to direct neuroscience research which in turn reinforces the ancient Buddhist teachings…
Have a great week everyone J and Merry Christmas
Regards
JM
We are born into a sensory barrage of sounds, colors, shades, textures, smells and many other sensations. Before long we begin to infer stuff out there as real stuff, and feelings inside as the stuff of a real mind that can make things happen. Depending on the cultural tradition, the stuff outside is primary or the stuff inside is primary one supervening on the other. Both are theoretical positions. Perception of stuff of either sort is the result of a theoretical inference process.
The only thing that seems indubitable is that there is this process of sensing and interpreting of sensations ongoing. I would define that as consciousness when the interpretation is attended to long enough to be remembered and have a future effect. Beyond the bare process itself, the rest is theoretical. The stuff of materialism out there, the stuff of Cartesian mind in here, or the Yogi's mind envisioned everywhere, are all theories built by inference and guided by social persuasion. They are theories of what sensations mean in terms of what future sensations can be predicted from those of the here and now.
You can focus on the sensations here and now, or 'suffer' to understand their theoretical meaning (what's the right stuff). You can be dogmatic as a scientific materialist, or you can be dogmatic as an Eastern mystic, or dogmatic as a third party supporter of either. Dogmatism is the same either way. It is dwelling rigidly in a theory of stuff, rather than the moment. To chose between views, we should look at a bigger picture of what the fruits are of living consistently according to one or the other view, or some wiser green and compassion-based combination. I see value in both kinds of theory. There is a clearly accelerating ability of science to provide useful predictions about 'inner' experiences these days that cannot be denied. There is likewise a clear human desire to have personal experience and its search for meanings recognized and respected that is not being taken seriously enough by some scientists and its philosopher spokesmen. But I think this is changing already.
In the end all I, or a scientist, has to go on, like the Yogi in retreat, is my own sights and sounds and an overwhelming compulsion to make sense of them. Knowing this and feeling it deeply for brief moments is to me 'enlightening' and makes me feel right at home among friends without donning a robe, living in a cave, or practicing elaborate ritual. I believe that by wise and life-centered application of science and technology, we can make a tangible compassion-based contribution to sentient beings everywhere to limit suffering (and thereby undo some of the excesses of marketing and greed) - at least as important as the contributions of those who would have us slow down and spend more time in the here and now. The latter helps us realize our epistemological limitations, cultivate healthy skepticism, temper dogmatism, and keep an open mind.
- What is the evidence that the Buddha was "enlightened"?
- A corollary of the above might entail a question about what is the operational definition of enlightenment?
- How, in psychological terms, can enlightenment be measured?
- Are there degrees of enlightenment and stages of development that can be recognized and that can be quantified?
- Has there been any other humans who have reached enlightenment, of which we have verifiable record?
I am aware of the phenomenological aspects of mindfulness that are described through the practice. While I am developing my awareness in this area, I am reasonably familiar with the stages of increasing refinement of attention, discernment and opening of the heart etc. And I "get" the benefit of such practice for leading a more meaningful life - indeed, the practice has changed my life.
I also understand the recent science behind the practice, through the work of Daniel Goleman, Richie Davidson, Jon Kabat-Zinn and others. The is growing evidence for the power of the practice in shaping the brain and mind.
My quandry though, is the idea that the agreed upon phenomenology of the experience of consciousness, in the raw, may be illusory - are we really seeing for what it is that which we agree we are experiencing? Or are we creating a language that reifies what we have agreed upon at the outset? The rejoinder from experienced practitioners when I entertain such questions is, "trust your body sensations, they don't lie." Well I wonder.... don't they?
I don't think that it is fair to dismiss out of hand that contemplative practice can be understood through science. The idea that enlightenment and science are differing ways of "knowing" consigns the whole enterprise to a division of the physical and the metaphysical, which science doesn't tolerate.
So essentially the question is this: How do we reconcile the dharma with the likes of Daniel C. Dennett, Roger Penrose (and others)on the nature of consciousness?
BC
Dear Barry,
I'm not a scientist, but as historian of religion there are some comments that come to mind:
> 1. What is the evidence that the Buddha was "enlightened"?
I can only think of textual evidence, that is, Buddhist texts that claim he was enlightened. As they survive, they are over half a millennium more recent than the time of the Buddha, perhaps as much as 700 years. So they are actually rather removed from the events they narrate.
In other words, unless one takes these Buddhist scriptures as authoritative, one has no evidence that the Buddha was enlightened. Even accepting them as authoritative, one should be aware of the fact that they were passed down only orally for several centuries and that they almost certainly underwent considerable revision and editing.
Now, I'm inclined to think that unless one is preaching to the choir none of this would count as evidence.
> 2. A corollary of the above might entail a question about what is the operational definition of enlightenment?
I can only say something from the point of view of the history of Buddhism. If you look at the earliest texts, there are several different definitions of enlightenment. With time there appeared rather fancy definitions, e.g. including that an enlightened person is omniscient.
If you include Chan/Zen texts, then you'll find that enlightenment has frequently become rather different from how it was for early Indian Buddhism.
> 5. Has there been any other humans who have reached enlightenment, of which we have verifiable record?
This question is problematic. What do you mean by verifiable record? And according to whom would that person have been enlightened? His/her students?
To sum up, some difficulties with the questions you asked:
- there are very different definitions of enlightenment;
- monks/nuns are traditionally prohibited from boasting about their achievements. This led to a situation where especially in Indian Buddhism no one wrote about their own level of development, though you find plenty of stories about other people's achievements;
- according to one mainstream Buddhist belief, it takes an enlightened person to recognize another enlightened person, hence in theory one couldn't trust an unenlightened person's opinion on the matter of whether someone is enlightened. Furthermore, if someone told you that she is enlightened, you would have no way of knowing unless yourself were also enlightened.
Best,
AT
Alberto:
I found your analysis enlightening - excuse the unintended boast. I see the problem here, it's one that Dennett aptly describes in "Explaining Consciousness". We have a problem with the phenomenological methodology - that of knowing whether the experience, which we are able to describe well, is what it seems to us the observer.
For example, Out of Body Experiences (OBE). I can describe what it feels like when I have had the experience of floating out of my body. I can describe the sights, sounds and a range of sensations that make up the experience. It can feel as though it really happened. I might feel inclined to attribute the experience to some meta-physical event. And there may be others who have experienced similar experiences who use the same language to describe the event. There is then, a rich phenomenological field of experience. But how are we sure that we are experiencing the same thing? I'm not sure that we can be sure - nonetheless, there may be some value in describing precisely what the differing consciousness states are and locating the brain correlates. For example, we know that OBE's can be induced by stimulation of the angular gyrus of the right parietal region of the brain.
Some days (or portion thereof) I feel enlightened, like I'm right there in the moment, taking in events as they happen, without conceptual interference, without judgement (to be sure it's fleeting - but there are moments). Is there research being conducted that is looking into these events and how they relate to brain events?
BC
What you described that you have experienced is not 'enlightenment.' It doesn't come and go! (;-)
"Some days (or portion thereof) I feel enlightened, like I'm right there in the moment, taking in events as they happen, without conceptual interference, without judgement (to be sure it's fleeting - but there are moments)."
CG
Barry,
There is a book - Contemplative Science: Where Buddhism and Neuroscience Converge (Columbia Series in Science and Religion) by Alan Wallace that you might find helpful in addressing some of your questions.
Cheers,
anna
Dear CG:
And how are we so sure about this... after all I thought one of the central tenets of the practice is the principal of impermanence?
;-)
BC
Hi Barry,
Interesting inquiry. Since the inquiry is posed in language as well as the responses, I definitely believe that it depends on your definition of enlightenment as Alberto mentioned.
In terms of research, there were some studies done in the 60's or 70's I believe by a Japanese scientist who's name escapes me in this moment. I think he had Japanese Zen masters rate their students on what stage of enlightenment they had attained and there was a correlation between brain wave activity.
Also K. Wilber, J. Engler, & D. Brown wrote a book called Transformations of Consciousness which explores this question. Some of the people studied were considered "enlightened" according to the criteria expressed in Theravada Buddhism. I believe they developed some type of assessment based on the Theravada Buddhist criteria that allowed for categorization of different stages of enlightenment. D. Brown has more recently written a book on the stages of Enlightenment in Mahamudra in the Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism.
I think as our interior maps become more refined these questions will become clearer. Hopefully we'll begin to value qualitative research as much as quantitative, phenomenology, as much as biology and neuroscience.
As Anna mentioned, I also recommend reading some of Alan Wallace's books.
Enjoy your explorations!
Best wishes,
Kelly
Hi Barry,
About the fleeting of "enlightenment" and I guess the definition of it, possibly.
These moments you describe may be what are referred to Dzochen teachings as glimpses into the awaken mind or fundamental experience of mind. Some like to call it direct experience of reality. An analogy which I have always found useful is to think of a cloudy sky and the moments in time where the clouds pass and the sun shines through. Enlightenment I have been told is akin to have clear blues sky always, or possible better yet having a perspective from above the clouds. Not sure about the latter, it just came to mind.
I hope you find the above useful.
Happy travels!
It is also possible that the experiences he is referring to are simply moments of enhanced attentional stability and vividness on perceptual (rather then conceptual) phenomena, and I would be hesitant to reduce Dzogchen to perceptual stability and vividness.
Hi
I am not a scientist, so just a couple personal comments/observations/opinions.
1) Any attempt to explain any subjective experience to another is difficult. Try to explain for the first time to a child what an itch or tingle feels like. It is only with a large number of samples/experiences (including contexts and objective components) and consensus is reached -- that we all learn to agree what itch or tingle or enlightenment are like.
The less there is for context and objective components the harder it is to agree on an/the explanation.
2) I believe enlightenment is experienced in "glimpses", before one eventually "lives there". Such "glimpse" experiences are, for many, essential to their continued "seeking". Whether or not they can clearly/meaningfully explain it to anyone else (usually they can't), such experiences are compelling to the experiencer, and often drive their "quest". You know it is real (what ever "it" is) once you have touched/seen it.
2A) The lack of any "objective" way to understand and describe satori, the grace of the Holy Spirit, or other brief experiences of enlightenment in any of its assorted forms, is a main reason why these experiences are typically explained within the framework of one's belief system that existed prior to having the experience (paradigm limitations). And this in turn exacerbates the lack of: consistent descriptions, terminology, and ultimately any "consensus" understandings of the experiences themselves.
2B) And, arguably, the experiences transcend words themselves. Words are constructs of the mind, which is not up to the task of fully explaining enlightenment. The mind and words are useful, but ultimately inadequate. "The finger pointing at the moon, not the moon".
3) And lastly, also arguably, impermanence applies only to the temporal/material world, with which so many of us are mostly if not completely identified. The soul (or consciousness itself, if you will allow) is (again arguably) permanent.
The Buddhist Nuns and Monks with whom I discuss these things stress impermanence, but also describe the (occasional, momentary) bliss experienced in meditation. If we are not "preoccupied" with the material world (even while we live and function there), it seems we can experience the permanent directly, which feels indescribably wonderful. "Be in the world but not of it" -- little baby steps at a time.
Namaste
David
Some Theravadin schools hold that enlightenment is a permanent phenomenon but according to Prasangika Madhyamika, regarded by Tibetan Buddhists at least as the highest school of Buddhist philosophy, the enlightened consciousness itself is not a permanent phenomenon - only its emptiness of inherent existence (and realisation thereof) is permanent. Permanent here meaning changing from instant to instant. In Mahayana Buddhism, Buddhas are able to assist practitioners - if they were permanent they wouldn't be able to do that, as functional phenomena must be impermanent.
Soygal Rinpoche apparently agrees with you he published this book saying so. Glimpse After Glimpse: Daily Reflections on Living and Dying (Hardcover) http://www.amazon.com/Glimpse-After-Daily-Reflections-Living/dp/0712662375/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1228802543&sr=8-1
Also if one reads Longchenpa’s Kindly Bent to Ease Your Mind.. (The Dalai Lama has translated this as Letting Your Mind Take Rest ) this book entails is a series of dharanas or meditation techniques that can be used in daily life that place your mind into non-Duality. The idea is Glimpse After Glimpse turns into a continuous experience. There is also a text in Kashmir Saivism called the Vijnana Bhairava tantra that has many of the same dharanas which put the mediator in unity with God (Bhairava)
These states are not the same as bliss experienced early on in meditation. Cultivating bliss is just another attachment. The state of unity is one of peace and contentment.
Happy glimpsing
Jan
A nice description of the various views of the nature of "perfect Buddhahood" from the Mahayana perspective preserved in the Tibetan tradition can be found in Chapter 20 of the Jewel Ornament of Liberation, which is readily available in English, in several translations.
> the enlightened consciousness itself
> is not a permanent phenomenon - only its emptiness of
> inherent existence (and realisation thereof) is permanent.
lack of the inherent existence of _all consciousness_ is permanent, as is also the lack of existence of the furry tortoise. It is the realization of reality that is permanent in "perfect Buddhahood". I think in all traditions, once on obtains full enlightmentment, one cannot relapse back into Samsara. This does not negate possible glimpses of the enlightened state.
Here is a line from the Jewel Ornament describing the awareness of enlightenment: Through this enlightenment the infinite varieties of knowables of the three times (past, present, future) are known and seen like a fresh olive in your hand. (Guenther's translation p.259)
So it seems there is wide agreement that we have to use language to communicate, and that enlightenment may be a hard thing to talk about or describe, but is best when experienced.
Your original question, Barry, also begs the question, what would enlightenment look like in the archeological record? The only traces are the power-spots of mahasiddhas which many venerate as places of pilgrimage. However, revering a location does not mean that enlightenment took place there. How would we look, and what would we look for? I am not qualified to answer this question, only to ask it.
This really begins to take on a huge issue, the tendency of groups of humans to deify "enlightened" beings, all too often as an excuse to perpetuate dogma or cop out our own potential towards spiritual progress. Personally, I assume the Buddha was enlightened, but having put some of his technology to what feels like pretty good use, don't really care if he was or if he wasn't.
Happy holidays to all,
Sameet
Thanks everyone for the suggestions in readings - more to add to my life list!
And yet my Dharma teacher tells me not to read too much because only sitting on the cushion will make me wiser. Oh well!
BC
Dear Barry,
Apparently some who have been responding to your question are hitting the" reply" button and "not the reply to all" button so we in the group are getting bits and pieces of this conversation. The book list someone sent didn't get to the group. Could you post that and any of the correspondence that doesn't contain "discussionlists" in the TO line?
In terms of physiological measurements of meditative states, a large amount of work has been done beginning with Herb Benson MD at Harvard .Additionally, there are scriptures which describe what these states are. At present I don't have time to elaborate on this. The problem is that they have not been properly quantified in terms of correlation of say levels of satori vs levels of meditation in Tibetan Buddhism, vs levels in Yoga. In some of the physiological studies contemplative practices have been compared to Dzochen like practices (Newberg) they are very different. Although they have some similarities e.g. single pointed focus. One is with thought (vikalpa in Sanskrit) one is without thought (nirvikalpa) clearly the brain will show different activity within these 2 states.
Best
Jan
I have read that simple things like opening one's eyes a small amount radically changes the quality of the meditative state and measurable responses using fMRI and so on. I certainly find this true from my own limited experience.
Very tricky to imagine correlations between experiences of different practitioners and traditions.
Back to an earlier topic - my impression is that enlightenment is not fleeting, it is a permanent condition of awareness. Once achieved it does not dissipate - it is perhaps like a new sense. One should not expect to experience this without a very great deal of hard work. The work of many lifetimes, but possible to a human in one.
When discussing enlightenment we are talking about an ultimate experience not a conventional one. This is an important distinction made in Buddhism that is not well understood in the west. At any rate is was a new idea to me not that long ago. (As if I understand it...)
Mike
Hi Jan and everyone!
Jan, I was hoping we were going to meet at the last AAPB meeting, that's the Assoc. for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback, where we were both offering seminars on meditation last spring. I'm sorry you had to cancel at the last minute. I've been doing programs there and elsewhere on the science and art of meditation for many years. Perhaps we'll meet at the April meeting in Albuquerque. (www.aapb.org for those interested in learning about this organization)
The research on physiological correlations of meditation go back into the 1950's where researchers put yogic meditators in a airtight box and discovered they used 50-60% less oxygen than was thought necessary to sustain life, and they got up and walked away perfectly fine afterwards! Almost the whole field of biofeedback grew out of early studies of yogis and Zen masters. It's always surprising to me how little the meditation researchers seem to be aware of the biofeedback and neurofeedback research and practice, though Rich Davidson was one of the keynote speakers at the AAPB conference a couple of years back. I'll be giving another half day seminar there on the science and art of meditation and yogic breathing. Breath work, pranayama and HRV, heartrate variability training, also have a profound impact on our physiology and state of conscousness.
I use simple biofeedback equipment to teach mindfulness meditation practices to children and adult for everything from peak performance training for elite swimmers being coached by an olympic coach, to individuals with stress, anxiety, high blood pressure, PTSD, etc. Neurofeedback, which enables you to learn to directly control the brain, is used for treating ADHD, OCD, head trauma, PTSD, anxiety, autism, learning disorders, etc. These methods are also used for training meditation. I got into the field of biofeedback after teaching meditation for 25 years around the world and seeing that there were always people who couldn't get into the state of meditation. 11 years ago a colleague told me they were using biofeedback and neurfeedback to train people and that's when I added it to my practice. It's extremely beneficial for meditators and when used appropriately and skillfully for clinical disorders.
One very important caveat we have to always be mindful of when discussing physiological correlates of meditation and states of consciousness is that tmany of he Eastern meditation disciplines come from an idealist, monistic philosophical perspective, not the materialist perspective that scientific research and western psychological perspectives adhere to. So the yogic, Hindu, Buddhist perspectives don't look to material causes for consciousness. Consciousness exists independent of the body/brain. So out-of-body experiences, past lives, post death, pre birth experiences are all possible and accepted as such, not needing to be dismissed as a materialist perspective needs to do because there is no material basis, no living brain present, to explain the basis for any such conscious experience. Thus scientism dismisses, explains away or pathologizes such experiences.
So when the ordinary ego mind, conditioned by western materialist perspectives, attempts to understand "enlightenment", it does so from within this box. The meditaiton disciplines and practices are all about completely and utterly dissolving the box, even the notion, the experience of being bound by the brain/body and conditioned mind; a mind conditioned to be thoroughly identified with roles, gender, body, etc.
While these meditative and yogic practices produce remarkable and measurable effects on the brain and body, ranging from changes in cortical thickness in specific areas of the brain, to frontal lobe changes, temporal lobe changes, lasting changes in alpha levels during waking state, immune system changes, lowering of blood pressure, lowering of cholesterol, etc., etc.,from the meditative perspective, these are all side-effects.
The paradigm clash between the meditative perspectives and science has been written about for decades by Roger Walsh, Ken Wilber, etc. His Holiness the Dalai Lama can have wonderful, meaningful, invaluable conversations with physicists, neurologists, etc. and appear to be on the same page, but as soon as he brings up something like yogic masters being able to leave the body and enter another's body, the scientists suddenly head for the exits! Not literally, they laugh politely, as they did when this once happened, and mentally leave the discussion and bring it back to a domain they are familiar and comfortable with.
State of enlightenment, or nirvana, "extinguished", having the condition mind and it's primal avidya, ignorance, and the desires and attachments this gives birth to extinguished, is a living state beyond whether the instrument of the brain is showing an orienting reflex and shutting down alpha rythms or not.
The yogic/Buddhist literature is also clear that enlightenment doesn't necessarily involve siddhis, extraordinary powers. Ananda, Buddha's closest disciple became enlightened and didn't have powers, while others around Buddha became enlightened and did. It's irrelevant to the the enlightened state. However, to the ego mind, which is thoroughly conditioned to seek after power and efficacy in the ordinary world, powers are marvelously attractive and thus a very enticing trap.
The instrument for measuring consciousness that would be refined enough to assess the changes in consciousness that are associated with enlightenment is consciousness itself. Thus a master, one with higher levels of refined consciousness, is always necessary. And whether material research ever finds a definitive set of neuro-physiological correlates to the sublime state of consciousness which we are capable of, with unbounded compassion, love, kindness and joy, will likely remain basically irrelevant to the dedicated practitioners and masters of yoga and meditation.
The research does serve as a valuable bridge for many to see what meditation and yogic practices can do. This has given me and many teachers entry to lecturing in medical schools, hospitals, universities, etc. that wouldn't have been possible without the research. It is our body/high performance/ health conscious culture that has had its attention drawn to meditation and its benefits so that it gets written up in the Wall Street Journal, Time, etc., etc. It's great. And it reflects the desires and attachments of our culture for health, preserved youth, peak performance, competitive edge, etc.
The mind move from the concrete to the abstract. I've had many clients who started these practices purely for the concrete health benefits and once they've had their migraines leave, their blood pressure drop, etc. they begin to discover that they have this innate capacity to experience an inner spaciousness of awareness within which the mind and body are preceived and beyond which lies an infinitude of simply being! It is a profound and truly awesome discovery to watch people make over and over again as they get beyond the limited confines of the ordinary condtioned ego mind. This is possible anywhere, everywhere with anyone and everyone. I've done probably 150 programs in prisons and seen individuals within even that horrifically stressful and bound environment changes their consciousness and tell me they are freer than they have ever been. Fleet Maul wrote a wonderful book called Dharma In Hell about living and teaching meditation and dharma to inmates while being one himself.
What a great journey we are all on!
May all our practices truly benefit everyone and may all beings become completely free of suffering.
With great respect,
LE
Thank you Lawrence ,
I agree with your delineation of perspectives between eastern ego-mind and western ego-mind, whereby the western ego-mind searchers for more, more of everything, as it tends to operate from its belief of lack and seperate-ness. I also like the rest of what you said. I enjoyed Sameet’s point about language and spiritual potential. Language can take an individual only so far to understanding enlightenment, whereas action generates a much more grounded understanding (no matter what the subject is really). The word enlightenment itself has the potential to be a “loaded term”, particularly to ones ego-mind which may perceive enlightenment as something only very few people achieve, and they got there because they’re special. My belief is that enlightenment is a path for us all to take and that we all have the potential to progress on this path and reach its culmination… enlightenment. I also perceive that this process is best described practically, therefore I like what Lama Yeshe said:
It is never too late.And what the Dalai Lama said about Happiness:
Even if you are going to die tomorrow,
Keep yourself straight and clear and be a happy human being today.
If you keep your situation happy day by day,
you will eventually reach the greatest happiness of Enlightenment.
The basic thing is that everyone wants happiness, no one wants suffering, and happiness mainly comes from our own attitude rather than from external factors. If your own mental attitude is correct, even if you remain in a hostile atmosphere, you feel happyThese two points speak to my understanding of the path toward enlightenment, that it is toward a genuine and stable happiness. This happiness is built on day by day as Lama Yeshe says. Practicing present moment awareness and releasing the ego-mind’s “stories” about its attachment to things (people, places, feelings, etc etc etc), we create ‘space’ in our awareness to be aware of the sort of peaceful happiness the Dalai Lama talks about. I don’t know about the presence of enlightened people today, but I would suggest that individuals like Ghandi, Mother Theresa, and the Dalai Lama were all [at least] “on the path” toward enlightenment (as we all are whether we like it or not – as is my view), but that individuals like these seem knowledgable and well practiced, and as a result, are a good source of information and guidance. Because, as was also stated in an earlier email, ‘enlightenment can only be truly identified by someone who is truly enlightened’, this point refers to the fact that only someone who has traveled further along the path than you have can truly see how far you have traveled… Hence the importance of guidance from well-practiced individuals helps define the process of enlightenment.
Finally I would like to share a quite by an Australian poet regarding happiness:
True happiness comes from “a transparency between our soul, our words, and our actions” [Richard Flannigan]
Imagine if everyone practiced this transparency between our soul, our words, and our actions regarding the reflection of the Dalai Lama’s ‘correct mental attitude’ that creates happiness regardless of the hostile atmosphere, then we would see the end of all war and violence immediately… now I think that’s a special power and it starts by (for example) practicing a peaceful and happy mind even though you’re being yelled at for something that wasn’t your fault, and expressing love and compassion toward the individual doing the yelling… the path to enlightenment isn’t complicated
To finish, I simply want to say that the path to enlightenment (as I imagine it) is very intimate and individual, therefore words about it are always going to become a bit of a ‘mish-mash’ of terms and adjectives. Here is the rest of the quote by Lama Yeshe:
If your spiritual practice and the demands of your everyday life are not in harmony, it means there's something wrong with the way you are practicing.Your practice should satisfy your dissatisfied mind while providing solutions to the problems of everyday life.
If it doesn't, check carefully to see what you really understand about your religious practice.
Religion is not just some dry intellectual idea but rather your basic philosophy of life: you hear a teaching that makes sense to you, find through experience that it relates positively with your psychological makeup, get a real taste of it through practice, and adopt it as your spiritual path.
That's the right way to enter the spiritual path.
When Lord Buddha spoke about suffering, he wasn't referring simply to superficial problems like illness and injury, but to the fact that the dissatisfied nature of the mind itself is suffering. No matter how much of something you get, it never satisfies your desire for better or more. This unceasing desire is suffering; its nature is emotional frustration.
Be gentle first with yourself - if you wish to be gentle with others.
We are not compelled to meditate by some outside agent, by other people, or by God.
Rather, just as we are responsible for our own suffering, so are we solely responsible for our own cure.
We have created the situation in which we find ourselves, and it is up to us to create the circumstances for our release.
Regards
JM
> So essentially the question is this: How do we reconcile the dharma
> with the likes of Daniel C. Dennett, Roger Penrose (and others)on
> the nature of consciousness?
I don't see a dialectic between Dennett & Penrose vs. noumenal dharma.
Dennett & Penrose aren't naive materialists (as far as I know...) and dharmic phenomenology doesn't entail naive metaphysics. If Buddhism can be accused of anything it's material agnosticism, but that's not really an offense.
If you're worrying about the elevation of enlightenment to a mythic quality, well, Buddhism's a big tent. But considering that all phenomena are leveled, that self is knocked off its pedestal, that brahma (universal consciousness) is rejected and mind is vastly deconstructed, then the Buddhist model of mind needn't inhere anything supernatural.
-- lee
I agree, Lee.
And Barry, if you are interested in at least one reading that speaks directly to the relationship between Dennett’s work and Buddhist phenomenology situated within an exploration of Western science and philosophy of mind, I have benefited from reading The Embodied Mind: Cognitive Science and Human Experience (Varela, Thompson and Rosch, MIT Press 1992.) If you do an Amazon search for this title then several other books of related interest also appear down below.
Dennett’s review of the Varela et. al can be found here:
http://ase.tufts.edu/cogstud/papers/varela.htm
Adrian
The book Adrian mentions can be previewed here:
http://books.google.com/books?id=QY4RoH2z5DoC&printsec=frontcover
Buddhism levels it all down to essence and flux, the psychological & cognitive as well as the physical, while establishing a set of concepts that are personal but extend to the universal to bring a sense of meta-order to chaotic experience. This is religion, generally.
But what can science bring to this?
I meditate irregularly, I'm a novice meditator, really. At one point in meditative practice I encountered deep absorptions that were supernal in quality. This was exciting and a disappointment as well! I did pursue them for a time, but then had to stop meditating. Having those supernal experiences became a test of concentration. Not helpful. The lesson, of course, was that they were just another experience.
Now I can imagine an MRI of my brain would've shown something remarkable about my brain activity. But groovy experiences did not mindfulness make.
With time I've developed more from trying to share & write about dharmic practice than meditation (I do it on atheist usenet which requires a great deal of care and thought to help spread dharmic ideas to people who are inherently suspicious of it). Mindfulness is a process, and meditation doesn't inhere any particular process. In fact, meditation is pristine while wordly concerns are course and profane in contrast, meditation being almost too far removed from daily experience. That can *lend* to frustration, not mitigate it.
For some people meditation doesnt' work, it's too frustrating. Calm won't come to people who don't want it or are naturally prone (atypical depressives, anxiety cases, driven over-achievers). And some people are just naturally dharmic in nature (lots of natural GABA in their veins or something) so meditation isn't even required. So perhaps meditation isn't the best tool at our disposal?
Buddhists say everyone has Buddha nature. Meditation helps, but meditation w/out a life philosophy may not usher forth mindfulness. IOW a structured life philosophy that lends to understanding perceived threat and (perceived) reaction actually helps. Meditation detrains reaction and entrains response mitigation, allowing for cognitive response (cortical) instead of emotional (hippocampal), but then there are other means: Kung Fu (which is Buddhist... ;-), Tai Chi, walking meditation, music, prayer, writing.
MRI data of meditators seems to me a good way to pave the way for understanding "mindfulness" at large, b/c these MRI images establish something physical is going on, Having a wealth of research data will probably bear fruit, and maybe some day tech will enable us to MRI image calming processes like musicianship or kung fu.
But again, there's a broader process beyond any of these activities - meditation or Tai Chi - that server as the real quintessential tools & learning process that makes for a mindfulness-styled life experience.
--lee
Barry,
thanks for starting off this fascinating thread after a somewhat dormant period on our list - I have found all the messages very thought provoking.
The question of scientific validation of enlightenment and enlightened beings has brought to my mind the idea in some branches of Buddhism of "two truths," or ways of perceiving reality: one relative and accessible to ordinary sensory and rational understanding grounded in our individual identity, the other so subtle and inconceivably interconnected that it requires a release of grasping at personal identity as separate from the rest of reality in order to ascertain it. Enlightenment would be not just experiencing this more subtle perspective on reality, but experiencing that "emptiness" as not other than the "forms" we experience through a more narrow lens.
I think Alan Wallace and other have compared this distinction to that between Newtownian and Quantum physics, with enlightenment experiences being a sort of experiential unified field. So our ability to empirically validate this type of experience will be inherently limited by the fact that experimental science is firmly rooted in the rational, relative realm of "form." I am even more ignorant of theoretical physics than I am of Buddhist metaphysics, but I think maybe that is the closest "scientific" way of thinking to what has been approached from an experiential perspective by the great yogis and mystics.
Lee, your point about formal meditation practice maybe not being the only way to develop "mindfulness," or increase well-being is well taken. Particularly in psychology we've been looking at meditation practices as techniques to add to our arsenal of treatments to reduce suffering. And we've really benefited from the generosity of prominent teachers like the Dalai Lama who suggest we take whatever works out of Buddhist practice and teach it in a secular way if that can help reduce suffering. Clearly the research shows that practices like single-pointed concentration, mindfulness, and the generation of compassion can have clinical benefits. But then again, if we look within the tradition we see three major branches of practice that build on one another: Sila (moral behavior ), Samadhi (concentrative practices) and Pana (wisdom practices).
In some ways mindfulness, in the sense of vipassana, cuts straight to wisdom practice, though of course it often involves single-pointed concentration on the breath before opening to non-judgmental investigative awareness (wisdom). But within the traditional perspective, the cures to many of what we consider psychological and emotional ills probably lies in the realm of moral behavior, in the sense that we suffer the consequences of our own habitual negative actions. It may be that we're not as interested scientifically in that domain because it is not unique to Buddhism: we have it in many other religious and secular philosophies. And of course there's the fact that studying the consequences of behavior is nowhere nearly so sexy as studying meditation, especially if you add in all sorts of colorful pictures of brains firing and not firing in different exalted states.
Thanks,
Phil
Hi: (apologies for the length)
Amen to the idea that traditional ethical/moral practices may be as much (or more likely, more) of a key to the alleviation of many psychological/emotional ills than mindfulness practice (most of the positive psychology literature - which I personally find a good development but hopeless naive and superficial compared to traditional yogic teachings).
Regarding the question of enlightenment and "proof" - this may seem like a tangent but i think, in our scientific (or as Alan W might say, "scientistic" - that is, pervaded by materialistic scientism) culture, we tend to give far more weight to scientific research and measurable phenomena than they deserve (please, for those reaching for the keyboard in defense of 'science", just like criticism of soon-to-be-ex president Bush is not anti american, criticism of science is rather, I think pro-science, just as Teddy Roosevelt said that (something like this, Ithink) one of the most patriotic acts is to criticize one's country).
To put it a bit more simply, I think if we take a breath and a step back from some of our uncritical assumptions about what science can and cannot tell us, we might open a new window into what "enlightenmnet is".
A few points: Chip Hartranft, in his interesting "Buddhist" commentary on the yoga sutras, makes the wholly unwarranted and unfounded statement that neurosciene now shows us that awareness is entirely dependent on the brain. Alan Wallace has recently, and William James more than 100 years ago, explained quite clearly
that brain science shows us no such thing. James suggested that the evidence of neuroscience may show us that the brain produces thought but it may equally show us that the brain is a transmitter of thought. Frederic Myers (one of the founders of the society for psychical research) had what I think is a mroe itneresting idea, that the brain is a filter of consciousness, allowing through only that much of non-material consciousness which we need at the moment to function. Ed kelly and coauthors, in their book Irreducible Mind, have woven together the latest findings from neuroscience, cognitive psychology, scholarly analyses of various mystical writings, studies on memory, genius, creativity, mind-body research, etc to produce what they call a "21st century psychology" which honors both traditional yogic understanding of mind as well as the latest cognitive/affective/motivational neuroscience.
Next: What does neuroscience tell us, IF ANYTHING, about the mind? A wonderful review of a book by Antonio Damasio appeared several years back in the Journal of Consciousness Studies, referring to it as rich in neuroscience and impoverished in phenomenology. Cognitive psychologist Bernard Baars wrote a dissenting review sayign we have a science of phenomenology and "its' called psychology". To support his contention, he cited research in color perception with "rich" descriptions of "saturation, intensity and hue". This reminds me of when I was working as a composer and would read people like Marvin Minksy who were so frustrated that they couldn't find any scientific basis for human love of music (his modern day equivalent is Stephen Pinker who says he is terribly frustrated that he can't find any "evolutionary" basis for the enjoyment os such things as Debussy string quartets or 16th century madrigals.
Another thought: During the first 2 years i was doing intense research on a book on yoga psychology, I would from time to time spend an afternoon going through neuroscience/cogntiive science literature to see if there was anything of PSYCHOLOGICAL (not neurological or physiological) interest. I could never find anything beyond the most simplistic observations. during this time, I came across a 1000+ page text purporting to convey the latest, most upto date findings on the nature of emotions. In the last chapter fo the book, there were a few summary pages with 10 conclusions listed in boldface. I only remember #4, which said in essence that one of these incredibly exciting, new, radical, revolutionary discoveries was that fear interferes with our ability to think (it was of course explained by means of increidbly comlpex pathways connecting the amygdala and other sub-cortical regions of the brain to the various regions of the cortex). I do remember, though, that the other 9 were equally simplistic psychologically while providing very rich neurological information.
Last thought: Psychiatrist John Ratey has a book on the "4 theaters of the brain" (perception, cognition, memory/associations/self-consciousnes/identify, and behavior). Just a few weeks ago, I looked at the summary of his "revolutionary new theory of the brain" which he seems to feel will radically advance the field of neuroscience and dramatically transform our approach to clinical treatment. As I was reading the concluding paragraph, I realized that a) it was quite easy to insert the terms "indriyas", "chitta", "manas", "buddhi", and "ahamkara" without losing a single psychological aspect of what he was talking about and b) those yogic terms were infinitely more complex, had far more subtlety, and conveyed a far richer understanding of the mind, body and Consciousness (yes, with a captial C) than anythign I had found in Dr. Ratey's book.
So how is this relevant to the discussion about enlightenment? If we aren't willing to consider that meditative/yogic practice, and various "stages" of enlightenment, just might - might! - reveal to us somethign about the nature of matter, consciousness, the universe, the physical world, etc that hasnt' yet been glimpsed in our as yet VERY primitive exploration of the mind, we might miss more than we get when attempting to understand enlightenment.
Slight digression, but hopefully at least tangentially relevant (contemplating the potential validity of psi research may help us undo some of our assumptions about current research on meditation and what it can and cannot tell us)
I recently wrote an online response to a psi skeptic, summarizing the results of 40 years of the writings of such skeptics as Ray Hyman, James Alcock (yes, that's their real names, and they are among the most rabid and utterly biased, to the point of outright distortions and lies), James Randi, Susan Blackmore, Richard Wiseman etc. I focused in particular on palces where either they acnoweldged they could not explain the results of the best psi research (Alcock, amazingly, admitted this; Hyman has been quite honest about this at times, then later denied it) or actually admitted they hadn't told the truth about results of research they had either studied or conducted (Randi, Blackmore and Wiseman). if you're interested in an absolutely brilliant expose of the skeptics - you'll really be amazed, even if you've been familiar for years with the psi-skeptic literature and have read psicop's "Skeptical Inquirer", at the extremely poor quality of most skeptics' writing - look at Chris Carter's "Parapsychology and the Skeptics'. It's a short, great read. If more widely read, it could be enough - even more than Dean Radin's works - to jumpstart the next scientific revolution.
Considering all this, I think if we can adopt at least an agnostic attitude toward the nature of consciousness and matter, and realize that the scientific method at present does not have the means to tell us anything substantial about the primacy of consciousness and/or matter, we may view the nature of "enlightenment" in a very different fashion.
Hoping this is not too stream-of-consciousness to make sense:>) (I'd be very interested if anyone can find a specific example where purely neurological investigations have given us substantially new understandings of some psychological phenomenon).
Thanks much for this very interesting conversation,
Don
This is a great discussion taking place and involving. Thanks to everyone for taking part.
Huston Smith, along with Joseph Campbell, one of the foremost original comparitive religious scholars of the last 40 years, once said something along the lines that psychedelics can generate spiritual experiences, but not spiritual lives. The analogy seems to hold for spiritual experiences in general, in the sense that does one hold the attainment of a certain kind of spiritual experience as evidence of enlightenment, or is enlightenment a coming together of spiritual experiences, moral and ethical behavior, and supernatural powers, the siddhas that are described and experienced by regular meditation practice?
In other words, is enlightenment a sort of spiritual finish line, or is enlightenment more of a path or journey?
The history of Buddhism in the "West" is deeply interwoven with the use of psychedelics, and I think that any discussion of enlightenment would be remiss without at least mentioning the fact that many American Buddhists have come to meditation as a result of profound psychedelic experiences. As such, there is sometimes, in my opinion, an over-emphasis on individual spiritual experiences, and less so on the drudery and difficulty of translating meditation experiences and insights into every day life. As a child growing up in India, most of my spiritual teachers seemed to simply accept that it was a never-ending struggle. However, my experience in the States as an adolescent and adult is the notion that if you can just get the right experience or technique, it's smooth sailing onward. At least in my case, this has definitely not been the case.
SK
The appearance of a chicken an egg paradox exists here: Does meditation beget morality (I define morality as having positive, other directed intention), or does morality set the stage for meditative progress (more habituation of positive mental states). But there is no paradox at all.
I subscribe to the Buddhist view that morality is the foundation of a successful meditative practice, not the other way around. I think it is a significant error that discussions of what constitutes moral and ethical behavior get short shrift in the realms of psychological treatment, and personal development - in the west. For some reason there isn't much plain discussion of morality outside religious milieu. Why should morality be the coin only of religions?
There is so much pop psychology, wherein it appears the view of morality as a basis for future happiness is generally lacking. Is that why it is popular? I am not a mental health professional, so I am unfamiliar with the education of psychologists, clinical social workers, and so on. I am curious how morality is handled as part of mental health treatment. Obviously, just telling people to be moral will not be a successful approach. Self interest can be a fulcrum for leverage if the connection between morality and a better experience of life is made. Once this connection is realized all sorts of progress is possible.
In the Buddhist literature with which I am acquainted, morality is mandatory, not optional. If you want to experience more happiness, you need to concern yourself with the well being of others. This is the essence of a morality.
Intending to live according to morals and a code of ethics is equivalent to very good common sense. Even the "lesser" non-virtues can have a very detrimental effect on one's ability to merely sit, let alone habituate positive states. For instance, idle chatter and gossip can create a mental miasma that carries over into a time of active practice leading to a nervous, confused mind, and a lack of concentration (my own experience). Certainly commiting sexual misconduct, stealing and killing are obvious impediments to practice by self and others. The non-virtues of mind such as incorrect view will preclude achieving deeper states. Voiced or acted heresy can damage others practice. Etc.
I think the Buddhist list of the Ten Non-Virtues and how they are prioritized make quite a lot of sense. Simply examine how the non-virtues affect one's own or other's ability to practice successfully. Certainly killing a great teacher reaches farthest of all in terms of damaging one's own and others prospects for achieving enlightenment or happiness in the near term. Stealing damages oneself and creates anger, and fear in the person stolen from. Divisive speech, interfering with others spiritual path...allthe non-virtues are detrimental to one's ability to sit.
When I first encountered the Ten Non-Virtues they seemed strange in the light of my Christian Capitalist upbringing. Idle chatter is a bad thing? Insults are in the same list with killing? It clarifies the sense of the non-virtues when I consider how these actions decrease the efficacy (and even the mere possibility) of meditative practice. There must be a unity of morality with meditation for progress to be made.
Regarding studies of the physiological effects of meditation, I wonder if a lack of attention to morality skews the results. In the early comparative studies of monks and novice meditators, perhaps some of the differences between the groups could be attributable to no training in morality for the novices. It is nice that just a little meditating works, but I think morality is a multiplier.
Meditating with no major emphasis to develop and strengthen a heartfelt concern for the well being of others, and no attention to living a moral life will be like walking in shackles.
In an attempt to counter the preachiness of all the above, if it all sounds a like me trying to convince myself you are probably correct. I haven't won the battle.
Metta,
Mike
Dear All,
Personally, I thoroughly enjoy neuroscience, but essentially it is another way of expressing some good old-fashioned truths. That changing the way you think about things changes the way you experience those things, and that practice (meditation) can help this. While changing the way you live (reducing stress, eating healthy, exercise, sharing with, connecting with and supporting others – all of which one could argue results in leading a ‘moral’ life) can change the way you think, which can change the way you live, etc etc. This is not new information and has been a general tenant of most religions and can be clearly seen from the teachings of the great scholars and mystics such as Lao-Tzu, Buddha, Krishna, Jesus…. Etc etc. Neuroscience is simply a new language for an old idea, and this is very evident from the Mind and Life discussions whereby ancient Buddhist teachings serves to direct neuroscience research which in turn reinforces the ancient Buddhist teachings…
Have a great week everyone J and Merry Christmas
Regards
JM
We are born into a sensory barrage of sounds, colors, shades, textures, smells and many other sensations. Before long we begin to infer stuff out there as real stuff, and feelings inside as the stuff of a real mind that can make things happen. Depending on the cultural tradition, the stuff outside is primary or the stuff inside is primary one supervening on the other. Both are theoretical positions. Perception of stuff of either sort is the result of a theoretical inference process.
The only thing that seems indubitable is that there is this process of sensing and interpreting of sensations ongoing. I would define that as consciousness when the interpretation is attended to long enough to be remembered and have a future effect. Beyond the bare process itself, the rest is theoretical. The stuff of materialism out there, the stuff of Cartesian mind in here, or the Yogi's mind envisioned everywhere, are all theories built by inference and guided by social persuasion. They are theories of what sensations mean in terms of what future sensations can be predicted from those of the here and now.
You can focus on the sensations here and now, or 'suffer' to understand their theoretical meaning (what's the right stuff). You can be dogmatic as a scientific materialist, or you can be dogmatic as an Eastern mystic, or dogmatic as a third party supporter of either. Dogmatism is the same either way. It is dwelling rigidly in a theory of stuff, rather than the moment. To chose between views, we should look at a bigger picture of what the fruits are of living consistently according to one or the other view, or some wiser green and compassion-based combination. I see value in both kinds of theory. There is a clearly accelerating ability of science to provide useful predictions about 'inner' experiences these days that cannot be denied. There is likewise a clear human desire to have personal experience and its search for meanings recognized and respected that is not being taken seriously enough by some scientists and its philosopher spokesmen. But I think this is changing already.
In the end all I, or a scientist, has to go on, like the Yogi in retreat, is my own sights and sounds and an overwhelming compulsion to make sense of them. Knowing this and feeling it deeply for brief moments is to me 'enlightening' and makes me feel right at home among friends without donning a robe, living in a cave, or practicing elaborate ritual. I believe that by wise and life-centered application of science and technology, we can make a tangible compassion-based contribution to sentient beings everywhere to limit suffering (and thereby undo some of the excesses of marketing and greed) - at least as important as the contributions of those who would have us slow down and spend more time in the here and now. The latter helps us realize our epistemological limitations, cultivate healthy skepticism, temper dogmatism, and keep an open mind.
Andrew Cohen & Ken Wilber in dialogue: Women, Enlightenment, and the Evolution of Culture
Andrew Cohen & Ken Wilber in dialogue: Women, Enlightenment, and the Evolution of Culture: "ANDREW COHEN: In this issue we’re trying to bite into the tough nut of women’s liberation.
KEN WILBER: Oh dear!
Cohen: And I’m sure it’s very politically incorrect for two intellectual tough guys like you and me to get together and talk about women’s liberation! But who cares . . .
Wilber: I hear you. It used to be that only gays could discuss gays and only blacks could discuss blacks and only women could discuss women."
KEN WILBER: Oh dear!
Cohen: And I’m sure it’s very politically incorrect for two intellectual tough guys like you and me to get together and talk about women’s liberation! But who cares . . .
Wilber: I hear you. It used to be that only gays could discuss gays and only blacks could discuss blacks and only women could discuss women."
Cancer Cured For Good
Cancer Cured For Good
October 2008
It works 100% of the time to eradicate cancer completely, and cancer does not recur even years later.
That is how researchers describe the most convincing cancer cure ever announced.
The weekly injection of just 100 billionths of a gram of a harmless glyco-protein (a naturally-produced molecule with a sugar component and a protein component) activates the human immune system and cures cancer for good, according to human studies among breast cancer and colon cancer patients, producing complete remissions lasting 4 and 7 years respectively. This glyco-protein cure is totally without side effect but currently goes unused by cancer doctors.
Normal Gc protein (also called Vitamin-D binding protein) , an abundant glyco-protein found in human blood serum, becomes the molecular switch to activate macrophages when it is converted to its active form, called Gc macrophage activating factor (Gc-MAF). Gc protein is normally activated by conversion to Gc-MAF with the help of the B and T cells (bone marrow-made and thymus gland-made white blood cells). But, as researchers explain it themselves, cancer cells secrete an enzyme known as alpha-N-acetylgalac tosaminidase (also called Nagalase) that completely blocks conversion of Gc protein to Gc-MAF, preventing tumor-cell killing by the macrophages. This is the way cancer cells escape detection and destruction, by disengaging the human immune system. This also leaves cancer patients prone to infections and many then succumb to pneumonia or other infections.
October 2008
It works 100% of the time to eradicate cancer completely, and cancer does not recur even years later.
That is how researchers describe the most convincing cancer cure ever announced.
The weekly injection of just 100 billionths of a gram of a harmless glyco-protein (a naturally-produced molecule with a sugar component and a protein component) activates the human immune system and cures cancer for good, according to human studies among breast cancer and colon cancer patients, producing complete remissions lasting 4 and 7 years respectively. This glyco-protein cure is totally without side effect but currently goes unused by cancer doctors.
Normal Gc protein (also called Vitamin-D binding protein) , an abundant glyco-protein found in human blood serum, becomes the molecular switch to activate macrophages when it is converted to its active form, called Gc macrophage activating factor (Gc-MAF). Gc protein is normally activated by conversion to Gc-MAF with the help of the B and T cells (bone marrow-made and thymus gland-made white blood cells). But, as researchers explain it themselves, cancer cells secrete an enzyme known as alpha-N-acetylgalac tosaminidase (also called Nagalase) that completely blocks conversion of Gc protein to Gc-MAF, preventing tumor-cell killing by the macrophages. This is the way cancer cells escape detection and destruction, by disengaging the human immune system. This also leaves cancer patients prone to infections and many then succumb to pneumonia or other infections.
Although GcMAF is also called Vitamin-D binding protein, the activation of macrophages does not require Vitamin D.
GcMAF is a naturally made molecule and is not patentable, though its manufacturing process is patent protected. There is no evidence of any current effort to commercialize this therapy or put it into practice. Should such an effective treatment for cancer come into common practice, the income stream from health-insurance plans for every oncology office and cancer center in the world Would likely be reduced to the point of financial insolvency and hundreds of thousands of jobs would be eliminated.
Clipped from Artilce By Bill Sardi and Timothy Hubbell
[International Journal Cancer.2008 January15; 122(2):461-7]
Related articles:
[Cancer Immunology, Immunotherapy Volume 57, Number 7 / July 2008]
[Targeted Oncology 2007 April, 2 (2); 113-19]
[The Journal of Immunology, 1993 151 (5); 2794-2802]
[Neoplasia 2003 January; 5(1): 32–40]
[Cancer Research 1997 Jun 1; 57(11):2187- 92]
[Cancer Research 1996 Jun 15; 56(12):2827- 31]
[US Patent 5326749, July 1994; Cancer Research 1996 June 15; 56: 2827-31]
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