Is there really such a thing as no-mind state?🔗

THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM with the team that conducted the experiments

For centuries, science and spirituality have been battling it out on these issues of perennial importance for humanity.

Although spiritual leaders have always maintained that the nomind state is a 'real' phenomenon, and a perfectly realizable goal for all of us, the scientific community has naturally been unwilling to accept this without solid proof.

For the first time in our century, science has hopefully found a key to supernormal and paranormal phenomena, with sound medical evidence that explains why the spiritually super-evolved are blessed with 'powers' that the rest of us can only dream about.

In March 2004, hoping to find answers to these vital questions, a team of top neurologists from Oklahoma (USA) performed pioneering and extensive scientific research on THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM's science-defying neurological system.

The team's preliminary research report, presented in the following pages, has profound relevance not only for the global medical fraternity, but for every one of us who has been silently asking these same questions - who believe and yet don't believe, who know and yet don't know - for all of humanity, fellow adventurers on this pathless path that is Life!

A Mind Matters Column™ The Mind of a Mystic By R. Murali Krishna, M.D. President COO, INTEGRIS Mental Health & James L. Hall, Jr. Center for Mind, Body and Spirit

THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM is a trim, healthy-looking young man with dark, shoulder-length hair. Handsome and polite, possessing an open manner and a wealth of curiosity, he could be any ordinary American college student.

The difference is that ordinary American college students do not wear saffron robes and turbans, have not experienced spiritual enlightenment and are not regarded as a teacher, healer and mystic by millions of people in all corners of the world.

A mystic? The term is not a bad fit for 'Swami', as he is known. Mystics, popular culture tells us, have direct communion with God. Through means not understood or measurable, mystics are thought to have access to ultimate realities or truths. Picture a mystic and you'll probably picture someone full of bliss, someone gifted with lofty thoughts and insights that the rest of us do not possess.

The very presence of a mystic is thought to bring peace and healing to others.

That's an apt description of Swami, a 27-year-old from South Bharat. He is approached by thousands of people every year seeking relief from diseases and ailments that conventional medical approaches have not cured. Swami's background lends him the air of a mystic, too. He left his home as a teen, visited ashrams across Bharat, immersed himself in philosophy, read extensively and mastered the art of meditation.

When Swami passed through Oklahoma City recently as one stop in his world travels, I asked him if he would let me use some of modern medicine's newest technology to peer into his brain while he meditated. My goal: to understand, measure and demystify what happens during the mystic phenomena. Swami, who believes that meditation has a scientific basis, happily agreed.

The procedures Swami went through were administered by some of Oklahoma City's finest and most experienced physicians, neuropsychologists and researchers: Drs. Fordyce, Ruwe and Higgins of the Jim Thorpe Rehabilitation Center Neuropsychology Department and Dr. Chacko of the PET Center of Oklahoma. These doctors were using technology they use with patients on a routine basis. When they look at images obtained by their technology, they know what's normal and what's not.

The results from testing Swami? Decidedly not normal!

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Imaging Brain Activity

Our first look into Swami's brain was achieved with the help of a Positron Emission Tomography (PET) device. Unlike traditional diagnostic techniques that produce images of the body's structure or anatomy, such as Xrays, CT scans or MRI, PET produces images of the function of the brain through the metabolic activity of cells. An analog of glucose is attached to a radioactive PET tracer. The PET scanner then images the metabolically active brain areas at any given time.

In the case of Swami, the drug was intended to identify highly active areas of the brain in an alert and conscious state, in the early stages of meditation and during deep meditation.

The results of the PET scan tests were stunning. To begin with, the activity in the frontal lobes of Swami's brain were significantly heightened, even in early meditation stages. The level of activity was several times higher than would be seen in the average human brain under any conditions. The frontal lobes are associated with the functions of intelligence, attention, wisdom and judgment.

When we then asked Swami to go into the deepest meditation state, there were two more remarkable findings.

First, the dominant hemisphere of Swami's brain was more than 90 percent shut down. It was as if Swami's brain had packed up and gone on vacation. It was quiet and still, completely at peace … and Swami had made it so at will.

A second amazing aspect of Swami's deep meditation was that the lower portion of his mesial frontal areas lighted up in a very significant way. This area roughly corresponds to the reputed location of the mystical 'Third Eye'.

When we later asked Swami what he was doing when the mesial frontal areas lighted up, he said he was opening his Third Eye.

Associated with both cosmic and inner knowledge, and thought to be a place of clarity and peace, the Third Eye is considered by many to be the seat of the soul. Were we seeing an indication that deep meditation can open an area of the brain responsible for communicating with the divine, looking deep into the mysteries of Self or creation? I believe the PET scan revealed what I call the brain's 'D-spot'. Whether you consider the 'D' in D-spot to stand for Delight, the Divine or even Dopamine (the chemical through which our bodies experience pleasure), initial indications are that meditation can stimulate it.

Measuring Brainwaves

The second procedure we used to look into Swami's brain is known as Quantitative Electroencephalography, or QEEG. QEEG measures electrical patterns in the brain, patterns commonly referred to as brainwaves.

There are four bandwidths of brainwaves, each different in speed, and each associated with a different state of mind. For instance, beta brainwaves are small and fast and linked with an awake, alert state of mind. Alpha brainwaves are slower and larger and are connected to feelings of well-being. Theta waves represent a state of consciousness that is close to sleep, a stage in which there is a sense of calmness and serenity without active thought.

In a day's time, most people will experience all four types of brainwaves. The progression from one bandwidth to another, though, is not so easily in their control.

From Swami's QEEG, though, we can see that he has complete control over his brainwaves. When in deep meditation, his brain smoothly shifted from one state to another, like a talented pianist playing the scales. There was no hesitation and no retreating, just continuous, fluid shifts from one type of brainwave to the next. Because the QEEG represents the five brainwave bandwidths as colors, it was as if we were watching Swami float from color to color within a rainbow!

Conclusions

The brain is the body's most complex organ, containing more than 100 billion neurons, each of them in chemical and electrical conversation with upto 10,000 other neurons. Its sheer capacity to process information is astonishing.

Remarkably, that complexity presents little difficulty for THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM in managing his brain activity. THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM's mind – his thoughts, emotions and intellect – control his brain. He can, in a very fluid, easy way, shift his brain function and alter his brainwaves.

More than answering questions, the voyage we took into the mind of a mystic brings intriguing questions for study.

Are there techniques we can learn and teach that will bring balance and peace into people's lives?

Can we invoke a healing response or accelerate healing through specific training? Can we learn techniques that will allow us to control pain or alter the course of a disease?

Can we learn to activate what I call our D-spot, thus putting us in instant connection to delight or the divine? The results from our study of THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM are new pages in our world's growing book of research on the brain. There continue to be indications that the human mind may be able to choose to heal the body. We're now looking at the possibility of people learning and acquiring these healing capabilities, an event of immense benefit for humankind. The potential for altering the rates and progression of many diseases – heart disease, cancer, arthritis, alcoholism and many others – is beginning to look achievable.

THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM is a bridge between the invisible, ancient world of mysticism and the modern, visible world of science and discovery. As brain research continues on a widespread basis, and as we appropriately bring the phenomena of mysticism into the realm of science for further study, we are taking strides on a path of hope and health.

The ashram

The hub of all Dhyanapeetam activities is the ashram at Bidadi, located 35 km south-west of Bangalore city, which is the software capital of Bharat, and among Asia's fastest growing cities.

First impressions

On the busy Bangalore-Mysore highway, about 2 km past the town of Bidadi, a Dhyanapeetam signboard on the left points out the leafy path that winds its way to the ashram.

Nestling among low hills, spread over 16 acres, the ashram brings to life Swamiji's vision of traditional simplicity with modern amenities. A number of unassuming, functional structures dot the landscape. It is difficult to imagine that this serene commune is the headquarters from which Dhyanapeetam conducts its international operations that span three continents.

From the fork in the road (with one path leading to the administrative and living quarters, and the other to the sacred banyan tree), the visitor can spy the rustic outline of the famous Laughing Temple, where Swamiji holds intimate interviews and takes classes for the ashramites. This area includes accommodation for ashramites and patients, a kitchen-cum-dining-hall, outdoor dining spaces, the ashram office, and Ananda Gandha, Swamiji's simple kuteer (dwelling).

A short walk down the path, past a bamboo grove and green fields,

The sacred banyan and Dakshinamurthy shrine

takes the visitor to the 300-year-old sacred banyan tree. The sacred banyan spreads its vast canopy over the small shrine dedicated to Lord Dakshinamurthy, who is known as the Adi Guru (the first-ever Guru). Revealed to Swamiji in a vision, and worshipped as the guiding spirit of the ashram, the sacred banyan encloses a space resonant with healing energy. Simply spending a few minutes under this tree can instantly soothe the

nerves and revive the spirits.

En route to the sacred banyan is Ananda Sabha, the meditation hall used for public gatherings. Healers' meets and advanced-level meditation courses are held here, to let participants get a feel of ashram life. Close by is the Ananda Galleria, where ashram literature, books, audio & video and meditation accessories are available.

A day in ashram life

As on date, over fifty ashramites aged between eight and eighty live and learn in THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM's presence at the ashram.

For the ashramites, the day starts before sunrise, with Guru Pooja (obeisance to the Guru) performed to Lord Dakshinamurthy under the sacred banyan. This is followed by a meditation session, after which ashramites turn to their daily administrative tasks.

When THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM is at the ashram, he is available for healing and

Daily healing at Ananda Sabha

darshan for two hours every morning. Else, healing is offered by those ashramites who are initiated Ananda healers. The ailing and the needy from the villages and towns all around flock to the ashram daily for aid and comfort. Simple sattvic meals (a vegetarian diet

that supports the body in spiritual prcatices) are served thrice a day in the friendly ashram dining hall, where Swamiji's talks and keertans (devotional music) play all day.

At dusk, a simple but enchanting aarati is performed to Lord Nataraja (The Dancing Shiva) at Ananda Sabha. This is followed by THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM's taped discourse, a meditation session and the singing of bhajans (hymns). Sometimes, the day culminates in an hour's dancing to THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM's favourite keertans.

Dhyanapeetam: Today and Tomorrow

An ASP participant receives Ananda Darshan

Dhyanapeetam's activities in Bharat include daily healing at the ashram, free healing camps, ASPs (weekend workshops on chakra healing through meditation), Dhyana Satsangs (mass-meditation programs for urban and rural communities), Gnana Daana (meditation camps for the youth, held

in schools and colleges) and productivity & de-stress programs for corporates.

Dhyanapeetam's overseas centres are rapidly spreading the message of meditation and blissful living, with regular Life Bliss courses (a variant of ASP) conducted by acharyas (teachers) personally trained by THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM.

A mass meditation program in progress

Many exciting projects are on the anvil, including a new-age gurukul (learning space) for youngsters, a new meditation hall overlooking the natural lotus pond, mobile medical assistance for the surrounding villages, and a full-fledged multi-specialty charitable hospital at Bidadi .

DHYANAPEETAM MILESTONES

In just two years since its inception, Dhyanapeetam has grown to be an international organization with operations spanning three continents. While making a significant positive contribution to to the community today, Dhyanapeetam also cherishes the vision of awakening humanity to a vibrant and joyful tomorrow.

A quick look at some of our more important milestones:

♦ Over 110 Ananda Spurana Programs or ASPs (workshops on meditation and chakra healing) have been personally conducted by THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM at 30 different global locations.

♦ Hundreds have participated in the advanced-level Nithyananda Spurana Program (NSP), and have been initiated with new names that indicate their spiritual path.

♦ 50 ashramites live and learn at Bidadi ashram. Of these, seven men and four women have been initiated into sannyas.

♦ Ananda Healing has cured ailments from migraine to cancer. To date, many people have received this healing touch directly from THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM.

♦ There are over 300 healing & meditation centres worldwide, and over 700 practising Ananda healers.

♦ The Gnana Daana Project for bringing meditation to the youth has already touched students and young adults.

♦ Over 70 Dhyana Satsangs (mass-meditation programs) and 100 free discourses have been personally conducted by THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM, with lakhs participating.

♦ Over 1000 homes and workplaces have been visited, energized and blessed by Swamijito date.

♦ More than 30 books have been released in four languages. Over 100 audio tapes, audio & video CDs have been released to date.

♦ Hundreds of Ananda Sevaks (volunteers) work hand-in-hand with ashramites to organize courses and satsangs in their areas, run healing & meditation centres, and conduct free healing camps.

TITLES IN ENGLISH

The Formless in Form A pictorial biography of THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM

The Gossip Of THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM A collection of Swamiji's most memorable quotes

A Small Story... Swamiji's best-loved parables

From Pain to Bliss Insights from Swamiji

From Worrying to Wondering Insights from Swamiji

Question + THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM = Answer! Your questions answered

The Simple Truth, Straightaway! A public address by Swamiji

Is Spirituality relevant in our time? A frank talk with the press

Om Mani Padme Hum 27 ways to approach the Master

Discovering Love Insights from Swamiji

Ananda Healing : Your shortcut to God! An introduction to healing initiation

A Garland of Memories Devotees' reminiscences of time spent with Swamiji

Six Days to Total Transformation An introduction to chakra healing through meditation

Open the door... let the breeze in! Tools for joyful living

Meditation is for you! An introduction to the science and art of meditation

THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM as we know him Unforgettable moments in the Master's presence

i to I Talks in the USA on life, meditation & bliss

Instant Inspiration Practical wisdom for today's generation

From Peak to Peak An enchanting journey with THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM through the Himalayas

TITLES IN TAMIL

THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM: Oru Arimugam An introduction to Swamiji

Kathavai Thira... Kaatru Varattum! Tools for joyful living

Gnanattin Thiravukol Making the transition from knowledge to experience

Yein Pada Poojai? Experience the Divine in your home

Pada Poojayin Mahatvam Transform your home into an energy-field!

Manam Kadanda Nilai Research report of American doctors on THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM's science-defying neurological system

Yantra Dhyanam An 11-minute easy-to-practise meditation technique

Kaatrin Suvadukkal A collection of THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM's sayings rendered in poetry

Udirum Saragugal A compilation of talks given bySwamiji

Ameythiyin Muzhakkam THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM speaks at mass-meditation camps (satsangs)

Udal - Gnanattin Theyir

Meditation techniques to energise our three bodies (energy layers)

Padippu - Thadaikarkale Padikarkal Aakkungal Effective keys to enhance academic performance and success

Ilainjnarkale... THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM speaks to the youth

Vaazhvin Rahasyangal The science behind tradition

Swargam Unakkullei Surrender and be liberated

TITLES IN KANNADA

Jeevana Ganga An introduction to THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM

Dukkhadinda... anandakke Moving from pain to bliss

Chinteyinda... aaraamakke Remove the word 'worry' from your life!

Baagilu there... thangaali olage beesali! Toolsfor joyful living

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