The Art of Meditation: A Willful Process of CNS Development and Integration

b Dr! "d#ard $! %loc& I'( Ph!D! Date last edited: )* +anuar ),--

An Overview of the Meditational Process

Introduction There are many books in print concerning the subject of meditation. These publications are usually associated with the religious practices of Western ontemplative Orders and of !astern" #ndian $oga. This reflects the cultural bias of their authors and the fact that only in the religious setting are these meditational practices usually promulgated" especially in modern times. #f one is to receive meditational training" one must adhere to the religious precepts of the keepers of the knowledge. This is in turn a reflection of the fact that for many centuries only the religious orders were the keepers of the knowledge" any knowledge actually. The initiate was introduced to the meditational process in due course as a part of the religious training. #n the religious retreat" the demands of everyday life are minimi%ed and the stage is set for the mind training which meditation affords. #t is this fact" that the $oga of meditation is mind training" that this work addresses. The seculari%ation of knowledge into the disciplines of &cience has produced much new knowledge that is beyond the religious conte't. To my knowledge" only Transcendental Meditation has been looked at systematically from the viewpoint of understanding

the results of meditative practices. The results of this investigation reports mostly upon physiological processes with some reports of psychological effects. Much discussion has been in the offing for enhancing mood" healing and stress management. These have been the only non(religious applications" albeit with pseudo(religious overtones. The aspects of using meditation for mind training has not been pursued systematically in the western world. )opefully" this work will rectify this shorcoming or at least spur interest in doing so. #t is the e'press purpose of this work to present an easily understood program of meditational e'ercises and techni*ues and e'plain the possible results of their practices. The purpose of the mind training is to further the development of consciousness" to integrate the components of the central nervous system+ ,&- with the peripheral nervous system+P,&- and to ac*uire the ability to willfully manipulate neural plasticity for the purpose of learning. #n order to do this" one must first understand the process of meditation. what meditation is able to do and what it is not able to do. Once the process is understood and practiced until a measure of willful control is at hand" one may then begin the process of consciousness development" learning and integration beyond what is taught in the public school system in the /.&.A. The processes set in motion by the practices will aid in the educational abilities of anyone whom uses them. As such" it is my opinion that these practices should be re*uired training for everyone after the

age of 01 years. The peak of neurological development" but not necessarily neurological integration" occurs at about the age of 01 years. 2or this reason" at this time it is now appropriate to coach the integrating mind and assist its developmental potential. The following discussion will give you" the reader" an overview of the meditational processes initiated by the e'ercises and techni*ues in order of their appearance and deepening awareness of the various states of human consciousness. Then we move to the meditations on neural connections. 3astly we integrate all that we have learned and hone our skills uni*ue to our own beingness. At this point we decide what we want to do in the world and set the stage for its unfoldment4 Preparation for The Meditative Process The first step is to make the conscious decision to embark upon the path of the meditative process. This re*uires a commitment of both time and effort. The time re*uired is at least 0 5 hours a day. More time spent in meditation speeds the process and will result in *uicker results. #t is recommended that one take two years out your life to engage in the meditative process 06 to 07 hours a day if already an adult. Perhaps this is one of the reasons meditation is taught via the religious venue. $oungsters should start in the 8th grade. &et up a schedule whereby at the same time every day the meditative e'ercises and techni*ues will be

practiced for the 0 5 hour time period. 9esults will be gradual with times where nothing seems to happen interspersed with times of rapid achievement and integration. The key to achieving results is consistency of effort and using the e'ercise and techni*ues appropriate for the current stage of development. The stages of the meditative process are as follows: 0. Walking Meditation 1. &tanding Meditation ;. &itting Meditation 6. Prone Meditation !ach stage has a set of e'ercises and techni*ues associated with it and builds upon the skills ac*uired in the proceeding stage. Once all the e'ercises and techni*ues are learned and all the stages are incorporated into ones consciousness" any skill may be utili%ed when appropriate. &elf( healing" stress management and behavioral integration are some of the skills which are learned. As with all learning endeavors" set and setting are a very important consideration. #n the practice of meditation" one needs to create a space and situation within which to practice. This space may be anywhere which affords physical comfort and a minimum of distraction. As one is going to be *uiet" wear clothing +preferably of natural fibersappropriate for your climate which is comfortable and not tight or restrictive. avoid drafts and sudden

interruptions. &udden interruptions tend to shift one out of the meditative states rather abruptly and jarringly. As one progresses in stability and facility of movement between states" one is able to accommodate interruptions with ease. Try to find an area as free of electromagnetic radiation as possible" this includes unused electrical outlet plugs. Place yourself as far from any as is possible. !M2 radiation and A. . current affect the neuroendocrine systems adversely. #t is a chronic stressor to which we all acclimati%e or die due to a suppressed #mmune &ystem. One is able to determine the effects of these chronic stressors while in deep meditation. One is also able to determine the field strengths and vectors of any !M2 fields within which one finds oneself. One also needs to be aware of the geomagnetic influences in the area of meditative practices. 3earning to <owse is but one part of the benefits of meditative practice. One becomes much more fascile at determining stimulating" neutral and stressful locations. #t will enhance your meditative practice to do so in a neutral location. The e'ercises are best performed when one is in a rela'ed mood and have not eaten within the last hour. There are certain diets which facilitate the ma'imum benefit from these e'ercises. All efforts hinge upon keeping any foods which stimulate the neuroendocrine=hormonal systems out of the diet. The elimination of these foods allows for a calm and settled mind. #t helps to eliminate mammalian food products such as red meat" dairy products

+unless naturally fermented and well aged- and whey. These foods have many steroids and hormones which cause stimulatory affects in the body. Many plant foods also have steroids and stimulatory compounds. These should be eliminated as well. # am speaking of testosterone in pumpkin seeds. estrogens in alfalfa and clover tea. estrogens in pomegranates" persimmons and mushrooms. caffeine in coffee" tea and chocolate. >y the way" the highest content of testosterone in any meat is that of turkey. !at chicken" eggs and tofu for protein. potatoes" carrots" s*uashes and beets for carbohydrates. olive oil for fats +the fats in olive oil are closest to those in Mother?s milk-. &alads are helpful for obtaining minerals and vitamins. /se all the leafy plants for making salads. Pasta with tomato sauce is e'cellent. Make a special effort to consume fish such as )erring and &ardines as they have the highest *uality of Omega(; oils which your brain and ,ervous &ystem re*uire. 2la'seed oil is high in omega(; oils. Most processed foods have a vast preponderance of omega(7 oils in them" this imbalance of omega oils is detrimental to health. The Neurological Basis of the Meditative Process 2or us to be aware of the neurological components and connections underlying behavior and its integration" since this is what we will be working with" a little anatomy @ physiology lesson is in order. This will set the stage for why we do the e'ercises and techni*ues" the manner in which they

are practiced" the signposts along the way and the skills achieved in doing so. 9ecent research +http:==www.world( science.net=othernews=00A01;Bmeditation- has shown that analysis of the brain scans of practicing meditators" which focused on areas where meditation associatd differences were seen in earlier studies" found increased greymatter density in the hippocampus" known to be important for learning and memory" and in structures associated with self(awareness" compassion and introspection. The reductions in stress reported by the participants were also correlated with decreased greymatter density in the amygdala" a structure known to play an important role in an'iety and stress" researchers said. ,one of these changes were seen in the non( meditators. The ancient brain +sometimes called the C9eptilianC brain- is the spinal cord" the medulla oblongata at the top of the spinal cord and the hindbrain composed of the pons and cerebellum. There is an evolutionary ancient mesh of interneurons e'tending from the medulla" through the pons and on to the thalamus and hypothalamus of the forebrain. This reticular formation comprises much of the brain stem core called the tegmentum. 2rom the thalamus" a newer" more diffuse mesh ascends to all areas of the cerebral corte'. The arousal centers of the brain are the pontine reticular formation of the medulla" the locus

ceruleus of the upper pons" the substantia nigra of the midbrain and the posterior hypothalamus of the forebrain. These centers are the attention center of the brain termed the 9eticular Activating &ystem +9A&-. The 9A& also seems to be the center of motivation. The 9A& is a very comple' set of neuron loci which serve as a convergence for signals from the e'ternal world and from your interior environment. The sleep areas of the brain are the nucleus raphe of the pons and the preoptic area of the forebrain. Turning on and off these opposing centers is under conscious and neuroendocrine control. The diurnal or daily cycle we all e'perience is due to the secretions of the pineal gland" which is at the top of the brain. The cerebral corte' has e'panded greatly in higher mammals and especially in humans and cetaceans. !volutionarily" white matter is on the outside of the gray matter in brains. Dray matter is cell body loci +associated groups of neurons- while white matter is myelinated a'onal tracts from neuron cell bodies to other distant loci of neuron cell bodies and processes. #n higher mammals" the great e'pansion of new cell neuron bodies in the cerebrum and the cerebellum has reversed this trend in these locations. Thus the pineal gland seems to be in the center of the brain due to the overfolding of the cerebrum. &till" the pineal gland responds to the rhythms of light and darkness. With the onset of darkness" the pineal gland secretes melatonin which cues the 9A& to diminish its activation of the corte' and thus" the

sleep centers gain predominence. When the sun arises" melatonin stops being secreted and the 9A& gains the upper hand once again and awakens you to greet the morn. The role of the 9A& is to generate dynamic effects in the corte'. #t plays a significant role in determining whether a person can learn and remember" whether a person is impulsive or self( controlled" whether a person has high or low motor activity levels" and whether a person is motivated or bored. The 9A& is the center of balance for the other systems involved in learning" self(control" inhibition and motivation. #t provides the neural connections that are needed for the processing and learning of information and the ability to pay attention to the correct task. The practice of meditation then deals with these centers: the 9A&" the sleep centers and the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus controls the pituitary gland which in turn controls the endocrine glands of the body. The hypothalamus is the seat of the rheostatic +more correct than homeostasissystem of the body. )ere" the set points for temperature" blood pressure" blood volume" the integration of the sensory and motor sympathetic nervous system" the behaviors related to internal organ activities such as thirst" hunger" se'" fear and emotional e'pression are located. Most of the incoming information is received and channeled to higher centers by the reticular formation.

When one begins the practice of meditation" the first thing that one learns is to gain a measure of awareness of these systems. One begins to look inwards instead of outwards. One begins to develop an awareness of the states" behaviors and control systems of the 9A&" the sleep centers and the hypothalamus. We will discuss the limbic system" the forebrain and the cerebellum in detail later. These systems have to do with memory" learning skills and consciousness development. 2irst we need to learn the workings of the body and how to willfully control its behavior.

The Willful Process of ,& <evelopment and #ntegration via Meditation

The process of meditation is such that one discovers the ins and outs of how one thinks" feels and moves. The e'ercises and techni*ues used to accomplish these feats are straightforward. The use of them an CArtC. # may be able to describe the e'ercises and the techni*ues for which to gain a stated purpose" but # am not able to convey the subjective e'perience of the meditative process. This is best e'perienced with the master whom has gone before and will allow you to share in their CspaceC. This is best accomplished by meditating with them and following their lead in the meditative process. $ou will be able to CtuneC yourself to their altered state and learn to move yourself there at your will as your practice becomes deeper and more stable. The author will endeavor to pass on to you the CsecretsC which have been learned through the years as a meditator. The techni*ues which the author has learned to use in the development of consciousness fully. The author will show you how to willfully move your beingness into union with the universal. 9ead the entire series of e'ercises and techni*ues to gain a background for what you are going to

e'perience. The author will e'plain" as the description progresses through the stages of integration" what is occuring both subjectively and neurophysiologically. Then ne't to the escription of the meditations on neural connections +the rown hakra and the 3imbic( erebellar dyad-. The first series of e'ercises" the walking meditation" is geared to focusing the attention upon what is happening in the moment. Thus" the emphasis on C>e )ere ,ow4C. $ou make the conscious decision to give the forebrain elements the power to organi%e the reticlar activating system elements and the limbic system elements into a partnership. A partnership now practicing in order to enter into a process of discovery and utili%ation of skills. $ou discover the ever increasing subtle aspects of your sensory and motor systems" under conscious and unconscious control. $ou begin to use your present skills to learn to develop control over those aspects of your unconsciousness which is possible to do so within the limits of your genetic capabilities. This entails the development of new synapses being made and the appropriate stimulation of the newly established pathways. This is accomplished with continued practice and persistent effort. Attainments come in spurts and persistence furthers4 &ometimes" just when you are about to give up" you will be able to accomplish your goal. Patience" you will learn patience. The two keywords here are patience and persistence4 As was stated" it is possible to accomplish only

what is in your genetic heritage to accomplish. There is no magic. There are no miracles. There is only reality. What you learn to do is to develop your own particular reality to its fullest. The ne't stage in the process of learning to meditate is the standing meditation. This meditation should be practiced much the same as the walking meditation. The purpose of the standing meditation is really to e'amine the emotional and mental content of your thought processes" that accompany everything that you do. )ere you also set the stage for allowing the repressed and secret recesses of your mind to bubble to the surface and be dealt with until resolution. There are stages of personal involvement which your conscious beingness allows to be brought to your attention. The easiest to be dealt with always comes up first" i.e." the latest daily normal garbage. What will come up is all that you observed but did not deal with directly in consciousness as it happened. This is called Cback(scanningC by some people. $ou will run your consciousness back to the event and play it again" but this time you will follow it and attempt to decipher meaning from what is remembered. $our ability to do this is in direct proportion to the amount or lack of your focus at the time. &ome things you just paid too little attention to and you simply cannot remember. Other things are frought with all kinds of emotional content and your fearful side keeps you from being able to CseeC it. &ometimes your mood is foul due to the repressed negative associations that you are not able to get up

and out for view. #t is here that you begin to separate the emotional feelings from the mental content. 2irst you feel the emotions that are connected to the thoughts" then you begin to learn to dissociate the two. This dissociation brings us to the sitting meditation. #n the sitting meditation" you begin to understand the course of the events which occured dispassionately" you learn to become an observer. ,ow you are able to see both sides of the issue" project other possible outcomes and learn from the e'perience. More importantly" in the sitting meditation you learn to organi%e your learned e'periences in order to bring about the increased possibility for desired outcomes to materiali%e.

The Meditation of 3earning and ,eural Plasticity

This section describes how to use the willful process of Meditation to assist one in learning. #t also describes the role of neural plasticity in the development of human consciousness. Man has the capacity for going beyond instinct. learning and making further abstraction based upon pattern recognitions" and acting upon them. The willful process of meditation is geared to knowing the self. #t is by nature a process that stimulates the developmental and integrative aspects of consciousness in all cases. #t is the capacity for learned behavior that is mostly built in and not foreign to your neurophysiology. #t is the processing ability of the hindbrain centers that gives you the ability to alter your perceptions" to modify what your neurological filters allow you to focus upon and to alter your perceptions of and discernment of new patterns in the envionmental e'pression of the physical phenomena of your world. #t is the willful e'pression of your frontal corte' that allows you to set new goals and lends you the drive to achieve those goals. )ow then do you create a new realityE )ow then do you shift your paradigmE )ow then do you accomplish your new goalsE )ow do you utili%e the

ability to learn and the ability to bend neural plasticity to create new behavioral e'pressionE The thalamus is the switching station for everything that comes up from below +the hindbrain" the hypothalamus and the 9A&- into the cerebrum and from the cerebrum into the rest of the body. #t is the filter that the ,& uses to diminish and focus the content which makes it into your consciousness. #t allows you to screen out that which you do not wish to pay attention to and thus to remain ignorant about. >eing ignorant means that you do not give sufficient validity to that portion of the information that comes to you and thus you CscreenC it out. Meditation affords you the chance to willfully check your flitering and to reset that which is going to be screened out. )allucinogens do this without any preparation on your part and accounts for the consciousness e'pansion attributed to them. #f you are unprepared to deal with this filter re(setting as a willful process" the benefits that might be accrued from the filter being suddenly removed most likely will not be integrated. This is why all CprimativeC cultures that utili%e hallucinogens" as a ritual in the rites of passage into adulthood" make elaborate preparations in advance with the individuals involved. These cultures accept that society promulgates CtruthsC that are not of personal e'perience. These cultures incorporate a process for the ac*uisition of CspiritualC knowledge that then becomes an e'tention of the personal e'perience of

the initiate into the fabric of their society. An e'ample" of a western center for renewal" was at the !lysium 2ields outside of Athens. 2or many generations" one family prepared +for a fee- the initiate to receive" as a culmination of many months of self preparation" an e'perience of profound consciousness e'pansion. Many of the prominant members of Athenian society through the decades participated in the rites there. This center was destroyed when the power of the early christian church in the area became influential and strong enough. Through the process of meditation" you once again become as children: drinking in all that comes to your e'perience in the interaction with your family members" your work" your play" your physical environment. Once again you decide what input to disregard and what to pay attention to. $ou find out just what motivates you" what makes you fearful" what gives you joy and what makes you uni*ue. $ou decide what you are going to become by what you now allow yourself to focus upon" learn about and to integrate. This is genetically predisposed and you see your predispositions. $ou model those whom you wish to emulate" you absorb the resonances of your family and partner" you integrate the aspects of their beingness into yourself without dimishing your sense of self. $et you are able to see what is you and what is not you. #f you chose to alter what has been you and embark upon a new path of filter processing" you need to know

what is the real me and what you are capable of doing and what you seek to ac*uire and intregrate. $ou learn to set the stage for new synaptic pathways and connections. $ou persevere and allow the new connections to become stable in your beingness. $ou learn to allow yourself to change your filtering according to what you want to become in the immediate future. !ven more important" you learn what is real and what is mere sociali%ation4 The hardest part of changing is the inability of those around yourself to allow you to change. ,ow they do not know CyouC anymore and they have to get to know you again after they had pigeon(holed you and CknewC you. &ometimes it is easier to go away and make new friends. This is what breaks up couples more than anything. &ome people are so afraid of change" so threatened by the growth in another that they become belligerant. They are so afraid of loosing control over the other person that they begin to resort to any number of means of violence and oppression: physical" emotional and mental. Thus this pathway is frought with peril. Another reason that it is usually done in the setting of a religious retreat. 3earning is intimately involved with being able to focus on the task at hand. 2or this reason" it appears that some component of an'iety or perhaps a drop( dead event attached to the need" desire or will to become one with that which is to be learned is re*uired. This is more or less the two(by(four that

hits the mule on the head to get its attention. Once that attention is obtained" the ne't *uestion to be answered is the depth of knowledge to be ac*uired and the persistence needed to follow through. #nevitably" it is the conte't of the learning environment or shall we say the necessity behind the motivation to learn the task at hand which is the most relevant. $ou make this decision everyday of your life. $ou pay attention to and learn what you want" need and desire to learn. #f you set up the proper mental mind set for the process" concept or behavioral attribute to be learned=ac*uired. you will seem to encounter those e'periences and interactions which lead you to deal with the processes of learning=ac*uiring that particular skill. Thus you have adjusted your thalamic filter to sensiti%e your sensory input to the noticing of CnewC information to be processed and integrated. )ow long do you have before this e'citing and challenging set of learning e'periences becomes routine and a boreE )ow deeply do you want to become involved in the process of learning about the CitCE What drives you to the learning process" what is the source of your motivationE <o you ChaveC to learn it" or do you want to learn itE What are you getting at is how long does your perseverance lastE When it no longer lasts to focus your attention" the learning mind set associated with the CitC to be learned passes away. All this is obvious. )owever" your true path in life as to what is to be assimilated" learned and integrated never fades into oblivian. #t merely deepens in content"

e'perience and understanding. The 3ocus eruleus The Cblue spotC +ceruleus means blue- located in the upper Medulla Oblongata is the seat of fear. The greatest test of learning and the modification of neural plasticity as a result deals with this center. As it is your fear that Cfree%esC your behavior" it is a lifelong struggle to overcome your fears and to develop to the ma'imum of your potential. The only way to become truely CfearlessC is to confront each event" emotion or thought that keeps you imprisoned in your own mind. 2ear has its place in our behavioral repertoir. #t is a vital aspect of our beingness. >ut as each aspect of our beingness needs to be in harmony with the whole of our beingness" so fear needs to focus your attention" have you think about what transpires and formulate a solution to the issue at hand. #t is when fear becomes magnified in your mind out of proportion to its need" that you Cfree%eC. >eing fro%en in the vast majority of cases means that you will not continue your development. $ou have become stuck forever at the point where you have fro%en. This may be a physical development such as learning to dive from the F meter tower" an emotional development such as learning to sociali%e with the opposite se' or a mental development such as a fear of mathematics. #n any case" you will not grow and develop past that point which your fear has Cfro%enC in your behavior.

)ow then do you shatter this Cfro%enC barrierE The first step is to reali%e that the emotional beingness of your mind has coupled with a physical" emotional or mental trauma. &econd" you need to come to grips with that trauma which has occured. What are the circumstances of the trauma" the persons involved and the outcome which has led to your denial" pain and frustrationE 3astly" you learn to dissociate your emotional beingness from the remembered trauma. At this point you may again put yourself into the same circumstances as before" with careful preparation beforehand" so as to learn to better deal with the issue that caused you to free%e up. This is where make(believe role playing plays a big part in becoming fearless4 The Walking and &tanding Meditations prepare you for the emotional dissociation re*uired. The &itting Meditation takes you deeply into the workings of the psyche and allows you to bring up and deal with all the emotional garbage that you carry around on your shoulders and inflict upon the others around you. $ou learn to dissociate your beingness from the traumatic event. $ou learn to ground the disruptive energy and smooth your beingness. $ou become CdispassionateC concerning this event and others like it. ,ow you are able to view the event as a learning e'perience and to work through all the aspects of the event that lead to the one thing that caused you to Cfree%eC. $ou learn to face your fears and to overcome them by being calm" thinking through the possibilities and reaching out to create new realities. Again patience with yourself and the

others involved is necessary. Patience and perseverence further4

The Meditation of &tress Management

A great way to handle stress in any form is through a simple meditational e'ercise. Do to the e'ercises and techni*ues and practice the walking and standing sitting meditations. The meditation periods are for one hour. >ut" as you become more adept" you will learn to meditate for 1A minutes and be considerably calmed. This is the setup for the sitting meditation. &tart practicing the sitting meditation when you are able to calm yourself *uickly during the standing meditation. Then begin the sitting meditation and let the process deepen and carry you to further calming. ontinue the meditation until you are able to enter a deep state of rela'ation. !ventually" you will learn to meditate for 6F minutes and you will have the e*uivalent of 6 hours of sleep. The 6F minute e'ercise" practiced while lying down in the yoga nidra pose" is especially useful for *uickly getting to the core of beingness and then back out to organi%e your thoughts" for planning the future events that you want to happen. One will look at the possibilities and probabilities for success and then make plans for implementing those future goals. This form of auto(suggestion is very helpful in carrying through both short term and long term goals. #t is the lack of achieving y our goals that drives you to distraction. Thus you learn to

overcome your inhibitions" smooth your beingness and implement your desires4 !nergy >alancing This e'ercise assists your body in reaching the optimum fre*uency resonances for any particular environment in which you find yourself. #t is a simple yet very powerful e'ercise in the sitting mode. What you do is to ground ourselves in the !lectromagnetic 2ield of the !arth via the >asal hakra +,ode-" open yourself to the #nterplanetary !lectromagnetic 2ield of our &olar &ystem via the rown hakra +,ode- and finally to balance each to center in your )eart hakra +,ode-. #t is as if two pyramids are gaining e*uilibrium to become two interlaced tetrahedra with their centers at the )eart chakra. This is the symbol of $oga" two e*uilateral triangles interlaced with a dot in the center to yield the $ogic &ri $antra" see below" which in this case is all 8 chakras interlaced.

The &ri $antra The symbol for the )eart hakra has only one interlacing.

The )eart hakra &ymbol This is similar to the &tar of <avid or the Mogen <avid" see below" of judism without the dot in the center.

#n any case" the e'ercise goes like this: Gisuali%e the bottom of your spine as projecting into the earth and melding with the molten core of the earth" or with the feet

as you wish. >ecome very strong in the awareness of the color 9ed and the heat of the molten core +not overwhelmingly so-. After achieving awareness and grounding for a while +intuitively based time span-" reverse the orientation and project your brain e'tending into the cold depths of our &olar &ystem. >ecome very strong in the awareness of the color Giolet and the coldness +not overwhelmingly so-. After achieving awareness and tuning for a while +intuitively based time span-" visuali%e bringing together both the 9ed and Giolet energy fre*uencies into the )eart hakra and blending=balancing them there. Allow the balancing to e'tend in a spherical pattern from your )eart hakra and into the area around yourself" from your heart core to the surface of your body and in all directions. >ecome very strong in your balanced awareness. 3astly" allow your everyday waking consciousness to merge with this awareness" take a few deep breaths and open the eyes. ,ow you are ready to tackle anything which comes along with ease4

The Art of Meditation

Are you willing to let go now of what you know in order to become that which you want to beE &unya $ogananda &araswati Make no mistake" meditation is an art and not a science. Meditation involves the whole person: mind" body and emotions. Meditation is by nature an integrative process. #t is a process that speeds the behavioral development through establishing new neural connections and networks. #t allows for suspended and repressed behavioral pathways to be re(opened and stimulates their integration. Meditation sets the stage for further growth of the person in all aspects. As such" meditation allows one to play their physical" mental and emotional beingness much like a violin. The biorhythms of the neuroendocrine system determine the mood for the concert" the instruments to be played and the manner of their playing. The art of meditation allows one to be with the flow of everyday environmental influences and yet with grace and aplomb to be above it also. #t is not the tool but the application of the tool by its wielder which allows the artful e'pression. The scope of science is such that it allows us to know the physical" chemical and biological basis of our e'istence. Technology has given us the tools to accomplish great feats in the physical and chemical

realm that we use in our everyday lives. )owever" when it comes to knowing ourselves" meditation holds the key. #n knowing ourselves" we discover our true nature. We discover whom we really are in the scheme of the universe. We uncover that hidden reality apart from this ;(< phenomenal world. We discover our place in the scheme of this world and the other realms of human e'istance. Through meditation" we learn that most of what society teaches us as the CT9/T)C is merely artifice. The CT9/T)C of society is merely what someone wants us to know or believe so as to control our thinking and thus our behavior" to control our behavior for their benefit. We make the society within which we live. We do this by conscious participation" ac*uiescence" conscious resistence and subversion. Meditation brushes all artifice away in the light of pure reality. Meditation brings enlightenment and hence the pathos of human e'istence as its reflection. <o not embark upon the path of meditation if you will not see yourself with the stark light of reality. Acceptance of personal reality may be an empowering event which the weak in beingness are not able to face. One learns the true nature of the self in this pure light of reality. Then from wisdom" one makes decisions as to how one wishes to relate to the body politic. And by their works shall ye know them4