I recently posed this question on Facebook: “what would it feel like if we used 100% of our brains instead of the usual 15%?". Somebody responded that it must be awful because it's bad enough feeling like overload at 15%!
It is a common misconception that brain usage is pretty much equivalent to thinking, perhaps aside from instinctive and reflexive behaviour. But actually, brain usage can be increased by decreasing thought activity! What I meant was how would it feel if we increased our intelligence by deepening and broadening perceptiveness (consciousness)? If we can perceive more of what's going on inside and outside of ourselves, then surely we can act more wisely.
The science of neurology has not yet been able to find a part of the brain that they can call consciousness because physicality is a subset of consciousness but more recent studies have shown what happens when the brain is operating at deeper levels of consciousness. Using electronic sensors, brain researchers are able to detect electrical signals in the brain, determining how much activity there is and in which parts of the brain it is occurring.
Normally, during the state of being awake, we are predominantly in thinking mode which is known as the beta level of consciousness. The typical electrical activity is sporadic and uncoordinated between different areas. However, in experiments where subjects entered deeper states of consciousness, so-called Alpha and Theta-levels, (in this instance through transcendental meditation) the study showed a synchronised pulsing of electrical signals which occurred over a much bigger area van at the beta level. Activity was happening in an organised fashion.
For people who meditate regularly, this makes sense. Effective meditation calms the mind, creates a restful state and allows for a larger perspective. That means greater intelligence because more information can be assimilated and processed than with a very active mind. This is why proven relaxation techniques, such as classical music in the background, are popular in some teaching courses, as it has proven to increase the rate of learning.
Masters of the martial arts know that with a calm mind you can achieve a great degree of concentration and are able to react much more quickly and effectively van with a mind full of thoughts. They demonstrate how a calm mind can be extremely alert.
It is essential to practice some form of effective meditation to achieve this clarity and regeneration of a healthy mind which is exposed to so much thought pollution. It aids the power of self-observation which is essential for personal development. One becomes more true to oneself and the inner wishes. Greater wisdom means making the right choices at the right times. That benefits health as appropriate dietry decisions are acted upon, and stress reduction because of the implicit relaxation and also due to the meditator becoming more in tune with the body's stress reactions. Compassion grows due to increasing attentiveness to the needs and suffering of fellow beings.
There are many different forms of meditation, most of which stem from a complete spiritual philosophy, the best known being Buddhism, but in many ancient traditions meditation is a cornerstone. Some practices involve a mantra or mandala (the continual repetition of a word or sentence), whereas others are completely silent. It is best to experiment and find what works best for you. I personally normally practice either the Japanese Buddhist meditation of Nichiren Daishonin with a mantra "Nam Myo Ho Renge Kyo" basically meaning "I commit myself to the law of the Universe of cause and effect" or the silent, mindfulness meditiation of Samadhi-Vipassana. I find there are complimentary qualities in the two
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