Nonlocal Mind
“The
atom thus became a center of the dynamic field; and since it could not be
separated from the field, which pervaded the fields of other atoms, each atom
pervaded the whole universe.”
--
The Encyclopedia of Philosophy
“A
courageous scientific imagination [is] needed to realize fully that not the
behavior of bodies, but the behavior of something between them, that is, the
field, may be essential for ordering and understanding events.” – A. Einstein
& L. Infeld, The Evolution of Physics
“Although
we seem to be different individuals inhabiting separate bodies, we are
intimately connected with each other at some level of the mind. This image has
surfaced consistently throughout human history. It permeates the language of poets,
artists, and mystics, and has been repeatedly understood by spiritual adepts of
all the great religious traditions.
The
view that human consciousness is unified and connected, however, has largely been
considered heresy since science began its ascendancy three centuries ago. The
predominant belief holds that the mind is a product of the brain, and is
therefore confined to the body and to the here and now. This means that we are
limited by our senses, that we cannot possibly perceive or convey information
at great distances or outside the present moment. This point of view has become
dogma in our century…
But,
as Aldous Huxley once said, facts do not stop being facts because they are
ignored. And the evidence has never been greater that consciousness can act outside the brain and the
present, defying the constraints of space and time.
In
Miracles of Mind, Russell Targ and
Jane Karta provide compelling reasons why the limited view of consciousness
must give way to an expanded one in which the mind knows no bounds. Their
thesis, which is based both in empirical science and personal experience, is
that the mind is nonlocal – that is,
cannot be localized or confined to specific points in time, such as the present
moment. This means that in some sense our consciousness is infinite – soul-like and boundless, limitless and immortal.” –
Larry Dossey, Preface to Russell Targ & Jane Katra, Miracles of Mind: Exploring Nonlocal Consciousness and Spiritual
Healing
“In
this space-experience, the temporal sequence is converted into a simultaneous
co-existence, the side by side existence of things in a state of mutual
interpenetration, and this again does not remain static but becomes a living
continuum, in which time and space are integrated.” – Lama Govinda, Foundations of Tibetan Mysticism
“We
work with being, but non-being is what we use.” – Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching
“If
the mind stops, the enemy appears; if the mind remains fluid, no enemy exists.”
– Yamaoka Tesshu, The Sword of No-Sword
“The
Master observes the world but trusts her inner vision. She allows things to
come and go. Her heart is open as the sky.” – Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching
“Whither
shall I flee from thy spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I
ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold thou
art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts
of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold
me. If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me, even the night shall be light
about me.” – Psalm 139: 7 – 11
Body
Q
– What is this body?
A
– “Our lives are a part of the universal ki enclosed in the flesh of our
bodies. Though we say that this is ‘I’… it is actually the ki of the universal.
Even though that ki is confined in flesh, it is in conflux with and active as a
part of the universal.” – Sensei Koichi Tohei, Ki in Daily Life
A
– “Man has no body distinct from his Soul: for that called Body is a portion of
soul discerned by the five senses, the chief inlets of Soul in this age.” –
William Blake
A
– “The body radiates several forms of energy that can be measured by the
instruments of Western science… Each of us is surrounded by an aura, if you
will, of radiant heat; this heat may be perceived several inches from the skin
by a sensitive hand, and from much greater distances by thermister and infrared
sensors. We are surrounded by what anthropologist Edward T. Hall terms an
‘olfactory bubble;’ individuals of some cultures…feel uncomfortable when
talking to someone they can’t smell. There is also an electromagnetic field,
associated with the pulsing of the heart, in and around the body; highly
sensitive instruments have measured this field at a distance of several inches.
In addition, the body is surrounded by a cloud of ionized sweat that can be
measured by electrostatic indicators. We might also bear in mind that we trail
a cloud of warmed air, water vapor, carbon dioxide, bacteria, and viruses from
our breathing, and that all this material, which has circulated through a most
intimate cavity within our bodies, is very rapidly intermingled with that of
all the others who share our breathing space.
All
in all, we are not nearly so separate and skin-encapsulated as we are generally
led to believe. In the 1930’s, psychologist Kurt Lewin theorized that people
exist within a psychological ‘life space’ and that they interact with the
outside world by means of this permeable and malleable field rather than by
direct contact. It becomes clear after only a moment’s thought that we are by
no means imprisoned within our skins. Our interactions with the world are
multiple and various. That we exist as intermingling fields, that we possess
many ways of sensing one another at a distance, is not really remarkable.” –
Michael Murphy, The Future of the Body:
Explorations Into the Further Evolution of Human Nature, quoting George
Leonard, The Ultimate Athlete
Real-I-Zation
“Normal
reality is like a spell… The problem arises when you can make the spell but not
break it.” – Deepak Chopra, Quantum
Healing
Q
– Why do we not see, not comprehend nonlocal time/space?
A
– Because of “defects,” knots, contortions. The Sanskrit term is dosha: “a
defect, something clouding or impeding or spoiling the existence or proper
functioning of a thing. In spiritual matters, doshas are states such as anger,
hatred, unwillingness to share, absence of meditation, and above all Ignorance
– feeling the Self as imprisoned and of special qualities. They [doshas] are
based on false notions.” – Trevor Leggett, The
Chapter of the Self
Q
– How does one comprehend, realize, nonlocal time/space?
A
– “Be still, and know that I am God.” – Psalm 46:10
A
– “…establishing the center of the universe, [and] also his own center; he so
‘expands’ that the six directions of space are actually brought within himself.
It is by this ‘expansion’ that a man ceases to be a part, a fragment, and
becomes whole or holy; he shatters the illusion of separateness.” – Black Elk
A
– “Freedom from anger, freedom from thrill, non-irritation, freedom from greed,
being without delusion or self-display or spite, truth-speaking, moderate diet,
no back-biting, freedom from jealousy, sharing with others, giving up,
straightforwardness, gentleness, calm, control, the yoga which has no conflict
with any being, nobility, kindness, contentment -- these apply to all stages of
life. Practicing them in the approved way, one becomes all pervading.” – Trevor
Leggett, The Chapter of the Self
A
– “Thou will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee.” – Isaiah
26:3
A
– “Shankara’s reply is that it is just this conviction ‘I am so-and-so, and now
I will do this’ which is the cause of imprisonment in a body. If [you] want
freedom…give up this conviction and feel ‘I am the universal spirit.’” – Trevor
Leggett, The Chapter of the Self
Q
– What happens when we do realize?
A
– “If you don’t realize the source, you stumble in confusion and sorrow. When
you realize where you come from, you naturally become tolerant, disinterested,
amused, kindhearted as a grandmother, dignified as a king. Immersed in the
wonder of the Tao, you can deal with whatever life brings you.” – Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching
Q
– Shouldn’t I rush around, create a
great commotion, let people know I’m here, leave my mark in history/herstory?
Isn’t this my duty, the supreme aspiration, to BE somebody?
A
– “The heavy is the root of the light. The unmoved is the source of all
movement. Thus the Master travels all day without leaving home. However
splendid the views, she stays serenely in herself. Why should the lord of the
country flit about like a fool? If you let yourself be blown to and fro, you
lose touch with your root. If you let restlessness move you, you lose touch
with who you are.” – Lao Tzu, Tao Te
Ching
Q
– But won’t I be a wuss, a weak nothing, if I, as a particulate, allow my going
“gentle into that good night?” Must I not “rage, rage against the dying of the
light?”
A
– “He who is harmony with the Tao is like a newborn child. Its bones are soft ,
its muscles are weak, but its grip is powerful. It doesn’t know about the union
of male and female, yet its penis can stand erect, so intense is its vital
power. It can scream its head off all day, yet it never becomes hoarse, so
complete is its harmony.” – Lao Tzu, Tao
Te Ching
Q
– You mean let go of the particulate and open to the universal? What about my
fear?
A
– “The best defense is complete vulnerability.” – Samurai maxim
A
– “There is no greater illusion than fear, no greater wrong than preparing to
defend yourself, no greater misfortune than having an enemy. Whoever can see
through all fear will always be safe.” – Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching
A
– “And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? How is it that ye have no
faith?” – Jesus, Mark 4:40
Hara (Center)
“When
a person possesses a fully developed Hara s/he has the strength and precision
to perform actions which otherwise s/he could never achieve even with the most
perfected technique, the closest attention or the strongest willpower. Only
what is done with the Hara succeeds completely.” – Karlfried Durckheim, Hara: The Vital Center of Man
“Keep
One-Point. To keep One-Point means to coordinate your mind and body by settling
your mind at a single point in the lower abdomen. ‘Ningen banji wa hara da’ means that everything depends on whether
one has the guts for it or not. From ancient times, the importance of settling
one’s mind at the ‘Seika Tanden,’ an area below the navel, was emphasized.” –
Sensei Koichi Tohei, Ki No Shu Ren Ho:
How To Develop Ki
“Keep
your mind on the center and do not waver.” – Miyamoto Musashi, The Book of Five Rings
“The
universe condensed becomes myself. This in turn condensed becomes the one point
which is the center of the universe. The one point is not really a tangible
point, but the point which infinitely condensed never becomes zero but becomes
one with the universe. While standing if you relax your whole body, your weight
will naturally settle in your lower abdomen. The one point is the center of
your lower abdomen about 2 inches below the navel. – Sensei Koichi Tohei, Ki No To Itsu Ho: How To Unify Ki
Die Before You Die
“I
am being pushed out from how I have related to people, out to stand up on my
own, being primarily related to God. I cry. I am sad to leave. Nothing will be
the same. I have to go through now,
out through arms, out of some belly or loins, out into the open where there are
no negotiations or deals with people – just standing on my own like a tree…” –
Ellen Anthony, Somebody Has To Die
“The
disciple simply burns his boats and goes ahead. He is called out, and has to
forsake his old life in order that he may ‘exist’ in the strictest sense of the
word. The old life is left behind and completely surrendered.” – Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship
“Die
every morning. Think of yourself as already dead every morning. Every day, in
the morning, in a tranquil frame of mind, think of yourself as already dead
without fail, cogitating upon a variety of forms of death, picturing your last
moments…and suddenly dropping dead…Once ‘dead,’ one’s energy and attention are
set free to pass directly to the fulfillment of your purpose, beyond any
necessity of worrying about the proper course of action…
Contrary
to the western idea, a man who lives ‘as one already dead’ is not a dead corpse;
he is a man who is free from all tenseness, strain, and fear.” – Yamamoto
Tsunetomo, The Hagakure: A Code to the
Way of the Samurai
“You
asked for a remedy, that your problems might be cured. You do not need to be
cured, you need to be slain. Quit looking for remedy and let death come. This
is the only way to deal with self…Uncover everything in simplicity and holiness
(wholeness) and then allow yourself to die. – Fenelon, Let Go!
