Aware, Awake, Alive: A Contemporary Guide to the Ancient Science of Integral Health and Human Flourishing
(Practice CD Included with paperback) Paragon House, 2011 Available at Amazon | kindle ebook (no CD) Practice CD | Practice CD as MP3 download Introduction Chapter One (below) Endorsements |
|
|
Human Flourishing
I have never encountered an individual who did not desire happiness, peace, and well-being. That human desire is universal. It is our deepest impulse. It will never leave us. We all want to flourish and prosper.
Fortunately, it is definitely possible for each one of us to achieve this. Why? Because happiness, peace, and well-being are innate qualities of human life. They are in our genes. They are already present at the core of our being. We can lose sight of these qualities, and we do. But like the sun that is temporarily hidden by thick clouds, they are always there to be rediscovered.
With enough effort and a bit of luck, each of us will experience such moments during the course of our lifetime. We will enjoy a variety of pleasurable activities—loving connections with family, friends, and partners, worldly achievements, and material things of all sorts. That is the kind of well-being with which we are most familiar. That is fine and good, as far as it goes. But that is not what we are speaking about here.
Because we cannot control the outer world or other people, these moments are only temporary. Experiences change, others become preoccupied with their own needs, and over time material objects lose their luster. Happiness, peace, and well-being attained through outer efforts alone are by nature transient and unstable. They alternate with the distress and suffering resulting from change, loss, illness, and aging. That is why we continuously strive to sustain pleasure where it exists, and find new sources—new experiences, new relationships, or new things—to replace what is lost or naturally diminishes over time.
What we are concerned with here is quite different. It is the cultivation of a special sort of happiness, serenity, and well-being that is found inside rather than outside, endures over a lifetime, is reliable and trustworthy, and immune to the usual adversities of life. Our aim is to reclaim this inner treasure which lies dormant in each of us. It is who we are. It is at the core of our being. We do not have to look outside of ourselves or chase after it. We do not have to strive to replenish it. It is permanent and abundant.
So if this natural treasure resides in each of us, why can’t we see or experience it right now and at all times without further effort? Why does it seem so scarce and inaccessible? Why do we exert so much energy and effort scavenging in the outer world for passing pleasures? Why don’t we go directly to the source, to the center of our being where it is naturally present? The answer is quite simple. Out of habit we have learned to search in the wrong place for the great treasures of life. That is why we cannot find what we are searching for no matter how much effort we make.
We learned this a long time ago. We mistakenly learned to reach outside ourselves for happiness and serenity, health and healing, wholeness and love. This tendency is so deeply ingrained that it feels like a natural instinct. Even when this reaching out fails to truly satisfy our longing, we respond with greater striving and effort. We don’t know what else to do. We rarely question our learned dependence on the outer world. We have an intractable faith that it will give us what we need, if we only try hard enough. It is this habit which distracts our attention and blocks our access to the real thing.
It is as if we are born on an island filled with gems. At all times they are right beneath our feet, but our vision is cloudy. We don’t know they are there. We live in unnecessary poverty in the midst of enormous wealth.
There is, as we have suspected, more to life. There is a way to attain our most cherished and sought after human longing. That way is the inner way—the direct path to life’s greatest treasures. If this were my view alone you would be right to question it. But it is not. It is the universal teaching of all wise philosophies and religions.
Fortunately, it is definitely possible for each one of us to achieve this. Why? Because happiness, peace, and well-being are innate qualities of human life. They are in our genes. They are already present at the core of our being. We can lose sight of these qualities, and we do. But like the sun that is temporarily hidden by thick clouds, they are always there to be rediscovered.
With enough effort and a bit of luck, each of us will experience such moments during the course of our lifetime. We will enjoy a variety of pleasurable activities—loving connections with family, friends, and partners, worldly achievements, and material things of all sorts. That is the kind of well-being with which we are most familiar. That is fine and good, as far as it goes. But that is not what we are speaking about here.
Because we cannot control the outer world or other people, these moments are only temporary. Experiences change, others become preoccupied with their own needs, and over time material objects lose their luster. Happiness, peace, and well-being attained through outer efforts alone are by nature transient and unstable. They alternate with the distress and suffering resulting from change, loss, illness, and aging. That is why we continuously strive to sustain pleasure where it exists, and find new sources—new experiences, new relationships, or new things—to replace what is lost or naturally diminishes over time.
What we are concerned with here is quite different. It is the cultivation of a special sort of happiness, serenity, and well-being that is found inside rather than outside, endures over a lifetime, is reliable and trustworthy, and immune to the usual adversities of life. Our aim is to reclaim this inner treasure which lies dormant in each of us. It is who we are. It is at the core of our being. We do not have to look outside of ourselves or chase after it. We do not have to strive to replenish it. It is permanent and abundant.
So if this natural treasure resides in each of us, why can’t we see or experience it right now and at all times without further effort? Why does it seem so scarce and inaccessible? Why do we exert so much energy and effort scavenging in the outer world for passing pleasures? Why don’t we go directly to the source, to the center of our being where it is naturally present? The answer is quite simple. Out of habit we have learned to search in the wrong place for the great treasures of life. That is why we cannot find what we are searching for no matter how much effort we make.
We learned this a long time ago. We mistakenly learned to reach outside ourselves for happiness and serenity, health and healing, wholeness and love. This tendency is so deeply ingrained that it feels like a natural instinct. Even when this reaching out fails to truly satisfy our longing, we respond with greater striving and effort. We don’t know what else to do. We rarely question our learned dependence on the outer world. We have an intractable faith that it will give us what we need, if we only try hard enough. It is this habit which distracts our attention and blocks our access to the real thing.
It is as if we are born on an island filled with gems. At all times they are right beneath our feet, but our vision is cloudy. We don’t know they are there. We live in unnecessary poverty in the midst of enormous wealth.
There is, as we have suspected, more to life. There is a way to attain our most cherished and sought after human longing. That way is the inner way—the direct path to life’s greatest treasures. If this were my view alone you would be right to question it. But it is not. It is the universal teaching of all wise philosophies and religions.
Out of the Cave
Let’s first look for this teaching in the Western tradition. Twenty-five hundred years ago our ancestors in the West solved the riddle of distress and suffering and simultaneously pointed out the way to human flourishing. At the same time, their colleagues in the East were busy solving the identical riddle. Philosophers, scholars and healers, West and East, asked the same question: “Why, if we are endowed with a unique and precious capacity for health, happiness, and peace do we live with so much struggle and suffering? That was the riddle they set about to solve, and they did.
|
Let us now shift to the East where we are given the same view of our existence. Here it is as shared through another story.
|
We are once again told that this is the story of our own life. We each have access to a great treasure. But we are unaware of its existence. We cannot see our great treasure because it is covered with the stress and distress of an overactive mental life, fixed perspectives and automated habits. As a result we live our entire lives without the extraordinary well-being that is already and always within us. Like the farmer, we must dig through and removed this obscuring “dirt” in order to find the hidden gold.
In this short story the wise ones from the East reveal to us the same “secret” of life that is told by our elders in the West. In the ancient Greek tradition, human flourishing is called the true, the good, and the beautiful. In the Christian tradition it is called divine love, agape, and heaven. In the Buddhist tradition it is called wisdom, compassion, and delight. In the Hindu tradition it is called satchitananda—awareness, knowledge, and bliss. In the Eastern tradition it is referred to as the tao. Life lived in our deepest self has many names, but it is one. It is the flourishing of our deepest nature. Wise sages tell us that this is possible for each of us, right now, and that our capacity to progress toward this great goal can be measured by the intensity and reach of our longing. With a clear and constant voice our ancestors urge us to become aware, awake, and alive. Perhaps we should listen to them.
In this short story the wise ones from the East reveal to us the same “secret” of life that is told by our elders in the West. In the ancient Greek tradition, human flourishing is called the true, the good, and the beautiful. In the Christian tradition it is called divine love, agape, and heaven. In the Buddhist tradition it is called wisdom, compassion, and delight. In the Hindu tradition it is called satchitananda—awareness, knowledge, and bliss. In the Eastern tradition it is referred to as the tao. Life lived in our deepest self has many names, but it is one. It is the flourishing of our deepest nature. Wise sages tell us that this is possible for each of us, right now, and that our capacity to progress toward this great goal can be measured by the intensity and reach of our longing. With a clear and constant voice our ancestors urge us to become aware, awake, and alive. Perhaps we should listen to them.
The Secret in the Symbols
In case we misunderstand their words and parables, our ancestors have wisely left us visual symbols that further elaborate the path to human flourishing. They describe, in a simple and profound way, the ancient and modern path to an authentic and full life.
The Caduceus
In the West the symbol of human flourishing comes to us from ancient Greece. It is the well-known medical symbol of the Caduceus, two snakes curled around the staff of the Greek god Hermes. What do these snakes represent? They represent the two aspects of human life, inner and outer. The inner aspect of life is our consciousness, our mental and spiritual life. The outer is our physical life, our biology.
Even though each of our lives has an inner and outer aspect, they are usually unequally developed. In modern times our focus has been on the outer aspects. We have mastered an understanding of biology. We know how to enhance our physical well-being, address physiological disturbances, reduce biological risk factors, and promote high levels of physical wellness. As the mythologist Joseph Campbell reminds us, “where there was once darkness there is now light.” We once knew very little about our biology, and now we know a great deal.
But he also reminds us that “where there was once light there is now darkness.” There was a time we had a profound understanding of our inner life. We could describe and traverse, as Plato did, the full development of consciousness from darkness to light, from confusion to wisdom. But in modern times that is no longer the case. We have a mastery of the outer world but we have simultaneously lost touch with our inner life. It has become a buried and unseen treasure. Where once there was light there is now darkness and ignorance.
When we look carefully at the Caduceus we see that there are times when the two snakes join together in balance and union. At other times they remain separated. When they are unequally developed, one aspect of our existence, inner or outer, is more fully developed and dominates our life. At such times the other aspect of our being becomes a mere shadow of its full potential. Flourishing is not possible. That requires the harmonious and balanced interplay of both the inner and outer aspects of life. As a result of this uneven development we are left with partial knowledge, partial health and a partial life. That is our circumstance in modern times.
However, there are rare and special times in history when inner and outer aspects of life merge in a union that is genuine wholeness. When these two aspects of our being are equally and fully developed we experience a flourishing of human life and culture. Such was the case in the West at the time of ancient Greece and the European Renaissance. Inner knowing and outer knowing were in balance. The result was a flourishing of life, the arts, and humanities. That is what is conveyed to us through the healing symbol of the Caduceus—wholeness and human flourishing require a full and equal development of the two central aspects of life, inner and outer. Only then is life’s great treasure revealed.
Even though each of our lives has an inner and outer aspect, they are usually unequally developed. In modern times our focus has been on the outer aspects. We have mastered an understanding of biology. We know how to enhance our physical well-being, address physiological disturbances, reduce biological risk factors, and promote high levels of physical wellness. As the mythologist Joseph Campbell reminds us, “where there was once darkness there is now light.” We once knew very little about our biology, and now we know a great deal.
But he also reminds us that “where there was once light there is now darkness.” There was a time we had a profound understanding of our inner life. We could describe and traverse, as Plato did, the full development of consciousness from darkness to light, from confusion to wisdom. But in modern times that is no longer the case. We have a mastery of the outer world but we have simultaneously lost touch with our inner life. It has become a buried and unseen treasure. Where once there was light there is now darkness and ignorance.
When we look carefully at the Caduceus we see that there are times when the two snakes join together in balance and union. At other times they remain separated. When they are unequally developed, one aspect of our existence, inner or outer, is more fully developed and dominates our life. At such times the other aspect of our being becomes a mere shadow of its full potential. Flourishing is not possible. That requires the harmonious and balanced interplay of both the inner and outer aspects of life. As a result of this uneven development we are left with partial knowledge, partial health and a partial life. That is our circumstance in modern times.
However, there are rare and special times in history when inner and outer aspects of life merge in a union that is genuine wholeness. When these two aspects of our being are equally and fully developed we experience a flourishing of human life and culture. Such was the case in the West at the time of ancient Greece and the European Renaissance. Inner knowing and outer knowing were in balance. The result was a flourishing of life, the arts, and humanities. That is what is conveyed to us through the healing symbol of the Caduceus—wholeness and human flourishing require a full and equal development of the two central aspects of life, inner and outer. Only then is life’s great treasure revealed.
The Medicine Buddha
In the East the great symbol of healing is the Medicine Buddha. In Buddha’s right hand he holds the sacred Arura plant which represents all outer forms of therapy, the outer way. In his left hand he holds a bowl that contains the nectar of wisdom, the inner way. Again we are informed that wholeness and human flourishing require the full development of both aspects of our being.
Each of these great symbols, West and East, are identical in their message. They inform us that to be fully human we must develop and completely integrate outer knowledge and inner wisdom. That is the way we behold our authentic self. That is the way in which we transform an ordinary life into a noble one.
Each of these great symbols, West and East, are identical in their message. They inform us that to be fully human we must develop and completely integrate outer knowledge and inner wisdom. That is the way we behold our authentic self. That is the way in which we transform an ordinary life into a noble one.
An Ancient Center for Human Flourishing
There was once a time when individuals could visit healing centers that emphasized this balanced and whole approach to optimal well-being. That time was 2500 years ago in ancient Greece at the same time that Plato was urging us to move out of the darkness and into the light.
If you lived between the years 450 BC and 350 AD and were ill, dissatisfied with life as it was and wanted to turn a corner in your life, you would make plans to visit one of the hundreds of healing centers throughout ancient Greece and the larger Mediterranean region. These centers were called Aesclepian healing centers.
Asclepius was the ancient Greek god of healing and today, as in ancient times, all physicians are considered to be in the lineage of Aesclepius. The Oath of Hippocrates taken by physicians at the time of graduation from medical school begins with the words, “I swear to Apollo, Aesclepius, Panacea and Hygeia.” Apollo was the mythical father of Aesclepius, and Panacea and Hygeia were his daughters.
You would make preparations for your visit and pack a bag as the journey by foot might last several days and the stay at the center an indefinite period. On your way to the temple you would likely meet those returning home. They might share a meal with you and relate their experience at the temple. Their healing stories would strengthen your faith and lift your spirits.
Finally you would end your journey at the temple gate. You would spend the next several days waiting outside the gate. But this was not like waiting in a modern medical office. This was an important time to prepare yourself for the healing process. Through fasting, ritual bathing or other practices you would slowly let go of worldly concerns and activities. You were about to enter a sacred and holistic healing experience of body, mind and spirit which required as much clarity as possible. After several days of such preparation, heart and mind were ready for the activities of temple life.
When you entered the environs of the center your first stop would be at the temple of Aesclepius. Standing before you would be the statue of the healing god. You would feel his strength, confidence, compassion, and wisdom. It was the custom to leave an offering, perhaps a honey cake or cheese, to honor these qualities of healing which were manifested in the symbol of the god Aesclepius.
You would then find your dormitory room, unpack your bag, and begin to participate in temple activities. There were many activities which touched body, mind, and spirit. There was the gymnasium with its baths, massage, fitness activities, and athletic competitions. You might become involved in one of many philosophical dialogues or enjoy minstrel singing as you walked about the streets of the center. You might wander and reflect in the beautiful gardens, enjoy the finest art of ancient Greece, the statues created by Phidias and Praxiteles. There would be plenty of time for contemplation and stillness.
Perhaps later in the day you would attend the theater. The finest theater in all of Greece was located at the healing temple at Epidaurus. Here you could hear one of the great Greek dramas of Aeschylus, Sophocles or Euripides. These dramas depicted the human condition in all its aspects—tragedy, conflict, greed, nobility, violence and so on. Your small story, your piece of this drama, was elevated to the level of myth, as it became part of the larger movement of the human condition—the struggle between the forces of darkness and light, suffering and salvation, stagnation and flourishing.
Each night you would dress yourself in your sacred whites and walk along the promenade to the great temple of Aesclepius. You would solemnly enter with others, leave an offering at the statue of Aesclepius, locate a spot to recline, quietly reflect on your circumstance, and then enter sleep asking the god for a healing dream.
This process had a special name. The name was incubation. Perhaps it might be more familiar to us if we call it prayer or meditation. It is the universal process of leaving ordinary awareness, taking refuge in sacred silence, and listening carefully within for the words of wisdom that come only in the incubation of stillness. The ancient Greeks were listening for the wisdom of Aesclepius. That was their way of projecting out their inner wisdom to the imagined god. But this is not our way. Our way is to claim that wisdom as our own birthright. But in either case the process and outcome are the same. “Go inside” we are told. Incubate your innerness in stillness and listen for the wise messages carried by the wind of pure awareness.
During the evening many participants had dreams. Others did not and would wait for another evening. Most often the dreams were shared with the temple priests. There was also a special name for these priests. That name was iatromantis, sacred or divine healers. These were the guides who helped to interpret the dreams. Now as then, wise and knowledgeable guides are essential if one is to heal ones inner life and flourish into a larger life. At times the dreams were healing in themselves. At other times they called for various activities such as certain diets, pharmaceuticals, physical exercise or psychological understandings. The instructions were followed and the process of inner looking through incubation continued day-to-day, along with the other activities of temple life.
Close your eyes for a moment and imagine this multi-dimensional inner and outer approach to healing mind, body and spirit. Imagine the retreat environment and an entire community committed to healing and “wholing.” For that is what happened. And when this was accomplished you left the temple revitalized, renewed, and transformed. That was the nature of an inner and outer healing in ancient Greece. This was a center for human flourishing.
If you had the resources, when you left the healing center you might leave an inscription on paper or stone that conveyed the details of your healing as a source of reassurance and inspiration for others. Here is one such testimonial written in 450 bc.
If you lived between the years 450 BC and 350 AD and were ill, dissatisfied with life as it was and wanted to turn a corner in your life, you would make plans to visit one of the hundreds of healing centers throughout ancient Greece and the larger Mediterranean region. These centers were called Aesclepian healing centers.
Asclepius was the ancient Greek god of healing and today, as in ancient times, all physicians are considered to be in the lineage of Aesclepius. The Oath of Hippocrates taken by physicians at the time of graduation from medical school begins with the words, “I swear to Apollo, Aesclepius, Panacea and Hygeia.” Apollo was the mythical father of Aesclepius, and Panacea and Hygeia were his daughters.
You would make preparations for your visit and pack a bag as the journey by foot might last several days and the stay at the center an indefinite period. On your way to the temple you would likely meet those returning home. They might share a meal with you and relate their experience at the temple. Their healing stories would strengthen your faith and lift your spirits.
Finally you would end your journey at the temple gate. You would spend the next several days waiting outside the gate. But this was not like waiting in a modern medical office. This was an important time to prepare yourself for the healing process. Through fasting, ritual bathing or other practices you would slowly let go of worldly concerns and activities. You were about to enter a sacred and holistic healing experience of body, mind and spirit which required as much clarity as possible. After several days of such preparation, heart and mind were ready for the activities of temple life.
When you entered the environs of the center your first stop would be at the temple of Aesclepius. Standing before you would be the statue of the healing god. You would feel his strength, confidence, compassion, and wisdom. It was the custom to leave an offering, perhaps a honey cake or cheese, to honor these qualities of healing which were manifested in the symbol of the god Aesclepius.
You would then find your dormitory room, unpack your bag, and begin to participate in temple activities. There were many activities which touched body, mind, and spirit. There was the gymnasium with its baths, massage, fitness activities, and athletic competitions. You might become involved in one of many philosophical dialogues or enjoy minstrel singing as you walked about the streets of the center. You might wander and reflect in the beautiful gardens, enjoy the finest art of ancient Greece, the statues created by Phidias and Praxiteles. There would be plenty of time for contemplation and stillness.
Perhaps later in the day you would attend the theater. The finest theater in all of Greece was located at the healing temple at Epidaurus. Here you could hear one of the great Greek dramas of Aeschylus, Sophocles or Euripides. These dramas depicted the human condition in all its aspects—tragedy, conflict, greed, nobility, violence and so on. Your small story, your piece of this drama, was elevated to the level of myth, as it became part of the larger movement of the human condition—the struggle between the forces of darkness and light, suffering and salvation, stagnation and flourishing.
Each night you would dress yourself in your sacred whites and walk along the promenade to the great temple of Aesclepius. You would solemnly enter with others, leave an offering at the statue of Aesclepius, locate a spot to recline, quietly reflect on your circumstance, and then enter sleep asking the god for a healing dream.
This process had a special name. The name was incubation. Perhaps it might be more familiar to us if we call it prayer or meditation. It is the universal process of leaving ordinary awareness, taking refuge in sacred silence, and listening carefully within for the words of wisdom that come only in the incubation of stillness. The ancient Greeks were listening for the wisdom of Aesclepius. That was their way of projecting out their inner wisdom to the imagined god. But this is not our way. Our way is to claim that wisdom as our own birthright. But in either case the process and outcome are the same. “Go inside” we are told. Incubate your innerness in stillness and listen for the wise messages carried by the wind of pure awareness.
During the evening many participants had dreams. Others did not and would wait for another evening. Most often the dreams were shared with the temple priests. There was also a special name for these priests. That name was iatromantis, sacred or divine healers. These were the guides who helped to interpret the dreams. Now as then, wise and knowledgeable guides are essential if one is to heal ones inner life and flourish into a larger life. At times the dreams were healing in themselves. At other times they called for various activities such as certain diets, pharmaceuticals, physical exercise or psychological understandings. The instructions were followed and the process of inner looking through incubation continued day-to-day, along with the other activities of temple life.
Close your eyes for a moment and imagine this multi-dimensional inner and outer approach to healing mind, body and spirit. Imagine the retreat environment and an entire community committed to healing and “wholing.” For that is what happened. And when this was accomplished you left the temple revitalized, renewed, and transformed. That was the nature of an inner and outer healing in ancient Greece. This was a center for human flourishing.
If you had the resources, when you left the healing center you might leave an inscription on paper or stone that conveyed the details of your healing as a source of reassurance and inspiration for others. Here is one such testimonial written in 450 bc.
|
This was the experience of human flourishing in a culture which had access to and valued both the inner and outer aspects of life. For us the process would be somewhat different, tailoring itself to our culture and level of development. But the essential aspects would be the same.
Modern Science Meets Human Flourishing
The experience of human flourishing, first described in ancient times, is now receiving attention and validation from high-tech modern science. Richard Davidson working at his laboratory at the University of Wisconsin has been a leader in this field of research, research which has now spread to other universities. Davidson, studying electrical brain activity and variations in brain blood flow, discovered that a certain area of the right side of the brain, the right prefrontal cortex, is activated by mental distress and a corresponding area of the left part of the brain, the left prefrontal cortex, is activated by feelings of well-being.
In July 2003, Davidson reported in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine the results of a study done on a group of employees at a biotechnology firm who were offered an eight-week course in stress reduction and relaxation techniques. One group took the course while another group was waiting their turn. The first group was evaluated before the course, immediately after the course, and then four months following its completion. The participants who completed the course showed a reduction in mental distress and a corresponding enhancement of well-being. This shift in mental state was correlated with increased activation of the left prefrontal cortex, the area of the brain associated with well-being.
This study and others like it show that inner development contributes to greater well-being even for beginners. We are discovering that our mental life is not predetermined and fixed. Our capacity for well-being is flexible, dynamic and expansive. We now know that optimal health can be cultivated through systematic inner development. But that is only the beginning of the story. What follows is even more exciting.
Davidson is currently conducting experiments with highly trained and skilled contemplative scholars who have made inner development and the fulfillment of the human possibility their life’s work. He asked these individuals to participate in experiments which measured brain activity. Once hooked up to sophisticated technology they were asked to enter into what for them were well-developed mental states such as boundless compassion or pure awareness. The level of activation of the left versus right prefrontal cortex was carefully assessed with electrical measurements and functional MRIs.
What Davidson discovered is that these Olympians of mental fitness have levels of activation of the left prefrontal cortex, the site that correlates with well-being, which is way beyond those of the ordinary individual. They are “off the charts.” Not only do these high levels of activation occur during inner practice, but they are also sustained throughout the day as well. These stable states of optimal well-being are cultivated through inner development.
Scientific research conducted on highly trained individuals with Olympic levels of mental fitness shows us that the far reaches of human flourishing can be developed through training and measured scientifically. Now we have the first scientific evidence that documents the ancient observation, West and East, that human flourishing—a profound and enduring state of health, happiness and inner peace—can be attained though inner development, and it begins as soon as we begin to work with our mind.
In July 2003, Davidson reported in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine the results of a study done on a group of employees at a biotechnology firm who were offered an eight-week course in stress reduction and relaxation techniques. One group took the course while another group was waiting their turn. The first group was evaluated before the course, immediately after the course, and then four months following its completion. The participants who completed the course showed a reduction in mental distress and a corresponding enhancement of well-being. This shift in mental state was correlated with increased activation of the left prefrontal cortex, the area of the brain associated with well-being.
This study and others like it show that inner development contributes to greater well-being even for beginners. We are discovering that our mental life is not predetermined and fixed. Our capacity for well-being is flexible, dynamic and expansive. We now know that optimal health can be cultivated through systematic inner development. But that is only the beginning of the story. What follows is even more exciting.
Davidson is currently conducting experiments with highly trained and skilled contemplative scholars who have made inner development and the fulfillment of the human possibility their life’s work. He asked these individuals to participate in experiments which measured brain activity. Once hooked up to sophisticated technology they were asked to enter into what for them were well-developed mental states such as boundless compassion or pure awareness. The level of activation of the left versus right prefrontal cortex was carefully assessed with electrical measurements and functional MRIs.
What Davidson discovered is that these Olympians of mental fitness have levels of activation of the left prefrontal cortex, the site that correlates with well-being, which is way beyond those of the ordinary individual. They are “off the charts.” Not only do these high levels of activation occur during inner practice, but they are also sustained throughout the day as well. These stable states of optimal well-being are cultivated through inner development.
Scientific research conducted on highly trained individuals with Olympic levels of mental fitness shows us that the far reaches of human flourishing can be developed through training and measured scientifically. Now we have the first scientific evidence that documents the ancient observation, West and East, that human flourishing—a profound and enduring state of health, happiness and inner peace—can be attained though inner development, and it begins as soon as we begin to work with our mind.
A Glimpse of the Treasure, or at Least a Facsimile
Perhaps it would be helpful if we have a sense of what human flourishing feels like, a taste of radical aliveness, with its ease, peace, and delight. There are many such moments in our life—a moment of communion with nature, the experience of great beauty, the peak of sexual intimacy, the free flow of dance, music, or athletic activities. Imagine such a moment when your sense of “self” drops away. Your usual mind is suspended. You are in a state of full presence and being without any mental commentary. You are fully present in the “now.” You are fully alive in the divine dance of moment-to-moment life.
At times this moment is completely still and other times you experience intense perceptions. There is a profound sense of ease. Everything is okay. Everything is complete. You are in the center of your being, in the center of life, not separate but one. And perhaps in this moment you may gain insight, experience an unexplainable feeling of love, or even feel transformed. And all around you is bathed in beauty and grace. There is no fear and no hope, no grasping and no attachment, neither a sense of past nor future, nothing to change and nothing to do. It is all there in the radical aliveness of the moment. For that brief glorious moment you know the truth, goodness, and the beauty.
That is the experience of human flourishing, or at least a glimpse or facsimile of it. Now imagine this was not an extraordinary occurrence but how human life is actually meant to be. Imagine this moment stretched out to an hour, a week, a year, or a lifetime. How would your life be?
But for most of us these moments are fleeting, because we have not yet created an inner foundation that can support them. We are quickly drawn back to the dark cave of our mental life, back to time, back to fixed perspectives and routine behaviors. We lose heaven and accept as a substitute a fragment of life. We call this normal.
But that does not have to be our final fate. We are very fortunate, well-endowed, and destined for something more. We have a unique intelligence that can envision a full and prosperous life. No other species can do that. We have everything that is necessary to dream large and to actualize our dreams.
At times this moment is completely still and other times you experience intense perceptions. There is a profound sense of ease. Everything is okay. Everything is complete. You are in the center of your being, in the center of life, not separate but one. And perhaps in this moment you may gain insight, experience an unexplainable feeling of love, or even feel transformed. And all around you is bathed in beauty and grace. There is no fear and no hope, no grasping and no attachment, neither a sense of past nor future, nothing to change and nothing to do. It is all there in the radical aliveness of the moment. For that brief glorious moment you know the truth, goodness, and the beauty.
That is the experience of human flourishing, or at least a glimpse or facsimile of it. Now imagine this was not an extraordinary occurrence but how human life is actually meant to be. Imagine this moment stretched out to an hour, a week, a year, or a lifetime. How would your life be?
But for most of us these moments are fleeting, because we have not yet created an inner foundation that can support them. We are quickly drawn back to the dark cave of our mental life, back to time, back to fixed perspectives and routine behaviors. We lose heaven and accept as a substitute a fragment of life. We call this normal.
But that does not have to be our final fate. We are very fortunate, well-endowed, and destined for something more. We have a unique intelligence that can envision a full and prosperous life. No other species can do that. We have everything that is necessary to dream large and to actualize our dreams.
© Elliott Dacher, M.D. (From Aware, Awake, Alive: A Contemporary Guide to the Ancient Science of Integral Health and Human Flourishing, Paragon House, 2011)