Brain and Nirvāṇa:
The Mind of the Buddha Part I

Wong Weng Hon

Introduction

Dr.Jill Bolte Taylor, Harvard-trained brain scientist or neroanatomist discovered the nirvāṇic function of the right brain after an unexpected and sudden attack of stroke. She discovered that silence or stillness of the mind occurs in the human right brain. Psychologically defined, nirvāṇa is the appeasement of the mind. In order to enjoy the silence or complete peace of mind, a person needs only to shift the functioning of one’s mind from the left brain’s neural circuitry to that of the right brain. She confirms that the chatter of the human mind can be stilled or silenced if that crucial shift is made. All yogi or mediators will certainly concur with her on her unveiling discovery or finding as it is generally agreed that tranquility-insight meditation functions only in the right brain. The most important discovery of Dr. Jill B. Taylor is that she categorically reveals that the left brain is egoistic, intellectual (logic) and attached to time and that the right brain is egoless, intuitional and time-transcendent. Comparative put, the right brain is the function of ‘Mind’ whilst the right brain is the function of ‘Heart’. Ordinary worldlings or sentient beings direct and empower their sense activities with the left brain of ordinary consciousness. An Enlightened One or sage utilizes the right brain of pure, infinite consciousness. This is the stark distinction between a wordling and a saint.

Dr.Taylor’s Realization

I jumped with utmost Dharmic joy when I watched Dr. Jill B. Taylor’s Ted conference’s video presentation of hers unveiling scienctific revelation from her direct empirical experience. Her talk elucidated and invigorated the communal truth of insight self-realized by the religious sages of Buddhist, Hindu, Christian and Sufi gnostics and other religious sages. Dr. Jill B.Tylor’s personal scientific discovery and revelation of the mind of nirvāṇa or the mind of the Buddha (We may designate it also as the Mind of God) unveils the pathway on how all human beings are able to create the deep inner peace of mind. The creation of inner peace of mind is effected by shifting the function of the human mind from the left brain to the right brain. She instructed that we should step to the right brain from the chatter of the left brain to live a more balanced life. This is actually a very profound spiritual messages of all religious supreme masters. She has syncretised the wisdom of science and religion. This is a supreme gift to the secular world.

Insight of Right Brain

The ordinary worldlings are easily perturbable or easily agitated because they utilize the function of the left brain and neglect the usage of the right brain. The left brain is noisy and spiritually ignorant; the right brain is appeased or nirvāṇic and is insightfully wise. A sage or saint is a gnostic or discerning one because he or she is adept at utilizing the right brain functioning to unlock the gate to the world of spiritual or mystical wisdom. Spiritual or mystical wisdom rectifies human mind, improves, enhances and even perfects human character formation. This is the pragmatic value of spiritualism or mysticism regulating fallible mundane life.

Buddhistively put, a wise person, constantly utilizing his right brain to engage in mundane or secular activities, is said to function with the Buddha-mind or the nirvāṇic mind – the complete silence of the mind while remaining active occupationally and socially in the present life. This is the right practice of Zen wisdom of perfection. The Buddha-mind or nirvāṇic mind or the Zen mind is characteristized by the egolessness, insubstantiality or emptiness.

Egolessness, insubstantiality or emptiness connotes that there is no sense of separation from the totality or wholeness of the entire cosmos. The notion of ‘I’ or ‘ego’ vanishes totally in the perception of totality or wholeness. Therefore, correspondingly, this nirvāṇic mind is called the mind of God or the mind of Tao or Brahman. It is the universal mind merging with the universe in totality. The sense of separation or individuation is lost. Mental consciousness empty of self-centric ego is divine and Godly. Only egoless consciousness is pure and infinite. Only egoless mind is nirvāṇ̣ic.

Vedānta Wisdom

The Vedānta of Hinduism also accepts this to be the mind of Brahman or the nirvāṇic mind. Vedānta philosophy is a supreme gift to the world as it advocates the universality of all regions. The Vedāntists assert that all religious sages seek the same or communal Truth of Wisdom of Unity, Insubstantiality, Non-duality or Emptiness through a multitude of variable paths. They also designate this nirvāṇic mind as the Kṛṣṇa consciousness or Brahman. This divine consciousness is synonymous with the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ and the Dharmabody of Mahāyāna tradition and the non-grasping five aggregates of the Theravāda tradition.