Gender and Enlightenment

[Summerlander]

THE FEMALE BRAIN IS GENERALLY CLOSER TO ENLIGHTENMENT I suspect women may find the road to 'enlightenment', as it were, easier to traverse than men. Mindful states in Olympian meditators reach high levels of gamma brainwaves. When I worked with Michael Raduga at the Phase Research Center, where we tested subjects on lucid dreaming, it was found that women achieved the hybrid phase states responsible for lucid dreaming and out-of-body experiences more often than men. This 'phase state' of the brain is subjectively compounded by two mental characteristics: wakefulness and dreaming. Objectively, brain scans show unusual levels of gamma waves around 40 Hz. Conclusion: lucid dreaming (the state of being aware of dreaming whilst it's happening) is no different to mindfulness in waking life. Dream lucidity = mindfulness during sleep, if you prefer. Females empirically recorded more lucid dreams than males during trials. Overall research by Michael Raduga et al was published on his website obe4u.com and later, The Lancet. And from experience, women seem to open up about their feelings more than men. A lot of men seem to think that seeking help is a form of weakness, or unmanly (not sure how much the old saying, 'Men don't cry', that boys sometimes hear, plays a role here) when in fact the weakness REALLY IS: not opening up or the unwillingness to concede that sometimes we all need help---even if it means trying something new. I'm also sure some men considered trying yoga classes only to realise that the majority of students are female on the first day, prompting them to think, 'This is for women! Not for me ...' It's a little sad. Virtually most people can benefit from yoga and mindfulness. Gender plays less of a role here, in determining whether someone suits the practice, than, say, certain severe mental/physical handicaps---such as schizophrenia or paraplegia. For anyone wondering if masculinity is a curse here: I think anyone can impart knowledge in this field regardless of gender. In fact, the number of people who reach the 'Olympian' level that a meditator can achieve, includes both men and women. Identity politics really have no room here. There are male and female monks and advanced mindfulness practitioners doing countless hours in retreats and all achieving great levels of success. Like Sharon Salzberg, there are many others. Like Jon Kabat-Zinn, many have jumped on this beneficial bandwagon. The gender differences regarding brain chemistry here are so minimal that literally, all one needs in this context is what we ALL have in common: sentience and all the contents of consciousness that can be mindfully observed.

[Hilary]

As a woman, I don't agree with this at all. I think that full development of the divine feminine and the divine masculine are both needed to reach enlightenment (if indeed, it can even be reached on this plane). Yes, some women open up more feeling-wise. But the flip side of this coin is that they may react more when experiencing an emotion. Men are often perceived as more logical (horrible stereotypes here, I apologize), and if that is true, that is also a necessary component toward wholeness. Don't discount the divine masculine. Furthermore, lucid dreaming =/= enlightenment. Many lucid dreamers are not at all close to enlightenment. And many people who live happy lives, have a wonderful understanding of the universe, but aren't necessarily lucid dreamers at all. Edit: More thoughts. These are two halves of a whole self. Remember, the universe is dualistic, everything is in polarity. To reach enlightenment would be to have both halves (feminine & masculine) in balance, and in equal proportions. A female brain is no closer to enlightenment than a male one. They are equal.

[Eonnn]

Conclusion: lucid dreaming (the state of being aware of dreaming whilst it's happening) is no different to mindfulness in waking life. Dream lucidity = mindfulness during sleep, if you prefer. I like this part. I mentioned it the other day in a different topic on dream control as a way to increase lucidity. Lucidity is awareness, so increasing that intentionally, consciously via mindfulness technique in a lucid dream will work wonders. I agree with MoonageDayDream, the concept of yin/yang and feminine/masculine it's about achieving balance and harmony. Many of the new agers all talk about raising your vibration, but they should actually be talking about balancing your vibration. The law of gender is also a hermetic principle, understanding the 7 hermetic principles and how they apply to yourself and reality is quite beneficial. When I first heard about them, I absolutely loved it because it all rang true for me and suddenly everything made sense.

[Summerlander]

I absolutely understand where you are coming from, MoonageDaydream. The study we did was only suggestive, I think, that women are more open to enlightenment than men; then again, we are only talking about a finite number of participants, in the thousands, that by no means speak for the existent majority on this planet which has reached the billions and continue to grow. There is such a thing as a man being in touch with his feminine side and vice versa. I feel like this pertains very much to the concept of Jungian archetypes, the animus, anima etc. One might describe, for instance, Hillary Clinton as a masculine woman whereas Michael Jackson was more effeminate. (Regardless of sexual orientation here.) On this note, it is worth emphasising that lucidity has a lot more in common with an ability to pay attention to the present or staying focused on phenomenal appearances—be that dreaming or perceiving the waking world. So yeah, it is not hard to imagine a psychopath cultivating a mindful skill driven by an egotistical desire to get ahead of others and possibly for nefarious purposes; conversely, the most ethical person you could ever meet could struggle to be present-minded as his or her depression—caused by the perception of abundant evil in the world—prevents them from doing so. However, the ethical depressed individual, despite depression, is closer to enlightenment than the psychopath in one respect: compassion. This is why there are different types of meditation which have different visible effects on the brain, all of which tend to be positive. The cultivation of compassion, as expert meditators usually tell us, goes hand in hand with mindfulness. Sharon Salzburg is a good one for compassion. Thank you for your input, MoonageDaydream. I think it has deepened our understanding here. Sometimes it is easy to overlook certain realities based on experience.

[Summerlander]

I like this part. I mentioned it the other day in a different topic on dream control as a way to increase lucidity. Lucidity is awareness, so increasing that intentionally, consciously via mindfulness technique in a lucid dream will work wonders. I agree with MoonageDayDream, the concept of yin/yang and feminine/masculine it's about achieving balance and harmony. Many of the new agers all talk about raising your vibration, but they should actually be talking about balancing your vibration. The law of gender is also a hermetic principle, understanding the 7 hermetic principles and how they apply to yourself and reality is quite beneficial. When I first heard about them, I absolutely loved it because it all rang true for me and suddenly everything made sense. Yes, absolutely. They definitely correlate. I have also seen Andrew Holecek emphasising this with his talks on 'lucid dreaming and lucid living'. Mindfulness definitely promotes lucidity.

[Hilary]

However, the ethical depressed individual, despite depression, is closer to enlightenment than the psychopath in one respect: compassion. This is why there are different types of meditation which have different visible effects on the brain, all of which tend to be positive. The cultivation of compassion, as expert meditators usually tell us, goes hand in hand with mindfulness. Sharon Salzburg is a good one for compassion. Yes, I agree with this. Compassion, I think, is the biggest step one can take toward enlightenment (or is a by-product?). More so than self-awareness and mindfulness, although those are very important, too.

[Summerlander]

Sometimes as a byproduct. I guess it depends on personal experiences and what individuals are initiated on—or happen upon—first. I'm guilty of having neglected the practice of compassion, I must confess, but not because I was sceptical; more along the lines of me thinking it's a given that I already found myself in. Having checked out Joseph Goldstein and Salzburg, however, I now realise I can do with some of their prescribed exercises. There is a lot to learn from Buddhism on this front.

[Hilary]

Sometimes as a byproduct. I guess it depends on personal experiences and what individuals are initiated on—or happen upon—first. I'm guilty of having neglected the practice of compassion, I must confess, but not because I was sceptical; more along the lines of me thinking it's a given that I already found myself in. Having checked out Joseph Goldstein and Salzburg, however, I now realise I can do with some of their prescribed exercises. There is a lot to learn from Buddhism on this front. I hope you don't mind if I share a very personal experience - why I think compassion leads to spiritual progress. Seven years ago, after I had fallen into a deep depression, I found out that my cousin was bringing his new girlfriend and her 4-year-old twins to stay the night at my grandparents' house. But, you see, my step-grandfather is a pedophile. Like, a serial pedophile (to paint a picture, he used to be the principal of a school for children with intellectual disabilities, down syndrome, etc.. he was court-ordered to never come within close proximity of a child again, although this was hidden from the family for many years). I knew, of course, from personal experience. I told the mother of the twins to warn her. The result? I pretty much got myself exiled from that part of the family, and possibly got written out of the will, too (they were millionaires). At first, even my sister thought I shouldn't have done it - mostly because of the social pressure. But in hindsight, I know I did the right thing (of course, the mother of the twins didn't believe me, but what else could I do?). For possibly the first time in my life, I chose compassion over fear. That started it all. Then it was 6 months of increasing epiphanies, realizing synchronicities were happening to me, a dream telling me to investigate lucid dreaming (I didn't even know it was possible), facing fears like I never have before (like the fear of shame), and overall, increasing self-awareness. Eventually it climaxed into energy running up and down my spine, love filling my chest for days like I was puffed with air, seeing a couple visions, and suddenly hearing voices in my head - helpful, guiding voices. And let me tell you, I knew nothing of Buddhism, kundalini, spirituality, or anything like that before this happened. In fact, I lost my head for a couple days. I thought maybe I had died, and had to be admitted to a psyche ward for a short stay. It's hard when you don't know what's going on. And a shame, because in Eastern culture I would have had the help that I needed. I was extremely lucky that there was a chaplain at the hospital who knew what I was experiencing, and guided me through. And a male nurse, who apparently was psychic - he told me he saw a vision of me, called me an "another angel," and said I was going to become a teacher (which I did). Anyways, the point is, this happened after I started to make choices based on compassion. It's not enlightenment, I think. But like I said, I don't think we ever become enlightened and are done. We are just forever "enlightening". Forever a work in progress, discovering source energy/the inner light, then being human again with human problems, and rediscovering source energy as we deal with our problems, ad nauseum.

[Summerlander]

I'm very sorry about what's happened and very brave of you to disclose something so personal. I have also gone through a depressive phase poising me to self-destruct—setting me on a journey of seeing a psychiatric team, attending courses on CBT and mindfulness, and escapist lucid dreaming—preceding upsetting occurrences of a personal nature, too, just as I was picking myself up; as disappointment in life always seems to be around the corner, remind us to be strong and forcing us to adopt a problem-solving frame of mind. It goes without saying that our experiences are individually unique, but I have a good idea of where you are coming from. I have also gone through problems caused by black sheep in the family, where paedophilia is concerned, a few years ago; more recently and unrelated, I learned about my teenage daughter and her friend having been sexually assaulted by a boy their age—sending me on a journey where I get the police involved and imagining the young offender in question not as a child himself, but rather, as a monster in the making. So there have been moments where hatred has ruled my heart. It is always revolting to learn that a predatory human being has preyed upon the vulnerable, so I can imagine what you must've felt when you learned about your step-grandfather. But I completely admire your courage for choosing compassion over fear. I do believe that, morally, you did the right thing, and not just because of the fact that children being in close proximity of a sex offender would have been a violation of the court order, but also, because your cousin's girlfriend, as a mother, deserved to know what she was up against regarding the safety of her kids. It is easy to let your guard down with a questionable someone when you see other people apparently vouching for, and pretending, for this person. What followed after you warned the mother was not your fault—it was your step-grandfather's doing, for if he had not offended against others in the first place, there would have been no reason to hide anything or putting others in the awkward position of having to conceal such an ugly truth. I feel that you are quite spiritual and might have stumbled upon discoveries made long ago by practitioners and gurus of Eastern traditions. There have also been reports of energy flowing through the spine, kundalini and buzzing auras by shamans in South America. I think Carlos Castaneda, an avid lucid dreamer, also stumbled upon worlds made of energy ligaments when he separated from his body. I find this fascinating and it is always good to hear that people discover these phenomena for themselves. For me, it was happening since childhood, where fear appeared to prolong out-of-body experiences, but I think my practice didn't really take off, with more control and less fear, until I read Michael Powell's Mind Games back in 2008 and discovered a chapter on Robert Monroe's prescription for how to induce an OOBE. I think you illustrate perfectly how powerful compassion can be. And it is not as easy as what people might think. It seems easier to be judgemental and to see the world based on what we love and hate—a world where some things are accepted or tolerated, whilst others are shunned and there is always a level of division as we pick and choose. I think enlightenment can happen in some areas but not necessarily all areas at once (but could still be possible and certainly not ruling it out); having more to do with awareness of things, which is something that we, as humans, are required to permanently cultivate. But with compassion and right action combined, there can be wisdom—a deep understanding of how things in existence work and the source of true enlightenment, if this concept means anything at all. We are definitely perpetually learning. What do you think?

[Hilary]

I'm very sorry about what's happened and very brave of you to disclose something so personal. I have also gone through a depressive phase poising me to self-destruct—setting me on a journey of seeing a psychiatric team, attending courses on CBT and mindfulness, and escapist lucid dreaming—preceding upsetting occurrences of a personal nature, too, just as I was picking myself up; as disappointment in life always seems to be around the corner, remind us to be strong and forcing us to adopt a problem-solving frame of mind. It goes without saying that our experiences are individually unique, but I have a good idea of where you are coming from. I have also gone through problems caused by black sheep in the family, where paedophilia is concerned, a few years ago; more recently and unrelated, I learned about my teenage daughter and her friend having been sexually assaulted by a boy their age—sending me on a journey where I get the police involved and imagining the young offender in question not as a child himself, but rather, as a monster in the making. So there have been moments where hatred has ruled my heart. It is always revolting to learn that a predatory human being has preyed upon the vulnerable, so I can imagine what you must've felt when you learned about your step-grandfather. Thanks, and thank you for also sharing. It's so healing for me to see other people have also battled with mental health challenges. It's too easy to feel stigmatized, especially when you have toxic family members. Very sorry about your daughter. I don't know how I would manage if anything like that happened to mine. As to my step-grandfather, I think maybe I gave the wrong idea. I "learned" the hard way, at 5 years old (sorry to bring it up, maybe it makes more sense now). That's why I have PTSD (or had, I really have healed a LOT). Although, I will say, my experience was not nearly as bad my sister's, or my cousins'. I'm actually the lucky one. I view it now as a blessing in disguise. It has only served to make me stronger and more empathetic. But I completely admire your courage for choosing compassion over fear. I do believe that, morally, you did the right thing, and not just because of the fact that children being in close proximity of a sex offender would have been a violation of the court order, but also, because your cousin's girlfriend, as a mother, deserved to know what she was up against regarding the safety of her kids. It is easy to let your guard down with a questionable someone when you see other people apparently vouching for, and pretending, for this person. What followed after you warned the mother was not your fault—it was your step-grandfather's doing, for if he had not offended against others in the first place, there would have been no reason to hide anything or putting others in the awkward position of having to conceal such an ugly truth. I feel that you are quite spiritual and might have stumbled upon discoveries made long ago by practitioners and gurus of Eastern traditions. There have also been reports of energy flowing through the spine, kundalini and buzzing auras by shamans in South America. I think Carlos Castaneda, an avid lucid dreamer, also stumbled upon worlds made of energy ligaments when he separated from his body. I find this fascinating and it is always good to hear that people discover these phenomena for themselves. For me, it was happening since childhood, where fear appeared to prolong out-of-body experiences, but I think my practice didn't really take off, with more control and less fear, until I read Michael Powell's Mind Games back in 2008 and discovered a chapter on Robert Monroe's prescription for how to induce an OOBE. Sometimes I wonder if some people maybe had their "awakening" in a previous lifetime, so they come in to this life already with spiritual gifts. That sounds like you would fit that. And Carlos Castaneda is on my to-read list, very interested in his life. I think you illustrate perfectly how powerful compassion can be. And it is not as easy as what people might think. It seems easier to be judgemental and to see the world based on what we love and hate—a world where some things are accepted or tolerated, whilst others are shunned and there is always a level of division as we pick and choose. I think enlightenment can happen in some areas but not necessarily all areas at once (but could still be possible and certainly not ruling it out); having more to do with awareness of things, which is something that we, as humans, are required to permanently cultivate. But with compassion and right action combined, there can be wisdom—a deep understanding of how things in existence work and the source of true enlightenment, if this concept means anything at all. We are definitely perpetually learning. What do you think? I think that compassion leads to spiritual progress (and awakenings) because it leads to self-love. This self-love seems to fuel a desire for more self-love and self-respect, often spurring the development of other virtues, too. I know that's the case with me. As we do this, we create a core of self-worth that no one else can touch. Because it's not externally driven. This is as close to an identity, a real identity, that we can form, if you ask me. Anyways, I'll stop rambling.... I could go on and on

[Summerlander]

Thank you for empathising and your further clarification. These experiences do make us stronger in the end. Sometimes we vicariously experience the extent of somebody else's suffering besides our own. I'm glad that my daughter is getting the help she needs and the silver lining here is that we are closer than before. I hope you are happier now, too, MoonageDaydream, and if you ever need to talk, I'm here. You have a friend in me.