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Whenourbrain("aquantumcomputer"asIsaid(http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ervinlaszlo/whyyourbrainisaquant_b_489998.html)inmyprevious(http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ervinlaszlo/ifyourbrainisaquantu_b_497116.html)posts(http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ervinlaszlo/usingyourquantumbrain_b_503115.html))connectsustotheworld,thatexperienceofconnectionisthesamesourcefromwhichartistsandevenscientistsdrawinspirationandcreativity.Thequantumconnectionofourbraincanserveusasasubtlebuttrustworthycompassonelongknowntotraditionalpeoplesandculturesbutlargelyignoredinthemodernworld.

Theexperienceofconnectionisalsoasourceofspirituality.Thegreatteachersenteredadeeplyalteredstate,hadaspiritualexperience,andwhentheyreturnedtotheirwakingstate,theyendeavoredtocaptureitinwords.Theirwordsbecamethescripturesveneratedbytheirfollowers.

Thespiritual/religiousexperiencehasbeenbasicallythesameinallepochsandcultures.Ithasalwaysbeenanexperienceofonenessandbelonging.WilliamJamesdescribeditasthesenseofenteringintounionwithsomethingdeeperandlargerthanoneself.TheexperienceofpeopleinallepochsandwalksoflifeconfirmsthatJameswasright:wearelikeislandsonthesea,separateonthesurfacebutconnectedinthedeep.

Althoughthebasicsubstanceofthespiritualexperiencehasalwaysbeenthesame,teachersexpresseditindifferentwaysbecausetheywereonlyabletoapproximatetheirexperiencethroughthewordsandsymbolsoftheirtimeandplace.Ineachtime,andineachplace,thesesymbolsandexpressionswereuniqueanddifferent.

Overthecenturiesthesedifferencesintensified.Groupsandcommunitiesoffollowers,intentonmaintainingtheiridentityandensuringtheircoherence,frozetheoriginalpronouncementsintosacreddoctrines,andmadethedoctrinesintoholydogmas,sometimesfurtherhonedtoservetheirfollowers'socialandpoliticalaimsandambitions.

Inthefinalcountthedifferencesbetweenthedoctrines,religions,andtheinsightsofspiritualtraditionsarenotdifferencesinthesubstanceoftheexperiencethatinspiredthem.Theyareonlythedifferencesinthewaythatsubstancehasbeenexpressedandcommunicated.

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ErvinLaszlo(/ervinlaszlo/) Becomeafan(/users/becomeFan.php?of=hp_blogger_ErvinLaszlo)Systemsphilosopher,integraltheorist,concertpianist

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Posted:05/24/20105:12amEDT Updated:05/25/20113:55pmEDT

TheQuantumBrain,Spirituality,AndTheMindOfGod

Buthowdoesthespiritualexperienceitselfcomeabout?Todaywehaveabetteranswertothisquestionthanweeverhadbefore.Aspiritual/religiousexperiencecanhappenatanytimeandinanyplace,butitusuallyoccursinanalteredstateofconsciousness.Inthatstate,aspsychiatristStanislavGrofnotes,wecanapprehendanythingthatexistsintheuniverse.Wecanevenapprehenduniversalarchetypesandmythicalbeings.

Thealteredstatesthatgiverisetothespiritualexperiencecanbepurposefullyinduced.Astraditionalcultureshaveknownandpracticedformillennia,theexperiencecanbetriggeredbydancing,drumming,rhythmicbreathing,andalsobytheuseofpsychedelicsubstances(althoughthesecanbedangeroustohealth).Prayerandmeditationistheroyalroad,andtheirdepthandefficacycanbeenhancedwhenpracticedonalteredstateconducive"sacred"sites.

Churches,temples,mosques,andsynagogueswerebuilttofacilitatethespiritualexperienceofthefaithful.Traditionalpeoplehaveoftengonefurther:theyhavesoughtspiritualtransformationeventhrough"templesleep."Thismeantspendinganightinaveneratedlocation,tryingtoincubatedreamsforinitiation,divination,orhealing.DynasticEgypthadspecialtemplesforsuppliantswhowouldfastandreciteprayersimmediatelybeforegoingtosleep,andJewishseerswouldspendthenightinagraveorsepulchralvault,hopingthatthespiritofthedeceasedwouldappearintheirdreamandofferguidance.InGreecetherewereover300dreamtemplesdedicatedtoAesculapius,thegodofhealing,andinChinathetempleswherestateofficialssoughtguidancewereactiveuntilthe16thcentury.

Thespiritualexperienceusuallycomesaboutinalteredstates,butwhatdoestherecurringsubstanceoftheexperiencesignify?Whatisthat"somethingdeeperandlargerthanourselves"towhichtheexperienceseemstoconnectus?

Ananswertothisquestionisgivenbyeveryreligion,andtodayitcanalsobegivenbyscience,ifonlyhypothetically.Sciencesuggeststhatthespiritualexperienceopensthebrain,withwhichourconsciousnessisassociated,toanextendedrangeofinformation.Thisinformationisreal,butit'snotalwaysreceived.Hereby"information"Idon'tmeantheinformationweproducewhenwetalk,write,oract.Imeanthekindofinformationthatscientistsnowdiscoverunderlieseverythingintheuniverse.

Informationisentirelybasicintheuniverse.Inthelatestconceptiontheuniversedoesn'tconsistofmatterandspaceitconsistsofenergyandinformation.Energyexistsintheformofwavepatternsandwavepropagationsinthequantumvacuumthatfillsspaceinitsvariousforms,energyisthe"hardware"oftheuniverse.The"software"isinformation.Theuniverseisnotanassemblageofbitsofinertmattermovingpassivelyinemptyspace:it'sadynamicandcoherentwhole.Theenergythatconstitutesitshardwareisalwaysandeverywhere"informed."It'sinformedbywhatDavidBohmcalledtheimplicateorderandphysicistsnowregardasthequantumvacuumorzeropointfield(alsocalledphysicalspacetime,universalfield,ornuether).Thisisthe"information"thatstructuresthephysicalworld,theinformationwegraspasthelawsofnature.Withoutinformationtheenergywavesandpatternsoftheuniversewouldbeasrandomandunstructuredasthebehaviorofacomputerwithoutitssoftware.Buttheuniverseisnotrandomandunstructuredit'sprecisely"informed."Woulditbeanythelesspreciselyinformed,complexsystemscouldnothaveemergedinit,andwewouldnotbeheretoaskhowthisonfirstsighthighlyimprobabledevelopmentcouldhavecomeabout.

Science'sanswertothe"what"questionreferstoanentangled,holographic,nonlocallyconnectinginformationfieldinthecosmos.Inmybooks,ingreatestdetailinScienceandtheAkashicField(http://www.amazon.com/ScienceAkashicFieldIntegralEverything/dp/1594770425),IdiscusstheevidenceforthisfieldandnotethattheHinduseersreferredtoitasAkasha,thefundamentalelementofthecosmos.Inrecognitionofthisfeatofinsight,IamnowcallingtheinformationfieldoftheuniversetheAkashicField.

Buthowdoesscience'sanswertothequestionregardingthefundamentalsignificanceofthespiritualexperiencerelatetotheanswergivenbyreligion?

Fortheworld'sreligionsthelargeranddeeperrealitytowhichthespiritualexperienceconnectsusisanuminous,divinereality.It'seitheraspiritorconsciousnessthatinfusesthenaturalworld(the"immanentist"view),oraspiritorconsciousnessthat'saboveandbeyondit(the"transcendentalist"claim).Traditionalpolytheisticreligionswereleaningtowardtheformer,whiletheAbrahamicmonotheisticreligions(withsomeexceptions)embracedthelatter.

Thedifferencebetweenadivineintelligenceimmanentintheworldandonethattranscendsitisnotnegligible,butitisstillonlyadifferenceininterpretation.The"rawdata"forbothpositionsisthesame:it'sthespiritualexperience,aquantumcommunionwithuniversaloneness.IntheWesternreligiousperspectivethisiscommunionwiththespiritthatinfusesthecosmos,identifiedasGod.DeepakChoprawrites,"Spiritualityistheexperienceofthatdomainofawarenesswhereweexperienceouruniversality.Thisdomainofawarenessisacoreconsciousnessthatisbeyondourmind,intellect,andego.Inreligioustraditionsthiscoreconsciousnessis

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referredtoasthesoulwhichispartofacollectivesoulorcollectiveconsciousness,whichinturnispartofamoreuniversaldomainofconsciousnessreferredtoinreligionsasGod."

OurexperienceofthecoreconsciousnessoftheworldisultimatelyanexperienceoftheuniversaldomainofconsciousnessWesternreligionscallGod.Theexperienceitself,ifnotitsinterpretation,isthesameinallreligions,andinallreligionsitinspiresasenseofonenessandbelonging.MichaelBeckwithaffirmsthat"whenyoustripawaytheculture,history,anddogmaofeveryreligion,theteachersofthosereligionswereteachingverysimilarprinciplesandpracticesthatledtoasenseofoneness,thatendedasenseofseparationfromtheWhole."

Science'sanswertothequestionofwhatthespiritualexperienceconnectsustoisimmanentist.Theinformationthatunderliestheuniverse,theAkashicField,ispartoftheuniverse.Thisdoesn'tmeanthattheimmanentistpositionnecessarilystatestheultimatetruthitonlymeansthatsciencecanonlytakeanimmanentistposition.Scientistsarelimitedtospeakingaboutthenaturalworldtheymustleavespeculationabouttranscendentrealitiestopoets,philosophers,andspiritualmasters.

It'stimetoconclude.Ifthesubstanceofthespiritualexperienceisalwaysandeverywherethesame,differencesinitsexpressionandinterpretationaresecondaryandnotavalidcauseforconflictandintolerance.Theworldtowhichourquantumbrainconnectsusisfundamentallyone,whetheritsonenessisduetoaninformationfieldwithinthenaturalworldortheworkofadivinetranscendentintelligence.Toenterintocommunionwiththisonenesshasbeenthequestofallthegreatteachersandspiritualmasters.Andtounderstandthenatureofthisonenesshasbeen,andis,theultimatequestofallgreatscientists.Stilltoday,physicistsseektheoneequationthatwouldanchortheirfamous"TheoryofEverything,"thetheorythatwouldaccountforallthelawsofnatureandexplaineverythingthateverhappenedinourintegrallywholeuniverse.EinsteinsaidthatknowingthisequationwouldbereadingthemindofGod.

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