or> /> > > It probably does have some relevance to what goes on on FFL. The > relationship of what goes on in the human brain to spirituality seems to > be a subject that is handled in a very circumspect manner in spiritual > circles. Science is impinging on spiritual experience more and more > these days as neuroscientists investigate human experience and its > relation to brain function. > > It is OK if a scientist says something like TM, or some other form of > meditation, like mindfulness, seems to result in more of a 'good' > neurotransmitter in the brain. But if a scientist says that certain > specific functions in the brain produce well known spiritual experiences > and that these experiences can be thus manipulated experimentally, this > is anathema because it looks as if spiritual experience is just > materialistic, mechanistic - the glory on high of the majesty of the > gods and the ultimate reality is suddenly reduced to hardware and > software, of a meat factory producing the crowning and supreme > sublimity. > > This intervention of science, of psychology and the more mechanically > invasive neuroscience, into the realm labeled spirit is sorely resented, > because it pulls the rug out from under this peculiar form of > specialness.
I am always in the process of processing what we know so far about the brain. Wish I were 20 so I could be around another 80 years to see what happens - altho it is already clear that just about all the experiences we think are triggered by connecting with the transcedent are certainly explainable by flipping on or off various parts of the brain. So the big question remains as to whether the brain experiences and that style of brain functioning that feels spiritual just is what it is, or if it is a reflection of something "spiritual" going on that is more than the brain. If it not more than the brain working in a specific manner, are those brain states worth cultivating just for how they feel (cultivating in practices such as meditation or even artificially inducing them with drugs, magnets, electrical stim etc), forgetting the whole spiritual framework and meaning? Thus in the TMO, as an example, we have spirituality and > science seemingly side by side, but only if the spiritual construct is > allowed to trump science should they ever disagree, and that > disagreement is frequent. The half millennium battle that the Roman > Church has had with science is still going on, and science has won > almost every contest. And likewise, the scientific view inside the TMO > is an absolute minority among all scientists. > > It is wholly acceptable in the realm labeled spirit if spirit produces > the brain, but not the other way around. But it is all one, and if we > see a dichotomy here, it is because we are confusing our labels for > situations with the situations. > > http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/jill_bolte_taylor_s_powerful_stroke_of\ > _insight.html > <It probably does have some relevance to what goes on on FFL. The > relationship of what goes on in the human brain to spirituality seems to > be a subject that is handled in a very circumspect manner in spiritual > circles. Science is impinging on spiritual experience more and more > these days as neuroscientists investigate human experience and its > relation to brain function. It seems OK if a scientist says > something like TM, or some other form of meditation, like mindfulness, > seems to result in more of a 'good' neurotransmitter in the brain. But > if a scientist says that certain specific functions in the brain produce > well known spiritual experiences and that these experiences can be thus > manipulated experimentally, this is a no no because it looks as if > spiritual experience is just materialistic, mechanistic - the glory on > high of the majesty of the god or gods and the ultimate reality is > suddenly reduced to hardware and software, of a meat factory producing > the crowning and supreme sublimity. This intervention of science, of > psychology and the more mechanically invasive neuroscience, into the > realm labeled spirit is sorely resented, because it pulls the rug out > from under this peculiar form of specialness. It is wholly acceptable > of the realm labeled spirit produces the brain, but not the other way > around. But it is all one, and if we see a dichotomy here, it is because > we are confusing our labels for situations with the situations. > http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/jill_bolte_taylor_s_powerful_stroke_of\ > _insight.html > > > The foregoing link is to a video talk by a brain scientist, who had a > massive left-hemisphere stroke. She documented her experiences of this > and her recovery over an eight-year period in her book, My Stroke of > Insight. The video is a short 15-minute summary of that experience. > During nearly half of this period she experienced being the universe, no > sense of separation for many years, and deep silence. > > The book review Judy brought to attention above gives us pause about the > connexion of our experience, especially unusual seeming spiritual ones, > and what we conceive to be the underlying reality of those experiences. > The experiences dominating the forum discussion at the moment would seem > to be those of maskedzebra. > > As I was going up the stair > I saw a man who wasn't there > He wasn't there again today > Oh, how I wish he'd go away > > When I came home last night at three > The man was waiting there for me > But when I looked around the hall > I couldn't see him there at all! > Go away, go away, don't you come back any more! > Go away, go away, and please don't slam the door > > > As I was going up the stair > I saw a man who wasn't there > He wasn't there again today > Oh, how I wish he'd go away > > 'He's not There' by Hugo Means from his play Psycho-ed (1899) >
