Meditation: Consciousness
61Meditation: Who is watching who?
Where do your thoughts come from?
Scientists know which parts of the brain light up when neurons are activated and which chemicals are produced by the body when the senses feed information to the brain. Through today’s technology we know what parts of the brain are activated when we eat, listen to music, or laugh. The biology of the brain is well understood, as well as many of its functions, but when you think your thoughts, any thoughts, you are also able to KNOW that you are thinking a specific thought.
Scientists have not been able to pinpoint the exact place within the brain where you “sit” and observe the thoughts, nor can they determine where you reside when you meditate.
This place does exist though, otherwise none of us would be able to express ourselves as “I.”
The place where thoughts emerge is often referred to as the seat of the soul and in meditation terms is said to be located deep in the center of the brain where the pineal gland resides.
Consciousness and Awareness
These are often used interchangeably, however they are very different.
For example, when you are asleep, you are not aware, but the conscious part that is you still exists because you dream, and sometimes in the morning you can wake up and know that you dreamt.
Awareness is when you make a conscious decision to monitor your thoughts and behavior.
Who is the meditator during meditation?
During meditation, with the mind resting in a tranquil state, You, the Self, the Soul, is able to observe and rise up past the character traits that the external world sees and perceives as being the real you or self.
You are not what the external world knows, but something more sacred and eternal.
Free will enables You to make choices in this life and that begins with taking charge of every thought and subsequent action to live a life that honors who You really are. Know that You, via meditation, can consciously monitor your thoughts at any time and live life to its fullest in happiness and peace.
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Thank you Gypsy Willow.
I am so sorry for your loss. You have been through a challenging time and I send you healing and light.
With continued meditation practice, the frontal lobe thickens even if we are older, bringing it back to the same thickness as people in their twenties which reduces the signs of aging within the brain, among many other benefits.
Prof - this is rather thought provoking. Where do thoughts come from? This was an interesting read, particularly as I used to meditate and now, no longer do so.
I should - and thankyou :)
Frogdropping - Thanks for your comments.
The idea that there is an entity inside doing the observing brings us to a deeper discoussion of the soul and eternal life. That's a subject for a book rather than a hub but I'll touch on aspects of it in future hubs.
I hope that you can find time to restart meditation.
Thank you so much for your kind wishes. I am going to start meditating and am going to read your hubs about it.
Thank you. I work and write for a living so have to fit hubbing and other writing activities around these but will continue to write about meditation and the clinical research associated with it.
I wish you success on your new journey.
Gypsy Willow Level 5 Commenter 3 years ago
Wow ! Wonderful hub every one should read it. Thank you. It has special interest to me as my brother died of Picks disease recently which destroyed his frontal lobe very slowly. Nasty. Thanks for the info.