Weltanschauung

The Philosopher’s Stone

zenothestoic@protonmail.ch

Tag: Nirvana

  • An Atheist’s Guide to Nirvana

    An Atheist’s Guide to Nirvana

    Transcendence is a reality and can change life for the better. It can be sought out and it can be achieved. The more you have the experience, the easier it becomes to trigger and the more often it comes unbidden and unlooked for.

    The word “transcendence” sounds grandiose and unduly religious – perhaps a less controversial way to describe the experience is Abraham Maslow’s phrase: the “peak experience”. Sounds secular, even scientific perhaps. Less arty, less poetic. But the same thing nonetheless.

    Anyone claiming to have had experience of “transcendence” tends to  sound like a new age hippy.  A religious nutter.  A fake messiah.  A crank, a would be promoter of a sinister new sect.  The reality is that such states are relatively common and the experiencer is more likely to be the man on the Clapham omnibus.

    States of transcendence have been experienced and described throughout the ages. It seems best to view them as an alternate state of consciousness – a different experience  of the physical reality we find ourselves in.  Rather than an entry into a supernatural or non-physical realm.

    Nonetheless, such experiences are radical and life changing. They make the physical reality we inhabit as special and magical as those we describe in faery tales and religious texts.

    Transcendent states don’t have to be imagined or believed in. Anyone can have one and  transform their experience of an otherwise unsatisfactory world.

    Doubtless those of a more traditionally religious state of mind will find my opinions unacceptable (even blasphemous). But  those unwilling to accept religious dogma will no doubt be far more amenable to belief in a different state of mind, a different perception of reality, which does not rely on non physical worlds or realms.  Or gods.

    The latter position is where I find my own beliefs to lie.

    I believe that the world is strange enough as it is and that there is no need to posit  supernatural causes or entities. In addition, transcendent states of mind make it possible to actually experience the sorts of qualia otherwise only described by the various religions.  “The Peace of God”, “Nirvana”, “Moksha” and so on. 

    There are practical routines which can lead us to our own transcendent episodes, and once experienced, our universe begins to look very different.

    It is unnecessary here to dwell on the nature of such experiences, which has been so often dealt with elsewhere, but often those who claim first hand knowledge talk of profound peace, tranquility and a sense of gnosis.

    There is no science to this, no proof of the existence of the state. It is subjective and self-reported, like any other state of mind.  Science is, however, making increasing efforts to track the neural correlates of such states, and brain activity does show characteristic markers in those who submit to tests.

    The reality of transcendence can be enjoyed by anyone who engages  in routines which tend to bring on the experience.  Which seems good enough. You don’t need a scientist or proof when you can bring about a state of transcendence or peak experience for yourself.

    What you make of the experience is, of course, up to you.

    Those of a religious frame of mind tend to see their god or other anchor of their belief system

    I have continuously queried such states over a number of years and god was noticeable by his absence. But then that would be expected – we tend to see what we believe is out there and over the years my atheism has become more pronounced. 

    For around four years I took psychedelics on a regular basis – for much the same reason as Alduous Huxley.  While fascinating, god again refused to make an appearance. Pure ecstasy was to be found in abundance however, and I found myself thankful that psilocybin is not addictive.

    I have found yoga and meditation equally proficient in producing  peak experiences.  I get many of the same bizarre effects, albeit on a less radical scale. I can feel my mind and body profoundly altered and my view of the world becomes clear and benign. 

    Unlike with psychedelics, the experience lasts and the alterations in one’s psyche are, it seems, permanent.

    The changes in my own personality and behaviour have accelerated over the past few years. I have become quieter and more contemplative and ever more sure that our species has it all wrong.  I no longer feel anger at the world – simply quiet acceptance.  Once an ambitious capitalist, I have come to be amused by those who pile up vast dirt balls for themselves, and I no longer believe that achieves anything worth having.

    I note arrogance, greed and aggression all around me. The suicidal mania on our roads, the destruction of our habitat, the callous, careless and selfish behaviour of so many of us. I note with wry amusement the behaviour of our “leaders” and realise that it has always been thus. How “amusing” that the Israelis are now bombing the shit out of Iran, having committed genocide in Gaza. What great lessons, what wisdom they drew from the Holocaust.  And the Iranian mullahs – how valuable their faith has been in promoting tolerance and world peace. 

    It is business as usual in the world at large.  Planning and scheming, grabbing and killing, re-arming and restocking with dread weapons.  Talking of war and annihilation instead of peace and harmony .

    Perhaps though, a better world is possible. Perhaps we will grow up. Perhaps more of us will come to see obscene material wealth for the abomination it is.  And that violence achieves nothing.

    I believe that turning inwards, adopting simplicity, trying to better ourselves might work one fine day.

    Back in 2018 I started a blog called “Weltanschauung”. My worldview is now largely complete. My years of meditation and contemplation have, in some senses, achieved nothing at all. I am no richer, I have no power, I am not famous.

    And yet, in general, I am happy, which is a state I have never before managed to achieve.

    And yes, I do attribute that to my “peak experiences”, my increasingly frequent transcendence to a very different state of mind.  To my many hours of meditation and yoga each day. To my contemplation and my realisations.

    I have proved to myself that a better world is possible, and I take much solace from that. It will not arrive by violent revolution or by the dictat of some imaginary god. It will come, if at all, by slow and incremental change. By evolution perhaps. By a slow realisation that a good life, a meaningful existence, can never be achieved by greed and violence. By more of us turning towards simplicity and peace and realising that nothing more is required.

    I am a man on the Clapham Omnibus, one of 10 bn souls on this planet.  On the Planck scale really – almost infinitely small and insignificant.  And yet I seem to have achieved a different state of mind, which has improved my life immensely.  I cannot help but believe that all of us could and should do the same.  And that if we did, many good things would be possible.

  • Meditation – Nonsense or Nirvana?

    Meditation – Nonsense or Nirvana?

    Almost a year ago, his meditation took a different and far more satisfactory direction.

    And now, many months later the benefits had become evident. It was not that he found himself living in some alternate universe or in a permanent state of bliss.

    But he found himself able to say that his thrice daily practice almost inevitably brought pure peace, bliss almost, for its duration.

    After a stop start dalliance with the practice and with Eastern philosophy in general, the penny had finally dropped. Better late than never.

    He found that his personality, his behaviour, while not “changing” as such, was becoming moulded or fashioned in a manner of his own choosing.

    The process was by no means over and the metamorphosis would continue. Or thus was his fervent hope.

    His past practice had been defective in several ways. In constancy, certainly, but equally importantly in technique.

    He had found few useful guides over the years and had always imagined the process far more complex and ritualistic than it turned out to be. If you see references to the x stages of meditation, the y levels of attainment and so on, his firm advice would be to turn the page.

    The way was made plain to him when he visited hypnotist John Butler, who had provided sage advice over many years. If Mr Butler is able to hypnotise himself and others to feel no pain under invasive surgery (and he can) it seemed obvious that the techiques he taught should be able to attain all sorts of other good things.

    What he had never grasped properly over the years was the power of self persuasion. Never having been able to persuade himself consciously of anything (other than the beastliness of the universe) the true potential of changing his subconscious mind evaded him for years. Despite previous failures, for some reason more recent endeavours paid off.

    Meditation is often thought of as sitting quietly watching your breath. Which is all well and good but in his case achieved no lasting change. Nor any swift onset of a merciful state of bliss.

    The process of self hypnosis is simple enough and can lead to a deep meditative state. It requires belief in the process and endless repetition. In his case for around 20 minutes, three times a day, although his sessions would often extend to an hour if the mood so took him.

    Getting into a state of trance is simplicity itself. Dave Elman’s books or those of Gill Boyne provide endless methods, but eventually you develop your own. And with practice the induction becomes very swift.

    A light state of trance is not so very different from the waking state. A little more peaceful and relaxed, the harsh realities of the physical universe somewhat remote. As a trance is deepened, thought almost disappears and the mind itself seems absent or at least very different. He found truths struck him out of the blue, unusual patterns and feelings became prevelant, and previously forgotten memories often resurfaced .

    In deeper states (which came, inevitably, three times a day) the qualitative experience was not unlike a mild trip on psychedelic drugs. Most satisfying, he felt.

    The work involved was simple enough. Initially much preparation was put into defining a few concise sentences describing how one wanted to be, to become. Those sentences were then summarises by a single appropriate word, and an image.

    When in a state of trance, the key word is repeated in a lazy, dreamy fashion and the image seen, in the minds eye. The key word or words forms a sort of mantra. He found it could be used to both deepen the trance and to expel intrusive thought.

    He felt himself becoming more as he wished to become. Over the weeks and months, the suggestions seemed to have become a part of him, the thoughts took root.

    “As man thinketh in his heart, so is he”.

    He lapsed occasionally. Snapishness or churlish temper might hold sway for a short while, but he found himself better able to recover, as some part of his mind took corrective action, became aware of a digression from the mapped path.

    He became increasingly aware of his ever passing moods and more able to head off those he found less useful, before their grip became entrenched and unshakeable .

    Far from being a chore, the daily sessions became a pleasure. Sometimes he sat in the garden as he drifted off into his private world. Often he would sit on a park bench or in a field . Or in some favoured church or other quiet place. Some say meditation can be successfully undertaken in the bustle of the everyday world but that he found a struggle and a step too far.

    The peace enjoyed during these sessions increasingly spread to the rest of his life and the perennial black moods dissipated. Whether for good or for some brief spell he had yet to find out. Cause and effect, never straightforward, nevertheless seemed to have something to say. His moods and his life seemed improved and he had to put at least some of it down to his practice.

    It would not be accurate or realistic for him to claim that he was transformed. That a gruff and surly fellow had, by means of meditation, become a pious and kindly soul determined to make the world a better place. But at least he was on the right path. At least he felt better about himself and his place in reality.

    More than ever he hoped for a better world. But from an increasing distance and without any real hope that some Parousia or other miracle would bring a swift change for the better. Perhaps he did however have a firmer intuition that in the greater scheme of things, nothing was so vastly important. Perhaps a few more eons would either put paid to the awful race who had named itself human, or change them unrecognisably for the better. He wasn’t too bothered either way.

    He remained contentedly on the sidelines. Watching the world go by with quiet resignation and sometimes amusement. He did not want to see or be seen. To be among the good and the great. To sit with the rich and the famous or to play games of greed and power. Simplicity and silence was all he needed, far from the madding crowd.

    Meditation, guided by his own mantra, was leading him to a very different world where all that mattered was quietly flowing with the stream . And kindness, when it could be offered, was the most precious of commodities.

    Would it yet take him to Nirvana, his practice? He didn’t know but in his current state of mind he wondered whether it really mattered. Perhaps simple peace was enough or perhaps that was Nirvana, after all.

    Perhaps Nirvana awaited him on the other side of a wardrobe door. In a rambling old country house in Shropshire.

    In meditation he could feel himself brushing past ancient fur coats, beginning to feel a crisp chill. And to see an old fashioned lamp post lighting a snow filled clearing in a deep and mysterious forest.

    Perhaps one day he would hear the lion and feast with dancing dryads and naiads in some sylvan paradise.

    Sometimes, the dream seemed almost close.