Consciousness, Mind & Brain

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The development in knowledge about the structure and functioning of the brain is extremely interesting. This is mainly due to the explosive increase in possibilities of perception through technology and its ever more refined instruments, and the growing understanding of biochemistry and biophysics. It is also due to the human inquisitive mind and these material and psychological factors strangely combine most successfully in what we call 'western culture. That this culture is 'western' is partly due to economical reasons, climate, etc, and, last but not least, the discovery and (partial) understanding of electricity, electromagnetism, the divisibility of the atom and the oneness of matter and energy. It is also due to the fact that such minds nowadays seem to be mostly born in the occidental part of the globe and the fact that as many of those born elsewhere with a like mindset tend to move to the west if they get the opportunity. This has not always been the case though.

Three ways to knowledge are available to humankind: science, religion and philosophy. When approaches are taken together these make a 'whole man' (.e. one having completely developed manas - mind). Science means painstaking perception, collection of hard (undeniable, indubitable) 'facts, and categorization. Science is the highest pursuit of the human speculative intellect in its quest for knowledge.

Science on its own is inductive by nature. Theories are intellectually fancied to explain the perceived facts. Science on its own can not reach beyond the human intellect, and therefore never arrive at ultimate Truth, free of all illusions/ theories, because the mind is by nature unable to see the oneness and fountain-source of all truths. To transcend this mind means enlightenment, nirvana. Beyond mind is buddhi, 1.e. spiritual intuittion, direct knowledge or distinction between real and unreal. The self-conscious functioning of buddhi represents the development of humanity in future cycles - and only 'shadows of that can help us today.

Religion involves the faculties of believe and confidence (trust) phenomena which have become weak in our times, Great men and women, yogi's, enlightened beings, have gained deep and essential transcendental insights and taught parts of it to humankind. This is not a recent phenomenon - it happened in the far past and it still happens. today. Such people had done everything to develop their mind to fullness, and to transcend the natural limitation of mental thinking. The greatest of them penetrated beyond the limits of where the intellect can go and entered the realm of direct truth or intuition, buddhi - sometimes called omniscience (all-knowing), actually having direct ac cess to the source of all ideas that can be known. Enlightened beings see the source, unity and connectedness of all phenomena, and under stand that there is a still deeper source that of oneness - from which all phenomena originate. This source has been called Parabrahm, Tat (that), Sunyata' ('emptiness). Atman (Self), also jiva (infinite life consciousness) etc. Actually no human word or name can properly express it, because the mind can not reach beyond itself. Those who have accomplished Religion in a high sense often become our spiritual preceptors and teachers - but because the limited capacities of non- enlightened minds they can do little more that give hints that help to stir the intuition of those who truly strive to true knowledge and wis dom. These hints, as far as we can grasp them, are like transcendental axioms from which we can deduce conclusions.

Most western people do not accept spirituality as a reliable source of wisdom, and therefore discard its axioms. The hints by themselves are reflections of wisdom-insight, put in symbols, rituals and words for our understanding. When we devote efforts to penetrating into the direct source of such hints, we move into divine direction. Before we dare to devote ourselves to the words spoken or written by others on their authority, we have to give our heart' (credere (Latin) - belief) in trust. How many (so-called?) religious teachers and yogis can be trusted nowadays? Not many, certainly not those advertising themselves in public. But can we not be sure that real great founders and pioneers like Buddha, Mahavira, Pythagoras, Plato, Zarathustra, Lao-tzu, Jesus, Mohammad and many others through times immemorial were guided by but one principle: noblest compassion for humankind? They brought great sacrifices for the sake of humanity or those parts of humanity and cultures which had reached a particular stage and with which they had a specific connection. Such people we can trust - however we can not always trust our own interpretations or the interpretations of those who established themselves somewhere between 'God' and man, let alone religious dogma, Science gives us the boon of ability to compare and check the information of our senses and a logical mind on the physical level at least, with spiritual information donated to us by spiritually (not (merely) psychically!) advanced or accomplished men an women.

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