March - April 2020
bi-monthly New Age Magazine
Volume : 11
Issue : 2
Spiritual Science INDIAN FEDERATION OF SPIRITUAL SCIENTISTS
Cover Page : Ken Wilber
CONTENTS
Brahmarshi Patriji CHAIRMAN .. IFSS
Padmasri D.R. Kaarthikeyan CHIEF ADVISER .. IFSS
S.K. Rajan
M. Swarnalatha
VICE CHAIRMAN - IFSS
SECRETARY GENERAL - IFSS
Spiritual Science Trustees - IFSS
D.L.N. Shastri
Dr. P.S. Gopala Krishna
NEW DELHI
MUMBAI
Ken Wilber
www.integralworld.net
2
Ever-Present Awareness
Ken Wilber
4
Going Inside
Joseph Goldstein
6
God is the Breath of Life
Will Johnson
8
Science of Soul
Brahmarshi Patriji
11
Fasting the Mind
Jason Gregory
13
Anatomy of Your Vital..
Debra Greene
18
Understanding the Power.. Kayt Sukel
22
Work as joy..
24
Dr II Will M. Tuttle
The Spiritual Science Magazine Edit Team
small
i
represents the individual who identifies with his personality “ Body Mind ”.. and the big I
K. Venu Gopal Reddy Concepts
Dr. P.V. Sarma Editor
D. Srujana Reddy Design
IFSS National Co-ordinators
represents the individual who identifies himself
/
herself
with
his
/
her
“ Eternal Soul ”. The small i and the big I .. in togetherness .. represent harmonizing of the personal Body - Mind identity with the Eternal Soul
A.V. Sai Kumar Reddy Dr. Sangeeta Nehra HYDERABAD
PANCHKULA, (HARYANA)
G. Sathya Rajasekhar
identity.
BENGALURU
SPIRITUAL SCIENCE
Indian Federation of Spiritual Scientists (IFSS)
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Spiritual Science - March - April 2020
mob : +91 80 3272 3143 / 81470 93627 / 81470 93623 pg
1
“ Ken Wilber ” Ken Wilber was born in the year 1949 in
representative of transpersonal psychology,
Oklahoma City. Wilber lived in many places
which emerged in the sixties from humanistic
during his school years, due to his father
psychology, and which concerns itself
being in the Air Force. He completed high
explicitly with spirituality. For the
school in Bellevue, Nebraska, and started
fundamental and pioneering nature of his
medicine at Duke University.
insights, he has been called “ Einstein of
However, during his first year he lost all
Consciousness Research ”.
interest in pursuing a career in science, and started to read in psychology and philosophy, both West and East. He went back to Nebraska to study biochemistry, but after a few years dropped out of the academic world (with a major in biochemistry) to devote all his time to studying
his own curriculum and writing books.
Wilber’s debut, “ The Spectrum of Consciousness (1977) ” established his reputation as an original thinker, who seeks to
integrate
Western
and
Eastern
psychology. “ No Boundary (1979) ”, which summarizes this work, is one of his most popular books. His core works “ The Atman Project (1980) ” and “ Up from Eden (1981) ”
With 22 books on spirituality and
cover the territories of developmental
science, and translations in more than 25
psychology and cultural history respectively.
countries, Wilber is now the most translated writer on consciousness studies in the United States. He is seen as an important pg
2
Wilber
is
an
internationally
acknowledged leader, founder of Integral Institute, and co-founder of Integral Life. Spiritual Science - March - April 2020
Wilber is the originator of the world’s
“ Theory of Everything ” that helps to enrich
first truly comprehensive or integrative
and deepen every field through an
philosophy, aptly named “ Integral Theory. ”
understanding of exactly how and where
As Wilber himself puts it: “ I’d like to think
each one fits in relation to all the others. In short, the Integral Approach is the
of it as one of the first believable world philosophies ” .. something that is becoming increasingly
coherent organization, coordination, and
necessary in order to navigate and thrive in
harmonization of all of the relevant practices,
today’s world.
methodologies, and experiences available to
Incorporating
cultural
studies,
anthropology, systems theory, developmental psychology, biology, and spirituality, Integral Theory has been applied in fields as diverse as ecology, sustainability,
human beings. Through the Integral approach, we reveal the previously unseen possibilities
Wilber explains the need for an Integral Approach in the following way:
a
better,
more
compassionate and more sustainable future for all of us.
psychotherapy, psychiatry, education, business, medicine, politics, sports, and art.
for
Wilber is also the founder of the “ Integral Institute ”, which is the first organization fully dedicated to advancement and application of the Integral Approach in relation to contemporary global issues. It was
In our current post-modern world, we
formed in collaboration with over 200
possess an abundance of methodologies and
scholars and experts, specializing in
practices belonging to a multitude of fields
education, politics, business, medicine,
and knowledge traditions. What is utterly
psychology, spirituality, as well as, law and
lacking however, is a coherent organization,
criminal justice.
and coordination of all these various
In the year 2007 Wilber co-founded
practices, as well as their respective data-sets.
“ Integral Life ”, a social media-hub dedicated to sharing the integral vision with the world wide community, as well as documenting and catalyzing the progress of the integral
What is needed is an approach that moves beyond this indiscriminate eclecticpluralism, to an “ Integral Methodological Pluralism ” .. driving toward a genuine
movement.
Source : www.integralworld.net .. www.integrallife.com
Spiritual Science - March - April 2020
pg
3
Ken Wilber
“ Ever-Present Awareness ” This primordial recognition of One Taste
In that simple witnessing awareness,
.. not the creation but the recognition of the
you might notice:
fact that you and the Cosmos are One Spirit
“ I am aware of my body, and therefore I am not just my body; ”
.. One Taste .. One Gesture is the great gift of the Non-dual traditions. And in simplified form, this recognition goes like this: We begin with the realization that the pure “ Self ” or “ Transpersonal Witness ” is an ever-present consciousness, even when we doubt its existence. You are right now aware of, say, this book .. the room .. a
“ I am aware of my mind, and therefore I am not just my mind; ” “ I am aware of myself, and therefore I am not just that self; ” “ Rather, I seem somehow to be the Witness of my body, my mind, myself. ”
mind, and when you notice them, you are
This is truly fascinating. I can see my thoughts, so I am not those thoughts. I am aware of bodily sensations, so I am not those sensations. I am aware of my emotions, so I am not merely those emotions. I am somehow the Witness of all of that!
effortlessly aware of them. There is a simple,
window .. the sky .. the cloud .. you can sit back and simply notice that you are aware of all those objects floating by. Clouds float through the sky, thoughts float through the
effortless, spontaneous witnessing of whatever happens to be present. pg
4
But what is this Witness itself? Who or What is it that witnesses all of these objects, Spiritual Science - March - April 2020
that watches the clouds float by, and
order to attain this enlightened mind ..
thoughts float by, and objects float by? Who
whereas it is simply their own ever-present
or What is this true Seer, this pure Witness,
witnessing awareness, fully functioning right
which is at the very core of what I am?
now.
That simple witnessing awareness, the traditions maintain, is “ Spirit Itself ” .. is the enlightened mind itself .. is Buddha-nature itself .. is “ God Itself ” .. in its entirety. Thus, according to the traditions, getting in touch with Spirit or God or the enlightened
In other words, the ultimate reality is not something seen, but rather the ever-present Seer. Things that are seen come and go are: happy or sad, pleasant or painful, but the Seer is none of those things, and it does not come and go.
mind is not something difficult to achieve. It
The Witness does not waver, does not
is your own simple witnessing awareness in
wobble, does not enter that stream of time.
exactly this moment. If you see this page, you already have that awareness .. all of it ..
The Witness is not an object, not a thing seen,
right now. A very famous text from Dzogchen or Maha-Ati Buddhism (one of the very greatest
but the ever-present Seer of all things, the simple Witness that is the ‘ I ’ of Spirit .. the Center of the cyclone .. the Opening that is God .. the Clearing that is pure Emptiness.
of the Nondual traditions) puts it like this:
“ At times it happens that some meditators say
There is never a time that you do not
that it is difficult to recognize the nature of the mind ” .. in Dzogchen, “ the nature of the mind ”
have access to this Witnessing Awareness.
means primordial Purity or radical emptiness .. it means non-dual Spirit by
spontaneous awareness of whatever happens to be present .. and that simple, spontaneous,
whatever name. The point is that this “ nature
effortless awareness is ever-present Spirit
of the mind ” is ever-present witnessing
itself. Even if you think you don’t see it, that
awareness, and some meditators, find this
very awareness is it.
At every single moment, there is a
hard to believe. They imagine it is difficult or even impossible to recognize this everpresent awareness, and that they have to work very hard and meditate very long in
And thus, the ultimate state of consciousness .. intrinsic Spirit itself .. is not hard to reach but impossible to avoid.
Source : www.integralworld.net Spiritual Science - March - April 2020
pg
5
Joseph Goldstein
““ Going Going Inside” Inside” “ Establish a Regular, Daily Meditation Practice ” Joseph Goldstein has been leading insight and lovingkindness meditation retreats worldwide since the year 1974. After studying philosophy as an undergraduate at Columbia University, Joseph Goldstein joined the Peace Corps in the year 1965 to spend two years in Thailand; it was there that he took an interest in Buddhism and began to explore meditation practice. . In the year 1976, with Sharon Salzberg and Jack Kornfield, Goldstein cofounded the “ Insight Meditation Society (IMS) ”, in Barre, Massachusetts. IMS is now one of the largest and most influential Buddhist meditation retreat centers in the West. A few excerpts from his book “ A Heart Full of Peace ” edit-team
In our busy lives in this complex and
Regularity of practice is what effects a
often confusing world, what practical steps
transformation. If we do it, it begins to
can we take to train our minds?
happen; if we don’t do it, we continue acting
The first step is to establish a regular, daily meditation practice. This takes
out the various patterns of our conditioning.
discipline. The second step is to train ourselves in It’s not always easy to set aside time each day for meditation; so many other things call to us. But as with any training, if we practice regularly we begin to enjoy the fruits. Of course, not every sitting will be concentrated. Sometimes we’ll be feeling bored or restless.
staying mindful and aware of the body throughout the day. As we go through our daily activities, we frequently get lost in thoughts of past and future, not staying grounded in the awareness of our bodies.
These are the inevitable ups and downs of
For simple, useful feedback when we’re
practice. It’s the commitment and regularity
lost in thought, we can use the very common
of practice that is important, not how any one
feeling of rushing. Rushing is a feeling of
sitting feels.
toppling forward. Our minds run ahead of
This training will only happen through your own effort. No one can do it for you. pg
6
us, focusing on where we want to go, instead of settling into our bodies where we are. Spiritual Science - March - April 2020
Learn to pay attention to this feeling of rushing .. which does not particularly have to do with how fast we are going. We can
Retreat time is not a luxury. If we are
feel rushed while moving slowly, and we can
genuinely and deeply committed to awakening, to freedom .. to whatever words
be moving quickly and still be settled in our
express the highest value you hold .. a retreat
bodies.
is an essential part of the path.
The feeling of rushing simply reminds
We need to create a rhythm in our lives,
us that we’re not present. If you can, notice
establishing a balance between times when
what thought or emotion has captured the
we are engaged, active, and relating in the
attention. Then, just for a moment, stop and
world and times when we turn inward.
settle back into the body: feel the foot on the
Pascal, the French philosopher and
ground, feel the next step.
mathematician, very aptly noted, “ Most of
The Buddha made a very powerful
the problems in the world would be solved if people spent time sitting quietly in their room. ”
statement about this practice: “ Mindfulness
At first this “ going inside ” could be for a
of the body leads to nirvana. ” This is not a
day, a weekend, or for ten days. At our
superficial practice. Mindfulness of body keeps us present .. and therefore, we know
meditation center we offer a three-month
what’s going on. The practice is difficult to remember, but not difficult to do. It’s all in the training: sitting regularly and being mindful of the body during the day. To develop deeper concentration and mindfulness, to be more present in our bodies, and to have a skillful relationship with thoughts and emotions, we need not only daily training, but also time for retreat. It’s very helpful, at times, to disengage from the busyness of our lives, for intensive spiritual practice.
retreat every year; and at the new Forest Refuge, people have come for as long as a year. In the Tibetan tradition, there are threeyear retreats. We can do whatever feels appropriate and possible to find some balanced rhythm between our lives in the world and the inner silence of a retreat. In this way we develop concentration and mindfulness on deeper and deeper levels, which then makes it possible to be in the world in a more loving and compassionate way.
material excerpted from the book " A Heart Full of Peace " by Goldstein (Wisdom Publications)
Spiritual Science - March - April 2020
pg
7
Will Johnson
“ God is the Breath of Life ” “ God is what happens to you when you submit to your breath. ” Will Johnson has been a Buddist practitioner since the year 1972 and a Certified Rolfer since the year 1976. He is the Director of the Institute for “ Embodiment Training ” and teaches a deeply body-oriented approch to sitting meditation at Buddist centers around the world. He is the author of a number of books, including “ Breathing as Spiritual Practice ” , “ Breathing through Whole Body ”, “ The Spiritual Practices of Rumi ”, “ Eyes Wide Open ”, and “ Cannabis in Spiritual Practice ”. He lives in Costa Rica. A few excerpts from his book “ Breathing as Spiritual Practice ”. edit-team
Several years ago, while surveying the participants at a Buddhist Meditation Retreat I was teaching in Victoria, British Columbia, I became aware of something that struck me as unusual. In addition to what I playfully refer to
number of people from the Christian Contemplative Movement in attendance. This was new for me, and I found the presence of this group .. and the suggestion of an intersection between belief and direct experience .. both intriguing and
as “ the usual Buddhist suspects ” who regularly attend my retreats .. largely middle-class,
exhilarating, if a bit puzzling at first.
educated, big-hearted folks, most of whom
understand that these folks, deeply and
had been raised as Christian, Muslim, or Jew but had left the fold of the religion of their
traditionally Christian in their faith and outlook, were .. much like their Buddhist
birth to probe the interior space of their
brothers and sisters .. exploring breath as
bodies and minds through Buddhist Meditational Practices .. there were also a
their primary vehicle for coming closer to a
pg
8
Over the course of the retreat I came to
direct experience of what they used the word Spiritual Science - March - April 2020
‘ God ’ to represent. Still very much drawn
richer, and frankly far more satisfying, than
to the story and teachings of Christ, they had
the more conventional condition of
apparently become dissatisfied with faith
consciousness .. primarily lost in thought and
and belief alone and wanted to experience
unaware of bodily presence and the cyclic
God in a more visceral, direct way, and they
motions of breath .. that passes as normal in
spoke of how becoming more acutely aware
the world at large and from where I began
of the eternal cycle of breath created in them
my inquiry so many decades ago.
glimmerings
of
the
I’ve
palpable, felt presence of
mostly
used
terms like the Great Wide
God.
Open .. the ground of
I very much enjoyed
being, the source of all
the participation of these
things .. to describe the
people, and by the end of
transformation that would
the retreat, I’d befriended
occur. I have even, on
an Anglican minister
occasion,
among them. A few weeks
through such statements
I went to visit him, and coffee
at
as, “ The Great Wide Open is
a
what happens to you when
neighborhood shop, we dove into a fascinating conversation about the connection between ‘ God ’ and ‘ Breath ’. “ God is the breath of life ” he would say “ God is what happens to you when you submit to your breath. ” Becoming aware of the breath, and then surrendering to its impulse, the primal urgency to breathe, has always led me into a dimension of experience that feels so much Spiritual Science - March - April 2020
his
words almost exactly
after the retreat ended, over
echoed
you surrender completely to your breath. ” As we continued our conversation, I thought back to a passage from “ Book of Genesis (2:7) ” that had always fascinated me as a child: “ And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being. ”
pg
9
‘ Dust ’ and ‘ Breath ’. I remember as a
that the door to their cage has actually always
child pondering the relationship between
been open. If the winds of breath, the agent
these two qualities that couldn’t be more
of the healing power of God, might have the
different from each other: the one visible and
power literally to blow away the pain and
concrete, the other invisible and formless.
suffering we so often feel in our body, our
Although we’re made from the elements of
mind, our emotions, why not surrender to
Earth, we’re also clearly different from the
its highest potential?
dust and particles of our planet and solar To engage the practice of Breathing God,
system. Life comes from somewhere, and the explanation that God blew that life into us has always held a good deal of appeal to me, and this was especially true once I’d experienced in the world of Buddhist meditation how the initial awareness of the
we first have to become aware of the breath, and even though breath is with us every moment of our lives, we take it so for granted that we’re rarely ever aware of its constant, cyclical phases of breathing in, breathing out. Could not the same be said of God, who’s
breath and the subsequent surrender to it can
with us every moment of our lives, but whom
slowly, but radically, alter consciousness
we take so for granted and whose presence
over time in a way that leaves me feeling so
we’re so rarely ever aware of?
refreshed as to feel reborn. We’re like caged animals who’ve been kept captive for so long that they’ve forgotten
Becoming aware of the breath is to begin the journey back to becoming aware of the presence of God.
material excerpted from the book “ Breathing as Spiritual Practice ” by Will Johnosn .. published by Inner Traditions .. grateful acknowledgments .. edit-team
pg 10
Spiritual Science - March - April 2020
Brahmarshi Patriji
Basis of Spirituality is “ Soul Science ”
Basis of all Religions is “ Spirituality ”
Basis of Meditation is “ Being one with the Breath ”
Basis of Soul Science is “ Meditation ”
“ breath-energy ” BREATH is our life.
There is no life without BREATH. BREATH-ENERGY is the supreme energy.
But, how to know the BREATH-ENERGY ? How to feel its greatness ? The way is to become one with the essence of the BREATH. “ easy, soft breath ” To experience BREATH-ENERGY, we have
Everyone requires this energy .. like plants, trees, animals, birds, humans .. all
to be with the BREATH. But how ? Here is the
require this energy. This BREATH-ENERGY is,
methodology : Don’t take ‘ long ’ or ‘ short ’
however, more spiritually essential for the
BREATH. Keep only to natural, normal, soft
humans.
and easy BREATH.
Spiritual Science - March - April 2020
pg 11
When we become one with this natural and easy BREATH, automatically our mind
This whole subject is called as “ SOUL SCIENCE ”.
becomes empty. When the mind becomes
“ spirituality ”
empty, we get abundant cosmic energy. Soon, something called as the ‘ third-eye ’ gets activated, activating our SOUL POTENTIAL. “ science of meditation ” Similar to our two physical eyes, we also have a ‘ third-eye ’ and like our physical body, we also have an ‘ astral body ’. All this is understood only through BREATH. When we regularly place our attention on BREATH, it is called ‘ meditation ’. And with more and more practice of meditation, we understand the total scope of the SCIENCE OF
Through BREATH we understand “ dhyana shastra ” and through “ dhyana shastra ” alone we understand “ atma shastra ”. Only after having a firm grasp of “ SOUL SCIENCE ” can we begin to understand how
to speak, how to eat .. how to feel, how to touch, how to walk .. in fact each and every point of our life, one by one. This is nothing but “ Enlightenment ” .. also called “ Spirituality ”. “ religion ” “ RELIGION ” means “ re-ligate ” .. that is
MEDITATION.
“ soul science ”
to “ re-unite ” . Now, we understand the magnificence of all religions. Now, we
Through MEDITATION we can see our
become one with all the world’s religions.
past and future. Knowing our past .. we come
Every religion has been based upon the same
to understand that we have changed many
truth of “ SOUL SCIENCE ”.
bodies and passed through many varied experiences. Finally, we realize that we are not body .. We are Soul. “ Ayamatma Brahma ” .. “ Aham Brahmasmi ” .. “ Tatwamasi ”. That means we begin to understand concepts like “ We are Everything ” .. “ We are Eternal ” etc., etc.
pg 12
With SOUL EXPERIENCE, we understand that we don’t have any limitations or any type of boundaries. To experience our SOUL-HOOD, we have to become one with our BREATH-HOOD. That’s the absolute central point.
Spiritual Science - March - April 2020
Jason Gregory
“ Fasting the Mind ” Jason Gregory is an author, philosopher, and spiritual teacher specializing in Eastern and Western philosophy, comparative religion, psychology, cognitive science, metaphysics, and ancient cultures. Jason is the author of “ Effortless Living ” , “ Fasting the Mind ”, “ Enlightenment Now ”, and “ The Science and Practice of Humility ”. For many years Jason has lived in Asia studying the spiritual traditions and meditative practices of Buddhism, Hinduism, and Taoism, visiting some of the most remote places in the world. For over a decade Jason has been teaching the philosophy of the East and their meditative practices, expounding the benefits of their importance in the modern world and, as a result, how they will transform our lives to live more optimally and peacefully. Jason travels worldwide lecturing about the East, its science of mind, and the methods and practices that define the East, and how its philosophy is a cure not only for the individual’s mind but also for the cultural, social, and religious problems in the world today. A few excerpts from his book “ Fasting the Mind ”. edit-team
The epidemic of our times is not a war on terror or a war among nations and religions, nor is it any conflict between opposites that we can conceive of.
truth is that you have waged war upon yourself. We are not even conscious of this fact because we are asleep at the wheel of our
It is a war so subtle that we are not even
own life. We often play the victim card, as if
conscious of the battle being waged. It is a
the world is against us. In truth this mentality
psychological war: a war against our mind,
eclipses the real problem, which is that you are against yourself .. not intentionally, but
a war on consciousness. But this war is not being waged upon us from the outside world .. at least not entirely so. The deep-down
Spiritual Science - March - April 2020
rather due to your inability to be your true and authentic self. pg 13
This true and authentic self should not
Buddha discovered that when we try to
be confused with who you think you are as
cling to our passing experiences, whether
a personality. On the contrary, to be your
pleasurable or painful, we suffer.
true self means to reside in that deep place within your mind and heart where thoughts, feelings, and emotions are observed as temporary phenomena, like rising and crashing waves of the great ocean of consciousness.
Armenian mystic George Ivanovich Gurdjieff had an interesting perspective and meditation on this matter of suffering: “ The sole means now for the saving of the
We lose consciousness of our true Self ( Atman/Purusha ) when we begin to believe we
are the waves ( personality ) rather than the ocean ( Brahman ).
beings of the planet Earth would be to implant again into their presences a new organ .. of such properties that every one of these unfortunates during the process of existence should constantly sense and be cognizant of the inevitability of his own death as well as the death of everyone upon
The war we wage upon ourselves is from
whom his eyes or attention rests. Only such a
riding these waves of thoughts, feelings, and
sensation and such a cognizance can now destroy
emotions, and ultimately the notion of
the egoism completely crystallized in them. ”
separation. We believe these waves that we ride are permanent and lasting. Actually
This is not to be thought of fatalistically.
thoughts, feelings, and emotions are not
The real intention behind Gurdjieff’s words
really the problem because they are what
is to liberate you from the impermanence of
color the world, making it beautiful or
life and the illusion of this permanent ego,
dramatic, bringing inspiration into the world
which you believe you are and which
when they are recognized in their truest
supposedly suffers from the impermanent
context.
roller coaster of life.
So the real problem exists when we
People believe they are this “ I, ” “ me, ”
begin to identify with our thoughts, feelings,
“ mine, ” and so on. As a result we become
and emotions as if they are permanent and
excessively self-interested. We try to sustain
something that we can hold on to. We suffer
and maintain this permanent sense of “ I, ”
as a result of this process. This suffering was
which in truth changes like the wind from
one of the key aspects of human life that
moment to moment, with no permanent
Gautama the Buddha realized.
state.
pg 14
Spiritual Science - March - April 2020
or trickery. It is actually a natural away of
Many people believe they are in control
life that we must come back into resonance
of their lives, believing they are this
with. This is much easier said than done,
permanent EGO, containing all the dramas
because it requires discipline to resist what
playing out within their thoughts, feelings,
stimulates us. None of these problems are
and emotions. As this tendency becomes
new; we’ve had them since the dawn of
stronger and stronger in our modern world,
human civilization.
we see an exponential increase in mental health issues and psychological diseases.
And, they were more recognizable in ancient times because the world was not as
The medical industry doesn’t seem to
complex as it is today. This simplicity in
have any sort of cure for these problems other
ancient times is what allowed a cure for our
than medication like antidepressants, which
mind and all of its acquired issues to arise.
only suppress the symptoms without
The ancient ultimate cure was born in the
addressing the root of the problem. As a
East, and it is a method of discipline and
result of how we orient ourselves towards
practice that we fear in our modern world.
the world, we believe the cure is something we acquire from the outside world. We need to reorient our attention to where the cure really is. You possess the cure within yourself. But it is not some form of magic, hypnosis,
Spiritual Science - March - April 2020
The method and practice born in the East is known as mind-fasting or fasting the mind. Mind-fasting directly impacts the habits and tendencies of our subconscious, which in turn affects our lifestyle.
pg 15
Mind-fasting put people’s anxieties at
self-interested, all of which lead to the
ease back in those ancient times so they
psychological bad habits that drive our
could see with clarity the way forward, not
suffering, including our diets. The great
only individually, but also collectively. This
sages of the East, then, were not concerned
is why this ancient method of healing is
with fasting the body; instead they were
imperative for us to rediscover in our
concerned with fasting the mind.
modern era.
In ancient times, and some what still in
Mind-fasting has a direct impact on the root cause of all our suffering.
the modren era, when a physician would
Fasting the mind is the process of
examine a sick individual and realize that
eliminating all the content that stimulates
their lifestyle chocies were leading to bad
our mind and refraining from the habit of
eating habits centered around momentary
trying to stimulate it out of fear of boredom.
pleasures, they would offer the radical prescription of physically fasting the body so that all of the internal organs could finally be given the time to rest and repair from the damage done by such excess.
The sage’s secret is that if we can starve the mind .. fast the mind .. then we will begin to feel a state of equanimity that is not dependent on excessive stimulation. By dealing with our boredom through fasting
and we begin to correct our bad eating habits.
the mind we begin to feel that sense of unity within .. the Atman and Purusha .. which the
As a result we cultivate new, healthy habits
agitation of boredom eclipses. Fasting the
that contribute to well-being and longevity.
mind means we don’t respond to any
And so we change a part of our lifestyle, but
sensations like boredom.
Fasting the body helps it repair itself,
only a part.
The great sages of the East realized that.
Fasting the mind is the ultimate cure to
They understood that fasting the body is
suffering because, as with fasting the body,
great and can have a wonderful effect on our
we have given the mind time to truly relax
mind and life. But bodily fasting in no way
from any sort of stimulation so it can repair
ceases the mind’s excessive need to do, to
itself and come back into equilibrium. In
achieve, to strive, and to be a person who is
fasting the mind we come back to our
pg 16
Spiritual Science - March - April 2020
original true nature, not as individual
If you don’t take fasting the mind
persons, but instead as the entire universe
seriously you will continue to distract your
as it exists deep within Atman and Purusha
mind with whatever frivolous nonsense is
that is eclipsed by mental activity.
available while you continue to complain
From this deep nature within we begin to act authentically and carry out the
about your suffering and the suffering of the world.
spontaneous functions of the universe that
We truly cannot complain if we do not
exist in our unconscious and manifest as our
take responsibility for what our mind
dharma. This is what will lead to real world
consumes. Likewise with our diet, if we do
peace, because the individual has come into
not take responsibility for what we eat then
resonance with the actuality of the universe.
we cannot complain about being fat. Only
Individual, social and cultural harmony
you can help yourself, which inadvertently
comes into being as a result, and a real
changes the world.
spirituality is recognized.
The only thing that stops this from becoming our reality is you.
A thorough examination of your habitual patterns and lifestyle is required on your behalf. The time to refrain from all distractions and begin the great fast is now.
material excerpted from the book “ Fasting the Mind ” by Jason Gregory .. published by Inner Traditions .. grateful acknowledgments .. edit-team
Spiritual Science - March - April 2020
pg 17
Debra Greene
“ Anatomy of Your Vital Body ” Debra Greene, Ph.D., is a frequently quoted expert in the field of energy medicine and mind-body integration. Debra combines the best of leading-edge approaches with modern science in her clinical practice, writings, lectures, and nationwide media appearances. Debra is author of the acclaimed book, “ Endless Energy: The Essential Guide to Energy Health ”. Along with Oprah Winfrey, Michelle Obama, J. K. Rowling, and other notable women, Debra has a chapter in the award winning book, “ Goddess Shift: Women Leading for a Change ”. Debra is the founder of Inner Clarity (IC) and the Energy Mastery program. Having worked with thousands of clients and taught hundreds of workshops, Debra is known for her ability to get to the core of psychoenergetic imbalances and facilitate lasting improvement. Debra is a holistic therapist and frequently quoted expert in the field of energy medicine and mind-body integration. A few excerpts from her book “ Endless Energy: The Essential Guide to Energy Health ”. edit-team
A complete science of inergy anatomy is found in health systems from cultures that devoted thousands of years to studying and working directly with the vital body. I have condensed a vast amount of information and over-simplified to give a very basic understanding, enough to provide a working knowledge for energy health purposes. In similar fashion, few of us know the mechanisms behind our pg 18
physical body functioning, yet we attend to it every day. Independent research done mostly in India and China contains a storehouse of wisdom about the inner workings of the vital body. In India vital energy is called ‘ prana ’. In China it is referred to as ‘ chi ’. The discoveries of long ago, upon which entire successful medical systems were built, are Spiritual Science - March - April 2020
being increasingly validated by Western
called ‘ meridians ’ in Chinese medicine and
scientific methods. Although the US medical
have been validated by a number of
world has been resistant to recognizing the
methods, including MRI.
vital body, mainstream culture has embraced its ancient methods.
The centers are often referred to as “ chakra ”, a Sanskrit word that means round
You don’t have to look far today to see
or wheel. These, as well, have been
the popularity of yoga, acupuncture, and the
experimentally verified. Those who are able
martial arts. These practices emerged from cultures dedicated to complex and systematic study of the vital body. When combining their contributions a comprehensive, detailed picture of human inergy anatomy is formed.
Your vital body interpenetrates and powers your physical body through a sophisticated network of inergy centers and distribution lines that branch into smaller and smaller inergy capillaries. The lines are
Spiritual Science - March - April 2020
to see inergies have discribed these centers as looking like spinning wheels are vortices that range in size from about two inches in diameter to several inches, depending on their stage of developement. It’s likely the ancients had the capacity to see these wheel-like inergy centers and named them accordingly. As evidence of the Interface Effect, the centers and meridians have been empirically linked to physical, emotional, and mental health.
pg 19
The centers are like electrical power
shaped. With the exception of the crown and
plants where high voltage inergy is
base, the major centers have a smaller
transformed and distributed through a
receiving end on the back of the body and a
convergence of power lines. Your vital body
wider distribution end on the front. The
interfaces with your physical body through
centers are named for their corresponding
these power distribution lines. This inergy
locations in the physical body. Approximate
network corresponds to your physical
locations are:
nervous system. When several of these
Crown Center – Top of your head
Brow Center – Your forehead
Throat Center – Your throat
Heart Center – Middle of your chest
Solar Plexus Center – Your solar
“ power lines ” intersect, which happens at the major never centers in your body, they become even more potent.
There are seven places in your body where multiple lines cross over, forming a major power center. These centers are positioned at the intersection of 21 power lines, which represents a high concentration
plexus
Sacral Center – Your lower torso
Base Center – The base of your spine
of inergy. The seven major centers focalize into inergy channels that, in turn, feed into
The centers supply the inergy necessary
smaller centers, 21 minor and 49 mini
for optimal functioning of the organs, glands
centers. The minor centers occur where 14
and nerves nearby their locations. The seven
lines cross over and the mini centers are
major centers govern specific physical
located where seven lines converge.
aspects:
21 lines intersect = 7 major centers
14 lines intersect = 21 minor centers
7 lines intersect = 49 mini centers
pineal gland
The seven centers correspond to the major nerve plexus and endocrine glands of your physical body. The centers are funnel pg 20
Crown – Right eye, upper brain,
Brow – Left eye, lower brain, pituitary
gland
Throat – Vocal apparatus, lungs,
alimentary canal, thyroid, parathyroid
Spiritual Science - March - April 2020
Heart – Heart, circulation, blood,
The 21 minor centers are positioned
vagus nerve, thymus gland, immune system
throughout your body but are especially
Solar Plexus – Stomach, liver, gall
bladder, pancreas, intestines, nervous system
Sacral – Sex organs, reproductive
system
concentrated in your digestive areas, on your chest, and on your head. There are also minor centers in the palm of each hand, on the bottom of each foot, at the gonads and at each knee.
Base – Hips, kidneys, adrenal glands,
spinal column
The centers and their power lines form an invisible network of energies that flow
Although these seven centers are at
throughout your physical body in a complex
various phases of development, all seven are
and intricate distribution system. Inergy
functioning to a certain
flows into lines of ever
degree at all times.
decreasing size. There
They play such a vital
are 14 major lines of
role in bringing life-
force that feed into
sustaining inergy to the
about 200-400 smaller
physical organs that
lines. These lines, in
without even one of
turn, branch out into
them
cannot
tiny thread-like inergy
The seven
capillaries, called nadis.
major centers never
Your vital body is
close down but they are
comprised
at varying stages of
approximately 72,000 of
health, most of which
these. To borrow a term
are determined by the
from Star Trek, you are
condition
your
not a carbon unit. You
emotional, mental, and
are, in fact, a living,
universal bodies.
moving inergy being!
we
survive.
of
of
material excerpted from the book “ Endless Energy: The Essential Guide to Energy Health ” by Debra Greene .. published by MetaComm Media .. grateful acknowledgments .. edit-team
Spiritual Science - March - April 2020
pg 21
Kayt Sukel
“ Understanding the Power of Meditation ” Tibetan monks meditate for hours upon hours each week. Their devotion to their religious traditions makes them experts in the practice of meditation. Turns out those experts have a lot to teach us about how sustained mindfulness affects the brain.
better able to control a computer cursor with their mind than those without it. Since Tibetan monks spend years of their lives engaged in the practice of meditation, He was curious to see if there might be any significant differences in brain activation that might offer a hint into how meditation leads to so many beneficial effects.
Meditation and Mindfulness induce a heightened state of awareness and focused
“We went to Tibet and measured activity
attention. Various studies demonstrate the
in the brains of monks who had, on average,
practice can help relieve stress, as well as
15 years of meditation experience .. between
manage anxiety, reduce inflammation, and
5 and 35 years,” He said. “We then compared
improve memory and attention to boot. Such
those results to native Tibetans who had
striking results have many doctors, across
never meditated before.”
specialties, prescribing meditation just as
Using Electro Encephalo Graphy (EEG),
they would an anti-depressant or blood
a series of electrodes placed on the scalp to
pressure medication. But it remains unclear
measure brain activity, He and his colleagues
just how meditation confers so many health
found that long-term, active meditative
benefits.
practice decreases activity in the default
That’s why Bin He, a neuroengineer at
network. This is the brain network associated
Carnegie Mellon University, decided to look
with the brain at rest .. just letting your mind
at the brains of Tibetan monks. In a previous
wander with no particular goal in mind .. and
study, He and colleagues saw that
includes
individuals with meditation experience were
medial Prefrontal
pg 22
brain
areas
like
the
Cortex and
the
Spiritual Science - March - April 2020
Posterior Cingulate Cortex. What’s more, the longer a monk had been practicing, the bigger the reduction in activity the researchers observed. “ It seems the longer you do meditation, the better your brain will be at selfregulation, ” said He. “You don’t have to consume as much energy at rest and you can more easily get yourself into a more relaxed state.” He suggests that meditative practice helps to “optimize” how the brain uses resources. Pioneering neuropsychologist Michael Posner from the University of Oregon, who first outlined how the brain’s attention systems work, says that makes sense. His own work, with Yi-Yuan Tang, has shown distinct changes to the white matter, or the nerve fibers that allow different brain
regions
to
more
efficiently
communicate with one another, surrounding the Anterior Cingulate, a part of the brain
regions communicate faster and more efficiently. “ This is a major node of attention in the brain .. and we can see these changes after only two to four weeks of practice, ” He said. “ Those changes are linked to improved attention in different tasks. And as the Anterior Cingulate has vast connections to the limbic system, or emotional system, it helps us understand why meditation can help improve mood and reduce anxiety, too. ” Such results are especially promising considering the participants in Posner’s study didn’t have to join an order of Tibetan monks in order to gain a variety of benefits. Participants improved on tasks measuring attention and problem solving in as little as five days. They also showed reductions in “ Cortisol ”, a hormone commonly used to measure a person’s stress level, Posner said. Improved cognitive skills and lower stress levels are certainly nothing to sneeze at.
regular meditation practice .. and that
Richard Davidson, founder of the Center for Healthy Minds at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, says he is not surprised that so many neuroscience studies are elucidating the neural mechanisms underlying meditation’s beneficial effects. He says, taken together, there is strong evidence that a regular, consistent meditative practice offers a lot of direct benefits to the brain ..
increased insulation helps improve
and, by extension, to your psychological and
connectivity by letting different brain
emotional well-being.
heavily involved with managing attention, with meditation practice. Using diffusion tensor imaging, a special kind of neuroimaging technique, Posner and colleagues found increased levels of myelin, sometimes referred to as brain “insulation,” after only a few weeks of
Source : www.brainfacts.org Spiritual Science - March - April 2020
pg 23
Dr II Will Tuttle
“ Work as Joy ” Vs “ Work as Burden ” Dr II Will M. Tuttle is an American writer, speaker, musician, educator, and author of the best-selling book “ The World Peace Diet ”. Tuttle is the co-founder, with Judy Carman, of the Circle of Compassion and the Worldwide Prayer Circle for Animals. He has lectured through Unity Church and other New Thought and progressive centers throughout North America since the Year 1990, and was the first guest of Animal Rights Zone in the Year 2010. Tuttle made international debut in August 1995 at the “ 8 th International Vegan Festival ” in San Diego, where he performed inspirational classical music and spoke about inner and outer peace and harmony in the context of a vegan diet. Tuttle is a former Zen monk who studied in Korea. Tuttle is a frequent speaker at Vegetarian, Spiritual, and Animal Rights conferences and at local vegetarian societies. A few excerpts from his book “ The World Peace Diet ”. edit-team
We universally condemn supremacism,
it is but a short and unavoidable step to
elitism, and exclusivism for destroying peace
justifying and inflicting the same kind of
and social justice, yet we unquestioningly
suffering on other humans in our own
and even proudly adopt precisely these
interest while likewise proclaiming our
attitudes when it comes to animals.
supremacy or specialness.
The lesson is plain: when we harden
The unremitting conflict and oppression
ourselves to the suffering we inflict on
of history are inevitable by-products of
animals in our own interest, and justify it by
confining and killing animals for food, as is
proclaiming our superiority or specialness,
the male role model of macho toughness that
pg 24
Spiritual Science - March - April 2020
is required of both the professional animal
as writings by illumined poets and saints
killer (herder) and the soldier. If we desire to
like Kabir, Rumi, Rilke, St. Francis,
eat animal foods, this suffering is the price
Hildegard of Bingen, Meister Eckhart and the
we must pay.
more modern voices of Thomas Berry, E. F.
The progressive voices of the left, while often criticizing conventional science and religion, and even questioning our rampant exploitation of nature and domination of the
Schumacher, and Theodore Roszak, he passionately
argues
that
work
is
fundamentally spiritual.
feminine, have so far almost completely
If we look around us, he says, to the
failed to see the connection between the core ritual of our herding culture .. eating animals
cosmos, to our Earth, and to nature and
.. and our destructive values and institutions.
unfolding continually, with every part
Whether we’re of the right, left, or in
playing its assigned and vital role. Every
between, we all agree to ignore this basic
part, every cell, plant, animal, planet, and
causal root of our problems. For example, in
star, has a function to fulfill in the larger
his book “ The Reinvention of Work ”,
unfolding, and this is its work.
animals, we find an infinity of action
progressive theologian and priest Matthew
Fox argues that to do this work is to
Fox probes deeply into the values and beliefs
participate in the becoming of the infinite
that underlie our experience of work and our
universe, and that this is thus both sacred and
attitudes toward it. Drawing upon a wide
ecstatic. “ [A]ll of creation, ” he writes,
range of scriptures including the Bible, the
“ exists because of the ‘ sheer joy ’ of God.
Bhagavad-Gita, and the Tao Te Ching, as well
The work of creation was a work of joy whose
Spiritual Science - March - April 2020
pg 25
whole purpose was to bring more joy into
other, and to “ reinvent ” work as the joy it
existence. This not only gives us permission
is meant to be as the expression of our heart’s
to find joy in work but charges us with a
purpose.
responsibility to do so. Joy is an essential source of motivation in our work. ”
What he does not articulate is that the fundamental and defining work of our herding culture is the brutal confining,
Fox recognizes, however, that there is a
mutilating, and killing of sensitive creatures.
big problem with work for us humans, noting
This is hardly a motivation for joy in
that over one billion of us are actually
working! This is the obvious but
unemployed. If we look about us in nature,
unrecognized
unarticulated inconsistency at the
we see that every
root
being is working
of
our
d i l e m m a s .
and fulfilling its
Thousands of us
purpose, and it is
starve to death
only humans who
daily, millions of us
are unemployed,
labor like slaves for
und er empl oy ed , overworked,
and
pennies a day in
or
toxic
unable or unwilling
factories
p r o d u c i n g
to work. We are the only species to enslave other species for food, to drink milk as adults, and to view work as disagreeable and try to avoid it. Why is this?
consumerist junk, millions more of us work as soldiers and agents of violence and fear .. and it’s rooted in our plates. The commodifying, confining, and killing of animals is a complete perversion
our
of the word “work” as defined by Fox. Until
the
our defining work is transformed from
disconnection from nature and spirituality
killing animals for food to protecting and
caused by the scientific and industrial
caring for life, we will never “ reinvent ” work
Predictably, dissatisfaction
Fox with
blames work
on
revolutions and urges us to become more
in our culture.
creative, more loving, and more joyful in our
We will only make technological
work, to care more for the Earth and each
progress that gives us the means to exploit
pg 26
Spiritual Science - March - April 2020
animals, nature, and each other more
distasteful burden and attributes it to a
efficiently and cruelly, and to eat more
divine edict that came with being thrown out
animal flesh, eggs, and dairy products than
of the garden. In the garden, we ate a
ever in recorded history.
completely plant-based diet, and there was
World peace and harmony require those
no concept of work as a separate activity.
of us in positions of power and affluence in
We lived in harmony with animals, the
the global village to stop dominating people,
Earth, and each other, not killing them for
animals, and nature through our craving for
food or competing with each other. Our
animal foods. It’s easy to forget that if we’re
work was our life, and it was joy, and all was
reading these words we are actually among
“ very good. ” There was no work as separate
the richest and most powerful people on this
activity, nor any concept of being saved, for
planet. Because of our relative wealth and
we had not committed the original sin of
power, our example, our voice, and our
seeing others as objects to be manipulated,
lifestyle can impact many people, either
used, and killed.
positively or negatively. We are thus obliged to honor this responsibility to our brothers
The fall from grace, innocence, freedom,
and sisters.
and mercy began when we ate of the fruit of
Because of the fundamentally violent nature of its defining work .. herding and
the illusion of dualistic separatism and
killing animals .. our culture has a basic
mercy. The fall came when we began
distaste for work itself. We all hear that
commodifying animals. We can resurrect
working less is better than working more,
our work from defiling slavery to joyous
and not working at all is best of all.
participation.
The story we all learned in Genesis, of being cast out of the garden, is significant, for it was then that God punished us with enforced hard labor while we live on this Earth. This metaphor, part of the herding mythos, is revealing, for it depicts work as a Spiritual Science - March - April 2020
stopped showing mercy to those at our
The path simply requires that we give the same opportunities to the animals who are at our mercy: release them from slavery and grant them freedom to once again fully participate in the unfolding of their unique purpose and consciousness. What we would wish for ourselves we must first give to others: this is, it seems, an everlasting spiritual principle. pg 27
To resurrect work from the depths of the trivialization,
dissatisfaction,
and
exploitation into which it has fallen, we’ll need a cultural shift far more radical than any currently proposed by the left or the right. We’ll need a positive transformation of our relationship to those at our mercy, which means shifting from animal foods to plant foods, and from a mythos of death and domination to a mythos of life and cocreative participation. Anything less is mere irony and hypocrisy. As individuals, as a culture, and as a human family, we pay a remarkably steep price for work that is demeaning or destructive to others or ourselves. When we work primarily for money, we transgress against our spiritual purpose, and sell our
life energy and time, which is unfathomably precious. Spiritual traditions and teachings have all emphasized that each one of us has a unique purpose and mission in this life to unfold and fulfill, and that this is our work. Our work has to do with purifying and awakening our consciousness, contributing creatively to our community, and being the voice and hands that confer blessings on others. As we discover our calling, and live it as fully as we can, we discover joy and meaning, and our life becomes precious and filled with blessings. Evolving and growing as individuals, we can authentically contribute to the evolution of our species, and there is enormous satisfaction in these efforts.
material excerpted from the book “ The World Peace Diet ” by Will Tuttle .. published by Lantern Books .. grateful acknowledgments .. edit-team
pg 28
Spiritual Science - March - April 2020
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