Meditations on Meditation - the Purification of Karma

Source: Wikimedia

Meditations in the western sense do sometimes spill into the arena of brainwaves - how and what meditation does is measured by what it does to the brain. Typically, there are the four brainwaves - delta, theta, alpha and beta.

Delta - deep sleep
Theta - deep relaxation
Alpha - daydreaming
Beta - normal waking consciousness

Recently, we also have gamma - the superfast brainwave which penetrates every part of the brain. I have written about the details of the fancy brainwaves elsewhere but here I intend to focus on the basic brainwave sets.

In traditional western training, alpha is the first, and possibly the only goal. It is because at this level, daydreams and mental programming may be controlled and altered, and sparked interest into using it to affect reality (manifestation) in one way or another, from sealing business deals to better sex.

Interestingly enough, the yogis of old, and in fact most of the major traditions, did not emphasise these aspects as much. You will see this spirit in this article on Yoga Nidra. The four levels of consciousness listed correspond to the four brainwave sets. Now, if you were someone who was interested in brainwaves, you would know that we cycle through the brainwaves every 24 hours. The question becomes:

Why should we be interested in being able to consciously accessing these states?

An interesting enough question, and one whose answer, I suspect, has turned the whole western tradition subtly away from karmic purification. That is not necessarily a bad thing - I myself began my training all those years ago in western roots. The western approach is the question:

How can I use this brainwave to improve my life?

The answers to that question have brought about huge leaps in western understanding to the processes of the subconscious mind and how it affect life. However, it is now time to look a little more deeply. Let's examine the eastern version of this question:

How does this state impact life?

The difference is subtle, but the resulting insights profoundly different. The difference lies in the western presumption that "I" know what is best. Do not tell me to change my position - just tell me how to get what I want. Forget why I want it. And that is part of what eastern practitioners sometimes lack - the going for things and holding a position. However, they did also discover something rather interesting - when you go into a meditative state of be-ing (as opposed to the western do-ing), you get an altogether different experience.

What happens is that the meditation changes you. This is the answer of the deeper states of theta and delta. The "I" that we normally associate with ourselves disappears, or is severely muted. Sitting in this silence, the fears and worries of normal every day life also become muted. Not necessarily do they disappear, but they become more quiet. That, I suspect, if what the respected yogi in that article means by "purifying the samskaras". For as the mind becomes accustomed to living at a deeper level of truth, the mad probings of the more form-related states dissipate, leaving room for peace.

But western meditation also includes delta and theta!

Indeed, they do. But again, the difference in attitude is what makes the difference. As long as the mind goes in "wanting" something, trying to achieve something, the purification effect does not kick in, for the ego stubbornly holds onto that which the meditation is seeking to purify. Rather hopeless endeavour, on the whole. On the other hand, if you sit and abide in the deeper levels of awareness, then the sense of emptiness arises. Ultimately, you realise the falsity of all thoughts that plague the outer levels. And because that level is free, you can afford to be compassionate. When you meet the plaguing samsaric thoughts with kindness, yet sitting firmly in pure awareness, they disappear. This is what it means to be kind to yourself.

So, I propose that there are deeper applications of the states, which need to become available if people are to be truly free.

Guess Which Brainwave!

Whilst being a guest presenter (I was in it for the food! Just kidding.) at Paul Scheele's PhotoReading class in London earlier this year (hosted by the lovely Marilyn Devonish), I managed to sneak some time off to play with the toys. Amongst them was the typical brainwave measuring equipment. This latest version of the IBVA is pretty hip.

It shows you what each side of your brain is doing. Quick and dirty reference:

Left brain - Logical/analytical/linguistic
Right brain - Imaginative/intuitive/arty/musical

To make a gross simplification, for which I hope I shall be forgiven by those in the know, each side has brainwaves coursing through them. They are classified by the frequencies of these waves, and each brainwave has a specific type of attribute associated with them. Up until recently, there had been four main brainwaves:

Beta: 14-40 Hz
Alpha: 7-13 Hz
Theta: 4-7 Hz
Delta: 0-4 Hz

The specifics vary a little from classification to classification. While every part of the brain vibrates to a different brainwave, there is usually a dominant one. PhotoReading is the only process I know of that produces a double dominant brainwave. You can see that here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcugISjjgQ8

It takes her awhile to get into mode, but you can see the double arches in each side of the brain quite clearly by the 1:26 mark. How do you do it? It's easier than you think, and, as Alex says in this particular post on PhotoReading brainwaves, don't get hung up over it.

Anyway, Luciana e-mailed me my brainwaves. It will be no surprise to my friends that they were certainly not "normal". In fact, she had to extend the screen to show the full extent of what was going on through my head as I did a certain little process. That is a different screen from the YouTube clip. Those spikes you are seeing there go past 120 Hz (the highest frequency on that screen), well past the normal studies.

Why is this important? Well, it's showing the Gamma brainwave. Why am I excited about this?

"Gamma waves (greater than 40 hertz) have the highest frequency and are involved in higher mental acuity, including perception and consciousness. They are thought to play an essential role in nerve cell communication."
Source: Stanford University Website (http://www.stanford.edu/group/hopes/treatmts/lifestyleandhd/med2.html)

More importantly, no currently publicly available method teaches you how to independently produce that brainwave. Yes, I am aware of Jeffrey Thompson's Gamma Meditation System. I have not tried it, but I have a good deal of respect for the man's work.

The Dalai Lama and it seems, high level Buddhist monks, have access to methods which accomplish this feat. (See the Stanford link.) I'd love to know how they do that.

What's my process? Ask!

The Man Who Couldn't Visualise

I was chatting with a friend the other day about how he would do for an interview the following day. I closed my eyes and consulted my Genius Intelligence. Then I told him exactly which parts of the interview process he would slip up on (not the one he expected) and which one he would ace (again, not the one he expected). He called me the very next day saying he would never doubt a word I said ever again. I love being able to consult with the Genius part of me who processes all the information I know, conscious and subconscious, to draw accurate conclusions. And yes, I have never known the Genius to be wrong yet, although I do occasionally misinterpret what he's trying to tell me (about once every 20 times or so).

Oooh Kaye, where do I learn this? Let me tell you a story:

Once upon a time, a man took a cutting edge course (at the time) at the very frontiers of mind development. Intrigued by the possibilities of discovering skills deep within ourselves, and the promise that we use less than 10% at the very most of our actual brain capacity, he investigated. And investigations took him through the realms of brainwaves, optimal behaviour, dream patterns, suggestibility and the modelling of excellence. Relaxing deep into the recesses of his mind, he found just one niggly little problem...he couldn't visualise.

Puzzled, he resorted to deep analysing (he is a highly intelligent individual). That didn't work. Using a special method, he tapped into a specific brainwave pattern known as alpha. This refers to the range of brainwaves betwen 7-14 cycles per second, associated with problem-solving, creativity and intuition. The answer came.

We may be thankful that Win Wenger did not give up, for in that moment, the process now known as Image Streaming was born. This is what has been said about that process:

"The Einstein Factor liberates mental abilities you didn’t know you had. I tried the techniques in the book and they paid off instantly. It’s almost scary."—Duncan Maxwell Anderson, senior editor, Success.


Jose Silva once said: "Intelligence is a measure of how well you solve problems. So, if you can increase your ability to solve problems, then you can increase your intelligence."

I'm with Jose. IQ tests are generally a good measure of how well you do in IQ tests. In the end, intelligence is ephemeral. We might as well get on with the more useful question of how it is going to improve our lives.

Well, Win went on to found Project Renaissance. To this day, they have developed more than 100 techniques that can benefit mankind. Actually, I should say "we", since I am also an instructor for that organisation, and proud of it. Stuff that you can do with the Project Renaissance material:

* Instantaneously gain multiple perspectives on any issue and how to resolve it.
* Discover how Einstein used his legendary mental resources, AND USE THEM AS YOUR VERY OWN!
* Potentially increase your intelligence and use a wholistic approach to studying.
* Extract outstanding behaviours from successful areas of your life and apply them universally.
* Extract OTHER people's outstanding behaviours and apply them universally. How'd you like to be Isaac Newton?
* Discover the power of Socratic learning - never have to consult anyone except your very own Genius.

And that's off the top of my head. Seriously, this stuff blows my mind.

And yes, that's the stuff I used to seemingly foresee the results of that interview with such startling accuracy. I must tell Win that story the next time I chat with him.