Ask Deepak – What Is Contemplative Neuroscience.

“If I understand you, root and all, I will understand the whole universe.” Tennyson. Each small speck carries the unexpurgated universe within it. Concentration reveals quality and contemplation is consciousness in continuity through uninterrupted and undistracted flow of consciousness towards one object. Since most of our responses are ball and chained by the happenings which stack up in our lives and thus our perceptions are distorted by our desires and despairs. Every one of us is overcast by an illusionary person, a false self and lives in fool’s paradise. We become victims of our own contemplation, while thinking of goodness, we become good and thinking of wickedness, we become wicked. Our culture is so bombarded with persuasive messages about how to live the so called sterling life that we easily lose sight of real and lasting. But when we try to answer questions in the spiritual traditions, like “who am I”, where have I come from, and thus try to unravel the mysteries of the universe, and our relationships with one another, we exercise contemplation which has been buttoned down across lives, cultures and disciplines as essential for the pursuit of higher knowledge and wisdom . What exactly are contemplative practices? It is nothing but “A long loving look at the real.” Once you behold what is real in your life, then you are at a place where god is actively inviting you to a closer relationship. So contemplation means our consciousness gravitating on one object in continuity and thus it metamorphoses in one choice, one object and one consciousness. It is just like focusing through the lens of the camera, zooming the lens, discarding all irrelevant objects to concentrate on one. It is no brain story, but contemplating transparency to eventually seize enlightenment. We have excellent historical examples where scientists like Newton and Galileo through sheer exercise of contemplation arrived at radical and revolutionary findings such as Law of Gravity and planetary system. Similarly, philosophers like Aristotle, Pluto and Socrates through the competence of contemplation were able to explain human and social relationships. Contemplative practices muffle and mute the mind to cultivate a personal capacity for deep concentration and insight. If we choose the object of love, as our quest for contemplation, contemplation becomes a piece of cake, very easy, here ego disappears and contemplation breeds a selfless self. In this uninterrupted flow we are able to see the larger picture of the world through this increased consciousness. Personal goodness and compassion awakes the awareness of interconnectedness through the sensations of our own body which helps us develop greater empathy, communication skills, improves our focus, reduces stress, enhances creativity, cultivates insight and intuition , thus lavishing upon loving and compassionate approach to life through the contemplative cannon of yogic practices, art of living, prayer sessions and passion pursuing which changes the course of our genes and balloons our brain size and eventually conditions our mind, body, soul and consciousness and we marching on the road to enlightenment. This fact and phenomenon has been ratified by a rubber stamp of approval through thousand and one scientific studies as well, where it has been set and settled that contemplative practices has the might of modifying the brain size eventually, enhancing creativity of the individual. “Therefore, focus your mind on me alone and let your intellect and wisdom dwell upon me through meditation and contemplation. Thereafter you shall certainly come to me.”

We need some kind of device, potion, procedure to increase the compassion, love, understanding of each other as human beings. Maybe we are just at the beginning stages of this contemplative neuroscience in our evolution.

Fascinating! Can`t wait to find out more and read your book.