Sometimes I envy religious people that believe in god. I remember the comfort and well being that I use to feel as a child when I was brainwashed into believing that Jesus was my Lord and savior. Everything was so much simpler back then. Ignorance is bliss. As I grew older I was exposed to other things that opened my eyes. I realized that all religions were nothing more than popular cults. I realized how foolish it was for me to be following the beliefs and traditions of primitive people that lived thousands of years ago.
During my teenaged years I went though a period where I was searching for something to believe in. That is when I discovered science and Buddhism. I realized that Buddhism is the only major organized religion that did not conflict with the scientific information that I was learning. There is no real scientific evidence to prove that human souls exist, but I do believe in reincarnation. My interpretation of it is a little different.
I believe that the word I exists because of our illusionary perception of reality. If you looked that the big picture (your place in the universe) you should realize that there is no I. It’s an illusion. We are all one part or a piece of the universe. Believing that you are separate from the universe is like believing that the trillions of cells in your body are separate from you. Meditation allows you to be conscious of the fact that you are one with the universe. So basically, I am one with all of the life forms that will exist in the future, because the things that I do in the present will have an effect on the things that will exist in the future. Matter can’t be created or destroyed, it just changes shape.
This oneness with the universe does feel good, but it does not feel as good as the illusions that I felt when I believed that I was going to go to heaven and experience bliss for an eternity. I suppose that I could feel even better than I felt before if I meditated as much Buddhist monks, but I don’t have the time or the mental discipline for it. I suppose it would be much easier to meditate on a regular basis if I could do it on the top of some isolated mountain in India.
I read several books about Buddhism and neuroscience over the years. And realized that spirituality is nothing more than chemistry. Christians feel happy when they go to church and pray because it causes the release of chemicals like serotonin. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that plays a role in feelings like self-confidence and relaxation. Buddhist monks are so happy because of the large amount of electromagnetic activity that they have in their left area of their prefrontal cortex. This area becomes active when a person is experiencing positive emotions. Scientists believe that their years of intense meditation has caused them to develop a higher amount of neurons and dendrites in their left prefrontal area. Buddhist monks are also more capable of controlling their emotions in a stressful environment.
I believe that nano technology could give us the ability to control all of the chemical reactions within our bodies in the future. In the future we could all be able to experience the well being that some people feel when they pray or meditate. There are some scientists that are currently trying to develop a pill that mimics the experience of prayer and meditation. You can click on the links below if you would like to learn about the research that scientists are working on.
http://www.innerworlds.50megs.com/
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/week510/cover.html
http://www.mindandlife.org/
http://www.investigatingthemind.org/
http://paradise-engineering.com/brain/index.htm
During my teenaged years I went though a period where I was searching for something to believe in. That is when I discovered science and Buddhism. I realized that Buddhism is the only major organized religion that did not conflict with the scientific information that I was learning. There is no real scientific evidence to prove that human souls exist, but I do believe in reincarnation. My interpretation of it is a little different.
I believe that the word I exists because of our illusionary perception of reality. If you looked that the big picture (your place in the universe) you should realize that there is no I. It’s an illusion. We are all one part or a piece of the universe. Believing that you are separate from the universe is like believing that the trillions of cells in your body are separate from you. Meditation allows you to be conscious of the fact that you are one with the universe. So basically, I am one with all of the life forms that will exist in the future, because the things that I do in the present will have an effect on the things that will exist in the future. Matter can’t be created or destroyed, it just changes shape.
This oneness with the universe does feel good, but it does not feel as good as the illusions that I felt when I believed that I was going to go to heaven and experience bliss for an eternity. I suppose that I could feel even better than I felt before if I meditated as much Buddhist monks, but I don’t have the time or the mental discipline for it. I suppose it would be much easier to meditate on a regular basis if I could do it on the top of some isolated mountain in India.
I read several books about Buddhism and neuroscience over the years. And realized that spirituality is nothing more than chemistry. Christians feel happy when they go to church and pray because it causes the release of chemicals like serotonin. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that plays a role in feelings like self-confidence and relaxation. Buddhist monks are so happy because of the large amount of electromagnetic activity that they have in their left area of their prefrontal cortex. This area becomes active when a person is experiencing positive emotions. Scientists believe that their years of intense meditation has caused them to develop a higher amount of neurons and dendrites in their left prefrontal area. Buddhist monks are also more capable of controlling their emotions in a stressful environment.
I believe that nano technology could give us the ability to control all of the chemical reactions within our bodies in the future. In the future we could all be able to experience the well being that some people feel when they pray or meditate. There are some scientists that are currently trying to develop a pill that mimics the experience of prayer and meditation. You can click on the links below if you would like to learn about the research that scientists are working on.
http://www.innerworlds.50megs.com/
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/week510/cover.html
http://www.mindandlife.org/
http://www.investigatingthemind.org/
http://paradise-engineering.com/brain/index.htm
