At a recent TEDS conference, Doctor Jill Bolte Taylor, a neurophysiologist, described her experience having a stroke. Her training and her remarkable recovery allow us a powerful insight into the role of each hemisphere of the human brain, and the brain's role as a vehicle of consciousness.

I had to watch this a couple more times before the emotional nature of the presentation wore off, and I could fully appreciate the content. :o

She describes 'right brain' operation (without the left brain being 'online') as being Nirvana. Her description fits the traditional descriptions quite well.

Nirvana

This 18 minute video is a must see...

Great video. Very interesting. I am not so well versed in the traditional descriptions. What relationship is there towards the right side perception of "energy" and oneness to nonphysical reality? Can anyone offer any interpretation or explanation of this right side experience?

Hi everybody!

Hi, Ebb, and welcome to the Forum. When you get a chance, please take a moment and tell us more about yourself.

I found Dr. Taylor's story of her stroke to be very inspiring and profound. I was also struck by how her story contained basic Theosophical concepts.

Ebb,

You asked,

"What relationship is there towards the right side perception of "energy" and oneness to nonphysical reality?"

--> This gets to a key Theosophical concept, that human beings have a forced, artifical sense of individuality and separateness. Yes, we are part of the total energy of the universe. However, we needed to draw a boundary around us, so that we could have experiences. Yes, we have a oneness with the universal reality, and it is that exact universal oneness that we had to set aside, in order to develop our own self-awareness.

Let's relate this to the Theosophical story of the beginning of our existence as individual beings. (Theosophy refers to us as Monads in our first form of self-aware individuals.)

“... the spiritual [universal] Monad ... whose rays ... form what we ... call the ‘Individual Monads’ of men....” (SD vol 1 p 177)

Monads are also referred to as Sparks.

[Fohat] “…separates the sparks of the lower kingdom that float and thrill with joy in their radiant dwellings….” (Shloka i-5-3)

We needed to create this artifical sense of separateness. Otherwise, we would never have been able to have experiences. Dr. Taylor's stroke accidentally allowed her to remove this artificial sense of separateness.

Ebb's question was,

"What relationship is there towards the right side perception of "energy" and oneness to nonphysical reality?"

--> The right side of the brain is able to perceive the oneness of reality, because that is the only true reality. (This is a basic Theosophical concept.) However, our brain can only do this while maintaining its own sense of separateness. The right side of the brain is also able to perceive pure energy, because pure energy is the only true aspect of the "real" universe.

"Can anyone offer any interpretation or explanation of this right side experience?"

--> The right side of Dr. Taylor's brain was able to put aside its artifical separateness, and reconnect with the true nature of the universe, which is total non-separateness.

Fortunately (for us), she was able to reestablish her sense of separateness. If she had not been able to do that, she would have died. In the video, she described one point in her experience where she basically had two choices -- either remerge with the non-separate, ultimate reality of the universe (and die), or reestablish her artifical sense of separateness (and continue to live inside a human body). As we can see, she took the second course, and was able to reestablish a typical human life.

It seems to me that a human being could not reconnect with the non-separate, ultimate reality of the universe and continue to live inside a human body. (By the way, George Arundale, in his book Nirvana — An Occult Experience, seems to disagree with me, especially in his story about the gardener on pages xi - xiii)

http://users.ez2.net/nick29/theosophy/naoe-index.htm

http://www.amazon.com/Nirvana — An Occult Experience

Connecting this way with the universe is my definition of Nirvana. Dr. Taylor was very correct in her use of the world Nirvana (even though she used the word Nirvana as a kind of joke). As a matter of fact, I was fascinated how she accurately labeled her experience as Nirvana, then seemed to dismiss the very idea. (I think this was due to her logical, scientific, & analytical mind, which rejects the very idea of Nirvana.)

Nirvana is our ultimate goal. Dr. Taylor got there a little too early, because of a short-circuit in the system that keeps her away from Nirvana.

When Dr Taylor spoke of being able to "stand over here", and then "step over here", I immedately thought of the Buddhas of Compassion, who renounce Nirvana, and stick around with their left brain to continue working with humanity.

How many stroke victims have had their left brain die, and laid for years in a coma of Nirvana?