TEACHINGS OF LORD CHAITANYA.

INTRODUCTION.

Originally delivered as five morning lectures on Chaitanya Charitamrita - the authoritative biography of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, by Krishnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami - before the Internatinal Society for Krishna Consciousness, New York City, 10th to 14th April, 1967.

The word Chaitanya means 'living force', charita means 'character', and amrita means 'immortal'. As living entities we can move, but a table cannot because it does not possess living force. Movement and activity may be considered signs of the living force. Indeed, it may be said that there can be no activity without the living force. Although the living force is present in the material condition, this condition is not amrita, immortal. The words Chaitanya-Charitamrita, then, may be translated as 'the character of the living force in immortality'. 

But how is this living force displayed immortality? It is not displayed by man or any other creature in this material universe, for none of us are immortal in these bodies. We possess the living force, we perform activities, and we are immortal by our nature and constitution, but the material condition into which we have been put does not allow our immortality to be displayed. It is stated in the Katha Upanishad that eternality and the living force are characteristics of both ourselves and God. Although this is true in that both God and ourselves are immortal living beings, there is a difference. As living entities, we perform many activities, but we have a tendency to fall down into material nature. God has no such tendency. Being all-powerful, He never comes under the control of material nature. Indeed, material nature is but one display of His inconceivable energies. 

An analogy will help us understand the distinction between ourselves and God. From the ground we may see only clouds in the sky, but if we fly above the clouds we can see the sun shining. From the sky, skyscrappers and cities seem very tiny; similarly, from God's position this entire material creation is insignificant, and his tendency is to come down from the heights, where everything can be seen in perspective. God, however, does not have this tendency. The Supreme Lord is not subject to falling down into illusion (maya), any more than the sun is subject to falling beneath the clouds. Impersonalist philosophers (Mayavadis) maintain that because we fall under the control of maya when we come into this material world, God must also fall under maya's control. This is the fallacy of their philosophy.

Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu should therefore not be considered one of us. He is Krishna Himself, the supreme living entity, and as such He never comes under the cloud of maya. Krishna, His expansions and even His higher devotees never fall into the clutches of illusion. Lord Chaitanya came to earth simply to preach Krishna-bhakti, love of Krishna. In other words, He is Lord Krishna Himself teaching the living entities the proper way to approach Krishna. He is like a teacher who, seeing a student doing poorly, takes up a pencil and writes, saying, "Do it like this: A, B, C". From this one should not foolishly think that the teacher is learning his A,B,C's. Similarly, although Lord Chaitanya appears in the guise of a devotee, we should not foolishly think He is an ordinary human being; we should always remember that Lord Chaitanya is Krishna (God) Himself teaching us how to become Krishna Conscious, and we must study Him in that light.

In the Bhagavad Gita (18.66), Lord Krishna says, "Give up all your non-sense and surrender to Me. I will protect you". We say, "Oh, surrender? But I have so many responsibilities". Ans maya (illusion) says to us, "Don't do it, or you will be out of my clutches. Just stay in my clutches, and I will kick you". It is a fact that we are constantly being kicked by maya, just as the male ass is kicked in the face by the she-ass when he comes for sex. Similarly, cats and dogs are always fighting and whining when they have sex. Even an elephant in the jungle is cuaght by the use of a trained she-elephant who leads him into a pit. We should learn by observing these tricks of nature. 

Maya has many ways to entrap us, and her strongest shackle is the female. Of course, in actuality we are neither male nor female, for these designations refer only to the outer dress, the body. We are all actually Krishna's servants. But in conditioned life we are shackled by iron chains in the form of beautiful women. Thus every male is bound by sex, and therefore one who wishes to gain liberation from the material clutches must first learn to control the sex urge. Unrestricted sex puts one fully in the clutches of illusion. Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu officially renounced this illusion at the age of 24, although His wife was 16 and His mother 70 and He was the only male in the family. Although he was a brahmana and was not rich, He took sannyasa, the renounced order of life, and thus extricated Himself from family entanglement.   

SEEKING THE ESSENCE OF CONSCIOUSNESS IN THE HUMAN BRAIN: SPIRITUALITY OR SCIENCE?

Are you ready for this? There's an exciting debate underway among respected scientists over a theory more fascinating than Einstein's about relativity. This new, science-based theory suggests that our consciousness, even our personalities, do not die when we o, have been around far longer than we have, and continue indefinitely. Sp let's take a quick look at how some distinguished scientists have come to acknowledge our very soul, and how the brain in each of us has an identifiable, measurably spiritual nature. And we can start with something as celebrated as things and places said to be 'haunted'.

Way down in Rowan County, North Carolina, a second-hand, hand-carved bedroom suite was offered for sale for $1,000 at a Habitat for Humanity thrift store. The couple who donated this furniture to the store warned up front that it was haunted, and to be quiet honest, pass the biscuits please, they were glad to get rid of it. Now they couldn't scientifically explain this - we will get into some incredible science in a moment - but they did share their ordeal of 'continuous nightmares' when they used this bed-room set at home. They described as well how their dogs were ever so suspicious of the 1950s high-boy chest of drawers, and "would not stop barking" at the canopy bed. 

In the end, the thrift store reports that the bed-room set sold for "full price" to a pair of regular customers thoroughly intrigued with this second-hand bed-room suite and its special features. We have learned that all sorts of so-called 'hauntings' time and again amount to no more than over-reacting to something as simple as the ghostly effect of mold, or drafts that can move objects or cause sudden chills. Other culprits are those perceptible vibrations from sound waves that are at a decibel level too deep for us to hear (infra-sound). How about electro-magnetic fields that expand at night? Even a small leak of carbon monoxide is known to cause ghostly hallucinations.

Some have marvelled at Ghostly orbs or spirit beings in photographs. This often (but not always) happens with cameras when a piece of dust gets caught in the flash and reflects light, but the camera doesn't have enough time to re-focus before the shutter clicks, creating an unexpected image. Indeed, all kinds of logical origins serve to dispel the notion of hauntings. But we still come upon some 'para-normal' experiences that defy sensible explaining of any sort. Talk to hospital workers about such episodes in their jobs, or consider the many stories of 'ghosts' or 'angels' who appear suddenly to save lives or serve justice. 

So we are left with a fair share of total mysteries - that is, until we consider the remarkable work of a respected and widely published physician, Dr. Stuart Hameroff, Professor Emeritus at the University of Arizona, where he heads the Department of Anesthesiology and Psychology. Additionally, as the Director of that University's Center of Consciousness Studies, he has researched extensively over decades in the field of 'quantum mechanics', the study of the smallest types of matter. Hameroff pioneered in connecting our brain's quantum mechanics to human consciousness. And here's where science, the spiritual and the para-normal meet: in 1996, Hameroff and a distinguished physicist, Roger Penrose, joined to propose a starting theory that continues to be the subject of much debate among scientists: human consciousness comes from 'micro-tubules' in our brain cells. 

Suffice it to say that micro-tubules are remarkably complex, and play a central role in virtually all cellular operations. Further, after death, these scientists contend that micro-tubules leave the brain and continue to exists, hence the idea of out-of-body experiences. They argue further that these tubules are the very foundation of our souls. Says Hameroff, "I believe that consciousness...has been in the universe all along, perhaps from the Big Bang". From his intense work in anesthesiology and research of near-death experiences, he explains that, when the heart stops beating and blood stops flowing, the micro-tubules lose their 'quantum state', but the information in the micro-tubules is not destroyed, it is rather 'distributed to the universe at large', and if the patient is revived, the quantum information can go back into the micro-tubules of that patient's brain. 

This is where the often-repeated, vivid re-collection of revived patients comes from - a near-death experience, a white light or a tunnel, or floating out of their bodies. As Hameroff observes in his so-called Orch-OR theory of consciousness, "It's quiet possible that this quantum information can exist outside of the body, perhaps indefinitely, as a soul". His research in anesthesiology is widely recognised as proof that anesthesia targets consciousness by way of action on neural micro-tubules. Needless to say, in our secular, materialistic and increasingly shallow world, this work of Hameroff and Penrose has created quits a stir among scientists. The science community elites have little patience with theories about anything in the body that goes outside of the body and survives, unless a baby, and nothing human is indefinite. Noteworthy among these critics is MIT physicist Max Tegmark, who published an article where he argues that the quantum states of micro-tubules would, after death, survive for only 10 seconds, and absolutely cannot have an out-of-body existence.

In reply, Hameroff and others argue that micro-tubules could be shielded against the limited, physical environment of the brain when life gives out. They faulted Tegmark's analysis for using not their original criteria, but entirely different criteria in his testing of their quantum theory, thus changing the assumptions behind their theory. Many other scientists have joined this argument, and as recently as 2014, respected physicist Anirban Bandyopadhyay confirmed from his own research a central principle of Hameroff - that the shielding of micro-tubules from a dying brain environment does indeed occur. In the meantime, Hameroff's bi-annual Conference on the Science of Consciousness continues with a high level of attendance, scholarship and controversy. So what do we take from all this? These scientists have yet literally to prove their theory, but they have compiled substantial evidence to back up the assumptions underlying the theory, earning considerable support as well as criticism along the way. One can only imagine where the boundless curiosity of science will take this theory in the future - has it the potential to be one of the glories of the age of scientific discovery? 

Or could it be much ado about things we already knew? 

Hameroff and Penrose have given us a thought-provoking analysis of how the smallest types of matter might make up the very foundation of what we call ghosts, an enduring spirit, and so much more. The reader of this column is left to decide whether we have evidence in the science of quantum mechanics that establishes, in some instances, that 'ghosts' could actually exist. Then consider a compelling observation by a reputable mathematical physicist and author who backs the Maeroff/Penrose position, Dr. Henry P. Stepp. He actually goes further than they, building upon their compelling theory by submitting that a person's personality can 'exist as a mental entity after death, and if these entities can manage to pull themselves back into the physical world, things like channeling and possession by mediums can actually happen'.

One can't help but remark that pulling oneself back into the physical world would make sense for some attractive places said to be haunted right here in town, such as a magnificent old home on Main Road where a long-gone sea captain has been seen out and about, or a frequently observed, hovering mist years ago on the staircase of the old Jamesport Manor Inn, or the figures some have noticed at the homstead of the Hallocville Museum Farm on Sound Avenue. But why would any 'conscious entity', trying to 'pull back into the physical world', end up in a 1950s highboy chest of drawers? 

[Based on an article written by gleg Blass, dated 24th March, 2019].

-Challapalli Srinivas Chakravarthy, 11th March, 2020 (Wednesday)-      

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HOW TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION ALTERS THE BRAIN?

TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION (TM) involves sitting with eyes shut for 15-20 minutes twice a day while saying a mantra. The practice has several advantages for mental health but, until now, it was unclear how those effects came about. TM differs from other meditation practices in that it does not require concentration or visualisation. Instead, TM practitioners come up with a mantra, which is a word or phrase that has no real meaning. The practitioners silently think this mantra, allowing the mind to naturally transcend, while both the mind and body remain awake, yet relaxed. Most people can learn TM in a few months, and benefit s from regular practice may include reduced feelings of stress and anxiety in a person's everyday life. 

Previous Proof: Research has found some evidence of this. A 2013 study, appearing in Military Medicine, listed TM as a feasible treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in active-duty military personnel. Similarly,  a study appearing in The Permanente Journal in 2014, concluded that a TM program was effective in reducing psychological distress in teachers. A 2016 study from the same journal found significant reductions in symptoms of trauma, anxiety, and depression in prison inmates who practiced TM. With benefits seen in a relatively short period, one field of study has dived deeper into TM to find out exactly how it helps. Now, new findings published in "Brain and Cognition" point to measurable functional effects in the brain of TM practitioners.    

Lowering stress and anxiety: The study took place in the Molecular Mind Laboratory of Italy's IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca and involved 34 participants. Of the volunteers, 19 had to complete two 20-minute TM sessions a day for 3 months - one session in the morning and one in the evening. The remaining 15 participants continued with their usual daily routines. At the beginning of the study, the researchers and psychometric questionnaires to measure how well each participant could handle stressful situations. All participants also underwent a functional magnetic resonance imaging test (FMRI) to assess brain activity and functional connectivity between various areas of the brain. At the end of the three months , each participant underwent another FMRI test and filled in the questionnaires again. After 3 months, the participants who practiced daily TM perceived feeling markedly less stress and anxiety. "Specifically, following TM practice, the group of meditators reported a reduction in psychometric scores reflecting perceived depression, anxiety and stress in opposition to resilience and social skills", the authors write in the paper. Results from the FMRI scans also showed "that the reduction of anxiety levels is associated with specific changes in the connectivity between different cerebral areas, such as precuneous, left parietal lobe, and insula, which all have an important role in the modulation of emotions and inner states", says first author Giulia Avvenuti. However, "none of these changes [were] observed" in the group that did not practice TM. Avvenuti points out. 

Quick Changes: Pietro Pietrini, study coordinator and IMT SChool's Director, says these findings raise further questions about the link between the brain and the mind. "The fact that [TM] has measurable effects on the 'dialogue' between brain structures involved in the modulation of effective states opens new perspectives for the understanding of brain-mind relationships", he says. The results may also indicate just how quickly TM can have a tangible effect on the brain and the feelings of individuals. Organisations such as the David Lynch Foundation - which co-founded the study - encourage people with trauma or individuals who experience high levels of stress in work and education environments to practice TM. The organisation will likely use the results to amplify their work across the globe. This work adds to the growing body of evidence in support of this form of meditation. It also raises other questions. As Pietrini explains, his team's findings extend "the results of recent research suggesting that drug therapies and psychotherapy leverage on the same biological mechanism". Future research may, therefore, look at different ways of targeting these biological pathways.

Challapalli Srinivas Chakravarthy, 07-03-2020 (Saturday).

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