CCR is a contemplative observatory, similar to Galileo’s observatory. And at the observatory, we train the telescope of the mind through the training of Shamatha. And then by building the telescope of the mind, then we point it into the deep space of consciousness, as Galileo did, to discover dimensions of consciousness that have not been revealed as yet, because we haven’t had the technology. We haven’t built the technology. So, the technology is the technology of a focused, attentive mind.
And so, the first project is to build the telescope and that’s the 10 stages of attentional training: Achieve Shamatha, and then turn that telescope again, in, to look at the dimensions of the mind and then report on what we’re observing and reporting from subjective experience, but also collaborating with other contemplatives to see where our reports are collaborative or what we’re reporting on is validated by other people having similar experiences.
And that’s the only way we can validate subjective experience. Actually, what we’re validating are reports from thousands of years of contemplative practice. It’s not like, I mean, we may be making new discoveries, but we’re also coming from the yogic tradition of ancient India, which has 2000 years of contemplative practice.
So, in a sense, maybe what we’re doing is we’re corroborating those ancient discoveries and saying, yes, modern people can corroborate what the yogis have been saying for thousands of years, what the Buddhist contemplatives have been saying. We are reporting what we’re experiencing and that is in alignment with what the tradition has reported.
And not only are we reporting what we’re experiencing, but we’re demonstrating skills, faculties. We’re answering the questions,
– what does exceptional wellbeing look like?
– what does exceptional mental health look like?
– what does exceptional human happiness and flourishing actually look like?
And those are the big questions we need to find answers to globally. If we’re going to have any kind of sustainable mental health.