The Constitution of Man and the Regulation of His Existence
What is Matter? and What is Spirit? If materialism is about the influence of material wealth, I would like to use the Power/Force/Energy called Money to talk about Life and Death. The Laws of Conservation are applicable to both the living, and the non-living matter. Hence, it can be stated that “Life can neither be created nor destroyed.” If any person can refute my claim using valid, scientific information, I would give the person a US $1,000 bill as a reward
What it is to be a Substance? and What it is to Exist? We need to establish knowledge about the man on a firm basis and the information it provides must be tested for its accuracy and consistency with an external reality. We have to make the fundamental distinction between the living and the non-living matter. The scientific advances of the 19th and 20th centuries reinforced the materialistic position concerning the basic similarity of organic living and inorganic physical matter. Man is viewed as a product of natural evolution and is thought to be subject to the same laws of Physics and Chemistry or mechanistic principles.
We need a methodology to study philosophy and to understand philosophical statements. Logical Positivism, also known as Scientific Empiricism aims to clarify concepts in both everyday and scientific language. It describes analysis of language as the function of philosophy. This analysis of language and of concepts is important to understand questions of belief and ideology which affect what we think we ought to do individually and socially.
I use this method of ‘Applied Philosophy’ to analyze the philosophical doctrine of Transcendental Idealism and to study the views and philosophy of Immanuel Kant and his efforts to interpret the World of Experience.
The Material Basis of Spirituality Science. The Constitutive and the Regulative Principles of Human Existence. Immanuel Kant explained the difference between the constitutive and the regulative concepts.
Definition: The fundamental rules and categories that build and make human experience possible.
Function: They determine what objects of knowledge are and how reality appears to us.
Example: Space, time, and causality act as constitutive frameworks. Without them, human perception has no shape or coherence.
Regulative Principles
Definition: The overarching ideals and maxims that direct human reason toward ultimate systematic unity.
Function:They do not create or prove new objects, but they guide how we organize our knowledge, morals, and actions.
Example: The ideas of complete universal harmony, ultimate purpose, or concepts like freedom and morality serve as horizons that urge science and ethics forward.
Man has the Subjective and the Objective experience of the reality called Existence. The man has to account for this experience using the Faculty of Understanding, and the Faculty of Reasoning.
Tat Asmi Prabhu – Fifth Mahavakya – Animate vs Inanimate Dualism. The separation of Man into perishable body and imperishable soul is flawed. It is correct to say Man (“Tat”Body and Soul) is united with Lord God or ‘Prabhu’.
I recognize ‘Tat Asmi Prabhu’, a statement made by Indian thinker Shankara as the ‘Fifth Mahavakya’ or the Fifth Great Aphorism, a short, concise statement of Principle expressing a general truth about Man’s Essence and Man’s Existence. The word ‘Tat’ refers to Man’s Essence that constitutes Man’s Identity in the physical world. The word ‘Asmi’ refers to unity, harmony, agreement, concord, or arrangement of parts that will produce a singular effect that establishes oneness of that which is made up of distinct elements. The word Prabhu refers to Lord God Creator as the Supreme Being or the Supreme Power. To arrive at a complete understanding of Man and the Reality of Human Existence, it is important to make the distinction between the Constitutive and the Regulative Principles of Existence. To describe the Constitutive and the Regulative dimensions of the Human Existence as a subject matter of Natural Science, I would begin with my tribute to Immanuel Kant who explained the difference between constitutive and regulative concepts.
The Constitutive and the Regulative Principles of Kant’s Philosophy
The Material Basis of Spirituality Science. The Constitutive and the Regulative Principles of Human Existence. The Constitutive and the Regulative Principles of Kant’s philosophy. The distinction between the Faculty of Reason and the Faculty of Knowing or Understanding.
The term ‘Constitute’ refers to having power to establish, appoint, or enact to make a thing what it is. It includes substances and their causal connections that may account for the appearance of a thing. The term ‘Regulate’ means to rule, to adjust to a particular standard, to adjust so as to make operate accurately, to make methodical, orderly, a rule or law by which conduct is regulated. The term ‘Regulatory’ means ordered, prescribed, a person or thing that regulates, a mechanism for controlling or governing movement of parts of an integrated System. The constitutive concepts and principles, and the regulative concepts and principles are central to Kant’s philosophy. In the Critique of Pure Reason this distinction marks the division between the Faculty of Reason and the Faculty of Understanding.
The principles that objectively state what is present in the object itself, that is, what is the constitution of its physical appearance, is Constitutive Principle. Such principles of pure understanding describe the standard and necessary constituents of the world of appearance. The constitutive principles are contrasted with the Regulative Principles, which are rules to show how experience may be organized or regulated without making a reference to the constitution of the object. The regulative principles play no part in determining the objective character of the world of appearance. They are maxims, neither provable nor disprovable and are not to be understood as true or false. They serve to guide our inquiry within experience and lead us to transcend the limits of reason from the conditioned to the unconditioned. Kant recommends that we must observe the distinction between these two kinds of principles.
The faculty of understanding is constitutive of the possibility of experience. All experience must conform to the concepts and principles of the understanding, which are realized or instantiated in experience: experience contains substances, causal connections and so on. The faculty of reason, by contrast, is merely regulative in relation to experience. Although reason plays an indispensable role in experience, the concepts used in the reasoning process, such as the idea of God, or the idea of world as a complete totality, cannot be realized or instantiated in experience at all. Nevertheless, ideas of reason still function legitimately to guide empirical inquiry of objects that can be given experience.
The Constitutive and the Regulative Principles of Human Existence
The Material Basis of Spirituality Science. The Constitutive and the Regulative Principles of Human Existence. Man is the Object of Experience. Mass is the Constitutive Principle. Gravity is the Regulative Principle. Man may or may not acknowledge Operation of the Regulative Force or Power that gives him the experience of his body Mass.
Man is the Subject and is the Object of his experience called Human Existence. Such experience requires operation of two principles; 1. Mass or Matter that constitutes what is present in the Object itself without which there can be no understanding, and 2. Gravitation Force or Power that regulates the Subject’s experience of the Object’s Mass or Matter. The experience of human existence will be incomplete without the operation of the Regulative Principle or Power. The Regulative Concept and Principle helps in complete understanding of the constitution and connection of the Subject with the Object of experience. Man knows that he exists for he has the experience of his own body weight. Gravitation is a Regulative Force or Power that organizes or regulates Man’s experience without reference to the constitution of the Object. All things that have Mass experience the same Regulative Force or Power but the Regulative Principles play no part in determining the objective character of the world of appearance. Man has the Subjective experience of the Objective reality of his body Mass for he is constituted of a principle that has awareness or consciousness of such a Subjective experience. Gravitation does not determine the constitution of a man or a man’s ability called understanding.
The Material Basis of Spirituality Science. The Constitutive and the Regulative Principles of Human Existence. Weight is the Experience. Mass is the Constitutive Principle that defines Man’s appearance. Gravitational Force is the Regulative Principle that regulates Man’s Experience of Body Weight. The Faculty of Reasoning is important for complete understanding of Experience of Body Weight.
For experience of Body Weight, body mass is the Constitutive Principle that determines Man’s physical appearance in the world. But, this experience of body weight is not the same at all locations in the universe. Gravitational Force is the Regulative Principle that regulates or governs Man’s experience of his body mass or weight. The faculty of Reasoning is more concerned with Regulative Concepts and Principles and it is important for it provides the complete understanding of experience of Body Weight.
The Material Basis of Spirituality Science. The Constitutive and the Regulative Principles of Human Existence. THE MAN HAS EXPERIENCE OF BODY WEIGHT FOR HE THINKS HE IS A STATIONARY OBJECT. EVERY POINT ON THE SURFACE OF EARTH PARTAKES IN THE MOTIONS OF EARTH.
Man has experience of Body Weight for he thinks he is a stationary object. In realty, every point on the surface of Earth partakes in the motions of Earth. Man exists on the surface of a fast, spinning object. If Man has direct, sensory experience of the speed of Earth, Man will not have the opportunity to have the sensory experience of his Body Weight. The Regulative Concept and Principle is of fundamental value in understanding of the constitution of Man as a living object with sensory experiences. In its regulative use, reason guides our work in striving for knowledge, helping us to correct errors and arrive at more comprehensive insights.
There are several Regulative Principles that govern Man’s existence as a mortal Physical Being. Man exists in world without the ability to rule, govern, or regulate the living functions performed by the individual, living cells of his own body. It is not easy to prove the operation of such Regulative Principles using the method of experimental verification. The problem is that of constructing or constituting Man using, assembling, and putting together the building blocks of human existence. But, using the Faculty of Reasoning, Man can declare that the things in World must be considered as if they derive their existence from a higher Source of Knowledge called God or ‘Prabhu’. It does not mean that the Faculty of Reasoning can define God as an Object and give a description of what constitutes the thing called God. However, the Faculty of Reasoning as it is related to the Regulative Concepts and Principles will provide guidance to understand Man’s constitution and connection with all the objects of his experience. The Faculty of Reasoning will guide Man to use ‘Devotion’ as a method of Scientific Inquiry for he cannot construct his own existence.
I recognize ‘Tat Asmi Prabhu’, a statement made by Indian thinker Shankara as the ‘Fifth Mahavakya’ or the Fifth Great Aphorism, a short, concise statement of Principle expressing a general truth about Man’s Essence and Man’s Existence. The word ‘Tat’ refers to Man’s Essence that constitutes Man’s Identity in the physical world. The word ‘Asmi’ refers to unity, harmony, agreement, concord, or arrangement of parts that will produce a singular effect that establishes oneness of that which is made up of distinct elements. The word Prabhu refers to Lord God Creator as the Supreme Being or the Supreme Power.
Dr. Rudranarasimham, Rebbapragada, B.Sc., M.B.B.S.,
Father’s Name: R. Suryanarayana Murty
Sri Venkateswara University, M.B.B.S. Class of April, 1970
Andhra Pradesh Medical Council Medical Registration Number: AMC5282; Date of Registration: September 16, 1971
I recognize ‘Tat Asmi Prabhu’, a statement made by Indian thinker Shankara as the ‘Fifth Mahavakya’ or the Fifth Great Aphorism, a short, concise statement of Principle expressing a general truth about Man’s Essence and Man’s Existence. The word ‘Tat’ refers to Man’s Essence that constitutes Man’s Identity in the physical world. The word ‘Asmi’ refers to unity, harmony, agreement, concord, or arrangement of parts that will produce a singular effect that establishes oneness of that which is made up of distinct elements. The word Prabhu refers to Lord God Creator as the Supreme Being or the Supreme Power.I recognize ‘Tat Asmi Prabhu’, a statement made by Indian thinker Shankara as the ‘Fifth Mahavakya’ or the Fifth Great Aphorism, a short, concise statement of Principle expressing a general truth about Man’s Essence and Man’s Existence. The word ‘Tat’ refers to Man’s Essence that constitutes Man’s Identity in the physical world. The word ‘Asmi’ refers to unity, harmony, agreement, concord, or arrangement of parts that will produce a singular effect that establishes oneness of that which is made up of distinct elements. The word Prabhu refers to Lord God Creator as the Supreme Being or the Supreme Power.I recognize ‘Tat Asmi Prabhu’, a statement made by Indian thinker Shankara as the ‘Fifth Mahavakya’ or the Fifth Great Aphorism, a short, concise statement of Principle expressing a general truth about Man’s Essence and Man’s Existence. The word ‘Tat’ refers to Man’s Essence that constitutes Man’s Identity in the physical world. The word ‘Asmi’ refers to unity, harmony, agreement, concord, or arrangement of parts that will produce a singular effect that establishes oneness of that which is made up of distinct elements. The word Prabhu refers to Lord God Creator as the Supreme Being or the Supreme Power.I recognize ‘Tat Asmi Prabhu’, a statement made by Indian thinker Shankara as the ‘Fifth Mahavakya’ or the Fifth Great Aphorism, a short, concise statement of Principle expressing a general truth about Man’s Essence and Man’s Existence. The word ‘Tat’ refers to Man’s Essence that constitutes Man’s Identity in the physical world. The word ‘Asmi’ refers to unity, harmony, agreement, concord, or arrangement of parts that will produce a singular effect that establishes oneness of that which is made up of distinct elements. The word Prabhu refers to Lord God Creator as the Supreme Being or the Supreme Power.I recognize ‘Tat Asmi Prabhu’, a statement made by Indian thinker Shankara as the ‘Fifth Mahavakya’ or the Fifth Great Aphorism, a short, concise statement of Principle expressing a general truth about Man’s Essence and Man’s Existence. The word ‘Tat’ refers to Man’s Essence that constitutes Man’s Identity in the physical world. The word ‘Asmi’ refers to unity, harmony, agreement, concord, or arrangement of parts that will produce a singular effect that establishes oneness of that which is made up of distinct elements. The word Prabhu refers to Lord God Creator as the Supreme Being or the Supreme Power.Whole Foods-Whole Inspiration-Whole LanguageWhole Foods Arrives in Ann Arbor, September 1993Whole Self-Whole Knowing: Whole Foods opened its Store in Ann Arbor on September 16, 1993. Whole Foods, Whole People and Whole Planet inspire Whole Dude to invent Whole Phrases: Whole Linguistics – Whole Language. The concept of Whole Cookie and Whole Love. Whole Dude uses the phrase Whole Linguistics to describe three entities; 1. Language User, 2. Language Interpreter and 3. Language Creator. Image Credit: Agenda Publications, Ann Arbor District Library, Issue Dates, September 1993, December 1997 and February 1998.
Adhyatma Vidya. The Knowledge of the Spiritual Self. The Great Banyan Tree of Kolkata has lived for over 250 years. This tropical fig tree known as Ficus benghalensis is native to India; ‘adventitious’ roots that grow from its branches go downwards and take root to form new trunks over a relatively wide area. In the Sanskrit language, the Sacred Fig or Ficus religiosa is known as ‘ASVATTHA’. In my opinion, Hindu Scriptures refer to Banyan tree as ‘ASVATTHA’. It is cherished for its everlasting or imperishable nature. If the tree is living, we need to know the nature of its substance that keeps it living.Adhyatma Vidya. The Knowledge of the Spiritual Self. The Banyan Tree offers an unusual appearance. It has roots that appear growing from its branches and the roots are located up in the air and away from the ground; it has trunks and branches growing downwards apart from the normal branches that grow upwards and outwards. Because of its adventitious roots, Banyan Tree spreads to cover a wide area and lives for a long time. Knowing and understanding this Asvattha Tree is important to gain the Knowledge of Vedas, the Hindu Scriptures that reveal the Knowledge of the Spiritual Self or Adhyatma Vidya.
The Knowledge of the Banyan Tree:
The Hindu Scripture, The Bhagavad Gita, Chapter XV known as Purusottama Yoga speaks about the nature of the Supreme Person. It metaphorically compares the Supreme Being to the popularly known Fig Tree or Asvattha.
Adhyatma Vidya. The Knowledge of the Spiritual Self. Ficus religiosa or the Bodhi Tree is often worshipped in India. The tree is also described as “Sthaanuu” which means immovable.
I ask readers to visualize the Banyan tree called Ficus benghalensis rather than the holy tree called Ficus religiosa, or the Bodhi tree under which Lord Gautama Buddha experienced Enlightenment.
Adhyatma Vidya. The Knowledge of Spiritual Self. The Knowledge of Banyan Tree.
The first verse reads as follows: Sri Bhagavan Uvacha: “Urdhva-Mulam adhah-sakham Asvattham prahur avyayam, Chandamsi yasya parnani yas tam Veda sa Veda-vit.”The Supreme Lord Krishna said: There is a (Banyan) Asvattha Tree which has its roots upward and its branches down and metaphorically it is imperishable, and the Vedic hymns are its leaves. One who knows this Tree is the Knower of the Vedas (the person attains the Knowledge of the Ultimate Reality or the Supreme being).
When we know the Banyan Tree and its apparent imperishable quality, we may understand the true nature of man. The man is a spiritual being. The truth or falsity of this proposition depends on the fact of man’s having a substance that is of spiritual nature. Such a substance of spiritual kind is perceptible to the senses, is amenable to direct observation, and could be subject to verification by experimental science. To establish the fact of man’s spiritual nature, it needs reasoning based on scientific validity.
The structure and the behavior of things contribute to their individual being and function. If man has a set of defining features based on his structure (Human Anatomy), function (Human Physiology), and behavior (Human Behavioral Science), the spiritual nature of man gets proved on theoretical and practical reasoning and also be verified by scientific experiments. I am not seeking to discover a soul or spirit that could have an existence independent of man’s physical being. However, it will be important to note that it is not possible to conceive of a soul or spirit if it is never associated with its human body. My purpose is that of describing the spiritual nature of the human organism and of other living beings. To understand the true nature of human being, we need to ascertain the validity of Knowledge that pertains to the Spiritual Self.
Man is a Mortal Being:
Man is a mortal being who must eventually die. When Lazarus died and was laid in a tomb for four days, Jesus performed a miracle and Lazarus came back to life from death. The Book of John, Chapter 11, narrates this event. In verses 41 and 42, Jesus said,”Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. And I know that You always hear Me, but I said this for the benefit of the people who are standing here, that they may believe that You sent Me.” The risen Lazarus had eventually died.
The man’s greatest need is not only to know the world around him but also to know himself better. The man must understand what it is to be a substance and what it is to exist. The man is a physical being or thing with matter and form. The corporeal body of man is composite of two principles; matter, and form. What is called matter is a potentiality, and what is called form is the actuality. The corporeal substance or matter called protoplasm becomes an actuality and is recognized as a living person because of the uniqueness of its genome that operates its living functions and defines its size, shape, color, and external form or morphological appearance. However, life comes into existence only when matter or substance has the ability to acquire energy from its external environment. The human being comes to life when his corporeal substance uses its ability and power called Nutrition to acquire energy and matter from its environment.
Life begins with fertilization, the union of sperm with an egg cell, and this event called conception proceeds to develop a human being after an important event called implantation. The life journey after conception continues if there is a connection between the energy seeking embryo and its maternal energy provider. To exist means that the living entity is maintaining a relationship, a partnership, a connection, or association with its source of energy.
The man leads energy-dependent existence deriving energy and matter from nature which supports other living forms with a similar corporeal substance called protoplasm. The mortality of man must be understood as the dissolution of man’s physical form. The dissolution of a living man into non-living molecules and chemical elements would not alter the potentiality of protoplasm to acquire energy and matter to create its own substance.
Things in Nature change with Time, but what is called Human Nature remains unchanged even under the influence of Time. As per the Laws of Conservation of Mass and Energy, as described in classical Physics, mass or energy remain constant. The potentiality of living substance to acquire energy and matter to form its own kind of substance has remained unchanged or unaffected by major natural calamities and other cataclysmic events. Life forms perish and yet life continues as new life forms. During the billions of years of existence, planet Earth has experienced several minor, and major extinction events described in its geologic history.
The Science of Paleontology offers information to support a hypothesis based on theoretical and empirical evidence to propose that the substance called protoplasm is eternal, immutable, and indestructible as the Chemical Elements that constitute protoplasm have those defining attributes such as immutability and imperishability. At a fundamental level, it could be stated that the man is a mortal, physical being who derives his physical form because of its association with an imperishable substance. During any stage of its existence, the form called man cannot be separated from the eternal, immortal, and imperishable nature of its chemical elements.
Adhyatma Vidya. The Knowledge of the Spiritual Self. California State Tree known as Redwood includes Sequoia sempervirens and the Giant Sequoia is known as Sequoia gigantea. The Redwoods are the most massive trees in the world and could attain a trunk diameter as large as 30 feet. They also include the tallest trees in the world averaging about 300 feet high. They include the oldest known living trees and may reach ages of over 3,000 years. What is that corporeal substance that is living apparently in an imperishable manner?Adhyatma Vidya. The Knowledge of the Spiritual Self.Sequoia sempervirens. The man has officially designated this tree as the State Tree of California State. What is the connection between man and plants or trees? What is the corporeal substance shared or common to all living entities?Adhyatma Vidya. The Knowledge of the Spiritual Self. Sequoia gigantea is a massive tree. A living thing has a form and has matter. We often recognize the form and give it a name. What about the “MATTER” that constitutes the substance of this living thing? We need to understand the ‘potentiality’ of the Matter to know the nature of the Form. The Form has no independent existence of its own. The Form lives if and only if it has Matter that is living.
What is Soul or Spirit?
The Book of Genesis, Chapter 1, verse 27:”So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”
Traditionally, man has been divided into two parts; Body, and Soul. In common usage, the term Soul represents the immaterial aspect of a human being. Soul is further defined as that part of the individual which is considered to survive the death of the body. The term Spirit is often used to describe a disembodied soul. On separation from the human body, Soul or Spirit has a life of its own, a capacity for independent existence or self-subsistence which describes its immortality. I inform my readers to evaluate the possibility of immortality by understanding the immutable attributes of the Chemical Elements constituting the Living Matter.
The conceptions of Soul:
The Conceptions of Soul: The idea or concept of Fullness opposes the concept of Nothingness and suggests the presence of a measurable quantity, the Material Basis of Spirituality.
There are a variety of conceptions about Soul or Spirit. Some of the traditional conceptions of Soul are the following:
1. Soul is an “immaterial” substance, form, or principle of self-motion, vitality, life force, or life in living things. The insentient Body is completely distinct from the sentient Soul.
2. Soul describes the Doctrine of Self and is considered to be synonymous with True-Self. In a human being, Soul confers the Individuality and its Human Nature.
3. Soul is often described as a thinking substance and is often equated with Mind. Soul has knowledge of itself by reflecting on its own acts. Soul is the Knower and it knows the physical, and mental acts of the human body where it resides.
4. Soul is important to maintain and to preserve life. Soul may not directly participate in the activities of the human body. However, the activities of the human body may have a polluting effect on Soul. If Soul is tainted or contaminated by sinful acts of the body, Soul may obtain purification by its release from the body. Some form of human effort, activity, attitude, and behavior is essential to keep Soul in its natural, pure, and perfect condition.
5. Soul that has experienced the polluting effects by its association with a human body would be forced to experience perpetual reincarnation by a process called transmigration or rebirth. Soul continues to reside as a prisoner in different bodies until such time it attains its original state or condition of purity and perfection.
6. Soul is a transcendental or noumenal object that is real but not visible and could not be detected by human sensory perception. The human body that is visible is, in fact, unreal or is a product of sensory illusion.
7. The Concept of Soul relates to the experience of Perfect, Full, and Complete Well-being. Spirituality is essentially about the experience of Peace, Bliss, Joy and Equilibrium in the Living Condition.
I ask my readers to attach a simple meaning to terms such as Soul or Spirit. It would be sufficient to describe Soul or Spirit as the vital, animating principle found in all living things.
The relationship between Soul and Human Body:
The Concept of Soul relates to the experience of Perfect, Full, and Complete Well-being. Spirituality is essentially about the experience of Peace, Bliss, Joy and Equilibrium in the Living Condition.
Most religions and cultures speak about Soul and describe it as some incorporeal or immaterial substance/principle of human life that is distinct from the body. Despite the frequent acceptance of the existence of a Soul, different religions and philosophers have developed a variety of theories as to the nature of the Soul and its relationship to the human body. There are divergent views about the origin of Soul, when and how it gets implanted into the human body, and its mortality or when and if the Soul dies. I like to share the view that is attributed to Lord Krishna, the avatar or reincarnation of Hindu God Lord Vishnu.
Adhyatma Vidya – The Bhagavad Gita:
SPIRITUALITY SCIENCE – THE KNOWER – THE KNOWING-SELF: USING THIS STATEMENT, I WANT TO DESCRIBE MAN, SELF, SOUL, SPIRIT, OR ATMAN AS RESIDING IN THE RETICULAR FORMATION OF BRAIN STEM.
The word ‘Vidya’ relates to acquired knowledge or learned experience derived from studies or from instructions given by a teacher. The term ‘Adhyatma’ pertains to the Individual Soul, Atma, or Atman which describes the Spiritual-Self. The phrase ‘Adhyatma Vidya’ describes Knowledge of Spiritual-Self.
The legendary Indian Sage Veda Vyasa known as Krishna Dvaipayana was the author of the epic poem ‘The Mahabharata’ (Great Epic of the Bharata Dynasty). Veda Vyasa is recognized as the compiler of ancient Hindu texts known as the Vedas. The Book VI of Mahabharata narrates Lord Krishna’s conversation with Prince Arjuna while the warring parties of Pandavas and Kauravas had assembled at the battlefield of Kurukshetra. Lord Krishna reveals His views about Soul, the human body and their relationship in “The Song of the Lord” known as ‘The Bhagavad Gita’. These poems of The Bhagavad Gita give a synopsis of the religious thought and experience of Indians through the ages.
Spirituality Science. The Knowledge of Spiritual Self. Adhyatma Vidya. Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 10, text 39.
Chapter X of The Bhagavad Gita is titled ‘Vibhuti-Vistara Yoga’ and it describes the Divine or Transcendental Attributes of the Supreme Lord. In verse 39, the Lord claims, “I am the generating seed of all existences. There is no being, moving or unmoving (“Chara-acharam”) that can exist without Me.
Adhyatma Vidya. The Knowledge of the Spiritual Self.
In verse 32, the Lord proclaims, “….of all the branches of Learning and Knowledge, I am the Knowledge of the Spiritual-Self (Adhyatma Vidya).
Adhyatma Vidya. The Knowledge of the Spiritual Self. In all living beings, I am consciousness.
In verse 22, the Lord describes the nature of His connection with the living beings that He has generated, “…. and in living beings, I am Consciousness (“Bhutanam Asmi Chetana”).” He also clarifies that Consciousness or Chetana as a different characteristic and separates it from the mind, intellect, and organs of sense perception. The mind is traditionally viewed as the major organ of sense perception, the seat of thoughts, intellect, emotions, feelings, and self-ego. Consciousness or Chetana is associated with the characteristics of a living being.
BHARAT DARSHAN – BHAGVAN VED VYAS – AUTHOR OF GEETOPANISHAD. BODY-MIND-SOUL ARE CONNECTED TO EACH OTHER, WITH SOUL HAVING A CENTRAL CONTROLLING POWER OVER SOME ASPECTS OF FUNCTIONS OF OTHER PARTS OR UNITS TO PROMOTE UNITY AND HARMONY.
The Lord also cites The Vedanta Sutra to make the distinction between Body, Soul, and the Supersoul. The Vedanta, the insights from Vedic Scriptures describe three manifestations of the Supreme Lord’s Energy. These are 1. Annamoya or dependence upon Food for existence, 2. Pranamoya or the manifestation of the living symptoms and life forms, and 3. Jnanamoya or the Knowledge of the distinction between Body, the field of activity and the Knower who resides in the Body.
If a living being needs food for its existence and performs its living functions in a state or condition called awareness or consciousness, it could be described as the manifestation of the Supreme Lord’s Energy.
Adhyatma Vidya. The Knowledge of the Spiritual Self. I am ‘Life’ or “Jivanam” in all Living Entities.
In Chapter VII titled ‘Paramahamsa Vijnana Yoga’ or Knowledge of the Ultimate Truth, in verse 9 Lord Krishna claims: “I am the Life (“Jivanam”) of all that lives.” He demonstrates a connection between Life and Consciousness to describe the Spiritual nature of Self.
Adhyatma Vidya. The Knowledge of the Spiritual Self: Existence Precedes Essence.
The Chapter XIII of The Bhagavad Gita titled ‘Kshetra – Kshetrajna Vibhaga Yoga’ deals with the dichotomy or distinction between the material body, immortal soul, and the Supersoul. It states the view that the material body is called the field of activity or Kshetra. One who knows this body, the field of activity is called the Knower of the Field or Kshetrajna. The Knower of the Field is the Owner of the body. The Supreme Lord is also the Knower of the field of activity in all bodies (verse 3).
The Blessed Lord said: This body, O Kaunteya is called Kshetra (the Field) and he who knows it is called Kshetrajna (the Knower-of-the-Field) by those who know them (Kshetra and Kshetrajna) i. e., by the sages.
In this human body, there is another indwelling Observer, a Sanctioner, a Preserver, an Enjoyer, and indeed ultimate Controller called ‘Paramatma’ or Supersoul. The Supreme Lord or Paramesvaram is residing equally in all living entities (verses 23, 27, and 28).
Adhyatma Vidya. The Knowledge of the Spiritual Self. Body, Soul, and the Supersoul.
The final Chapter XVIII of The Bhagavad Gita titled ‘Moksha-Upadesa Yoga’ comes to an interesting conclusion about the Single Reality that pervades all existence that is divided into innumerable forms. Verse 20 reads as follows:
Understand that Knowledge by which one undivided, imperishable (Avyayam) reality is seen within all diverse living entities is in the nature of goodness (Satvikam).
What is that undivided reality that is imperishable that connects all the diverse, living entities?
What is that undivided reality that is imperishable that connects all the diverse, living entities?
The Body-Soul Dichotomy:
In the Indian tradition, the Individual Soul is known as Atma or Atman. The Supreme Soul or the Supersoul is known as Paramatma, Paramesvaram, or Brahman, the Ultimate Truth, and the Reality. However, the concepts about Atma or Individual Soul vary and Hindus belong to different Schools of Thought. While the concepts about the Individual Soul are different, there is general agreement among various Indian thinkers and philosophers about the distinction between the material, insentient, and perishable human body and the immaterial, sentient, and imperishable or immortal Soul. The Soul is independent and is not attached and it still requires the substance of the corporeal body.
However, I am not able to draw that distinction between the Body and it’s embodied Soul as I am not able to make that separation from the substance and its function. To describe a function, I need the substance. Man lives and functions with consciousness because of the fundamental nature of the corporeal substance called protoplasm, and this substance is apparently imperishable, indestructible, and immortal. We could destroy the physical form of man and several other living forms, but man or nature and the influence of Time have not demonstrated an ability to destroy this living substance which has survived on planet Earth continuously over billions of years. Man cannot create life and man cannot destroy life. Man can only live or exist because of the spiritual nature of his corporeal substance with which he can not seek separation until the time of dissolution of his physical form after an event called death. After physical decomposition, the chemical elements get eventually taken up by other living things. The substance has a life of its own and continues to create the new substance of its own kind and becomes visible as a living life form with a different identity or morphological appearance.
Man is a Created Being:
Adhyatma Vidya. Knowledge of the Spiritual Self. Man is a created being. Spirituality explores the connection between man and his Creator. The Trimurti at Elephanta Island Cave Temples near Mumbai, India represents God as the Creator (Brahma), the Preserver (Vishnu) and the Destroyer (Shiva).
The status of man in nature describes the man as a created object; a new object, one of its own kind, distinctive, and unique which cannot be duplicated by using any known reproductive technology such as cloning. Genetically identical twins can still be separated as Individuals with Individuality.
The Eternal Reality of Soul’s Immortality:
Adhyatma Vidya. The Knowledge of the Spiritual Self. Ajanta Caves near Aurangabad, Maharashtra State, India, Fresco-type wall paintings. Man’s spiritual dimension describes man’s humanity, moral nature, individuality, and Consciousness.
Religious thinkers have further defined Soul as that part of the individual which partakes of divinity. People of all races, cultures, and religions would like to investigate the nature of this God-Connection as they perceive the world and the universe in which they exist as a fact of Creation. I have not discovered evidence that would fundamentally deny the fact of Creation.
Man is a Social Being:
French philosopher Auguste Comte (1798-1857) coined the term Sociology. He believed that the scientific study of social organization would make possible a reconstitution of the social order based on principles of moral progress.
Apart from being a created Physical Being, the man is recognized as a Social Being as he displays social instincts and social behaviors in all of his activities. A rudimentary understanding of Sociology or Theories of Social Science would clarify this matter. Social instincts and Social Behaviors are seen in all animals including bacteria.
At a cellular level, the social function is called ‘Association’. Man is an association of trillions of cells. Each human organ and organ system represents an association of cells that display functional subordination to perform selective tasks. Life is just impossible without social structure and organization.
Matter, Energy, and Knowledge:
The Greek philosopher Aristotle observes that corporeal substances are composite of two principles, Form and Matter. What is called Matter is a Potentiality, what is called Form is an Actuality. The totality of things has been divided in various ways. The three fundamental distinctions are 1. the distinction between the Natural and the Supernatural, 2. the distinction between the Material and the Spiritual, and 3. the distinction between the Lifeless and the Living. When we make the distinction animate/inanimate, living/non-living, and inorganic/organic, a question arises about the nature of that distinction. The difference, is that one of kind or degree? The Mechanistic View claims the continuity of nature in terms of the universality of purely mechanical principles.
SPIRITUALITY SCIENCE – THE ART OF KNOWING: HOW DO PLANTS KNOW WHAT THEY KNOW??? PLANTS KNOW ABOUT LIGHT, THE LENGTH OF DAY, AND THE DURATION OF DARKNESS CALLED NIGHT. THERE IS NO “INTELLECT” INVOLVED IN THIS PROCESS OF KNOWING. THE ABILITY OF KNOWING LIGHT OR PHOTORECEPTION IS EXPLAINED BY PHOTOCHEMISTRY.
I define Life as the organization of matter with implanted Supernatural Knowledge. The establishment of Supernatural Knowledge in matter describes the operation of ‘God Principle’, Spirit, or Soul. Life comes into existence when Matter and Energy come together with the establishment of ‘God Connection’. Sun, the primary source of Energy for the manifestation of Life on Earth belongs to the Supernatural Realm or Domain and the Knowledge to perform living functions like Photo-reception and Photosynthesis involve Supernatural Knowledge and cannot be Acquired using the Learning Process.
Life and Consciousness:
Amoeba proteus, the unicellular, protozoan organism is conscious or aware of its own state of existence. It has the abilities of Motion, Nutrition, and Reproduction. All of its living functions are goal-oriented. It responds to its environment and survives adverse environmental conditions by a process called encystment.
The basic characteristic of a Living Cell or organism is the presence of consciousness. I recognize a cell as a Living Cell if it displays functions that characterize the presence of awareness or consciousness. The Living Cell or Living Thing need not be aware or conscious of the Subject who may be investigating or observing the properties of that Object. The Living Object needs to be aware of its own existence and its condition called Living. Atoms and molecules display their properties and interact according to the Laws of Physics and Chemistry. Living organic molecules show individualistic behaviors under experimental conditions that could be repeated and be verified. The Living Cell is very selective and it responds in a variable manner to physical and chemical stimuli. It can communicate or send signals to other Living Cells present in its environment. It responds according to its internal condition in relation to the environment in which it exists. The interactions of non-living physical matter are not goal-oriented. The interactions of Living matter are goal-oriented and they specifically achieve the purpose of sustaining, preserving, defending, and continuing its own living condition or existence.
Life and Death is a continuous process:
When does Life begins? When does Life end? Life always comes into a state of existence from a previously existing Living Cell. Life and Death is a continuous process and is recognized by the presence of Consciousness and Individuality.
When does Life begins? When does Life end? Every Living Cell is derived from a previously existing Living Cell. Life has not experienced the final event called Death. Life continues its act of Living through a function called Reproduction. A given species is considered to be totally extinct only if there is no surviving member to represent that particular species. In spite of numerous major and minor extinction events, Life exists on planet Earth as if Life is imperishable. The phenomena of Life and Death always involve a social group of interacting living things.
The Soul and God Connection:
All types of Living Cells with or without nucleus represent thermodynamically unstable systems. Without a continuous input of energy, a Living Cell will degrade spontaneously into a nonliving collection of molecules. Biological existence is possible because of an association or connection, or partnership between energy seeker and energy provider.
There has been no clearly defined and universally accepted metaphysical conception of the term Soul. It is a term often used without a precise definition in philosophy, religion, or routine conversation. In this discussion, I face the problem of using words to which no definitive meaning is attached. If I make an attempt to define the word ‘God’, my readers may even speculate that I may belong to a new religious order. We need to come to a consensus even if an entity called ‘God’ does not exist.
Life is a condition that describes Synchronized Existence, the synchronization of activities, the connection between energy dependent life functions and its Source of Power.
A majority of life forms have synchronized their state of existence with an event that produces alternating periods of light and darkness while that source of light is not being turned ‘on’ and ‘off’. Rather we are forced to experience the effects of an illusion. Sunrise and Sunset is the reality that governs a majority of Biological Rhythms that control the life processes. The illusion is the necessary condition for the biological existence of Life.
Who has established the connection between Autotrophs and Heterotrophs? The creative mechanism to trap Solar Energy describes implanted Knowledge to formulate the connection between autotrophs and heterotrophs.In mitochondria, many substances(food) are oxidized and ATP, the energy-storing chemical of the Cell is produced. The most important equations for living things are mutually inverse. Respiration of humans and Cellular Respiration represents the reverse of Photosynthesis.
Soul and Death:
The idea of ‘Soul’ always comes in the context of Death. If Man is immortal, we will not be spending our time and energy to verify the existence of an immortal principle.
Red Blood Cells display functional subordination to serve the purpose of the Whole Organism. Functional differentiation and Functional Unity are important to support the existence of the Subject or Individual who is, in reality, an association of trillions of cells.
In a multicellular organism, the consciousness works at the level of each individual cell to establish the functioning of the organism as an individual unit. Without functional unity, the organism cannot maintain its biological existence. Cell differentiation is the process by which the individual cells use adaptation to perform specific tasks. Red Blood Cells perform specific tasks to accomplish this Unity by serving the needs of the entire organism.
The neurobiological aspects of Consciousness:
Reticular Formation of Brain Stem has connections with almost all other parts of the Central Nervous System and it helps to coordinate and integrate actions of different parts of the CNS. It is important for Behavioral Arousal and the Capacity for Consciousness.
In the Human Brain Stem, several neurons, and nuclei which are in an area called Reticular Formation are functionally adapted to compose the contents of human consciousness. The Reticular Formation gives the Capacity for Consciousness. The selected contents of this Consciousness are read in the cortical areas of the cerebral hemispheres and get described as Cortical Awareness. For example, the information about circulation, respiration, and Acid-Base Balance is processed by the Brain Stem and compensatory mechanisms if needed are initiated without the need for cortical awareness.
Consciousness is awareness of existence, the facts that relate to the state or condition of existence. Behavioral Arousal and Cortical awareness of thoughts, feelings, and sensations is an important component of total Biological Existence.
Identity and Individuality:
The Eternal Reality of Soul’s Immortality is described in The Bhagavad Gita, Chapter II, verse 13. Lord Krishna spoke to the Pandava Prince Arjuna. The morphological Identity constantly changes under the influence of Time.
For each of us, our Individuality existed in the past and our Individuality will continue in the future without interruption. Certainly, never did I not exist, nor you, nor all these Kings and certainly never shall we cease to exist in the future.
The issue of Spirituality, the nature of Soul and Consciousness must be explored in the context of arriving at an understanding of man’s Identity and Individuality. If the man is viewed as an association of trillions of cells, we need to know the Identity of that Subject who lives because of the functions of the trillions of cells.
Dr. Rudranarasimham, Rebbapragada, B.Sc., M.B.B.S.,
Father’s Name: R. Suryanarayana Murty
Sri Venkateswara University, M.B.B.S. Class of April, 1970
Andhra Pradesh Medical Council Medical Registration Number: AMC5282; Date of Registration: September 16, 1971
Bhavana Jagat
Adhyatma Vidya – The Discovery of True or Real Self: The Knower – The Knowing-Self: The Man, the entire human organism is derived from a single, fertilized Egg Cell. How does this complex multicellular organism recognizes its own Identity?Whole Foods-Whole Inspiration-Whole LanguageWhole Foods Arrives in Ann Arbor, September 1993Whole Vidya-Whole Knowledge: Whole Foods opened its Store in Ann Arbor on September 16, 1993. Whole Foods, Whole People and Whole Planet inspire Whole Dude to invent Whole Phrases: Whole Linguistics – Whole Language. The concept of Whole Cookie and Whole Love. Whole Dude uses the phrase Whole Linguistics to describe three entities; 1. Language User, 2. Language Interpreter and 3. Language Creator. Image Credit: Agenda Publications, Ann Arbor District Library, Issue Dates, September 1993, December 1997 and February 1998.
The Real is Rational and the Rational Real. Theory of Man, the Rational Being.
In my ‘Theory of Man’, I describe Man as a Rational Being besides his six other dimensions, the mortal Physical Being, the Mental Being, the Social Being, the Moral Being, the Spiritual Being, and the Created Being.
The Real is Rational and the Rational Real. Theory of Man, the Rational Being.
In my analysis, Man, the Rational Being seeks the verification of the reality of his own Subjective and Objective existence by using a Theory of Truth that cannot be refuted.
Spirituality Science – The Hegelian Model of Dialectics:
The Real is Rational and the Rational Real. Theory of Man, the Rational Being. Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, German Philosopher.
Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (b. August. 27, 1770, d. November. 14, 1831), German Idealist Philosopher, author of Phenomenology of Spirit or Phenomenology of Mind (1807), Science of Logic (1812-16), and Encyclopedia of the Philosophical Sciences (1817) and other works and lectures. He developed theories of Ethics, Aesthetics, History, Politics, and Religion. He developed a Dialectical scheme that influenced the development of Existentialism, Marxism, Positivism, and Analytic Philosophy.
The Real is Rational and the Rational Real. Theory of Man, the Rational Being.
Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel influences most facets of modern philosophy. At the center of the universe, Hegel posits an enveloping absolute Spirit that guides all reality including human reason. His absolute ‘Idealism’ envisages a world-Soul, that develops from, and is known through, a process of change and progress termed as the Hegelian Dialectic. The doctrine of ‘Idealism’ makes the attempt to account for all objects in nature and experience as representations of the mind, and sometimes it assigns to such representations a higher order of existence. According to Hegel, the reality is Absolute Mind, Reason, or Spirit which manifests itself in both natural and human history. His famous dictum, “the real is rational and the rational real,” is an expression of the identity of reality and the rational process. Because the reality is rational, it acts in accordance with the laws of reasoning. Hegel suggests that understanding the nature of thought will lead to understanding the nature of reality as a whole. Dialectics is a form of logical argumentation that is applicable to diverse fields including thought, nature, and history. Hegel identifies dialectic as the tendency of a notion, or idea to pass over into its own negation as the result of conflict between its inherent contradictory aspects. He develops the concept that Mind or Spirit manifests itself in a set of contradictions and oppositions that it ultimately integrated and united without eliminating either pole or reducing one to the other. According to Hegelian principles, one concept or ‘thesis’ inevitably generates its opposite or ‘antithesis’; their conflict or interaction generates a new concept or ‘synthesis’ which in turn becomes the ‘thesis’ of a new triad. Hegel develops a dialectical scheme that emphasizes the progress of history and ideas from ‘thesis’ to ‘antithesis’ and then to a higher and richer ‘synthesis’. His main contribution is that of giving a clear view of reality; Reality can only be understood as a totality, “The Truth is the Whole”, and that the attempt to understand the apparently individual and unconnected phenomena of nature, history, and human life through separate categories of thought is utterly mistaken. I endorse his view and submit that Reality must be known as a Whole.
The Medical Doctrine of Dialectical Spiritualism:
The Ground Substance of Spiritualism and Spirituality. The vital characteristics, the animating principles of Protoplasm could be known by observing Amoeba proteus. The Living Substance works as an organ of Motion or Movement, as an organ of Nutrition, and as an organ of Reproduction to generate new cells which have a life span of their own. In these physiological functions, I describe the characteristics such as Cognition, Consciousness, Memory, and Intelligence which have a Spiritual role as they bring functional unity and harmony in the interactions between different parts of the same individual organism while it exists in an environment as a member of a biological community.
The Ground Substance of Spiritualism and Spirituality. The vital characteristics, the animating principles of Protoplasm could be known by observing Amoeba proteus. The Living Substance works as an organ of Motion or Movement, as an organ of Nutrition, and as an organ of Reproduction to generate new cells which have a life span of their own. In these physiological functions, I describe the characteristics such as Cognition, Consciousness, Memory, and Intelligence which have a Spiritual role as they bring functional unity and harmony in the interactions between different parts of the same individual organism while it exists in an environment as a member of a biological community.
Amoeba proteus and the understanding of Reality as a Whole or the ‘Whole Truth’.
To understand the reality of human life, we need to know and understand the Reality of a material substance that is common to all living organisms. This common substance called Protoplasm is found in all living cells including the cells of the human brain, an anatomical organ that is associated with thinking, and Mind the seat of thoughts. However, I ask my readers to know and understand Protoplasm, the substance in which thoughts are generated and reside. I give attention to the Spiritual Nature of this substance and divert attention from Mind and Brain.
Hegel in his book, Phenomenology of Mind or Phenomenology of Spirit traces the progression of consciousness from sense perception to Absolute Knowledge. In my view, Amoeba proteus is conscious and intelligent. I speak about Spirit or Soul in relation to a material substance called Protoplasm. I hesitate to equate Mind with Spirit as that would mislead people to think of consciousness and intelligence as the exclusive biological functions of an anatomical organ called brain. At the same time, it must be clearly understood that brain and mind perform their specialized functions using the same living matter or substance that is found inside Amoeba proteus. The fact that brain and mind perform very complex functions should not hide the fact of the true or real nature of Protoplasm. There is an inherent conflict in the nature of Protoplasm. It is inherently unstable; the living matter is thermodynamically unstable, and without a continuous supply of energy from an external source, it will dissolve into its constituent inorganic molecules and non-living Chemical Elements. This nature of energy dependence and the risk of its dissolution is the ‘thesis’ and it is opposed by its potency and potential to remain immutable, or unchanging, the ‘antithesis’.
When we know the Banyan Tree and its apparent imperishable quality, we may understand the true nature of man. The man is a spiritual being. The truth or falsity of this proposition depends on the fact of man’s having a substance that is of spiritual nature. Such a substance of spiritual kind is perceptible to the senses, is amenable to direct observation, and could be subject to verification by experimental science. To establish the fact of man’s spiritual nature, it needs reasoning based upon scientific validity.
Protoplasm is unstable and is stable at the same time. It has survived and has continuously lived on the surface of planet Earth for billions of years after having come into existence. We have an account of several major and minor extinction events and yet Protoplasm has remained and existed without any apparent change in its properties, characteristics, and functions. Protoplasm has demonstrated the potentiality called Imperishability, Indestructibility, Immortality and the ability of Eternal or Everlasting Life. The interaction or conflict between unstable (‘thesis’) and stable (‘antithesis’) nature of Protoplasm has generated a new ‘synthesis’ called Immortality or Everlasting Life. I call this higher state of existence as ‘Dialectical Spiritualism’. Man is a Physical, Mortal Being and his body substance or matter is perishable. Through the process of Dialectical Spiritualism, there will be a resolution to the conflict and interaction between the unstable and stable nature of Protoplasm which is a Spiritual substance.
The Great Banyan Tree of Kolkata has lived for over 250 years. This tropical fig tree known as Ficus benghalensis is native to India; ‘adventitious’ roots that grow from its branches go downwards and take root to form new trunks over a relatively wide area. In Sanskrit language, the Banyan tree is known as ‘ASVATTHA’ and is cherished for its everlasting or imperishable nature. If the tree is living, we need to know the nature of its substance that keeps it living.
Man progresses towards his goal of becoming a Complete or Whole Spiritual Being and his body substance will exist in its higher state of existence of Imperishability. The Medical Doctrine of Dialectical Spiritualism proposes the hypothesis of Man’s Immortality or Everlasting Life as a higher state of existence of a mortal or perishable substance that has the potentiality and progresses towards its natural goal of Imperishability and Indestructibility.
Amoeba proteus and The Cognitive Science of Spiritualism. To understand the human person as a Spiritual being, we need to know and understand the Spiritual nature of Living Matter or Living Substance and describe its Cognitive abilities.
I use Amoeba proteus as my model to study the Reality as Whole Truth. The reasoning process begins when the organism recognizes its own dependence on an external source of matter and energy to perform its living functions.
Sri Venkateswara University, M.B.B.S. Class of April, 1970
Andhra Pradesh Medical Council Medical Registration Number: AMC5282; Date of Registration: September 16, 1971
Whole Foods (the concept of Anna Purna), Whole People, and Whole Planet come together in a Wholesome Relationship as God is the Energy Provider, the Original Source of Matter and Energy for Life.
Whole Foods-Whole Inspiration-Whole LanguageWhole Foods Arrives in Ann Arbor, September 1993The Whole Connection: Whole Philosophy: Whole Foods opened its Store in Ann Arbor on September 16, 1993. Whole Foods, Whole People and Whole Planet inspire Whole Dude to invent Whole Phrases: Whole Linguistics – Whole Language. The concept of Whole Cookie and Whole Love. Whole Dude uses the phrase Whole Linguistics to describe three entities; 1. Language User, 2. Language Interpreter and 3. Language Creator. Image Credit: Agenda Publications, Ann Arbor District Library, Issue Dates, September 1993, December 1997 and February 1998.The Ground Substance of Spiritualism and Spirituality. The vital characteristics, the animating principles of Protoplasm could be known by observing Amoeba proteus. The Living Substance works as an organ of Motion or Movement, as an organ of Nutrition, and as an organ of Reproduction to generate new cells which have a life span of their own. In these physiological functions, I describe the characteristics such as Cognition, Consciousness, Memory, and Intelligence which have a Spiritual role as they bring functional unity and harmony in the interactions between different parts of the same individual organism while it exists in an environment as a member of a biological community.
JESUS REPLIED, “I TELL YOU THE TRUTH, EVERYONE WHO SINS IS A SLAVE TO SIN.” JOHN 8:34
Existentialism is the popular name of a philosophical focus on human freedom, personal responsibility, and the importance of the individual’s need to make choices. Sartre’s book “Being and Nothingness” (1943) is considered to be one of the best philosophical work of the 20th century. Sartre’s central thesis is that humans are essentially free, free to choose (though Not free Not to choose) and free to negate the given features of the world. Sartre’s driving belief was in human freedom, the ability to choose not only a course of action but also what one would become. If man is truly free, the world, whether material or social, can place no constraints on him, not even to the extent of determining what would or would not be good reasons for following a given course of action.
Man is condemned to be Free. Is that so? SARTRE, JEAN-PAUL (b. JUNE 21, 1905, PARIS – d. APRIL 15, 1980, PARIS) FRENCH NOVELIST, PLAYWRIGHT, AND EXPONENT OF EXISTENTIALISM
Man is born free:
Man is condemned to be Free. Is that so? The Book of Genesis, Chapter 1, verse 27:”So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”
The Christian idea of freedom is based in the concept of man as the image of God. The Holy Bible, The Old Testament, The First Book of Moses, Genesis, Chapter 1, verse 26 reads: Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness;”
Man is a person because God is a person. The real sign of God as personal being is freedom. When God created man according to His image, He also gave over to him this mark of nobility i.e., freedom.
Freedom is based on Knowledge:
Man is condemned to be Free. Is that so?
German philosopher, Friedrich Hegel (1770-1831) viewed the whole of human history as a vast dialectical movement toward the realization of freedom. All of history is the progress of mind or spirit along a logically necessary path that leads to freedom. Human beings are manifestations of this universal mind, although at first they do not realize this. Freedom can not be achieved until human beings do realize it, and so feel at home in the universe. Hence, Hagel claimed that freedom is based on knowledge.
The Radical Freedom of “Being and Nothingness”
Man is condemned to be Free. Is that so?
Sartre focused on the opposition between objective things and human consciousness. Human consciousness is a non-thing as its reality consists in standing back from things and taking a point of view on them. Because consciousness is a non-thing (Sartre’s “neant” literally means “nothingness”), it does not have any of the causal involvements that things have with other things. This means that consciousness and thus humans themselves are essentially free. Ironically, the freedom of human consciousness is experienced by humans as a burden. “Man is condemned to be free”.
Man is condemned to be Free. Is that so?
The existentialist emphasis on the ultimacy of human freedom continues to represent an essential ingredient of philosophical thinking.
Indian tradition and Human Freedom:
Man is condemned to be Free. Is that so? SPIRITUALITY SELF – AHAM BRAHMASMI – UNITY VS IDENTITY : THE SPIRIT, SOUL, OR ATMAN HAS TO BE INTERPRETED AS THE VITAL, ANIMATING PRINCIPLE THAT IS PRIMARILY INVOLVED IN ESTABLISHING MAN’S PHYSICAL EXISTENCE IN THE WORLD AND THE ISSUE IS NOT ABOUT ITS EXISTENCE WHEN SEPARATED FROM HUMAN BODY.
Who or what is the subject who lives because of the functions of trillions of cells that comprise the human organism? How to describe the identity of this individual who is truly a multicellular organism? While describing man’s identity, Indian Tradition points out the problem of Subjective-Objective dualism. The man who is born is the Subject and the man who is unborn is the Object. Indian thinkers propose that man is an embodied soul; the physical body experiences birth, growth, old age, sickness, and death while the soul is eternal, it is unborn and it never dies.
Man as a subjective individual exists as a physical being, mental being, social being, moral being, and a spiritual being. The subjective reality of man’s physical or material existence is conditioned by his physical, mental, social, moral, and spiritual well-being. Man can seek to exist with a total sense of freedom in his thoughts but the thoughts exist while they are supported by a material being with a physical body and mind.
The fact that the man is born binds him into a state of conditioned existence and the experience of freedom is a subjective experience.
Man is condemned to be Free. Is that so? Ramayana narrates the life journey of Lord Rama as a mortal human being. Man is a physical being, a mental being, a social being, a moral being, and a spiritual being. Man can not express a sense of human freedom and he is not free to act as he pleases. All the central characters of the epic poem of Ramayana acted within the limitations imposed upon their existence by mental, social, moral, and spiritual factors. Hence, I would claim that Rama is not born FREE.
In the epic poem of Ramayana, which describes the life journey of Prince Ramachandra of Ayodhya Kingdom, the Book of Ayodhya Kanda, chapters XIV to XVIII describe the anguish of King Dasaratha, the ruler of Ayodhya Kingdom. King Dasaratha was the father of Prince Ramachandra. He was in extreme agony as he had failed to act to express his natural affection to his son. The Emperor was tied down by the traditions of Satya (Truth) and Dharma (Right Conduct), was totally helpless and could not display any sense of freedom. King Dasaratha was a moral being and this identity of a moral being would not allow him the freedom to act as a social being and express love and affection to his son. King Dasaratha had ordered his son to live in a forest and then urged his son to disobey his order to fulfil his duty to show his sense of filial affection. Prince Ramachandra claimed that He was not free to act in disobedience of His father’s command and stated that He can not make any choice other than that of choosing a life in exile.
Man who is experiencing the subjective reality of conditioned existence has no real freedom.
This inexplicable and unexpected act that resulted in the banishment of Prince Ramachandra is described as a work of ‘Fate’. In Sanskrit literature, “Daivam” means fate. It conveys the sense of belief in God as the ‘Prime Cause’. Since God is in control, man is not free to act as he pleases. Since man is tied down, he is born in shackles without freedom. The goal of man is to seek “Release” which is described as “Mukti” and the purpose of human life is described as “Liberation” which is named as “Moksha,” freedom from the shackles of human existence called “Samsara” which postulates endless cycles of Birth-Death-Rebirth.
Essence and Existence:
Man describes as to who he is, his nature, and his essence, with the help of his thoughts, his intellect, his knowledge, his feelings, his sense of self-pride or self-ego, and his social status and social position. However, this essence is not the basis for man’s existence in nature. Man can not sustain his biological existence because of his essence. Man is not an independent entity. Man leads a dependent existence. The reality of man’s existence is a conditioned experience. Without this reality of conditioned state of existence, man can not describe his essence. Existence precedes essence. Existence is the prerequisite for essence to manifest. The essence is manifested by the being, the material body with mind, thoughts, intellect, knowledge, feelings, and self-pride or self-ego. This material being need to exist, and the state or condition of this physical existence is biologically manifested as alertness, wakefulness, awareness, and consciousness. Consciousness or Nothingness is the prerequisite for essence, and for the physical existence of the material Being. When consciousness departs, the essence also gets dissolved. If man enjoys a sense of freedom and expresses it as his essence, this freedom is subject to the reality of conditioned subjective existence. Man, and his essence is displayed if it is accompanied by Nothingness, the biological function called the Capacity for Consciousness. The contents of consciousness describe the nature of man’s essence. The contents of consciousness are known only when man has the capacity for consciousness. The anatomical structure that performs the function to provide the ability or the capacity for consciousness is in the Reticular Formation of the Brain Stem. Man is aware of his essence when the functions of his Brain Stem exist. Brain Stem functions in an autonomous manner and man is not truly free to govern the functions of his Brain Stem which is the prerequisite for his physical and mental being to maintain its living functions, the state and the condition called Living.
SPIRITUALITY SCIENCE – THE ART OF SELF-DISCIPLINE AND SUICIDE PREVENTION. THE CONCEPT OF SELF AND KNOWING-SELF WILL HELP TO PRACTICE SELF-RESTRAINT, SELF-CONTROL, AND SELF-DISCIPLINE.
The Objective Reality of Man’s Existence:
In Chapter Four(Transcendental Knowledge) of The Bhagavad Gita, in verse 6 Lord Krishna states that He is unborn and also in Chapter VII (Knowledge of the Absolute), in verse 24, He states “Unintelligent men, who do not know Me not, think that I have assumed this Form and Personality. Due to their small knowledge, they do not know My higher nature, which is changeless and supreme.”
Indian Tradition suggests that the mind and body which represent the material human person is in reality an illusion named as ‘Maya’. The real identity of man is described by an eternal and unchanging reality that is unborn and hence is not subject to birth or death.
Dr. Rudranarasimham, Rebbapragada, B.Sc., M.B.B.S.,
Father’s Name: R. Suryanarayana Murty
Sri Venkateswara University, M.B.B.S. Class of April, 1970
Andhra Pradesh Medical Council Medical Registration Number: AMC5282; Date of Registration: September 16, 1971
Man is condemned to be Free. Is that so?Whole Foods-Whole Inspiration-Whole LanguageWhole Foods Arrives in Ann Arbor, September 1993Whole Essence-Whole Existence: Whole Foods opened its Store in Ann Arbor on September 16, 1993. Whole Foods, Whole People and Whole Planet inspire Whole Dude to invent Whole Phrases: Whole Linguistics – Whole Language. The concept of Whole Cookie and Whole Love. Whole Dude uses the phrase Whole Linguistics to describe three entities; 1. Language User, 2. Language Interpreter and 3. Language Creator. Image Credit: Agenda Publications, Ann Arbor District Library, Issue Dates, September 1993, December 1997 and February 1998.
Whole Foods-Whole Inspiration-Whole LanguageWhole Foods Arrives in Ann Arbor, September 1993Whole Connection-Whole Existence: Whole Foods opened its Store in Ann Arbor on September 16, 1993. Whole Foods, Whole People and Whole Planet inspire Whole Dude to invent Whole Phrases: Whole Linguistics – Whole Language. The concept of Whole Cookie and Whole Love. Whole Dude uses the phrase Whole Linguistics to describe three entities; 1. Language User, 2. Language Interpreter and 3. Language Creator. Image Credit: Agenda Publications, Ann Arbor District Library, Issue Dates, September 1993, December 1997 and February 1998.
Yes indeed, Life is complicated. The complexities of Life involve knowing What You Are (Essence) and What You Do (Existence). But, Existence always precedes Essence.
What is Matter? and What is Spirit? If materialism is about the influence of material wealth, I would like to use the Power/Force/Energy called Money to talk about Life and Death. The Laws of Conservation are applicable to both the living, and the non-living matter. Hence, it can be stated that “Life can neither be created nor destroyed.” If any person can refute my claim using valid, scientific information, I would give the person a US $1,000 bill as a reward.
What it is to be a Substance? and What it is to Exist? We need to establish knowledge about the man on a firm basis and the information it provides must be tested for its accuracy and consistency with an external reality. We have to make the fundamental distinction between the living and the non-living matter. The scientific advances of the 19th and 20th centuries reinforced the materialistic position concerning the basic similarity of organic living and inorganic physical matter. The man is viewed as a product of natural evolution and is thought to be subject to the same laws of Physics and Chemistry or mechanistic principles.
We need a methodology to study philosophy and to understand philosophical statements. Logical Positivism, also known as Scientific Empiricism aims to clarify concepts in both everyday and scientific language. It describes analysis of language as the function of philosophy. This analysis of language and of concepts is important to understand questions of belief and ideology which affect what we think we ought to do individually and socially. I use this method of ‘Applied Philosophy’ to analyze the philosophical doctrine of ‘Existentialism’ and to study the views and philosophy of Jean Paul Sartre and his efforts to interpret human nature and human existence.
The Vitruvian Man c. 1492. The painting by Leonardo da Vinci displays the spirit of scientific inquiry. We must investigate the biological basis of Human Existence to know about Human Nature. The Nature is a reflection of the potency that keeps the Object existing.
What is man? The motivation for asking this question comes from a statement expressed in Sanskrit language, “Sarvesham Swastir Bhavatu”, which seeks the well-being of all humans, of all races, of all religions, of all cultures, and of all nations. Our efforts to support the well-being of man would be affected by our understanding the ‘real’ or ‘true’ nature of man. All human traditions, including religious, cultural, literary, philosophical, and scientific traditions make assumptions about human nature. The basic assumption about human nature is that of finding it displayed in thoughts, feelings, moods, and the actions and the behaviors that proceed from such mental states of the human individual.
I ask my readers to discover Human nature by understanding the biological basis for human existence. Human nature is a reflection of that potency that keeps the human object existing. To describe human nature from mental life or mental states of an individual causes Subject-Object Dualism. I try to know human nature by knowing the characteristics of the substance that exists. The substance when it performs its functions, the characteristics of its behavior could be observed in biotic interactions, the interactions of cells, tissues, organs and organ systems that constitute the human organism. I try to discover human nature of a subject who objectively exists because of the functions of the cells, the tissues, organs and organ systems that provide the basis for that existence.
Existentialism -The Philosophy of Human Existence:
Jean Paul Sartre (1905 – 1980), French novelist, playwright, and exponent of Existentialism.
The philosophical focus of Existentialism is concerned with the uniqueness of the individual human being, the meaning or purpose of human life as a subjective experience, and with the freedom of human individual. Sartre believed in the ability of every person to choose for himself his attitudes, purposes, values, and a way of life. Sartre’s thesis is that humans are essentially free, free to choose (though not free not to choose) and free to negate the given features of the world. In his novel, “Being and Nothingness” (1943), Sartre expresses an opinion that the only ‘authentic’ and genuine way of life is that freely chosen by each individual for himself. Sartre’s driving belief in Radical Freedom involves the ability to choose not only a course of action but also what one would become. According to Sartre, man is truly free, the world, whether material or social can place no constraints on him, not even to the extent of determining what would or would not be good reasons for following a given course of action. Sartre thought that there are no transcendent or objective values set for human beings and that there is no ultimate meaning or purpose inherent in human life. Sartre insists that the only foundation for values is human freedom and that there can be no external or objective justification for the values anyone chooses to adopt.
Human Consciousness and Human Existence:
Sartre divides the being, the existing realities into two categories;1. one category is called being- in-itself (L’etre- en-soi) which comprises the inanimate things such as rocks, and 2. the second category is being- for-itself (L’etre- pour-soi) which comprises beings that have feelings such as human beings. Sartre has effectively excluded a vast majority of living organisms from the category that he called being-for-itself. Sartre understands consciousness as an ability to know or be aware of feelings. His view is only partly correct. The true function of consciousness is awareness of the state, condition, and the fact of living. Hence, this Amoeba proteus is a conscious entity while it is living in its given environment.
Sartre makes a radical distinction between consciousness (L’etre-pour- soi, being-for-itself) and non-conscious objects (L’etre-en-soi, being-in-itself). Though it is correct that human beings have emotional feelings, thoughts, and moods, the nature of consciousness is the same in all living entities. The presence or absence of feelings is of no consideration to make the fundamental distinction between inanimate and animate beings. He focused on the opposition between objective things and human consciousness. This basic dualism is shown by the fact that consciousness necessarily has an object; it is always consciousness of something which is not itself. Consciousness makes the distinction between itself and its object. Sartre makes a conceptual connection between consciousness and nothingness. Human consciousness is a non-thing as its reality consists in standing back from things and taking a point of view on them. Because consciousness is a non-thing (Sartre’s “neant” literally means “nothingness”), it does not have any of the causal involvements that things have with other things. This means that consciousness and thus humans themselves are essentially free. In Sartre’s view, to pretend that we are not free is that of self-deception or bad faith (mauvaise foi). According to Sartre, the freedom of human consciousness is experienced by humans as a burden and it causes anguish. Sartre’s most basic point is that to be conscious is to be ‘free’.
In my view, the physiological function called consciousness primarily involves the awareness of my own energy dependent existence at a given particular time and place. In other words, I am Conscious for I know that I am not Free. Sartre’s concept of human freedom is a simple mental entity and it involves the freedom of imagination. However, man has a very limited freedom to convert his imagination into an external actuality. The man lacks total freedom and has no true freedom as he does not directly rule or govern even a single cell in his body which comprises of trillions of individual living cells which have functional autonomy and are independent entities while being part of a group.
Human Consciousness and Human Freedom:
Human Consciousness and Human Freedom – Sartre contends that we can never be just objects to be observed and accurately described. However, Biology describes man as a multicellular organism, man can view a cell from his own body and then the Subject viewing the Object and the Object that is viewed are the same and the Subject can accurately describe the Object. I observe cell structure and functions to understand human consciousness and human freedom.
I disagree with the view shared by Sartre and various others about the nature of human consciousness. The problem involves the description of consciousness as a mental function. Consciousness is a neurobiological function, and more importantly it is the basic living function. The living cell is aware or conscious of the fact of its own existence, it is conscious of itself and its internal condition, and it is conscious of its external environment and objects found in its external environment. Hence, consciousness must be described as a biological characteristic of living cells and living organisms. Consciousness describes the nature of the substance that is living, the matter that lives and is known as living matter. The living matter is conscious of its internal condition, a condition that demands the supply of energy from an external source to keep its existence. The biological properties of motion, and nutrition come into play because of this biological characteristic called consciousness. Hence it is a vital, or animating principle of all living cells and living organisms. The living cell because of its consciousness knows its nature of energy dependent existence and uses its power of motion and nutrition to attract substances found in its external environment to perform all other living functions to support its growth and maintenance. The fact of energy dependent existence and the consciousness of that conditioned existence displays the lack of human freedom in matters that pertain to human existence. A complex human living system exists because of harmonious interactions, partnership, relationship, and association between the cells, the tissues, the organs, and the organ systems that constitute the human individual. These biotic interactions display behavioral characteristics such as mutual assistance, mutual cooperation, mutual tolerance, mutual subservience, mutual functional subordination to provide benefits to each other to support the survival and reproductive success of each other. There is sympathy, compassion, and understanding for the needs of each other, the participants of a biotic or biological community or association of living cells that comprise the human person.
Whole Connection-Whole Existence: The Spiritual Connection between the Cell and its Energy Provider. The Ground Substance of Spiritualism and Spirituality. The vital characteristics, the animating principles of Protoplasm could be known by observing Amoeba proteus. The Living Substance works as an organ of Motion or Movement, as an organ of Nutrition, and as an organ of Reproduction to generate new cells which have a life span of their own. In these physiological functions, I describe the characteristics such as Cognition, Consciousness, Memory, and Intelligence which have a Spiritual role as they bring functional unity and harmony in the interactions between different parts of the same individual organism while it exists in an environment as a member of a biological community.
I observe the human organism and I can accurately describe that Spiritualism is the chief attribute of human existence and human nature. The man has no freedom and the man has no choice other than that of existing as a Spiritual Being. It is ironic that the man has no cortical or mental awareness of the spiritual nature of his own body and the substance that lives because of its nature. By seeking awareness of the underlying spiritual nature, the man will be able to live in harmony and peace within himself and with others in his environment. I agree with the view of Sartre and suggest that man’s existence precedes his essence. Sartre has failed to contemplate upon the biological basis of human existence and hence could not describe the reality of human essence and human nature.
The Subjective Reality of physical existence precedes and defines the nature of human being. Who you are (your Essence) is defined by what you do (your Existence). To know the man’s essence, to describe the human nature, we need a man who is existing. If there is no living, physical being called man, it would serve us no purpose to know its nature or essence. In Spiritualism, the man’s essence and existence come together to establish the purpose of man in Life.
Sri Venkateswara University, M.B.B.S. Class of April, 1970
Andhra Pradesh Medical Council Medical Registration Number: AMC5282; Date of Registration: September 16, 1971
Whole Foods, Whole People, and Whole Planet come together in a Wholesome Relationship as God is the Energy Provider, the Original Source of Matter and Energy for Life.
Whole Philosophy-Whole Existence: The Spiritual Connection between the Cell and its Energy Provider.Whole Connection – Whole Existence: The Book of Genesis, Chapter 1, verse 27:”So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”
Illustration of the anatomy of a female human face. Facial expressions provide important clues to depict human emotional experience. The Emotional Experience of Atman as Ananda, Pure Joy, or Pure Bliss. In the final analysis, the study of human emotions involves knowing the Emotional Experience of the human subject by the study of the muscles of Facial Expression.The Emotional Experience of Atman as Ananda, Pure Joy, or Pure Bliss. In the final analysis, the study of human emotions involves knowing the Emotional Experience of the human subject by the study of the muscles of Facial Expression.
In 1965, while I was a student of Human Anatomy at Kurnool Medical College, I had the opportunity to know about Dr. J. C. B. Grant (1886-1973), the author of Grant’s Atlas of Anatomy. The 5th Edition of his Atlas was published in 1962 and was available in India in our Medical College Library.
The Emotional Experience of Atman as Ananda, Pure Joy, or Pure Bliss. In the final analysis, the study of human emotions involves knowing the Emotional Experience of the human subject by the study of the muscles of Facial Expression.
Human Anatomy is about knowing the man, the building blocks and the structural units and organization of the human body. To defend human existence, I lay the emphasis on knowing the person who is at risk apart from knowing the agent posing the risk.
The Identity of Multicellular Human Organism:
Dr. Daniel John Cunningham (b. April 15, 1850, d. July 23, 1909), Scottish physician and professor of Anatomy. Cunningham’s Manual of Practical Anatomy has provided me the learning tools to know and understand Man’s External and Internal Reality and its Identity as described by Cells, Tissues, Organs,and Organ Systems.
Daniel John Cunningham was born on 15 April 1850 in Scotland. After his initial schooling at his home town, Crieff, he took up the study of medicine at the University of Edinburgh and passed with honours. He is best known for the excellent series of dissection manuals, namely Cunningham’s Dissection Manuals.
Whole Law – Whole Dictum: “I am Consciousness, Therefore I am.” Cunningham’s Manual of Practical Anatomy has provided me the learning tools to know and understand Man’s External and Internal Reality and its Identity as described by Cells, Tissues, Organs,and Organ Systems.Whole Law – Whole Dictum: “I am Consciousness, Therefore I am.” Cunningham’s Manual of Practical Anatomy has provided me the learning tools to know and understand Man’s External and Internal Reality and its Identity as described by Cells, Tissues, Organs,and Organ Systems.Whole Law – Whole Dictum: “I am Consciousness, Therefore I am.” Cunningham’s Manual of Practical Anatomy has provided me the learning tools to know and understand Man’s External and Internal Reality and its Identity as described by Cells, Tissues, Organs,and Organ Systems.Whole Law – Whole Dictum: “I am Consciousness, Therefore I am.” Cunningham’s Manual of Practical Anatomy has provided me the learning tools to know and understand Man’s External and Internal Reality and its Identity as described by Cells, Tissues, Organs,and Organ Systems.Whole Law – Whole Dictum: “I am Consciousness, Therefore I am.” Cunningham’s Manual of Practical Anatomy has provided me the learning tools to know and understand Man’s External and Internal Reality and its Identity as described by Cells, Tissues, Organs,and Organ Systems.Whole Law – Whole Dictum: “I am Consciousness, Therefore I am.” Cunningham’s Manual of Practical Anatomy has provided me the learning tools to know and understand Man’s External and Internal Reality and its Identity as described by Cells, Tissues, Organs,and Organ Systems.Whole Law – Whole Dictum: “I am Consciousness, Therefore I am.” Cunningham’s Manual of Practical Anatomy has provided me the learning tools to know and understand Man’s External and Internal Reality and its Identity as described by Cells, Tissues, Organs,and Organ Systems.
I learned about human body while dissecting the body in a systematic manner. The Manual of Practical Anatomy which guides us through this entire process was published in England.
The dissections also involve slicing the organs and studying them, both macroscopically, and microscopically. We did not miss any part of the human body. So what is the Identity of this Human person or Human subject? How does the living Human organism maintains its Identity and Individuality? Apart from the Cultural Traditions of India, several Schools of Religious Thought claim that the Human Individual and its Identity is represented by Human Soul. Where does this soul exist in the human body? What is the location if the soul is present in the living person? Does man have a soul?
The Emotional Experience of Atman as Ananda, Pure Joy, or Pure Bliss:
SPIRITUALITY SCIENCE: THE SPIRIT, SOUL, OR ATMAN HAS TO BE INTERPRETED AS THE VITAL, ANIMATING PRINCIPLE THAT IS PRIMARILY INVOLVED IN ESTABLISHING MAN’S PHYSICAL EXISTENCE IN THE WORLD AND THE ISSUE IS NOT ABOUT ITS EXISTENCE WHEN SEPARATED FROM HUMAN BODY.
Atman is a Sanskrit term which describes the spiritual life principle found in all living things, especially regarded as inherent in the real or true Self of the human individual. For all purposes of conversation, Indians use the term Atman to speak about a person’s Soul which is distinct from the Body, and Mind of the person.
Whole Law – Whole Dictum: “I am Consciousness, Therefore I am.” Cunningham’s Manual of Practical Anatomy has provided me the learning tools to know and understand Man’s External and Internal Reality and its Identity as described by Cells, Tissues, Organs,and Organ Systems.
Indian thinkers speak extensively describing in great detail the concept of the Atman. Apart from characteristics such as imperishable, indestructible, and immutable, the Atman is viewed as ‘Light’ that dispels the darkness called Ignorance. Indian thinkers adamantly refuse to describe the structural and the functional attributes of the Atman making it difficult to define the term Atman using the information provided by Human Anatomy and Human Physiology. However, there is general agreement among the Indian thinkers about the nature of the Atman. There are four recurrent themes in the discourse about the Atman. These are, 1. The association of the Atman as the ultimate source of Great Knowledge to overcome the veiling effects of Maya or the Great Grand Illusion, 2. The experience of the Atman is the prerequisite to find Peace, Harmony, and Tranquility in the conditioned nature of human existence characterized by pain, and suffering, 3. The Atman is manifested as the emotional experience of Ananda, Pure Joy, Perfect Happiness, Pure Bliss, Pure Consciousness, and 4. The Atman is the Fourth Condition, the Fourth State, or the Fourth Quarter of Consciousness which is Pure for it is devoid of all contents, has no functional attributes, and most importantly, cannot be described.
The Emotional Experience of The Atman or the Soul as Ananda, Pure Joy, or Pure Bliss.
In my analysis, the concept of Atman, or Soul is useful and when validated, the concept will provide the tools for practical application to promote human well-being. To that extent, I invite my readers to study the Functional Anatomy of the Reticular Formation of the Brainstem to interpret it as the structural and functional organization called the Soul. Please review the concept of ‘Emotional Brainstem’ to understand the anatomical and physiological basis of the human emotional experience called Ananda, Pure Joy, Perfect Happiness, and Pure Bliss.
SPIRITUALITY SCIENCE – THE KNOWER – THE KNOWING-SELF: IN THIS IMAGE OF HUMAN BRAIN, THE GREEN PORTION OF BRAINSTEM IS CALLED THE RETICULAR FORMATION. I AM PROPOSING TO CALL IT AS THE KNOWING-SELF AND IT IS THE “KNOWER” OF THE HUMAN BODY WHICH CONSTANTLY CHANGES ITS MORPHOLOGICAL APPEARANCE UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF TIME CALLED THE AGING PROCESS.
The Functional Anatomy of the Reticular Formation – The Structural and Functional Organization of Soul
The Reticular Activating System (RAS) of Reticular Formation protects you from information overload by acting as a gatekeeper for your brain. It filters out millions of bits of useless sensory data every second so your conscious mind can focus on what matters.
In 1949 Moruzzi and Magoun first described the activating role of a wide area within the brainstem. They defined some physiological features of what they called the ascending reticular activating system, setting the scene for the discovery of the multifaceted roles of the reticular formation. In particular, beyond the original effects on behavioral arousal, a variety of effects is generated in the brain by the activation of these discrete nuclei population of the brainstem. In this way, physiological conditions such as the sleep-waking cycle, the level of arousal and attention, the drive for novelty seeking behaviors, the mood states and other brain activities were shown to depend on the ascending reticular formation. Meanwhile, it became more and more evident that an equal amount of processes is controlled by its descending pathways. More specifically, the reticular formation plays a key role in the modulation of posture, extrapyramidal movements, cardiovascular activity, breathing and a variety of harmonic variations in the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems which accompanies motor activity. The descending fibers of the reticular formation, as well as the ascending system, are critical in gating the sensory inputs and play a critical role in pain modulation, mainly by acting on the posterior horn of the spinal cord.
All these activities are impaired when a damage affects critical nuclei of the reticular formation. This may occur either suddenly, due to vascular disorders, or progressively, as it happens in neurodegenerative conditions. Interestingly, in this latter case the spreading of neurodegeneration has been attributed to the rich collaterals connecting various reticular nuclei, which are more and more involved in later stages of many neurodegenerative disorders.
During the last decades the anatomical counterparts of the reticular formation have been further investigated, even though a comprehensive description is still missing. Thus, the present research topic is designed to welcome contributions both defining the updated anatomy of the reticular formation and its physiological functions (sleep-wake cycle, EEG synchronization, postural control, etc.) as well as its involvement in a wide array of neuropsychiatric disorders (Parkinson and extrapyramidal disorders, epilepsy, sleep disorders, ADHD, degenerative dementia, neurovascular disorders, etc.).
The brainstem reticular formation (RF) represents the archaic core of those pathways connecting the spinal cord and the encephalon. It subserves autonomic, motor, sensory, behavioral, cognitive, and mood-related functions. Its activity extensively modulates cortical excitability, both in physiological conditions (i.e., sleep-wake cycle and arousal) and in disease (i.e., epilepsies). Such a wide variety of effects arises from the long course and profuse axonal branching of isodendritic reticular neurons, which allows the neuronal message to travel toward the entire cerebral cortex and downstream to the spinal cord. On the other hand, the isodendritic architecture featuring a monoplanar branching allows most RF neurons to cover roughly half of the brainstem and to be impinged by ascending and descending pathways. In parallel, such a generalized influence on CNS activity occurs in combination with highly focused tasks, such as those involved in the coordination of gaze.
The Journal Frontiers in Neuroanatomy offers an updated view to define the anatomical correlates of the multiple and interconnected roles played by the brainstem reticular formation in health and disease.
In fact, the integration of multiple activities within the brainstem reticular circuitries may explain why alterations of each of these domains may affect the emotional sphere, paving the way to the concept of emotional brainstem (Venkatraman et al.).
The Brainstem in Emotion: A Review
Anand Venkatraman1, Brian L. Edlow2 and Mary Helen Immordino-Yang3,4,5*
1*. Department of Neurology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
2*.Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
3*.Brain and Creativity Institute, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
4*.Rossier School of Education, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
5*.Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Emotions depend upon the integrated activity of neural networks that modulate arousal, autonomic function, motor control, and somatosensation. Brainstem nodes play critical roles in each of these networks, but prior studies of the neuroanatomic basis of emotion, particularly in the human neuropsychological literature, have mostly focused on the contributions of cortical rather than subcortical structures. Given the size and complexity of brainstem circuits, elucidating their structural and functional properties involves technical challenges. However, recent advances in neuroimaging have begun to accelerate research into the brainstem’s role in emotion. In this review, we provide a conceptual framework for neuroscience, psychology and behavioral science researchers to study brainstem involvement in human emotions. The “emotional brainstem” is comprised of three major networks – Ascending, Descending and Modulatory. The Ascending network is composed chiefly of the spinothalamic tracts and their projections to brainstem nuclei, which transmit sensory information from the body to rostral structures. The Descending motor network is subdivided into medial projections from the reticular formation that modulate the gain of inputs impacting emotional salience, and lateral projections from the periaqueductal gray, hypothalamus and amygdala that activate characteristic emotional behaviors. Finally, the brainstem is home to a group of modulatory neurotransmitter pathways, such as those arising from the raphe nuclei (serotonergic), ventral tegmental area (dopaminergic) and locus coeruleus (noradrenergic), which form a Modulatory network that coordinates interactions between the Ascending and Descending networks. Integration of signaling within these three networks occurs at all levels of the brainstem, with progressively more complex forms of integration occurring in the hypothalamus and thalamus. These intermediary structures, in turn, provide input for the most complex integrations, which occur in the frontal, insular, cingulate and other regions of the cerebral cortex. Phylogenetically older brainstem networks inform the functioning of evolutionarily newer rostral regions, which in turn regulate and modulate the older structures. Via these bidirectional interactions, the human brainstem contributes to the evaluation of sensory information and triggers fixed-action pattern responses that together constitute the finely differentiated spectrum of possible emotions.
Introduction
Emotions are mental and bodily responses that are deployed automatically when an organism recognizes that a situation warrants such a reaction (Damasio, 1994). Due to humans’ intellectual capacities, human emotional reactions are not necessarily triggered by immediate (real) physical or social circumstances, but can also be precipitated by inferences, memories, beliefs or imaginings (Immordino-Yang, 2010). Although human emotions can involve complex cognitive deliberations (Immordino-Yang, 2010, 2015) their activating power fundamentally depends upon the modulation of arousal, motor control and somatosensation. Emotions are therefore regulated by a broad range of subcortical and cortical structures, with a critical role being played by subcortical nuclei in the pontine and midbrain tegmentum (Nauta, 1958; Parvizi and Damasio, 2001), as well as by autonomic and cardiorespiratory nuclei in the medulla (Edlow et al., 2016). Currently, most investigations of human emotion, especially in the neuropsychology literature, have focused on contribution of cortical rather than subcortical structures to human emotion, with a few notable exceptions (Buhle et al., 2013). Given that the brainstem plays a critical role in regulating and organizing emotion-related processing, the aim of this review is to provide a conceptual framework for affective researchers to study the brainstem’s role in human emotion.
Organization of Brain Regions Involved in Emotion
For the purpose of studying its role in emotion, the brainstem can be conceptualized as being composed of Ascending, Descending, and Modulatory networks. The gray matter nodes and white matter connections within each of these networks are summarized in Table 1, while Figure 1 provides a schematic overview of the networks’ brainstem nodes.
TABLE 1.The three networks of brainstem structures involved in emotion processing, and their components.FIGURE 1. Brainstem nuclei involved in human emotion. (A) Sagittal view and (B) Coronal view. DR, Dorsal Raphe; LC, Locus coeruleus; LDT, Laterodorsal tegmental nucleus; Mb, Midbrain; MR, Median raphe; P, Pons; PAG, Periaqueductal gray; PBC, Parabrachial nuclear complex; PPN, Pedunculopontine nucleus; VTA, Ventral tegmental area. The substantia nigra and the nucleus of the tractus solitarius are not shown to optimize visibility of the other structures.
Integration of signaling within these three networks occurs at all levels of the brainstem, while progressively more complex levels of integration occur in the thalamus, hypothalamus and cerebral cortex. This encephalization and hierarchical organization allows phylogenetically older pathways in the brainstem, which evaluate sensory information and give rise to fixed-action pattern responses, to be regulated by evolutionarily newer rostral regions (Tucker et al., 2000). It is important to emphasize here that this conceptual model is based upon limited information about the functioning of the human brainstem, and will likely require revision and further differentiation as new evidence arises (Seeley et al., 2007; Coenen et al., 2011; Hermans et al., 2014).
Ascending Network
Damasio’s (1996) Somatic Markers Hypothesis suggests that emotion processing incorporates somatosensory and visceral feedback from the periphery, either directly or through intervening sensory representations in caudal structures. Multiple representations of the body state in the brainstem and in the insular cortices are believed to enable simulation of future actions and sensations to guide decision making, as well as to contribute to empathy and theory of mind in humans. Self-awareness may arise from successive temporal representations of the body with increasing levels of detail (Craig, 2003a). Even the simple sensory representations of the body in the brainstem nuclei can alter affective experience, as demonstrated by studies showing that subtle modulation of a subject’s facial expressions can change self-reported affect (Harrison et al., 2010).
Interoception, which is the sense of the internal condition of the body, and emotional feeling, may share a common route through the brainstem to the anterior insular cortex (Craig, 2003a; Drake et al., 2010). The interoceptive system, represented in the cortex by the insula and adjacent regions of the frontal operculum, is particularly important for the internal simulation of observed emotion in humans (Preston et al., 2007; Pineda and Hecht, 2009) and for the experience of complex social emotions (Immordino-Yang et al., 2009, 2014, 2016). The other body map in the somatosensory cortex, which is built from dorsal column inputs and segments of the anterolateral pathway, contributes to affective understanding by simulation of facial expressions (Pineda and Hecht, 2009), analogous to the proposed function of primate mirror neurons in perception/action coupling (Rizzolatti and Craighero, 2004).
The neuroanatomic basis for the Ascending sensory network and the mechanisms by which it modulates human emotion remain poorly understood. Although the structural and functional properties of these ascending pathways have been studied extensively in rodents and non-human primates using premortem tract-tracing and invasive electrophysiological studies, these techniques cannot be applied in humans. Recent studies using diffusion tractography and resting-state functional connectivity techniques in humans have found that forebrain regions involved in regulation of mood and affect are interconnected not only with mesencephalic and pontine arousal nuclei, but also with medullary cardiorespiratory and autonomic nuclei through the medial and lateral forebrain bundles (Vertes, 2004; Edlow et al., 2016). Figure 2 provides an overview of the main structures in the Ascending network.
FIGURE 2.Major structures involved in the Ascending network. (1) Spinothalamic tracts. (2) Nucleus of the tractus solitarius. (3) Parabrachial nuclear complex. (4) Thalamus. Green arrows: Ascending projections.
It is well established that sensations from the human body are carried in two major ascending pathways in the brainstem – the dorsal columns of the spinal cord, which continue as the medial lemnisci, carry discriminatory sensation, deep touch and proprioception; the anterolateral pathway, composed of the spinothalamic tracts, carries nociceptive and temperature-related signals (Nogradi et al., 2000-2013).
The Anterolateral Pathway
The nociceptive fibers in the anterolateral pathway give off collaterals at every level that converge with projections from visceral sensory neurons in the brainstem, thereby ensuring close coordination of pain and autonomic processing (Craig, 2003b). The pathway begins with small-diameter fibers that transmit signals of fast and slow pain, chemical changes, temperature, metabolic state of muscles, itch, and sensual or light touch to lamina I of the spinal cord, from where ascending projections arise. In the caudal brainstem, these projections target the nucleus of the tractus solitarius in the medulla (Figure 2), which is also innervated by visceral and taste sensations through the vagus, glossopharyngeal and facial nerves.
The Parabrachial Complex
Tract-tracing studies in rodent models have revealed that ascending projections from the nucleus of the tractus solitarius travel to the parabrachial complex (Figures 1, 2) in the upper pons (Herbert et al., 1990), which also receives direct projections from lamina I neurons (Craig, 2003b), in addition to other inputs such as balance (Balaban, 2002). Rat studies suggest that the parabrachial complex integrates multiple types of converging sensory inputs and in turn projects to rostral regions such as the thalamus, hypothalamus, basal forebrain and amygdala, and may play an important role in arousal (Fuller et al., 2011; Edlow et al., 2012). The upper brainstem, where the parabrachial complex lies, is therefore the most caudal structure where a topographically complete map of the body can be assembled that includes all manner of interoceptive information (Damasio and Carvalho, 2013). There is also ongoing investigation of the role played by the superior colliculus, a structure in the dorsal aspect of the upper brainstem, in sensory and emotional processing in humans, but the available evidence is sparse (Celeghin et al., 2015).
The Thalamus
Immediately rostral to the upper brainstem is the thalamus, and the spinothalamic tracts, as their name indicates, end in the thalamus. A subset of thalamic nuclei function as relay structures between the emotional brainstem and rostral brain structures. The ventral posteromedial nuclei of the thalamus, which receive projections from the parabrachial complex and other parts of the anterolateral pathway, project to the insular cortex, particularly the mid/posterior dorsal part. Craig and colleagues suggested that the posterior part of the ventral medial nucleus of the thalamus, or VMPo, was uniquely involved in pain processing, particularly in primates (Craig, 2003a), but other authors had questioned the separate existence of this nucleus (Willis et al., 2002).
The intralaminar nuclei of the thalamus receive non-topographical sensory input from the spinal cord, which are in turn projected to the orbitofrontal and anterior cingulate cortices. The intralaminar nuclei are involved in orienting and attention, while arousal and visceral sensation are subserved by the midline nuclei (Morgane et al., 2005). In primates a direct pathway from lamina I to the anterior cingulate through the medial dorsal nucleus is also present (Craig, 2003a), and it has been suggested that these pathways may mediate the affective aspect of pain (Tucker et al., 2005). Indeed, the mediodorsal nucleus progressively increases in cytoarchitectonic complexity in higher animals, and is also known to project to the frontal and prefrontal cortices (Morgane et al., 2005). Thus, the thalamus contains multiple structures that appear to play a role in transmitting the signals essential for emotion processing from the brainstem to the forebrain.
Summary statement: Representations of the body of varying degrees of complexity that exist at multiple levels in the Ascending network, including the nucleus of the tractus solitarius and the parabrachial nucleus, are believed to be give rise to the “feeling” of an emotion.
Descending Network
The chief descending pathway in the human brainstem is composed of large, myelinated axons of the corticospinal tracts, transmitting motor impulses to the anterior horn cells of the spinal cord and thereafter to skeletal musculature (Nogradi and Gerta, 2000–2013). In addition, the midbrain and pontine tegmentum, as well as the medulla, contain several structures that serve as the output centers for motor and autonomic regulatory systems, which in turn regulate the bodily manifestations of the “emotion proper” (Damasio, 1994). Holstege (2009) considered the interconnected network of descending fibers and effector regions in the brainstem an “emotional motor system,” distinct from the corticospinal somatic motor pathway, each of which they divided into lateral and medial parts [Figure 3, adapted from (Holstege, 2016)].
FIGURE 3.Holstege’s conception of the Emotional and Somatic motor systems. (Adapted from Holstege, 2016).
The brainstem, as noted previously, contains a hierarchy of circuits linking ascending sensory neurons and descending effector neurons. Evidence from rat and cat studies indicates that the lower-level circuits enable quick stereotypical responses to stimuli, while the higher-level involvement of rostral centers allows for complex motor and autonomic activity and action specificity (Bandler et al., 2000; Gauriau and Bernard, 2002). This close relationship between sensory and effector networks in emotion processing is best illustrated by the close overlap seen between sites involved in emotional vocalization and pain processing in animals. Both physical and psychological pain (caused by separation from caregivers, for example) can produce distress vocalizations in animals, with the caudal brainstem containing multiple regions that control the respiratory and phonetic changes of vocalization (Tucker et al., 2005) and cardiorespiratory function during emotion (Lovick, 1993; Rainville et al., 2006; Edlow et al., 2016). The rostral nuclei are able to modulate the activity of caudal nuclei that control cardiorespiratory control and vocalization in a coordinated manner that makes the resultant action more complex and nuanced.
Lateral Part of the Emotional Motor System
The emotional motor system’s lateral part consists of projections primarily from the periaqueductal gray, as well as more rostral structures such as the amygdala and hypothalamus, to the lateral tegmentum in the caudal pons and medulla (Figures 3, 4). This lateral part of the emotional motor system is involved in specific motor actions invoked in emotions, as well as in the control of heart rate, respiration, vocalization, and mating behavior (Holstege, 2009). Studies in multiple animal models as well as in humans have revealed that the periaqueductal gray (Figures 1, 4) is a major site of integration of affective behavior and autonomic output, with strong connections to other brainstem structures (Behbehani, 1995).
Several fixed patterns of behavior, particularly those related to responding to external threats, with accompanying autonomic changes, are organized in the different columns of the periaqueductal gray in rats (Brandao et al., 2008). The lateral/dorsolateral column receives well-localized nociceptive input (superficial ‘fast’ pain, as might be expected from bites or scratches) and is believed to organize fight-or-flight reactions. When stimulated this column produces emotional vocalization, confrontation, aggression and sympathetic activation, shown by increased blood pressure, heart rate, and respiration. Many of these responses are mediated by descending projections to the paragigantocellularis lateralis nucleus in the rostral ventrolateral medulla (respiratory rhythm), the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus (heart rate and rhythm), and caudal raphe (cardiorespiratory integration; Lovick, 1993; Edlow et al., 2016). Within this dorsolateral/lateral column itself, there are two parts. The rostral part is responsible for power/dominance (producing a “fight” response), while the caudal part invokes fear (producing a “flight” response) with blood flow to the limbs (Sewards and Sewards, 2002).
The ventrolateral column of the periaqueductal gray receives poorly localized “slow, burning” somatic and visceral pain signals, and on stimulation produces passive coping, long-term sick behavior, freezing with hyporeactivity and an inhibition of sympathetic outflow (Parvizi and Damasio, 2001; Craig, 2003b; Brandao et al., 2005; Benarroch, 2006). In this way, it is likely involved in background emotions such as those that contribute to mood. Rat studies have further revealed that lesions of the dorsolateral periaqueductal gray reduce innate defensive behaviors, while lesions of the caudal ventrolateral part reduce conditioned freezing and increase locomotor activity (Brandao et al., 2005). When the predator is far away, the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and the hippocampus, through the amygdala, activate midbrain structures centered around the ventrolateral periaqueductal gray, which results in freezing (Tucker et al., 2000). In the “circa-strike” stage when the predator is imminent, forebrain pathways are silenced, and the dorsolateral periaqueductal gray is activated, resulting in fight-or-flight reactions.
The Periaqueductal Gray in Human Emotion
Though the reactions detailed above are almost certainly incorporated into human emotion, the precise mechanisms have not been elucidated. One study involving high-resolution MRI of the human periaqueductal gray indicated that this structure has discrete functional subregions that parallel the divisions seen in animals – aversive stimuli caused activation in the ventrolateral regions of the caudal periaqueductal gray and in the lateral/dorsomedial regions of the rostral periaqueductal gray (Satpute et al., 2013). The periaqueductal gray threat response system is likely co-opted in the pathophysiology of conditions such as panic disorder and generalized anxiety disorder. Blood flow analysis suggests that the inhibitory influence of the cortex over the fight-or-flight mechanisms in the periaqueductal gray is reduced in panic disorder (Del-Ben and Graeff, 2009). Functional MRI has also revealed activation of the human periaqueductal gray in complex emotions such as frustration (Yu et al., 2014), admiration and compassion (Immordino-Yang et al., 2009), in addition to more immediate threat responses (Lindner et al., 2015).
Medial Part of the Emotional Motor System
The medial part of the emotional motor system (Figures 3, 4) consists of descending projections from the reticular formation that are involved in level-setting and modulatory functions (Holstege, 2009). Once again, the vast majority of the research on this subject has been in animals. The caudal third of the locus coeruleus (Sasaki et al., 2008) and the caudal raphe nuclei both send projections downward to the spinal cord, as depicted in Figure 4, and are responsible for descending pain modulation (Renn and Dorsey, 2005). The effect of norepinephrine from the locus coeruleus is mostly antinociceptive, while serotonin from the raphe nuclei can have varying effects depending upon the type of receptor activated (Benarroch, 2008). In rats, it has been shown that the midbrain tectum and the dorsal/lateral periaqueductal gray indirectly produce the analgesia that occurs in fear (Coimbra et al., 2006), through a primarily non-opioid mechanism involving GABAergic and serotonergic neurons (as opposed to the ventrolateral periaqueductal gray that produces a long-lasting opioid mediated analgesia; Gauriau and Bernard, 2002). It is likely that this system of fear suppressing the pain system is still present in humans, allowing us to act and move rapidly in situations of threat (Mobbs et al., 2007).
FIGURE 4.Major structures involved in the Descending network. (5) Periaqueductal gray. (6) Locus coeruleus. (7) Caudal raphe nuclei. (8) Rostral ventrolateral medullary nuclei. (9) Dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus nerve. Green arrows: Descending projections from periaqueductal gray. Blue arrows: Descending projections from the caudal raphe and locus coeruleus.
In addition to nociceptive modifications, the medial part of the emotional motor system is also involved in level-setting for arousal levels and muscle function – studies on rodents and monkeys indicate that this is accomplished through norepinephrine secretion from the locus coeruleus (Aston-Jones and Cohen, 2005; Lang and Davis, 2006) and cholinergic projections from the pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus in the upper pons (Bechara and van der Kooy, 1989; Homs-Ormo et al., 2003). Further detail regarding these important structures is provided in the section below on the Modulatory network.
Summary statement: The Descending network, otherwise referred to here as the emotional motor system, has a lateral part that triggers patterned emotional behaviors, while the medial part is responsible for level-setting in sensory and arousal systems that might be important in emotionally charged situations.
Modulatory Neurotransmitter Network – Valence, Arousal, and Reward
Since a major characteristic of an adaptive emotional behavioral response is flexibility, a network that modulates the autonomic, motor, affective and memory changes brought about by different stimuli is needed. The chief upper brainstem structures involved in this modulation are the neurotransmitter pathways arising from the upper raphe nuclei (serotonergic), the ventral tegmental area-substantia nigra pars compacta complex (dopaminergic), and the upper locus coeruleus (noradrenergic), which project widely throughout the hypothalamus, cortex and other parts of the forebrain. In addition, the laterodorsal and the pedunculopontine tegmental nuclei are sources of cholinergic fibers, which stimulate cortical activation through the thalamus. These structures are depicted in Figures 1, 5. Ascending projections from the brainstem to subcortical and cortical structures communicate the states of brainstem structures to more rostral regions of the nervous system, where these states contribute to affective experience. Since these pathways are involved in arousal and in the maintenance of consciousness (Jones, 2003), they are sometimes called the Ascending Reticular Activating System or Ascending Arousal Network (Moruzzi and Magoun, 1949; Edlow et al., 2012). The following sections on the various pathways that comprise the Modulatory network are in large part descriptions of the Ascending Reticular Activating System, albeit with a focus on how these relate to emotion.
FIGURE 5. The nuclei of the Modulatory network. (10) Substantia nigra. (11) Ventral tegmental area. (12) Raphe nuclei. (6) Locus coeruleus. (13) Pedunculopontine nucleus. (14) Laterodorsal tegmental nucleus.
The Valence-Arousal Model of Emotion and Its Critiques
The modulation of affective states by these upper brainstem-based pathways has been expressed through the two domains of valence and arousal. According to the circumplex model of emotions, each basic emotion is postulated to be a combination of these two domains, in differing degrees (Russell, 1980; Zald, 2003; Posner et al., 2009). In humans, valence correlates with pleasantness ratings, heart rate, and facial muscle activity, while arousal correlates with skin conductance, interest ratings and viewing time for stimuli (Lang and Davis, 2006). Both valence and arousal have significant impact on an organism’s relationship with the environment, influencing, for example, the allocation of attention and long term memory formation (Arbib and Fellous, 2004).
Recent work, especially in the neuroimaging literature, has raised questions about whether complex neurological processes like emotions can actually be represented by reducing to dimensions of valence and arousal. Kragel and LaBar (2016), in an interesting review of the nature of brain networks that subserve human emotion, argue that each emotion uniquely correlates with activation of a constellation of cortical and subcortical structures (Kragel and LaBar, 2016), and that the current neuroimaging data do not support the valence-arousal model of emotions. They focused on fMRI studies which have applied novel statistical methods collectively known as multivoxel pattern analysis to identify mappings between mental states and multiple measures of neural activity. The mainstay of earlier neuroimaging research on emotion was univariate pattern analysis, but multivariate analyses have the advantages of higher sensitivity, and the ability to detect counterintuitive relationships because of the lack of reliance on a priori hypotheses. These approaches also have the advantage of overcoming the assumption that dedicated modules or homogeneous neural units subserve each emotion, because they can investigate various neuronal populations at much larger spatial scales.
Kragel and LaBar (2016) suggest that while the use of machine learning approaches to large neuroimaging datasets is likely to expand in the near future, it might be premature to draw conclusions about neural substrates underlying each emotion, because the current studies using multivariate analyses have not all been consistent with one another. These differences may be coming from technical variations in the methods used to induce and assess the emotion and associated neural activations, but might also represent fundamental variations in the circuitry employed in different individuals, or even a lack of emotional “essences” that can be studied in a standardized manner across people and cultures. While this is a valid critique, we believe that the older valence-arousal classification still holds value in furthering our understanding of brainstem contributions to emotions and especially to basic emotions shared with intelligent animals. This debate may eventually be resolved with technical advances in functional neuroimaging and multidisciplinary approaches to studying emotional experiences (Immordino-Yang and Yang, 2017, in press).
Conclusion and Future Directions
The Emotional Experience of Atman as Ananda, Pure Joy, or Pure Bliss. In the final analysis, the study of human emotions involves knowing the Emotional Experience of the human subject by the study of the muscles of Facial Expression.
The brainstem contains several structures that are likely of critical importance in the generation and experience of emotion. Most prior research on human emotion has focused on cortical mechanisms, largely because of the complexity of the brainstem coupled with the difficulty of analyzing brainstem functioning using current technologies. We have provided a conceptual overview of how tegmental structures of the brainstem are involved in emotion-related processes. Future research on the structural and functional connectivity of the human brainstem is needed to further understand its role in emotion. Such work will undoubtedly contribute to a more enriched and nuanced understanding of the neurobiology of human emotion in psychology and in affective neuroscience.
The Gatekeeper of Consciousness as a Mental Experience:
The Emotional Experience of Atman as Ananda, Pure Joy, or Pure Bliss. In the final analysis, all kinds of human emotions are revealed by the muscles of Facial Expression. Illustration of the anatomy of a female human face.
The Reticular Activating System (RAS) of Reticular Formation protects you from information overload by acting as a gatekeeper for your brain. It filters out millions of bits of useless sensory data every second so your conscious mind can focus on what matters.
Reticular Formation is shown as a single ‘red’ bar in this figure. It consists of numerous Brain Stem nuclei. It is a network of nerve pathways and nuclei throughout the Brain Stem. A single neuron in this network may have synapses/connections with as many as 25,000 other neurons/nerve cells.
Man enjoys an existence characterized by Peace, Harmony, and Tranquility, as the Soul, or the Life Principle operates the vital functions of the complex organism without relaying all the information to the cortical areas avoiding information overload. Thereby, Man is protected from a huge information overload that is not compatible with mental peace and equilibrium. In this context of defending existence from the threat of Information overload, it may be said, “Ignorance is Bliss.” The Creator is the Source of Great Knowledge (Sanskrit. Prajnanam) and the access to the realities of the Inner World and the Outer World are selectively restricted to defend the wellbeing of the living creatures.
Behold the Man. “Ecce Homo.” The Emotional Experience of Atman as Ananda, Pure Joy, or Pure Bliss. In the final analysis, all kinds of human emotions are revealed by the muscles of Facial Expression
Dr. Rudranarasimham, Rebbapragada, B.Sc., M.B.B.S.,
Father’s Name: R. Suryanarayana Murty
Sri Venkateswara University, M.B.B.S. Class of April, 1970
Andhra Pradesh Medical Council Medical Registration Number: AMC5282; Date of Registration: September 16, 1971
Whole Foods-Whole Inspiration-Whole LanguageWhole Foods Arrives in Ann Arbor, September 1993Whole Self-Whole Knowing: Whole Foods opened its Store in Ann Arbor on September 16, 1993. Whole Foods, Whole People and Whole Planet inspire Whole Dude to invent Whole Phrases: Whole Linguistics – Whole Language. The concept of Whole Cookie and Whole Love. Whole Dude uses the phrase Whole Linguistics to describe three entities; 1. Language User, 2. Language Interpreter and 3. Language Creator. Image Credit: Agenda Publications, Ann Arbor District Library, Issue Dates, September 1993, December 1997 and February 1998.
Spiritualism – Psychoanalysis and Human Nature. The structure and behavior of things contribute to their individual being and function. To understand human behavior, we may have to know the structure and behavior of the human living matter or substance to which we attach human identity and recognize it as the human person
The structure and behavior of things contribute to their individual being and function. To understand human behavior, we may have to know the structure and behavior of the human living matter or substance to which we attach human identity and recognize it as the human person.
What is Mental Health?
Spiritualism – Psychoanalysis and Human Nature. The structure and behavior of things contribute to their individual being and function. To understand human behavior, we may have to know the structure and behavior of the human living matter or substance to which we attach human identity and recognize it as the human person
Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act, and helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices.
Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood. Over the course of your life, if you experience mental health problems, your thinking, mood, and behavior could be affected.
What is my relationship with Myself? The structure and behavior of things contribute to their individual being and function. To understand human behavior, we may have to know the structure and behavior of the human living matter or substance to which we attach human identity and recognize it as the human person
Psychoanalysis in modern mental health practice
Spiritualism – Psychoanalysis and Human Nature. The structure and behavior of things contribute to their individual being and function. To understand human behavior, we may have to know the structure and behavior of the human living matter or substance to which we attach human identity and recognize it as the human person
By Jessica Like any discipline, psychoanalysis has evolved considerably since its inception by Freud over a century ago, and a multitude of different psychoanalytic traditions and schools of theory and practice now exist. However, some of Freud’s original ideas, such as the dynamic unconscious, a developmental approach, defence mechanisms, and transference and countertransference remain essential tenets of psychoanalytic thinking to this day.
Introduction Freud’s vision for psychoanalysis was ambitious. Psychoanalysis was not merely a mode of treatment, but a metapsychology—a new scientific discipline in its own right—based on its “procedure for the investigation of mental processes that are almost inaccessible in any other way”.1 Although Freud did not discover the unconscious, 2 one of his greatest achievements was to make it the main object of investigation. This unconscious is dynamic, comprised of shifting feelings, fantasies, conflicts, memories, and desires that motivate our conscious thoughts and manifest behaviour, and which can be glimpsed through the window of dreams, but are kept out of consciousness by the force of repression because of their unacceptability to the social, moral, and ethical values of civilized thought. Although its nature has been much debated, the existence of a dynamic unconscious continues to constitute one of the fundamental underpinnings of psychoanalytic theory and practice to this day.
Man’s Essence and Man’s Existence:
The Vitruvian Man c. 1492. The painting by Leonardo da Vinci displays the spirit of scientific inquiry. Could we know and understand the human nature or the man’s essence by investigating the man’s mind using the psychoanalytic principles? How does the man exist? What is the basis for the man’s Existence? If there are hidden mental entities, how could they help or support the man’s existence? How could the man display his essence if his existence is not supported? Spiritualism is that potency that sustains the human existence and is reflected as human nature in the structures and functions of the human being.
What is man? The tradition of knowing oneself is a longer tradition than any other Science. This is a study in which the Knower and the Known are one. The object of the scientific inquiry is the nature of the scientist. The motivation to know man comes from a statement expressed in the Sanskrit language, “Sarvesham Svastir Bhavatu” which seeks the well-being of all the men of all races, of all cultures, of all religions, and of all nations.
Spiritualism – Psychoanalysis and Human Nature. The structure and behavior of things contribute to their individual being and function. To understand human behavior, we may have to know the structure and behavior of the human living matter or substance to which we attach human identity and recognize it as the human person
Our efforts to support the well-being of man would be affected by our ability to discover the universal principles that describe the ‘real’ or ‘true’ nature of man. All human literary, philosophical, religious, and scientific traditions make assumptions about human nature.
The basic assumption about human nature is that of finding it displayed in feelings, thoughts, moods, and mental states of the human individual from where human actions and behavior proceed. All such actions and behaviors that emanate from mental states show individualistic variations.
It will not be easy to discover universal principles that could clearly establish the basis of true and real human nature by simply studying human mind and its functions.
The structure and behavior of things contribute to their individual being and function. To understand human behavior, we may have to know the structure and behavior of the human living matter or substance to which we attach human identity and recognize it as the human person.
I describe the human nature from the functional characteristics that are observable in biotic interactions of cells, tissues, organs and organ systems formed and developed by the human living matter and constitute the human organism. Man is a multicellular organism, and I discover the human nature of a subject who objectively exists because of the living functions of cells, tissues, organs and organ systems that provide the biological basis for that existence. In this context, I have explored the theories shared by biologist Konrad Lorenz, psychologist Dr. B.F. Skinner, philosopher Jean Paul Sartre and now I would like to review the Theory of psychoanalysis formulated by Dr. Sigmund Freud. It must be noted that all of them and several others have explained the human nature without explaining the connection between the nature that is observed and the biological basis for the existence of the human individual whose behavior and actions they have studied.
Psychoanalysis and the Principle of Determinism:
Dr. Sigmund Freud (1856 to 1939) claims, “No knowledge can be obtained from Revelation, Intuition, or Inspiration.” However, he reasons that knowledge could be obtained from unseen and unobservable mental entities whose existence cannot be tested empirically.
Dr. Sigmund Freud is known as the creator of Psychoanalysis. He is the author of several books; The Interpretation of Dreams (1900), The Psychopathology of Everyday Life (1901), Three Essays on the Theory of Sexuality (1905), Five Lectures on Psycho-Analysis (1909), Introductory Lectures on Psycho-Analysis (1915 -1917), Beyond the Pleasure Principle (1920), The Ego and the Id (1923), The Future of an Illusion (1927), An Outline of Psycho-Analysis (1938), and others. He assumes that all phenomena are determined by the laws of Physics and Chemistry. He considers that man is a product of Natural Evolution and is subject to the same laws of mechanistic principles.Dr. Freud claims, “No knowledge can be obtained from Revelation, Intuition, or Inspiration.” However, he reasons that knowledge could be obtained from unseen and unobservable mental entities whose existence cannot be tested empirically.
Spiritualism – Psychoanalysis and Human Nature. The structure and behavior of things contribute to their individual being and function. To understand human behavior, we may have to know the structure and behavior of the human living matter or substance to which we attach human identity and recognize it as the human person
According to Freud, every event has preceding sufficient causes within the realm of the mind. He investigated for hidden causes in a person’s mind. Freud suggests that there are uncontrollable causes in every individual’s mind that determine the choices the individual makes. Freud contends that the mind includes ‘unconscious’ items of which the person has no ordinary knowledge. Freud postulates that the ‘unconscious’ mental state is dynamic in nature and that it actively exerts pressures and influences on what a person is and what he does. Freud coined the term Psychoanalysis to describe both the theories of Personality and the method of treating mental illness. Freud profoundly influenced man’s view of himself. Psychoanalysis involves the possibility of ‘unconscious’ mental states which have causal effects on people’s mental life. Psychoanalysis is based upon the idea that people could suffer from some idea or memory or emotion of which they are not conscious, but from which they could be cured by somehow bringing it into consciousness. Freud applied Psychoanalytic theory to the whole of normal mental life, not just to pathological conditions. He evolved a method of treatment to address the problems of neurotic mental disorders. The Freudian concept thus describes the powerful influence of the ‘unconscious’ mind on conscious thought and behavior and the equally powerful influence of the apparently forgotten past on the present.
Spiritualism vs PsychoanalysisSpiritualism vs PsychoanalysisSpiritualism – Psychoanalysis and Human Nature. The structure and behavior of things contribute to their individual being and function. To understand human behavior, we may have to know the structure and behavior of the human living matter or substance to which we attach human identity and recognize it as the human person
Apart from using terms such as ‘unconscious’, ‘preconscious’, and ‘conscious’, he distinguished three major structural systems within the human mind or personality; the ‘id’ which contains all the instinctual drives seeking immediate satisfaction, the ‘ego’ which deals with the real world outside the person, mediating between ‘ego’ and the ‘id’, and the ‘superego’, a special part of the ‘ego’ which contains the conscience, the social norms acquired in childhood. Whatever can become ‘conscious’ or items that could be ‘preconscious’ is in the ‘ego’ and everything in the ‘id’ is permanently ‘unconscious’. Freud’s concept of man includes his theory of the ‘instincts’ or ‘drives’, the motive forces within the mind. Freud also shares the historical theory of individual human character and the adult character depends upon the experience of infancy and childhood. Freud says that individual well-being or mental health depends on a harmonious relationship between the various parts of the mind and between the person and the real world in which man has to live.
When we apply the Psychoanalytic theory to verify the contents of man’s ‘conscious’ or ‘unconscious’ mind, the basic assumption of Freud that man is governed by laws of Physics and Chemistry gets disproved. Human beings are vastly different from the entities studied by Physics and Chemistry. Psychoanalysis could only have individualistic applications. Psychoanalysis does not provide data that could be further tested empirically. We cannot test the usefulness or judge the efficacy of Psychoanalytic treatment in the same manner that is used to evaluate other therapeutic interventions.
Dr. Sigmund Freud uses terms such as ‘preconscious’, ‘conscious’, and ‘unconscious’ without explaining the anatomical and physiological basis to describe the mental function. Consciousness has two components, 1. The Contents of Consciousness, and 2. The Capacity of Consciousness. Freud is concerned with only consciousness that is projected to the cortical areas of the brain and ignores as to how consciousness is composed by the Reticular Formation and other nuclei in the Brain Stem. Apart from being a neurological function, each living individual cell is conscious and is aware of the fact of its existence, it knows its internal condition and it reacts and responds to the conditions of its external environment.
Spiritualism and Consciousness:
Dr. Sigmund Freud uses terms such as ‘preconscious’, ‘conscious’, and ‘unconscious’ without explaining the anatomical and physiological basis to describe the mental function. Consciousness has two components, 1. The Contents of Consciousness, and 2. The Capacity of Consciousness. Freud is concerned with only consciousness that is projected to the cortical areas of the brain and ignores as to how consciousness is composed by the Reticular Formation and other nuclei in the Brain Stem. Apart from being a neurological function, each living individual cell is conscious and is aware of the fact of its existence, it knows its internal condition and it reacts and responds to the conditions of its external environment.
I explain ‘Spiritualism’ as the potency that is observed by the presence of consciousness in any given living organism or living cell. It is the chief biological characteristic of living matter. Spiritualism is the power that causes consciousness and awareness that is exhibited in the biological properties of living matter; biological properties such as Motion, Nutrition, and Reproduction by Cell Division. Spiritualism is the biological basis for human existence and it explains human nature which is expressed as an internal, mutually beneficial partnership, relationship, association, connection, and bonding between the cells, the tissues, and the organ systems of the human organism and the Whole Organism that represents the Human Person in the world he lives. Clinical Medicine provides the opportunities to promote the well-being of all people as it includes the principle of verification of the objective, biological basis of human existence.
Dr. Freud may explain as to why a man may choose to drink alcohol or use tobacco. But, his Psychoanalysis will not determine the behavior, action, and response of the man’s liver, heart, lungs, blood vessels and other cells, tissues, and organ systems to the choices that the man makes. While man makes mental choices for his actions and behavior, he has no freedom, no free will to make choices on behalf of his cells, tissues, and organ systems. While Freud lays the emphasis on a harmonious relationship between the various parts of the mind and between the person, I speak about harmonious relationships in the Whole Person and not simply between a few unobservable mental entities.
We need a theory that recognizes the spiritual nature of man’s living matter and the spiritual relationships that it formulates while developing and building the very complex multicellular human organism.
Sri Venkateswara University, M.B.B.S. Class of April, 1970
Andhra Pradesh Medical Council Medical Registration Number: AMC5282; Date of Registration: September 16, 1971
Whole Foods (the concept of Anna Purna), Whole People, and Whole Planet come together in a Wholesome Relationship as God is the Energy Provider, the Original Source of Matter and Energy for Life.
Whole Foods-Whole Inspiration-Whole LanguageWhole Foods Arrives in Ann Arbor, September 1993The Whole Connection-Whole Philosophy-Whole Spirituality: Whole Foods opened its Store in Ann Arbor on September 16, 1993. Whole Foods, Whole People and Whole Planet inspire Whole Dude to invent Whole Phrases: Whole Linguistics – Whole Language. The concept of Whole Cookie and Whole Love. Whole Dude uses the phrase Whole Linguistics to describe three entities; 1. Language User, 2. Language Interpreter and 3. Language Creator. Image Credit: Agenda Publications, Ann Arbor District Library, Issue Dates, September 1993, December 1997 and February 1998.Spiritualism – Psychoanalysis and Human Nature. The structure and behavior of things contribute to their individual being and function. To understand human behavior, we may have to know the structure and behavior of the human living matter or substance to which we attach human identity and recognize it as the human personThe Ground Substance of Spiritualism and Spirituality. The vital characteristics, the animating principles of Protoplasm could be known by observing Amoeba proteus. The Living Substance works as an organ of Motion or Movement, as an organ of Nutrition, and as an organ of Reproduction to generate new cells which have a life span of their own. In these physiological functions, I describe the characteristics such as Cognition, Consciousness, Memory, and Intelligence which have a Spiritual role as they bring functional unity and harmony in the interactions between different parts of the same individual organism while it exists in an environment as a member of a biological community.
Spirituality from the perspective of Cognitive Biology. Cognition is a natural, biological function of all living things and of all the individual blocks of Life called Cells. To understand the human person as a Spiritual being, we need to know and understand the Spiritual nature of Living Matter or Living Substance and describe its Cognitive abilities.
The term cognition is derived from Latin word ‘cognitio’ which means knowledge which is related to the Latin word ‘cognoscere (co-, together + gnoscere, know) which means the act or process of knowing.To understand the human person as a Spiritual being, we need to know and understand the Spiritual nature of Living Matter or Living Substance and describe its Cognitive abilities.
Cognitive Science involves the study of all human activities related to knowledge. These activities include attention, creativity, memory, perception, problem solving, thinking, and the use of language. Cognition is the process involved in knowing, or the act of knowing which includes awareness and judgment. Cognition is often viewed as a psychological function and its nature is described as the relationship between the knowing mind and external reality.
The Cognitive Science of Spirituality that I describe is related to the cognitive abilities of a living cell or living organism; the abilities such as recognition, responsiveness, communication using signals, memory, ability to process, store, retrieve, and use information that could be innate or acquired, the ability of adaptation to changing internal or external environmental conditions, and the fact of awareness of its own existence; the awareness of its internal condition, and the awareness of its external environment.
Amoeba proteus and Cognitive Science of Spirituality : To understand the human person as a Spiritual being, we need to know and understand the Spiritual nature of Living Matter or Living Substance and describe its Cognitive abilities.
The purpose of Cognitive Science of Spirituality is not that of describing a cognitive theory of human personality. The Behavioral Science is primarily involved in the study of stimuli and responses; it observes human activities particularly social behavior and not that of higher mental processes which are not available to direct examination. While Cognitive Science is concerned with mind’s ability to acquire, process, store, and use information, the information processed need not be represented in cortical awareness. Cognitive Psychology does not rely on conscious introspection or mental reflection.
The Cognitive Science of Spirituality that I describe does not involve acts of Meditation or mental introspection to discover the spiritual nature of man. In my analysis, Spirituality can be understood without regard to the machinery of brain/mind’s information processing. The organism that we all know as Amoeba (Greek word – ‘Amoibe’ which means change) is a spiritual entity as it is Conscious or Aware of its existence, it shows responsiveness by changing its shape as it likes, it is Intelligent for it uses, processes, stores, retrieves, and uses information to perform its metabolic functions, and it displays abilities such as adaptation and memory of its acquired experience. I tend to view these biological functions and characteristics as an attribute of the spiritual nature of its living substance and this spiritual nature brings functional harmony to sustain its existence as a biological entity.
The Theory of Knowledge and The Cognitive Science of Spirituality:
Bertrand Arthur William Russel, b. May. 18, 1872, d. February. 02, 1970. English logician and philosopher, best known for his work in mathematical logic, his advocacy of both Pacifism and Nuclear Disarmament. He received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1950.
The Spirituality that I describe is not about religious faith or belief and the Spirituality that I write about is not concerned with religious practices or rituals. I claim that man is a Spiritual being because of the spiritual nature of his living matter or living substance.
It is important to know that Russell was determined not to be beguiled by human pretensions to knowledge. He had never supported unbacked assumptions either about the foundations of knowledge or about what may be said to exist. He endorsed application of rationality to all aspects of human thought and language. He was seriously concerned with application of logical analysis to epistemological questions and attacked this problem by trying to breakdown human knowledge into minimum statements that were verifiable by empirical observation, reason, and logic. He was convinced that all knowledge is dependent on sense experience. His primary aim was to inquire with skeptical intent, “how much we can be said to know and with what degree of certainty or doubtfulness.” In 1898, with Trinity Fellow G.E. Moore, he rebelled against Idealism and became an Empiricist, a Positivist, and a Physical Realist or a Materialist. He held that the scientific view of the world is largely the correct view. He addressed the problem of the pretensions of human knowledge in his books, An Inquiry into Meaning and Truth (1940) and Human Knowledge, Its Scope and Limits (1948). His aim was also analytic and he assumed that it is possible to infer something about the world from the language in which it is correctly described. Russell analyzed that language must be used to state its minimum requirements, its atomic facts and avoid the use of descriptive phrases which may postulate the existence of objects. He held that a proposition is a picture of the facts that it asserts and must have in a sense the same structure. He stressed importance of similarity of structure as a criterion in inferring causal relationships. In a Lecture titled ‘Why I am not a Christian’ given on March 06, 1927, Russell explained the nature of his beliefs about God and Mortality. In his opinion and personal belief, he held the view that Life suitable to Protoplasm could be possible under certain physical conditions like temperature.
Russell’s speculative assumption about the existence of Life or Protoplasm is not supported by scientific evidence. He had no scientific data to support his view. The ideal conditions for Life and Protoplasm exist now and what we know is that Life is always born from previously existing Life. However, he had concluded his Lecture by stating that, “it needs hope for the future……., the future that our intelligence can create.” His assumption that human intelligence is the basis for man’s biological existence is incorrect and is not consistent with the scientific reality about human existence and its nature. At a very fundamental level, man’s ability to acquire energy from an external source in the physical environment does not depend upon his physical or mental work or effort. If green plants with Chloroplasts have ability to trap Sun’s energy, it could not be attributed to man’s intelligence and the fact of Chloroplasts and their ability is not dependent on man having any kind of intelligence. Russell’s theoretical claims have no relationship with observational evidence and his opinions could be easily refuted for lack of validity.
Physical Sciences and Biological Sciences provide accepted body of information about the world and human body. We need to arrange this information into a meaningful pattern and interpret it to describe the reality. The purpose of Cognitive Science of Spirituality is to describe and codify observations and experiences to explain the biological basis for human organism in its given environment as an individual, and as a member of a biological community.
Sri Venkateswara University, M.B.B.S. Class of April, 1970
Andhra Pradesh Medical Council Medical Registration Number: AMC5282; Date of Registration: September 16, 1971
Whole Foods (the concept of Anna Purna), Whole People, and Whole Planet come together in a Wholesome Relationship as God is the Energy Provider, the Original Source of Matter and Energy for Life.
Whole Foods-Whole Inspiration-Whole LanguageWhole Foods Arrives in Ann Arbor, September 1993Whole Philosophy-Whole Spirituality: Whole Foods opened its Store in Ann Arbor on September 16, 1993. Whole Foods, Whole People and Whole Planet inspire Whole Dude to invent Whole Phrases: Whole Linguistics – Whole Language. The concept of Whole Cookie and Whole Love. Whole Dude uses the phrase Whole Linguistics to describe three entities; 1. Language User, 2. Language Interpreter and 3. Language Creator. Image Credit: Agenda Publications, Ann Arbor District Library, Issue Dates, September 1993, December 1997 and February 1998.Whole Philosophy – Whole Spirituality: I ask my readers to define the term consciousness as a biological function, the characteristic of the living things that signifies the existence of its living matter or the corporeal substance.
Spirituality from the perspective of Cognitive Biology. Cognition is a natural, biological function of all living things and of all the individual blocks of Life called Cells.The Law of Biogenesis states that organisms arise only by the reproduction of other organisms. This cell known as Oocyte develops into Human Ovum or Egg Cell which begins the life of a new human organism after an event called Fertilization.
The Human Egg Cell is conscious of its state of existence. It is goal-oriented and it serves the purpose of the Whole Organism (Mother) and displays functional subordination. If the Egg Cell is not fertilized, it has no further purpose, and it gets expelled from the body. It displays no tendency towards implantation or getting embedded into the maternal tissue to continue its existence.
The Human Egg Cell is conscious of its state of existence. It is goal-oriented and it serves the purpose of the Whole Organism (Mother) and displays functional subordination. If the Egg Cell is not fertilized, it has no further purpose, and it gets expelled from the body. It displays no tendency towards implantation or getting embedded into the maternal tissue to continue its existence.
The journey of a fertilized egg cell begins in the fallopian tube where a sperm cell unites with an egg to form a single-cell zygote.
SPIRITUALITY SCIENCE – CELLULAR BASIS OF SPIRITUAL FUNCTIONS – HUMAN OVUM, STRUCTURE AND FUNCTIONS.
Fertilization and Cell Division
Zygote formation: When a single sperm penetrates the outer layer of the egg, their genetic material combines.
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Mitosis begins: The newly formed zygote undergoes rapid cell division, splitting into two cells, then four, and continuing to multiply as it moves.
4 cells. 2 cells. morula. day 7. blastocyst. zygote. inner cell. mass of. blastocyst. Fertilization occurs. within the uterine. tube. sperm. embryo. day 0. The blastocyst. implants in the. uterus. ovary. ovulated egg. muscle layer. uterine wall. endometrium. (a) The first week of development.
Moving down the tube: The newly formed embryo is moved toward the uterus by peristalsis and the movements of cilia of the Fallopian Tube. The movements of cilia demonstrate the ability called locomotion, a characteristic of the living substance called Protoplasm. Mother has no cortical awareness of the fact of conception and the movement of the embryo toward the uterus. Over the course of 3 to 4 days, the dividing cluster of cells travels slowly down the fallopian tube toward the uterus.
Blastocyst Formation
Fertilization of an egg by a sperm, conception occurs in the oviduct. Cleavage (cell division) begins in the oviduct. as the embryo is moved. toward the uterus. by peristalsis and the. movements of cilia. 3. Cleavage continues. By the time the embryo. reaches the uterus, it is a ball of cells. It floats in the uterus for. several days, nourished by. endometrial secretions. It. becomes a blastocyst. 4. Ovary. Uterus. Endometrium. From ovulation to implantation. Inner cell mass. Cavity. Blastocyst. Trophoblast. (a) Implantation of blastocyst. (b) Fertilization occurs. A sperm. enters the oocyte; meiosis of. the oocyte finishes; and the. nuclei of the ovum and sperm. fuse, producing a zygote. 2. Ovulation releases a. secondary oocyte, which. enters the oviduct. 1. The blastocyst implants. in the endometrium. about 7 days after conception. 5.
Hollow ball of cells: By day 5, the collection of cells transforms into a structure called a blastocyst.
Hatching: Around day 6, the microscopic cluster emerges from its protective outer shell, preparing to attach to the body’s nutrient supply.
Implantation in the Uterus
Man’s life journey begins as an Embryo which gets implanted into the maternal tissues by about 6 days after its conception. Thus, mother is the source of Food and Energy to establish human life. Man has no existence in the absence of this positive Intraspecific Interaction between Embryo and Mother.
Reaching the uterus: About 7 days after conception, the blastocyst arrives in the uterus, which has thickened its lining of blood vessels.
Attachment: The cluster burrows into the uterine lining in a process called implantation.
Sign of pregnancy: Once implanted, the cells begin producing human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), the hormone detected by pregnancy tests.
Consciousness fundamentally involves awareness of one’s own existence. For example, Amoeba proteus is aware or conscious of its own living condition at any given time, and place of its existence.
The Ground Substance of Spiritualism and Spirituality. The vital characteristics, the animating principles of Protoplasm could be known by observing Amoeba proteus. The Living Substance works as an organ of Motion or Movement, as an organ of Nutrition, and as an organ of Reproduction to generate new cells which have a life span of their own. In these physiological functions, I describe the characteristics such as Cognition, Consciousness, Memory, and Intelligence which have a Spiritual role as they bring functional unity and harmony in the interactions between different parts of the same individual organism while it exists in an environment as a member of a biological community.
The Ground Substance of Spiritualism and Spirituality. The vital characteristics, the animating principles of Protoplasm are known by observing Amoeba proteus. The Living Substance works as an organ of Motion or Movement, as an organ of Nutrition, and as an organ of Reproduction to generate new cells which have a life span of their own. In these physiological functions, I describe the characteristics such as Cognition, Consciousness, Memory, and Intelligence which have a Spiritual role as they bring functional unity and harmony in the interactions between different parts of the same individual organism while it exists in an environment as a member of a biological community.
Consciousness may include awareness of thoughts, moods, and feelings and yet it is not mental function. Consciousness is biological function, a characteristic of all living cells. In Clinical Medicine, consciousness is always evaluated and it does not involve taking educational, or occupational history. What you are is described by Science called Anatomy, and what you do is described by Science called Physiology. If Life is defined as ‘Knowledge in Action’, this Knowledge is not experience acquired by cells of human body through man’s learning process.
Life’s Journey relates to functional ability called locomotion which depends on the nature of living, corporeal substance called protoplasm, or cytoplasm which always exists in perpetual state of motion.
To speak of human consciousness or self-awareness, the discussion demands knowing Egg Cell as conscious entity.
The Biological Clock: Every Living System behaves as if it contains a highly dependable ‘CLOCK’. It is a self-sustained internal timing mechanism that controls the ability of an organism to synchronize its existence with events in its internal and external environment.Such Time-Dependent variability in Function is called a Biological Rhythm.
This living condition in perpetual motion is synchronized with the rotational spin of Earth that provides alternating periods of Light and Darkness called Day and Night while the Sun shines all the time. No instant during the entire period of one’s Life Journey is the same as another instant. Each living instant remains unique, or one of its own kind as no instant can repeat itself. During Life’s Journey, man has no consciousness or awareness of motion of his own living substance and has no consciousness or awareness of the motions of Earth. Man may have intellectual understanding of motions performed by his living substance and of Earth on which he finds his existence. This intellectual ability does not provide direct sensory experience of Journey performed by Living Substance or Earth. For that reason, I suggest that the “Journey” from point A to point B on the surface of Earth that man performs is predestined for man has no ability to control either motion of his living substance or motion of his earthly abode.
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The Cell Theory is verified Science; Cells are the Building Blocks of Life.
This Egg Cell begins Life’s Journey from the instant called Ovulation, later, Conception until another instant called Implantation. Does this Journey from Ovulation, Conception, to Implantation requires Consciousness or Self-Awareness?
This Egg Cell begins Life’s Journey from the instant called Ovulation, later, Conception until another instant called Implantation. Does this Journey from Ovulation, Conception, to Implantation requires Consciousness or Self-Awareness?
Sri Venkateswara University, M.B.B.S. Class of April, 1970
Andhra Pradesh Medical Council Medical Registration Number: AMC5282; Date of Registration: September 16, 1971
Whole Philosophy – Whole Spirituality: I ask my readers to define the term consciousness as a biological function, the characteristic of the living things that signifies the existence of its living matter or the corporeal substance.
Whole Philosophy-Whole Spirituality: Whole Foods opened its Store in Ann Arbor on September 16, 1993. Whole Foods, Whole People and Whole Planet inspire Whole Dude to invent Whole Phrases: Whole Linguistics-Whole Language, Whole conversation, Whole Cookie, Whole Love and others. Whole Dude uses the phrase Whole Linguistics to describe three entities; 1. Language User, 2. Language Interpreter and 3. Language Creator. Image Credit: Agenda Publications, Ann Arbor District Library, Issue Dates, September 1993, December 1997 and February 1998
Many traditions in the East propose that consciousness without content is possible and could be achieved with mental training. In my analysis, the concept of consciousness without contents is irrational and invalid.
Consciousness is the natural principle, the vital principle that moves and animates all Life. It has a set of defining features; it is the principle by which a living cell or organism knows the fact of its own existence, it knows as to where it exists, and knows as to how it is existing.
Consciousness describes the condition of an individual; the condition of knowing, awareness, or recognizing the fact, the state, and the act of existence or living in a given environment. Thus, consciousness is a natural principle that could explain what an individual knows and experiences about the world around one and inside one.
There are two aspects of consciousness that is registered subjectively by an individual; 1. Consciousness is a state of knowing or awareness of what goes on around an individual, and 2. Consciousness is a state of knowing or awareness of what goes on within the individual.
Consciousness is an absolute attribute of Life; it is the fundamental characteristic of living matter or living substance described as Protoplasm or Cytoplasm, the essential living matter or material substance of all animal, and plant cells. Wherever Protoplasm is found, irrespective of the size, shape, and form of the cell or of the living organism, the contents of its consciousness could be discovered.
Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes, Professor of Anatomy and Physiology, Dean of the Harvard Medical School 1847-1882. “To live is to function and that is all there is in living.” Life is defined by the nature of its living functions. Consciousness is the absolute characteristic of all living functions and so I define Life as “Knowledge in Action.”
What is Consciousness?
Why is this baby crying? Is it hunger? Is it thirst? Is it a wet diaper? Is it earache? Is it fever? Is it too hot? Is it too cold? Is it gripes or colic? Is it to get attention? Is it consciousness? The baby is aware of something. The baby is aware of its existence in an environment and is also aware of its internal condition.
Consciousness is described as a state of knowing, or awareness, or recognizing the existence, truth, or fact of ‘something’. What is that ‘something’ that is known or recognized by consciousness? I propose to explore the contents of consciousness to answer the question of What is Consciousness?
Consciousness is a Sense Experience:
What is Consciousness? Is it awareness of Sense Perception? Is it awareness of Thought? Is it awareness of Mood and Feeling? Is it awareness of Existence? Can there be any Perception without Existence? What is that Exists and Knows that it Exists?The Neural Correlates of consciousness defined by Mormann & Koch explores consciousness as a sense experience. It fails to understand the Totality of Consciousness.
Consciousness is generally viewed as a form of relationship or act of the mind towards objects in nature. Consciousness has been described as a continuous field or stream of mental sense-data. Some biologists and neurophysiologists view consciousness as a brain function and describe it as an exclusive function of the nerve cells; neuronal and axonal function. Dr. Florian Mormann and Dr. Christof Koch have defined Neural Correlates of Consciousness (Florian Mormann & Christof Koch (2007) NCC, Scholarpedia 2(12):1740) as the minimal neuronal mechanisms jointly sufficient for any one specific conscious percept. Further, Mormann & Koch state that, “Consciousness is a puzzling, state-dependent property of certain types of complex, biological, adaptive, and highly connected systems. A Science of Consciousness must strive to explain the exact relationship between phenomenal, mental states and brain states.” They have posed the question: ” What is the nature of the relationship between the immaterial, conscious mind and its physical basis in the electrochemical interactions in the body? The answer to this question is very simple. Consciousness is related to a material substance that is called Protoplasm and electrochemical interactions in the body describe the properties of this living substance or material. The brain cells and all other cells have the same basic features; they are constituted by Protoplasm which has a Biological Membrane to define the limits of the Cell. Mormann & Koch also erroneously suggest that, “Only a few particular systems can experience anything, why they are Conscious and other systems such as the enteric nervous system or the immune system are not Conscious.” The enteric nervous system does in fact provide a wide range of conscious experiences. A baby would respond with a cry when it experiences gripes or colic. In the practice of Clinical Medicine, evaluation of pain as a symptom and as a diagnostic clinical sign plays a very significant role. The pain experienced by an individual with gastrointestinal, or genitourinary problems, or from inflammation of tissues and organs, and from problems with skeleton and musculature is registered by consciousness. The immune system behaves in a conscious manner and displays specificity, selectivity, and memory.
A Living Cell is a highly complex, biological, adaptive, and highly connected system known in the Natural Science. A simple understanding of various cell functions would explain this issue. For example, mitochondria are organelles found within most cells which provide the cells with energy. Extensive protein translocation occurs in mitochondria where about one thousand different polypeptides are imported from the cytosol. This event is orchestrated by distinct translocation machineries in the outer and the inner mitochondrial membranes. Mitochondria display functional awareness and perform the task of oxidising sugars and fats in a deliberate, and sequential manner that involves the use of different enzymes to facilitate each chemical reaction.
Consciousness of Body Posture or Postural Awareness.
Proprioception is your body’s ability to sense its own position and movements. It’s an automatic or subconscious process. Proprioception allows your brain to know the position of your body in space without having to rely on visual input alone. It’s also crucial to maintaining balance.
Proprioception is your body’s ability to sense its own position and movements. It’s an automatic or subconscious process. Proprioception allows your brain to know the position of your body in space without having to rely on visual input alone. It’s also crucial to maintaining balance.
Kinesthesia, or kinesthesis, is the ability to use proprioception and other functions to generate body movement and learn a variety of physical skills. Kinesthesia is a behavioral process that allows your body to detect a movement and learn how to improve on the movement.
Proprioception and kinesthesia make it possible to do a variety of tasks, like tossing something in the trash or eating food with a spoon. It’s also essential for complex skills, like doing a backflip on a balance beam. Without this complex sense, life would look and feel pretty different.
Examples of proprioception
Examples of automatic proprioception and kinesthesia include:
If you’re walking on a gravel driveway that has large, uneven stones, your body adjusts the muscle tension in your feet and legs to maintain your balance and walk smoothly
If you have an itch on your nose, your brain and body know how to effortlessly bring your arm and hand to your nose to scratch it without looking at your arm or needing to see your nose.
If you’re holding a heavy object, your body knows how much strength (force) you need to hold it while maintaining your overall balance.
Kinesthesia, or kinesthesis, is the ability to use proprioception and other functions to generate body movement and learn a variety of physical skills. Kinesthesia is a behavioral process that allows your body to detect a movement and learn how to improve on the movement.
Proprioception and kinesthesia make it possible to do a variety of tasks, like tossing something in the trash or eating food with a spoon. It’s also essential for complex skills, like doing a backflip on a balance beam. Without this complex sense, life would look and feel pretty different.
Key Facts About Proprioception
How it works: Tiny sensors called proprioceptors in your muscles, tendons, and joints send signals to your brain.
Other inputs: Your brain combines these signals with information from your eyes and inner ear.
Automatic control: Much of this positioning happens without you having to actively think about it.
Everyday examples: It lets you walk without looking at your feet or touch your nose with your eyes closed.
Consciousness is a bodily experience called Homeostasis:
SPIRITUALITY SCIENCE – WHOLE DYNAMICS – WHOLE EQUILIBRIUM: IN MAN, HEALTH IS RELATIVE EQUILIBRIUM OF BODY FORM AND FUNCTION WHICH RESULTS FROM ITS SUCCESSFUL DYNAMIC ADJUSTMENT TO FORCES TENDING TO DISTURB IT.
Apart from thoughts, intellect, feelings, moods, and perception of various sensory information, man is aware of the fact of and the state or condition of his physical existence. Man is aware or Conscious of hunger, thirst, and sexual drive. Man is aware of vital functions like respiration, and circulation. Man is alerted and often reacts with a sense of fear when these vital functions are disturbed or threatened in a significant manner. Consciousness or awareness includes awareness of bodily functions such as appetite, lack of appetite, nausea, vomiting sensation, deglutition (the act of swallowing food and drink), satiation, and the functions of excretion and the associated sensations like the fullness of the bladder, and rectum.
Claude Bernard (b. July 12, 1813 – d. February 10, 1878), French Physiologist was the first ever scientist of France who was granted a national funeral. He developed the concept of “MILIEU INTERIEUR” or internal environment of the Organism. He played a role in establishing the principles of experimentation in the Life Sciences to become one of the founders of experimental Medicine. Bernard’s historic role was to demonstrate the experimenter’s need to a guiding hypothesis to be either confirmed or refuted by the results of the experiment.
The human organism has awareness of its internal condition such as the state of hydration, water and electrolyte balance, and acid/base balance. The chemical events collectively called “metabolism” require concentration of hydrogen ions and electrolytes to remain within narrow limits in the tissue cells and in the fluids which bathes them. Body responds to both volume changes and changes in the osmotic pressure of the body fluids. Life is possible only if the hydrogen ion concentration of body fluids is kept within a narrow range. In health, a blood hydrogen ion concentration of 36-44 nmol/liter or pH 7.37 – 7.45 is maintained by several closely integrated but widely differing mechanisms. 19th century French physiologist Claude Bernard had defined “Homeostasis” as “all the vital mechanisms, varied as they are, have only one object; that of preserving constant the conditions of life.” All living things maintain a constant internal environment or Internal Milieu. Living cells and organisms are aware or conscious of the environment in which they exist as well as the state of their own internal environment making possible to witness this phenomenon of Homeostasis.
Consciousness is a Cellular Experience:
All the solid tissues in the human body consist of cells that are essentially similar to an Ovum.
Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes, the former Dean of Harvard Medical School defines Life by stating, “To live is to function and that is all there is in living.” Who or what is the subject who lives because of its living functions? Consciousness is a cellular experience of the cells of the brain and the body. It is an experience shared by the Whole Organism. It is an experience shared by all the living cells. The living functions of cells include uptake and conversion of nutrients, synthesis of new molecules, production of energy, and regulation and coordination of metabolic sequences apart from function of reproduction by asexual cell division. All the solid tissues in the human body can be shown to consist largely of similar cells, differing it is true, but that are essentially similar to an ovum. The most significant feature of similarity between the cells is presence of a soft, gelatinous, semi-fluid, granular material inside the cell. This substance known as Protoplasm is similar to that found in the ovum or the egg cell. This viscous, translucent, colloidal substance is enclosed in a membrane called Plasma Membrane or Biological Membrane. A small, spherical body called nucleus is embedded in the protoplasm. The protoplasm could be differentiated into cytoplasm/cytosol, and nucleoplasm based upon its location. Cytoplasm refers to protoplasm located outside the nucleus. Nucleoplasm refers to the protoplasm located inside the nucleus. The two essential features of any living cell in the human body are that of presence of protoplasm and the nucleus. The most striking characteristics of protoplasm are its vital properties of “Motion,” and “Nutrition.” Protoplasm has the intrinsic power to change its shape and position and the motion is described as amoeboid movement as the motion is similar to the motion that is observed in Amoeba proteus. Nutrition is the power which protoplasm has of attracting or drawing the materials that are necessary for its growth and maintenance from surrounding matter/environment. Nutrition is not a passive, unguided, and physical event. The Biological Membrane or the Plasma Membrane allows a highly controlled exchange of matter across the barrier it poses; some compounds are able to pass through the Membrane easily, others are completely blocked. The Biological Membrane helps to maintain cell’s internal environment or constant interior milieu in which intracellular reactions occur. To maintain life, the cell not only repairs or replaces, (or both) its structures by continual synthesis of new organic molecules. This is characteristic of functional awareness or consciousness that is at work at the cellular level. The human organism uses a repair process and it is described as Inflammation and Repair. Wound healing, and hemostasis (or controlling blood leakage or bleeding from an injured blood vessel) are natural mechanisms operated by Cellular Consciousness. Human existence is possible because of this valuable and protective healing process which comes into immediate play after an injury or damage. Similarly, the human organism defines its identity and defends its existence by deploying unique protein molecules such as the antibodies. Antibodies recognize their antigens or foreign protein molecules with high affinity and extreme selectivity. The ability to develop specific immunity to infection is only one consequence of a wider capacity in the individual to recognize and to specifically respond to the foreignness of an extensive range of biological substances that are not normally present in the body of that individual. The adaptive immune system remembers that particular infectious agent and can prevent it causing disease later. The immune system consists of a variety of molecules and cells that are distributed throughout the body. They play an important role in inflammation, tissue damage and repair, the killing of bacteria, viruses, and tumor cells. Cellular Consciousness defends human existence.
Consciousness is a Social Experience:
Sociology lays claim to the whole of human life beyond the biological level because virtually all human activities possess a social aspect. Consciousness can be viewed as the capacity in an individual to form harmonious relations with others and to participate in or contribute constructively to changes in the social environment. Man is a social being and he is aware of the social structures and the social organization that he is part of. Parental instincts and social instincts describe an aspect of social behavior exhibited by all animals. Animals exhibit social behaviors and form parental societies to care for their offspring. Bacteria come together to live as colonies. At cellular level, the social aspect of consciousness is reflected by the cell’s abilities such as association, cooperation, communication using signaling molecules, recognition, and functional subordination in its interactions with other living cells present in its environment. In an Ecological System, the consciousness plays the role to establish the interrelatedness, the interdependence, and the interconnectedness of its participating members.
Consciousness is a Moral Experience:
Consciousness is the attribute of a conscientious person. Conscious behavior is often described as conscientious action that is scrupulous, characterized by or done with careful attention. Conscience describes awareness of one’s own acts and the application of knowledge to discern an act as right or wrong, good or evil, selfish or altruistic. Man has the intrinsic ability to recognize his acts of transgression or sinful conduct. Man is a creature with conscience and hence exists as a moral being.
Consciousness is a Spiritual Experience:
The word spiritual is often used to describe the fact of having a relationship based on sympathy of thought or feeling. Consciousness has a spiritual function as it establishes a relationship between the energy dependent living cell and its energy provider. The living cell is a thermodynamically unstable system. This means that without continuous input of energy, a cell will degrade spontaneously into a nonliving collection of molecules. The life’s journey of the human organism begins as a single, fertilized egg cell. This single, fertilized egg cell is conscious of its existence, is conscious of its energy dependence and it promptly connects itself to its energy provider. Human life begins to move forward when this egg cell implants itself into the maternal tissue and the biological mother has no cortical awareness of this implantation. Thus, cortical awareness does not describe the totality of consciousness. The Science of Consciousness must describe the mental, the sensory, the physical, the cellular, the social, the moral, and the spiritual aspects of Consciousness.
Consciousness is Awareness of Existence in an Environment:
Amoeba proteus – Is this organism aware of its own existence in an environment? Is it aware of what goes on around it and what goes on within it?
Consciousness describes condition of an individual; condition of knowing, awareness, or recognizing the fact, the state, and the act of existence or living in a given environment. Thus, Consciousness is a natural principle that could explain what an individual knows and experiences about the world around one and inside one. There are two aspects of Consciousness that is registered subjectively by an individual; 1. Consciousness is a state of knowing or awareness of what goes on around an individual, and 2. Consciousness is a state of knowing or awareness of what goes on within the individual. Who is this individual who has ability to know and be aware of its external and internal environment ? The term environment refers to all the conditions, circumstances, and influences surrounding, and affecting existence of a given individual, or group of individuals. The individual is a living organism and the organism could be unicellular or multicellular.
Consciousness and Material Substance:
Consciousness is an absolute attribute of Life; it is the fundamental characteristic of living matter or living substance described as Protoplasm, Cytoplasm, Cytosol, Nucleoplasm, and etc.,
Consciousness is an absolute attribute of Life; it is the fundamental characteristic of living matter or living substance described as Protoplasm or Cytoplasm, the essential living matter or material substance of all animal, and plant cells. Wherever Protoplasm is found, irrespective of the size, shape, and form of the cell or of the living organism, the contents of its Consciousness could be discovered.
Consciousness – The Law of Individuality and Creation:
Identity and Individuality are the two sides of the same Coin. The genome establishes the Identity, and Consciousness establishes the Individuality of a Living Cell or of a Living Organism.
The contents of consciousness vary from individual to individual. There are individualistic variations in the contents of consciousness. There can never be two identical living individuals. Even when the cells are cloned and have the same or identical genomes, the state, or condition of Protoplasm that is Conscious is never identical. With the same genome, or different genomes, the living cells can only exist or live as individuals and they have no other choice. The living substance is the same, and the nature of consciousness is the same and yet the contents of consciousness are not the same. This Individualistic variation of consciousness is the characteristic of all living things and I describe it as ‘The Law of Individuality and Creation’.
The Principles of Consciousness:
Consciousness is the natural, vital principle that moves and animates all Life. The Living Cell knows the fact of its existence, it knows as to where it exists, and knows as to how it is existing.
Consciousness is the natural principle, the vital principle that moves and animates all Life. It has a set of defining features; it is the principle by which a living cell or organism knows the fact of its own existence, it knows as to where it exists, and knows as to how it is existing. Cognition is described as the act of knowing. Cognitive Science involves the study of all human activities related to Knowledge. These activities include attention, creativity, memory, perception, problem solving, thinking, and the use of language. Cognition is the process involved in knowing, or the act of knowing which includes awareness and judgment. The nature of cognition, the relationship between the knowing mind and external reality, is applicable in the study of living functions that are characteristic of the living substance or material called Protoplasm. These functions at cellular level that require cognition include nutrition, reproduction, metabolism, and association with other living cells present in the immediate environment. The human brain is often viewed as the Seat of Knowledge. Human brain’s ability to acquire, process, store, and use of information is essentially function of the cytoplasm of the brain cells. Cognitive functions like perception and memory would establish Protoplasm as the Seat of Knowledge.
Consciousness in the Human Organism:
The Human Organism is an association of trillions of individual living cells. Consciousness serves the purpose of Functional Unity and all the cells display adaptive functional subordination to serve the purpose of the Whole Organism or the Individual. There are two distinct aspects of human Consciousness;1. The Capacity for Consciousness, and 2. The Contents of Consciousness.
There are two distinct aspects of human Consciousness namely the Capacity for Consciousness and the Contents of Consciousness. When Consciousness is viewed as a psychological or strictly as a mental function, it is represented by the Contents of Consciousness, function of Cerebral Cortex. When Consciousness is understood as a biological or living function, it is represented by the aspect of Capacity for Consciousness. The upper brain-stem, the neural structures like the Reticular Formation, and Thalamus function to compose the contents of Consciousness and project the contents to the cerebral hemispheres via the tracts of the Ascending Reticular Activating System. Integrity of these neurons and neural connections is important to maintain the alertness, and Arousal State of the Whole Organism in its relationship to its environment and internal maintenance of coordination of various living functions.
The Gatekeeper of Consciousness as a Mental Experience:
The Reticular Activating System (RAS) of Reticular Formation protects you from information overload by acting as a gatekeeper for your brain. It filters out millions of bits of useless sensory data every second so your conscious mind can focus on what matters.
The Reticular Activating System (RAS) of Reticular Formation protects you from information overload by acting as a gatekeeper for your brain. It filters out millions of bits of useless sensory data every second so your conscious mind can focus on what matters.
Apart from philosophers, psychologists, psychics, theologians and others, the term consciousness is frequently used by the practitioners of Clinical Medicine. It is a useful term with several practical applications in management of individuals with a variety of conditions that impact the neural functions, particularly the Arousal. In medical practice, the assessment and grading of consciousness serves the purpose of being good predictor of the eventual long-term outcome or prognosis of the underlying disease or medical condition.
In Clinical Medicine, the medical practitioner evaluates the Level of Arousal or Alertness of his patient.
In Clinical Medicine, the medical practitioner evaluates the Level of Arousal or Alertness of his patient. The different levels of consciousness are:
a. alert or awake, fully Conscious and fully Oriented to person, place, and time. This Orientation represents the normal operation of Higher Intellectual Functions. A person who is Conscious, but is under the influence of alcohol or other psychotropic drugs, neural stimulants or depressants may not be fully oriented.
b. phase of automatism – the person is not fully alert as in Sleep-walking, or recovering from the effects of anesthesia.
c. Lethargic – drowsy, sleepy, but easily arousable.
d. Delirium – a state of mental confusion, a toxic condition, altered physical, and mental state or condition.
e. Stupor – semiconscious, responsive only to painful stimuli.
f. Coma – Unconscious or not responsive to painful stimuli.
Such neurological evaluations are repeated periodically to record significant changes in the medical condition of the patient. However, it must be noted that Clinical Medicine always evaluates totality of all living functions and the medical usage of the terms Conscious and Unconscious represent a careful interpretation in the context of the medical condition of the patient.
The Totality of Consciousness:
The Vitruvian Man. c. 1492. The painting by Leonardo da Vinci displays the spirit of scientific inquiry. The inquiry of Man must begin with the investigation of Consciousness.
The Science of Consciousness must explore and investigate the entire contents of Consciousness. By understanding the nature of experience provided by the Totality of Consciousness, the condition, the state, or the act of being Conscious could be explained.
Consciousness is a Mental Experience:
The term consciousness is most widely used as meaning “attention to the contents or workings of one’s own mind.” English philosopher John Locke defined Consciousness as a psychological condition; it is described as perception of what passes in a man’s own mind.
Spirituality from the perspective of Cognitive Biology.
In theIndian tradition, mental activities are of four kinds and collectively constitute what is named as “Antahkarana”; these are : 1. “Manas”- the seat of thoughts, 2. “Buddhi” or intellect and knowledge, 3. “Chitta” or the seat of emotions such as Kindness and Love, and 4. “Ahamkara” or self-ego. The mental experience, the awareness or knowing of these activities of thoughts, intellect, moods, feelings, and self-ego describe consciousness as a mental experience. Using this view, many philosophers, religious thinkers, and mystics have shared their experience of different levels of consciousness and have given names to the higher levels or states of consciousness. Terms such as Pure Consciousness, Cosmic Consciousness, and Super Consciousness may describe some kind of mental experience and such terms may not add any information to understand the Totality of Consciousness and its experience.
SPIRITUALITY SCIENCE – THE CONCEPT OF SELF AND KNOWING-SELF WILL HELP TO PRACTICE SELF-RESTRAINT, SELF-CONTROL, AND SELF-DISCIPLINE.
I ask my readers to define the term consciousness as a biological function, the characteristic of the living things that signifies the existence of its living matter or the corporeal substance.
Whole Philosophy – Whole Spirituality: I ask my readers to define the term consciousness as a biological function, the characteristic of the living things that signifies the existence of its living matter or the corporeal substance.
Dr. Rudranarasimham, Rebbapragada, B.Sc., M.B.B.S.,
Father’s Name: R. Suryanarayana Murty
Sri Venkateswara University, M.B.B.S. Class of April, 1970
Andhra Pradesh Medical Council Medical Registration Number: AMC5282; Date of Registration: September 16, 1971
The Neural Correlates of Consciousness defined by Mormann & Koch basically ignores existence of specific Conscious percept like Nutrition by which the Living Organism shows its awareness of Energy dependence for its existence or living.
Filippo S. Giorgi1,2 and Francesco Fornai1,3*
Whole Dude - Whole Spirituality 
