The Source Of NeuroFelicitology

The source of NeuroFelicitology is the ancient Indian philosophy of Advaita or Non-Dual Vedanta (अद्वैत वेदांत) which is expounded in the Upanishads (उपनिषद्), the Bhagavad Gita (भगवद्गीता) and the Brahma Sutras (ब्रह्मसूत्र). The Seers (ऋषि) who composed these texts diagnosed the causes of human unhappiness and prescribed the cure several millennia ago. Advaita Vedanta promises complete cessation of suffering and unexcelled joy. Adi Shankaracharya (8th c. CE), generally accepted as the foremost exponent of Advaita Vedanta, in his text Atmabodh (आत्मबॊध), testifies to the following results – Fearlessness (V 27), Freedom from Unhappiness (V 33), Peace and Contentment (V 50), Unexcelled Happiness (V 54) and Unbroken Felicity – अखंडआनंद (V 57).

THE KEY FINDINGS OF ADVAITA VEDANTA

1. Human life is full of Unhappiness (दुःख): The root cause of all unhappiness is Endless Selfish Seeking (तृष्णा). This is because
(1) When selfish desires (काम) are fulfilled, the satisfaction doesn’t last, and
(2) When the seeking is thwarted, suffering in the form of anger, frustration, envy, etc. follows.
Furthermore, humans live in perpetual fear and anxiety about
(1) Not getting what they want, and
(2) Getting what they don’t want.
2.To end Unhappiness and gain Felicity (आनंद): one needs to turn away from the typical life dedicated to Selfish Seeking – Profit, Prestige, Power and Pleasure, collectively called Bhog (भोग), and pursue a lifestyle committed to Yog (योग). Yog is ‘Union’ with the Ultimate Truth of All Existence – Brahman (ब्रह्मन), and is accomplished via a lifestyle Dedicated (भक्ति) to Selfless Service (यज्ञ), Charity (दान), Self-Control (तप), Meditation (ध्यान), True Self-Knowledge (आत्मज्ञान), and Contemplation (निदिध्यासन). In Advaita Vedanta, such a lifestyle is also known as KarmaYog (कर्मयॊग) or BhaktiYog (भक्तियॊग).
3.Brahman :(ब्रह्मन) Brahman is defined as ‘All that Exists’ and has two aspects –
(1) The Changeful (अनित्य) which can be Sensed (सगुण) by living beings, and
(2) The Changeless (नित्य) Cosmic Order (ईश्वर), that Manifests and Governs all Changeful Nature (प्रकृति). The changeless aspect of Nature cannot be sensed by living beings, but can be inferred by investigating the Cosmic Order that Governs the Universe (ईश्वर). Indeed, this Cosmic Order is the Natural Law that scientists investigate and discover with the Scientific Method!
4.Yog (यॊग), or ‘Union’ with Brahman is the Experience of a human that the Changeless Truth (सत्यं) of their being (True ‘I’) is Natural Law (ईश्वर), which is Absolutely True – Absolute Truth defined as that which is Changeless in Space, Time, Substance and Circumstance. When the experience of the True ‘I’ becomes continuous, Perfect Felicity (अखंड आनंद) is experienced.
5. The path to Perfect Felicity unfolds as follows. In the beginning, the seeker who follows the teachings of Advaita Vedanta is a slave to selfish desires (काम) and personal likes/dislikes (राग/द्वेष). He/She acts (‘Doer’ कर्ता) to fulfill personal desires. He/She also experiences the results of the actions as well as reactions of others or of nature (‘Experiencer’ भोक्ता). While everyone’s life is a mix of feeling like a ‘Doer’ and feeling like an ‘Experiencer’, in each individual, one or the other dominates depending upon whether they feel powerful or powerless. Suffering is common to both types. To both, Vedanta offers an end to suffering by pointing out that one is truly neither a ‘Doer’ nor an ‘Experiencer’ and that everything happens according to the immutable Cosmic Order (ईश्वर). Recognizing this fact by surrendering (शरण) one’s self-will to ईश्वर and dedicating (भक्ति) one’s life to union (योग) with ईश्वर, the Personal Ego (Latin for ‘I’) or अहंकार starts to dissolve. Dedicated (भक्ति) pursuit of योग culminates in the complete dissolution of the False Personal ‘I’ (अहंकार) and is replaced by the True Universal ‘I’ (आत्मन/ब्रह्मन). When the experience of the True ‘I’ (आत्मन/ब्रह्मन) becomes continuous, Perfect Felicity (परमानंद) is experienced.
One of the most famous recent exponents of Advaita Vedanta was Ramana Maharshi (30 December 1879 – 14 April 1950). His teachings are summarized in the text Upadesh Saram (उपदेश सारम) in which he testifies that the result is inexhaustible, beginning less, completely full, exuberant happiness (V. 28). The last verse of the text (V. 30) sums up his teaching by highlighting the fact that the biggest challenge in attaining this outcome, requiring the greatest effort, is eliminating the experience of the False Personal ‘I’ and replacing it with the experience of the True Universal ‘I’.

Over several decades of studying and practicing Advaita Vedanta, we realized that this ancient wisdom is not universally accessible today for the following reasons
  • The goal of Advaita Vedanta wisdom is often expressed variously as Liberation, God-Realization, the Absolute Truth, Self-Realization, Cessation of Birth and Death Cycles, Enlightenment, etc. However, most people don’t even know what these terms mean, let alone pursue them as their life goals. To be relevant, therefore, the goal needs to be stated as Felicity (आनंद), i.e., Sustained (vs. Fleeting) Life Satisfaction/Well-Being, Here and Now.
  • The teachings are expressed through ideas current in the Vedic culture of India that prevailed two thousand years ago. Therefore, it is hard to separate the eternal truths from the beliefs prevalent at that time regarding religion, the afterlife, reincarnation, cosmology, etc.
  • The language of Vedanta is Sanskrit, an Indo-European language that formed in India many millennia ago and one that is not commonly in use today. Countless translations of, and commentaries on, Vedanta texts are extant. However, clarity is rare. Distortions and misinterpretations are common. Words and concepts often come across as mysterious, mystical, even magical - rather than clear, precise and practical.
  • Vedanta teachers today follow many different traditions and therefore there is much variation in emphasis, interpretation, etc. They invariably teach from ancient Sanskrit texts and most of the teaching time is taken up in translating and interpreting Sanskrit Vedanta literature for the student. Both the content as well as the teaching methodology has remained essentially stagnant for millennia.
  • A noteworthy blind spot among most Vedanta teachers is Science – Knowledge gained via the Scientific Method. They present Vedanta as being about the ‘Subject’ (‘I’) while Science is about ‘Objects’ (‘Not I’) sensed by the ‘Subject’. Thus, Vedanta and Science are deemed to occupy separate, non-overlapping domains. They generally fail to point out that Vedanta and Science are engaged in the same pursuit – discovering the Changeless Truth (i.e., Natural Law), that governs all existence. Indeed, the Absolute Truth of Vedanta, the Universal ‘I’ of All Existence (आत्मन/ब्रह्मन), often referred to as the ‘Inner Controller’ (अंतर्यामी), is none other than the Natural Law/Cosmic Order that is investigated and discovered by scientists with the Scientific Method!
The net result is that much confusion prevails about both the end of Vedanta as well as the means. Opinions are many, but clarity and precision are conspicuous by their absence.

During the course of our studies we also realized that this philosophy is the Perennial Philosophy discussed in detail by Aldous Huxley in his 1946 book, The Perennial Philosophy (Chatto & Windus, London, 1947). This knowledge is at the core of many philosophies, religions and cultures from all parts of the world and has existed for millennia.

So we decided that the time had come to launch a new science based upon this ancient wisdom and make it freely accessible to all. To support this work, we have formed a non-profit named NeuroFelicitology Foundation.

You are warmly invited to Learn and Practice the new Neuroscience of NeuroFelicitology and, as a result, live a life full of Felicity!