Suffering a Stroke, Finding Nirvana
In 1996, Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor had a stroke and found Nirvana. Leslie Kaufman writes in the New York Times ("A Superhighway to Bliss") that as the parts of the neuroscientist's brain failed, she perceived herself and the rest of creation as "all part of the same magnificent field of shimmering energy."
A burst blood vessel caused Dr. Bolte's left temporal lob to stop working. The left lobe, Kaufman writes, is "the source of ego, analysis, judgment and context." Dr. Taylor describes her perceptions in her new book, My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist's Personal Journey.
“I felt like a genie liberated from its bottle,” she wrote. “The energy of my spirit seemed to flow like a great whale gliding through a sea of silent euphoria.” Dr. Taylor also describes her experience in this amazing video.
Did Dr. Taylor really find Nirvana? I can't say. If she did, however, this underscores that there is nothing supernatural about the Buddhist path. Realization comes through our natural bodies and minds.
Comments
Intense video! How do you get there without having a stroke? Or resorting to chemical substances.
How about an endorphin rush induced by a shortage of oxygen reaching the brain?
How about a vigorous meditation practice?
I read “My Stroke of Insight” in one sitting – I couldn’t put it down. I laughed. I cried. It was a fantastic book (I heard it’s a NYTimes Bestseller and I can see why!), but I also think it will be the start of a new, transformative Movement! No one wants to have a stroke as Jill Bolte Taylor did, but her experience can teach us all how to live better lives. Her TED.com speech was one of the most incredibly moving, stimulating, wonderful videos I’ve ever seen. Her Oprah Soul Series interviews were fascinating. They should make a movie of her life so everyone sees it. This is the Real Deal and gives me hope for humanity.
I loved the beautifully written “My Stroke of Insight – a Brain Scientist’s Personal Journey” by Jill Bolte Taylor and her incredible talk on TED dot com. Dr. Taylor’s unique perspective as a Harvard neuroanatomist having a stroke, combined with her sensitivity and awareness, produced something as powerful as I’ve ever witnessed. I want to share Dr Taylor’s story far and wide because it’s a wonderful story and a great book to read, but more importantly, this is the message we desperately need if we are to survive as a species.
“Did Dr. Taylor really find Nirvana? I can’t say. If she did, however, this underscores that there is nothing supernatural about the Buddhist path. Realization comes through our natural bodies and minds.” – And that’s exactly what the Buddha has claimed in the years after his realization.