We have seen and heard people do amazing things by accessing parts of their brain to perform miraculous feats of all kinds. Most of us have seen someone who has been completely in control of their mind and body while performing an act of skill and grace if they haven’t felt like they “were in the zone” as athletes put it. My question is this: How can we reach enlightenment and once there, stay there and remain the master of our being?
My revised Big Question:
My question is how can people reach the conditions under which people achieve a state of mind that enables them to perform at high levels in circumstances others might consider stressful and what are those key conditions to begin with?
(The first part of this question was directly copied and pasted from Dr. Preston’s comment, thank you for your wording, it was just the right way it needed to be phrased.)
This question is the basis of a lot of Eastern Philosophy: Taoism, Buddhism, Hinduism (maybe, correct me if I am wrong, you Hindu-experts!) original Sanskrit teachings. Remember Dr. Preston's Katha Upanishad? Yeah well, the Upanishads are teachings of India that a lot of Eastern Philosophy is founded on and its central goal is Self realization and mastery. The Self being your metaphysical Divine being hidden away inside of you. You have to find it and master it and that's Enlightenment. Buddhism is to reach Enlightenment with self-control and happiness. They all are a little different but at the core, mastering our being is the goal. I am not suggesting you move to Tibet and convert philosophies, if you want to that's great! I love Eastern Philosophy, however, you certainly want to research this area if you are serious about this question of yours.
ReplyDeleteYou might want to consider your definition of Enlightenment as well: In some cases, Enlightenment is transcending physical form and existence. Is that what you want?
-Trevor
Great topic, Jon (and good points Trevor!)-- if you're thinking specifically about the conditions under which people achieve a state of mind that enables them to perform at high levels in circumstances others might consider stressful, have a look at meditation practices and research on high performers (such as this book: http://amzn.to/s7F6mK
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What enables people to perform at high levels in circumstances others might consider stressful? You might begin with a study of what people have done under circumstances that you personally consider stressful.
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