Scientist: decrease in brain activity increases awareness

[Monkey-man]

 i found this one worth to share, decrease in brain activity increases awareness by author of 'materialism is baloney' book. 

[Richard Alpert]

I dont have time to watch the video, but it makes perfect sense. I actually have that book in my home.

Psilocybin for example reduce blood flow to certain areas of brain. I suppose meditation does the same thing.

[Space]

Bernardo's work is great. Check out this video I just found on his YT channel: 

and an explanation for the video is here: http://www.bernardokastrup.com/2016/03/the-symbolic-big-bang.html

Edited January 26, 2018 by Space

[Leo Gura]

I have also seen research which shows that enlightenment / mystical states are functionally identical to what the brain does the the moment of physical death.

In rats, at the moment of their death, their alpha, theta, and gamma brainwaves all synchronize.

[Leo Gura]

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3761619/

It's a rather technical subject.

In humans, the synchronization of alpha, theta, and gamma waves produces the Buddhist state of mind called Rigpa -- knowledge of the Ground.

I've tried doing the synchronization. It's pretty nifty. A very peaceful state.

[Dodo]

17 hours ago, Monkey-man said:

 i found this one worth to share, decrease in brain activity increases awareness by author of 'materialism is baloney' book. 

Sold

[SpaceCowboy]

18 hours ago, Leo Gura said:

I have also seen research which shows that enlightenment / mystical states are functionally identical to what the brain does the the moment of physical death.

In rats, at the moment of their death, their alpha, theta, and gamma brainwaves all synchronize.

 I'm a little bit confused about this brain thing right now. On the one hand you said that there is actually no brain in one of your videos  ("Have you ever seen your brain"?) and on the other hand you engage in discussions about the interconnection between brain states and enlightenment. Can you please elaborate on that? I've also heard other people like Shinzen Young talking about certain consciousness work practices having an effect on the brain circuitry (e.g. "do nothing" or mindfulness meditation), consequently the brain supposedly plays a big part in creating our experience (this is what science says basically). Doesn't this statement imply that consciousness is an emergent byproduct of the brain? Other people say consciousness is fundamental and the brain/mind is a mere experience. As you have seen the absolute recently, please be so kind to shine a little light on this topic 

 

[SpaceCowboy]

@Outer  Thanks for your answer. But this still doens't explain the interplay between the brain, mind and consciousness. If consciousness is fundamental, why does it seem like we need a brain to experience reality? Can't consciousness just be conscious without a brain? Were you conscious before you were physically born? Not really, right? This could imply that indeed a brain is needed to generate (or maybe "tune in" to) consciousness.

[Leo Gura]

5 hours ago, SpaceCowboy said:

@Outer  Thanks for your answer. But this still doens't explain the interplay between the brain, mind and consciousness. If consciousness is fundamental, why does it seem like we need a brain to experience reality? Can't consciousness just be conscious without a brain? Were you conscious before you were physically born? Not really, right? This could imply that indeed a brain is needed to generate (or maybe "tune in" to) consciousness.

We are speaking about different levels of reality. In the same way that you can speak about a "cat" or a the molecules making up the cat. Both descriptions are describing the same thing, but from different levels.

From the ultimate level, there are no brains. But from the ordinary-life level, we speak of "brains" because it is convenient, in the same way that speaking of "cats" is convenient.

The interplay between brain, mind, and consciousness is infinitely complex. It's an utterly self-involved strange loop. You cannot separate these things out neatly.

What "the brain" really means is not a physical object inside of which reality is rendered, but an involution of consciousness which interplays with itself.

[Shanmugam]

6 hours ago, SpaceCowboy said:

@Outer  Thanks for your answer. But this still doens't explain the interplay between the brain, mind and consciousness. If consciousness is fundamental, why does it seem like we need a brain to experience reality? Can't consciousness just be conscious without a brain? Were you conscious before you were physically born? Not really, right? This could imply that indeed a brain is needed to generate (or maybe "tune in" to) consciousness.

Try this analogy...

The person A is looking himself in the mirror...

The person  A is consciousness... The mirror is the brain. The image in the mirror is everything that is observed by the consciousness, which includes the mind and the body..

When the person A looks in the mirror, his observation tells him that the image he is seeing is coming from the mirror. But in reality, it is not actually coming from the mirror but from the person A himself.

(don't take the analogy too literally though)

Edited January 27, 2018 by Shanmugam

[lmfao]

On 26/01/2018 at 9:50 PM, Leo Gura said:

I have also seen research which shows that enlightenment / mystical states are functionally identical to what the brain does the the moment of physical death.

In rats, at the moment of their death, their alpha, theta, and gamma brainwaves all synchronize.

Sadhguru claims that when doctors measured his brain waves they thought he was brain dead when he was, in his own words, simply "sitting still" with his eyes closed for 15-20 minutes or so. 

Edited March 16, 2019 by lmfao