Monks are from Meditating Monkeys: Unravelling the Algorithm of True Spiritual Awakening

Books

INTRODUCTION

The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious.

- Albert Einstein

"Believe nothing, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees

with your own reason and common sense."

- Buddha

"All mental processes, even the most complex psychological processes,

derive from the operations of the brain."

- Eric R.Kandel, Nobel Laureate

Several personal calamities persuaded me to pursue the puzzle of spiritual awakening. Bizarre coincidences that culminated in inexplicable retrieval of my life made me doubt the traditional wisdom on serendipity. As I got nearer to the truth, some basic flaws in my earlier books on mystic awareness needed urgent revision. Brain scans that gave irrefutable evidences on the source of genuine spirituality demolished the misleading claims of faiths on divine intervention. An underlying physical algorithm was indicated as the harbinger of enlightenment. The truth may not be acceptable to staunch believers with inherited blinkers, but some fence-sitters may realize the falsity of imbibed convictions. This book is for the skeptics who seek rational explanations for spiritual transformation.

It all began with my providential escape from a massive cardiac arrest. On two earlier near-death situations, I was not so close to the finale. After the initial impact of disbelief subsided, I was fired with the fever to seek the source of coincidences that saved me from sure death. While the family and friends celebrated, I was deeply frustrated without getting any reliable clue on the cause of my incredible returns from the edge. It gave me a more miserable lease of life with intense curiosity and no inclination to enjoy the windfall.

In identical situations, some friends succumbed even with timely medical help and more pressing reasons to survive. I wondered why I got away so narrowly while much younger persons were denied of a deserving second chance. Was it plain good luck, God’s mercy, or just a series of unconnected coincidences that chose to intercede at the critical moment? Or was it Mrs. Anand’s medical knowledge that made the killer return empty-handed? The entire episode of my rescue is described objectively in Dr. Anand’s autobiography, The Second Strike.

My wife proclaimed that the God whom she had been surreptitiously worshipping would have given me a stern message to cure my skepticism. Despite heavy engagements, her benefactor seemed to have spared time to secure me regularly. She scoffed at my atheistic arrogance and advised her eager listeners on the virtue of keeping the gods happy with total surrender. Her deep gratitude sent more money and materials to the mortal custodians of her favorite divinities. One of them recently acted in a film in which he decimated evil men and rode a Harley for spiritual thrill. In spite of her stern reprimands and entreaties, I resisted the insistent offer of spiritual asylum. An ordinary finale would have given more relief than the pain of pondering over the puzzle of an unknown hand pulling me back from the brink!

I didn’t have the vision of Einstein to accept death as an illusion or the wisdom of the mystics of the East to take both life and death as fleeting mirages. Traditional explanations like destiny, Karma, or the grace of God, did not appeal to my agnostic mindset. How could a diehard disbeliever like me receive so many preferential treatments from any sensible divinity? My wife’s explanation that her fervent prayers and penances compensated my lapses, sounded hollow. It was difficult to accept the latest bio-centric view of Robert Lanza and Bob Berman that death didn’t exist in a timeless universe. In my linear way of thinking I found death very real and disturbing.

The convincing reality of a lifeless body decaying in few hours was the solid proof of the irreversible chemical processes that terminated the physical identity of a person. The scientific explanation that we would become immortal elementary particles is a poor consolation for the sick and dying. Before the cardiac arrest, my life was philosophically anchored in the doctrine of consciousness expounded by the ancient sage Astavakra. His rational worldview on consciousness didn’t explain my miraculous escapes. The recent revelations on the cerebral process underlying enlightenment gave me some pointers on the fearlessness of mystics to death and danger. The study of the brain under stress revealed the actual process that culminated in mystic awareness. It emphatically denied the hand of God in creating prophets and messengers and indicated an algorithm that evolved great mystics out of common men.

A dead man cannot narrate what he saw at the last moments of life. But the lucky ones who got away with least damage could recall the vivid images that were seen at the turn-around. The recent survey of 2000 cardiac arrest patients brought out the actual changes in the brain circuits at the time of death. About 20 survivors reported feeling of unusual sense of peace after recovery. Dr. Sam Parnia’s analytical study of near-death experience is consistent with the credible account of both mystics and ordinary people who underwent the same kind of terminal euphoria. The severe impact made some of them true mystics but most of the victims were affected adversely. Unfortunately, I couldn’t recollect any vision as the heavy sedation given before resuscitation probably deleted the valuable data form the memory. Interested readers can get the full picture of the transformation process from the references.

Some survivors felt that the dimensions of timeless existence they had seen could be the cosmic reality underlying the visible universe. Few scientists speculated that it would have been the energy that was released with the big bang and would survive even after the fiery or frozen finish of the universe? They found mathematical precision and elegance in every particle that contributed to the evolution of the past, present, and even the future of the universe. My doubt was not about the source of the software or the theory of everything that conceived correct coincidences to create the universe and life. My simple wish was to know the source of my strange escapades.

The status of being a lucky survivor with consciousness that surpasses the common perception of reality is indeed gratifying. The mystery becomes less miraculous when it’s attributable to the weird interpretations of the visions while the brain is at its last defense. A few mystics like Buddha who did intense follow up meditation might have got the real import of the panoramic visions. The initial impact might have temporarily suppressed their ego and released the mind from the shackles of worldly attachments. With the support of the scientific evidences on spiritual awakening, I hope to convey the need to keep the mind open to all revolutionary ideas. Conflicting interpretations by competing faiths have to be replaced by verifiable and factual information. The inevitable progress of time and science might compel faiths to concoct new myths to save the fictitious creator. The Catholic Church has already accepted the facts of the big bang and the evolution, and more confessions might follow soon.

The brain areas involved in the mystic vision are the brain stem, thalamus, and cerebral cortex. They play crucial roles in controlling the life of humans and even many other mammals. The fact that they are all evolved from similar structures of earlier species proves that no exclusive gift of spiritual inclination was given to humans by a benign creator. If the expression of a pious way of life is in compassion, sharing, and sacrifices, the only born spiritual being is the naked mole rat. Like bees and ants, they inherit social characteristics that enable them to enjoy a peaceful life in compact communes.

Every individual mole rat works hard for the common good by scrupulously following the role assigned by genetics. The occasion for social friction comes once after the death of the queen. Eligible females fight ferociously for sexual rights and the victor undergoes even a physical change to facilitate the production of offspring. Peace prevails thereafter with each one performing the karma according to the inherited command of genetic dharma. Human genome has no such inherent quality and one has to deliberately undergo the strenuous process of transformation to a life of compassion only through a cerebral algorithm.

A short spell of trance can be induced by psychedelic substances even in an animal brain. The trigger can begin the process but doesn’t progress further. Normally we don’t see monkeys meditating like monks or pigs fasting like faithful devotees. When I witnessed such weird scenes, I remembered the divine roles assigned to animals in the Indian mythology. Monkey is worshipped by the Hindus as the celestial source of power and the loyal emissary of Rama, the legendary king. Many animals and birds are revered as the vehicle of gods and auspicious omen. The serial incarnations of Vishnu, the main deity of the Hindu pantheon of gods, were in the scientific sequence of evolution discovered by Darwin. Elephant, monkey, wild boar, snake, eagle, and even the lowly mouse evoke deference in the Hindu psyche. No wonder vegetarianism thrives in India as very few would dare to hurt a revered animal like cow or bull.

I met a meditating monkey in Delhi, the capital of India. The colorful spring festival, Holi was just over and I got a heavy hang over after consuming the traditional concoction of sweetened-milk mixed with a paste of psychedelic herbal leaves. While walking in a deserted park to cool down my brain, I saw a huge monkey sitting in a posture of spiritual trance. He didn’t show the normal instinct to run away and gave me a vacant look. A bystander told me that the odd behavior was induced by the consumption of sweetmeat mixed with marijuana. He must have stolen the delicious dish prepared only for celebrations from an unlocked kitchen.

His meditation would have continued until the drug effects wore off in a few hours. What struck me was the total absence of fear and self-awareness in the simian sanyasi who was probably under the spell of another version of reality. Urchins didn’t disturb him as they revered his divine status in Hindu faith. His accidental exposure to drugs would have taken him to the first step in spiritual awakening? I found out later that even pigs and parrots could get in to same state by consuming psychedelic stuff.

I saw fasting pigs near an opium factory where I went on a training assignment. In India, opium is a controlled substance and the government runs factories purifying the stuff for medicinal use. Several skinny pigs were sitting around a heap of garbage without devouring the delicious fare spread in front of them. They appeared oblivious of the intimidating presence of predatory humans. Factory workers told me that the pensive pigs got addicted to the waste water flowing out of the opium factory. It contained traces of opium that made them disinterested in the normal piggishness and patiently perished with the liquid diet for the soul.

The phenomenon of thousands of dying parrots is an annual event at the Poppy fields of Chittorgarh District in the Central India. Parrots get addicted to Poppy like Pigs and after the pods are harvested, they don’t eat anything else and prefer to die in Nirvana. The fluid in the pods have a mind-altering effect that keeps them dazed for a long time. They fly around aimlessly for some time and fall and die of hunger. Since the sad spectacle is repeated every year, it scientifically confirms that a trigger can create the path to spirituality even in the bird-brain.

The addicted creatures didn’t deliberately choose drug-induced bliss but their natural instincts got altered unknowingly by the chemicals consumed. The trigger would have given them a different vision that would have been forgotten soon. Pigs would have resumed scouring for food, if the waste water from the factory was not readily available in the vicinity. The sudden disappearance of pods would have made the poor parrots to starve. The benchmark for genuine spiritual transformation is the capacity for sustained speculation on the altered perception. It is evidently the exclusive prerogative of humans as other species have more urgent engagements to survive competition. But the algorithm begins with the altered perception and proceeds further if meditation brings out true transformation.

Some unmistakable cerebral markers are now available to spot true mystics in the crowded spiritual space. If credible evidence of basic changes in behavioral pattern didn’t follow the impact of the trigger, the divinity might be misleading the believers for personal gains. The stark contrast between genuine mystics and vendors of spurious spirituality is particularly evident in the Indian context. Following the trail of the great Swami Vivekananda, many enterprising and ego- driven imitators sold spiritual bliss to the West. They succeeded in hooking the frustrated youth to modern yoga and meditation techniques. Huge fortunes were amassed by touting the wisdom of the sages of the past for hefty fees. In the last chapter of this book a brief sketch of some of the living gods is given for guidance of the uninformed.

Science clearly suggest that other than the altered brain circuits no external or internal factor is involved in mystic experiences. Neuroscience differentiated extrasensory perceptions like faith-related frenzy invoked by a community of believers from true spiritual transformation. The state of ecstasy or bliss reached at the peak of ritualistic prayers or weird acts of worship did not qualify for the unique feeling of calmness and bliss induced by spiritual transformation. It’s a secular and personal event that happens only at the gate of death. The perceptual change is of short duration and has great intensity. The memory can preserve if sedation doesn’t disable its recording function.

With this restricted definition of spiritual experience, scientists compared data collected from several recipients of unusual experiences. The unique vision and the sensation of calmness that comes after the brainstorm were reported by survivors who participated in the study. Our primary focus is on the ikons of Indian spiritual space with the exception of one recent mystic experience of a western neuroscientist. As reliable biographical details are available, we can search for the triggers and behavioral changes that facilitated their transition. If identified cerebral processes could be found, we can accept them as genuine mystics and follow their proven track.

As I lost the chance for a spiritual vision thanks to heavy sedation, I had to look at other probable factors that would have contributed to my survival. Many people must have had providential missing of a flight that crashed, or left a building just before it collapsed. Mere coincidence is not a good explanation as so many persons perish without the benefit of the benign hidden hand. My doubts on narrow getaways were clarified further when an unexpected source confirmed such occurrences without divine intervention. The stroke that incapacitated the reputed neuroscientist, Dr.Jill Bolte Taylor gave ample evidences of the role of certain circumstances and choices in the episodes of escapes. Her narration has also confirmed the involvement of certain brain areas in the elevation of common consciousness to mystic awareness. The story of the amazing recovery of her completely knocked down brain has been recorded in the best seller, My Stroke of Insight.

For the first time, science got unquestionable proof of the sequential process that would lead to an authentic experience of enlightenment. The neural circuits that are clearly involved in the partial or total disappearance of self from the mind had been accurately identified with the help of imaging devices. What saved the vital faculties of a neuroscientist would give us the real source of mystic vision with undeniable proof. Such changes could be induced by administering the psychedelic drugs like ketamine as reported by a leading scientist who volunteered to be a guinea pig. Even after complete recovery, the enchanting vision persisted in the memory of Dr. Taylor and further contemplation on its import gave her the firm conviction that all existence was united in one entity.

It was the ultimate wisdom that few gifted persons like Buddha experienced as the truth of existence. Another scientist, Kevin Nelson, analyzed the functioning of the brain during near-death experiences and similar traumatic events. He had drawn conclusions from the clinical evidences of the spiritual experiences of persons who recalled details of their startling voyages beyond normal perception. The empirically tested and peer-reviewed explanations of mystic experiences take the reader to what he called the borderlands of consciousness. That of course is the space somewhere between consciousness, unconsciousness, and the dream state.

The impact of the spell-binding perception that emerges from that no-man’s land can make one either a spiritual person or a psychotic. Nelson explained the rationale to link spiritual experience with sexual and survival instincts. They all arise from the deep areas of the brain that we share with many animals. Monkey the Monk and The Holy Hog are probably common phenomena in the animal kingdom if by chance they consumed psychedelic substances. Some criticize may call Nelson’s conclusion as far-fetched and faiths may not accept that Buddha and Jesus were enlightened by the same brain circuits that created psychedelic effects. Even if the brain cells did all the basic work, how come only few mystics could interpret the vision truthfully and initiated revolutionary movements that changed the world for better? Whether we use the same structures hidden in our deep brain common to animal ancestors or not, the fact is that our cultural values and civilized social behavior actually originated from the altered perception accidentally created by a trigger.

The more recent spiritual experiences of mystics from India like Shri Ramana Maharshi and Shri Ramakrishna confirmed the role of epileptic seizure in creating unsettling visions. Nelson has given the history of the research on altered-perceptions using drugs like LSD, Ketamine, nitrous oxide, mushrooms, and so on. Now we know the exact neural mechanisms that propel consciousness to a higher mystic vision thanks to the real time research using accurate imaging devices. Pretenders might not have got the bliss of the migration of the self and it explains their selfish desire to create and perpetuate spiritual fiefdoms.

Skeptics question the scientific explanation of spiritual transformation as it’s derived from the knowledge of only 5% of the total content of the universe. Unknown factors such as dark energy and dark matter that admittedly constitute 95% of the universe, and they may have a decisive role in creating mystic awareness and even inexplicable coincidences. We have to accept the limitations of science, but it is amply compensated by the provision to rectify conclusions if fresh evidences falsified prior data. Without the discovery of Higg’s Boson, Standard Model of the universe would have remained incomplete although it could adequately explain most of the cosmic phenomena. May be for some more time the mysteries like dark energy and dark matter would continue to cause confusion even to the high priests of science. Still what science has explained so far has the quality of reliability as compared to the fictional claims of faiths?

Many realized persons suggested meditation as an effective tool for elevating ordinary perception to a fusion of the self with universal existence. Dr. Taylor who got a real time experience confirmed that the benign synthesis of the self with objective reality gave her the mystic experience of unity. If we accept the concept of the common source of all existence, separateness and individual identities would become man-made illusions. If one meditates intensely on common consciousness, the self will appear as a reflection of cosmic energy in physical existence. It can create an altruistic mindset by reducing the role of the self in consciousness. Recent studies on the neural circuits of meditating monks and nuns indicate the possibility of the decline of the self to create mystic wisdom.

That is the blissful state of the mind that involved readers can achieve by initiating a meditative approach to life that can reduce ego and attachments. A compassionate worldview might emerge from the mind and consequential change in lifestyle could remove stress and frustrations. True spirituality can create conditions conducive to peaceful co-existence and promote sustainable progress and prosperity all over the world. That can effectively check the influence of fanatics who breed hatred and aggressive tendencies in the name of religion, race, region, and other imaginary barriers. Enlightenment is getting the correct picture of existence initiated by the big bang and continued with cosmic evolution. Let us visit the seamless vista of existence with an open mind to understand the truth underlying all things and even nothing.

CHAPTER 1

WHO PLAYS DICE?

In the beginning there was nothing. No space to envelope the universe nor any receptacle to contain it, no life, death, or day or night. The self- contained alone shined in supreme contentment.

- Rig Veda 10.121.1

You believe in a dice-playing god, and I, in the perfect rule of law in a world of something objectively existing, which I try to catch in a wildly speculative way. The great initial success of quantum theory cannot convert me to believe in that fundamental game of dice.

- Albert Einstein]

"Religion is for those who are scared to go to hell.

Spirituality is for those who have already been there."

- Bonnie Raitt

In order to properly understand the big picture, everyone should fear becoming mentally clouded and obsessed with one small section of truth.

- Xun zi

While I worried over the mystery of my escapes, well-wishers told me to be grateful to the benefactor instead of seeking sources of serendipity. They accused me of intellectual impudence and advised to keep faith in the almighty. The constant refrain was that science didn’t have all explanations and even more intelligent persons like Einstein were less critical of the unknown.

My duty, according to them, was to perform noble acts of piety and charity in return to the grace of god that rescued me from the certainty of death. Questions were raised on the propriety of seeking the cause of the creation of the universe, when I didn’t have the inclination to improve own physical and mental wellness? I was convinced of the futility of my silly quest and my addiction for explanations slowly waned. I decided to behave better and to spend more quality time with family and friends.

But then another intriguing calamity rekindled the dying fire of my persistent curiosity. A close friend died of a massive heart attack although he had all the best reasons to survive. Moreover, timely and competent medical help was at hand. Kandan was in his late thirties when he collapsed with a cardiac arrest under extremely benign circumstances. He was a practicing cardiologist in the same hospital where he got the fatal blow. A fitness freak and in the pink of health, he was playing racquet-ball after duty when bad luck struck. Emergency room was close by and in few seconds his colleagues tried to revive the stalled heart. Wasn’t it imperative for the routine saviour to help him out with one small push?

The hospital would have taken further medical care if the heart restarted. Where was the god hiding when Kandan died? I was not a good choice for a second inning as it wouldn’t have enhanced my happiness or the welfare of the world. An average, arrogant Indian bureaucrat with several vices and undesirable attitudes didn’t deserve divine grace.

Kandan would have saved several lives and contributed immensely to the progress of medical science. In his short spell of life, he demonstrated qualities of kindness and boldness in extreme situations. His greatest sacrifice was the donation of a kidney to his ailing father understanding the possibility that he might have inherited renal deficiencies. He married his beloved in spite of differences in faith and initial disapproval by parents. They first met at the medical school and after many hiccups, finally got parent’s clearance for the kind of wedding acceptable to both faiths. Two cute children were born to them soon and the contended family lived a comfortable life in the national capital of America. The jolt came at the peak of their happiness and people who knew them were