martin jeffrey asked:
Hi Grahame,
I'm curious as to what the differences are between the mind and thetan. More specifically, I would like to know if memories and emotions are a product of the brain, or if the brain is more so used as a machine to interpret such things as memories and emotions that are a property of the thetan itself.
Further I am curious if the reactive mind is solely contained within the brain itself, or part of the thetan?
Sorry if my question seems a bit off mark, Scientology is an entirely new set of concepts for me.
Thanks
Hey Martin,
Excellent questions. They are totally answered in the book "Scientology: The Fundamentals of Thought", but to save you the wait after you order it :) , here is the short version:
I'd recommend watching this video if you haven't already: "The Parts of Man". It gives you some useful background data in just a couple of minutes. I think it will help with understanding my explanation.
Now let's define our terms. Definitions from The Scientology Glossary.
Thetan: the person himself - not his body or his name, the physical universe, his mind, or anything else; that which is aware of being aware; the identity which is the individual. The term was coined to eliminate any possible confusion with older concepts. It comes from the Greek letter Theta (Theta), which the Greeks used to represent thought or perhaps spirit, to which an n is added to make a noun in the modern style used to create words in engineering.
Mind: a control system between the thetan and the physical universe. The mind is not a brain.
Body: the organized physical composition or substance of an animal or man, whether living or dead. The body is the thetan’s communication center. It is a physical object. It is not the being himself.
Your Questions:
Q1: I'm curious as to what the differences are between the mind and thetan.
A thetan is the person him or herself. The mind is the computer a thetan uses to store memories, make decisions, calculate things, etc.
Q2: I would like to know if memories and emotions are a product of the brain.
No. They are products of the thetan.
Q3: or if the brain is more so used as a machine to interpret such things as memories and emotions that are a property of the thetan itself.
No. The brain can be thought of as a sort of switch-board for the nerve impulses sent around the body. Emotion comes from the thetan, but can be influenced by the body and environment. Memories are recordings of the physical universe and the thoughts and conclusions of the thetan.
Q4: I am curious if the reactive mind is solely contained within the brain itself, or part of the thetan?
Definition of reactive mind: that portion of a person’s mind which works on a totally stimulus-response basis, which is not under his volitional control and which exerts force and the power of command over his awareness, purposes, thoughts, body and actions.
The reactive mind is not part of either the brain or the thetan. It is the part of the mind where moments of pain and unconsciousness are stored and thus is a difficult place for the thetan to get his attention into and is therefore not under his control.
I hope I've answered your questions. For more details you really have to read the book I linked to above.
If I haven't answered well enough or my answers have brought up more questions, then just ask some more.
4 comments:
Thanks Grahame, I plan to get that book next. Right now I am reading Self Analysis, and doing a few online courses.
I do have one question, that I am not sure you can answer. If the mind is not part of the body, or theta, then where is it? I know where the body is ;) I assume, the theta would be attached to the body, but the mind I'm not sure.. also, would the mind be considered eternal? okay, it was two questions. Sorry for being a pest.
I'll get back to you if I can't get the rest of my questions answered from within the book itself.
@martin
Great questions.
The complete answer requires a large chunk of background understanding which you will get from further study.
Right now you are reading the third book that was published on the subject. So in terms of the chronological path of research I think LRH was probably asking himself the same questions at the time he wrote Self Analysis. It took another couple of years to answer those questions.
So I don't think I can give you a proper answer without writing a lot that paraphrases what LRH has written elsewhere. And I'd rather you got the understanding from him.
In the meantime here is something that may help:
"We are not so much interested in structure as in function at this stage of the science of mind."
"The reason we know that past concepts of structure are not correct is because they don't work as function. All our facts are functional and these facts are scientific facts, supported wholly and completely by laboratory evidence. Function precedes structure. James Clerk Maxwell's mathematics were postulated and electricity was widely and beneficially used long before anyone had any real idea about the structure of the atom. Function always comes before structure."
Those are both quotes from Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health.
What I get from these quotes is that we are getting results by paying attention to the functions of the mind: how it is used, what you do with it, how memory works, etc. The structure is something we can figure out later.
It was figured out later and you will get to that in a sequence of study where it will make the most sense.
Not answers to your questions, but hopefully something that will do until you get to those answers.
Thank you Grahame,
I’ve a long way to go, but this discussion definitely helps, it is reassuring that LRH pondered these same questions as I do. I look forward to learning more of his discovery of the mind, and the thetan. One thing is for sure though, applying what I am learning through the online coursework is helping my life a lot.
It is strange, because I have always been a bit skeptical of religions, reincarnation, and anything outside of the scope of personal observation and the observations made by authorities. Since reading the few of the LRH's books that I have, and doing a bit of research online regarding NDEs, and Reincarnation really has opened my eyes to the possibilities that I had cut off in my own life. Having even just the possibility that there is more out there than a materialistic brain, and universe really does something to boost one’s purpose in life.
I’m getting off topic now. I suppose in a way, I just want to say thank you to all of the Scientologists out there that put their time into answering questions such as mine. You really do make a difference.
-Jeff
@martin.
Your comment is not at all off-topic.
I also was very skeptical of religion, etc. before coming across Scientology. How you describe your personal journey is very similar to my own.
Knowing that one is more than meat and bones can definitely boost one's purpose in life. It sure did mine!
Thanks for the acknowledgement. It's guys like you who are willing to look for themselves that make keeping this blog going worthwhile.
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