The Evolution of Human Consciousness occurs in seven cycles:
1. The first cycle is acute IDENTIFICATION with the body/mind
The identity we have in terms of our name and form, that we have inherited or acquired in this birth, forms the basis of our identification. The name and form acquired always have a reference to an object, whether it is this body, a person, a relationship, position at the workplace or wealth.
The human existence, therefore, is nothing but a constant interaction/stimulation with these objects which creates a deep bond between us and the objects. We become dependent on them and try to possess them because we become habituated by them. We fall into a trance.
Our loyalty towards these objects is impeccable, but unfortunately the same thing can’t be said about the objects. These objects are always changing around us — our bodies, positions, relationships, wealth, etc. — they are all fleeting and transient.
Most people suffer silently as they have no idea how to deal with a situation where one is constantly deceived by the ever changing objects and situations. This results in insecurity and fear and the drive to possess more and more of these objects. However, such an act only strengthens the hold the objects have on us and we find ourselves getting more and more insecure and fearful.
Dependency on the objects for true happiness can never be accomplished in this world. It will only lead to more delusion. The reason is that the world is an imperfect place and, to seek happiness, one has to first go inwards and stop seeking it outwards. One has to move away from the waves of the mind and dive within the ocean of the soul.
2. The second cycle is the WITNESSING state
Once a being becomes sensitive enough to realize that he is getting repeatedly thrashed, smashed and jolted by the waves of objects, he starts to look for cover within.
It is when a seeker begins to look within, that he begins to witness. He witnesses the coming and going of all thoughts, emotions, objects. Everything is in constant flux and he gains the knowledge that, over time, everything passes. Initially, many things touch his state of witnessing and he gets pulled into a thought, or emotion, or story; but over time they begin to affect him less and less. He is obviously not free from them as yet, but the act of witnessing creates the necessary ‘gap’ between him and the objects whereby he doesn’t get so easily swayed by them.
3. The third cycle is the recognition of the WITNESSER
The act of witnessing points to the witnesser. Every thought, emotion, story, feeling, points to whom, to what? It points to the witnesser. First there is attention only to objects, then it turns to witnessing, and finally one arrives at the witnesser. One can refer to it as ‘being’, or ‘background self’, or ‘I AM’, or whatever — but one finds himself attending to a background stillness. Even the act of witnessing merges with the witnesser at the background, manifesting as growing silence and peace felt at regular intervals.
4. The fourth cycle is EXPLORING the layers of the witnesser
The witnesser is a labyrinth of various emotions, thoughts, dreams, images, void, suppressed desires — everything is mixed together and one needs to tease out all of this from the witnesser to arrive at pure I AM or being.
Many things hidden below the surface are brought up during the abidance of the witnesser. The witnesser watches these many hidden and suppressed desires and emotions surface, and he teases them out one by one, layer by layer, much like the layers of an onion.
Often a lot of time is spent in dealing with all that arises and falls within the witnesser. This is where the Implosive Self-Inquiry Protocol™ (ISIP) comes into play. Instead of repeatedly watching what is happening with the witnesser, one uses the scientific tool of focusing on the higher centres of the Third Eye (Ajna Chakra) and the Spiritual Heart.
Through the ISIP freeze and release method, all the energies that are being scattered among the various emotions, thoughts, images and states are brought into one place. At the same time, a natural catharsis or healing of the three centres which block the channels for sustained abidance is also undertaken. This serves to bring the life force to the Third Eye, and then to the sahasrar (top of the brain).
5. The fifth cycle is the VOID state
Scientists have discovered that there are ‘default’ neural pathways, or circuits, that determine how we act, think and feel and that our reality, or perception, is based upon these default neural pathways.
What are these default pathways? They are what we have acquired from past births, or tendencies inherited in this birth, but most of these pathways are only in reference to the world. We are completely oblivious of the spiritual neural pathways that can be harnessed and discovered, as a result we use only the default pathways. The value of ISIP to the seeker is that it facilitates opening these spiritual neural pathways in the brain.
Science now knows that there are approximately 100 billion active nerve cells in the brain, and each of these cells can create a new connection (apart from the default pathways) to explore our hidden potential, both material and spiritual.
One of the world’s preeminent psychologists, Robert E. Ornstein, states in The Amazing Brain, Ch. 1, pg. 21:
“There are perhaps about one hundred billion neurons, or nerve cells, in the brain, and in a single human brain the number of possible interconnections between these cells is greater than the number of atoms in the universe.”
Such is our potential, but it remains largely unexplored and underutilized.
The importance of ISIP is that it triggers, or magnetizes/energizes, the spiritual neural pathways creating connections between the cells of higher spiritual centres leading to different spiritual dimensions/planes and, ultimately, revealing to us our True Nature.
When the life force collects or gathers at one point between the eyebrows, then it automatically withdraws from the sense organs and the other parts of the body. The withdrawing of the prana (life force) from the senses reveals “Nothingness” or the “Void” state.
It is in this Nothingness, or Void, that the seeker finds solace and respite from the continuous distractions of his senses and external objects. This, however, can be a very ‘dry’ state and can be depressing for many seekers as the senses seem to be numb, giving a lifeless existence.
The seeker, however, soon realizes that the tendencies and distractions are only temporarily submerged, or arrested, and that they arise again in their daily activities. At this stage, the seeker intuits that he has to return to the waking state while embracing his newly accomplished state, and not continue to ‘escape’ through sitting meditation.
6. The sixth cycle is the BURNING state
Having intuited that he needs to work on his tendencies (vasanas) not just in his sitting meditation, but also in his waking state, the seeker carries his Void state there (waking state). He then prefers to face his vasanas/tendencies in the waking state, rather than retiring into his sitting meditation. This is the burning state where a lot of dross and accumulated muck gets burned away and released through the ISIP practice.
7. The seventh cycle is the TURIYA state
Carrying the “burning” state into the sitting meditation reveals the secret nadi (neural pathway) between the sahasrar and the spiritual Heart.
It is not easy to locate this secret pathway, but with the help of the “burning”, and the ISIP freeze and release method, the Amrita nadi is ultimately revealed — where the state of SATCHITANANDA is finally revealed.
