Consciousness is affected by our internal and external experiences moment to moment. While some might argue that consciousness is a neutral observer, I disagree. Consciousness is dynamic and continuously learning. It may be eternal and connected to a universal consciousness, but it is influenced by everything it interacts with.
To make a productive point, my discovery is the significant role of the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems in understanding truth, relaxation, happiness, love, and even enlightenment. I realized there can be no conflict when I'm in a parasympathetic state. I could be at rest, eating, and completely relaxed, but as soon as something I dislike or that breaks my focus arises, I'm triggered. This can lead to anxiety, ranging from mild to intense.
The reason this is valuable to me is that I now understand that I shift between the parasympathetic and sympathetic states throughout the day. In the parasympathetic state, I am relaxed, at my best, compassionate, present, and aligned with Universal Consciousness. My baseline feels normal. In contrast, when I am triggered and move into the sympathetic state, even slightly, I fall back into patterns of negative thinking, reactivity, fear, and anxiety.
I can mask this state with positive philosophy, but I remain in an anxious mind, vulnerable to misery and addictive behaviors. I continue to suffer. Achieving a return to the parasympathetic state is my victory. I need techniques, not pharmaceuticals, plant medicines, books, or material possessions, to achieve this.
While those things can be tremendously helpful, they are not necessary. Breathing is.
Each state triggers a completely different experience of reality. In an anxious brain, we perceive time and details differently compared to when we're relaxed. It's not just external experiences that trigger these states; being hungry, angry, lonely, tired, sick, or in pain can also play a role. A wide range of emotions can activate the fight or flight response.
Conversely, there are fewer experiences that activate the parasympathetic state. Even with material comforts and relief from certain sufferings, one can remain in a sympathetic state. External factors don't guarantee a return to the parasympathetic state, especially with conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which involves prolonged stress long after the trauma has ended.
Our ability to feel happy, comfortable, and relaxed—and return to a parasympathetic state—is closely tied to our healing mechanisms and whether the initial experience that caused fear or anxiety leads to PTSD. We understand trauma's impact on adults; consider what certain traumas can do to a child's brain.
The child is naïve, defenseless, and innocent. Emotional and physical abuse, whether deliberate or accidental, impacts the child's mind profoundly. Children cannot express these sensations in words, so they weep, cry, panic, scream, and act out. Imagine what it feels like for them to react this way.
Children store these traumas, especially those that repeat, in the sympathetic brain. When triggered, we return to these memories, informing our reactions and beliefs. As long as I'm unconscious of this process, I'm likely to express my repressed traumas in some way—perhaps spreading negativity, creating art, becoming a great inventor, or even turning out to be a serial killer. I might also pass on my dysfunctional experiences to the next generation.
If I remain in a sympathetic nervous system state, I become a threat to evolutionary progress. I'm perpetuating negative behavior patterns to the next generation. Metaphorically, evolution challenges me to break these patterns. It wants me to heal my mind and achieve true relaxation, becoming more passive and subdued. While evolution expects me to react to real threats, it also wants me to return to a calm state once the threat is gone. Remaining aggressive only causes further harm.
Meditation is a surefire way to practice relaxation during a calmer state, so if I'm triggered later on, I can respond by staying focused and breathing. Because I practiced a lot, I do it automatically. Biologically and anatomically, good respiratory and circulatory patterns promote positive feelings, like a relaxed state of mind. This realization is significant for me because I used to believe I needed to digest thousands of pages of historical spiritual texts to be happy. I thought understanding consciousness and teachings from the Far East was essential for enlightenment. In this book, I will describe enlightenment as I see it, because I believe it is real. I think it encompasses many things and is objective, as it represents a theoretical state of mind.
For the purpose of definition, I see enlightenment as the acceptance of reality as it is—a grounding of the mind in the present moment within the physical body. It's not about shooting lightning bolts from your eyes or levitating during meditation. If levitation is possible, it's likely a simple physics trick, and even if everyone could do it, it wouldn't solve humanity's problems. Parasympathetic Mind is enlightenment. Now surrender all philosophy and go live a moral life!
What can dramatically change our problems is understanding the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems and how they constantly switch throughout the day. The key is gaining control over which state you're in, rather than being like a pinball knocked around. The primary tool for this is connecting the mind with the breath—thinking of your breath as you take deep breaths in and out. This is called practice because it requires time and varies for each individual due to our unique differences.
No one can tell you how long the journey to enlightenment takes—whether it's two years, twenty years, or even multiple lifetimes. Discussing it as an accomplishment with a timeframe removes it from the essence of what enlightenment is, which is simply to accept and take action. The important thing is to start now, as your actions either help or worsen the situation.
I wish to reach people imprisoned around the world, including those trapped in the prisons of their own minds with negative thinking and anxiety, causing mental suffering and pain. Mental suffering always has a physical aspect, as the body releases hormones to help us navigate emotions, threats, and fears. These hormones serve specific purposes, such as blocking pain or providing instant strength.
There's a negative side effect if we constantly release stress hormones, similar to the effects of being in a negative state of mind, often rooted in childhood experiences, mental challenges, diet, exercise, education, and intelligence. If you're seeking a meditation practice with real progress, I recommend understanding how it feels to be in a parasympathetic state versus a sympathetic state. Assess whether you're truly in a relaxed state. Examine your habits, addictions, and anxieties—when they flare up and what causes them. Develop self-awareness to see if you can move beyond post-traumatic stress.
Ancient philosophies might not have had a scientific term for PTSD, but they understood it as chronic "suffering." The problem we face is the fluctuation between the parasympathetic and sympathetic states, along with the thoughts and sensations that bring awareness to our suffering.
A major part of the solution is simple: mastering breathing techniques that help you relax. Practicing them consistently puts you on the path.
As you stay on this path, something positive will happen. It’s not about material gains like wealth or possessions, as these aren't related to the parasympathetic state. This state can occur in any situation. I recall stories of Holocaust survivors who maintained a positive attitude and showed great compassion, even in dire circumstances. I believe they achieved a state of Nirvana despite the hardships.
Nirvana doesn’t mean living in luxury; it starts with reaching a parasympathetic state. From there, we take each moment as it comes, acting with compassion and non-harm. If actions are addictive, subconscious, distracting, or violent, they aren’t from a parasympathetic mind. So, practice your breathing exercises and save yourself a lot of time.