Right Brain Cannot Meditate

"I do not have the mind of a scientist or private investigator. Does it mean I cannot meditate or investigate to gain insights?” Well, yes and no. Hear me out first please.

I remembered back in secondary school, there was a choice to be made between opting for the academic field of either science or arts stream. I knew that the decision made of either path will significantly influence the direction and options available in my future life. However, what I did not know clearly at that time was that nothing is pre-determined nor fixed, until it has happened. Hence, back then at a young immature age, it seemed like it was a very serious matter of life and death. I felt pressured by the wish to live up to the expectations of others, to be successful in a career, to have a comfortable lifestyle, and to be able to extend help to others. Most importantly, my priority was to feel happy with the freedom to do whatever I wanted.

Today, after learning more about the mind nature and what motivates it, I understand a little clearer now what was happening at the mind and how it led me on a journey from then, 28 years ago, until now. All the ups and downs – successes and failures, happiness and sadness, compliments and condemnations, and friends and enemies made. Such an understanding comes from the perspective of causes and conditions, or how from one thing it led to another cannot be otherwise, after the fact. This then leads to the natural acceptance of the cascading chain of causes and effects that took place as exactly how it has had to happen. It is a natural law of how things work in this existence.

So then I wondered if it made a difference if I had chosen the other academic path instead. Would the way my mind works be any different? Yes, in terms of what causes and conditions will arise. But no, in terms of how causes and conditions work as nature. It means that the process of transforming ignorance to wisdom will be consistent whichever pathway. It will require the same mental functions as the causes and a balance of their dynamics as the conditions for the effect to mature. Which is what we call learning. Learning is nothing more than the progression or journey of mis-understanding to understanding.

For example, a science student may use the ability to hypothesize, observe, measure, analyse and conclude the outcome of an experiment. One asks a question, collects data, determines the tools to be used, finds a pattern in the data and forms an assumption based on the data. An artist student, on the other hand, may use the ability to imagine, visualise, sketch, color and create a work of beauty. One chooses a topic of interest, finds an angle to highlight, chooses the medium, uses various colors and textures, and materialises a composition that captivates attention. In both examples, the tools and media used may differ at the level of form or physicality but at the level of mind, both fields involve a sense of curiosity, a desire to learn, discover new things, and experiment with various ways.

I have often been told that science or logic is designed to be objective and guided by data whereas art is subjective and influenced by feelings and opinions. Hence, they are total opposites. It may be true in so far as the physical form is seen. But at the level of mind workings, it may not be so. Neuroscience has revealed considerable overlap in mental processes between the two. It means that everyone uses both sides of the brain when performing any task. This shows how the mind and body as a whole are involved at every moment. No matter the experience, it is a simultaneous presence of consciousness, feeling, perception, mental activities, and bodily sensations.

To show you how I came to realise this, I had an interesting experience to share. The understanding of what it meant by mind made reality and how it came about was shown to me from two different angles. One from the logical aspect of using the idea of an AI whereby whatever data is fed into the system, it will execute accordingly. And another aspect was as in a painting, different layering of colors and textures transforms a blank canvas from a 2D flat image into a 3D extremely lifelike piece of art. I realised overtime that I was not limited by one way of learning to understand reality. Insights can arise from many angles. That is because the mind has the ability to be flexible, adaptable and creative with a keen sense of detail and open-mindedness.

All roads lead to Rome. So please be interested to explore what mental abilities your mind can develop and how it is encouraged naturally to be curious. Every moment and every experience can be used for the highest benefit of gaining insights into reality that we have not known yet. Let not the doubt nor lack of confidence be a hindrance to the path of freedom from suffering.

“The greatest scientists are artists as well.” ~ Albert Einstein

In grace,
Khan Hui Yee
7 October 2025