Eastern Meditation Research Articles

A CYBERNETIC MODEL OF STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS

In recent years, evidence has accumulated that there are four distinct states of consciousness under normal conditions; in addition to the three commonly experienced states of wakefulness, sleep, and dreaming, there is a fourth state achieved by various Eastern meditation techniques. A model of man is discussed that could account for these states. This model, inspired by the concepts of cybernetics, holds that man's behavior and experience can be accounted for by feedback‐control processes and that these processes are hierarchically organized. This paper first attempts to demonstrate that the existence of four distinct states of consciousness is consistent with a general cybernetic view of man. Then, a specific information‐flow model of the mind, developed by Powers, is introduced and it is shown that with some revision this model well accounts for the four states.

Yoga in English Class?

gavad Gita. This book, a Hindu New Testament, is in the form of an extended poem (122 pages) in which Krishna, the incarnation of the god Brahman, explains the ways of reaching Nirvana (heaven) to the warrior Arjuna. It encompasses the Hindu concepts of reincarnation, Yoga, and Nirvana in a way high in quality, historical interest, and relevance. Because of its Eastern origin and because of the great interest in Eastern meditation and religious life among the young people today, it holds an inherent interest for students. It is an in-depth approach to matters known cursorily by the students and thus provokes fascinating classroom discussions. For the structure-minded