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The Nervous System and Communication
Within the body exists the central nervous system, consisting of the brain and spinal cord, nourished by cerebrospinal fluid within the ventricles, and the peripheral nervous system with 31 pairs of nerves radiating in the following order:
- 8 pairs of cervical (neck)
- 12 pairs of thoracic (back)
- 5 pairs of lumbar (lower back)
- 5 pairs of sacral (sacrum)
- 1 pair of coccygeal (coccyx)
Sensory information from the receptors is transmitted via afferent pathways to the central nervous system, processed through synapses connecting sensory neurons, interneurons, and motor neurons, then responded to via efferent pathways to the effectors (motor organs) along the reflex arc. The speed of transmission can reach one-thousandth of a second, ensuring rapid reflexes and maintaining homeostasis.
In the practice community, similarly, it is necessary to establish a “nervous system”: the central system (the caretaking council, caretaking team, the council of Dharma teachers) and the peripheral system (monastics, practitioners, lay friends), so that any difficulty or suffering arising from an individual “cell” can be reported centripetally in a timely manner, and decisions or support can be transmitted centrifugally without delay. Within each individual, there must also be a spiritual immune system—protecting the six sense organs (eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, mind)—to guard against negative influences, while practicing Right Attention and contemplation to prevent the arising of Wrong Attention.