Introduction: Take Back Your Brain
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INTRODUCTION
Take Back Your Brain
Where in your life are you standing right now, and with what mindset? When you’ve reached the end of a busy day, and you’re tucking yourself in for the night, what do you feel in your heart? Do you feel confident that your life has a direction, and that you are the one driving your life in that direction?
If you’re up against a particular challenge right now, do you have faith that you can overcome it and move on?
Do you feel a sense of fulfillment—that you’ve got a firm grip on the steering wheel of your life and are living the values that are meaningful to you? And more than anything, do you feel that you’re deeply connected with yourself and that you truly love yourself?
I’ve written this book to help you confidently answer “Yes” to these questions.
Over the last 40 years, I’ve met with numerous people around the world as I’ve given countless lectures and workshops. The people I met were invariably immersed in a plethora of anxieties great and small, looking for solutions. Seeing this, I thought hard about how I could help relieve their suffering, if only a little.
So, I’ve created and taught many methods for recovering physical health, relieving mental anxiety, and developing happiness by reconnecting with the true self. Over the years, thousands of people of all ages and from all walks of life have benefited from the programs I have created, and I feel immense joy whenever I hear the testimonies of people who have been able to achieve a sense of well-being through these methods. Yet, I have never been satisfied that what I have offered is enough, so I am always looking to upgrade and refine what I present to people.
Recently I took a long look back at what I’ve been doing for the last four decades and at the problems people have repeatedly presented to me, such as stress-related illnesses, depression, anxiety, and relationship issues. The more I reflected upon these common worries, the more the underlying cause became clear to me:
people’s connection with themselves has been cut.
It’s easy, and normal, to think that the causes of our problems are to be found outside ourselves, in other people or in the environment, but that’s definitely not it. Dig deeper, and you’ll ultimately find that the primary cause of your problems lies not in your relationship with other people or in some imperfection in the envi-
ronment, but rather in your connection with yourself. Yes, the earth suffers from pollution, and the behaviors and words of others can be toxic, but the first order of business is your own inner world, not the world outside of you. In fact, you will never be able to adequately solve outside problems if the interior connection isn’t established first. You experience physical ailments, from headaches and indigestion to much more serious diseases, because your connection with your body isn’t good. And if you’re troubled, unable to find direction in some area of life, you’re not really connected with your true self.
We can see the problems that arise from disconnection in every aspect of our lives, from our individual selves to the ecosystems of the earth. There are more than two billion Facebook users worldwide with approximately 300 friends per user, but loneliness has surfaced as a greater public health risk than smoking. People may have a lot of social media friends, but they don’t have that many true friends to turn to in real life, to talk to and share their hearts with comfortably.
The greatest challenges faced by humankind today—such as climate change, gender inequality, the wealth gap, military conflicts, trade disputes, and religious conflicts—have at their roots a deep-seated mindset that separates me from you and humans from nature. A solution that’s based on separation without consideration of mutual interests can never be a true or sustainable solution, and in the end such a “solution” disadvantages everyone. Unless we heal the disconnection that is so widespread in our lives, the hole in our souls will keep
getting bigger, the conflict between different social groups will grow increasingly serious, and the Earth’s environment will reach a state in which recovery is impossible.
Once you understand that disconnection is the underlying cause of your problems, then the solution also becomes clearer. All you have to do is mend your broken connections. Recover your connection with your body, your connection with your true self, and your connection with people and the world.
How can we recover that connection? I believe that the master key that makes it possible is in the human brain, and I present Pineal Gland Meditation as an essential technique for awakening the brain.
Thoughts, memories, and intellectual knowledge are what most people typically associate with the brain.
However, the brain doesn’t only contain the artificial information that we’ve accumulated during our lives.
There is a certain something in our brain that is original and fundamental. Before we had thoughts, emotions, experiences, or knowledge, there existed complete and pure energy and consciousness. We could also call this nature, the rhythm of life, or even the divinity within us.
What brings separate individuals together is the universal homogeneity that exists in people beyond their personal differences. I feel that we can find that homogeneity in the pure consciousness and energy inside us. I believe it’s that pure consciousness that ties together not only human beings, but all life forms and ultimately everything that exists.
I have dedicated my life to exploring the brain and developing and sharing methods to use it well, because that kind of pure consciousness and energy exists within our brains. I believe that by recovering this conscious-
ness, we can know ourselves as we truly are and recover our connection to all things in existence. I am certain that when we recover such a connection, we can gain the true solution and insight to simultaneously solve indi-
vidual problems and the Earth’s problems. It is with these aims that I blended the ancient Korean mind-body training methods of the Sundo tradition with neuroscience to establish Brain Education, and why I have taught
brain meditation for decades.
The human brain is the master key that can overcome separation and connect all things. And within the brain, the organ that acts as the channel to pure consciousness and energy is the pineal gland, located in the
central part of the brain. The Pineal Gland Meditation introduced in this book presents the principles and process for recovering this pure consciousness by revitalizing the function of the pineal gland.
To fully utilize the power of the brain and the pineal gland, I suggest taking a different perspective on the brain. Rather than seeing the brain only as an anatomical organ, I see it as the embodiment of human character.
You could say that your brain is the holistic expression of your physical, mental, and spiritual essence. Therefore, being connected with your brain means meeting with your essential nature.
When you understand that your brain is the embodiment of your essence, you can converse and interact with it. That’s when you can use your brain to change your life and transform the world. I hope that through this book you will be able to resonate deeply with this aspect of the brain, and that through Pineal Gland Meditation you will experience a sincere and powerful encounter with your brain.
The moment you’re connected with your brain, you will meet with the limitless energy and life within you.
You will have a spine-tingling feeling for how powerful, beautiful, and divinely sacred your essential nature is.
That electric excitement and pure poignance will spread throughout your brain and your heart and your whole body, bringing fundamental change to your life and world.
The Pineal Gland Meditation that I introduce in this book could be called the “pinnacle of Sundo meditation,” a way of developing body, mind, and soul to completion that grew out of the ancient practice of Sundo.
Once your insight has been awakened through Pineal Gland Meditation, you’ll realize that seemingly separate, isolated things are actually all connected. You’ll perceive things you couldn’t see before, and by looking at your-
self, others, and the world with a broader perspective, your empathy, understanding, and tolerance will grow. With eyes that see connection and unity, you’ll find solutions to problems caused by looking at the world as a
place of separation and isolation.
Experiencing this new consciousness, opening these new eyes, is truly a fundamental solution to our problems. When you awaken to that one great thing, you’ll also develop the power to find solutions to other, more
trivial problems.
But what role does the pineal gland play in this awakening process? Physically speaking, it is a tiny and seemingly insignificant organ—a type of endocrine gland located deep within the brain. It is known to regulate the biological clock of the human body, including circadian rhythms and reproductive cycles. In many spiritual practices, it is associated with the sixth chakra, or “third eye,” the center of intuition and spiritual perception. In Pineal Gland Meditation, it is understood as the center of spiritual connection in the brain. It could be thought
of as a plug that can be connected to an outlet. Everyone has this “plug” deep within their brain, but it is up to each of us to connect it to the “outlet,” the source of divine, cosmic energy. For most people in modern society, this connection has been lost, but Pineal Gland Meditation offers a way to recover this natural ability. In the moment that you “plug in” through Pineal Gland Meditation, you will develop the power to understand yourself truly and to embrace others with tolerance. While you meditate with your eyes closed, the waves of peaceful but powerful changes arising within you will spread to the whole of your life. And the world you see after opening your eyes will have changed, now appearing utterly different from what it was before.
All of us have the power to create the life that we want and change the world into a better place. But in order to use that power, your consciousness must be awake. Otherwise you lose your self-efficacy, and it’s easy to let yourself be pulled around by your habits, external information, or the societal environment or systems.
When you focus on your inner world to feel and connect with your self, you can find your absolute value beyond comparisons and judgment. People who have found that value are able to live their authentic lives, not the lives dictated or expected by society or other people. To do this, you need to “take back your brain.” You must take it back from thoughts and habits that no longer serve you, the false limitations inside and outside of you that whisper in your ear, “Nope, not you. You can’t do it.” Or, “The world has always been like that. Nothing’s
going to change.”
In the past, people who had lots of intellectual knowledge were considered smart. Nowadays, doing a search on the internet gives anyone relatively easy access to pretty much all knowledge. More knowledge is not the solution now. In this present era we need the penetrating insight to see to the heart of problems, the innovation and creativity to find answers outside the box, the executive faculty to move from knowing to action, and the wisdom to connect and integrate what was separated. But, this does not come through intellectual knowledge. Instead, it happens when you connect and interact with the world in a way that goes beyond the patterns of your habitual thoughts and behavior, creating a world that transcends our current human-made systems.
Pineal Gland Meditation will connect you to that world.
This book will guide you on a four-part journey to connect with yourself.
In Part I, we look at the problems that arise in all areas of life due to disconnection from yourself, and we explore the map of complete connection with your true self, as presented through the Korean Sundo tradition.
Part II leads you through training that connects your body, soul, and divinity based on the principles and methods of energy development taught in Sundo. You will be guided step by step through Pineal Gland Meditation.
In Part III, I’ll introduce you to the five steps of Brain Education, which will connect you with your brain to become the true master of your life. I’ll also teach two innovative and powerful methods of meditation that awaken the pineal gland. I’ve included a number of new and important ideas in this section, so please be sure to read it.
Part IV presents testimonials from individuals who have transformed their lives through Pineal Gland Meditation, along with my own pineal gland story. Through these stories, you’ll be able to gain inspiration about what kind of transformation you can bring to your life and to the world through Pineal Gland Meditation.
In the epilogue to this book, I share my vision and what I imagine and hope in terms of the new possibilities and new world that we can create together when many people recover their sense of connection and oneness.
You will see certain key ideas repeatedly discussed throughout the book. Please know that I did this intentionally to help you fully grasp them and to help the important points stick in your mind.
Traditionally, Pineal Gland Meditation has been known as a very advanced level of meditation. That’s why there are many people who think that it can only be practiced by well-seasoned masters of meditation who have
engaged in spiritual practice for a long time. However, this is a misconception. The essential goal of Pineal Gland Meditation is to empty yourself of the thoughts, emotions, and information that cause disconnection from who you really are, and then recharge and fill that space with the infinite energy of life and bright con-
sciousness. Anyone with a normal brain can practice Pineal Gland Meditation and experience that power. Many people are already recovering the health of their bodies and minds through Pineal Gland Meditation at the hundreds of Body & Brain Yoga centers and meditation centers around the world, and they are experiencing the shift to a positive lifestyle.
I believe that everyone can plug into the infinite field of cosmic energy and pure consciousness, just as I did long ago. Everyone holds the potential to awaken, especially when given tools such as Pineal Gland Meditation.
That absolute faith has been a lamp guiding me for several decades, its bright light enabling me to view others and the world with hope, even in moments of distress and frustration.
I believe in you and trust that you will find your way to reconnect with true self, the fundamental solution to your most pressing problems, and that you can confidently live as a master of your brain and your life. And I cheer you on with all my heart. I’ve put my faith in you—my earnest desire for you to succeed—into each and every sentence of this book. I hope my mind will touch your mind, the reverberations in my heart reaching your heart with living vitality.
When you read this book, imagine that you’re talking directly with me. I want at times to be a friend, fully understanding your pain and suffering; at times to be your counselor, getting right to the point you were not aware of; and at times to serve as your trainer, sitting before you and teaching you energy training methods and meditation, step by step.
Spring 2019
Ilchi Lee
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PART I: CONNECTING WITH YOURSELF
1. Why Are So Many People Today Afraid and Frustrated?
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2. Are You Connected with Yourself?
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3. Find Solutions in the Unseen World
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4. An Ancient Map for Seeking Your Soul’s Home
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5. Ancient Practices for Connecting with Yourself
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PART II: PINEAL GLAND MEDITATION
6. Connecting with Your Body
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7. Connecting with Your Soul
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8. Connecting with Your Divinity
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9. Guidelines for Pineal Gland Meditation
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PART III: ADDITIONAL PINEAL GLAND MEDITATION METHODS
10. Five Steps to Becoming the Master of Your Brain
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11. Find Your Healing Points
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12. The Way to Light Up Your Consciousness Instantly
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PART IV: STORIES OF TRANSFORMATION
13. People Who’ve Found Solutions with Pineal Gland Meditation
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14. My Own Pineal Gland Story
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15. Connecting Heaven to Earth
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Epilogue: Toward a World of Connection and Oneness
EPILOGUE
Toward a World of Connection and Oneness
On the journey to connecting with your true self through Pineal Gland Meditation, there
are two things you have inevitably met: humanity and the Earth.
As members of their communities and as mature global citizens, many people feel concern for the future of
humanity and the Earth. They make great efforts to leave a better world for future generations. However, the
humanity and Earth that you have met through Pineal Gland Meditation will appear quite different from what
you knew before. Just as your conception of “self” has grown, your understanding of humanity and the Earth
has expanded to include dimensions that were once beyond your reach.
Through Pineal Gland Meditation, you feel that you are a single body, a unit of oneness connected with na-
ture, with all life, and with the universe. When such connection arises, the way you feel about humanity and the
Earth is much more than the ideas of citizenship or moral obligation that you’ve been taught. Your humanity
becomes an extension of your own self, another manifestation of who you are. People who have experienced
this connectivity, not just intellectually but with their whole bodies, develop a deep sense of caring and affection
for all living things and for the world itself. Not only that, they also feel a strong sense of responsibility and soli-
darity, a yearning for everyone’s well-being and for the elevation of human consciousness. That’s what hap-
pened to me about 40 years ago on Mt. Moak, when I met with cosmic energy and cosmic mind, my true
essence. Many people who practice Pineal Gland Meditation—people of all ages and backgrounds—have ex-
perienced this same feeling.
The way to assure not only individual health and happiness but also sustainability and peace for the Earth
starts with each of us recovering our connection with our true nature and essence—which is pure energy and
life—and with our divinity. That pure consciousness and energy are the key that enables us to connect with
everything and become who we truly are.
Have you heard about the Go competition between Lee Sedol and AI AlphaGo that took place in South
Korea in the spring of 2016? Lee Sedol is a grandmaster Go player, and AlphaGo is a computer program made
by Google. In this competition, Lee Sedol lost to AlphaGo 1-4. Many people were shocked, and I was no excep-
tion. I thought that no matter how competent a computer might be, it could never exceed the intuition, judg-
ment, creativity, mental flexibility, and responsive speed exhibited by the best Go players. With the development
of AI, though, it has become difficult to say that intellectual abilities such as studying, thinking, and decision-
making are unique human characteristics. If high cognitive ability is no longer a special attribute of humans,
then what is the true value of humans?
Artificial intelligence is becoming increasingly common in our daily lives. Robots order products for us and
clean for us and keep our homes secure. They write news articles, translate, and converse with us via chatbots.
They drive cars. It is said that in the future, AI will be capable of performing work that demands a high level of
intelligence, such as diagnosing illness and conducting surgery, or performing accounting, investment, or legal
consulting.
Humankind has entered a new Industrial Revolution, experts say. The world has already seen three other
Industrial Revolutions: the first one began with the invention of steam engines; the second was brought about
by electricity and mass production; and the third is represented by computers and automation. Now we enter
the fourth Industrial Revolution, which has fused human intelligence with machine intelligence. Scientists pre-
dict that we will be living in a whole new world, one that is entirely different from what we’ve known before.
What kind of future society will the advancement of technology bring? Some say that the development of
innovative products and enhanced productivity will fill our lives with boundless material comfort. On the other
hand, there is a great deal of worry that people will lose their jobs to robots, and that extreme wealth will be
amassed by a small minority of people—such as the owners and CEOs of massive IT corporations—and soci-
ety will become increasingly polarized.
What do you think? What kind of world do you think we’ll be living in? Or rather, what kind of world do you
want to live in? And what kind of role do you feel you can play in creating that world?
I’ve decided to raise my hand in favor of hope. If artificial intelligence becomes an object of fear, that would
not be because of AI but because of the consciousness of humans using it for harmful aims. If human con-
sciousness is the cause of the problem, the solution also becomes clear. Human consciousness must expand
to a level where people think beyond their individual selves or the group to which they belong but instead take
all of humankind into consideration. That’s when technology can be used for the health and happiness of all of
humankind to create a true, whole new world.
I dream that our spiritual awakening and insight will be used beyond our personal lives, expanding to every
domain of society, including politics, economics, culture, education, and the arts. I imagine that the systems we
have created will be re-evaluated and newly organized under the greater shared goal of actualizing real human
value and peace for the Earth. For example, if AI could handle most of the activity of production that humans
have performed, that could free us to engage in more creative and humanitarian activities. Working just four
hours a day and taking the rest of our time for our personal lives may be a fantasy we can only dream about
right now, but in the future it could become a common lifestyle.
The considerable resources now used to maintain and manage societal systems—collecting taxes, executing
legislation, mediating conflict, maintaining public order, and electing representatives—could instead be used
for the welfare of the population. Wouldn’t it be possible to create a society that guarantees enough income for
every human to maintain at least a decent standard of living, regardless of where people are born or whose chil-
dren they are or what job they have? Shouldn’t everyone live without having to worry about where they’ll sleep
or where the next meal is coming from?
A great deal of change could come to education, as well. Rather than education that conveys knowledge and
skills, it could become education that helps everyone discover and actualize their latent potential and passion.
Instead of tests that differentiate superiority and inferiority through competition, there would be collaboration
where each person expresses and shares their creativity and passion to their heart’s content. Education would
be re-oriented from producing functional humans to producing humans who possess upright character and in-
tegrity.
If we advance through the fourth Industrial Revolution with an awakened and expanded consciousness, we
will be met with a fifth Industrial Revolution that demonstrates a quality different from those we have seen thus
far. The values of separation, competition, and material success are the paradigms that have led the change
from the first to the fourth Industrial Revolutions. These values brought with them the dramatically swift devel-
opment of material civilization, represented by convenience and efficiency, but they also put humankind face to
face with the dire problems of unsustainable growth and environmental crisis.
I believe that the fifth Industrial Revolution will take place not through a revolution of technology, but
through a paradigm shift in perception of value. Rather than separation, competition, and success, the new val-
ues of integration, cooperation, and completion will direct our choices and actions. Through this kind of shift,
the true potential of the technical advancement produced by the fourth Industrial Revolution can be manifested.
Without such a change, people will be confined within the framework of their preconceptions in a situation akin
to tending only to their own garden despite having enough power to cultivate the Earth.
In a value system based on competition, the winner gets the monopoly, along with feelings of superiority.
For values formed through cooperation, however, everything belongs to everyone, so there’s no need for any
one person to feel a sense of superiority or inferiority. When this happens, jobs will not be ascribed higher or
lower status. Rather than aiming for higher prestige or status in society, the purpose of life will be for each per-
son to contribute to society by becoming the best they can be.
Humanity still has groups of political, religious, and economic elite who use violence and force to hold onto
their vested interests. Conflict and war are as ubiquitous as ever. However, if human beings’ state of spiritual
awakening grows and human consciousness becomes free of ego and prejudice and knows its ultimate value, it
will become impossible to use distorted information to restrict or control the minds and lives of people. And in-
stead of seeing differences in nationality or race, people will come to see the divinity within all human beings
and in all existence. When that time comes, countries and national borders will no longer have meaning, and a
true Earth village can be realized.
At present, we focus on researching and using content produced by consciousness, such as ideas, emo-
tions, and imagination, but it won’t be long before consciousness itself is studied and applied to life. Though
it’s already possible to know the true nature of consciousness through meditation, it will be proven scientifically
as well. Consciousness is where matter and spirit, science and religion come together. Through new discov-
eries and understanding about consciousness, science and religion will be integrated, and matter and spirit will
be integrated. The era in which systematized religion controls human spirituality will pass, and there will come
the true normalization of enlightenment. All people will discover and actualize the spirituality within them-
selves, and enlightenment will become common sense, a regular part of everyday life.
When this kind of change arises in human consciousness, the greatest project in the era of the fifth Indus-
trial Revolution will be the recovery of the Earth’s environment. A sustainable Earth—the restoration of the
Earth’s healthy and beautiful environment as the base that supports the continued evolution and growth of
humanity—would surely be a project to which all of humankind would contribute knowledge, skills, wisdom,
and love. Through that project, as we love each other and overflow with creative energy, humanity will recover
its true nature, rising bravely toward the great goal of completion.
The key to succeeding in this great project is the development of the empathic ability of our brain. This
comes from pure energy and consciousness connecting all things as one. It is because we have empathy that
we can go beyond separation, to commune and feel the pain of others and comfort them.
If we humans did not have empathic ability, what would be the reason for us to continue existing on the
Earth? We know that humans are the biggest cause of the problems the Earth currently faces. Looking at it from
the Earth’s perspective, the humans who are destroying the Earth’s ecosystems are likely the biggest pain in the
neck. If you told AI—which makes determinations based on data, without any emotions or bias—to find the
fastest and most effective way to recover the Earth’s ecosystems, it would probably suggest the improvement of
humans. It might even recommend the elimination of humans.
In spite of that, humans are the only thing we can stake our hope on. Would a whale in the Pacific Ocean be
concerned for a rhino on the plains of the savanna just because they’re in the same situation of being endan-
gered? Of course, animals protect their young and can help other creatures. But humans are the beings that can
expand empathy to encompass all life, and therefore we are the beings who can look after the entire Earth. Hu-
mans have caused many problems on the Earth, but it is also humans who have the power and the hope to
solve those problems.
The key to solving problems such as violence, discrimination, inequality, human rights violations, and env-
ironmental destruction is to be found not in systems or technology but in recovering empathy. Breaking free
from the ego and helping others unconditionally is the power of a consciousness that can perceive and em-
brace all life forms as one. What connects one person’s heart with another’s isn’t smartphones or the internet
or social media. When empathetic ability comes alive and heart-to-heart connections are made, we can avoid a
cold and miserable future in which people have close connections on the physical level—through social sys-
tems and information technology—but are disconnected spiritually and filled with a sense of hollow futility.
People must have a shared sentiment about these values and work together in order to make these changes.
It wouldn’t mean much if only one person had a smartphone. It’s because many people have them that connec-
tions are made and great power is demonstrated. Likewise, the majority of people must awaken their conscious-
ness and become connected to create the solutions to the problems we face.
It’s difficult for anyone to present the perfect answer to the various problems faced by humanity and the
Earth. It’s clear, however, that it isn’t the leaders, experts, government, or corporations that hold the key to solv-
ing them. The answer is found in every one of us.
As of yet, the new world that I described earlier is just imagination and potentiality. You might think this
dream is impossible because it is too grand. Because our brains have mainly been socialized for competition, it
may feel strange to suddenly call upon the sense of peace and cooperation in your brain. But when you’re con-
nected through Pineal Gland Meditation with the world of infinite energy and consciousness within your brains,
you feel it. We feel how much we want to be connected, how great a sense of hope and freedom is offered by
opening ourselves up and connecting with a world bigger than ourselves, and we feel how great a sense of love,
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