I learned something this week that has made a significant impact on how I view my relationship to life. Your mind has no specific location in space.
I first came across this fact while reading an interview with Dr. Fred Alan Wolf, a physicist and National Book Award writer who conducts research on the relationship of quantum physics to consciousness. Then as I probed the idea further, I discovered that Buddha held the same philosophy. In an article sourced from the Surangama Sutra, Buddha is quoted as saying this to a number of people who had gathered to hear him speak:
“If the mind is then within the body, it would be acquainted with the inner parts of the body itself. .. But how is it then, that we never meet a man who is able to see his own internal organs? That the mind is located within the body cannot be maintained.”
Very interesting stuff here. A Course in Miracles led me to understand that I am not my body and that I am connected to the source of life. Metaphysics taught me that I connect with my creative power through my mind. And now I’ve been led to the further understanding that my mind exists outside the confines of my body. I know there is a significant story building here, yet I haven’t quite wrapped my arms around it yet. So if you’re interested in exploring this concept with me, stay tuned. And if you have more pieces to add to this puzzle, I’d love to hear them.
Digging for Meaning 
Isn’t the mind part of the collective consciousness we call God? I heard a Sufi relate it to a drop from the ocean. When it’s in the ocean you can’t tell it apart from the rest of the ocean and if you take a drop from the ocean it maintains all the characteristics of the ocean.
Richard,
I share your summary speculation about mind, the collective consciousness and God.
Thanks for visiting.
Best to you,
Susan
Yup! I couldn’t agree more Susan!
We are *consciousness*, which is temporarily housed (centered) in, or around a ‘car’ (the body) but we are not the car, we are the conscious flame within, methinks!
Eastern wisdom talks of ‘mind stuff’ and yes, the thoughts and mind of one of us link and meld with the thoughts of others. Thought is also faster than the speed of light, and can reach *anywhere*, at any time into any part of the universe…
[Now there’s a thought! ] 😉
When we ‘die’ (as we call it) we do not actually die, we just hop out of the ‘car’ and our consciousness then expands into new spaces, if not places!
Anyone who’s experienced bona fide out-of-the-body experiences can verify this truth. I have experienced being out of my body, –one day I was just spontaneously up at ceiling level looking down on the ‘car-body’ and seeing others relating to me.
That helped me to know first hand that this ‘I’ (me) is not actually the shell which I seemed somewhat associated with.
Also, when we do what is called ‘dreaming’ we likewise leave our shell, and exist quite happily on some other realm or ‘level, barely giving a thought to that old body-shell ‘back down there’…
It’s certainly true that, as we evolve more into what we, as a race, ought to be (ie: not so savage!) we will learn to have better thoughts a lot more of the time. At preset our rampant, rambling, rampaging, even rapacious thoughts, are polluting what might be called the ‘psychic atmosphere’ around this planet. Tsk tsk! Not good!
Methinks this is one of the many reasons why the Buddha, and Christ, and all the other major teachers tried so hard to get us to adopt a better ethical / moral way of living and being…
If we were more as they depicted, and as they taught, then we wouldn’t do so much harm as we lead our lives upon this otherwise quite beautiful little planet.
with Love,
Yan
Ps: anyone seriously interested in learning more about consciousness and thought, et al, might do worse than check out the works of Alice A. Bailey and also the Agni Yoga teachings? I have gained inestimably from both of those sources. They take a while to get into, but I am glad I persevered
🙂
Yan,
Thanks so much for your input. I agree with the thoughts you shared about consciousness. I am always fascinated with stories from those who have had out-of-body or near-death experiences. I believe there is so much to learn from those who have gotten a glimpse of “the other side”.
Thanks also for providing a couple of new sources for us to explore in our yearning to learn more about consciousness. I took a quick peak at a couple of websites that summarized the works of Alice A. Bailey and the Agni Yogi teachings. They provided me with yet two more examples of philosophies that intersect with those I’m familiar with. I continued to be inspired by how many philosophies point in the same direction.
All my best,
Susan