--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "Stu" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "Hugo" <richardhughes103@> > wrote: > > > > > > > > Interesting article here: > > > > http://mysterytopia.com/2008/07/meditate-on-it.html > > > I think we are pre-adapted in that our brains > > are so complex things or tehcniques, even drugs, > > knock us off centre and because we have such a > > clever illusion creator in our heads that disrupting > > it can give us a glimpse of what we call heaven > > for no other reason than it is so pleasant. > > I don't think its necessary to use the supernatural to explain the > phenomenon of transcendence. By replacing thought with a meaningless > sound we effectively shut down the prefrontal cortex, the center for > rational thought. What is left is the primitive mind, effectively an > artificial taste of pre-linguistic consciousness . >
That's not the theory that Travis and company are going with these days. The "shutting down" isn't of some specific part of the cortext. Its of the thalamic activity that serves to merge cortical activity with the raw sensory data while still allowign the brain to remain alert. The various parts of the cortex remain active, but they are no longer modified by sensory-feedback loops as is the case with waking and dreaming states, and unlike sleeping, the brain remains alert. So the activity that is going on is pure optimization of the connections of the brain without distractions from the outside world OR from the inner world of dreams and imagination. Lawson > Drugs, orgasm, finding a zone, all shut down prefrontal cortex functions > to some degree. The relief and relaxation translates as a form of > bliss. > > > > > So it's either a big fluke or there is cosmic > > significance in how we seem to be born capable > > of experiencing what is, for us, a "holy" state > > of mind. > > Its neither a fluke or does it have cosmic significance. Somehow these > ancient mystics worked out a technique for altering consciousness that > has benefits. Because of their ignorance of basic anatomy, psychology > and such they went to big mythic explanations. Its to be expected - > without the benfit of material knowledge we enjoy since the > enlightenment these primitives had little or no understanding of > medicine, nutrition, mathematics, physics, geography, or cosmology. > Instead they look to the supernatural for explanations. > > > Maybe mantras have been in use so long > > we've evolved a sympathetic response to them. > > But that surely would take us way from india where > > the traditions are strongest. Sanskrit isn't the > > earliest language I think. > > Mantras as a cultural meme have not affected our evolution. How would > that process work? > > > > Does anyone know what the earliest known mantra > > technique is? > > I would guess that some dude stumbled upon it. Prolly playing the drums > and chanting. > > >Difficult to know but even the > > geographic whereabouts of early spiritual cultures > > would be interesting. > > > Any or all primitive cultures have a "spiritual" dimension. As long as > humans question their own existence there is going to be a metaphysical > component to a culture. Its the natural outcome of having a big brain. > There is a natural conflict between our "monkey brain" and the outer and > most recent evolutionary part of the brain, the prefrontal cortex. From > that conflict arises all self reflection and confusion. > > Meditation offers ease to that conflict. Enjoy it, learn from it, stop > reading crap into the pleasant and beneficiary experience. > > s. >
