No self, no problem

Yesterday I read a book from cover to cover. I got it from a friend who got it from a friend. It is doing the rounds. The book was Eben Alexander (2012) ‘Proof of Heaven – a neurosurgeon’s journey into the afterlife’.

The story is that bacteria attacked his brain and he had a near death experience (NDE) (http://www.near-death.com/) . He wrote about what he thought and felt before researching the topic.

His mind entered a blissful and numinous non-egoic state that was outside space and time and was impossible to describe using words. He wondered if this was a natural property of the brain and its mind or if there was a supernatural dimension?

The literature on the topic is extensive.  It was meticulously recorded at the end of the 19th century by Richard Bucke  (http://archive.org/details/cosmconscious )  and in the early 20th century by William James (http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15865.William_James ). NDE is not the only trigger for the self transcendent experience. Dr Alexander concluded that there was something supernatural going on – that there was a greater truth out there if only at the quantum level. I was not convinced.

The French sociologist Emile Durkheim (1858-1917) had the notion of Homo duplex. There are two natural mind states - the ordinary profane one and the extraordinary sacred one. Many people in many times and places have self-transcended to the sacred state. There is nothing supernatural or magic about it; but it feels extraordinarily good and those who have known it become ‘better’ people.


Amongst other things Jonathan Haidt is a positive psychologist. He gave an inspiring talk at TED2012 – “Climb the staircase to self-transcendence: http://www.ted.com/talks/jonathan_haidt_humanity_s_stairway_to_self_transcendence.html 

His metaphor for entering Durkheim’s sacred state of consciousness was a new door appearing in your mind. Inside the door there is a staircase and at the top of the stairs is a bright light and the experience of cosmic consciousness – an epiphany.

Key question. Is this extraordinary mind state due to a bug ie is it a form of collateral damage resulting from changes to the brain modules during human evolution? OR – is it an adaptation generated by group selection to make in-groups more efficient and effective?

A key issue is ‘no-self’. Zen masters have known for a long time, “no-self no problem.” These days I am often at the beck and call of the ‘muse’. Musicians get in the groove and athletes in the zone. At a more mundane level there can be a numinous washing of the dishes or mowing of the lawn. Actions with grace rather than with a grudge. Go with the ‘flow’. (For more on this see - http://www.scribd.com/doc/132250158/Towards-Uncommon-Sense )

It is a natural and desirable state of mind. If more people could be less selfish then there is the possibility of cutting back on consumerism. We would therefore deal in a more enlightened way with the environment.

Compulsive, medical, page-turner books such as Dr Alexander’s might be used to fuel the revolution. And for those who have not developed the habit of reading there is plenty of audio and video material on the web. By taking thought the mind can be changed to the sacred mode of no-self.