--- In [email protected], "sparaig" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > --- In [email protected], TurquoiseB <no_reply@> wrote: > > --- In [email protected], "matrixmonitor" > > <matrixmonitor@> wrote: > > > > > > > A disciple, who had been with this guru for over > > > > twenty years, caught him in the middle of a sex act > > > > with young boys. He had never previously known that > > > > his guru did this. Very shocked, he came back to > > > > see the guru telling him that he could not tolerate > > > > such actions, and that he was leaving the ashram > > > > immediately. The guru's response was, "You have > > > > created the problem. Now you have to solve it!" > > > > > > > > Ramesh expressed his agreement with this response > > > > and said, "Everything is only an event ruled by > > > > cosmic law and by divine will...It is the > > > > programming of the body-mind mechanism... and > > > > nothing can be done about it... the guru is not > > > > concerned!" > > > > The problem with mistaking the *perception* that > > "I am not the doer" for the reality. In a nutshell. > > > > As several brain researchers have postulated, the > > *perception* of not being the doer may be purely > > a physiological thing, related to a particular > > area of the brain becoming active. As I remember > > from the (I think) Time magazine article that > > discussed this research, they pointed out that > > this perception was *not* limited to those who > > follow a spiritual path. But those on a spiritual > > path tended to *interpret* the perception positively, > > as a sign of progress or enlightenment, when in fact > > it might be just a particular set of neurons swtich- > > ing from OFF to ON. > > > > Before you ask, I don't have the reference. It was > > a big article on God and brain functioning that > > I read while waiting in a dentist's office. > > Of course, the experience of samadhi during TM and in those TMers > reporting 24/7 witnessing, may be due to a different physiological > state than the pathological state. In fact, the only physiological > studies I am aware of suggest this . Interestingly enough, some > physiological studies on Buddhist meditators suggest that at least > some Buddhist techniques ARE inducing something similar to the > pathological state, unlike TM...
Yeah, yeah...we get it. TM good, other techniques bad. :-) But what about my real point? Would you be comfortable with the possibility that many or even *all* of the states of mind that have been *interpreted* as enlight- ment experiences over the centuries may be nothing more (nor less) than a few neurons in the brain deciding to wake up and boogie? I *am* comfortable with that. I've *experienced* some things I *interpreted* as enlightenment. But at the same time, I know that I was programmed for many years *to* interpret such experiences as enlightenment. The experience itself may have been nothing more than a few random neurons in my brain deciding to do their laundry. It doesn't really *matter* that much to me whether such a thing as enlightenment really exists or whether I just interpreted a particular set of experiences that way because I had been taught to. The exper- iences were what they were; I am content just to enjoy them. One of the films I really liked was "Phenomenon," starring John Travolta. His character has the exper- ience of seeing a blazing white light descending upon him from the sky, and after that experience he develops paranormal powers. His neighbors believe that he was influenced by aliens; he doesn't know *what* to believe, but it's obvious that the powers actually exist. The ending of the film puts a very different "spin" on *all* of their musings. But the bottom line was that the experience was *interesting*, and valuable to the experiencer. "Bagging" it by putting a label on it doesn't make it any more valuable, or less...it's just bagging something. ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Join modern day disciples reach the disfigured and poor with hope and healing http://us.click.yahoo.com/lMct6A/Vp3LAA/i1hLAA/UlWolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> To subscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Or go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ and click 'Join This Group!' Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
