Conscience, why do some people seem to have it and some don't?
What is it, how is it and why is it?

Consciousness, is a word bandied about quite a bit by Rastafarians. What is it, is it a kind of spliff, or is it some kind of conscience?
Do you need to have some kind of spiritual faith to gain consciousness?
What kind of people do you think can be described as having consciousness?

Do you think that people who claim to be 'spiritual', are somehow better off or happier than those who aren't?
And if spiritual faith reaches those parts that other beers cannot reach, then does it really matter what the source of the faith is? I mean if you feel bloated, you feel bloated, even though there could be any number of causes. The effect is the same.

Have any of you, especially the atheists, ever experienced a 'spiritual conciousness' through drugs, alcohol, sex or other non obvious means?
How did you feel, how do you explain it?

Have fun!

Good question...I don't think that you have to be AWARE of your spirituality to experience your conscious, but I do think that's where it comes from. Faith to me, is what reconciles my conscious. It explains it, and allows me to see the truth in it, which gives one peace. Many people who don't have faith, or even those who do, but don't "use it" in certain circumstances can not correctly reconcile their conscious. And even if they think they have reconciled it, if they do not do it CORRECTLY, or in truth, the affect is still manifested. In stress, anxiety, depression, disease, anger, jealousy, whatever...all of those nasty things we experience that keeps us from peace.

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You may think I'm a nut, but I'm fastened to the strongest bolt in the universe.

Prevailing empirical evidence indicates the harsh reality of life that there is no God or gods, no afterlife, and no spirit or soul. For many people these hard facts are unnaceptable and they will seek comfort by indulging in creative and imaginative intellectual concepts like religion, reincarnation, spirituality etc. These all give false hopes and are self-delusional.

For many of my early years I searched for some form of comfort, like religion etc, to help me through troubled times, of insecurity, sadness, occassional depression, the general stress of living, and that feeling that something was lacking. I embraced Christianity wholeheartedly for some years but my analytical tendencies quickly rejected the irrationality that was presented. Finally in 1977 I read a book called the TM technique by Peter Russell. That changed my life. I learnt Transcendental Meditation the same month and became a TM-Sidha in 1987.

In a meditative state I can achieve very deep levels of rest far superior to normal sleep, but more importantly I can achieve feelings of complete peace and harmony between myself and my surroundings. These feelings last long after the meditation programme is over and are cumulative over time. If you want to know more about TM and it's extensive benefits then please go to http://www.tm.org or ask me and I'll gladly say more. TM does not require any particular belief system and is for anyone of any religion or occupation or age.

This is as close I have ever come to experiencing what you might call 'spiritual conciousness'. In my case it is very real, scientifically measureable (see the web site), and has no supernatural implications. The clarity of thought that results and the ability to throw off stress easily means that I have little problem facing and accepting the harsh realities of life described in my first sentence.

Thanks for your replies Lori and Cris.

Cris,
can you tell us how to do it? (TM)

PS. Have you ever tried to levitate?

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Oh my God it's the funky shit!!!

tab,

TM is more about something you don’t do, and you’ll see why in a moment. The TM technique is very easy and very natural but very subtle and is easily corrupted and for that reason you need to be taught by a trained instructor. But I can give you some idea of what is involved.

Simple theory is that the mind and body are very closely linked, if you have a thought it will have an effect on the body and if you damage the body it can affect the mind. Best examples are when you worry (negative thoughts), with the results of stomach and bowel upsets and perhaps ulcers etc. Also, when you are ill you might experience hallucinations, bad dreams etc. If your mind is very active your body will suffer from lack of rest.

The TM technique allows the mind to become still and rested and in this state the body becomes free of mental control and can do a better job of repairing itself and achieving quality rest. But allowing the mind to rest is not so easy as you might think. Try an experiment on yourself: Sit quietly somewhere pleasant, close your eyes, and try not to think of anything. Time yourself. When you become aware that you have started to have thoughts look at how long it took. If you last more than a couple of minutes then you will have done well. An experienced meditator can last 20 minutes, twice a day. Our minds are usually active all the time.

The TM technique uses a simple mantra that is given to you at the time of instruction and is designed for you specifically. You never say it verbally and never share it with others. The mantra is a meaningless sound. I’m still not sure how I would spell my mantra. You don’t chant the mantra but rather you allow it to be present and you would repeat it gently in the back of your mind. Because it has no meaning the mind will have nothing on which to base a thought and so becomes calm or will transcend into quieter states of consciousness. In this state you will start to feel very relaxed and you won’t need to maintain the mantra – you now have no thoughts and are achieving deep mental and bodily rest. The mind and body will now begin to release built up stress, which you will experience as thoughts. When you become aware of such thoughts you very gently reactivate the mantra and drift downwards again, until again the mantra and all thoughts disappear. It becomes easier over time and an experienced mediator will drift downwards almost instantly. The beginner will usually have a great deal of stress to dissolve so early meditation sessions may not seem productive but in fact they are very productive.

I said TM is more about doing nothing and that is the real key. The technique is completely effortless. If you attempt to TRY then you are doing it wrong. If you attempt to concentrate then you are doing it wrong. The key is EFFORTLESSNESS, and so you can see how you could easily corrupt the technique.

In a meditative state you are not asleep and are not in a trance, and you are fully aware of everything that is happening around you. For the beginner if a pin drops you will jump a mile. With some experience you will find that external noises have no effect – you are able to simple accept that they are there. Measurements of brain activity show electrical activity increases very significantly and brain wave patterns from both hemispheres become synchronized. Meditation just before bedtime is a mistake – you simply won’t sleep – you will be too rested.

The TM-Sidhi technique is more advanced and really requires some years of regular TM as a pre-requisite. It begins with the usual 20 minutes of regular TM but then proceeds to introduce specific thought packets known as sutras. Each sutra will result in a very specific mental and bodily benefit. Unfortunately I have agreed not to reveal any of these, so you’ll have to find out for yourself by trying it. However, the final sutra is the famous levitation effect more usually known as yogic flying. The effect is something like a massive surge of internal energy that makes you bounce off the floor – again it is totally effortless. The effects are often described as bubbly bliss. Or in other words totally hilarious. I think I’m breaking some rules if I say more. It is important for you not to have any pre-conceived ideas of what to expect if you try these techniques. Everyone has varying experiences and my experiences may not be the same as yours, so for your benefit I should not say anymore. The full Sidhi programme lasts for around 80 minutes and includes some simple yoga and breathing exercises. Yogic flying is only 5 minutes of that. For maximum benefit the programme should be followed twice a day.

Have fun whatever.


[This message has been edited by Cris (edited March 17, 2000).]