Consciousness and the Brain
© 2005
>> Since long time a question is troubling me and I cant find an answer. The question is: is consciousness a product of the brain or is the brain a product of consciousness? <<
The physical brain is the *physical* medium or organ which human-type consciousness *requires* in order to be able to *directly* interact with and *directly* experience the physical* realm. Consciousness or awareness exists with or without the physical brain and is in no way its product nor is it in any way dependant upon the physical brain for its existence. However, if human-type consciousness wishes to directly experience or interact with the physical realm it must do so *through* a physical brain.
>> In other words: is the world and the body a dream of consciousness or is the body-brain system dreaming the daily and nightly worlds? <<
Neither. The "world and the body" are *aspects of* or *manifestations of* consciousness, but they are not "dreams".
>> As much as I would like to believe that the body and the world is dreamed by consciousness, since this would mean that life will go on after the death of body and brain and would mean that life is more than just survival and procreation <<
The fact that *life* itself is eternal does not depend upon the "body and the world" being a "dream". *Life* is consciousness which is eternal -- the *forms* that consciousness inhabits within the temporal realm however, are *temporary*. I think you are confusing 'Life' with 'form'.
>> - most of the my own experience support the theory that it's all up to neurons and brain chemistry...My own experiences of oneness and expanded consciousness and being god and beyond life and death where induced by drugs, chemicals, so to say and it felt like the only truth, like that what i really am, like enlightenment and after some hours, when the effect of the drug was wearing off i was left with my small ego self...so, is enlightenment a change in brain chemistry? <<
;-) No. Chemically changing your brain chemistry however produces an effect upon your perceptual faculties that *mimics* a very, very poor imitation of "enlightenment". True "enlightenment" is the transformation of consciousness itself, not of the brain chemistry. This transformation of consciousness itself permanently alters the way in which consciousness integrates with the physical brain and the clarity with which consciousness is able to fully express itself through the limitations imposed by the physical brain.
>> And if the brain is damaged or the chemistry change by alcohol or sickness, is the enlightenment lost then? <<
If the structure of the physical brain is damaged, then consciousness is unable to experience and interact with the physical realm in a "normal" way. The "enlightenment" would not be "lost" but its ability to express itself within the physical realm would indeed be altered or hampered.
Temporarily changing the brain chemistry with alcohol or other drugs does not in any way effect *true* "enlightenment".
>> It seems like, since even ken wilber writes in his book „one taste" that after a bottle of wine, all his hard worked for 24 hour consciousness and being one with the whole cosmos and everything is lost until the alcohol has left his body... <<
This is a clear indication that he has not attained a very deep degree of mental discipline.
>> Does meditation just change the brain and its chemistry a little bit to the better? <<
I suppose it depends upon what you mean by "meditation". :) *Initiation* is *not* about changing the brain chemistry -- it's about *transforming consciousness* itself which, as I said above, is in no way dependant upon the physical brain for its existence. *Initiation*
creates *permanent* change.
>> Also ramanas worldview, that the daily life is as much a dream as the nightly dream <<
Frankly, that's just a load of crap. Ultimately, it's a self-destructive world view.
>> Is there any use for meditation and change of consciousness by all kinds of techniques or even by just stopping and being here and now, if an accident or some disease can damage the brain and put me back to a stage of consciousness and awareness at the very beginning of the path? <<
;-) Well, is there any point in taking your next breath then if it just leads you one breath closer to your death? Is there and point in thinking your next thought or eating your next meal? ;-) ;-) ;-)
>> How can it be that love and bliss and ecstasy and silence and enlightenment can be achieved be taking some pills like Ecstasy or Prozac or LSD? <<
;-) They *cannot* be achieved in that way. You can have all kinds of *temporary* fun, entertaining experiences with these drugs but this is not *true* "love and bliss and ecstasy and silence and enlightenment"! ;-) What you experience with chemical alteration of the physical brain are really pathetic imitations of these higher states.
>> I wish all the doubts where just nonsense and that there is a life beyond the body and the brain and the mind, but how can I find out if I am always in the body and if even the out of body experiences seem to be made up by the brain? <<
Well, if you're serious and want to do something that takes a bit more exertion of Self than simply taking drugs, then I recommend Franz Bardon's "Initiation Into Hermetics".
>> And if you are permanent consciousness, that which is always there, etc. could you tell me what happens to all that when you really get drunk or get anesthesia or get hit by a flowerpot from the fifth-floor-window? <<
While I can't speak from personal experience about brain damage or anesthesia, I can about being drunk and about being under the influence of other brain chemistry altering substances. :) I do experience the predictable *physical* effects of these substances yet my conscious awareness and self-possession are in no way affected.
My best to you,
:) Rawn Clark
31 July 2005