© 1981 Bob Hunt
© 1981 The Urantia Book Fellowship (formerly Urantia Brotherhood)
| The Individual's Relation to the Thought Adjuster | July 1981 Issue - Special Conference Issue — Index | The Human Response |
I want to share with you some observations concerning the spiritual aspects of mind and the states of mind that are most conducive to spirit reception. As I embark upon this topic and this endeavor, I invite each of you to join in an experiment designed to use your mind, and our collective mind, as a laboratory in which is to be tested some of the ideas to be presented. In this gathering of active and versatile minds, it should be possible to explore multi-levels of this topic concurrently; that is, in some sense to manifest and experience that which is being said in words. One way to accomplish this is to modify the usual pattern of active-speaker and passive-listeners. Now, I don’t intend to ask you to speak; rather, I want to make some suggestions as to how you listen.
In particular, I request that you relax your thought process as you listen and that you give primary attention to your inner awareness, which I will refer to as your intelligence. Thus, for this talk, I wish to make a distinction between thought and intelligence. I will regard thought as the mechanical process of our brain-mind-recording, organizing, evaluating, recalling, and so forth. In a sense, this function or activity includes everything our brains are involved with in the material realm. So thought, in this context, involves at any particular moment only information from the past, stored in memory. This leaves, in the category of intelligence, those special insights that are truly original as opposed to being simply a product of thought patterns. Intelligence, then, is personal understanding from an inner source that is spiritual. One must be highly attentive to bring mind into a state of harmony with intelligence; in fact, this must be equivalent to cooperation with one’s indwelling Thought Adjuster. And while we are informed that such cooperation is not a particularly conscious process, we are told further that there are real and effective ways to augment Adjuster harmony. Thought is a marvelous mechanical aid: but it should not interfere with the delicate contact that can be experienced as intelligence. Each person uses will to direct mind; and only that will and that mind know how best to touch the inner source and flow along with it.
I propose that we exert an individual-collective effort to do this for the next twenty minutes or so, a sort of group harmony with the cosmic-mind circuits. I believe that if you do what is more common in this situation namely, try to think, analyze, decide whether you agree and so forth — you will have a very different experience than if you try this alternative approach. Be free of conflict, of anxiety, of distracting external stimuli — all of which result from thought. Close your eyes if you prefer, meditate, stand on your head, lie down in the aisle whatever suits you best. Close the distance between you and me, between yourself and all the others in this room. Cease to be an observer — be one with the observation. The separation is an illusion, as modern science is beginning to recognize in fascinating ways, some of which I will refer to shortly. Let us, during this brief time together, seek unity of mind — both individually and collectively.
I am suggesting this in order to stimulate an active involvement with the concept of spiritual mind receptivity. Our group attention-concentration has the potential of enhancing our present experience together. The concepts I will present, am now presenting, seem to warrant such an exercise. A Perfector of Wisdom informs us, in The URANTIA Book, that “…experiential spiritual presence is in accordance with the underlying conditions or states of spiritual receptivity inherent in the individual minds of the realms.” (UB 13:4.3)
Right now, there is a lot of thinking going on. You’re thinking about what I’ve just said, trying to decide what to make of it, coordinating it, reacting to it, all the usual thought activities. Some other things are also humming along on the periphery, no doubt. Better check the time; make a mental note on the children’s whereabouts: think ahead to plans for lunch. Go ahead — run those things by. Well all do it together.
Jiddu Krishnamurti, in response to the question “How can one quieten the mind?”, says “You absolutely cannot make the mind quiet because you are the mind.” His point, as I understand it, is that one does not still one’s thoughts by an exertion of effort which itself requires thought. Rather, it is desirable to drop the distinction between the thinker and the thought, the observer and the observation — and simply be attentive, Krishnamurti says that “to be attentive means to listen without any interpretation, without any judgment — just to listen. When you are so listening, there is no boundary, there is no ‘you’ listening. There is only a state of listening. And when you look without the observer, without the ‘me’, then you will truly see. And seeing is an act of love, Look for yourself at a tree, a flower, the face of a person…, and so look that the space between you and them is nonexistent. You can only look that way when there is no love.”
David Bohm, an eminent Professor of Theoretical Physics at the University of London, observes that “the brain doesn’t create intelligence but is an instrument which helps intelligence to function. And the quietness of the brain is the operation of intelligence.”
Some may wish to link these ideas to worship. On UB 102:4.5 of The URANTIA Book, a Melchizedek of Nebadon tells us that: “The reflective powers of the mind are deepened and broadened by worship.” And we are told, on UB 146:2.17, that “Jesus taught his followers that,” after prayer, “. . . they should remain for a time in silent receptivity to afford the indwelling spirit the better opportunity to speak to the listening soul.” He went on to say that: “The spirit of the Father speaks best to man when the human mind is in an attitude of true worship.”
The human brain, with all of its intriguing capabilities, is basically a bodily organ that is concerned with a broad spectrum of functions. Our brains are involved with some activities that are simple and others that are complex, with some responses that are automatic and others that are voluntary. The subject of both scientific research and philosophical speculation, this physical entity provides an inexhaustible source for both empirical and speculative investigation. Modern discoveries concerning the differing functions of the left and right brain hemispheres have answered many questions and raised others yet to be explored. URANTIA Book readers have been informed of the existence of mortal species with a third brain that serves as a spiritual counterpart for Thought Adjuster activities (page 566). A Life Carrier of Nebadon resident on Urantia observes: “The physical brain with its associated nervous system possesses innate capacity for response to mind ministry just as the developing mind of a personality possesses a certain innate capacity for spirit receptivity and therefore contains the potentials of spiritual progress and attainment.” (UB 65:6.10)
Let me elaborate a bit on the distinctions between thought and intelligence. Thought is a function of time and exhibits a form of motion or growth in time. But nothing is ever new or original in this thought realm. There may be novel arrangements or juxtapositions or linkages of thoughts; however, these cannot be truly original for they are built from pre-recorded material that has only finite content, namely the base of data our brain has accumulated from our birth to the present moment.
With this delineation of meaning, it is clear that there are limitations inherent in the process of thought. Nevertheless, thought is not to be dismissed as something shallow or superficial even though certain thought patterns may exhibit these tendencies. Our cumulative body of thought has unlimited capacity for expansion, growth, and refinement. Properly nourished and exercised, thought is, in the material realm, a great ally in confronting life’s circumstances. At the same time, while thought is vital to our being, it is not the whole of our being. Thought must be balanced with other factors if life is to be a fulfilling and harmonious experience. There must be another ingredient to this formula of life and this other vital element is what I am referring to as intelligence. As thought is both the process and product of our brain, intelligence functions through our mind. Thought has a finite source and is a function of time. Intelligence comes from an infinite source independent of time and space. These contrasts are noted by a Mighty Messenger who speaks of “the meaningful ideas of thought” and “the valuable ideals of spiritual insight.” (UB 118:10.13) Physicist David Bohm observes that thought, in both process and content, deals with fragments of information or static images while mind senses an undivided process of flow. For example, when we listen to music, there is a flowing quality that is continuous and smooth. However, if we analyze the music with our thoughts, it becomes separate notes such as we observe on a written musical score. The melody and harmony are a function of our mind. This is similar to the phenomenon of the flow of time and its corresponding succession of moments.
Mind is that reality which connects thought and intelligence. Mind is in touch with both the physical brain and the infinite source, Mind is both practical and spiritual and is capable, under the right circumstances, of reflecting into the thought stream intelligence whose content is truly original, new, and timeless. Intelligence is everything that thought is not, although thought is the means by which intelligence is recognized, understood and transmitted. An understanding of the distinction between these two dissimilar but interrelated phenomena is critical to spiritual growth. A Mighty Messenger, on UB 56:2.2 of The URANTIA Book, states: “Mind is the indispensable channel of communication between spiritual and material realities.” A Perfector of Wisdom refers to the mind as “… a personal-energy system existing around a divine spirit nucleus and functioning in a material environment.” (UB 12:9.6)
For mind to be receptive to spiritual energy, thought must subside from its usual prominence. But this should occur calmly, not forcefully, through choice, not conflict. The experience may be fleeting, it may be sustained; it may produce stimulating growth; it may bring inner peace. In any case, it is fresh and not dependent on material considerations. Accordingly, thought can be primarily an obstacle if not observed carefully and understood as distinct from and secondary to spiritual insight. One of the most unequivocal statements in The URANTIA Book along these lines is made by a Solitary Messenger of Orvonton: “Trust all matters of mind beyond the dead level of consciousness to the custody of the Adjusters.” (UB 110:4.4)
Clarity of mind and receptivity of insights have been acclaimed and sought through the ages in every culture. From ancient to modern times, humanity has yearned for what Jesus called the “…peace which passes all human understanding” (UB 148:6.3) and which is further described in The URANTIA Book as “… a peace which, passes the understanding of mortal mind, but which can be enjoyed to the full by the believing human heart.” (UB 181:1.10) We can find striking references to this theme in a multitude of sources and in the works of a host of writers, philosophers, scientists, and religionists. The general concepts of spiritual mind receptivity form a common thread in all the world religions, in many current publications, and in a variety of forms of meditation and other types of personal and group practices. There are descriptive materials and prescriptive methods as diverse as the people that are seeking to experience the fullness of a dimension of life that they sense is possible. In the final analysis, however, the richest and most dependable source is within the seeker. Of the many paths available, surely those are the most secure that recognize this simple, but sometimes elusive, truth. We are informed by a Solitary Messenger of Orvonton that: “Meanings and values are only perceived in the inner or supermaterial spheres of human experience, The advances of true civilization are all born in this inner world of mankind. It is only the inner life that is truly creative.” (UB 111:4.2-3)
During the past two and one-half years, Bob Dylan has written a number of powerful religious songs, In one of these called “Pressing On,” the refrain of which is “I’m pressing on to the higher calling of my Lord,” he writes: “Many try to stop me… Shake me up in my mind, Say, ‘Prove to me that He is Lord, show me a sign’… What kind of sign do they need… When it all comes from within… When what’s lost has been found … What’s to come has already been?”
What a blessing and a comfort to know from The URANTJA Book specifically and in awe-inspiring detail of our Mystery Monitors, the ever-present, always reliable Thought Adjusters who have, “… assumed the task of existing in your minds, there to receive the admonitions of the spiritual intelligences of the realms and then to undertake to redictate or translate these spiritual messages to the material mind…” (UB 108:5.1)
It seems to me, then, that our task is to provide the spiritually receptive state of mind commensurate with the superb gift of our Father fragments. The potentials inherent in manifesting appropriate levels of awareness are equivalent to the richness of the plan. In fact, “It is sometimes possible to have the mind illuminated, to hear the divine voice that continually speaks within you, so that you may become partially conscious of the wisdom, truth, goodness, and beauty of the potential personality constantly indwelling you.” (UB 109:5.2)
In considering the connections between mind and spirit, it may be instructive to take note of Jesus’ own personal experience in these matters as related in The URANTIA Book. It’s a most fascinating account.
The Seventeenth Year, A.D. 11 — “This year Jesus made great progress in the organization of his mind. Gradually he had brought his divine and human natures together, and he accomplished all this organization of intellect by the force of his own decisions and with only the aid of his indwelling Monitor…” (UB 127:2.12)
The Eighteenth Year, A.D. 12 — “Jesus possessed the ability effectively to mobilize all his powers of mind, soul, and body on the task immediately in hand. He could concentrate his deep-thinking mind on the one problem which he wished to solve…” (UB 127:3.15)
The Twenty-Fourth Year, A.D. 18 — “He communed much with his Father in heaven and made tremendous progress in the mastery of his human mind.” (UB 128:5.6)
The Twenty-Fifth Year, A.D. 19 — “His mind was active, keen, and penetrating…” (UB 128:6.2)
The Twenty-Seventh Year, A.D. 21 — “This year Jesus made great advances in the ascendant mastery of his human mind and attained new and high levels of conscious contact with his indwelling Thought Adjuster.” (UB 129:1.14)
The Twenty-Ninth Year A.D. 23 — “On this Mediterranean journey Jesus made great advances in his human task of mastering the material and mortal mind, and his indwelling Adjuster made great progress in the ascension and spiritual conquest of this same human intellect.” (UB 129:3.9)
On UB 134:1.7 — The Thirtieth Year, A.D. 24 — “This was one of the more unusual years in the inner experience of the Son of Man; great progress was made in effecting working harmony between his human mind and the indwelling Adjuster. The Adjuster had been actively engaged in reorganizing the thinking and in rehearsing the mind for the great events which were in the not then distant future.” (UB 134:1.7)
The Thirty-First Year, A.D. 25 — “The indwelling Thought Adjuster now led Jesus to … finish his work of mastering his human mind…” (UB 134:7.6)
On Mount Hermon — “… he finished the mortal task of achieving the circles of mind-understanding and personality-control.” (UB 134:8.4)
And on UB 136:2.2 — “When Jesus. . . went down into the Jordan to be baptized, he was a mortal of the realm who had attained the pinnacle of human evolutionary ascension in all matters related to the conquest of mind and to self-identification with the spirit… Perfect synchrony and full communication had become established between the mortal mind of Jesus and the indwelling spirit Adjuster …” (UB 136:2.2)
I have been following some intriguing activities in science that are pertinent to this discussion. Some particularly fascinating theories are emerging from the work of physicist David Bohm, who has already been mentioned, and neuroscientist Karl Pribram from Stanford.
Bohm finds a useful model for some of his ideas in the area of holography. In the process of holography, the wave field of light scattered by an object is recorded on a light-sensitive plate as an interference pattern. When the plate, called a hologram, is placed in a coherent light beam such as that produced by a laser, the original wave filed is regenerated and a three-dimensional image appears. Upon close examination, the hologram appears to be a blurred pattern of swirls. However, each point of light diffracted from the object is spread over the entire surface of the film and so is each neighboring point. The blurs actually represent an orderly pattern that is recorded and preserved in every part of the surface of the plate. Thus, any piece of the hologram can be used to reconstruct the entire image. The whole is contained in each of the parts.
The scientific studies of Karl Pribram have shown that memory storage in the human brain has this same amazing characteristic. That is, memory is distributed in such a way that sensory input is not associated with specific areas of the brain but is present in all areas. Removal or injury of a portion of the brain does not cause the loss of excise a particular memory or a set of memories.
Based on their combined research, Bohm conjectures the presence of a higher order which he calls the enfolded or implicate order as contrasted with classical reality which is the unfolded or explicate order. The explicate focuses on secondary manifestations rather than their source. Pribram sees that the fundamental properties of the universe are mental rather than material. The construction of images is a process involving the brain and involves a reciprocal transformation into the frequency domain which is also characteristic of light waves. Mind reflects the basic organization of the universe. Pribram observes that the term ‘transcendence’ may prove a literal description, indicating some sort of phase relationship between one brain process and another.
The combined theory of Bohm and Pribram, as described in a special issue of Brain/Mind Bulletin in 1978 and reprinted in Re-Vision Journal the same year under the heading “A New Perspective on Reality” is this: “Our brains mathematically construct ‘concrete’ reality by interpreting frequencies from another dimension, a realm of meaningful, patterned primary reality that transcends time and space. The brain is a hologram interpreting a holographic universe.”
In closing, I thank you for your attention and the energy that you have generated as listener-participants. I wish to finish with these quotations from The URANTIA Book:
“Man’s natural endowment of talent and ability should be chiefly devoted to the development and ennoblement of his higher powers of mind and spirit.” (UB 136:6.10)
“Human consciousness rests gently upon the electrochemical mechanism below and delicately touches the spirit-morontia energy system above. Of neither of these two systems is the human being ever completely conscious in his mortal life; therefore must he work in mind, of which he is conscious. And it is not so much what mind comprehends as what mind desires to comprehend that insures survival; it is not so much what mind is like as what mind is striving to be like that constitutes spirit identification.” (UB 111:1.5)
This is followed by a poetic and beautiful mind metaphor: “The material mind of mortal man is the cosmic loom that carries the morontia fabrics on which the indwelling Thought Adjuster threads the spirit patterns of a universe character of enduring values and divine meanings…” (UB 111:2.2)
And, finally, from a Mighty Messenger temporarily sojourning on Urantia, “Man’s great universe adventure consists in the transit of his mortal mind from the stability of mechanical statics to the divinity of spiritual dynamics, and he achieves this transformation by the force and constancy of his own personality decisions, in each of life’s situations declaring, ‘It is my will that your will be done.’” (UB 118:8.11)
— Bob Hunt
Arcata. California
| The Individual's Relation to the Thought Adjuster | July 1981 Issue - Special Conference Issue — Index | The Human Response |