Nature of Consciousness - Advaita

[Parisi & Watson]

-----Original Message-----
From: Elizabeth Lisot <Parvatijai at AOL.COM>
To: ADVAITA-L at LISTS.ADVAITA-VEDANTA.ORG
<ADVAITA-L at LISTS.ADVAITA-VEDANTA.ORG>
Date: Thursday, July 22, 1999 12:31 AM
Subject: Re: Nature of Consciousness - Advaita


>Namaste...
>
>I wonder, Isn't it possible to "hear" music without an orchestra? As soon
as
>I think of a melody or song, I immediately "hear" it in my mind, not in the
>physical sense, but in a very full and real way...."music" is not solely
>dependent on the physical instruments...how else could  Beethoven have
>composed such fantastic symphonies while deaf? Music is just as
metaphysical
>as the consciousness that is under discussion, as is beauty, mathematics,
>literature, philosophy, etc. They all derive from the same source.

<snip>

Good point. Some work in neurology indicates that there is an overlap in the
areas of the brain that are used for actual vision and for inner
visualizing. This conclusion was reached due to the fact that some kinds of
brain injury can result in the loss of both, or in some cases of color
vision in both. So it's not a great leap to surmise that a similar overlap
might exist between the areas involved in actual hearing and in 'inner'
hearing. And it stands to reason in a sense (pun intended), because the eyes
and ears provide only raw input to the infinitely more complex processes in
the brain. So there would seem to be no reason that the processes could not
in some cases proceed without any input, as in dreams or hallicinations, as
well as imaging and 'inner' hearing. To repeat myself yet again, it appears
that _all_ mental states, including sense perception, are produced by the
nervous system. The only thing that makes sense perception unique is that
there is at least some input from 'outside' on which it is loosely based.

Robert.