Yoga (Application) which was based on the control of the body physically and implied that a perfect control over the body and the senses led to knowledge of the ultimate reality. A detailed anatomical knowledge of the human body was necessary to the advancement of yoga and therefore those practising yoga had to keep in touch with medical knowledge. (Romila Thapar, A History of India, volume one).

I suggest : Mind and brain are two distinct things. Brain is anatomical entity whereas mind is functional entity. Mind can be defined as the function of autonomic nervous system (ANS). It is claimed that mind can be brought under conscious control through the practice of meditation. But how? ANS is largely under hypothalamic control which is situated very close to optic chiasma (sixth chakra or ajna chakra). Protracted practice of concentration to meditate at this region brings functions of ANS say mind under one’s conscious control.

ANS is further divided into parasympathetic nervous system (PSNS) and sympathetic nervous system (SNS). On the basis of these facts I have discovered a mathematical relationship for spiritual quotient (S.Q.). Spiritual Quotient can be expressed mathematically as the ratio of Parasympathetic dominance to Sympathetic dominance. PSNS dominates during meditative calm and SNS dominates during stress. In this formula we assign numerical values to the physiological parameters activated or suppressed during autonomic mobilization and put in the formula to describe the state of mind of an individual and also infer his/her level of consciousness.

Meditation is the art of looking within and science of doing nothing. We don’t use anything in meditation. We just try to concentrate to meditate at some point in human anatomy known as ‘chakra’ in Indian System of Yoga. The current of mind is flowing outward through the senses and unconsciously. The mind comes at rest gradually through regular practice of meditation. Then comes self realization and enlightenment. Protracted practice of meditation under qualified guidance will help to manage all sort of psychological problems.

Emotional Quotient can also be expressed mathematically as the product of I.Q. and Wisdom Factor. E.Q. stands for Emotional Quotient. An intelligent person may not be wise. But a wise man will always be intelligent. An intelligent person having certain level of positive emotions can be said as wise. An intelligent person lacking wisdom will turn autocrat. A wise man will always be a democrat who respects others existence.

Some may raise doubt that how could be the Wisdom quantified? The answer is simple -if Mental Age of I.Q. can be quantified then Wisdom can also be quantified, of course, comparatively with more efforts. Wilhelm Stern had given the formula of I.Q.. It is, Mental Age/ Chronological Age x 100. Spiritual Quotient (S.Q.) leverages both E.Q. and I.Q.

Radha Soami Faith is a branch of Religion of Saints like Kabir, Nanak, Paltu, and others. Soamiji Maharaj is the founder of this Faith. You may call It like New Wine in Old Bottle.

Maslow has given Hierarchy of Needs. At the top of it is need for self-actualization or self-realization.

In our society we should learn To Live and Let Live and help to satisfy others need. When the lower order needs, physiological and sociological both, are satisfied then only a person think to satisfy need for self-realization in true sense. Else he/she may spend all his/her life to satisfy at the most the need for self-expression instead of self-realization.

It is, therefore, the duty of every responsible person, at the least, of our society to give serious thought over it.

For the satisfaction of need for self-realization i.e. establishment of harmony of individual consciousness with that of universal consciousness we need following three things:

1. Mater or Guru (A Self-Realized Soul)
2. Secret of Levels of Universal Consciousness
3. Method for traversing the path.

Anirudh Kumar Satsangi

Interesting juxtapositions here with the Warlocks on the ground floor and the Tibetans in the higher reaches, the Warlocks gone and the Tibetans still doing lofty meditations. Magic (or magick) and Religion seem to serve similar human needs to explain the unexplainable.

I've spent a lot of time in Asia and there is still a lot of magic in use in the Eastern religions as they are practiced there by the majority. Venerable traditions of transgressive religion also which are accepted as having a place.

I can recommend the London tube as a great spot for some meditation, I could get in a regular hour going to and from work every day once I'd gotten over the self-concious feeling that everyone was looking at me doing that weird meditation thing. I realised that a)nobody cared and b) lots of my fellow travellers were doing the same.

You could also every now and then make a little snoring sound,

'You could also every now and then make a little snoring sound,'

As a kind of natural punctuation, instead of a gong strike?–or to blend in with the sleepers?Duh, it never occurred to me to try for such realism.
Speaking of sleeping, Anirudh seems to have nodded off with his finger on the button, or is this a long-form mantra?

From my experience at 40+ meditation courses, snoring and meditation go hand-in-hand

It's been on my to-do list to respond to Anirudh's post, point-by-point… but that's a pretty big project (e.g. just to take on his use of Maslow as an example of Appeal To Authority, rather than "proving" anything, would be an essay).

That's one of the benefits of meditating on public transit, with all the noise and physical jolts i don't fall asleep! Good subjects for meditation too if you don't go for subtlety.

In case you weren't aware, Anirudh has been spamming his essay all over the internet since at least December, and that without further comment from what i've seen.

'snoring and meditation go hand-in-hand'
which is the reason given for the jikijitsu and his kyosaku stick–by request only, these days.

Some of the stick wielders get very skilled, like a good masseur, at hitting just the right spot to release shoulder and neck tension–ah bliss!:-)

There is quite a further commentary on the long-form mantra on the Church of the Churchless blog but I think it is aimed at potential True Believers.
I wouldn't waste further typing time or neurons.

Deepak Chopra has given a formula of spiritual quotient in terms of Deed (D) and Ego (E). According to Deepak Chopra S.Q.=D/E. According to him if E is ‘zero’ the S.Q. will be infinite. This appears to be very fascinating but it is highly abstract which can not be measured experimentally accurately and precisely. However, this formula has immense value to understand S.Q.

I have also discovered a mathematical relationship for S.Q about eight years back in 2001. I have used physiological parameters which can be measured accurately and precisely and can be tested and verified experimentally. According to this formula S.Q. can be expressed as the ratio of parasympathetic dominance (P.D.) to sympathetic dominance (S.D.). Parasympathetic nervous system (PSNS) and sympathetic nervous system (SNS) are the two parts of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) which is largely under hypothalamic control. Hypothalamus is situated very close to the Sixth Chakra. During practice of meditation at Sixth Chakra these centres are galvanised which has very positive effect on practitioners spiritual, emotional, psychological and physiscal well being

I think you got it right, Anirudh, when you say Deepak's formula is abstract. Each of the variables are merely concepts. The fact that you can use mathematical symbols to describe the apparent relationship between artificial constructs, does not mean you're talking about something mathematical

I'm intrigued by your attempt to codify "s.q.", but I'm sure you realize that PD/SD change dynamically during the day, so that measuring it an any one time won't tell you very much. Further, I'm sure you know that various illnesses can lead to what would look like a "good" ratio.

And, lastly, the question comes up: If someone can demonstrate dramatic control over PD/SD, does that matter if they cannot reliably teach others to be able to do the same? In other words, we need to be careful that we don't use outliers as examples of the norm (which is what many meditation researchers do when they say, "Hey, this monk who has spent 40,000 hours meditating can do amazing things with his brain waves… imagine what that means for you!").

Dear Sashen, your analysis is excellent. I realized that you have reached at the bottom of everything I have discussed in my comments. My concern is to show that spiritual science is like other physical sciences and they can also be deomonstrated experimentally. My intention is, synthesis of religious and scientific studies. Self-realization is something entirely diffent from from showing miracles. Miracles, although may be an eye opener for the scientific communities, have no place in my study. I want to further elaborate the formula for S.Q.:

Besides, connection of chakras with the practice of Yoga, chakra has also great role in the development of personality. People do not realise that personalities can grow to include a balance of all the six chakras. Jung referred to this growth process as "individuation", and associated it with life's spiritual dimension. Danah Zohar evolves a model of spiritual quotient (sq) based on the six petals of a lotus and its centre, corresponding to the seven chakras described by the Hinduism's Kundalini Yoga, as an aid to the process of individuation in the mid-1990s. Contribution of Danah Zohar for coining the term spiritual quotient for the first time is immense. But she did not establish any mathematical relationship, which is very much required, for this quotient.

Deepak Chopra has given a formula of spiritual quotient in terms of Deed (D) and Ego (E). According to Deepak Chopra S.Q. =D/E. He (2006) writes: If Vedanta is right and there is only one reality, then all desires must follow the same mechanics, desires arise and are fulfilled in consciousness. Making yourself happy involves ….. I have a " Spiritual Quotient" where SQ = D/E. Where D = Deeds and E = Ego. Now you can ONLY have an SQ = infinity when E = 0. If E is little even then SQ is approaching infinity (or one is close to be a "Great Master") but not actually "Pure .This appears to be very fascinating but it is highly abstract which cannot be measured experimentally, accurately and precisely. However, this formula has immense value to understand S.Q.

I have also discovered a mathematical relationship for S.Q about eight years back in 2001. I have used physiological parameters which can be measured accurately and precisely and can be tested and verified experimentally. According to this formula S.Q. can be expressed as the ratio of parasympathetic dominance (P.D.) to sympathetic dominance (S.D.). Parasympathetic nervous system (PSNS) and sympathetic nervous system (SNS) are the two parts of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) which is largely under hypothalamic control. Hypothalamus is situated very close to the Sixth Chakra. During practice of meditation at Sixth Chakra these centres are galvanized which has very positive effect on practitioners spiritual, emotional, psychological and physical well being.

According to this relationship spiritual quotient can be written as:
S.Q. = P.D./S.D.
If the value of S.Q. comes >1 (greater than one), it can be assumed that the person is moving towards self-realisation and if the value of S.Q. comes <1 (smaller than one) it can be predicted that the person is living under stress.

There are various types of meditation available, which are being practiced by sages, saints, seers and others. The difference in various versions lies in the fact that these practices involve concentration to meditate at different centres known as Chakra in Yoga System. These chakras are, in fact, energy centres which correspond to nerve centres distributed along the spinal column and in brain region.
Some practitioners start to meditate at Basic/Root Chakra (Muladhara) – situated at the base of spine, some at Heart Chakra (Anahata Chakra), some at Ajna Chakra – Optic Chiasma – Master Chakra and some from even higher centres situated in the brain region. Among all these types of meditation, practice at sixth chakra is considered to be the most ideal which brings about optimum results.

Sixth Chakra is situated very close to hypothalamus. The hypothalamus is a portion of brain that contains a number of small nuclei with a variety of functions. One of the most important functions of the hypothalamus is to link nervous system to the endocrine system via the pituitary glands.
Autonomic nervous system (ANS) is largely under hypothalamic control. ANS consists of parasympathetic nervous system (PSNS) and sympathetic nervous system (SNS). PSNS is activated during meditative calm and during stress SNS is activated. When PSNS is activated, heart rate, breathing rate, blood pressure decreased. Supply of blood in the digestive tract increased. When SNS is activated heart rate, breathing rate, blood pressure increased. Supply of blood to the muscles and exterior organs increased and to the digestive tract decreased. In addition to these, there are many other parameters which can be compared. Parasympathetic Dominance (P.D.) is the state of PSNS activation and Sympathetic Dominance (S.D.) is the state of SNS activation. Instruments are available in medical science to measure these parameters.

Now we can assign numerical value to each parameter. Then put the value in the formula for S.Q. and see the result. We can show the calculation as mentioned below:

S.Q.= P.D./S.D. = ? X / ? Y
Where X=x1+x2+x3+ …….
And Y=y1+y2+y3+…….

During PSNS activation (P.D.), we assign ‘1’ to each parameter (x1+x2+x3+…..) and ‘0’ to each parameter (y1+y2+y3+…..). During SNS activation (S.D.), we assign ‘1’ to each parameter (y1+y2+y3+…) and ‘0’ to each parameter (x1+x2+x3+….).

By putting the numerical value, thus achieved, in the above formula for S.Q. we can calculate the Spiritual Quotient of an individual.

S.Q.=P.D./S.D.=?X/?y should be read as ?X/?Y (sigma X/sigmaY)

Dear Sashen

Wish you all the best for a very happy and prosperous new year 2010