meditation

I decided since Hermann Hesse was influenced a lot by eastern philosophy, and because the "Glass Bead Game" talks a whole lot about meditation, that I would read up on the subject.

So I've been practicing this Vipassana meditation for a few days. The first time I tried it I made very little progress, but it has been getting easier and better. Today I experienced the scale of the universe approach infinite proportions, nothing new there really, I experience the same sensation sometimes while listening to a particularly dull lecture (sort of a "zooming in" sensation). I also succeeded in concentrating while the world seemed to tip me into a horizontal position, then left me there. I have a tendency to sabotage my concentration with incessant thoughts to the effect of "I should be concentrating," so far if I start getting those thoughts I can't stop them.

The result of years of meditation practice seems pretty extraordinary. In talking about meditation and "mindfulness", the author of the linked-to book describes a complete control over one's thoughts. But this control is external, the brain has become a sort of hierarchy with a ruling sector that encapsulates the original, unfocused portion of the brain--and eventually even this portion is organized and completely under control.

The theory behind this form of meditation is stunningly identical to the theory of the glass bead game. It is essentially a game of the mind, where connections are drawn between things to the point where everything is organized, connected, and made one.