Tip Of The Iceberg

kkrish · Apr 4, 2017

Good morning Viswa
That was a very deep and heavy subject.
I had to read it twice to understand. Maybe the first time I read it with a conscious mind and the second time with my subconscious mind.
Very interesting that you used computer analogies to explain this.

My feedback may not be accurate nor my thoughts well organized, but here is my take, or shall I say my way of approaching life.
I like Ms.Jayasalas @jayasala42 pakshana paathiram analogy, have led my life roughly around the same idealogy.

Yes, our subconscious and unconscious minds are the true us and we reveal that true nature, good and bad, at times. Sometimes under immense negative stress, sometimes when we are relaxed also.

What you call meditation, I call as concentration. Both are same, the end result being focus and mindfulness. When we do any job, however trivial the job may be, by immersing ourselves in it, we bring out the best from us.

However, more than just meditation (concentration and focus) we should believe in what we do and enjoy it.

Kamba Ramayanam would not have been the great work had Kambar just written Ramayanam in Tamil.
He must have believed in Rama so much, had tremoundous bhakthi, and also must have enjoyed writing about this avatar of Vishnu.

Smt. M.S.Sbbulakshmi could not have captured so many hearts, all ages and backgrounds, if not for her bhakthi in God. There are many others' rendition of Suprabhatham and then there is M.S.S' version.

One look at the exquisite sculptures in all our temples that have withstood the test of time ... those sculptors must have had immense bhakthi amd they were doing all the chiseling as their offerings to God.
That brought out their talent resulting in our treasures.

While I agree with you on the powers of meditation, I would also add faith (in self and in the task to be performed), bhakthi, and never forgetting that, "seiyum thozhiley deivam" (God is the duty we perform wholeheartedly), doing everything with a positive energy and happy state of the mind.

All are huge ice beneath the tip of the iceberg; one without the other would only result in discontent.

Just my opinion.

Viswamitra · Apr 4, 2017

Dear Kamala,

Thank you for your wonderful feedback. You are too humble and I know what level of subconscious mind you use in your time management and study of galaxy. These are the two things I had a chance to review as they are readily available in public domain.

Like you, I liked Smt. Jayasala's analogy of how the dishes were organized when the bride leaves home to live in the bridegroom's place.

Be it Kambar or M.S.Subbalakshmi or ARRehman, all of them have deep sense of commitment to what they do. I am not looking at meditation as sitting quietly in one place and bringing thoughts in front to analyze them. It could be done by unyielding focus on an action like what Mother Teresa did or singing the praise of the Lord like what Thiagayyar did or pursue the knowledge forever like what Adi Sankara did. All of them are deep faith in the incomprehensible consciousness, awareness that it is one that became many and focus on bringing the best out.

I have said this once before and I will repeat it again. Once a Sculptor made a beautiful sculpture of Lord Krishna and people around him asked, "How can you make such a wonderful sculpture of Lord Krishna out of a mere stone?" and he replied, "Simple, I took everything out that is not Lord Krishna". It is the vision that varies and by changing our perception, we can change the world we perceive.

Human effort when added with will power and faith can reach unparalleled level of efficiency. There is a study conducted on Gama brain waves that has not been scientifically documented. The study conducted the brain of Buddhist monks when they were asked to reach the highest level of compassion. At that level their processing speed, memory power, sensory perception, focus, happiness, calmness, peace, feeling of oneness with all creation reach the peak. More we know our strengths, better our life become. Perhaps, Kambar and MSS performed at their best because of them invoking their potential to the maximum level.

Viswa

justanothergirl · Apr 4, 2017

They always knew below the surface of the conscious mind is a dormant volcano of powerful though energy waiting to erupt.
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This line stayed with me for a long time yesterday. When I sit and analyze some of my seemingly knee jerk reactions to certain situations and people ..there is a lot more than I am willing to admit . I am usually a chicken and try not to ponder too much but on the rare occasions when I do..more often than not..I realize that there are many layers of impressions and information that manifest themselves in a moment.
Very thought provoking article Viswa!

Viswamitra · Apr 5, 2017

Thank you for your response to this thread. It is unimaginable to understand the power of Subconscious and Unconscious Mind operating with Alpha and Theta brainwaves. The conscious mind is with less memory, instantly reactive, emotional, filled-with body consciousness, seeking appreciation and so on. It is like using the Beta release of a software that might be still logical and functional but may have a few bugs. Whereas Unconscious Mind is like Unit and System tested software that functions smoothly interfacing well with other systems. It is intuitive, creative, in the present moment, self-confident and closer to auto-functioning Unconscious Mind. Unconscious Mind functions automatically like cell-generation in our body.

As I mentioned in my earlier response to @kkrish, the science is still studying the Gamma brain waves that brings the feeling of oneness with the nature and other fellow beings. This study was conducted among the Buddhist monks after asked to bring their highest level of compassion and loving thoughts. it is amazing to notice how our belief system converge with the scientific inventions. Without intention, the science is proving all that is said in the ancient wisdom.

Viswa

Viswamitra · Apr 5, 2017

Rajeni said: ↑

Wonderful example and very well explained sir. Makes sense even to my simple mind! Thank you!
Click to expand...

My dear Rajeni,

I missed acknowledging your second response. Thank you for your kind words. Simple minds are the ones that produces extraordinary things in life! Your threads and fiction story are two great examples.

Viswa

girvani · Apr 5, 2017

Dear Viswa uncle,

I needed to read twice to capture the essence of this article and finally I have put down the table to understand. And also learnt a lot from what all other's have said. The whole thing is so beautiful and I start to feel (I think) why Kambar said that he felt himself as a cat drinking milk from the ocean while he was writing the kambaramayanam.

This is the first time, I am learning the connection between brian waves and mind layers. Uncle, this is wonderful. I looked into the characteristics of the brain waves and the characteristics you have put against the mind layers. With your kind permission, I will put that table below,

My guru said in one of his discourse that to turn the mind inwards to the atma, you need to do Pranayama and Pratayakara together as both complement each other. Pranayama is the Sadhana or practice by which you hold the Prana or the breath and this gives us an amount of inner vision. The process of Pratyahara consists in turning the mind inwards and away from the external objects. When you practice both pranayama and pratyakara then you experience the Samadhi.You will thus be able to give up all your desires and turn your mind towards the Atma. When you do this, you will find that the entire body takes a very different turn. The different kinds of energies will all come under your control. 'Sama' means equal and 'dhi' means Buddhi or mind. When you have developed equal mindedness, you are in a true state of Samadhi. It is quite possible for you to develop this state even in ordinary life, provided you understand what is meant by Pranayama or Pratyahara. When the mind is turned inwards, it looks only at the Atma and does not look at the external surroundings. Therefore, when your mind is turned inwards, you will not notice the difference between pleasure and pain, between sorrow and happiness or between heat and cold. In fact, the mind will not take note of any differences and disparities at all. It is the oneness of everything that you will be able to realise. When an individual is in a state of Samadhi, he has nothing to do with the world although he is moving about in the world. Although the individual appears to be a part of the society, he is not affected by the society. The mind of such a person is always engrossed with what may be called the Atma Drishti.

I am sorry I might have deviated but uncle you made me to remember this discourse and thank you very much. I truly enjoyed and learnt a quite a few things. I so wish I can speak to you in direct.

Warm regards,
Vani

Viswamitra · Apr 5, 2017

Dear Vani,

What a profound response and I enjoyed every word of what you said in your response! First of all, thank you very much for creating that table to be accessed like a user-manual. The scientists are now researching Gamma brain waves that gives the feeling of oneness when someone reaches the meditative state with highest level of compassion. The objective is to move from Beta brain waves to Gamma brain waves which gives high memory power, sensory perception to realize truth, loving kindness, right conduct, focus, bliss, calmness, peace, and many more.

Here are the helping audios that enable us to raise our Beta brain waves to Gamma brain waves in 20 minutes. Practicing this every early morning would make every day extraordinary. The first one is more intense than the second one. The second one is very soothing giving the feeling of oneness with the universe.

Gamma Brainwaves: Facts and Benefits

Please don't feel you have moved away from the topic by talking about how to achieve Samadhi. I always have a feeling science and ancient wisdom converge a lot. Training the mind to have inner vision is the key to changing our perception of the world. The world we see is not real and it is the perception of our own mind by changing our perception, we can change the world.

Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba said in one of His discourses, "When one enters the kingdom of Truth, there will be two soldiers checking whether one had "Sama" and "Dhama" in life meaning "Control of mind" and "Control of senses". Samadhristi is widely talked about by most saints.

The five steps to Samadhi are considered as "Pratyahara" (withdrawal of mind), "Dharana" (concentration), "SamAdhAna" (contemplation), "Dhyana" (meditation) and "Samadhi" (superconscious). Most of the time, we struggle with the first step of withdrawal of mind which in my view is our rational and conscious mind. If we believe in reincarnation and we are sent here to experience our encryption, we have to make efforts to do Sadhana through building several disciplines and flawless character. The experiences manifest themselves for us to learn out of them and if we observe them carefully and learn, they create a deep impression in our subconscious mind eliminating encryption. We have to move above the conscious and rational mind to enter into the realm of subconscious and unconscious mind that has sublime qualities beyond our comprehension. We all have the spark to be one with the consciousness and our ability to unlearn our limitations help us gain momentum.

Our life has to be like a disciplined river with two banks of pleasure and pain. We should never indulge in either one of the banks and keep our course towards the ocean of love. We should become a person who experience life with no feeling of desires and attachments.

Lord Krishna advised Arjuna to become Stitha Prajna which is considered as a) acquiring Atma Gnana, b) achieve equanimity, c) conquer anger and fear and d) control the senses.

Viswa

girvani · Apr 6, 2017

Thank you Viswa uncle for the meditations. I will listen.
Warm regards
Vani

Gauri03 · Apr 6, 2017

Dear Viswa, I have read and reread your snippet, and I find myself ill-equipped to offer intelligent commentary on your thoroughly researched exposition on the mind and it's latent abilities. My knowledge of the metaphysical falls far short of your expertise in the field.

Viswamitra said: ↑

When we execute something passionately whether it is playing a game or drawing a painting or making a jewel or carrying out research, some of us will get into a zone and our concentration increases manifold bringing very high quality to our work that could be considered as best practice. [...]
Meditation controls the perception and reveals the limitless potential of subconscious and unconscious mind.
Click to expand...

I agree wholeheartedly with the above. 'Getting into the zone' or flow state is a very rewarding experience. Operating at the peak of your abilities, with complete immersion into the task at hand, is the key to extreme productivity and optimum satisfaction in any endeavor. Meditation acts as a facilitator in bringing about the state of mind necessary to experience flow. I have meditated off and on for a while but have become a regular practitioner over the past few months. The day to day changes have been surprising to say the least. I doubt that I have unleashed the power of my subconscious but there is a palpable sense of calm energy throughout the day. If there is one thing everyone ought to do for themselves, it is to develop a habit of daily meditation. Thank you for the snippet!

jayasala42 · Apr 6, 2017

Dear Viswa,
Sorry for the second interruption.
Your snippet and the responses thereto have evoked so much of introspection.The word'tip of the ice berg'may initially remind us of the ship tragedy ,may kindle the imagination of many in so many ways.In Tamil we say'Entha putril entha paambu irukkumo,theriyaathu( Not known in which of the mole hills the snake lives'.

Two days back I read an article in Tamil written by a police official about the problems he was facing in dealing with the cases.Surprisingly though he used the term'Tip of the iceberg 'on many occasions in his essay.
The essence of the essay is as under:-

It is the fear of falling of many skeletons out of the cupboards in the government offices. Whenever a scam or a scandal or a case of trafficking is unearthed the press never fail to add the phrase 'It is just the tip of the ice berg' and that that more skeletons are expected to tumble out of the cupboards.
It is an imaginary cupboard which is supposed to provide more and more cases to the investigating teams.
But unlike the iceberg the skeleton cupboards are deceptive. Normally only 10% of the iceberg is visible and the 90% is hidden. But in the case of a skeleton cupboard it may be full
or half full or may turn out to be empty.
In the case of iceberg it is a potential threat to anyone who doesn't know of it's true size.
But when skeletons tumble out of a cupboard it is a panic to some who hid the skeletons and victory to some who unearthed and joy to reporters and satisfaction to the readers.
We have come across many skeletons tumbling out of many cupboards, but nothing happens ultimately as some resign their posts, some get arrested and get bail and nothing happens further. That is all for the skeletons in the cupboards.

Recently there was a news in the press that the police found out about a dozen real skeletons and skulls from a canal in Haryana. Latest update was that the cops sent them for verification of their sex.
The iceberg reminds lesser intellectuals like me of the bhakshanam, the philosophers about the sub conscious mind, the CIDand CBI officials of the real and imaginary skeletons and fake documents and the voracious readers about the depth of knowledge they are thirsty of.
what we have learnt is like handful of dust and those unlearnt may be equal to the world'.
You have shown the tip of the iceberg.People have started digging deep.
Jayasala 42