Learning to unlearn
Learning is as much a process of deprogramming as much as acquiring or acquainting with something new.
Learning something new, must be preceded by a process of deprogramming that eliminates pre-existing paradigms and misconceptions. Learning physiologically is a process of conditioning. It involves recruitment of neural networks or pathways, which after sufficient time and repetitions get established. Thereafter, conditioning works at a quasi involuntary level. A classic example is that of driving. Initially as a novice, every action is deliberate, premeditated and one has to very consciously focus on the activity. Later on as the reflexes get strengthened, the same activity becomes very effortless and gradually moves to a sub-conscious level. And soon we can engage in a conversation or even grab a bite whilst driving. Many of our belief systems and thought processes post conditioning work below the consciousness horizon. Once the template is set, these anagrams become an integral part of the individuals perceptive and thought processes. We scarcely realize that these deeply etched programs serve as major deterrents from learning anything new. That partly explains why adults need a longer while to learn a new skill like computers or a new language whereas kids seem to take to this new skill like a fish takes to water. That is because the kids hard disc is unformatted and can imbibe a new concept faster and better than an adult who first has to undo some hardwired programs. These established neural networks increase the resistance to accepting fresh thoughts and ideas. On deeper introspection we would realize, that most of our belief systems are just a legacy of our environment and upbringing. Religion, culture, behavioral patterns are a few such examples. This indoctrination happens subconsciously but has far reaching consequences.
Along with the passage of time, all such recorded programs spin a cocoon around the individual. Impermeable to newer thought process. All intolerance to new ideas is consequential to this rigid unyielding cocoon.
All revolutionary inventions have become possible only when the concerned person broke open this cocoon of conformist thought process. The person had to delearn conventional wisdom to make way for newer wisdom. Religion has always beckoned mankind along the ages. It still remains one of the most profound influences on our lives. Religion programs the thought processes and sooner than we realize, we align ourselves to one of the many ‘isms’. But the basis of all religion is to attain Godhood, or self-realisation or ‘swaroop saakshaatkar’ Various sects and religions have over the years programmed their followers along different lines. These regulatory protocols are ideally the means to the end but unfortunately have become the end themselves. The extreme obsession with form precludes any tryst with the formless. All spiritual pursuits are adulterated with preformed notions and are the scourge of liberation. It would be paradoxical to confine the omniscient omnipresent being to the narrow bandwidth of our perceptive focus . As a learned sage said, Liberation is not of the individual but from the individual. From the shackles of our thought processes. Self-realisation as a concept, is again a construct of our thought. But self-realisation transcends thought. Till there is thought, there is an entity that is thinking, and this separate entity that asserts its separateness is bondage. The finite can never perceive the infinite. It can only become infinite. And once that happens, who or what remains to perceive ?. It cannot be engineered, because all attempts made by the doer only underlines his separateness, which defeats the very purpose. Somewhat akin to the monkey, with its hand trapped in a cookie jar. Trying to get its hand out of the narrow neck of a bottle whilst holding the cookie. All efforts are in vain until the monkey releases the cookie and extricates its hand. This cookie of our belief systems and conditioning that we all hold on for dear life surely has to be relinquished. This delearning of all pre-existing programs and concepts is a precondition to self awareness.
Dr Deepak Ranade
(The author is a consultant Neurosurgeon and may be contacted at drdeepakranade@gmail.com)
posted by Dr. Deepak Ranade @ 1:16 AM 2 comments
2 Comments:
At September 18, 2009 9:40 PM , dipti said...
sir, i am very much influenced n moralised by ur articles published in speaking tree. i want too read book having compilation of ur writings. kindly post the name of ur book. i,ll be highly oobliged. regards, dipti.
At May 8, 2010 9:05 AM , prakasam said...
You would not believe, my eyes seeks Deepak Ranade in the speaking tree column daily.
One of the best scientific and spiritual blend.
Sir,can u open a forum to discuss more lively. I have lot of spirtual questions,for which it may be the solution center.
It serves to the spiritual community as well....
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Tuesday, January 3, 2012
This is the first article that was featured in speaking tree.
Search For The Centre Of Consciousness
The brain's neurons are differentiated to execute specific functions. All sensory perceptions reach nerve centres that are specific for a particular sensory modality. However, all attempts to localise the centre for consciousness have failed..In an experiment, an electrode was implanted in the brain adjacent to the pleasure centre of a caged mouse. When a lever was pressed, a small current would be released which would stimulate the locus of neurons and the mouse experienced a sensation of pleasure. When the mouse realised that pressing the lever was the cause of the wonderful sensation, he endeavoured to keep pressing the lever tirelessly till he died of exhaustion.
Happiness is therefore just a matter of neurotransmitters stimulating specific areas resulting in momentary gratification a chemical reaction in the brain.
Duality is a warp in perception. In reality these partitions do not exist. They are just notional values assigned by the perceptive apparatus. They are actually variations in the intensity of only one modality. The experiment where light is made to pass through two slits to determine if light is a wave or particle form, pronounced that light simultaneously exists as wave and particle. This presented the scientific community with a paradoxical conclusion hard to fathom, a daunting task for the perceptive apparatus which is limited to comprehending only one of two possibilities.
Science is based on reductionism. Science teaches one to classify, make subgroups, and analyse all events as cause and effect. It programmes the brain to fragment, not assimilate. But observations in quantum physics show that subatomic particles behave in a way incomprehensible to classical Newtonian concepts.Similarly, dark and light, pleasure and pain, cannot have an either/or existence. It is our perception that triggers this dichotomy Events or people get classified by the intellect, which analyses the event, compares the event with its database or memory and delivers a threat or no-threat verdict. This makes the subject interact with the environment. This interaction is primordial in nature, in-built for survival. The categorisation of reality into subgroups such as pleasant or unpleasant, endeavouring only pleasant situations to prevail, causes unhappiness.Medically when there is a threat perception, there is a rise in heart rate, blood pressure, and blood sugar, which keeps the individual in a state of combat with typical responses: fight, fright or flight. If the threat perception apparatus keeps getting stimulated too frequently then the body instead of shifting gears, often compensates by raising these parameters permanently. This causes high incidence of hypertension and diabetes where stress is a definitive cause. In the enlightened state, what changes is not the environment but the perception of the environment. Consciousness is just awareness. It is non-judgmental, with no reaction. There is no classification. It is just a witness. When perception eliminates all fragmentation, one becomes conscious, aware. Then we no longer get exhausted like the mouse did, trying to manipulate the pleasure-giving lever.
Dr.Deepak Ranade The writer is a neurosurgeon, is setting up Centre for Consciousness Studies. E-mail: drdeepakranade@gmail.com
SPEAKING TREE--TIMES OF INDIA
posted by Dr. Deepak Ranade @ 1:06 AM 1 comments
1 Comments:
At August 13, 2009 4:39 AM , Nilesh said...
Superb one!!
Good explanation you have given by taking a scientific examples.
As per my thinking, "Live a life by being just an observer". Thanafter, our real nature(SAT-CHIT-ANAND) will gradually manifested.
Am i true?
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Search For The Centre Of Consciousness
The brain's neurons are differentiated to execute specific functions. All sensory perceptions reach nerve centres that are specific for a particular sensory modality. However, all attempts to localise the centre for consciousness have failed..In an experiment, an electrode was implanted in the brain adjacent to the pleasure centre of a caged mouse. When a lever was pressed, a small current would be released which would stimulate the locus of neurons and the mouse experienced a sensation of pleasure. When the mouse realised that pressing the lever was the cause of the wonderful sensation, he endeavoured to keep pressing the lever tirelessly till he died of exhaustion.
Happiness is therefore just a matter of neurotransmitters stimulating specific areas resulting in momentary gratification a chemical reaction in the brain.
Duality is a warp in perception. In reality these partitions do not exist. They are just notional values assigned by the perceptive apparatus. They are actually variations in the intensity of only one modality. The experiment where light is made to pass through two slits to determine if light is a wave or particle form, pronounced that light simultaneously exists as wave and particle. This presented the scientific community with a paradoxical conclusion hard to fathom, a daunting task for the perceptive apparatus which is limited to comprehending only one of two possibilities.
Science is based on reductionism. Science teaches one to classify, make subgroups, and analyse all events as cause and effect. It programmes the brain to fragment, not assimilate. But observations in quantum physics show that subatomic particles behave in a way incomprehensible to classical Newtonian concepts.Similarly, dark and light, pleasure and pain, cannot have an either/or existence. It is our perception that triggers this dichotomy Events or people get classified by the intellect, which analyses the event, compares the event with its database or memory and delivers a threat or no-threat verdict. This makes the subject interact with the environment. This interaction is primordial in nature, in-built for survival. The categorisation of reality into subgroups such as pleasant or unpleasant, endeavouring only pleasant situations to prevail, causes unhappiness.Medically when there is a threat perception, there is a rise in heart rate, blood pressure, and blood sugar, which keeps the individual in a state of combat with typical responses: fight, fright or flight. If the threat perception apparatus keeps getting stimulated too frequently then the body instead of shifting gears, often compensates by raising these parameters permanently. This causes high incidence of hypertension and diabetes where stress is a definitive cause. In the enlightened state, what changes is not the environment but the perception of the environment. Consciousness is just awareness. It is non-judgmental, with no reaction. There is no classification. It is just a witness. When perception eliminates all fragmentation, one becomes conscious, aware. Then we no longer get exhausted like the mouse did, trying to manipulate the pleasure-giving lever.
Dr.Deepak Ranade The writer is a neurosurgeon, is setting up Centre for Consciousness Studies. E-mail: drdeepakranade@gmail.com
SPEAKING TREE--TIMES OF INDIA
posted by Dr. Deepak Ranade @ 1:06 AM 1 comments
1 Comments:
At August 13, 2009 4:39 AM , Nilesh said...
Superb one!!
Good explanation you have given by taking a scientific examples.
As per my thinking, "Live a life by being just an observer". Thanafter, our real nature(SAT-CHIT-ANAND) will gradually manifested.
Am i true?
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Saturday, December 31, 2011
Tribute to my dad
The river was hurtling down the acutely descending slope. She was vibrant and alive as she cascaded joyfully. She had a sense of abandon and seemed unperturbed by what the variegated terrain held in store for her. The rapids smashed into a boulder and instantaneously, there was a shower of million little droplets that endeavoured to reach the inviting skies. In the process they scattered the light into it's spectral constituents lending a surreality to her existence. The very next moment she seemed to assimilate again resuming the unending journey as if nothing happened. She breathed life into the banks that showered their gratitude by breaking into a riot of violet and yellow blooms. Further on as she negotiated a bend, she appeared agitated forming eddy currents swirling into a whirlpool with a force that could destroy. This momentary self indulgence soon mutated to a schizophrenic serenity as she calmed down on more even ground. The Self effacing serenity reflected the clear blue skies with high fidelity. The onward movement continued but with a subtlety that mimicked stillness. She could never be still. Stillness in dynamism was her existential philosophy. She was a picture of "joie de vivre" in myriad forms sprouting and sustaining a plethora of life forms. Her life was moving on, imparting a velocity to all that crossed her path. The exuberance was infectious , the velocity making her buoyant and on occasions demonstrating scant regard to any force pulling her downwards. She definitely knew where she finally was headed but made no fuss about minor detours mandated by the unyielding geography. The occasional hurrying was not to reach the destination but rather a sense of urgency to live the moment to it's fullest. The opposing banks at times conspired to get close enough to snuff the life out of her . But after squeezing herself into obscurity she reappeared unfazed as a rivulet with an air of indomitability to resume her relentless journey. The banks could only momentarily obstruct the form but never the ideology of moving on. She appeared formidable and deep in certain stretches where it seemed impossible to know how deep the waters flowed. Here, she seemed to be very introspective and thoughtful, casually unflinching. In shallower stretches, the waters appeared turbid retaining an earthiness about herself . This turbidity became a sediment after a while and she again regained her pristine form about which she never ever had a doubt . As the journey continued, she seemed to be getting larger and more assertive of her presence. The terrain was more level and less undulating. This part saw her develop so much character to be able to absorb all the effluent and impurities that her subjects emptied into her. She was being used by so many rather indiscriminately but she never showed any dissent. Instead, she swallowed all the effulgent ingratitude stoically whilst never for a moment forgetting her inherent nature of moving on. She could not do otherwise. She was programmed to dilute all the toxic additions to her and yet retain the angelic ability to sprout and sustain life. She now seemed to slow down one last time and looked a bit fatigued as she navigated the deposits of sand in the delta. She effaced herself gradually as she merged into the ocean. Her form became imperceptible but she could still be flowing silently, formlessly as a current, true to her nature.
Such was my father,an eternal energy that could at best only mutate it's manifestation and be indiscernible to the uninitiated.
Such was my father,an eternal energy that could at best only mutate it's manifestation and be indiscernible to the uninitiated.
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
The complete seeking the complete
Science has relentlessly diversified into various established and emerging modalities to seek answers for the hows whats whens and wheres of this phenomenal creation.These questions are yielding answers, which keep evolving and refining as do our investigative tools The answers paradoxically seem to generate further questions and the plot keeps thickening. Scientific researchand technological progress amplify the range of our sensory perception to investigate the realm of the micro, and also open a window into the vast universe. These advances give the impression of getting tantalisingly close to the truth .
This euphoria is aborted by realising that what seemed like the ultimate answer is actually a new set of questions. " Fractals" discovered by Mandelbrot, are similar patterns repeating themselves at higher orders of dimension. If you magnify a fine area of fractal structure, you get increased information in proportion to the new scale. Thus, the world not only looks different to the observers at different scales, it also measures differently. In every day language, this means that the deeper your understanding of a complex picture, the more meaningful nuances you can notice in it.
Science has sharpened the tools of reductionism and permitted deeper access into the microcosm. It is hyper fractioning the tangible to the point of intangibility.
The monochromatic reductionist approach of scientific enquiry may eventually have to metamorphose into a spectrum to throw light on the "why " of this phenomenal creation.The ultimate solution and understanding of the "what and how" make the "why "more pertinent and inevitable. The anthropic principle suggests that intelligent consciousness which could comprehend the universe was the objective of creation. Quantum physics underlined the importance of the observer to validate the observed. It has to widen it's scope to authenticate the observer in this game of hide and seek where any phenomenon ceases to exist in the absence of the observer. A strictly epistemological approach may explain the modus operandi of creation but it will fall despicably short of providing a rationale for creation. The "why" coerces scientific endeavour to introspect and realise the worthlessness of it's fangs of enquiry if the venom of how, what where and when is replaced by a hypnotic potion of why.
Science is too egoistic to question it's own existence. It is too preoccupied in preening it's feathers and marvelling at their splendour. It has the arrogance of " my way or the highway". The conceit of tangibility blinds scientific thought ; a veritable train of intelligence chugging along on the track of logic blissfully unaware why it began the journey in the very first place.
Often times, rationalist reductionism gives the illusion of uncovering the truth. But this truth is relative to the system attempting to uncover it. The absolute truth includes the seeker. This unbroken wholeness in which, and through which we exist was brillantly captured by Gödel in the proof of his celebrated Theorem: it is possible to make true statements within a particular system that cannot be proved by use of the elements and logic of that system. This is simply because the system under consideration is organically interconnected with some larger system, which by itself is dissolved into another greater than it, and so on.. The part can never understand the whole.The search for the elusive Higgs Boson is in effect the search for what gives matter its tangibility and this is perceived by the intangible consciousness. As the adage goes, beauty lies in the eye of the beholder, tangibility may lie in perception and not be an apriori measurable attribute of the perceived.
Chaos and Complexity entirely deniy the idea of analyzability of the world into separated parts. Parts simply do not exist.the Whole consists of Wholes.
purnamadah purnamidam 'That is complete, this is complete'.
purnat purna mudachyate - 'From that completeness comes this completeness'
purnasya purnamadaya - If we take away this completeness from that completeness'
purnameva vashishyate: 'Only completeness remains.'
This is a quote from Upanishads.
The ultimate truth may be a state of oneness (Advaita - Nonduality) , an assimilative philosophy that realises the wholeness of the part while scientific enquiry will persist with reductionism of the whole into smaller wholes.
Dr Deepak M. Ranade
(The author a Consultant Neurosurgeon, is the co-organiser of the first national conference on Non-duality held by World Peace Center, Alandi, MAEER'S ,MIT Pune on the 30th and 31 Jan 2012.) Details on www.neuroconsciousness.blogspot.com
This euphoria is aborted by realising that what seemed like the ultimate answer is actually a new set of questions. " Fractals" discovered by Mandelbrot, are similar patterns repeating themselves at higher orders of dimension. If you magnify a fine area of fractal structure, you get increased information in proportion to the new scale. Thus, the world not only looks different to the observers at different scales, it also measures differently. In every day language, this means that the deeper your understanding of a complex picture, the more meaningful nuances you can notice in it.
Science has sharpened the tools of reductionism and permitted deeper access into the microcosm. It is hyper fractioning the tangible to the point of intangibility.
The monochromatic reductionist approach of scientific enquiry may eventually have to metamorphose into a spectrum to throw light on the "why " of this phenomenal creation.The ultimate solution and understanding of the "what and how" make the "why "more pertinent and inevitable. The anthropic principle suggests that intelligent consciousness which could comprehend the universe was the objective of creation. Quantum physics underlined the importance of the observer to validate the observed. It has to widen it's scope to authenticate the observer in this game of hide and seek where any phenomenon ceases to exist in the absence of the observer. A strictly epistemological approach may explain the modus operandi of creation but it will fall despicably short of providing a rationale for creation. The "why" coerces scientific endeavour to introspect and realise the worthlessness of it's fangs of enquiry if the venom of how, what where and when is replaced by a hypnotic potion of why.
Science is too egoistic to question it's own existence. It is too preoccupied in preening it's feathers and marvelling at their splendour. It has the arrogance of " my way or the highway". The conceit of tangibility blinds scientific thought ; a veritable train of intelligence chugging along on the track of logic blissfully unaware why it began the journey in the very first place.
Often times, rationalist reductionism gives the illusion of uncovering the truth. But this truth is relative to the system attempting to uncover it. The absolute truth includes the seeker. This unbroken wholeness in which, and through which we exist was brillantly captured by Gödel in the proof of his celebrated Theorem: it is possible to make true statements within a particular system that cannot be proved by use of the elements and logic of that system. This is simply because the system under consideration is organically interconnected with some larger system, which by itself is dissolved into another greater than it, and so on.. The part can never understand the whole.The search for the elusive Higgs Boson is in effect the search for what gives matter its tangibility and this is perceived by the intangible consciousness. As the adage goes, beauty lies in the eye of the beholder, tangibility may lie in perception and not be an apriori measurable attribute of the perceived.
Chaos and Complexity entirely deniy the idea of analyzability of the world into separated parts. Parts simply do not exist.the Whole consists of Wholes.
purnamadah purnamidam 'That is complete, this is complete'.
purnat purna mudachyate - 'From that completeness comes this completeness'
purnasya purnamadaya - If we take away this completeness from that completeness'
purnameva vashishyate: 'Only completeness remains.'
This is a quote from Upanishads.
The ultimate truth may be a state of oneness (Advaita - Nonduality) , an assimilative philosophy that realises the wholeness of the part while scientific enquiry will persist with reductionism of the whole into smaller wholes.
Dr Deepak M. Ranade
(The author a Consultant Neurosurgeon, is the co-organiser of the first national conference on Non-duality held by World Peace Center, Alandi, MAEER'S ,MIT Pune on the 30th and 31 Jan 2012.) Details on www.neuroconsciousness.blogspot.com
Sunday, December 4, 2011
The sine wave of human life
\“What goes up must come down and what goes down must come up.”This is a philosophical truth, that doubles up as a mnemonic aid to memorise the sine curve. The sine wave or sinusoid is a mathematical function that describes a smooth repetitive oscillation. It is a universal wave function that is applicable in pure mathematics,physics,signal processing and many other fields. The sine wave typically has a positive excursion followed by a reversal and negative excursion on the yaxis when time is plotted on the x axis. It very effectively defines the movement of a particle on a circular path when seen from the centre of the circle.
Waves can be viewed as a disturbance in the medium around an equilibrium state, which is generally at rest. The energy of this disturbance is what causes the wave motion. A pool of water is at equilibrium when there are no waves, but as soon as a stone is thrown in it, the equilibrium of the particles is disturbed and the wave motion begins. Personal consciousness (mind body organism) or manifest form could well be a mere disturbance in the impersonal consciousness ( unmanifest )
Schrodinger's equation demonstrates all of the wave like properties of matter and was one of greatest achievements of 20th century science. It is used in physics and most of chemistry to deal with problems about the atomic structure of matter. It is an extremely powerful mathematical tool that rebuilds the basis of wave mechanics.
The human form is consciousness that walks this planet over the period of his/her life span. It is the union of the intangible ‘consciousness’ with the tangible ‘form’. This consciousness generates an identity for the form and of the form.
If the (0,0) co-ordinates of a x-y axis were the starting point of this life form, and a graph were to be plotted , with identity on the y axis and time on the x-axis, it would make a fascinating sine curve. The value for this identity that is generated with relation to the outer world, a relative identity, (objective identity) is given a positive value, and the identity that is generated from within, or a subjective identity is given a negative value.
The first half of the upper half of the wave represents the gradual development of the identity of this form. Brahmacharyashram. It is in the positive deflection as it is in relation to the outer world. A clear cut demarcation of the self crystallises along with the trappings of insecurity, self-indulgence and selfishness. All these attributes are necessary for the self-preservation of the ‘form’. At this stage, the identity of the form is critical to ensure its survival, for, without this positive identity, the form would hardly be able to ensure its own survival. This self-importance of the ‘form’peaks to the point of a compulsion to replicate itself. . This ensures transmission of the blueprint and also the handing over of the baton of this identity to the next runner. To ensure the survival of this nascent form, the restrictive identification of the self itself decreases.
The downward trend indicates a shift toward self-effacement. However, this ‘self-effacement’ is contextual to ensuring the survival of the progeny. Grahasthashram.The selfless love of the parent is actually a modified nurturing for part of the self. But it does effect in shifting the focus of identity from the ‘self’ to beyond.
As this line intersects the x axis, it modulates the awareness this identity of the self yet again. It unleashes a sense of worthlessness in this contextual frame of relevance once the needs of the offspring and family have been settled. It marks the beginning of an inward journey that looks for a meaning within. Hence, it marks a negative deflection on the y axis of identity. Vanaprasthashram.
The first half of the downward wave shows a gradual tendency to being disillusioned with the relative identity. The identity looks for ‘self-actualisation’, the apex of Maslow’s motivational pyramid. The last upward surge of this curve represents a quest for an absolute identity- or, in other words, a search for the absolute. Sanyasashram. The absolute dispenses the outer and fixates on the inner. It does not require any extrinsic cognizing entity to be aware of itself. Cognizance, after all, is required for the sense of an identity
Its final intersection and merger with the x axis represents the stripping of all the identities and a realisation that all that remains is merely a sense of ‘amness’; the same ‘amness’ that life began with as a new-born.
The ‘peeling off’ of all the acquired identities after the outward former journey and the inner latter journey marks the end of all the excursions of identity. The end of the form as well as its identity is in reality, a merger with the infinite formless from where the form undertook this kaleidoscopic journey of assumed, imaginary identities.
Waves can be viewed as a disturbance in the medium around an equilibrium state, which is generally at rest. The energy of this disturbance is what causes the wave motion. A pool of water is at equilibrium when there are no waves, but as soon as a stone is thrown in it, the equilibrium of the particles is disturbed and the wave motion begins. Personal consciousness (mind body organism) or manifest form could well be a mere disturbance in the impersonal consciousness ( unmanifest )
Schrodinger's equation demonstrates all of the wave like properties of matter and was one of greatest achievements of 20th century science. It is used in physics and most of chemistry to deal with problems about the atomic structure of matter. It is an extremely powerful mathematical tool that rebuilds the basis of wave mechanics.
The human form is consciousness that walks this planet over the period of his/her life span. It is the union of the intangible ‘consciousness’ with the tangible ‘form’. This consciousness generates an identity for the form and of the form.
If the (0,0) co-ordinates of a x-y axis were the starting point of this life form, and a graph were to be plotted , with identity on the y axis and time on the x-axis, it would make a fascinating sine curve. The value for this identity that is generated with relation to the outer world, a relative identity, (objective identity) is given a positive value, and the identity that is generated from within, or a subjective identity is given a negative value.
The first half of the upper half of the wave represents the gradual development of the identity of this form. Brahmacharyashram. It is in the positive deflection as it is in relation to the outer world. A clear cut demarcation of the self crystallises along with the trappings of insecurity, self-indulgence and selfishness. All these attributes are necessary for the self-preservation of the ‘form’. At this stage, the identity of the form is critical to ensure its survival, for, without this positive identity, the form would hardly be able to ensure its own survival. This self-importance of the ‘form’peaks to the point of a compulsion to replicate itself. . This ensures transmission of the blueprint and also the handing over of the baton of this identity to the next runner. To ensure the survival of this nascent form, the restrictive identification of the self itself decreases.
The downward trend indicates a shift toward self-effacement. However, this ‘self-effacement’ is contextual to ensuring the survival of the progeny. Grahasthashram.The selfless love of the parent is actually a modified nurturing for part of the self. But it does effect in shifting the focus of identity from the ‘self’ to beyond.
As this line intersects the x axis, it modulates the awareness this identity of the self yet again. It unleashes a sense of worthlessness in this contextual frame of relevance once the needs of the offspring and family have been settled. It marks the beginning of an inward journey that looks for a meaning within. Hence, it marks a negative deflection on the y axis of identity. Vanaprasthashram.
The first half of the downward wave shows a gradual tendency to being disillusioned with the relative identity. The identity looks for ‘self-actualisation’, the apex of Maslow’s motivational pyramid. The last upward surge of this curve represents a quest for an absolute identity- or, in other words, a search for the absolute. Sanyasashram. The absolute dispenses the outer and fixates on the inner. It does not require any extrinsic cognizing entity to be aware of itself. Cognizance, after all, is required for the sense of an identity
Its final intersection and merger with the x axis represents the stripping of all the identities and a realisation that all that remains is merely a sense of ‘amness’; the same ‘amness’ that life began with as a new-born.
The ‘peeling off’ of all the acquired identities after the outward former journey and the inner latter journey marks the end of all the excursions of identity. The end of the form as well as its identity is in reality, a merger with the infinite formless from where the form undertook this kaleidoscopic journey of assumed, imaginary identities.
Sunday, November 27, 2011
The hard facts of decision making
Life is all about decisions. From the moment we begin the day right until we retire, we are constantly faced with the dilemma of choosing. The plethora of options seem to make the task formidable. Sometimes gratification, other times responsibility and quite often a mere adherence to the routine. The vacillations of the mind do not simplify matters in any way. Very often, it compounds the dilemma . The mind after all is the naughty child within that quite often pushes us to the cookie jar to dip in just this one more time. It conjures all sorts of brilliant rationalism and justification for that moment. And this same devil later on unforgivingly assaults the conscience with strictures that dwarf the self-esteem. Life inevitably becomes a see saw that rocks between hedonism and virtue, pleasure and duty, between self castigation and achievement.
Most of the decisions that we make are fraught with short term implications. And the stakes are not very high as well. The indulgence may at the most add a few pounds, or harden the arteries a bit. Might just prepone the inevitable.. Albeit, the extra pounds could pass off as a testimony to being well ensconced in our career.
There are times when we are faced with crunch situations. The points that have the potential to alter the course of our lives. The stakes could be high not only personally but also for those in the immediate vicinity. As the stakes rise, so does the hesitation. The head and the heart seem to wrestle for supremacy. The left brain keeps a strict debit and credit account of every alternative. The right brain pops up with very intuitive suggestions. The ego cautions one about what “the others” will say. The maverick within recommends the absurd. Amidst this din and noise, the voice of the soul is totally hushed. Repeated attempts to evoke audibility makes it barely discernible..
This voice needs to be amplified. It is a high fidelity(hi-fi) source that metes out an optimised option. Fidel to our true nature and personalities. The voice within is the voice that blends the reality with the dream. It harmonises the internal and the external. It is a holistic mix of practicality and possibility. It often gets discounted by seemingly wiser considerations, but wisdom is always in retrospect. The prospective is always speculation.
The feeling of being in total control while make a decision is honestly an apparition. This is because our decisions are largely circumstance based. The circumstances are largely out of bound even for the most powerful and mighty. A decision is essentially a way out of the maze of circumstances. This maze is a construct that is unique in every situation. We certainly cannot position the maze as per our choice. The impact of the situational maze restricts our decision making to a very narrow bandwidth of exercising our choice. Free will is restricted to an excursion on this turf restricted by the circumstances . Priding ourselves about our achievements very often is a trespass of the uncontrolled domain by our egos. It certainly makes for a heady high, but we must realise that the high is not solely because of our head.
Most of the decisions that we make are fraught with short term implications. And the stakes are not very high as well. The indulgence may at the most add a few pounds, or harden the arteries a bit. Might just prepone the inevitable.. Albeit, the extra pounds could pass off as a testimony to being well ensconced in our career.
There are times when we are faced with crunch situations. The points that have the potential to alter the course of our lives. The stakes could be high not only personally but also for those in the immediate vicinity. As the stakes rise, so does the hesitation. The head and the heart seem to wrestle for supremacy. The left brain keeps a strict debit and credit account of every alternative. The right brain pops up with very intuitive suggestions. The ego cautions one about what “the others” will say. The maverick within recommends the absurd. Amidst this din and noise, the voice of the soul is totally hushed. Repeated attempts to evoke audibility makes it barely discernible..
This voice needs to be amplified. It is a high fidelity(hi-fi) source that metes out an optimised option. Fidel to our true nature and personalities. The voice within is the voice that blends the reality with the dream. It harmonises the internal and the external. It is a holistic mix of practicality and possibility. It often gets discounted by seemingly wiser considerations, but wisdom is always in retrospect. The prospective is always speculation.
The feeling of being in total control while make a decision is honestly an apparition. This is because our decisions are largely circumstance based. The circumstances are largely out of bound even for the most powerful and mighty. A decision is essentially a way out of the maze of circumstances. This maze is a construct that is unique in every situation. We certainly cannot position the maze as per our choice. The impact of the situational maze restricts our decision making to a very narrow bandwidth of exercising our choice. Free will is restricted to an excursion on this turf restricted by the circumstances . Priding ourselves about our achievements very often is a trespass of the uncontrolled domain by our egos. It certainly makes for a heady high, but we must realise that the high is not solely because of our head.
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Faith
Faith- An internal phenomenon
The existence of a fixed destiny has always been a source of speculation and fascination . The belief in the presence of an omniscient God who controls this destiny generates an environment of hope and the possibility of rewriting this indelible script. Factors that are beyond ones control contribute substantially to destiny . Faith, religious practices and spirituality serve as shock absorbers to negotiate the uncertainty and unpredictability in the journey of life. It is vital as a source of hope and optimism in trying times. Religion becomes a conduit between man and his faith- the tangible manifestation of the intangible. Faith modulates the internal rather than the external. Faith is fulcrum on which conviction and self-confidence are hoisted. This fulcrum can take any form. The objective is to derive mechanical advantage in accomplishing a task. Faith transforms the individual and not the environment. It lights up a lamp within to dispel darkness and gloom. The faith of an individual can hardly have any effect on this vast external universe, but it certainly is potent enough to transform the universe within. The external universe is largely a function of perception. Faith, effects a change in the perception rather than a change in environment or in the circumstances. Faith that is inherited as a legacy in the form of religious beliefs is a default setting. It is more a matter of conditioning and not necessarily founded on any elective choice. Such ritualistic faith can be a source of disharmony but that would be like arguing about the routes that have a common destination.
A new branch of research called Neurotheology attempts to provide a structural and neurobiological basis to faith, religious beliefs and spirituality. The SPECT images have brought scientists closer to investigating and documenting a transcendent experience. SPECT scanning of a subject in the midst of a prayer or whilst meditating lit up the prefrontal cortex- the seat of attention, situated in the frontal lobes lit up. More surprising was the inhibition or quietening of a bundle of neurons in the parietal lobe, situated near the top and back of the brain. This region, also called "orientation association area," processes information about space and time, and the orientation of the body in space. This area helps delineate the precise physical extent of the body .
The orientation area depends on sensory data to generate this sense of a discrete body. If the pathways carrying this sensory data are blocked, the brain is forced to perceive the self without any discrete limited existence. Deep faith and conviction modify cognition and induce harmony with the environment which mitigates apprehensions and fears. An ability to remain calm and unruffled in trying circumstances is very critical to work out a solution. Success is more often a matter of perseverance rather than performance. Faith and conviction in any benevolent power helps decrease the sense of helplessness and instil a positivity and emotional reinforcement . Meditation induces a state , where the individual self merges with the universe, leading to a so- called state of dissolution of discreteness and limited existence.
This emerging modality of Neurotheology suggests that irrespective of the object of faith and belief, the neural correlates and pathways for their perception are common across cultures, and across faiths. It underlines the fact that faith is generic. It is more an end and makes all arguments on the means superfluous.
Dr. Deepak M. Ranade.( The author is a consultant Neurosurgeon-deepakranade@hotmail.com)
The existence of a fixed destiny has always been a source of speculation and fascination . The belief in the presence of an omniscient God who controls this destiny generates an environment of hope and the possibility of rewriting this indelible script. Factors that are beyond ones control contribute substantially to destiny . Faith, religious practices and spirituality serve as shock absorbers to negotiate the uncertainty and unpredictability in the journey of life. It is vital as a source of hope and optimism in trying times. Religion becomes a conduit between man and his faith- the tangible manifestation of the intangible. Faith modulates the internal rather than the external. Faith is fulcrum on which conviction and self-confidence are hoisted. This fulcrum can take any form. The objective is to derive mechanical advantage in accomplishing a task. Faith transforms the individual and not the environment. It lights up a lamp within to dispel darkness and gloom. The faith of an individual can hardly have any effect on this vast external universe, but it certainly is potent enough to transform the universe within. The external universe is largely a function of perception. Faith, effects a change in the perception rather than a change in environment or in the circumstances. Faith that is inherited as a legacy in the form of religious beliefs is a default setting. It is more a matter of conditioning and not necessarily founded on any elective choice. Such ritualistic faith can be a source of disharmony but that would be like arguing about the routes that have a common destination.
A new branch of research called Neurotheology attempts to provide a structural and neurobiological basis to faith, religious beliefs and spirituality. The SPECT images have brought scientists closer to investigating and documenting a transcendent experience. SPECT scanning of a subject in the midst of a prayer or whilst meditating lit up the prefrontal cortex- the seat of attention, situated in the frontal lobes lit up. More surprising was the inhibition or quietening of a bundle of neurons in the parietal lobe, situated near the top and back of the brain. This region, also called "orientation association area," processes information about space and time, and the orientation of the body in space. This area helps delineate the precise physical extent of the body .
The orientation area depends on sensory data to generate this sense of a discrete body. If the pathways carrying this sensory data are blocked, the brain is forced to perceive the self without any discrete limited existence. Deep faith and conviction modify cognition and induce harmony with the environment which mitigates apprehensions and fears. An ability to remain calm and unruffled in trying circumstances is very critical to work out a solution. Success is more often a matter of perseverance rather than performance. Faith and conviction in any benevolent power helps decrease the sense of helplessness and instil a positivity and emotional reinforcement . Meditation induces a state , where the individual self merges with the universe, leading to a so- called state of dissolution of discreteness and limited existence.
This emerging modality of Neurotheology suggests that irrespective of the object of faith and belief, the neural correlates and pathways for their perception are common across cultures, and across faiths. It underlines the fact that faith is generic. It is more an end and makes all arguments on the means superfluous.
Dr. Deepak M. Ranade.( The author is a consultant Neurosurgeon-deepakranade@hotmail.com)
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