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Chapter Four - Shake, Rattle and Roll
Self-reverence, self-knowledge, self-control,
These three alone lead life to sovereign power.
-Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Free Will Choice
Although we are like the plant that is naturally drawn to the light, we are also much different. Like the plant, we do not have absolute free will. We cannot turn ourselves into birds, reverse gravity or go against the universal laws of the Creator. However, we are imbued with relative free will. We have a choice not to go toward the light, not to following the leadings of the spirit, if we wish. We have free will choice to smile or to frown, to be happy or sad. We are not automatons, not like robots that are programmed to follow and obey rigid commands. Why? Because we are creatures that are the children of the Creator. And like children, we must grow up to become responsible adults, and not just tools to be used without our own free will. The Creator wants our love freely. Not by being hard wired to slavishly follow each and every wish that she may have. If we didn't have the free will to love or not love, whatever feelings we have toward the Creator and toward each other would be meaningless, a result of pre-programming. So free will choice is a gift, but a gift that can be abused. Giving such a gift to evolving mortals such as ourselves may seem unwise by human standards, but without such freedom of will, spiritual children can never grow up to assume full responsibility as cosmic adults.
In our journey towards our destination, we will be faced with many choices. Some will be based on the needs of our body. Some on the wishes of the mind, and some on the leadings of our spirit. We must be considerate of our body in supplying it with the proper nutrients, shelter, security and exercise. The needs of the mind with its desire for stimuli and knowledge is also important. However, it is best to keep in mind that the leadings of the spirit are what will guide us to our destination. How we follow the spirit's leadings, so that it is harmonized with the wants of the body and mind, is the job of the soul.
Choosing value is the key to following our spiritual leadings and arriving at our destination. We choose value, not create value. There is no intrinsic value that we create in anything. An ingot of gold has material value because our society chooses to value it. Otherwise it is a piece of yellow rock. An old photograph of a loved one may be of value to us because we choose to treasure its sentimental worth. It may not be of value to anyone else. Friendships and loving relationships have value only when we choose to value it. It is the same with all relationships, including the one we have with our Creator.
The question becomes, what do we value more, our relationships with others and our Creator, or material things and intellectual ideology? Do we choose eternal values over temporary values, or are temporary things more important?
If we choose eternal values, spiritual values, we reach our destination, we become eternal. If we choose transient material values, we are sidetracked and are lost, our souls die. It is our free will choice.
The Neurons of Positivity
There are exciting new discoveries in neuroscience, the study of brain cells.
In "Train Your Mind, Change Your Brain" (2007) by Sharon Begley, she documents the collaboration between neuroscience and Buddhism in which monks with up to 50,000 hours of deep meditational practice were hooked up to various instruments in order to see what was going on in their brains as a result of the meditation.
The results were amazing and the details can be read in her book. The bottom line is that yes, we can change our brains by using inner mental techniques. Other discoveries in neuroscience have confirmed this. We have much more power to change our brain's wiring and structure than we had previously thought. There are still many things that, by nature, we cannot control, but it seems that are a lot more that we can, by nurture.
These new discoveries give us a material basis for free will. If we can create new neurons, how will this impact your life?
Experiment! If you are an experienced meditator, meditate on certain behaviors or traits that you want to strengthen, such as being more friendly. Then meditate on increasing the brain cells that give rise to friendliness. The purpose for this is not to prove a point and publish it in a scholarly magazine. See if it will substantially improve your life. If it works for you, use it and include it in your arsenal of self-mastery techniques.
Of course, this is what meditators have been doing all along, we were creating new brain cells and new connections which contributed greatly to the well-being of the whole. Now we have the scientific data to back us up.
Positive thinking, in its most powerful form, is similar to meditation because it comes from personal faith.
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