https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/152867/new-study-discovers-biological-basis-magic/
Russian Language Source:
https://t.me/c/1624019600/1505
BUDDHIST - MARXISM ALLIANCE (UK) |
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Author’s Note: I encountered the article referenced below – not in its original ‘English’ rendering – but in fact in a Russian-language translation featured as an informative post uploaded onto the ‘Грибник Илюша Chat’ (Ilyusha Hrybnyk Chat) Telegram Channel. When I translated the Russian-language text back into English (before I located the original English-language version) – I found that the Russian author had arranged the data from the research into a more efficient representation of the findings – and had achieved this by ‘tidying-up’ the original presentation. It is the English translation of the Russian interpretation that I have referenced below*, as I feel it possesses a greater insight and clarity into the findings of the research with regards to ‘expansive awareness’. Essentially, different parts of the brain are simultaneously ‘enhanced’ or ‘reduced’ in their functionality (disrupting the genetic blueprint of ‘balance’ provided through natural selection) when subjected to the ingesting of mind-altering drugs. This process generates a perceivable ‘distance’ or ‘dissonance’ (often described as a ‘three-dimensional’ and ‘all-embracing space’ within which all things seem to ‘manifest’ and ‘appear’) in the manner through which the human subject experiences the inner (subjective) and outer (objective) world. Indeed, such designations as ‘subject’ and ‘object’ appear to dissolve into insignificance as all things seem to be ‘unified’ whilst maintaining their inherent ‘diversity’. As the brain is striving to ‘balance’ the chemical processes to enhance the (evolutionary) chances of survival for the subject concerned – the ‘creative’ impulses are dramatically enhanced! This explains why ‘inspired’ and ‘unique’ artistic creations are often the result of this type of transformational experience. The point I make below, is that certain spiritual and religious ‘rituals’ replicate (overtime) the dramatic (existential) effects of entheogen chemicals – but that these ‘rituals’ achieve this transformation through psychological discipline and radical behaviour modification - having no reliance upon an external chemical agency. Finally, science is proving that genuine spiritual or religious experience is ‘real’ but that it is NOT the product of an external theological entity ‘protecting’ the transformation process into the individual concerned, as a ‘reward’ for devotional or faithful living! Such an experience, although unusual, is entirely natural and is subject to explanation through scientific investigation. ACW (7.7.2022) Although when human subjects living within modern (‘individualistic’) societies (as opposed to ‘collectivised’ primitive, traditional or tribal societies) ingest mind-altering drugs - there is little or no preparation for the resulting transformative experience. Therefore, the experienced ‘event’ is perceived as being ‘peak’, highly ‘unusual’ and sometimes even ‘traumatic’ as it separates the perception of the subject from the ordinary world that is ‘familiar’ to the senses. This is because the sensual experiences have not been anticipated and prepared for through the agency of spiritual, religious or communal ‘ritual’ that educates, acculturates and prepares the experiencing mind and body for this shift in awareness. This ritual can vary in length, but when linked to established religious practice (such as that found within the many and various ‘monastic’ or ‘meditative’ traditions of the world), it can take numerous years of training involving extensive study, discussion and guidance before a ‘breakthrough’ occurs that is accomplished not through an ingestion of a chemical agent – but rather through the application of a ‘spiritual’ technique designed specifically for this purpose. This can be contrasted with the reality found within modern societies wedded to ‘secularism’ and ‘individualism’ - where a person simply decides to ingest a mind-altering drug with no preparation and sits back to observe the consequences! The 2014 research paper published by Dr Robin Carhart-Harris of King's College London (and his colleagues) referenced below, observed the effects of ‘psilocybin’ (‘Magic Mushrooms’) on the chemical functioning of the brains of fifteen volunteers and concluded in-part: *“It was found that under the influence of a hallucinogen, the same parts of the brain are activated as during sleep - the hippocampus, which is involved in the formation of emotions, and the anterior cingulate cortex, which is responsible for the decision-making process, sympathy and emotional state. At the same time, the processes related to higher nervous activity, for example, to self-awareness, were not coordinated with each other. All this together, according to the researchers, gives the effect of ‘expansion of consciousness’." Those interested in this research should read and study the full findings of this study referenced below. As with any study of the chemical functioning of the ‘brain’ (and how this might relate to the ‘mind’) - the field of study is fluid, changeable and always subject to radical reinterpretation as more evidence becomes available. In other words, it is a continuously developing area of study, clarification and breaking new ground. I suspect that the ‘preparation’ involved with Buddhist meditative study orientates the practitioner to ‘integrate’ each new and unique subjective experience into his or her objective existence without the usual ‘dissonance’ reported by those who ingest mind-altering chemical substances merely as an exercise of the agency of momentary ‘individual’ choice. Although the Buddhist practitioner often reports ‘momentary’ breakthroughs in enhanced awareness – these are seldom traumatic and generally serve as an incentive toward further study. What the successful Buddhist practitioner does achieve is the eventual ‘permanent’ breakthrough in the expansion of awareness that reconciles entirely with the existential circumstances of the objective world! Perception is radically altered through the scientific process described above – but without the accompanying ‘alienation’ of the individual from a) the experience itself, and b) the objective world they inhabit. This spiritualised process represents the difference between decades of preparation through rigorous psychological and physical self-discipline – and the ‘momentary’ whim inspired through superficial social interaction and the wish to momentarily ‘escape’ sensory perception as experienced during everyday experience. English Language Research:
https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/152867/new-study-discovers-biological-basis-magic/ Russian Language Source: https://t.me/c/1624019600/1505
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This film reminded me of Logan’s Run, the Matrix and Gattaca (with undertones of Minority Report), Filming occurred between October and December, 2000, and was completed well before the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center during September, 2001. However, the finished film was not released until 2002 and in the post-911 war-mongering climate in the US – was a monumental cinema and financial failure. Perhaps the central theme of ordinary people rising-up against an oppressive regime did not go down too well with the Bush Administration as it was priming the American population to mindlessly follow its orders to (illegally) invade Afghanistan (and Iraq) in retaliation for 911 – without either country having anything to do with the terrorist attack itself. It is stated that Berlin was chosen for its fascistic architecture – and areas of run-down East Germany – with the produces careful not to mention that the former ‘Socialist’ East German State was ‘devastated’ with the re-introduction of predatory capitalism and that in just ten years, large areas became economically run-down and inundated with neo-Nazi movements whilst being abandoned by the unified ‘German’ State - bereft of financial aid and vital resources, etc. In other words, it was the predatory capitalism of the US that destroyed the infrastructure of East Germany – and not (Marxist-Leninist) ‘Socialism’ that had over-thrown Nazism and carefully re-built the country in the wake of Hitler’s death in 1945! Of course, the ‘Ministry of State Security’ or ‘Stasi’ (1950-19990) was responsible law and order and (from 1952) intelligence and counter-intelligence – for the State of the German Democratic Republic (GDR). Its main tasks were to guard the German people from infiltration by US predatory capitalism – and arrest, try and imprison any East German nationals still holding ‘Nazi’ viewpoints. The US packaged this move as a human rights violation and started various media campaigns to have these people released. With the collapse of East Germany in 1999, all these former Nazis were released to great fanfare – and they immediately set about exercising their newly found ‘capitalist’ freedom by re-establishing a vast network of neo-Nazi organisations that still exist and function today! This is the background to the ‘decrepit’ areas the producers of this film claim they used in the former East Germany.
Furthermore, the producers feature images of Joseph Stalin – the ‘elected’ General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union – and Saddam Hussein. The former fought Hitler’s fascism to protect the West with the Soviet Union losing around 41 million men, women and children, whilst Saddam Hussein was to be blamed by the Bush Administration (falsely) for being behind 911! An odd choice for so-called ‘deficient’ leaders as both were victims of the capitalist system! The producers also churn-out footage of the 1989 ‘Tiananmen Square’ Incident in China which was revealed in 2011 as a media hoax by Wikileaks - perpetuated by the US and UK media during a time before the internet and when very few people possessed the ability to verify at source what they were being told to ‘think’ by their respective governments! Although many suggest this film is a re-hash of Orwell’s 1984, the situation is a little more complex. George Orwell, as a Trotskyite, was tasked by the UK government to agitate against the Soviet Union through the medium of literature. Orwell’s books are not very well written, but they exist in virtually every school throughout the Western (capitalist) world! His books entitled ‘1984’, and Animal Farm’ are designed to psychologically ‘inoculate’ the minds of young children born within the capitalist system against forming any thoughts in support of ‘Socialism.’ As Orwell recognises the urge toward ‘creativity’ the only distraction his fiction allows is a dalliance with Trotskyism which serves the purpose of directing the individuals straight back into the arms of predatory capitalism! In this regard, Orwell’s misleading and poorly written works serve a similar purpose to the drug ‘Prozium’ found in this film. Whereas Orwell’s work ‘suppresses’ any thoughts in support of ‘Socialism’ - ‘Prozium II’ is a drug administered to all citizens of Libria which is used to ‘suppress’ all ‘emotion.’ The point of this is that the Council which runs Libria has decided that ‘feeling emotion’ is the reason humanity ‘goes to war’, and therefore if ‘emotion’ is stopped – all ‘war’ will cease (as does ‘resistance’ to authority). Orwell suppresses ‘Socialism’ (thus allowing the capitalist system to function normally – which includes raging war), whilst ‘Prozium’ allows for a society to function ‘free’ of warfare although under a totalitarian government (capitalism in decline). As religion is linked to ‘faith’, and given that ‘faith’ is premised upon ‘emotion’ - in an emotionless society, there is no need or inclination for religion to exist. Instead, secular ‘Clerics’ are trained to defend the State against anyone who ‘feels’ emotion. To do this they become expert in advanced martial arts – both armed and unarmed – and are empowered to be judge, jury and executioner. Their job is to destroy anyone who ‘feels’ and eradicate any material signs of culture produce by ‘feeling’ individuals. Every citizen is obligated to take their dose of ‘Prozium’ every day so as to prevent any feelings developing. Not to do this constitutes a ‘sense crime’ which is punishable by immediate death. Prozium creates an ‘unfeeling’ society that lives in the ‘eternal moment,’ That is to say, all citizens of Libria physically exist in the existential moment. This sounds very similar to the Japanese Zen ideology developed in Japan post 1868 (following the Meiji Restoration), which developed to its peak during the 1930s. This was a fascistic distortion of Chinese Ch’an that sort to ‘eradicate’ all human feeling and create a population that only lives in the present moment and possessed no moral qualms in ‘killing’ anyone who opposes the will of the State. To do this, the Japanese State had to ‘abandon’ all Buddhist morality and ethical behaviour and the Buddhist Establishment had to conform. This created an appreciation of the present moment that forgets the past and has no thought of the future whilst being completely ‘amoral’ due to its lack of contextualising emotion. This type of Japanese Zen conditioned millions of Japanese people to mindlessly obey a hierarchical government and kill anyone who opposed its objectives. Not only this, but after WWII, many so-called Japanese Zen masters then transmitted this type of ‘amoral’ Zen to the West where it has become known as ‘International Zen’, even though this type of thinking has been abandoned by most ethnic Japanese people who have reverted back to a more civilised and humane type of Buddhist practice. Clerics in Librium act very much like the Samurai of ancient Japan and the Kempeitai, of fascist Imperial Japan – as they are empowered to kill anyone who deviates from the accepted norms of society. To achieve this the Clerics have developed a deadly ‘Gun Kata’ - which is a set of movements using fire-arms which has been mathematically calculated to kill as many people in the shortest space of time, in such an efficient manner that exposes the Cleric to the least damage. |
AuthorAdrian Chan-Wyles PhD - Political Commissar and BMA (UK) Historian & Researcher. Archives
April 2024
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