Questioner
Namaste.
I'm experimenting...with a new world view. Brahman and Self reside in the brain...awareness increases with evolution ...The brain of a fully self-realized person displays measurable differences...(fMRI, EEG or whatever...) Psi and paranormal experiences like remote viewing have been exhaustively documented. Siddhis also happen...
Surely awareness of the Self has, at worst, a brain cognate, and at best, something very distinctively measurable... cannot we perhaps identify brain functions which at least correlate with spiritual shifts in consciousness? Yes, a revered Zen master can identify self-realized people...why not also some kind of brain-test?
Gary
namaste.
First, we need to define what "self-realized" means.
Some groups don't even pursue self-realization, either because they believe only their founder could achieve it, or because it is just too difficult and unlikely to achieve, so they focus on reducing negative emotions and generating positive ones. There are however, groups like the Rinzai Zen Buddhists, and some advaita folk, who pursue awakening relentlessly as their raison-d'etre.
Having spent time in all of these groups, awakening is not only possible, but is truly "the peace that passeth understanding" and is beyond my wildest expectations. Its key marker, IME, is the extent to which freedom from the tyranny of the self/I has been achieved. The clearest indication is the relative absence of problematic, self-reflective thoughts constructed around an I/me/my core. A key slide in my presentations is "Why Do We Do Yoga And Meditation". This points out that whether it is the Yoga Sutras, the Bhagavad Gita, Dogen Zenji, Ramana Maharshi, Nisargadatta or an ayahuaska shaman from the upper Amazon, awakening is all about freedom from (self-referential) thoughts. This is also demonstrated by the fellow at the right end of the bar.
As the parts of the brain which constitute the selfing-network are determined accurately in the Andrews-Hannah (Harvard) paper in 2010 in Neuron, we now know there are 11 centers, two of which are central to all selfing activities. As we discussed after my presentation @ the Science and NonDuality conference, the fMRI experiments @ Yale were focused on the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) to see if is activated (selfing) or not.
It appears as if the focus of real time-fMRI on the PCC will be necessary, but not sufficient, to adequately characterize "awakening". Folk with extensive training deactivated the PCC, causing the scan to go from red to blue by concentration; others by surrender/inquiry. Some were supposedly "awakened", others not. Some folk deactivated the PCC w/o any training. This is great if rt-fMRI is used as a neurofeedback training device, but it does not constitute an awakening test.
IMHO, "awakening" can be differentiated by persistence and "naturalness/ease" of deactivation of the PCC, i.e. does it continue without efforting for most of the day? Has the default mode network (DMN) changed so that a thoughtless-state is the natural, default position when the brain isn't "tasking"?
Work in functional neuroanatomy is moving now to networks and connectivity. It is likely that other centers need to be incorporated. This will be done with functional connectivity MRI (see Fig).
The will determine which centers are connected/communicating, i.e. if the PCC is deactivated, what other centers are highly correlated, or anti-correlated with it. The Brewer PNAS paper discussed in earlier blogs showed two centers that were anti-correlated with the PCC, i.e. they were activated when the PCC was deactivated in a "watch and control" mode in 10,000+ hr meditators. Other centers are likely needed to constitute a definitive "awakening" network.
Another possibility is using EEG to enhance the fMRI work. If we can get adequate source localization to accurately measure the PCC selfing signal with EEG, we would have more immediate (fMRI is delayed a few seconds until blood oxygen level responds) and longer duration measurements (fMRI is limited) critical to determine if the DMN is changed for 30 to 45 minutes rather than the few minutes used to date.
There may also be other EEG signature responses indicative of awakening. As reported previously, the Institute of Noetic Sciences, in the just published "Electrocortical Activity Prior to Unpredictable Stimuli in Meditators and NonMeditators" measured a small number of "advanced nondual meditation practitioners" and determined that there was "presentiment" for randomly generated audio signals with a certainty of P <.05 to <.005 for us.
When we define the "awakening" network, other challenges to applying a "test" will arise, including getting ostensibly "awakened" folk to agree to be evaluated. There is no "upside", and considerable "downside", for a popular teacher to risk his/her reputation by participating. Even if privacy protection is guaranteed through the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), a rigorous system used for sensitive medical information, which is the case @ Yale as experiments are done in Medical School facilities, it will be difficult to get subjects.
Another problem is gathering a statistically significant number of "awakened" folk. Jeffery Martin, in his CIIS Ph.D. thesis, selected from 500 "self-reported, enlightened/awakened nondual folk", only 36 of us for psychological testing and interviews. Only 9 of us scored at 160, the highest level, on the Hood Mystical Scale, and i was the only one that scored a 10 on the 1-10 scale of the WUSCT profile; scores averaged about 7 and ranged from 5 to 10. There is much variability in what folk consider "awakening" from their own subjective viewpoint.
As a final note, "awakening" is not a destination, it is a process. Many folk assume it is like an Olympic Gold Medal that you can keep and cherish forever and show off to your friends. we have 50,000,000,000,000 synaptic interconnections; if only 5% of them are involved in "selfing" and discursive thought, that would still leave 2,500,000,000,000 to be disconnected. It would be hopelessly chaotic if they were all disconnected at once. As is pointed out in my book on pp. 72-73, a famous early 20th century Zen master said "...enlightenment is capable of endless enlargement." These are the virtually the same words as Adyashanti, a contemporary Zen teacher said. That has been my experience as well.
stillness
Namaste.
I'm experimenting...with a new world view. Brahman and Self reside in the brain...awareness increases with evolution ...The brain of a fully self-realized person displays measurable differences...(fMRI, EEG or whatever...) Psi and paranormal experiences like remote viewing have been exhaustively documented. Siddhis also happen...
Surely awareness of the Self has, at worst, a brain cognate, and at best, something very distinctively measurable... cannot we perhaps identify brain functions which at least correlate with spiritual shifts in consciousness? Yes, a revered Zen master can identify self-realized people...why not also some kind of brain-test?
Gary
namaste.
First, we need to define what "self-realized" means.
Some groups don't even pursue self-realization, either because they believe only their founder could achieve it, or because it is just too difficult and unlikely to achieve, so they focus on reducing negative emotions and generating positive ones. There are however, groups like the Rinzai Zen Buddhists, and some advaita folk, who pursue awakening relentlessly as their raison-d'etre.
Having spent time in all of these groups, awakening is not only possible, but is truly "the peace that passeth understanding" and is beyond my wildest expectations. Its key marker, IME, is the extent to which freedom from the tyranny of the self/I has been achieved. The clearest indication is the relative absence of problematic, self-reflective thoughts constructed around an I/me/my core. A key slide in my presentations is "Why Do We Do Yoga And Meditation". This points out that whether it is the Yoga Sutras, the Bhagavad Gita, Dogen Zenji, Ramana Maharshi, Nisargadatta or an ayahuaska shaman from the upper Amazon, awakening is all about freedom from (self-referential) thoughts. This is also demonstrated by the fellow at the right end of the bar.
As the parts of the brain which constitute the selfing-network are determined accurately in the Andrews-Hannah (Harvard) paper in 2010 in Neuron, we now know there are 11 centers, two of which are central to all selfing activities. As we discussed after my presentation @ the Science and NonDuality conference, the fMRI experiments @ Yale were focused on the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) to see if is activated (selfing) or not.
It appears as if the focus of real time-fMRI on the PCC will be necessary, but not sufficient, to adequately characterize "awakening". Folk with extensive training deactivated the PCC, causing the scan to go from red to blue by concentration; others by surrender/inquiry. Some were supposedly "awakened", others not. Some folk deactivated the PCC w/o any training. This is great if rt-fMRI is used as a neurofeedback training device, but it does not constitute an awakening test.
Work in functional neuroanatomy is moving now to networks and connectivity. It is likely that other centers need to be incorporated. This will be done with functional connectivity MRI (see Fig).
The will determine which centers are connected/communicating, i.e. if the PCC is deactivated, what other centers are highly correlated, or anti-correlated with it. The Brewer PNAS paper discussed in earlier blogs showed two centers that were anti-correlated with the PCC, i.e. they were activated when the PCC was deactivated in a "watch and control" mode in 10,000+ hr meditators. Other centers are likely needed to constitute a definitive "awakening" network.
Another possibility is using EEG to enhance the fMRI work. If we can get adequate source localization to accurately measure the PCC selfing signal with EEG, we would have more immediate (fMRI is delayed a few seconds until blood oxygen level responds) and longer duration measurements (fMRI is limited) critical to determine if the DMN is changed for 30 to 45 minutes rather than the few minutes used to date.
There may also be other EEG signature responses indicative of awakening. As reported previously, the Institute of Noetic Sciences, in the just published "Electrocortical Activity Prior to Unpredictable Stimuli in Meditators and NonMeditators" measured a small number of "advanced nondual meditation practitioners" and determined that there was "presentiment" for randomly generated audio signals with a certainty of P <.05 to <.005 for us.
When we define the "awakening" network, other challenges to applying a "test" will arise, including getting ostensibly "awakened" folk to agree to be evaluated. There is no "upside", and considerable "downside", for a popular teacher to risk his/her reputation by participating. Even if privacy protection is guaranteed through the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), a rigorous system used for sensitive medical information, which is the case @ Yale as experiments are done in Medical School facilities, it will be difficult to get subjects.
Another problem is gathering a statistically significant number of "awakened" folk. Jeffery Martin, in his CIIS Ph.D. thesis, selected from 500 "self-reported, enlightened/awakened nondual folk", only 36 of us for psychological testing and interviews. Only 9 of us scored at 160, the highest level, on the Hood Mystical Scale, and i was the only one that scored a 10 on the 1-10 scale of the WUSCT profile; scores averaged about 7 and ranged from 5 to 10. There is much variability in what folk consider "awakening" from their own subjective viewpoint.
As a final note, "awakening" is not a destination, it is a process. Many folk assume it is like an Olympic Gold Medal that you can keep and cherish forever and show off to your friends. we have 50,000,000,000,000 synaptic interconnections; if only 5% of them are involved in "selfing" and discursive thought, that would still leave 2,500,000,000,000 to be disconnected. It would be hopelessly chaotic if they were all disconnected at once. As is pointed out in my book on pp. 72-73, a famous early 20th century Zen master said "...enlightenment is capable of endless enlargement." These are the virtually the same words as Adyashanti, a contemporary Zen teacher said. That has been my experience as well.
stillness
It would seem to me that most folk who have committed their lives to the ongoing process of "enlightenment" or "awareness" or what ever you wish to call it would find it much fun to play in your study. Is it really so hard to find volunteers?
ReplyDeleteHi lama Lena:
ReplyDeleteIt has turned out to be very difficult to get folk who claim to be "awakened" or "enlightened" into the study. Many of them are heavily invested in their perceived status, which in many cases is only self-declared and not "validated" by any recognized lineage or process.
Many are also teaching, holding satsangs, selling books and DVDs, etc. and some are dependent for their livelihood on the perception that they are "enlightened". As mentioned above, there is nothing but "downside" for them in going through this. The best that could happen is that their "selfing" network is found to be inactive when they aren't meditating, so they can be presumed to be "awakened". If their "selfing" network is continuously active, any claim to being "enlightened", as defined by many traditions, is not supported.
i have discussed this "situation" with many folk, including the organizer of one of the major non-dual conferences, and it was agreed that it would be a problem. The suggestion was to ask the well-known folk personally and privately if they would be scanned, but there was doubt it would be successful.
i believe it would be very useful for the community if there were some broadly accepted, scientifically-validated protocol that would be a "pass/fail", or at least a "necessary but not sufficient" validation on "awakening".
Given that we are dealing with "transcendental" states with religious and mystical aspects in many cases, and with careers and reputations involved, and with the possibility of litigation in the event of adverse findings, it may be a while before that occurs. It may require that "students" ask that their teachers be "validated" for it to occur. i don't believe that legislation will be possible; there is the issue of separation of "church" and state which would probably be invoked.
Going forward, however, as soon as we get significant correlation between the EEG and the fMRI scans, which will hopefully be by mid-year, we will be broadening the study out to folk with many different levels of practice and "progress" in meditation. Many of those folk are willing and even anxious to be involved.
stillness
gary