phenomenon that reveals itself each time someone is found to have unwittingly hidden unethical
conduct behind good intentions. Even a noble intention, such as the resolve to save lives, can
be perverted by a narrow sense of self, leading to the saving of lives only with which the person
identifies or only in the name of a provisional ideal. Good intentions prompted by a narrow
sense of self often lead to the same violent outcomes as planned misconduct, a dynamic seen
in organized religions that have historically hidden behind morality while conducting missionary
or combative activities.
In the end, ethical considerations hinge on whether or not one’s activity is limited by sensory
conditioning. The theory of self maintains that attention squandered exclusively on the senses,
with no regard for the subtler centers of intuition in the spine and brain, narrows the sense of
identity and leads to unethical behavior. By contrast, the prevention of misconduct is attributed
to the control and conservation of energy, indicating why the ancient theory of self made no
distinction between ethics and asceticism. Ethical injunctions calling for nonviolence and truth
telling function as virtues not in and of themselves but rather because they articulate inner
regulations of energy and awareness, helping adherents avoid digressive physiomagnetic
patterns and turn their attention to intuiting the larger self, the moment-to-moment real source of
ethical behavior. Another way of stating this principle is found in the discovery that
ethical/ascetic behavior only mimics the behavior of the larger self by supporting a calm and
intuitive life born of the inflow of awareness. Phenomenologically, we have no other way of
measuring right conduct in society other than in the effects of conduct on the development of
the self.
The science of intuition’s contributions to ethical concerns portray an ancient system of ethics
that, based on the theory of self, has profound applications, underscoring not only the idea that
morality is physiological but that the practice of intuition is itself an ethical imperative. For
instance, if, as the theory of self asserts, the essence of the cosmos is the infinite substance of
self, then right and wrong would have to be determined in relation to this substance, for the
cosmos offers us no other unconditioned basis on which to guide conduct. Expansion of the
sense of self, then, would be the only absolute good and the only ideal that satisfyingly
eradicates moral absolutism from human experience. In the words of Einstein, “The true value
of a human being is determined by the measure and the sense in which he has attained
liberation from the [narrow] self.”19
This ethical system also maintains that one’s behavior in adult society ultimately affects nothing
but one’s own sense of self. When one adult harms another, the pattern of violence persists
within the offender, narrowing her intuitional capacity. The target of violence, by contrast, is free
to decide how to respond, and it is the response, not the bodily harm, that determines both the
sense of self and any resulting physiological patterns of trauma. On the other hand, an adult
who abuses a child is said to have committed a terrible crime because children, whose
intuitional and intellectual capacities are still developing, react to violence by internalizing the
destructive patterns with little choice otherwise.
Further reinforcing the significance of the world within is the system’s notion that the
consequences of every thought and action are configured in the spine and brain’s centers of
intuitive awareness. Here thoughts, actions, and reactions form a boomerang effect by setting
up a physiomagnetic attraction for similar thoughts, actions, and reactions. Expressions like “An
eye for an eye” and “As you sow so shall you reap,” reminiscent of the ancient Indian doctrine of
karma, remind us of these physiomagnetic behavioral consequences sown in the body. Though
interpretations of them were distorted in the Dark Ages in order to rationalize injustice, the
principles they illuminate suggest that though the infinite substance of the cosmos guides all life
through physiomagnetic cause and effect to expand the sense of self, we as human beings, by
virtue of our enormous intuitive potential, are further obligated to consciously expand our
self-knowledge.
By turning our attention inward to the dynamics of self-awareness, this decentralized system of
ethics puts us in tune with the “voice” of conscience, which echoes intuited knowledge of right
and wrong. Depending on the degree of magnetization of the spine and brain, the voice of
conscience may be distorted, drowned out, misinterpreted, ignored then modulated into guilt, or
mistaken for conditioned reflexes, but it can never be utterly silenced. And even in whispers, its
articulations testify to the individuated self’s endless opportunities for expansion. Gradually,
more pronounced utterances—heard when the breath slows, the sensory world recedes, the
mind stills, and narrow time frames collapse—succeed in overpowering the chorus of
centralized authorities that too often propagate unethical behavior.
Through these and other means, the system of ethics arising out of the theory of self diminishes
a person’s capacity to judge the actions of others fairly since moral interpretations of others’
behaviors are colored by the self’s identification with them. For instance, while tempted to
morally denounce violence in strangers, we can easily overlook it in friends or allies. Lacking
absolute standards of measure, we may suddenly realize that there is no isolation of
physiomagnetic patterns, and consequently everything is connected to everything else. Judging
others is then seen as an example of the narrow sense of self rejecting its own potential for
growth, forgetting about itself in others, and ignoring the responsibility we all must take for
ourselves and society, an accountability that can be experienced inwardly through the practice
of Technique 10.
TECHNIQUE 10
Supporting Ethical Conduct
The causal connections between mental and emotional patterns, physiological conditions, and
the potential for expanding the sense of self make pranayama practices coupled with asceticism
uniquely advantageous in supporting ethical conduct. To better understand how this works,
recognize that every pattern of energy has an accompanying respiratory rhythm that manifests
physiologically and either expands or contracts the intuitive capacity of the sense of self. This
means not only that mental and emotional patterns affect breathing rhythms but that changing
your respiration is one of the quickest and easiest ways to influence all other physiomagnetic
patterns in the body. Breathe like an angry, sad, happy, or pensive individual and you will
become angry, sad, happy, or pensive. Alternatively, if you are angry and about to behave
unethically, the most efficient way to stop yourself is by taking slow, calm, full breaths. It is no
wonder that the word huff refers to both a breathing rhythm and an emotion.
Though no single method can ensure ethical conduct since it is a product of the expansive self,
breathing rhythms conducive to expansion are beneficial. According to ancient intuitive
scientists, manifestation of the infinite self is characterized by a cessation of breath, stillness of
the heart, and withdrawal of awareness from the senses. Fortunately, the breathing rhythms of
an expansive sense of self are more easily achieved. By practicing the following technique two
to four times a day you may feel your attention gradually pulled away from patterns associated
with restless desires of the body and a narrowly identified personality.
Sitting in the meditative posture—with spine straight, chin parallel to the floor, and palms
upturned and resting on the thighs—close your eyes, lift your gaze, and concentrate intently on
the point between your eyebrows. Breathe out through your mouth with a multiple exhalation
sounding like “huh, huh, huuuuuh.” Next, close your mouth and breathe in very slowly through
your nostrils, gradually allowing your abdomen to expand while mentally counting the seconds
that go by. As you continue inhaling, expand your chest, but stop before your shoulders lift. Hold
your breath for 1 to 3 seconds while deeply concentrating on your brow, then exhale through
your mouth for the same duration as the inhalation. Repeat the technique for 10 to 15 minutes,
then sit quietly in contemplation and focus on the magnetized point between the eyebrows as
your spine and brain intuit a sense of self to the best of their capacity. In that stillness, you may
talk with your personal image of God, practice positive affirmation, or listen inwardly, all the
while locking your attention to the medulla oblongata’s expansive center of awareness.
This technique fosters ethical behavior because of three pronounced physiological features.
One is that in waking consciousness exhalations last longer than inhalations, resulting in
uneven breathing that keeps attention on the finite world by directing nervous energy toward the
senses and autonomic bodily functions. By slowing the breath and equalizing inhalations and
exhalations, it is possible to conserve nervous energy and direct it toward the spine and brain,
increasing your intuitive awareness of the infinite self.
A second physiological benefit comes with the breath retention, which helps to still the otherwise
incessant fluctuations of awareness. Until conscious sensory relaxation is achieved, the
patterns of energy and awareness flowing in the body produce restless thoughts and emotions.
Gently holding the breath partially arrests such motion by building magnetism in the spine and
brain. In advanced stages of practice, it is possible to instantly quiet the breathing by lifting the
gaze and directing sensory and respiratory nervous energy to the fully magnetized spine and
brain.20
Third, there is a hidden physiological advantage to the stillness achieved while practicing this
technique. Simply by breathing slowly or focusing on the magnetized point between the
eyebrows you can reproduce this stillness in the midst of everyday life, inspiring you to seek
happiness in the expansive sense of self instead of in the sensorial world, to serve all others,
and moment by moment to calmly intuit conduct that sustains an ever-new expansive identity.
Due to the influence of the Dark Ages on the literary presentation of the theory of self, I was
taught the science of intuition’s ethical system in a manner similar to the teachings of the Ten
Commandments. It contained dos and don’ts, or prescripts and proscripts, and was believed to
be the gold standard for spiritual conduct. I failed to question this presentation, having been
raised in a Jewish household where the literal Ten Commandments were taught. And it was
only after years of the practice of intuition that I physiologically deconstructed so-called ethical
behavior and then discovered I was entirely missing the point. The realization was at once
simple and entirely in the opposite direction of every popular presentation of ethics.
Every technique in this book can be considered an ethical imperative because they all work, to
one degree or another and through various avenues to self-knowledge, to create a
cerebrospinal ceteredness. While it may be possible for you to memorize every commandment
of every religion and every human-made law from all times and places, knowing what to do and
why to do it in every moment of your life may still elude you. But I discovered that the very
process of exhaustive memorization would, by virtue of the mental diligence it required, create
cerebrospinal magnetism in the way that the technique of reading, writing, and thinking might.
That, and not the actual memories of the sounds of the laws and divine decrees in your mind,
would support ethical behavior to the degree that it was established, maintained, and nurtured.
Investigations into how the science of intuition impacts on psychology might usher in a
replacement for organized religions in this arena as well. Sigmund Freud, the founder of
psychoanalysis, believed that psychiatrists would relieve priests of their jobs. However, despite
their many contributions, Freud’s advanced studies of the psyche led to equally narrow views of
human potential. Influenced by Freud, popular psychology has propagated its own idea of the
well-adjusted self and spawned a self-help industry advocating ways to treat the self and others.
Ironically, this well-adjusted self, said to embody a balance of material and spiritual aspirations,
simultaneously tethers nervous energy to sensory awareness, limiting the person’s intuitional
capacity and potential for spiritual success. The resulting model of the societal sense of self is
simply too commercialized to benefit a global society.
This narrow model of self has become further entrenched in Western society by the treatment of
symptoms rather than physiomagnetic patterns which, according to the theory of self, are the
causes of psychological imbalance. When treating a client’s symptoms, psychologists cannot
help but use their own sense of self as the standard of measurement. Thus treatment by a
psychologist whose sense of self is circumscribed by societal expectations will reflect those
limitations. If psychologists do not vigorously challenge the model of self endorsed by society
and instead address solely the inner turmoil it provokes, then even the most progressive
methods will reinforce symptomatology. By contrast, the theory of self asserts that since
symptoms of poor psychological health have their roots in patterns informing an intuited self,
then even though a treatment may bring short-term relief the physiological patterns of nervous
energy that inhibit the intuition of a wider self must eventually be sublimated for more permanent
healing.
Specifically, behaviors considered psychologically damaging from a physiological perspective
are those that monopolize the senses. Engaging in substance abuse or other forms of addiction,
unabashed displays of wealth, or similar sense-absorbing activities is commonly considered
unsound because these behaviors are construed as personally impairing and capable of
decreasing society’s productive output. Physiologically, however, patterns focused on sensory
gratification or numbness impel unwanted behavior because they narrow the intuitional
bandwidth of the cerebrospinal radio. Any repetitive activity geared toward excessive sensory
input—whether it’s pornography and masturbation, hours upon hours of television viewing, or
fast-paced living devoid of inner reflection—contributes to an apathetic sense of self
preoccupied with limited and limiting pleasures. The identity of the larger self comes with the
tempering of sensory awareness by turning inward for intuitive awareness, the precursor to
psychological well-being.
Aware of the limitations of old-school psychology, some progressive Western psychologists
have been introducing their clients to variations on pranayama, including gazing techniques,
breath regulation, and tension-relaxation methods to promote the cathartic release of patterns
associated with psychological disturbances. Their work confirms the underlying importance of
physiology, and they are finding that a few sessions of regulated breathing can uproot patterns
that might otherwise require months or years of conventional psychoanalysis.
Shifting treatment from psychoanalysis to breathing presupposes that neuroses and psychoses
can be approached as unhealthy electromagnetic energy patterns rather than psychological or
biochemical imbalances, both of which, according to the theory of self, are caused by yet finer
patterns of nervous energy introduced by reactions to trauma, or by habits or heredity. For
example, trauma in the body is reflected in an agitated breathing pattern. During the practice of
breath regulation, shifts in the sense of self may be accompanied by pain and irregular
breathing, caused by the movement of attention away from a well-worn pattern and toward the
establishment of a new one. Pain in such instances tends to signal the release of a tenacious
habit that has contributed to the very sense of self attempting to undermine its release. Viewing
habits as patterns of energy connected with particular thoughts and actions, the theory of self
posits that even the finite idea of self is little more than a glorified habit. And because a socially
conditioned self is so highly venerated in society, questioning it is extremely difficult. As a result,
very few people experience radical shifts in the sense of self unless they are provoked by a
powerful crisis.
A shift to tension-relaxation methods is also on the rise, especially in the treatment of reactions
to trauma, counter-productive habits, or inherited conditioning. Tension-relaxation methods
operate on the principle that where there is energy in the body there is awareness. Nervous
energy, guided through tension to various parts of the body, directs awareness to these places,
awakening the practitioner to the presence or absence of “grooves” caused by recurring or
long-held energy patterns that impede intuitive awareness; an experience of conscious tension
pulling nervous energy away from these grooves; and the healing taking place through their
eventual unseating. The quickest and easiest way to direct awareness to areas of the body in
need of healing is through the application of Technique 11.
TECHINQUE 11
Tension-Relaxation Methods
During a crisis or any time afterward, one can train the body and mind to direct awareness
internally through tension and to withdraw it through relaxation, resulting in increased calmness
and freedom from limiting trauma-reactions, habits, and hereditary influences. The following
twenty-two methods may be practiced in either a sitting or standing position, keeping the back
straight and the eyes closed and focused upward. Unless stated otherwise, tense and relax very
slowly, holding each position for 3 to 6 seconds while sending healing energy to the tensed
body part or simply noting how it has galvanized your attention. Practice each method up to
three times consecutively before moving on to the next. The sequencing that follows was
devised to stimulate and relax particular polarities in the body. For best results in your personal
practice of this technique, select methods that most meet your needs, sequence them to
energize the desired muscle-group polarities, memorize your routine, then practice it daily,
modifying it as necessary.
Tense the head and medulla oblongata area, at the base of the skull, with a slight vibration.
Hold and then relax.
Tense the entire body, making sure to clench the fists, curl the toes, tighten the buttocks, and
squeeze the entire face to the tip of the nose. Hold and then relax.
Tense the throat, neck, and medulla oblongata area. Hold and then relax.
Tense the ears by grimacing sharply with the face and eyes. Hold for as long as is comfortable,
and then relax.
Clench both fists tightly. Hold and then relax.
Tense all parts of the neck for 1 to 3 seconds. Then quickly drop the chin to the chest with a
bounce while withdraw ing the energy.
Tense the entire spine and head, from coccyx to cerebrum, pulling the shoulders back and
tensing the abdomen as well. Hold for as long as is comfortable and then relax.
Tense the feet, legs, and buttocks. Hold and then relax.
Tighten the perineum by squeezing the anal sphincter muscles. Hold and then relax.
Knit the brow at the point between the eyebrows, close the eyes, and tighten the eyelids, gently
scrunching them. Hold and then relax.
Tense the arms from the fists to the shoulders. Hold and then relax.
Puffing out the chest, press palms together there as in prayer and tense shoulders, chest, and
upper spine. Hold and then relax.
Tense the entire abdomen and feel the tautness in the spinal area opposite the belly. Hold and
then relax.
Tense the buttocks and lower spine. Hold and then relax.
Scrunch the face tightly as if bringing it all to the tip of the nose. Hold and then relax.
Gently tense the eyes, moving the eyeballs in a circular motion to the right then to the left. After
6 rotations in each direction, relax.
With the mouth closed, pull the tongue back to touch the uvula—the nipplelike organ that hangs
at the back of the mouth—or the point as close to it as you can reach. Hold for as long as is
comfortable, and then relax.
Exhale, place chin to chest, and bend over, lowering the head between the knees. Hold for as
long as is comfortable, then relax and inhale.
With mouth closed, drop the head to the chest, tense the neck, and with added tension, pull the
head back until the forehead faces the ceiling. Next, relax the neck, open the mouth, and hold
for up to 12 seconds. Then lift the head, repeat the practice, and relax entirely.
Lock chin to chest and, exerting a pull on the back of the neck, press chin firmly into the chest
for several seconds, then press chest against the chin for several seconds. Relax.
Open the mouth then close it with slight tension, gently clenching the teeth. Hold for 1 to 3
seconds, and then relax.
Make a triple exhalation through the mouth, vocalizing, “Huh, huh, huuuuuuuh.” Closing the
mouth, allow the body to inhale on its own. Perform this multiple exhalation several times,
resting silently in between.
While researching in Israel in order to write a book on Vedanta’s influence on biblical mysticism,
I fell in love with the Hebrew language. Words belonged to families of roots and letters served
Dostları ilə paylaş: |