Brain and Nirvāṇa: The Mind of the Buddha Part II
Wong Weng Hon
Science and God
The distinctions in designations of different religious faiths are immaterial. What is most significant is that all the Divine Names connote an identical esoteric absolute Truth. It is generally designated as God or Buddha. The God or Buddha is found in the complete Silence of the human mind. The complete silence of the mind connotes the complete annihilation of self-centric ego. The complete silence of the mind is designated as Nirvāṇa in Buddhism and Hinduism. Nirvāṇa is the self-realization of state of non-duality between the perceiver and the perceived The state of non-duality between man and God is called the union with God. The entrance into the non-duality between the perceiver and the perceived is called Nirvāṇa in Buddhism and Vedānta. In monotheism, the state of non-duality between believer (lover) and the believed (the beloved God) is called Baqā. Since Nirvāṇa and Baqā connote pure, infinite consciousness. Hence, Nirvāṇa and Baqā are synonymous. In Vedānta, the non-duality state of Nirvāṇa is called Ātman or Brahman. Brahman is God.
Since intuition occurs in the right barin according to neuro-scientists, Nirvāṇa is realized only from right-brain functioning. Therefore, the intuitive understanding of God or Buddha is found only in the right-brain function. This discovering of neuro-science that, the right brain is intuitive and egoless, supports and invigorates the knowledge of Theosophy. In Theosophy, the right brain consciousness is located in the inner Heart. This is the point of congruence between science and esoteric religion. If one truly apprehends the attributes of God, it is not amazing that the universal principle or law of science concur with Religion or the divine Truth of God or Buddha.
God is defined as ‘One in all; all in One’. It connotes both the Unity and multiplicity are the manifest of God. The ‘One’ refers to unmanifest essence or truth of God (Brahman, Buddha, Tao or Allah); the ‘many’ refers to the manifest essence of the universe or all (multiplicity ). From Hua-yen Buddhist worldview, the ‘One’ refers to the truth of Unity; the ‘all’ refers to truth of multiplicity or all phenomena. The Unity is the essence of God or Buddha; the multiplicity refers to creatures of the universe or all phenomena (dharmas).
That every phenomenon has the essence of Buddha-nature is parallel to the divine truth that every creature has the essence of God. Different linguistic terms are utilized to describe names and attributes of the Absolute. They refer to the same essence of eternal Truth of the Buddha or God. The Buddha and God communicate an identical essence of the Absolute – the communal truth of wisdom. Hence, the God and Buddha are theosophically identical. Such knowledge of theosophy bridges all the major religions of the world, such as Hinduism, Taoism, Buddha, Neo-confucianism, Christianity and Islam. This universality of religions is an effective antidote to the soaring incidents of clashes of civilizations in our currently imperilled world. Our modern world is torn apart by political, religious and racial discriminations evoked by the ignorance of the communal truth of wisdom or the knowledge of Theosophy.
Science is certainly a portion of the universe. Theosophically, God is the universe or God is the all. Therefore, Science is the subset of God; God is the universal set including the subset of science. Whoever intuitively discerns the relationship between the world and God can comprehend science with relative ease. Nothing in the world is separate from God. So is Science. This statement comes from the mouths of the Prophets and the Enlightened Ones. A Prophet or Enlightened One does not speak the untruth. Whoever speaks the untruth cannot emerge as a sage.
Balanced Use of Brains
Insight or wisdom and nirvāna is arisen from the right-brain function which deals with egolessness, human intuition and intrinsic awareness. Conversely, the left-brain functioning is intellectual, egoistic and noisy.
When I first learned that science can explain Buddhist insight meditation many years ago, I was enormously motivated to meditate to intuitively discern the significance of right mindfulness and clear awareness to apprehend the universal characteristics of life.
Right mindfulness and clear awareness lead one to dwell in the inner Heart of the right brain. Meditative mind shifts the left-brain function to right brain-function. The inner heart is the home of soteriology of all esoteric religions. The domain of the left brain is the world of languages, concepts and conventions. We need languages, concepts and conventions to communicate and to interact in the mundane world. Thus, both brains are equally important to us. Hence, the religious masters and brain scientists concur that a balanced utility of the left and right brains ensures human success and accomplishment.
The balanced utility of the left and right brains is the middle path of developing both the I.Q (Intelligent quotient) and the EQ (Emotional quotient) of human beings simultaneously. The I.Q of intellectual power is related to the phenomenal world. The EQ of wisdom and virtue is related to the Absolute Truth of Buddha or God. This mirrors that science vindicates religion and religion vindicates science. The vindication pertains to reality of the two-fold truth of phenomena and Principle. The knowledge of the relationship between phenomena and Principle is discipline of Theosophy. All esoteric religions of dissimilar denominations are identical theosophically. They are only different in terms of exoteric ritualism or commandments or precepts. All exoteric dimensions of different religions construct the bridges to reach the esoteric dimension of Theosophy.
The metaphor of the wheel can explicate the mutual relationship between the exoteric and esoteric dimension of religion: The spokes of a wheel all converge at the centre of the wheel. The spokes are compared to exotericism (outward dimension of religion) and the only centre of the wheel is likened to esotericism (inward dimension of religion). The entire wheel structure represents the comprehensiveness of religion.
Śākyamuni Buddha and other religious Supreme Masters admonish us that we have to tread on the middle path so that we live wisely and harmoniously with both the head and the Heart. The left brain correlates with the intellectual comprehension of conventional truth. Right brain correlates with the intuitive discernment of the ultimate Truth. The Buddhist middle path recommends that conventional truth ought to be perceived at the level of ultimate truth. The wisdom of the ultimate Truth spiritualizes the conventional reality. In other words, both left and right brains ought to be utilized integratedly and holistically so that the phenomena of the conventional truth and the principle of the ultimate Truth are integrated. Their interpenetration and co-existence harmoniously to produce the desired harvests. When the branches of a tree is not separate from the tree, it bears much fruits. When a branch is separated from the tree, it perishes. Similarly, if a human being is separated from God or Buddha, he or she is doomed to failure or downfall.
Diamond Sūtra
Neuro-scientist Dr.Taylor’s scientific revelation can be illustrated again on the basis of the three-fold truth of one-mind-in-three-contemplations expounded in the Diamond Sūtra. The Sūtra reiterates continually thus: Dharma is Not Dharma and is still Dharma. A Chinese Chan or Zen patriarch elucidates metaphorically thus: The mountain is a mountain; the mountain is not a mountain; the mountain is still a mountain. These three simultaneous contemplations of three-fold truth are the contemplation of illusion of the world, the contemplation of the Emptiness of the world and the exercise of the middle path.
The contemplation of illusive sign of the phenomenal world is the utility of the left brain. The contemplation of Emptiness is the use of the intuitive power of right brain. The middle path is the simultaneous execution of both left brain and right brain. The right brain functions to appease the chatter of the left brain to bring one into the state of nirvāṇa in the multifarious, busy, and noisy mundane life of human society. We thus discern that Science and Religion are compatible.
We thank the neuro-scientists because their discoveries of brain science invigorate our faith in religion. Actually, it is a supreme bliss to be a human being if we are skillful to utilize the right brain while using the left brain. This is how Heaven or Pureland on earth is created. All esoteric religions advocate the supremacy of Man and restore human dignity and self-worth. The worship of God is actually the worship of the right brain functioning in which God or Buddha dwells. Esoteric religions restores human dignity and self-esteem. The external worship of polytheism, such as devas degrades human dignity and self-esteem. The Enlightened ones and Prophets show us the soteriological road map on behalf of the God or Buddha to liberate ourselves. Liberation is actually to bring forth the innate perfection of Man in terms of wisdom and conduct.
At the climax of spirituality, it is evident that there is a concurrence between Science and Religion. Science concurs with Religion because the former is part of the latter. Therefore, we can conclude that the balanced utility of the left and right brains will help promote and foster the alliances of civilizations between the west and the east, between the west and the west and between the east and the east. Such alliances deter the increasing propensities of the clashes of civilizations in our currently imperiled world.
Most of human clashes are due to dissimilar political, economic and religious dogmas or ideologies. The root of all these human problems of disharmony is the self-centric ego of the left brain. The right brain should be ultilized to appease the left brain. This is the fundamental and crucial function of all esoteric religions. Exoteric dimensions of religions are not sufficiently strong to overcome human fallibilities and vulnerabilities directed and empowered by superimposed illusive self-centric ego. Therefore, exoteric religious believers may trouble the world because of the potential greed, hatred and delusion in them. Only the silence of the chatter of the right brain can obliterate the poisons of greed, hatred and delusion rooted in self-centred ego.
We thank neuro-scientist Dr. Taylor as well as other brain scientists for directly or indirectly reinforcing our religious education with the communal truth of wisdom existing between the neuro-anatomy and religion. This is a lofty alliance of civilizations which bridges the world. Science helps in the understanding of religion. Religion annihilates the mind disease of self-centric ego. The knowledge of conventional truth and ultimate Truth are equally important for knowing ourselves. Having known ourselves what we really are, we see the God or Buddha.
Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor
Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor is a Harvard-trained brain scientist who is currently teaching at the Indiana University School of Medicine in Bloomington, Indiana. She is the author of the currently celebrated book entitled ‘ My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist’s Personal Journey’. She accidentally, amazingly, blissfully discovered and realized the nirvāṇic function of the right brain when stroke struck her left brain unexpectedly on December 10, 1996. After the stroke, she watched the deterioration of mind whereby she could not walk, talk, write or recall any portion of her life. The loss of the left brain led to the obliteration of attachment to time, egoism, and noisy self. This situation corresponds to the attainment of cessation (nirodha samāpatti) of consciousness of the left brain of a meditator whose consciousness has transcended the mental state of concentration known as neither perception nor non-perception. This attainment of cessation consummated and culminated in the supreme enlightenment of Gotama Buddha in which the self-centric ego was completely obliterated from the mind.
When stroke struck her, her left brain lost total functioning, only her right brain was still alive. She moved into the state of timelessness, egolessness, bliss, intuition and the union with the universe. It was from this direct experience of the function of the right brain that she experienced the complete silence of the mind – the complete inner peace of mind called nirvāṇ̣a. Her book sheds light on how we can quieten the chatter of the left brain. It also reveals the immensity of the mystical experience through the right brain.
Conclusion
I categorically emphasize that Buddhist Nirvāṇa is to be experienced only when both left and right are still alive. Most importantly, the right brain must predominate intuitively over the left brain to experience true Nirvāṇa. The right brain appeases the left brain like a master predominating over the servant.
Permit me to conclude this article with the Heart Sūtra’s mantra which states thus: Go, go beyond, together go beyond the shore by dwelling in your right brain in which one can redeem oneself and live blissfully and eternally. |
