Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Monday, October 28, 2013
Mapping the Meditative Mind
Mapping the Meditative Mind is a presentation from the 2013 Buddhist Geeks Conference. David Vago of Harvard Medical School talks about some of the latest findings in contemplative neuroscience, along with Shinzen Young. Video is next to last on the page.
The changes in brain activity for advanced meditators are sometimes massive. For example, a 60% increase in areas of the frontopolar cortex, in a field where changes of perhaps 0.5-1.0 % are often considered significant.
One interesting finding, although the sample was small, was that the decrease in posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) activation (seen in Brewer's work, for example) was confounded by two meditators with the most formal practice who I believe showed increases, although I think this may be change from baseline as opposed to absolute values.
I also thought it interesting that Shinzen's maps, which in this presentation were based on the hearing-seeing-somatic axes, did not include thought.
The changes in brain activity for advanced meditators are sometimes massive. For example, a 60% increase in areas of the frontopolar cortex, in a field where changes of perhaps 0.5-1.0 % are often considered significant.
One interesting finding, although the sample was small, was that the decrease in posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) activation (seen in Brewer's work, for example) was confounded by two meditators with the most formal practice who I believe showed increases, although I think this may be change from baseline as opposed to absolute values.
I also thought it interesting that Shinzen's maps, which in this presentation were based on the hearing-seeing-somatic axes, did not include thought.
Sunday, October 20, 2013
Jud Brewer's Posterior Cingulate Cortex Hypothesis
From the article "The posterior cingulate cortex as a plausible mechanistic target of meditation: findings from neuroimaging."(pdf)
Brewer has found that advanced meditators have decreased activity in the default mode network (i.e. mind wandering network). The default mode also has decreased activity when the mind is on a task (task network). So this supports the idea of both the "non-task" mode of insight practice or vipassana, as well as the task mode of single-pointed concentration practice or shamatha. Although cumbersome and costly, real-time fMRI feedback on the PCC appears to have some promise.
"The posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), has been implicated in self-referential processing, including past and future thinking."
"As one might hypothesize, we found that undistracted and distracted awareness corresponded with PCC deactivation and activation, respectively, across the sample of individuals. Additionally, other themes emerged, including effortless doing (PCC deactivation), contentment (PCC deactivation), and trying to control experience."
"In our real-time neurofeedback experiments described earlier, we observed some serendipity: in addition to reporting high correspondence between real-time neurofeedback from the PCC and the subjective experience of meditation, a few novices also reported learning several key premises of meditation practice after receiving real-time neurofeedback from the PCC during meditation. For example, one novice reported learning the difference between paying attention to the breath in a forced rather than a relaxed way (Fig. 5A). Another novice learned the difference between thinking about versus feeling the breath physically (Fig. 5B). In these cases, meditation with real-time neurofeedback from the PCC enabled novices to recognize and learn subtle differences in mental processes that are difficult to convey conceptually, and might otherwise hinder learning meditation, such as the difference between self-referential processes (thinking) and the embodied practice of meditation."
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Osho (Rajneesh) and Psychedelics (Nitrous Oxide)
"Rather than prohibiting the drugs, what is needed is to produce drugs which lead people to samadhi, which give an indication: if a chemical drug can be such a blessing, what will the real thing be? It is just a dewdrop in comparison with the real oceanic feeling, the oceanic ecstasy."
Apparently Osho dictated 3 books while in the "dental chair."
- Glimpses of a Golden Childhood
- Notes of a Madman
- Books I have Loved
Thursday, October 10, 2013
Dharma Talk 001: The Axe and the Butter Knife
I thought I might use this as some kind of outlet for some thoughts from time to time.
The Axe and the Butter Knife
I recently checked out a nearby meditation group, trying to see if it might be a fit for me, if I might be able to contribute, maybe meet some people, etc.
It was a pretty standard group, fairly well read on Buddhism, a little bit of mindfulness practice, and some of that psychologizing or group therapy vibe. And the people seemed to have practiced a bit, they seem to have some understanding of how to struggle with practice.
And yet it seemed pretty clear that no one was actually "getting it done". The leader of the group was exploring and struggling with the meaning of the word "equanimity," for example. Which is all well and good, fair topic, but I got the sense that she had never really experienced it for herself. My thinking was that it's just not that hard to get to an actual experience of equanimity in meditation (11th nana), I mean, you don't even have to attain stream entry.
I was envisioning the task of enlightenment as something like chopping down a redwood, and it seems as if most of westernized Buddhism has insisted on using a butter knife. So yeah, maybe I could help with that. Say someone is using the dull side of the butter knife, I could point that out and suggest they try using the sharp side. "Oh yeah, that's better." Or I might point out that they could take a rock and sharpen the butter knife. "Oh yeah, good idea." Then again, some of them may not even want to chop the tree down - "nah, I just like to rub the wood with the knife every now and then".
I feel for these people and there is a level at which I'd kind of like to mention that I'm a lumberjack and I have this thing called an axe. Would you like to try this axe thing? "Ah, no thanks. I'm real used to the butter knife, we use a butter knife here, and anyway my teacher uses a butter knife. Everybody uses a butter knife."
I would say the axe is the Mahasi method of meditation. At some point I'm probably too dogmatic about the technique, I suppose any method could work, as long as you can stay aware and present long enough. I think about a theoretical measure of meditation that we could call "percent aware time", the percentage of time that one is actually aware and present, as opposed to spacing out or embedded in a train of thought. I find that with a Mahasi type technique I can stay 99% aware. I'm not sure how that would compare to other forms of meditation I used to do, I don't know, perhaps I was hitting 85% or so?
I recall a guy I met through another meditation group, and after one of our 30 minute sits he commented that he was daydreaming for 20 minutes (i.e. 33% aware). As a human being, I can understand how that happens, but I'd say that is probably not going to get the job done. By the way, this was a guy with years of practice under his belt.
I have this theory that there may be some kind of tipping point with respect to percent aware time. In my view, spending time daydreaming is anti-practice. You're essentially practicing the opposite of what you're trying to do, you're practicing being embedded in thought. I don't know where this tipping point may be, but I can say 99% seems to be effective. Who knows, maybe if I had continued with the 85% method that would have worked out.
I think any method can work if you can stay aware like that, but there are a couple of other things that might be important.
A certain earnestness, a deliberate intent to stay aware and present, to let go of thought, to keep coming back to awareness. There is a sense where you have to tell your mind that this is an important task.
Another point is that we have to keep on it, not only with persistence, but to keep it fresh with a sense of mild curiousity about our experience, a subtle investigative quality, a wordless exploration, feeling all those feelings and sensations and allowing them to be as they are without resistance or grasping. Keep that axe sharp.
If you can bring those qualities and stay present, I suspect that any technique could work if you get the dosage right.
My take is that most techniques simply leave too much room for the mind to run off. The beauty of the Mahasi style is that you keep the mind continuously busy by using up extra mental bandwidth with noting.
It is so strange to me that the axe is not a more popular tool. How strange to be in an "insight" meditation group, the word literally coming from the word "vipassana", and yet the predominate form of vipassana used in Theravada communities is completely unknown. Surreal.
The Axe and the Butter Knife
I recently checked out a nearby meditation group, trying to see if it might be a fit for me, if I might be able to contribute, maybe meet some people, etc.
It was a pretty standard group, fairly well read on Buddhism, a little bit of mindfulness practice, and some of that psychologizing or group therapy vibe. And the people seemed to have practiced a bit, they seem to have some understanding of how to struggle with practice.
And yet it seemed pretty clear that no one was actually "getting it done". The leader of the group was exploring and struggling with the meaning of the word "equanimity," for example. Which is all well and good, fair topic, but I got the sense that she had never really experienced it for herself. My thinking was that it's just not that hard to get to an actual experience of equanimity in meditation (11th nana), I mean, you don't even have to attain stream entry.
I was envisioning the task of enlightenment as something like chopping down a redwood, and it seems as if most of westernized Buddhism has insisted on using a butter knife. So yeah, maybe I could help with that. Say someone is using the dull side of the butter knife, I could point that out and suggest they try using the sharp side. "Oh yeah, that's better." Or I might point out that they could take a rock and sharpen the butter knife. "Oh yeah, good idea." Then again, some of them may not even want to chop the tree down - "nah, I just like to rub the wood with the knife every now and then".
I feel for these people and there is a level at which I'd kind of like to mention that I'm a lumberjack and I have this thing called an axe. Would you like to try this axe thing? "Ah, no thanks. I'm real used to the butter knife, we use a butter knife here, and anyway my teacher uses a butter knife. Everybody uses a butter knife."
I would say the axe is the Mahasi method of meditation. At some point I'm probably too dogmatic about the technique, I suppose any method could work, as long as you can stay aware and present long enough. I think about a theoretical measure of meditation that we could call "percent aware time", the percentage of time that one is actually aware and present, as opposed to spacing out or embedded in a train of thought. I find that with a Mahasi type technique I can stay 99% aware. I'm not sure how that would compare to other forms of meditation I used to do, I don't know, perhaps I was hitting 85% or so?
I recall a guy I met through another meditation group, and after one of our 30 minute sits he commented that he was daydreaming for 20 minutes (i.e. 33% aware). As a human being, I can understand how that happens, but I'd say that is probably not going to get the job done. By the way, this was a guy with years of practice under his belt.
I have this theory that there may be some kind of tipping point with respect to percent aware time. In my view, spending time daydreaming is anti-practice. You're essentially practicing the opposite of what you're trying to do, you're practicing being embedded in thought. I don't know where this tipping point may be, but I can say 99% seems to be effective. Who knows, maybe if I had continued with the 85% method that would have worked out.
I think any method can work if you can stay aware like that, but there are a couple of other things that might be important.
A certain earnestness, a deliberate intent to stay aware and present, to let go of thought, to keep coming back to awareness. There is a sense where you have to tell your mind that this is an important task.
Another point is that we have to keep on it, not only with persistence, but to keep it fresh with a sense of mild curiousity about our experience, a subtle investigative quality, a wordless exploration, feeling all those feelings and sensations and allowing them to be as they are without resistance or grasping. Keep that axe sharp.
If you can bring those qualities and stay present, I suspect that any technique could work if you get the dosage right.
My take is that most techniques simply leave too much room for the mind to run off. The beauty of the Mahasi style is that you keep the mind continuously busy by using up extra mental bandwidth with noting.
It is so strange to me that the axe is not a more popular tool. How strange to be in an "insight" meditation group, the word literally coming from the word "vipassana", and yet the predominate form of vipassana used in Theravada communities is completely unknown. Surreal.
Tuesday, October 1, 2013
Meditation Practice Journals from the old Kenneth Folk Dharma Site
EDIT: links fixed
This is a sampling of the meditation practice journals that were ongoing in the heyday of the old Kenneth Folk site during the flowering of the Pragmatic Dharma scene. As Kenneth put it, these threads contain gold - the actual step by step progress and in many cases, instruction, of yogis systematically making their way through the nanas, jhanas, and paths. Note that for the rapid progress we often see in these journals, one need not become a monk and devote decades of full time practice - an earnest practitioner with a daily practice can work their way thru a few Burmese paths in as little as a few years.
The primary technique here is the method of meditation espoused by Mahasi Sayadaw, in which practitioners endeavor to make a mental note of what is roughly predominate in their field of awareness, at a rate of about one note per second, silently, or out loud if necessary. It is very difficult for the mind to wander when noting out loud at the rate of one note per second, and I suspect that is a big clue to the success of this or any method, practicing "original mind". The approach outlined in this material (as well as tons of other stuff on the site and on Dharma Overground as well), what can I say, it worked for me.
A selection of meditation practice journals, mostly from the archive at Awake Network:
This is a sampling of the meditation practice journals that were ongoing in the heyday of the old Kenneth Folk site during the flowering of the Pragmatic Dharma scene. As Kenneth put it, these threads contain gold - the actual step by step progress and in many cases, instruction, of yogis systematically making their way through the nanas, jhanas, and paths. Note that for the rapid progress we often see in these journals, one need not become a monk and devote decades of full time practice - an earnest practitioner with a daily practice can work their way thru a few Burmese paths in as little as a few years.
The primary technique here is the method of meditation espoused by Mahasi Sayadaw, in which practitioners endeavor to make a mental note of what is roughly predominate in their field of awareness, at a rate of about one note per second, silently, or out loud if necessary. It is very difficult for the mind to wander when noting out loud at the rate of one note per second, and I suspect that is a big clue to the success of this or any method, practicing "original mind". The approach outlined in this material (as well as tons of other stuff on the site and on Dharma Overground as well), what can I say, it worked for me.
A selection of meditation practice journals, mostly from the archive at Awake Network:
- Cmarti Stages on the way to Cessation (8-8-09) already past cessation
- Cmarti Stages on the way Part II (1-1-10)
- Cmarti Stages Part the Third (5-19-10)
- Jackson's Practice Notes (1-8-10)
- Jackson's Practice Notes Part Two (3-29-10)
- Jackson's Practice Notes Part Three (7-1-10)
- Nikolai's Practice Notes (2-1-10)
- Nikolai's Practice Notes Phase 2 (7-14-10)
- Clayton's Another Sitting Journal (2-18-10)
- Clayton's 2nd Journal (7-15-10)
- Nadav's Practice Notes (6-30-10)
- Nadav's Practice Notes, part II (6-30-10)
- Owen's Practice Journal (7-15-10)
- Owen's Practice Notes Part II (8-8-10)
- Ron's Practice Journal (2-9-10)
- Ron's Stream Entry Journal (7-24-10)
- Ron's "Now What?" Journal (3-3-11)
- Antero's Practice Journal start (5-30-10)
- Antero's Practice Journal milestones
- MuMuWu's Practice Journal (6-14-10)