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Library of Congress CCN 67-10417 CHAPTER 07 |
Since we have multiple inner realities and the multiple
states of COnsciousneSD, we can imagine that the larger brain of the
larger dolphins has a greater richness and greater range than ours does.
In our brain the present and separate states of consciousness exist
one beside the other, as it were. In the words of William James, the
filmiest of screens separates everyday, physical, agreed-upon reality
from each of the others The Eastem philosophers and religious leaders
have explored some of these realities and cxplained them but only on
their terms. A whole language of the multitudinous states of
the mind and of the soul and of consciousness has been developed and
used by them. Many of these explanations seem to he inappropriate for
our Westem minds. Apparently we must devise whole new languages to describe
these states on our own terms. The Eastern systematization does not seem to be appropriate
for the Wcstern personal nse. We can derive some confidence and security
in the knowledge that these persons have explored some areas of interest
for literally hundreds of years. We can copy some of their techniques
and some of their approaches. But vith our own history and with our
own society we must havo other explanations for what happens. We may seem incredibly naive to these people; so be it. We are Westem, American and European in origin, education, religion, politics, marriage, customs, business practices, and children. (Even our dolphins come from the coastal waters of the United States. Whether this makes our dolphins Westem is a moot point.) We hope then to explore the multiple states of consciousness of man and also the mu tiple states of consciousness of dolphin. It is extremely likely that our spiritual life will be enriched by such expansions both m ourselves and in the dolphins. |
