becoming a sphere of confluence

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!