This paper integrates and weaves ideas from both Eastern and Western Science into a larger understanding and vision of self, world, and reality, leading us to fuller awareness of humanity’s purpose and destiny. We also provide an expanded map and cosmology for its realization. In particular, we call attention to the ventricular system of the brain, which nourishes and protects the Central Nervous System. We reveal the hidden purpose of the Third Ventricle and offer evidence for its critical and necessary role in reaching enlightened states of awareness, thereby enabling each of us to become a more fully human and conscious being.

 

Eastern mystics tell us that the Mind dwells within the heart. Mystics and luminaries of all ages and traditions understood “Mind” as the soul essence of humankind. These ancient visionaries also recognized the existence of two different hearts within each human being. The first is the heart that resides in the chest of each individual; this is known in the East as the bleeding, beating heart. It is also the same “heart” that nourishes and sustains the body and the brain according to the understanding of Western science.

 

But this is not the “True Heart” of enlightened mystics in the East.  Instead, the “True Heart” of each human being is said to exist, first, within other invisible realms beyond the brain and beyond the limits of space and time. “The True Heart” must be approached through a vast, complex system of fluids, cisterns and energy that serves to unite each individual with its soul and Creator. Essentially, one’s “True Heart” must be approached through the Third Ventricle of the brain.

 

The 3rd Ventricle strategically sits between the higher centers of cognition, emotion, and integration above, and the more vegetative, housekeeping and survival centers below. The 3rd Ventricle functions as a gateway to other ways of knowing and perceiving our selves and our reality. The concept of higher and lower levels with each level influencing and being informed by all others, thereby creating a nested, interpenetrating holarchy of awareness and understanding is found in most ancient spiritual traditions including the seven chakras of eastern Yogic traditions, the ten Sephirot in Jewish mysticism, the seven Gardens of the Alam-al-mithal of the Sufi tradition, Dante’s levels of purgatory, the three worlds of the Shaman, and the Great Chain of Being recognized in Eastern disciplines. More recently, Wilber’s “Spectrum of Consciousness,” Kohlberg’s developmental levels of ethical behavior, and Beck’s “Spiral Dynamics” introduced modern versions of the Great Chain of Being. [1] All these different spectrums of awareness and understanding come together in the teachings of the “True Heart.”

 

The meditations of the “True Heart” help each person visit these vastly different and more rarefied levels of consciousness. We return from these hidden, invisible dimensions with ever greater awareness. Indeed, the 3rd Ventricle serves as a gateway into the deepest levels of human knowing and understanding. When one opens their “True Heart” they discover how to co-create with soul and Universe. It is ever so! 

 

Next, we look at the organization of the human brain and grow aware that there are a number of divisions or levels used to sub-divide the brain into various systems and regions. For the purposes of this paper, we will speak of MacLean’s “Triune brain” [2] which encompasses the reptilian brain, the limbic brain, and the most recently evolved cerebral cortex (refer to Figure 1). The oldest portion is reptilian brain; it helps us stay alive and to survive through its housekeeping, vegetative and autonomic functions such as eating, breathing, heart rate, response to threat and aggression, all essential, life-preserving behaviors we ordinarily give little concern or thought too. The second portion, the limbic brain (paleomammalian), is the emotional brain which exquisitely reflects who we are in the deepest core of our being. The limbic system interacts with the higher cortical systems of the brain, ensuring that our feelings and perceptions are elegantly and faithfully translated into the many complex experiences and events that unfold during our daily lives.  The limbic system symbolically transforms our thoughts, beliefs and feelings into the biochemistry and molecules of love, hate, joy and fear, while the orchestration of basic needs, emotions, and perceptions take place in the cerebral cortex (neomammalian), the highest seat of learning in the human brain recognized by Western science. In Eastern circles, the highest seat of learning, which is the seat of enlightenment and compassion, occurs centrally within the 3rd Ventricle of the brain.  In many Eastern traditions, it is the Third Ventricle (centered within the limbic, palemammalian system that is considered superior to objective, rational constructs of thinking).

 

The cerebral cortex of Western science is considered the most recently evolved area of the brain. It is usually subdivided into four lobes or quadrants based upon anatomical structure and function. The most forward region is the Frontal lobe, which subserves movement (motor), planning, speaking, delayed responses and a sense of identity. The Frontal lobe allows each of us to be aware and to perceive events in a logical, rational and symbolic way. The Temporal lobe, on the lower sides of the brain subserves hearing, memory, labeling, and comprehensive speech. When injured or damaged, the Temporal lobe is prone to seizures and epilepsy. This is a region that is often involved in déjà vu experiences, hallucinations and intense imagery. It may also be a place where spirit speaks to us more directly and often bestows gifts of great vision to those who are able to “see and hear” in these more rarified realms of awareness. The upper lateral aspect of each hemisphere of the brain, known as the Parietal lobe, is an area that integrates and blends sensations and information received from the rest of the nervous system. The Parietal lobe allows us to imagine, perceive, name and integrate a symbol of a “table,” which incorporates many separate components, thereby granting us the ability to perceive more than the sum of its parts. The fourth is the Occipital lobe, the seat of sight and vision. Western neuroscientists tell us that each half of the brain responds to slightly different information. Moreover, the left hemisphere of the brain is the cognitive, logical, abstract and thinking brain, whereas the right hemisphere is the region where feeling, intuition, the arts, music, and sensuality are expressed. The infinite levels and understandings of differing aspects of the human brain, along with the exquisite sensitivity and complex, harmonious interplay of each aspect with every other facet creates a remarkable tapestry of symbols and a cacophony of impressions that forms and informs each person’s world and reality. It is really astonishing and miraculous that a two pound brain within one individual can communicate and relate to that of another.’ [3]

 

A major difference between Eastern and Western understanding of brain and awareness revolves around the idea of Consciousness. Most spiritual traditions up until the last three hundred years believed that Consciousness, i.e. a Source or Creator, is primary. Consciousness exists necessarily and it is Consciousness which gives rise to matter. Western science, instead, considers matter to be the source of consciousness, arising with birth and ending upon death. No more dissimilar cosmologies exist and this has caused much confusion and misunderstanding between Eastern and Western schools of thought. The Perennial Philosophy, found in all spiritual disciplines (both ancient and new) as well as all regions of our planet supports the notion that Consciousness is primary. This paper also adheres to the tenets of the Perennial Philosophy, acknowledging that Consciousness is the creator and ground of All of Existence.

Next, let us look at the ventricular system, which is a vast, complex reservoir of cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) bathing that surrounds and bathes the entire central nervous system (refer to Figure 2). CSF is produced by the Choroid Plexus, a thin sheet of tissue found only in each of the four ventricles that comprise this large system of cisterns and reservoirs. CSF prevents the brain, weighing approximately 1500 grams in an adult, from collapsing upon itself as well as from harm due to impact or injury. The brain floats effortlessly within the CSF much as a fetus dwells within the amniotic fluid of its mother’s womb. Similarly, the planets, stars and galaxies also seem to float in space and Universe. Humanity is but one strand in the vast tapestry of existence, eternally immersed in the underground stream of existence from which we come, and to which we one day must return. [4]

 

The 3rd Ventricle sits in the center of the brain, where it blends and integrates the cognitive, thinking aspects of the brain with the emotional (limbic) system, as well as with the autonomic housekeeping functions of the brain stem necessary to prepare and sustain the body for daily existence (refer to Figure 3). In essence, our 3rd Ventricle connects mind, body and spirit, helping us become whole and more aware beings. How we live, think, believe, and perceive will determine whether we live in harmony with nature and with each other. The location of the 3rd Ventricle, behind the 6th chakra known as the Third Eye and directly beneath the Crown Chakra, tells us of its extreme importance. Indeed, the 3rd Ventricle truly connects Heaven and Earth, the manifest and unmanifest, as well as inner and outer realities to forge a truly remarkable cosmology and worldview. In this way, the 3rd Ventricle is much like the concept of complimentarity embodied in the Chinese symbol of Yin and Yang. Each contains a bit of the other in the eternal dance of creation and annihilation and as a reminder, “As Above, So Below.” In this way, Mind, soul (essence) and “True Heart” nurture brain and body. Our feelings of love or of hate, of joy or of anger are translated into molecules of emotion with each passing moment, and carried by the CSF of the 3rd Ventricle to all portions and regions of the brain. The “True Heart” of spirit, in concert with the bleeding and beating heart of our body, keeps us ever alive and grants us the ability to connect with still deeper recesses and dimensions of soul. Essentially, it is our “True Heart” which enables us to grow, to learn, to change and to create our selves and our world anew.

Because the brain houses the “True Heart,” it is a biologically privileged organ. The brain is the first organ to receive newly oxygenated blood from the beating heart, which arrives by way of The Circle of Willis. The brain is also the principle organ granted precious supplies of glucose with which to quench its thirst for energy. The various cycles of biological life that we recognize in the body are also incorporated within the CSF (cardio-vascular link to the heart of the body to nourish and sustain the true heart of spirit, Kreb’s cycle, elimination, respiration). Chi, Prana, our Breath - also serve to effect the vibration of the CSF within the cerebral lakes and reservoirs. CSF deposits its waste products into the venous system via the subarachnoid spaces of the brain and spinal cord, thereby returning blood and essential elements back to the beating heart. The Blood-CSF barrier prevents very large molecules such as proteins, drugs, neurotransmitters and other blood elements from entering the CSF, thereby maintaining the performance of brain and nervous system within normal limits. The CSF also serves as an important line of defense, and it is one of the first places pathology of the nervous system is revealed (e.g., spinal tap). [5]

 

More recently, some neuroscientists have expressed the idea that consciousness enters the brain/body matrix at the level of the microtubules found in cell bodies (Penrose, Hamerhoff. Zohar). They further claim that this is the entry point of consciousness into the human body as well as our minds. The principles of Non-local phenomena and holography, emerging from the field of Quantum physics, also finds support in the field effects created by immersing the entire nervous system in CSF.  Descartes’ concept that the “Seat of the Soul” resides in the Pineal Gland adjacent to the 3rd Ventricle, also gains renewed recognition in light of recent findings in neuroscience.

 

In this regard, a recently identified Na+K+ exchange pump within the CSF producing Choroid Plexus of the four ventricles is of special interest. This pump allows a slightly higher concentration of Na+ ions to move into the Choroid Plexus, and a concomitantly higher concentration of K+ to move outward. The resulting concentration gradient of Na+ and K+ distinguishes CSF from serum and/or an ultra filtrate of blood plasma. Remarkably, this reveals that the environment surrounding the Choroid Plexus is bathed in an electro-chemical milieu similar to that experienced during depolarization of a neuron after threshold is reached and an action potential (AP) is generated down the neural axon, to effectively deliver information to the next cell element. This implies that there is an electro-chemical field and gradient surrounding much of the nervous system, which undoubtedly influences the tone and context in which the entire nervous system speaks to itself, thereby determining the readiness and efficiency of the brain to respond to both inner and outer awareness at each moment. In this regard, the importance of the 3rd Ventricle and the CSF reservoirs formed by this incredible system of aqueducts cannot be overstated. (Note that the Blood Brain Barrier, which limits the size and types of molecules that can enter the brain, is 500 times greater than the Blood-CSF barrier described above). [6]

 

Remarkably, CSF is the purist and most rarefied of body fluids, containing only electrolytes and a few small molecules. Although CSF resembles an ultrafiltrate of blood serum or plasma, the density of CSF is considerably lower than serum or plasma because it does not transport cell elements or large proteins as does the cardiovascular system. Pure CSF interpenetrates, caresses, embraces and nourishes the entire central nervous system, allowing us to transcend daily life and open to a higher consciousness, if we but choose.

 

In both Eastern and Western science, the thoughts and feelings we hold and generate create an ever-changing reservoir of emotions and experiences that color and influence the events of daily life. It appears that Grief, fear, anger, even gratification of senses and worry have very different vibrations and locations in the brain than does feelings of love, joy, compassion and healing. Only in the last few years has Western psychology shown interest in the positive emotions that provide meaning, purpose and a host of beneficial personal and social repercussions. Recent studies reveal that the overall balance of negative emotions (anxiety, sadness, anger, guilt and shame) and of positive emotions (joy, gratefulness, courage, empathy, self-respect, and love) contribute to each person’s sense of well being, contentment, and state of health. Dr. Barbara Fredrickson, a pioneer in research on positive emotions, tells us that, “we should cultivate positive emotions in ourselves and those around us, not just as end-states in themselves, but also as a means to achieving psychological growth, social harmony and improved psychological and physical health. [7] Her “broaden-and­ build” theory suggests that efforts to discover and implement ways to cultivate positive emotions in our selves and in others hold the key to designing a life-enhancing future for our world. This, too, is the intent and purpose of the “True Heart Meditation.” I believe that the ground-breaking research of Bruce Lipton, Ph.D. might lend additional support to many of the ideas discussed above.

 

We are the ones who choose how to hear, see, interpret and respond to the world, both inner and outer. If we close our “True Heart” to love, we dim our spiritual evolution and fail to grow. Whenever we risk, grow and open to what is possible, rather than what should or must be, we begin to reach the heights that humanity is capable of achieving and realizing. The need to raise our vibration, to attune to the nobler vibrations of love, compassion, and harmony has never been more imperative than in our present world. We stand at a dangerous precipice, a moment in space and time in which the very survival of humankind awaits the choices we each make. Will we open and reconnect to Source through the “True Heart” of spirit and Mind? Will we learn to increase the vibrations of the CSF in the 3rd Ventricle of our brain so that we may grow in wisdom and compassion? Will we do so in time? A radical change of heart and mind can heal humankind and offer us the wisdom to heal our selves and our planet.

 

 

We encourage you to practice the “True Heart Meditation” below:

“Meditation-Contemplation of the True Heart” aims at Union with the Inner Self, the Spirit­ Soul.

 

When the wind is quiet... it is free to rest in its own intrinsic qualities, which are joy,

Equanimity,

Bliss,

Compassion,

     Happiness

All of the attributes of Love. It is the Path to Light

Understanding,

Peace.

A Special acupressure of the head – known as “The Mirror of the Spirit-Soul” which gradually leads to the awareness/consciousness of the Temple of the Cosmic Spirit-Soul ­–

GOD with myriads of Names and truly the

UNNAMEABLE ­–

 

Found at the very center of our brain, manifested as the organic Third Ventricle whose existence is known in anatomy but whose function is still mysterious to physiologists (refer to Figure 4).

 

Meditation-contemplation the Non-Action/Non-Beingness Way known as “the Vo-Vi Way” [8]

and made available to much of the world for the first time in the 20th century by Mr. Do Thuan Hau (1887-1966) in Vietnam, and by Mr. Luong Si Hang, his disciple.

 

Assiduous/conscientious practice of this Dharma can help practitioners be-and-act at a higher level of consciousness, clarifying their paths on earth/

becoming more compassionate/

more understanding.” Rev. Hoang Van Duc, M.D.

 

 

 

How to do Vo-Vi Meditation:

 

It is best to practice meditation four times/day. [9] Avoid meditation between 3 and 6 PM. In the beginning you may wish to meditate only 5 minutes at a time, but with practice you can increase that time up to 15 minutes. Less than 5 minutes or more than 15 minutes is not advisable. Turn the light off and sit, facing southward. It is preferable to sit cross-legged on a cushion to keep the spine straight. This position is illustrated in Figure 5. However, if you cannot do so, you may sit in a chair with both feet flat on the ground and your spine straight. Next, curl your tongue up, touching the line between the upper gum and the front teeth; keep your eyes closed while focusing forward from your frontal psychic center (solar plexus). Breathe normally. Then, with your elbows raised up level with your shoulders, close your ears by inserting the tip of your thumbs into your ear holes. Press lightly on the bone at the outside ends of the eyes with your middle finger tips and with the tip of your forefingers; press lightly on the point above the temple, on the hairline. Fold your remaining fingers inside your palms. Remember to focus forward from your frontal psychic center (solar plexus).

 

Dr. van Duc claims that, “no religion on earth has yet practiced this concentration of spiritual energy which permits the central point on top of your head or the cranial psychic center (Crown chakra) to be developed and the vibrations to evolve into infinity”

 

When you raise your elbows level with your shoulders, all the corresponding nerves of the lung, heart, etc. are activated, causing you to perspire. At the beginning, when closing your ears by inserting your thumbs into your ear boles, you’ll hear a lot of noisy sounds inside your bead. In time, you will not hear them anymore and will start to feel serene. This method will help recover the energy lost during daily work and activities, especially for beginning meditators.

 

When using the thumbs to close your ears, you are converging energy to the head and concentrating it on the point between your eyebrows. Your forefingers and middle fingers above your temples and the outside ends of the eyes are performing the same function of transmitting energy to the center point between the eyebrows (the third eye). When you are capable of concentrating your energy, it will proceed to the correct middle path that leads you directly to the universal central power of vital energy (i.e. the Third Ventricle). You will find that your mind will become more and more at ease.

 

It is recommended that beginners practice this exercise for at least six months to strengthen their minds, and to purify our hearts and minds. For beginners, there is no specific time required for practice. Whenever you have spare time, you may practice this concentration of spiritual energy to calm yourself and eliminate unnecessary agitation of this current life...

 

To conclude the concentration of spiritual energy, slowly lower your hands down to your thighs. Then, place your hands on top of the head to converge the energy back to your body. Slide your hands down so that your palms come down the side of your head with your thumbs behind your ears. Pull down on your ears while pressing your earlobes. Vigorously rub your palms together - with fingers pointed upward to warm them. Next, lay the palms of your bands along your nose, then slide the palms up the face over your head, then down to your ears. Again, pull down on your ears while pressing your earlobes. Perform this facial massage three times.

 

Once you feel comfortable with the “Meditation and Contemplation practice of The True Heart,” there are several other exercises you may add to deepen your process and experience. The scope of this paper does not allow us to teach them all to you at this time, but we hope you will contact us for further information and for continued spiritual growth.

 

May you attune to the underground stream of consciousness, which gives rise and sustains All of Existence. We invite you to open your “True Heart,” and to raise your personal vibration as it flows through the 3rd Ventricle, and may you choose life and unite in harmony and peace with All That Is.

 

“My teachings are older than the world.

How can you grasp their meaning?

 

If you want to know me,

Look inside your heart.” [10]

 

It is through our True Heart and Soul that creativity, solutions, and love flow. With love, all things are possible and we will taste the nectar of the Gods.