THE GOD CENTER

The thought process is a continuous activity that is effected by the neuronal networks. These networks are developed as the process of myelination continues after the birth of the individual. The development of specific networks is what may be responsible for the conditioning that occurs. Belief systems, behavioral traits and even temperament are all effects of conditioning. Interestingly, there has been speculation of the existence of a God Center in the brain. Some have localized it in the ventro lateral part of the right frontal lobe, some in the temporal lobe whilst some have postulated that it exists in the ventro lateral mid-brain.
A researcher revealed that when a person was subjected to pain stimulus before and after being shown a Picture of a deity that he believed in, the tolerance to pain was significantly better after seeing a picture of the deity.
Speculation was rife that this increased pain tolerance was a consequence of conditioning. That implies that the outcome would have been similar if the subject was conditioned to believing in say even a picture of a Mountain as the object of devotion.
This brings us to the very basic issue of faith. Is religion or spiritualism just a matter of faith? A belief system that makes this arduous life more tolerable? Does it mean that whichever deity one believes in, the final locus of GOD in the brain remains the same?
Theoretically, then if this God center were to be stimulated, it should result in the subject experiencing all the feelings of calm, bliss and probably even ecstacy. This argument taken further would imply that all the spiritually advanced souls have over a period of time been able to devise an intrinsic mechanism to stimulate the GOD center. Occasional temporal lobe epileptics do record feelings of extreme bliss and serenity ,even getting very pleasant smells, hearing calming music as well. So, is divinity just a locus for a particular belief system ?And all spiritually advanced masters just people who by repeated practice develop this locus further? Probably and thereafter stimulate the specific locus at will?
That would reduce realization to within the ambit of a plain neurochemical phenomenon. It would then have some tangible parameters for either localization or verification.
Meditation could be just a process that converts all eccentric thought processes into a concentric pattern with the GOD center as the epicenter. All thoughts pertaining to mundane activities may be eccentric in nature. These eccentric patterns would be a deterrent to stimulating the God center. Most explanations given by Realised masters
seem to defy all logic, which is the domain of the dominant hemisphere. The non- dominant hemisphere is concerned with intuitive and non-analytical networks.
So maybe, that the God center resides in the non-dominant hemisphere and realization could effect a state of awareness that transcends the baseline neuronal activity of just being conscious. The advent of functional Imaging ( Functional MRI) may assist in the verification of such hypotheses. Probably, realization could then be imaged and anatomically localized. Happiness is most often cause based. It is a consequence of perceptive modalities giving a positive feedback via established neuronal circuits. Familiarity, sensory gratification, and above all a very tangible cause effect relationship permeates this sense of joy, or happiness. But, if happiness and joy ,bliss could be devoid of a cause, it may explain the detachment that most masters talk about. The happiness would then be independent of a cause and also stimulation of specific neural paths. It could become the background electro-chemical activity, where any external object is not cognized as a separate entity and analyzed and assigned relative values of joy or pain. This oneness or Advaita may for all we know be identified as the baseline firing of zeta neurons in a specified locus in the non-dominant hemisphere. It would result in a “perception shift” . It could also deconstruct this “I” entity, as having a discrete identity. The equivalent of dissolution of ego. There would be no subjective element to any sensory stimulus. Which is why many Masters seem to revert to a child like innocence. Maybe, then Godhood would be a neurochemical alteration in the mielieu of the neuronal networks. Resulting in a perceptive variance. And spiritual progress could be monitored by an imaging modality. And the quest for happiness may finally end up becoming a very internalised process. It would finally explain the intangible very tangibly.

(The author is a consultant Neurosurgeon and may be contacted at drdeepakranade@gmail.com)