The Relationship Between Mind and Matter

Tashi realized his previous life and went on in search of his home. One day, he met his previous life family members in person, being able to call them by their names, one by one. It remains an unresolved fascination for those who do not believe in the pre-existing mode of life. Do you believe in such even? You may, “Yes” and continues, “because he did remember it well and I am fully convinced with his correct realization.” In contrast, you may say, “No, I don’t remember even my old days well. How did he remember it well? He was making a deliberate lie.” Arguably, should I say there are many more peoples across the world remembering their previous life; however, you will response with the saying. “Go to wash your mouth.” On the other side, it is true because not everybody remembers the previous mode of life but only a few who seems to be fabulists.

I was brought up culturally on the idea of pre-existing mode of life and even today, I believe in his saying and perfect finding of his dear and near. My belief in pre-existence of something is not only reflection of Tashi’s event but also deeply rooted in Tibetan traditional culture. As we could not explain the mysterious phase of life on the physical ground, scientist could not see it even with a highly sophisticated microscope. It is like a blink man blaming non-existence of celestial objects by the virtue of his invisibility. At this point, hopefully, you may agree with the quotation “Unseen anything is not matter of non-existence of something.”

In the USA 2005 debating topic always goes with discussion of the theory of Intelligent Designer verse theory of evolution. According to Darwine’s theory of evolution, the origin of life emerges from spontaneous generation of non-living matters, since then many people had been hoping to prepare a human life in laboratory. On the biological ground, our body is composed of 100 trillion cells. Each cell contains forty-six chromosomes, carrying message of genes. The genes have two main chemical composites: DNA (de-oxynucleic acid) dominates at the centre of nucleus and RNA (ribose nucleic acid) predominates in cytoplasm, around cellular nucleus. DNA is chemically constructed structure like a double strain thread. In DNA four nucleotides contain the base adenine (A), guanine (G), cytosine (C), thymine (T). The base pair forms naturally only between A and T; between G and C, with bond of hydrogen. RNA is a single strain thread, and in where protein synthesis mainly done after the DNA uncoil their structure. In the meanwhile, RNA acts as chemical messenger of DNA. Therefore, DNA determines the color of your eyes or curly hair. Therefore, the nucleus cell contains genome, all the information necessary to build up human beings. So here, DNA is master molecule of life and scientists once thought that it was possible to synthesis life in laboratory. In the year of 1970, Dr Khurana was able to synthesis E coli gene. However, he failed to synthesize a total gene and to create life. The quality of gene seems to have quality of mind but in reality, it has no ability to sense anything such emotion, judgment, thinking by itself.  “In search for secret of life I ended up with atoms and electrons which have no life at all” as quoted saying by the Noble Prize winning Szer-Gyorg. So, the majority of Americans believe in the theory of Intelligent Designer against Darwinism. I think the theory of Intelligent Designer is based on a reasonable faith. someone said that faith originated in Tibet just because the influx of Tibetan devotees to Lhasa, the capital city of Chinese occupied Tibet, were found months of journey on prostrating rather than walking and /or travelling by vehicles, it is absolutely true case but I don’t think the origin of blink faith is in Tibet. Our faith on existence of previous life is not baseless.

In Western embryology, human body is composed of million cells, originating from zygote-unification of egg and sperm. Each germ contains 23 chromosomes and pairs up 46 chromosomes when they unify in fallopian tube. This cell contains gene as explained above. Therefore, we see an offspring completely carbon copy of his father but he differs metaphysically a lot from his father. It indicates zygote is not only union of gem cells but also inclusive of conscious mind. When the fertilization takes place in fallopian tube, the eternal mind is associating with the forming cell (zygote). This is again an unseen episode of unification. However, it could be screened out with a clear-cut example given in the commentary books of Gyueshi (the Four Medical Tantras). A magnifying glass (me shel) which has ability to concentrate the heat of light, can burn combustible grass by keeping it under sunlight, and just focusing its sunbeam on grasses. We could not see the processor heat energy passing out to them. Yet it makes them burn. Likewise, you could not able to see the process of subtle mind associating with forming zygote.

In the advent of neuroscience, they just have come to know the working of neurons cells in human brains. These cells have two fibers: dendrite gives chemical stimuli away from cell body and axon receives chemical stimuli to cell body. In an addition, neuroscientists are able to map specific parts of the brain, which work specific functions, e.g., certain part of the occipital lobe, which receives optical images and its immediate part interprets it. It is as if electricity goes through the wire. They seem to be explaining the mind on the physical ground. The brain receives information from outside environment and interprets them very clearly through electrical current, so they do not consider mind apart from brain.

According to modern psychology and cognitive science, the function of mind hypotheses in two ways:  1) mind acts controller of soul and it is adapting environment. 2) Mind acts as a co-coordinator of internal thought and external behavior. It is very clear that mind acts as a controller at the same as a co-coordinator. Therefore, we can say mind is like supervisor of a cotton factory.  He is not engaged in collecting and / or peeling off cottons, etc; but he supervises them in the right direction. In Indian traditional culture, some schools accept the existence of soul or atama in Sanskrit as many did remember their previous life and yogis did experience the existence of soul. In contrast, Tibetan traditional Buddhism does agree with the existence of previous life but rejecting independent origination of soul. Some say we can think because of mind. On the other hand, some say we can think because of brain. It is as if a blind man explains an elephant. Some tells its tail but some tell its head. Both lack the entire explanation of the elephant. In order to understand mind as whole we can compare the mind to a computer.

Mind as Electricity

The nature of mind is clarity and awareness. It is very clear intrinsically like a blue sky. However, as long as we are imprisoned in this samsara( the six cyclic existence of all sentient beings), our mind remains polluted like the cloudy sky. The mind has ability to know others and oneself with help of other five sub-consciousnesses. In Tibet the five sub-consciousnesses is called “kun ‘gro lnga”. Literally, it means where the mind goes there they go. The true nature of mind is enlightened, so we quest for enlightenment or Buddha-hood. Therefore, the clarity indicates the nature of mind whereas the awareness shows the function of mind.

It is very important to know that the relationship between the  loong (movement energy) and the subtle mind. As the true nature of mind is enlightened, it has ability to see where to go. On the other hand,  loong has the nature of light and mobile faculty, so it has the ability to move anywhere. In order to understand the cornerstone of mind in its relation to  loong energy, metaphorical explanation needs here. The mind is like a fee-stricken person who is able to see everything but cannot move an inch. Fortunately,  loong is as an eyes-stricken man could not see anything. In such situation, the former rides over the latter and the two form one perfect. By knowing the relationship between two, we can say  loong is an integral part of the mind. This subtle mind enters mother’s womb and unifies with germ cells. Optical mind dominate the passageway of optical nerves and able to receive reflected image. Otherwise, we could not see anything.

Channels as Wire

One month after the conception of fetus in the mother’s uterus, at the central heart of the fetus develops the basic form of channels as grounding pathway for all other forms of  loong. As the subtle  loong has the primitive qualities of the five basic elements, it gives rise to from the five major divisions of  loong the five minor divisions of loong. The space elementary quality of it gives rise to form life sustaining loong and descending loong. The loong elementary quality is responsible for forming fire accompanying loong and rus sbal. The fire elementary quality is responsible for evolving ascending  loong and rtsang pa. The water elementary quality gives rise to form klu and nor gyal. Four months after the conception period, these basic forms of channels move sin specific direction due to their originating qualities of the five elementary rLugn energies. The channels for life sustaining loong and five minor divisions of loong go upward; thereafter, channel of life sustaining loong localizes around the area of brain, and coordinates five minor divisions of loong. The five minor divisions of loong connect with sensory organs. Klu apprehends vision from receptors in eye. Russ bal apprehends hearing from receptors in ear. Rtsang pa apprehends smell from receptors in the upper nasal cavity. Lhas sbyin apprehends tastes from receptors in the tongue. Nor rgyal apprehends heat, cold, pain and touch from the skin.

Brain as Sceen

On the breakthrough of neuroscientists’ findings on the brain area, they never considered mind apart from the brain. Neurons have ability to receive experiences and interpret them. Although neurons work in co-ordination of all other some areas, do special work. For example, vision center is mapped in the occipital lobe. In the case of damaging this area, your vision is lost. So they think optical consciousness does not exist independently. In Tibetan traditional culture, brain can be compared to a monitor screen. It can show us the thing we have installed in it. However, the screen has no ability to make any program by itself. Similarly, neurons have ability to receive experiences from receptors located in different sensory organs, and can only apprehend them not calculate at all as Gyueshi says:

To apprehend five sensatory organs

Brain in where one main channel

And five hundred tiny channels around it.

In order to receive vision, hearing, smelling, sound, and sense of temperature or pain, etc., there are twenty-four channels serving as the seat of five subdivision of loong energy. They are located in a part of the brain known as klad pa pkhyil, in where specialized channels are functioning in different way with connection of five hundred tiny channels as a whole.

Heart as CPU

Gyueshi says heart is the central seat of the life force and the subtle mind. In Tibetan traditional Buddhism also says the seat of the subtle mind is in the heart. I think heart is like a CPU in where major processes of the computer already installed and it goes work as we commend. Likewise, the brain receives information from external world and sends them to the heart where it calculates them very clearly. This subtle mind comes from beginningless mode of life and cradles in the center of the heart. As and when it leaves the temporary body clinical death declares in Tibetan culture. In the advent of science and technology, cardiologists have succeeded in operating hearts and heart transplantation. Most of patients are found no obvious change of their personality or conventional behavior after the surgery. Moreover, cardiologists could not experience the sensitivity of so-called the subtle mind at the time of heart surgery. Afterwards they consider human heart as an ordinary organ. On contrary Dr Pema Dorjee during his lecture at T.M.A.C. (Tibetan Medical and Astrological College) arguably said, “As the operation is done on an anesthetized organ, of course, there is no means and way of experiencing the sensitivity of the subtle mind.” Our memory power also pertains to heart as Gyueshi says:

To apprehend the memory organ

Heart in where one main channel

And 500 tiny channels around it.

It can be explained that there is certain arena in the center of the heart so-called Yid bzang ma being considered the main mechanism of very tiny five hundred never cells. As the subtle mind resembles the king of nerves, it simulates memory function in coordination or surrounding nerves. Here the expression of never-count 500 does not mean there are exactly five hundred nerves but indicates so many nerves coordinating with the main channel known as Yid bzang ma. The way of converting short-term memory into long term memory totally depends on the degree of concentration. When you see an object at first time, it influences the subtle mind a bit. So it is easy to forget. The more you look at the object carefully, the longer it remains in your mind. So you could remember it long. Due to this reason, only some remember their previous life. In contrast with the explanation of long-term memory, in anatomical studies of neuroscience the tiny extension called fibrils form at nynapeses in the cerebral cortex, som impulses can travel more easily from neutron to another. The number of these fibrils increases with age. In physiological studies found that repetition of the same information again, accelerates and potentates the degree of transfer of short-term memory to long-term memory. It has been found that a pwrson who is wide-awake memorizes far better than a person who is in a state of mental fatigue. It also has been noted that the brain is able to organize information so that new ideas are stored in the same ones in which ones have.

Bottom Ling

Writing an article based on cultural chauvinism is absurd, coward act. I am always ready to expose my obsession with the pre-existence of life if science proves it perfect. Yet, it is very important to know why we believe in pre-existence of life. Many people say, “Replacing faith by knowledge is dangerous. I never agree their notion because faith sows hypothesis and reaps universally acclaimed theory. I hope that you will research why we believe in the existence of mind or pre-existing mode of life, not blindly rejecting our faith. To remind you clearly we never consider plants as living beings on ground that they do not possess the quality of mind evolving from the preexisting one. As mind is eternal and not made of matters, it is impossible to prove its existence on physical ground. The visible force of mind needs places where it can work. So here loong is place of mind; channels are place of  loong. They co-ordinate each other in the process of mind as well as in the process of body. In spite of the subtle mind permanently living in the heart, the mind always moves through channels: arteries, veins and nerves. It is apt to say that where there is channel there is mind moving. The best way to find or analyze her invisible force of mind is “meditation”. Yogis have purely experienced the existence of mind in ancient time. Therefore, it comes in conclusion that man evolves from matter and pre-existing mode of life under invisible force of karma. As science believes in certain proof not in imagination, but lack of proof in itself is not the proof of non-existence of something.

Published on Gangri-Langtso, Issue no. 13, Year 2007