Its often said that human beings are logical and the brain works by processing information. To understand why this is so wrong we should start by understanding what logic is. Formal deductive logic works as follows:
If A is so and B is so then C must be so.
For instance, if A (All cars have wheels) is true and B (This is a car) then C is true (This must have wheels).
Logic is a language construct, no more no less. In the example I gave we are effectively referring to the definition of a car. We cannot gain a new understanding of a situation using formal logic. We can only reframe information we already have.
Many theories of consciousness attempt to explain it in terms of brain activity, or that the brain processes information, or people attempt to explain the mind in terms of information. But of course the mind is beyond all of this. It’s as if there is a thread that has our ego at one end and the thread goes back through our unconscious mind, the collective mind of all humanity, a collective unconscious of all living things and to the mind of the Earth, the solar system, the galaxy and the universe. God is impossible to comprehend if you see the world in terms of information and logic.
We are like ants in a the corner of a vast factory that produces airplanes. It can only see very small part of the factory and what is outside of it’s view it cannot even comprehend. As to the purpose of the factory it can’t possibly have any concept.
So how do we move outside of this? If we can only understand in terms of what we already know then how do we understand anything new? There are other mechanisms that the brain uses besides logic. The human condition is made up five parts. These are:
- Rationality. The ability to work out and form logical deductions. People who have this predominantly are considered intelligent. It is overrated in the West.
- Instinctual ability. This is the relationship with the body. People who have this are usually good at sports. The fast driving, high risk adventurer is often of this type.
- Emotional feeling. This is well understood in certain cultures better than others. In Anglo Saxon cultures (The UK, USA, Australia etc) it is really not understood. If you feel emotions the doctor will give you a tablet to help prevent it. In Italy and Greece and many Middle Eastern countries it is better understood.
- Intuition. This is the relationship with worlds — or in fact dimensions — beyond our own. This is not really understood at all in the West and if people are very intuitive they are given pills or sent to mental hospital.
- The element of consciousness (what the ancient Greeks called the Quintessential element). This is the awareness that stands outside of what we do or even what we think. It is using this mechanism that enables us to move beyond our human condition.
If we look at many religious practices we can see that they are designed to move us beyond the narrow intellectual relationship with the world and to open us up to these other factors.
In Islam prayers are physical movements combined with inwardly saying certain phrases. This occupies the intellect and opens up consciousness whilst the movements also relate to the instinctual aspect. Quranic phrases which the believer recites at the same time, relate them to the emotions
Mediation and prayer (which is a form of meditation when done correctly) enable us to relate to our emotions and to our intuition. By silencing the inner talk we allow ourselves to open up to the quiet intuitive voice. Our destiny is to move beyond the mind to awareness. When we are in awareness we have no attachment to anything in this world and then can travel to worlds beyond this one. We can travel down that thread which has no end. It extends to the infinity that is God.
By Philip Braham on August 17, 2018