Centre for Contemplative Learning and Research
Life began as a single-celled existence with some primitive stimulus-response capability without a brain, the physical correlate of the mind.
Biology programs life to automatically and unconsciously survive, sustain, procreate and genetically transmit experiential memory down the line of evolution.
Life eats life. In nature, big fish eats small fish. Keeping us safe from death by predators is a fundamental experience stored in our genes. Fear of death is an existential necessity. It is automatic and instantaneous. It underlies the inbuilt fight or flight instinct of all forms of life.
Instincts of sustenance and procreation lead to bodily sensations of pleasure and pain underlying our compulsions of repeating the pleasant and avoiding the unpleasant.
| Survival is a fundamental instinct of all life and an ability to sense and act is an essential requirement for it |