“The holiest place in the universe is in your mind. In there you will find the Buddha.”

Where is Buddha?

Where is Buddha, Dharma and Sangha? You’ll find them in your own mind (Buddha), speech (Dharma) and activities (Sangha.)

What triggered this feature, was a feature on the four sacred sites of Buddhism. Certainly, these physical places are very special. But they are not the Holiest Place in the Universe. Buddha, himself, cautioned his disciples against considering any place or item (relic) as Holy. He was concerned that his body would become relics — which indeed did occur, as stupa after stupa arouse following his Paranirvana.

Holy Pilgrimage Places — as close as your own mind

While it is true that the Digha Nikaya (16.5) specifically indicated that there is merit in visiting “Holy” pilgrimage places, that does not mean these places are Holiest. If you are looking for the “Holiest” place, look no further than your own mind.

Venerable Zasep Rinpoche, in an online teaching, while discussing “sleep yoga” and “dream yoga” that we can “visit all the Holy Places without a passport. We visit them in our mind. In our dreams. You can make a pilgrimage every day this way.”

Tripping in our dreams and sleep is simply preparation for an actual journey into the “luminous mind” or “Clear Llight.”

Luminous Mind is a Holy Place

Your own Luminous Mind — in Sanskrit prabhāsvara-citta or ābhāsvara-citta and in Pali pabhassara citta — is the Holiest of Places. This is why, in Vajrayana and Tibetan Buddhism, the words “mind of clear light” or just “clear light” are used frequently. The goal, in all visualizations — and ultimately in our lives — is to purify our mind so that we have a luminous mind.

This is not just a Tantric Buddhist concept. Vajrayana focuses on Clear Light extensively, but prabhāsvara-citta (Luminous Mind) is in many Mahayana Sutras and a few Pali Suttas. In Theravadan Buddhism, the luminous mind is identified with Bhavana. In Mahayana, it is associated with Tathagatagarbha (Buddha Nature, see below.) In Vajrayana, instead of “meditating” on the luminous mind, we “play act” and visualize — a dress rehearsal that prepares us for the actual journey into clear light. It is that journey, that takes us to the most sacred of places in our minds. Ultimately, in Vajrayana, when we are ready, we meditate on this luminosity and brightly shining mind in Mahamudra and Dzogchen and Highest Yoga Tantras.

Making your Mind a Sacred Place

Daily Buddhists take Refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha. Where do we find these Three Precious Jewels. According to Chamtrul Rinpoche, “The holiest place in the universe is in your mind. In there you will find the buddha.”

Expanding on this insight, we could say we’ll find the sacred Dharma in our own speech when we chant the mantras and sutras. We find the most sacred Sangha in the activities of Dharma people, including ourselves. The Buddha was a pioneer.

Whether we are looking to meet Shakyamuni Buddha, Avalokiteshvara, Tara, Hayagriva, Manjushri, or any Buddha, their actual PureLands are no other place, other than our own mind space.

Why is this important? Purify the Mind and find the Pure Land

Why is it important to know that our Mind is the ultimate sacred place? Not only is it because every Buddhist meditation method involves the “mind” — from mindfulness to visualization to veneration — but because the mind, in Buddhism, is a continuum that transcends any one life.

In the Vimalakirti Sutra, Shakyamuni Buddha taught us that to see the Pure Land, we only need to purify our minds. He said that we must purify our minds and we would see the purity of the universe. The purity of our own mind is the Pure Land. He used the example of a room with no doors and dirty windows. Outside is a beautiful sky, a beautiful world, but we are closeted in a tiny room of our will, unable to see the beauty outside. If only we took a moment to clean the window, we could see its purity. In the metaphor, the beautiful day outside is the Universe of everything (Oneness and Emptiness), the window is our mind and the dirt that covers the window are the obscuring emotions of greed, anger, and ignorance that bind us to our samsara.

Powa Practice and the Purelands

One way to personally experience the Purelands as “mind” is to practice Tibetan Powa. In Powa guided practice, we visualize our own mind being “ejected” from the body (a visualized astral out of body meditation in Buddhism) and going up to the “heart” of the Buddha. In Buddhism, the heart chakra is generally where the “mind” resides. When we eject our consciousness from our heart, to Buddha’s heart, we are going to the “Pureland” of that Buddha. Purelands are the perfect minds of the Enlightened Buddhas. In our case, when we do “powa” it’s a “dress rehearsal” visualization.

Although it normally requires a teacher’s guidance, Amitabaha Powa practice is considered fine for anyone. Here is a short video of Venerable Zasep Tulku Rinpoche guiding a Powa session with visualizations:

Video of Guided Power Purelands Meditation:

Different Levels of Pure Land and Pure Mind

Sister Annabel Laity, the Abbess of Maple Forest Monastery, wrote, ” There are different levels of belief in the Pure Land, and the highest level of Pure Land teaching is that your mind is the Pure Land, the Pure Land is available in your mind.” [3] That’s not meant to diminish the other levels of understanding of the Purelands, such as a place we can actually take birth in — through our own merits and the help of the Enlightened Ones, such as Amituofo (Amitabha Buddha.)

Either way, mind Pureland or separate Pureland, all we need to do is wash the window to see it ­— or, metaphorically purify our mindstream. All beliefs in a Pureland teach that Samsara (our suffering world) is sustained by deluded minds. All Purelands, on the other hand, are Buddha Minds (or Pure Minds.)

• For a feature on the Purelands, see>>

Eternal Mind?

In Buddhist belief, we continue from life to life, one subtle mindstream. Even more importantly, if we understand Shunyata and Emptiness philosophy, we understand that our mindstream is not separate from “other.” Once we break past the limiting concept of duality, we understand that there is ultimately no Buddha and other, and likewise to “self” and “other.”

Just as, in Quantum Physics, where “self” is a “persistent” illusion (Einstein), likewise in Mahayana Buddhism. There is ultimately Oneness. This is a key concept in the important Mahayana doctrine of Buddha Nature. All sentient beings, from insect to human, have Buddha Nature. [For a feature on Buddha Nature, see>>]

Our sense of self arises, in part, from our “perceptions.” Buddha taught extensively on “perceptions” and the infallibility of our senses in interpreting “perceptual reality.” Buddhism, after all, is certainly a great contemplative path. Similarly, Quantum Physics contemplates these notions of what is real, what is an illusion.

Quantum notion of perceptual reality

Then, at the highest level of “mind” space is the entire quantum notion of perceptual reality. Albert Einstein wrote:

“A human being is part of a whole, called by us the ‘universe’, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separate from the rest — a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affectation for a few people near us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circles of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty. Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.”

This illusion is created by our own perceptions, that combination of body, speech, and mind. For this reason, we could say: “everything is one with our own body, speech, and mind.” Nothing is separate from us.

Quantum theory goes a step further. Werner Heisenber — along with many others — interpreted Quantum experiments to indicate that reality doesn’t exist until observed. He wrote:

“The idea of an objective real world whose smallest parts exist objectively in the same sense as stones or trees exist, independently of whether or not we observe them … is impossible” [1]

• For a feature on Quantum Physics and the Five Dhyani Buddhas see>>

Where we find the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha

It may seem overly simplistic to conclude from Quantum Physics that where we’ll find the Body, Speech, and Mind of the Three Precious Jewels: Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, is in our own body, speech, and mind.  It is beyond the scope of this feature to explore this concept, beyond using it as the most elegant way to express the idea that the “place” we can meet Buddha is in our own Mind — fed by sensory stimuli. We read about Buddha, and imagine. We recite the teachings and comprehend. Since our mind is not separate from Buddha’s mind, there is nowhere else to search.

This is also why in Vajrayana Buddhism, in particular, we emphasize visualization (visualizing the Enlightened deity using our “mind”), combined with mantra and recitation (speech), and mudras or actions (body.) This symbolizes our understanding of Oneness with Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. In fact, it goes beyond symbolism. We are actually meeting the Buddha, hearing the Dharma, and connecting with the Sangha in a very real way.

Mindfulness and Mind-Full-Ness

One reason Buddha taught mindfulness as a primary vehicle of our transformation was because of this emphasis on the Mind — not just as a sacred place, but as the very thing that informs all or reality (fed by sensory stimuli.) Mindfulness, in some ways, anchors all Buddhist practice, whether we’re focused on moral conduct in our moment-to-moment daily lives, or advanced practices such as visualization.

• For a feature an entire section of features on Mindfulness, see>>

When Einstein wrote “our task is to free ourselves from this prison”  (quote above) he was reflecting not only his own observations but those of the great sages and scientists through history, stretching back to Shakyamuni Buddha. Buddha’s methods — from simple mindfulness, to complex Vajrayana visualization — all hold as their main goal an understanding of the true nature of reality. Shunyata (Emptiness) in Buddhism is not different from Quantum theories of the universe.

Where will we meet the Buddha? Our minds. Where will we ultimately “observe” the true nature of reality? Our minds. There is nowhere else to go. No pilgrimage is necessary. We are already at the “Holiest place in the Universe” — our minds.

NOTES

[1] The Responsive Universe, John C. Bader, Wisdom Moon Publishing, ISBN-10: 1938459288, ISBN-13: 978-193845928

[2] Scientific American What Does Quantum Theory Actually Tell Us about Reality?

[3] Here Is the Pure Land. The Pure Land Is Here. Mindfulness Bell.

“At the heart of each of us, whatever our imperfections, there exists a silent pulse of perfect rhythm, made up of wave forms and resonances, which is absolutely individual and unique, and yet which connects us to everything in the universe.” — George Leonard, Silent Pulse [13]

Mantra is thought of as a beneficial meditative practice ­— empowered by faith, intention and concentration. Yet, there is a significant body of evidence that mantras, regardless of concentration or faith, are beneficial to health and surroundings. In other words, they may have influence over mind — and even environment (for example growth of plants) — even if the recipient of the sound has no faith in its efficacy. Expectant mothers play mantras for unborn babies. Caregivers chant mantras for pets. Neither babies nor pets have faith, but many swear by the effectiveness of mantra. Faith certainly empowers mantra further, as does intention, but some research seems to indicate benefit specifically from the sound and frequency.

• Related story: “Cognitive Research: Om Ah Ra Pa Cha Na Dhi, Manjushri’s Arapachana mantra, proven to “enhance cognitive functions to a significant degree” versus non-spiritual”tongue twisters.”>>

Some Buddhist Teachers Recommend Mantra Even Where There’s No Faith

The notion that the beneficiaries of mantra do not require faith is also supported in Buddhist thinking as well. For example, Venerable Zasep Rinpoche recommends chanting mantras around your pets for their benefit. Clearly, they don’t have faith or concentration on the mantra, but the mantra seems to have effect anyway. Two weeks ago, Zasep Rinpoche recommended I chant Hayagriva mantra around my sick, aging horse who was lame. Within two days she was up on her feet and actually trotting around. The previous year, I helped support aging relatives (non Buddhist) and a cat — in both cases with Medicine Buddha mantra. These were not miracles, but they were supportive and transformative.

Likewise, Lobsang Dhargey, resident teacher at the Tibetan Buddhist Centre in Redding advises “recite mantras and pray for animals.” Lama Zopa Rinpoche strongly advises Medicine Buddha Mantra for sick or dying animals, spoken near their ear. [For more on Animal Dharma, see this Buddha Weekly story>>]

Medicine Buddha Mantra:

Om Bekhandze Bekhandze Maha Bekhandze Randza Sumundgate Soha

Sanskrit Pronunciation:

Om Bhaishagye Bhaishagye Maha Bhaishagye Raja Sumundgate Svaha

Pronounced:

Om Bye-shah-jay Bye-shah-jay Mah ha Bye-shah-jay  Rah jah Sumund gah teh Svah ha

Lovely Medicine Buddha Chanting:

Medical Treatment: Nurses and Doctors Recommend Mantra for Some Conditions

Even if the patient or person has no knowledge or faith in mantras, the Annual Review of Nursing Research (2014), suggested “Mantra repetition is a simple, quick, portable and private complementary practice that may be used as an adjunct to current treatments for PTSD.” [1] In the Corsini Encyclopedia of Psychology and Behavioral Science, mantra identified research that proved the physiological benefits of mantra repetition: “lowered levels of tension; slower heart rate, decreased blood pressure, lower oxygen consumption, and increased alpha wave production. The benefits experienced in 20 minutes of meditation exceed those of deep sleep, thus indicating the regenerative power of meditation and saving of wear and tear on the body.” [2]

The Physics of Sound: A Cosmos of Rhythms

“The great rhythms of the cosmos are also revealed through modern physics,” writes Thomas Ashley Farrand in his book Healing Sounds.

In a near-Buddhist-like statement (particularly in its reference to emptiness), George Leonard writes in The Silent Pulse, about the vastness of space that composes what we call matter: “We can see the fully crystalline structure of muscle fiber, waving like wheat in the wind, pulsing many trillions of times a second… As we move closer to the nucleus, it begins to dissolve. It too is nothing more than an oscillating field [that] upon our approach dissolves into pure rhythm. Of what is the body made? It is made of emptiness and rhythm.” [13]

Synchronicity of Self-Created Sound

“It’s also been found that self created sounds such as chanting will cause the left and right hemispheres of the brain to synchronize,” said Jonathon Goldman, author of The 7 Secrets of Sound Healing. “Such chanting will also help oxygenate the brain, reduce our heart rate, blood pressure and assist in creating calm brainwave activity. In addition, listening to certain chants has great beneficial effects.” [10]

References to mantra’s benefits are common in various psychiatry and medical projects, papers and journals. In one project, they concluded through research that OM chanting calmed the stressed mind. [2] In yet another, they concluded that the Gayatri Mantra helped with tinnitus, Alzheimer’s and improving motor skills in Parkisonism. [3]

Change Molecular Structure? Can Sound Really Do That?

“There is no question that sound can alter molecular structure,” Jonathon Goldman explains  “In the 1960’s, a medical doctor named Hans Jenny conducted experiments that showed that sound was able to actually create form in various substances such as plastics, plastes, liquids and water. He would place these substances—powders, etc. on a steel plate and then using a crystal oscillator, vibrate these plates with sound. The various substances took on the most organic looking shapes—they look like microscopic organisms or underwater life. Quite astounding.” [10]

Putting aside molecular effects, the entire field of Sonochemistry is concerned with “is concerned with understanding the effect of ultrasound in forming accoustic cavitation in liquids, resulting in the initiation or enhancement of the chemical activity in the solution.” [12] For example, this method can be used to destroy pollutants in water, or even to enhance cleaning (ultransonic cleaning). Sound profoundly effects all liquids. This lends some credence to the notion that sound also effects humans, animals and plants — which are mostly water. This is not at the molecular level, but a result of cavitation. “The chemical effects of ultrasound do not come from direct interaction with molecular species. Instead, sonochemistry and sonoluminescense arises from acoustic cavitation.” [11]

The simplest and most effective mantra for daily chanting is the “Compassion Mantra” of Avalokiteshvara:

Om Mani Padme Hum

Chant Om Mani Padme Hum along with the wonderful voice of Yoko Dharma

Why Speech and Mantra Can Physically and Mentally Change Our Lives

Speech and language consume significant portions of our brain. It is reasonable to assume — and many Neuroscientists make this point — that sound and language influence the majority of aspects of our lives. In fact, Neuroscientist Mark Changizi, in his intriguing book How Language and Music Mimicked Nature and Transformed Ape into Man, hypothesizes that when we hear certain sounds we tangibly experience those events — for example, a scream brings instant feelings of tension and fear. [5] Critiquing the book, The Scientist magazine wrote that Changizi demonstrates a “…simple but striking premise to show how language and music…harness our brains.”

When we read a novel, we ourselves become a part of that story. Language and speech has that kind of power. Hearing the sound of a coyote on a lonely, dark night can make us feel irrational fear. The sound of a car crash triggers adrenalin in our bodies. The purr of a cat soothes and relaxes us. The laugh of a baby makes us smile. Hate speech inspires hate. Kind words generate compassion. It is reasonable to propose — and some cognitive scientists have — that mantra also has physical and emotional effects on our body that can even influence our health.

Transformative Energy from Sound

“Mantra meditation is not only something one practices, but a radical re-envisioning of ourselves, our lives and our ability to create the future we desire,” writes Thomas Ashley-Farrand in his book Mantra Meditation. [6] He adds, provocatively, “Mantra meditation is not magic, but the results can be magical.”

For example, the effect of mantra on growth of crops, for example, is widely reported and backed by research from the China Agricultural University. We reported on this in Buddha Weekly: “Buddhist Mantras Help Crops Grow — Increase Output by Fifteen Percent; Studies Reveal the Power of Mantras to Help Plants — People.” >>

In this reported news story, farmers in Fujian province increased crop yield and grain size by placing loud speakers in the fields playing repetitive Buddhist mantras. Nearby crops, out of reach of the sound mantras, “struggled with pests and suffered much reduced yield.” The researchers concluded, ” Although it’s well-established that some types of music do improve plant growth, normally assumed to be a sound-wave stimulation, mantras are particularly efficacious.”

Stress reduction and healing benefits of meditation are well accepted benefits of mantra. Putting aside faith and spiritual reasons, how is it possible, that a mantra can transform energy? Ashley Farrand proposes: “Repeating any sound produces an actual physical vibration. Nowhere is this idea truer than in Sanskrit mantra. When chanted out loud or silently, mantras create a single, powerful vibration… Over time, the mantra process begins to override and absorb all the smaller vibrations, which eventually become subsumed within the mantra.

Effect of Mantras on Human Beings — US National Library of Medicine

The effect of mantra on plants, living beings and humans is well documented and supported by research. The US National Library of Medicine has a notable abstract titled, “Effect of Mantras on Human Beings and Plants” in which: “The author during his various experiments on plants found that these from the stage of seedling to the maturity are effected by certain types of sound waves, especially the Mantras. This study reveals that the plants have shown a positive response to this type of particular sound waves regarding the growth. their efficacy in curing the diseases etc.” [7]

In part, some researchers assume this benefit to be sound frequency’s effect on water. The human body, plants, and animals are mostly water. Researcher Maseru Emoto published findings in a peer reviewed journal (Journal of Scientific Exploration) containing results of experiments on water. He photographically demonstrated the effect of mantras and sound on water with striking results. Ice crystals in water exposed to negative sounds or thoughts created predictable and negative formations, while water exposed to mantra, prayer or positive thoughts rendered beautiful and striking images. While scientists are divided on support for hs work, in part due to insufficient controls, no one disputed the general conclusion that sound can negatively or positively impact humans and plants — beings made up mostly of water. [8]

Sankrit’s Unique Sound Vibration

Sanskrit language in particular has been demonstrated to be more predictably impactful on body and mind. Most mantras are Sanskrit. This may be due to the ancient roots of Sanskrit, the mother of all languages (most modern languages evolved from Sanskrit (with the exception of indigenous languages of America, Africa and Australia). [9] In part the impact of ancient Sanskrit mantras on our unconscious minds, as suggested by Carl Gustav Jung. Sanskrit is also very rhythmic and, to some extent, mimics nature’s sounds — which have been proven in numerous studies to have a profound impact on our minds. (For example, the call of a loon, or the howl of  a wolf evoke specific emotions in humans — primitive memories stored in our subconscious mind.)

“The gist of what they convey is that the universe at the physical and subtle level is composed of fifty vibrations,” writes Thomas Ashley Farrand in Mantra Meditation. “Collectively these vibrations are called the Matrika — the Mother… the spanda (vibrations) that have constucted the universe we inhabit.” Putting aside the spiritual thrust of that statement, it seems clear that Sanskrit contains within it, representative frequencies that can interact with our bodies and minds.

NOTES

[1] Annual Review of Nursing Research, Volume 32, 2014, page 80, Patricia Watts Kelley, Patricia Watts Kelley, PhD, RN, FAAN, Christine Kasper Springer Publishing Company, Sep 23, 2014

[2] The Corsini Encyclopedia of Psychology and Behavioral Science, Volume 3, edited by W. Edward Craighead, charles B. Nemeroff, John Wiley & Sons, Nov 11, 2002 – Psychology

[3] “Time-Frequency Analysis of Chanting Sanskrit Divine Sound “Om” Mantra.

[4] “Mantra, Music and Reaction Times: A study of its applied aspects.” 

[5] How Language and Music Mimicked Nature and Transformed Ape into Man, Mark Changizi, BenBella Books (2011), 216 pages, ASIN B005ERZLE4

[6] Mantra Meditation — Change Your Karma with the Sacred Power of Sacred Sound, Thomas Ashley Farrand, Sounds True, Inc. Published 2010 ISBN 978-1-59179-783-8

[7] NCBI Resources: Us Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health 

[8] The Hidden Messages in Water, Masaru Emoto (New York Times bestseller)

[9] Professor Dean Brown.

[10] Quoted from Shift Your Life, interview with Jonathan Goldman.

[11] The Chemical and Physical Effects of Ultrasound, Kenneth S. Suslick

[12] Sonochemistry https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonochemistry

[13] The Silent Pulse: A Search for the Perfect Rhythm that Exists in Each of Us, Gibbs Smith (2006), ISBN 978-1423601227

Avalokitesvara is the metaphorical rock star of the Bodhisattvas. “Avalokitesvara, the bodhisattva of compassion, is one of the most important and popular Buddhist deities,” writes Karen Andres in Tibetan Contemplative Traditions. [1] “Avalokitesvara is the personification of compassion… Even the Buddhas cannot estimate Avalokitesvara’s merit. It is said that just thinking of him garners more merit than honoring a thousand Buddhas.”

Now, aside from his sheer popularity, some scientists and scholars believe the practices of Buddhist compassion, and particularly of Avalokitesvara, may help in clinical work with depression and trauma.

• Related Story: “Putting Compassion on the Scientific Map”: Compassion Boosts Happiness/Health; and Research Indicates That Practicing Buddhists Are Happier than Average.” [ Story here>>]

Two Wings of a Bird: Compassion and Wisdom

“Buddhist traditions see wisdom and Compassion as interrelated—two wings of a bird,” writes Christer Germer and Ronald Siegel in an unlikely source—a psychotherapy-medical text. [3] In the book, various scholars, scientists and clinicians describe how Buddhist compassionate practices can “enhance the treatment of anxiety, depression, trauma, substance abuse, suicidal behaviour, couple conflict and parenting stress.”

In other words, the practice of Compassion and Wisdom can change lives. Nor is this a lightweight study on this topic. One reviewer, a PhD at the University or Kentucky reviewed this illuminating book:

“This book examines the nature of wisdom and compassion in psychotherapy from every conceivable perspective. Buddhist psychology, neurobiological foundations, psychological research, and clinical applications all receive thoughtful and comprehensive treatment. Clinicians, scholars, teachers, and students

interested in the alleviation of human suffering will appreciate this volume, especially its emphasis on the cultivation of mindfulness and loving-kindness skills as paths toward the wisdom and compassion that are so essential to effective psychotherapy.”–Ruth A. Baer, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of Kentucky.

In the foreword, the Dalai Lama was equally enthusiastic:

“I am very happy to see that ancient teachings and practices from the Buddhist tradition can be of benefit today when they are employed by Western scientists and therapists. In today’s world, many people turn to psychotherapy to understand what is making them unhappy, and to discover how to live a more meaningful life. I believe that as they come to understand compassion and wisdom more deeply, psychotherapists will be better able to help their patients and so contribute to greater peace and happiness in the world.”

Compassion Flowing into the Self

In Wisdom and Compassion in Psychotherapy, an entire section on clinical applications is dedicated to visualizing compassionate Buddha images (normally Avalokitesvara). It is noted that the visualization should be of a compassionate figure “who embodies the qualities of unconditional acceptance, quiet strength and wisdom… beyond human fallibility.” The example they used was Avalokitesvara or Guanyin (the female Chinese form). [3, page 262]

Compassion is One of the Defining Practices

Putting aside clinical benefits in medicine and psychotherapy, compassion is one of the defining practices of Buddhism (see Karaniya Metta Sutta at the end of this feature.) All schools of Buddhism emphasize compassion, although “in Mahayana traditions from India, practitioners train extensively in meditations of compassion to empower their minds to realize nonconceptual wisdom, and as nonconceptual wisdom emerges, it is harnessed to strengthen compassion.” This famous Buddhist tradition is idealized and perfected in the living essence of the Bodhisattva of Compassion, Avalokitesvara.

Avalokitesvara, the Top-of-Mind Bodhisattva

For most people, if you asked them to name only one Bodhisattva, the majority would inevitably identify Avalokitesvara (Chenrezig). The great Bodhisattva is the metaphorical rock star of the Buddhist world because he literally embodies Compassion (with a capital “C”). His popularity is easy to understand in the context of his unlimited, unending compassion.

“Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva of infinite compassion and mercy, is possibly the most popular of all Buddhist deities, beloved throughout the Buddhist world. He supremely exemplifies the bodhisattva,” write the Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica. [2]

Avalokitesvara Synonymous with Compassion

For Mahayana Buddhists, one name is virtually synonymous with the practice of compassion: “Avalokitesvara could be described as the quintessential Bodhisattva, for he is the Bodhisattva of Compassion, and compassion is the distinguishing mark of the Bodhisattva,” writes Vessantara in his book, A Guide to the Bodhisattvas.[4] Perhaps the most beloved meditation deity amongst Mahayana Buddhists, Avalokitesvara (pronounced Avah-low-key-tesh-vah-ra) is also known as Guan Yin (Kuan Shi Yin) in China, Kanon in Japan, Chenrezig in Tibet, Natha in Sri Lanka, Lokanat in Burma, Lokesvara in Thailand, and by many other names. There are at least 108 forms of Avalokitesvara.

“Avalokitesvara is the figure who embodies this compassion raised the highest power,” Vessantara continues. “As the family protector, the chief Bodhisattva of the Lotus family, he represents the active manifestation in the world of the boundless love and compassion of Buddha Amitabha.”

For many people, who first get to know Mahayana Buddhism, Avalokitesvara is often the first meditation they practice. His mantra, Om Mani Padme Hum, is often the first mantra people think of. In meditating on the Lord of Compassion, we meditate directly on the nature and importance of compassion.

It’s important to understand that Avalokitesvara’s compassion is equally the nature of Wisdom. It is compassionate Avaolokitesvara who expounds in that most important Mahayana Sutra, the Heart Sutra:

“Avalokiteshvara

while practicing deeply with

the Insight that Brings Us to the Other Shore,

suddenly discovered that

all of the five Skandhas are equally empty,

and with this realisation

he overcame all Ill-being.”

[Full Heart Sutra in End Thoughts]

Famous Mantras

Om Mani Padme Hum is one of the best known mantras, chanted daily by millions around the world. This famous mantra is also simply called “the six-syllable mantra.” In Shinon Buddhism his mantra is On Arurikya Sowaka.

Another important mantra of Avalokitesvara is the Mahakaruna Dharani, the Great Compassion mantra in 82-syllables, which is a treasured mantra chanted in different languages.

Avalokitesvara’s six qualities, which are said to break the hindrances in the six realms of existence are:

1. Great compassion
2. Great loving-kindness (metta)
3. Universal light
4. Leader of all humans and devas
5. Courage of a lion
6. Omniscience.

Avalokitesvara, Like Tara, Considered a Savior         

Nearly as popular as Avalokitesvara is Tara, who is the embodiment of the activity of compassion, and who manifested—in one lovely origin story—from his tears. In fact, most of the activities we now tend equate to Tara, are also performed by Avaolokitesvara. Or, we can think of Avalokitesvara as the “dynamic duo super heroes” of Compassion.

“As compassionate action is Avalokitesvara’s essence, he is supremely helpful,” writes Karen Andrews in Tibetan Contemplative Traditions. “He can assume any form in order to help sentient beings, and there are descriptions of him appearing as buddhas, brahmanic gods, humans, and animals. In all these forms he does wonderful things to help alleviate the suffering of beings and bring them towards enlightenment. He rescues his followers from fires, from drowning, from bandits, from murder, from prisons. He gives children to female followers who want children. He helps release beings from the three mental poisons of passion, hatred, and delusion. He helpful both on the physical, worldly plain, and on a more psychological or spiritual level.” [1]

Avalokitesvara Embodies Light

All Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are typically visualized during sadhanas as beautiful “bodies of light”, glowing and radiant and often emanating rays of healing or protective or wisdom light. Avalokitesvara, even more so embodies the true, ultimate nature of this compassionate light. This connection is emphasized in his own origin story, as “a ray of light which emanated from Amitabha Buddha.” [1]

Even today, when there are power failures in urban centres, the fear of the dark rises up unconciouslessly for most people. Walking down a dark alley automatically generates a rise in heart rate, a feeling of imminent danger. It’s the “prey” instinct.

In this context, it is natural that Avalokitesvara would be characterized as light. Light brings safety, comfort, nourishes plants, gives us growth, heat and prosperity.

“Avalokitesvara is a luminous being of light, and is repeatedly described as radiating light which shines over all sentient beings and over all corners of the universe, explains Karen Andrews. [1] “Similarly, he sees everything and everyone in all corners of the universe, a fact that is emphasized by his name.” The root meaning of Avaloki is “to see all, to see, to be seen.” Vara means lord.

His ability to be everywhere in the nature of light, allows him to instantly manifest compassionate activity. 

Sutra References to the Compassionate Bodhisattva

Avalokitesvara is a prominent and key character in many sutras, including, importantly, the Prajnaparamita Hrdaya, or Heart Sutra. It is He who expounds the Perfection of Wisdom in its most concise and profound way: “Form is emptiness and emptiness is form; emptiness does not differ from form, form does not differ from emptiness, whatever is emptiness, that is form…”

One of the earliest sutras translated in to Tibetan, the Karanda Vyuha Sutra, is focused on Avalokiesvara, and his mantra Om Mani Padme Hum. He is found in the following Sutras:

• Saddharma Pandarikia (Lotus Sutra)
• Karandavyuha Sutra
• Prajnaparamita Hrdaya Sutra (Heart Sutra)
• Avaolokitesvara Ekadasamukha Dharani Sutra
• Cundi Dharani Sutra   (18-armed Avalokitesvara)

Popularity of Compassion

In China, Avalokitesvara (known there as Guan Yin or Kuanyin) is, perhaps, by the numbers, the most popular deity in all of Asia. In Tibet, devotion to Chenrezig is so deep that he is considered to be the guardian of the whole country. The Dalai Lama is considered to be one of his many incarnations. “A Tibetan,” Vesantara explains in A Guide to Bodhisattvas, “upon meeting His Holiness [the Dalai Lama], feels himself to be in the presence of the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara.”

In keeping with the relative nature of form, as expressed in the Heart Sutra, Avalokitesvara can appear in countless forms: male, female, and wrathful. In most of China and Japan Guanyin manifests clearly as a female deity. In Tantric Buddhism he appears in many fierce and wrathful forms, notably Sita Mahakala (White Mahakala).

1000-Armed Chenrezig

The most “famous” form of Avalokitesvara is his 1000-armed form, symbolic of his vast compassion, so immense that he needs a 1000 arms to reach out and care for sentient beings (symbolic of unlimited compassion). His visualization is very powerful, as streams of healing and compassionate light flow from the thousand arms, reaching out to all sentient beings everywhere—in every world and realm.

He is “one of the most extraordinary figures in the whole field of Buddhist meditation practice,” writes Vessantara. “The form we see emerging from the blue sky of sunyata is brilliant white, standing erect on a white lotus and a moon mat, and holding to his heart the wish-fulfilling gem of the Bodhicitta. As we look, we see that the figure is surrounded by a vast aura of what appears to be white light. Looking more closely, however, it dawns on us that we are really gazing at a figure with a great many arms which form a tremendous white circle as they stretch out in all directions.”

Importantly, Vessantara adds, “Each of the arms is reaching out to help suffering beings, and from the palm of each hand a beautiful eye gazes down compassionately.”

Although we visualize 1000 arms, we really mean unlimited caring arms reaching out to sentient beings. He also has eleven heads, various forms and colors that symbolize he can manifest in endless forms to suit our needs. There is even a wrathful face at the top, surmounted only by the serenity of his spiritual guru Amitabha Buddha, symbolizing the totality of his compassionate actions, and hinting at his many forms.

The Vow of Avalokitesvara

The 1000 arms, and the many other forms of Chenrezig all came about because of a great vow the Compassionate Buddha made to deliver all beings from suffering. The origin of the arms and heads is explained in an origin story. Avalokitesvara strived for aeons to free sentient beings from suffering. After aeons of freeing sentient beings, he found the realms were still full of endless suffering. His compassion was so great that his peaceful form was symbolically torn apart, transforming into thousands of arms and many heads and eyes.

In another symbolic story, his tears spontaneously gave rise to Tara, the Mother of Compassionate Action. Together with their spiritual guru Buddha Amitabha, they work tirelessly to benefit all beings.

Practicing Avalokitesvara: Universally Approachable          

Kindness is by nature, approachable. Avalokitesvara’s compassion is available to anyone who suffers, even those who are not his followers. It is said that Avalokitesvara cares for all equally, and that he can manifest instantly to anyone in a form they can understand. This may be in the form of an inspirational thought, or as a vivid dream. Or, as a nagging worry in your mind warning you to “turn around it’s not safe.” Or, as a neighbor who sees your house on fire and calls emergency. Or, literally as anything, anywhere, anytime.

Meditating on, or visualizing Avalokitesvara can bring compassion into your life: compassion for others, but equally, compassion for you from others. No special empowerment is required to visualize and meditate on this spectacular being, although it is always useful to obtain meditational instructions from someone who as “realized” the practice. This is normally a qualified teacher, or guru.

In Tibetan Buddhism, empowerment or initiation is often offered “to one and all.” The entirely benign and wondrous loving energy of Avalokesvara carries no risk, even in Tantric practice. Since it is often available, meditators truly interested in bringing the power of compassion into their practice and lives — and, after all, compassion is one of the “two wings of Buddhism” — are encouraged to seek out empowerment from a qualified guru with a proven lineage. (For example, this Tuesday is a rare opportunity to take initiation from the most Venerable Zasep Tulku Rinpoche if you’re near Toronto>>)

Preparations to Practice

In absence of instructions from a qualified teacher, here is one of the simpler, visualized meditations (sadhana) — a nice visualization only loosely based on formal Tibetan sadhanas.

Note: The visualization of Chenrezig is “in front” of you, and very basic, thus not requiring empowerment. Someone who is initiated might visualize themselves as Chenrezig, or other variations as instructed by their qualified teacher.

It is helpful to undertake some preliminaries to set your frame of mind, and to build a little merit. This would normally include:

• Taking of Refuge in the Three Jewels, Buddha, Dharma and Sangha
• The Four Immeasurables prayer to establish Bodhichitta
• Some kind of offering, either a stick of incense, a candle, fruit offerings or mentally transformed (imagined) offerings you visualize. (NOTE: it is NOT appropriate to offer meats to the Lord of Compassion, who values all life.)
• It is helpful to recite the Seven Limbs as well, as within that prayer is contained the “entire path.”
• At this point you would begin your visualization and meditation, usually accompanied by mantra recitation. Some people recite the visualization, then close their eyes and imagine it while reciting the mantras. Other people mentally note the visualization, then half close their eyes and visualize. Some people I know even record the guided visualization and allow it to play while they meditate.
• It’s important at the end to “dedicate the merit from the meditation to the benefit of all sentient beings.

Preliminaries

Refuge

Until I reach enlightenment I take refuge in the Three Jewels: The Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha. By the virtues of practicing generosities and other perfections, may I attain Enlightenment for the benefit of all sentient beings.

Four Immeasurables

(Note: some people substitute “they” for “we” but usually we are instructed that we must also have compassion on ourselves. We covers both others and ourselves.)

May all beings have happiness and its causes.

May we never have suffering nor its causes,

May we constantly dwell in joy transcending sorrow,

May we dwell in equal love for both near or far.

Offerings

I like to place out seven bowls of clean water, symbolic of purity and compasion as an offering. Otherwise, mentally visualize offerings at the feet of Chenrezig (Avalokitesvara).

Seven Limbs

I prostrate in faith with body, speech and mind;

I make each and every offering, both those actually performed and those mentally transformed;

I declare every non virtuous act since beginningless time;

I rejoice in the virtues of all Holy and Ordinary beings;

Please, Avalokitesvara, remain as our guide through samasara;

Please turn the wheel of Dharma for all sentient beings;

I dedicate my own virtues to cultivate Enlightenment for the benefit of all sentient beings.

Visualization and Meditation

This is a visualization of the four-armed Avalokitesvara. Try to visualize as realistically and three dimensionally as possible. However, the deity is always visualized as “the nature of light”.

NOTE: If you have trouble visualizing, just “know” that he is there as described—and see as much as you can, even if it’s only a fleeting glimpse. If all you can see is a glow of white light, this is already a glimpse of the Bodhisattva of Infinite Light. Feel his presence rather than see him if you are not yet able to vividly visualize.

Here, the visualization is written in the first person. If you are pre-recording and playing back, or doing group practice out loud, you could change the “I” to “you.” You can read aloud, or silently, then visualize:

I am floating in an area with nothing but a vast blue sky, spanning all directions, unnaturally clear and vibrant and radiant. Intuitively, I feel this is symbolic of the emptiness of self-nature.

I enjoy the blue sky, allowing my non-senses to reach out to infinity—vast, unending, and horizonless. It is comforting in this non-place— empty of self nature. In this empty, serene sky we can let go of the nightmare of samsara and suffering, for here there is nothing fixed or limited, and nothing to grasp.

Then, in the nature of numinous light, and area in front of me glows brighter and brighter, but it doesn’t hurt to stare at it. The light begins to take form, and I see that it is a stunningly beautiful lotus flower, absolutely perfect in every way, pure white and glowing with unnaturally beautiful light. I can see, as I adjust to the new image, a glowing circular area of white, that seems as luminous and wondrous as an autumn moon. The glow of the moon intensifies again, and in the bright light I see the shape of an even brighter form. This blossoms into the shape of a perfectly-shaped man — a being so beautiful I feel instant and radiant joy.

I know that this is Avalokitesvara, the Bodhisattva of Infinite Compassion. His body resolves, sharper and sharper, the glow fading to reveal a splendid being made entirely of brilliant white light, different shades of white that define a beautiful youthful man, ageless rather than young, of perfect appearance. He has long tresses of blue black hair that cascade over his wide shoulders, although even this glows with light. He has four arms which only add to his appearance of perfection. Brilliant jewels and silks adorn his perfect body.

His two inner hands are clasped near his heart, grasping a astonishing jewel, vast and glowing with it’s own light. I know this is the wish-fulfilling gem. The outer left hand holds a perfect lotus, an achingly beautiful blossom. His outer right hand holds a glowing white crystal mala.

Light is all around the Bodhisattva, beautiful light that heals and reassures everyone it reaches. Nowhere in the universe is out of range of this wondrous light.

Most captivating of all are his eyes. I have never seen more caring eyes. They are eyes that laugh and cry at the same time. His smile is as radiant as the sun.

Then, over his head, I see another figure. A glowing red Buddha. I know this is Amitabha, his spiritual guru-father, the Buddha of Infinite Light. His light is warmer, like a setting sun, but in the nature of boundless love.

As I penetrate the light, at Avalokitesvara’s heart, I see a hotly glowing red light, the red of his father Amitabha. On a lotus and moon throne, is a syllable. A single syllable, representing the essence of Avalokitesvara. This bija mantra is also glowing from Amitabha’s heart. It’s penetrating ruby light shoots out in gentle rays in all directions. Around this seed syllable I can see more letters. It is the mantra Om Mani Padme Hum, each syllable of a different colour, representing the six realms.

Comforting light rays project out from his heart, from the shining syllables and bija letter, and penetrate to all of the six realms. Nothing can escape this compassionate light. I can hear a sound. Om Mani Padme Hum, over an dover. I begin to chant along.

The light and the sound go out to every sentient being in all the universes. The light warms me, empties me of tensions and feelings of negativity. I feel lighter. I know instinctively that all my past negative karma has been extinguished by this nectar light. I am filled with a blissful feeling.

Ending the Meditation

You should hold this meditation in bliss and visualize the cleansing light blessing all beings continuously. Allow your mind to stay in this place free of suffering, free of attachment, free of samsara.

When you are ready to end your meditation, you can visualize making another offering to Avalokitesvara. Most people absorb Avalokitesvara back into themselves. Since this visualization was the nature of your own mind, this peaceful being stays with you, a reassuring, calming, loving, compassionate presence.

End Thoughts: The Heart Sutra

This is my favorite translation of the Heart Sutra, by the most Emminent Thich Nhat Hanh:

Avalokiteshvara

while practicing deeply with

the Insight that Brings Us to the Other Shore,

suddenly discovered that

all of the five Skandhas are equally empty,

and with this realisation

he overcame all Ill-being.

“Listen Sariputra,

this Body itself is Emptiness

and Emptiness itself is this Body.

This Body is not other than Emptiness

and Emptiness is not other than this Body.

The same is true of Feelings,

Perceptions, Mental Formations,

and Consciousness.

“Listen Sariputra,

all phenomena bear the mark of Emptiness;

their true nature is the nature of

no Birth no Death,

no Being no Non-being,

no Defilement no Purity,

no Increasing no Decreasing.

“That is why in Emptiness,

Body, Feelings, Perceptions,

Mental Formations and Consciousness

are not separate self entities.

The Eighteen Realms of Phenomena

which are the six Sense Organs,

the six Sense Objects,

and the six Consciousnesses

are also not separate self entities.

The Twelve Links of Interdependent Arising

and their Extinction

are also not separate self entities.

Ill-being, the Causes of Ill-being,

the End of Ill-being, the Path,

insight and attainment,

are also not separate self entities.

Whoever can see this

no longer needs anything to attain.

Bodhisattvas who practice

the Insight that Brings Us to the Other Shore

see no more obstacles in their mind,

and because there

are no more obstacles in their mind,

they can overcome all fear,

destroy all wrong perceptions

and realize Perfect Nirvana.

“All Buddhas in the past, present and future

by practicing

the Insight that Brings Us to the Other Shore

are all capable of attaining

Authentic and Perfect Enlightenment.

“Therefore Sariputra,

it should be known that

the Insight that Brings Us to the Other Shore

is a Great Mantra,

the most illuminating mantra,

the highest mantra,

a mantra beyond compare,

the True Wisdom that has the power

to put an end to all kinds of suffering.

Therefore let us proclaim

a mantra to praise

the Insight that Brings Us to the Other Shore.

Gate, Gate, Paragate, Parasamgate, Bodhi Svaha!

Gate, Gate, Paragate, Parasamgate, Bodhi Svaha!

Gate, Gate, Paragate, Parasamgate, Bodhi Svaha!”

 

End Thoughts: Compassion is Universal

One of the early Pali Sutta’s, the Karaniya Metta Sutta, expounds concisely on the Buddha Shakyamuni’s words on Loving-Kindness (Metta)—thoughts which are universal to all schools of Buddhism (and to many non-Buddhists):

This is what should be done

By one who is skilled in goodness,

And who knows the path of peace:

Let them be able and upright,

Straightforward and gentle in speech,

Humble and not conceited,

Contented and easily satisfied,

Unburdened with duties and frugal in their ways.

Peaceful and calm and wise and skillful,

Not proud or demanding in nature.

Let them not do the slightest thing

That the wise would later reprove.

Wishing: In gladness and in safety,

May all beings be at ease.

Whatever living beings there may be;

Whether they are weak or strong, omitting none,

The great or the mighty, medium, short or small,

The seen and the unseen,

Those living near and far away,

Those born and to-be-born —

May all beings be at ease!

Let none deceive another,

Or despise any being in any state.

Let none through anger or ill-will

Wish harm upon another.

Even as a mother protects with her life

Her child, her only child,

So with a boundless heart

Should one cherish all living beings;

Radiating kindness over the entire world:

Spreading upwards to the skies,

And downwards to the depths;

Outwards and unbounded,

Freed from hatred and ill-will.

Whether standing or walking, seated or lying down

Free from drowsiness,

One should sustain this recollection.

This is said to be the sublime abiding.

By not holding to fixed views,

The pure-hearted one, having clarity of vision,

Being freed from all sense desires,

Is not born again into this world.

NOTES

[1] Avalokitesvara and the Tibetan Contemplation of Compassion, Karen M. Andrews, May 1993

[2] Avalokiteshvara, Encyclopedia Britannica

[3]Wisdom and Compassion in Psychotherapy: Deepening Mindfulness in Clinical Practice, Christopher K. Germer and Ronald D. Siegel (Guilford Publications)

[4] A Guide to the Bodhisattvas (Meeting the Buddhas) by Vedssantara (Windhorse Publications)

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There can be no question that Buddha was a living, historical person, born in the sixth century B.C. in what is now Nepal — whose profound teachings influenced the thinking of philosophers for the last 2600 years. Buddha’s life and teachings are not a matter of faith. His practical, method-based teachings changed much of Asia, and ultimately permeated societies around the world.

Gautama Buddha is accepted by most scholars as a real person, even if there are obviously mythical overlays for the purposes of skillful “teaching.” The most exciting recent evidence was archeological — a likely date for Buddha’s birth.

This new evidence, together with previous substantial evidence, begs the question — which stories of Buddha’s life are verifiably factual, and which stories may be embellished for teaching-purposes? Many of the Sutra stories have been verified to various extents through correlation to historical events of the time. Some of the disciples of the Buddha have been verified credibly.

The National Geographic discovery (video):

November 25, 2013— At one of Buddhism’s most revered pilgrimage sites, a National Geographic archaeologist’s team has uncovered evidence that the Buddha lived in the sixth century B.C., much earlier than some scholars had believed. The excavation at Lumbini, Nepal, long identified as the birthplace of the Buddha, revealed a previously unknown timber shrine once stood there, it’s walls mirroring more recent brick temples.

Birth of Buddha — 6th Century BCE

In 2013, National Geographic reported on archaeologists in Nepal who discovered verifiable evidence of a structure at the birthplace of the Buddha — dating to the sixth century B.C. As quoted from the National Geographic Society (Nov 25, 2013):

“Pioneering excavations within the sacred Maya Devi Temple at Lumbini, Nepal, a UNESCO World Heritage site long identified as the birthplace of the Buddha, uncovered the remains of a previously unknown sixth-century B.C. timber structure under a series of brick temples. Laid out on the same design as those above it, the timber structure contains an open space in the center that links to the nativity story of the Buddha himself…”

Their peer-reviewed findings are reported in the December 2013 issue of the international journal Antiquity. The research is partly supported by the National Geographic Society.

“UNESCO is very proud to be associated with this important discovery at one of the most holy places for one of the world’s oldest religions,” said UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova, who urged “more archaeological research, intensified conservation work and strengthened site management” to ensure Lumbini’s protection.

Buddha’s wonderful birth is accepted as fact. Although elements of stories can be taken as literal truth (that Buddha was born), most modern Buddhists might understand that the sutra story is possibly embellished — with enriching symbolism — such as Buddha walking immediately after birth and lotus blossoms springing from the ground where he stepped. Is this a false story? No, it’s a spiritual truth wrapped in a story-telling metaphor (at worst) — and there’s absolutely no harm in taking it as literal truth.

Buddha’ Enlightenment

How verifiable is the most famous story of Buddha’s amazing life — his Enlightenment beneath the Bodhi tree? According to Biography.com:

“According to the most widely known story of his life, after experimenting with different teachings for years, and finding none of them acceptable, Siddhartha Gautama spent a fateful night in deep meditation beneath a tree. During his meditation, all of the answers he had been seeking became clear, and he achieved full awareness, thereby becoming Buddha.”

The majority of scholars accept this story as “nonmythical” — that Buddha did contemplate in this way. Clearly, he did become one of the greatest and most influential teachers, based on the realizations he attained in his meditations.

Verifiable Facts

Scholars agree on certain verifiable facts — verified not only by archaelogical evidence, but hisotorical documentations. The events of his life that are widely accepted as verifiableare:

• Buddha was born (currently dated to 6th century B.C) in Lumbini, present-day Nepal.
• Buddha taught Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path.
• Buddha’s “Middle Way” path not only grew into one of the most widely practiced spiritual paths — his teachings influenced other teachers and paths.
• Buddha initially taught five ascetics — with whom he had practiced asceticism.
• Buddha became a monk. He taught both monks and lay followers.
• Buddha admitted women to the Sangha of practitioners — revolutionary for his time.
• Buddha taught Buddha Dharma for many decades — to numerous disciples who later recorded his teachings (Suttas or Sutras.)
• Buddha’s Dharma influenced culture all over India, and later many parts of Asia.
• Buddha died in India around the age of 80. In most accounts he died from eating spoiled food.
• Buddha’s name was Siddhartha Gautama

What about the “nonverified facts”

Buddhists accept the word of the Buddha as profound and uncorrupted. Does that mean that sutras containing mystical and magical stories are considered “conventional provable reality?” That is for individuals to decide. Buddha famously taught with skillfull means. Jakata tales, which are tales of his “past lives” can be viewed as literal or metaphor. In Buddha Dharma, where Conventional Reality and Ultimate Reality overlap and interact, there is no difference. Does it matter if he preached on Vulture mountain before millions of Devas (gods) and arhats? Not really. Language and metaphor and symbolism are all part of skillful means.

Authenticity of sutras

Does that mean we should doubt the sutras? Buddha himself taught his followers to doubt everything, question everything, challenge everything.

The point is not to get trapped in arguments of “this was verifiable” and “this was a myth with a lesson.” The point is to embrace the teachings for its practical benefits in our lives today.

Timeline of Buddha’s Life

Although earlier experts placed Buddha’s life at 490 B.C. to 410 B.C., the latest archeological evidence places Buddha’s Birth at 563 B.C. and his Paranirvana at 483 B.C. Dating relates to birth relics recently found, and his Paranirvana dates can be easily reinforced by his funeral relics scattered throughout India and Asia.

563 B.C. Conception to the Sakyas

Sakyamuni (Shakyamuni) Gautama Buddha’s conception — in much of Asia, conception is the celebratory date, rather than the actual date of birth. [2] Famously, Queen Maha Maya, Buddha’s mother, had a conception dream of a white elephant with six tusks descending from heaven to enter her womb. His title Sakyamuni (pronounced Shakyamuni) literally means ‘sage’ of the Sakyans — where Sakya was his father’s kingdom or oligarchic republic (located in modern-day Nepal). Muni literally means “sage.” Śākyamuni (शाक्यमुनि) is title of Buddha fist cited  in  Mahāprajñāpāramitāśāstra (chapter VI).

563 B.C. Siddartha’s Birth in Lumbini Nepal

Buddha was actually born Prince Siddartha, in Lumbini Nepal. According to tradition:

“Buddha emerged from his mother’s side, as she stood leaning against a tree, in a painless and pure birth.” [2]

He was named Siddartha (or Sarvathasiddha) — literally meaning “a man who achieves his goals” — by his father the king, who was determined he would be a great worldly king and conqueror, not a Buddha as predicted by the sages. His mother passed away, and he was brought up by his aunt Mahaprajapati.

548 B.C. Siddartha’s marriage to Yasodhara

His father the king determined he must be sheltered from the suffering of the world to remove any causes that might arise compassion in the young prince. True to his father’s aspirations, he was brought up a privileged prince, sequestered in the palace. He was married to young Yasodhara, who conceived their son Rahula.

Siddartha grew up in Kapilavastu, the capital, and became very accomplished in “kingly arts” including the martial arts.

534 B.C. Buddha sees the four sights: Suffering

True to predictions of the sages — and despite his father’s fiercely protective tactics — Prince Siddartha escaped the palace and saw the four sights of suffering: poverty, illness, old age, and death. He also saw religious ascetics. His “existential crisis” [2] led to his life’s mission — to release the world from all suffering.

534 B.C. Siddartha leaves home

With compassion awake in the young Prince Siddartha, he became driven to overcome the suffering of Samsara. In a dramatic moment, Siddartha determined to leave home — quietly leaving the palace to avoid his father’s guards. He knew he must abandon his conventional, privileged life, to seek the answers that would save all beings from the eternal cycle of suffering.

Dramatically, he left his beloved wife and child — knowing he must for the ultimate benefit — cut his hair and left behind even his inseparable horse. Cutting his hair was a symbol of leaving behind his ordinary life. He traveled south, seeking out other spiritual seekers, and ended in Magadha (current Bihar) where he begged on the streets.

533 B.C. Siddartha Meditates in Magadha

Like most spiritual seekers, Siddartha sought out and trained with many meditation teachers — notably “the masters Ālāra Kālāma and Uddaka Rāmaputta” [2]

He learned and mastered with the best of the great sages of the time, attaining great realizations, but not the ultimate solution. He determined they did not have the final “permanent” solution, and decided he must seek the solution on his own.

532-5238 B.C. Siddartha the Ascetic

Asceticism was an extreme form of practice that included living in the wild without protection, extreme fasting — basically, an attempt to “down the physical influence of one’s being and release the soul, an insubstantial essence in each individual.” [2]

He continued this until he was nothing but dry skin and bones, close to death.

528 B.C. Siddartha risks death at Varanasi

Pushing his practice to the extreme, he tried every extreme meditation and practice — together with five other ascetics — only to nearly die of starvation. Finally, he realized the “middle way” was the correct path to Enlightenment — neither the extreme of deprivation nor its opposite of luxury. Barely able to move, he accepted a tiny bowl of mik, rice from a devotee named Sujata. From that moment, he pioneered the “Middle Path” now known as “Buddhism.”

528 B.C. Awakening at Bodh Gaya

At Buddhism’s most “famous” site, Bodhgaya, Siddartha found the liberating path. Rejected by the five ascetics, he ate modest meals, recovering his strength, then moved to a new meditation site under the most famous tree in history — the Pipal Tree of Bodh Gaya. [A decedent of this tree is still honored today in Bodhgaya.]

He withdrew into his mind, pioneering a new “middle way” of meditating. He endured trials under the tree, tempted by the Mara and his legions and armies. [Mara and his legions, assailing the Buddha under the tree, can be thought of as the struggle Buddha faced internally with his own attachments and past karmic imprints.] Finally, he awakened, and Mara and his legions vanished. Famously, the symbol of this is Buddha touching the earth as his witness. He attained Bodhi — Awakening — and became the Buddha, the Awakened One.

528 B.C. First Teaching at Sarnath

Buddha “turned the first wheel” of teaching, determined to help others with his perfect methods. His first pupils were the five ascetics who had earlier rebuked him. His first teachings were the Four Noble Truths, and the Eightfold Path:

Buddha first taught the Four Noble Truths, the Truth of Suffering, metaphorically, the “disease” we are treating.

“What, monks, is the truth of suffering? Birth is suffering, decay, sickness and death are suffering. To be separated from what you like is suffering. To want something and not get it is suffering. In short, the human personality, liable as it is to clinging and attachment brings suffering.” [3]

Overcoming suffering relied on the Eightfold Path:

“This is the noble eightfold way, namely, right understanding, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right attention, right concentration, and right meditation.” — Shakyamuni Buddha at Deerpark

• For a feature on the Four Noble Truths and Eightfold Path, see>>

528-483 B.C. Countless teachings, Turning the Wheel

Buddha traveled with a growing entourage of disciples, teaching for the next 45 years. These precious teachings, recorded by his pupils, became a vast body of Pali Sutta, and later Mahayana Sutra — the largest collection of spiritual teachings in history. His teachings would spread throughout India, China, Japan, Korea, and all of Asia — and ultimately around the world.

483 B.C. Paranirvana at Kusinagara, Malla

At the age of 80, he decided it was time for him to leave the teachings to his Sangha of disciples. He gave his last teaching. He asked his disciples if they had any last questions for him before he left.

Finally, he said, “Things that arise from causes will also decay. Press on with due care.”[3]

He lay down on his right side, with his hand under his face — in the pose made famous by the Sleeping Buddha statue — and passed into the peace of ultimate Paranirvana.

Timeline based on BBC: Life of the Buddha, a Spiritual Journey>>

In important cognitive research led by Dr. Deepika Chamoli Shahi, Manjushri’s essence mantra — Om Ah Ra Pa Cha Na Dhi — enhanced “cognitive functions to a signicant degree.” Although regular cognitive tongue twister practice also sharpened cognitive function in the study, Manjushri’s mantra, often described as the Arapanacha essence mantra, displayed “significantly” enhanced cognition as measured by well-accepted intelligence and cognitive processing tests. [For a full story on Manjushri and the Arapachana mantra, see>>]  [Visit Dr. Deepika Chamoli’s website Mindsira here>>]

The final conclusion from the “Summary of thesis”:

 

This research has proven that the orange Manjushree mantra is able to enhance various cognitive functions like concrete performance task, originality in creativity and perceptual reasoning to a much greater extent than the non-spiritual tongue twister.

Manjushri is the Buddha of wisdom and has long been associated with memory, speech and wisdom. The Fifth Dalai Lama recommended the practice, and His Holiness wrote the practice sadhana “Practice to Receive the Seven Types of Wisdom.”

This remarkable study from researcher Dr. Deepika Chamoli Shahi is published by the Amity University. The author is widely published in research publications and books.  We include the research summary findings by Dr. Deepika Chamoli Shahi. (Please see a biography at the end of this feature.) His Holiness Drikyung Kyabgong Chetsang Rinpoche helped with the data collection for this research.

The mantra, chanted by Buddha Weekly:

Summary of thesis

Spiritual and Non Spiritual Tongue Twister Practice Enhances Cognitive Functioning in Relation to Altitude

Researcher: Dr. Deepika Chamoli Shahi

                     Clinical Training And Research Lead

                     Mom’s Belief, India

The present research aims to study and compare the effectiveness of spiritual (Manjushree mantra) and non-spiritual tongue twister(non sensical) technique at four different altitudes (100 ft.-169ft., 1457 – 2200ft, 11000ft – 12500ft and 14000ft – 17000ft) above sea level. The purpose of the study is to authenticate the importance of age old Buddhist saraswati mantra (Manjushree (also known as vakeshwar) mantra) which is used by the Buddhist monks to purify mind with the help of purification of speech.

180 subjects (falling in the age group of 8-13 years) are studied and assessed (45 subjects at each altitude).

Research design

Mixed method sequential explanatory design is utilized for the study (pre-post experimental research design is seconded by the qualitative data collected at every altitude).

MAIN PRE POST EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN FOLLOWED AT EVERY ALTITUDE (A1, A2, A3, A4)

Four subtests of Malin’s intelligence battery for children (coding, mazes, block design and picture completion) and Baqer Mehdi non-verbal tool for creativity are utilized to assess the cognitive abilities of processing speed index, perceptual reasoning and originality and elaboration in creativity.

Group 1 consists of school students who chanted non spiritual tongue twister as intervention, group 2 consists of school children who chanted spiritual tongue twister as intervention whereas third group, group 3 is monk group who are already practicing the spiritual tongue twister (Manjushree mantra) for past 1 year. Pre assessment is done for both group 1and group2 and after intervention of 30 days in which they have chanted the tongue twister daily for 15 minutes post assessment was conducted. The group 3 is experimental group (monks who are chanting the spiritual tongue twister with understanding of meaning) and tested only once on the same parameters.

This experiment is conducted at four different altitudes

1. Delhi NCR- 100-169ft. above sea level
2. Dehradun-1457 – 2200ft above sea level
3. Leh- 1100ft. -12500ft. above sea level
4. Sachukul Ladakh- 14000ft. – 17000ft.

Summary

It has been found that at low altitude processing speed index (reaction time) is higher than the high altitudes children. It is because of the excess of information from the surroundings due to mass media whereas at high altitudes children are close to nature and exposure is very less, due to which they are focused.

The statistics reveals higher level cognitive functions (bloom’s taxonomy) are enhanced more with tongue twister practice as compared to lower altitudes. Also spiritual tongue twister (Orange Manjushree mantra) is able to enhance cognitive functions to significant level. Spiritual tongue twister (Orange Manjushree mantra) practice with understanding of the meaning is more effective than the spiritual tongue twister (mantra) practice without understanding of meaning.  Non spiritual tongue twister has also enhanced the cognitive functions but lesser than the spiritual tongue twister or (Orange Manjushree mantra). It has also been noticed that processing speed index at higher altitudes is low.

Orange Manjushri Mantra

According to Abhidharma Pitak and Manjugosha and many other scriptures OM ARA PA CHA NA DHII is considered the magic sylabarry. It is known as a tongue exercise and used to purify tongue by continuous repetition for 15 minutes daily. It is the routine in Buddhist monasteries that when a monk is admitted, the first type of chanting utilized by him is this mantra chanting. The name of Manjushree is Vakeshwar which means lord of speech. Manjushree is also called lord of wisdom and male form of Vedic Saraswati in Buddhism.  The old scriptures have mentioned the importance of orange Manjushree in enhancing cognition and it quotes that chanting of this mantra is able to purify mind with the purification of speech.

This research has proven that the orange Manjushree mantra is able to enhance various cognitive functions like concrete performance task, originality in creativity and perceptual reasoning to a much greater extent than the non-spiritual tongue twister.

The recommendation of this research is that it should be utilized by children in school to enhance the higher level cognitive skills.

SOURCES

The full research project and abstract are published by Amity University, and subject to copyright. We have a copy of the abstract and research for this article at Buddha Weekly, which is very technical. When/if a public link to the research becomes available we’ll update here.

The summary above is from the research, and authored personally by Dr. Deepika Chamoli Shahi, PhD for Buddha Weekly.

To read an excerpt of a related research article, “The Effect of Mantra Chanting on the Performance IQ of Children, it is available to subscribers on Questia. [There is a published free preview here>>] The authors on this article are: Chamoli, Deepika; Kumar, Rita; Singh, Abha; Kobrin, Neil.

Short Biography of Dr. Deepika Chamoli Shahi, PhD

Buddha Weekly contributing writer Dr. Deepika Chamoli Shahi is a Psychologist, currently a clinical training and research lead at Mom’s Belief, with a PhD in Psychology from Amity University Noida Campus. Dr. Deepika Chomoli worked with His Holiness Drikyung Kyabgong Chetsang Rinpoche on the Manjushri mantra cognitive research. Dr. Deepika Chamoli is a practicing Buddhist, author of several books and research papers, and a volunteer reviewer for ayur gyan nyas. [Visit Dr. Deepika Chamoli’s website Mindsira here>>]

Chant along with Buddha Weekly:

Nagarjuna: “Wrong End of the Snake”

Famously, the great Nagarjuna is credited with saying: “Emptiness wrongly grasped is like picking up a poisonous snake by the wrong end.”

However perilous, serious Buddhists students have to try to pick up that snake. No one wants to be bitten. Recently, one of my good friends went back to her birth religion, after years as a Buddhist, because she couldn’t get past thinking she was practicing nihilism. She had picked up “the wrong end” of the snake. For most of the rest of us — who aspire to Buddhist realizations — it can be the most difficult of topics.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama teaches that Emptiness is “the knowledge of ultimate reality of all objects, material and phenomenon.” [3]

Einstein and “bullshit”: Substantialism versus Nihilism

The venerable teacher Gelek Rinpoche points to Einstein’s theory of relativity for a concise explanation of emptiness: “The theory of relativity gives you Buddha’s idea of emptiness. The essence of emptiness is the interdependent nature or dependent arising of things. The essence of Emptiness is not empty.” [7]

In separate teaching on Yamantaka — in his eloquent, direct teaching style — Gelek Rinpoche warned against nihilism: “So if some people say ‘Everything is only the result of mind. In the end, it is all zero, so it doesn’t matter, it’s all the same, it’s all bullshit’ … that is the emptiness approach from the empty point of view and that gets you on the wrong track.” [9]

The great Tibetan Yogini Machig explained emptiness as “the source and inseparable essence of all phenomena, it represents the totality of all that is and all that will come to be. For without emptiness, there would be no space for existence.”[8] This is the opposite of nihilism, and could be better described as “inclusivism” of “substantialism.” [11]

Thich Nhat Hanh: “Inter-Be”

The great Zen teacher Thich Nhat Hanh describes Emptiness as: “empty of separate self. That means none of the five [aggregates] can exist by itself alone. Each of the five [aggregates] has to be made up of the other four. It has to coexist; it has to inter-be with all others.” The term “Inter-Be” has become something of the modern-day equivalent to the Sanskrit term “Shunyata” with some Zen teachers. [12]

Lama Tsongkhapa, in his Three Principles, writes: “Interdependent appearance — infallible Emptiness… As long as these two seem separate, Buddha’s insight is not understood.”

The problem with the extreme of substantialism arises when “things appear to exist from their own side so solidly that even when we recognize that they are empty in nature … they still appear to exist from their own side,” writes Rob Preece, in Preparing for Tantra: Creating the Psychological Ground for Practice. [10]

The problem with nihilism — substantialism’s opposite — is Nagarjuna’s venomous snake. Buddha taught “the middle way” which implies avoiding extreme views, such as substantialism and nihilism. Both concepts run contrary to the notion of emptiness.

IABS: “Transcend a lazy nihilism”

It is easy for people to make incorrect assumptions from the terms “Emptiness” and “Voidness” — incomplete, even possibly misleading translations of the Sanskrit word Shunyata. The International Association of Buddhist Studies (IABS), in their Journal, warns practitioners to “transcend a lazy nihilism” — one of the perceptions that arise from the terms Emptiness and Voidness. [2]

Quite the contrary, as Terry Clifford explains in Tibetan Buddhist Medicine and Buddhism, if emptiness was nihilistic, compassion would be pointless. “The absolute compassion of Mahayana arises spontaneously with the realization of emptiness. Since we all share the nature of emptiness, how can we bear the suffering of others…” [6]

Friend: “Aren’t You a Nihilist?”

The entire concept of Emptiness and Shunyata is perhaps the most misunderstood aspect of Buddhism. My non-Buddhist friends often ask me, “Aren’t you a nihilist?” or “Why would you want to destroy ego? Isn’t that what makes us sentient beings?”

Sure, I could jump in and say, “You can’t destroy ego, because ego really doesn’t inherently exist,” but I don’t feel qualified to enter into a back-and-forth debate on dependent arising, labeling, and ego. I have answered, in the past, with direct quotes from the Buddha. Other times, I’ve used quotes from neurologists and psychologists, who tend to concur, for the most part, with the Buddha.

So, to help me answer (for myself) this recurring question from my friends of the non-Buddhist persuasion, I decided to research what the teachers of different traditions have to say about Emptiness. To spice it up, I’ve also searched out what physicists, psychiatrists and neurologists have to say about ego and self. I’ve brought some of these quotes together in this little feature with some helpful links to more details in the notes.

Milarepa: “Appearances are … superficial”

The great yogi Milarepa, in one of his One Hundred Thousand Songs sang: “Mind is insubstantial, void awareness, body a bubble of flesh and blood. If the two are indivisibly one, why would a corpse be left behind at the time of death when the consciousness leaves? And if they are totally separate why would the mind experience pain when harm happens to the body? Thus, illusory appearances are the result of belief in the reality of the superficial.” [1]

In Milarepa’s time (born 1052 in Tibet), songs were used to enchant and teach, even on topics as difficult and profound as Emptiness. Today, we’d be as likely to cite or quote popular movies.

The Matrix: “How Deep the Rabbit Hole Goes”

For example, in the popular movie The Matrix, the character Morpheus (played by Laurence Fishburne) explains to Neo (played by Keanu Reaves) that the world is not as it seems. What Neo sees, he explains, is not the true nature of reality. (Note: he does not say the world does “not” exist.) He offers Neo, the hero of the story, a choice between a red pill or a blue pill:

“This is your last chance. After this, there is no turning back. You take the blue pill—the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill—you stay in Wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes. Remember: all I’m offering is the truth. Nothing more.”

The “waking up” language Morpheus used, is often used in Buddhism. We try to “wake up” to the true nature of reality in order to end suffering. In Buddhism — so it seems — at some point, we also have to choose the red pill or the blue pill. The sleeping metaphor is also often used by Buddhist teachers. Like Neo, many of us are tempted just to go back to sleep and “believe whatever” we want to believe.

Sure, it’s more complicated than a choice of two pills, but The Matrix movie offers, perhaps, one of the easiest ways to introduce the notion of Emptiness in Buddhism to the modern non-Buddhist — in much the same way as Milarepa used enchanting songs. So, borrowing from Morpheus, I set out to research what the great Buddhist teachers have to say about Emptiness, that most difficult of subjects — in pursuit of “the truth, nothing more” and “how deep the rabbit hole goes.”

Buddha: “Empty of Self”

In the Pali canon, Sunna Sutta, Ananada asks Buddha about emptiness:

“It is said that the world is empty, lord. In what respect is it said that the world is empty?” The Buddha replied, “Insofar as it is empty of a self or of anything pertaining to a self: Thus it is said, Ānanda, that the world is empty.””

This deceptively simple answer seems to satisfy my curious non-Buddhist friends when they ask about emptiness, but for the practicing Buddhist, it’s often just the beginning of understanding.

Albert Einstein: “Reality is merely an illusion”

For those of more “scientific” orientation, Albert Einstein — who was not a Buddhist, despite being credited with saying: ” If there is any religion that would cope with modern scientific needs it would be Buddhism” — had this to say on the nature of reality:

“A human being is part of a whole, called by us the ‘universe’, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separate from the rest — a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affectation for a few people near us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circles of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty. Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.” [6]

The venerable teacher Gelek Rinpoche, in his 7-day teachings on Vajrayogini, linked Einstien’s theory of relativity to Buddha’s teachings on Emptiness: “I begin to appreciate Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity, based on points of reference. If you don’t have points of reference, you are gone. If there is no point of reference, there is no existence. Everything exists relatively, collectively, because of points of reference.” [7]

Quoting the Teachers: Just What is Emptiness?

If Emptiness is not nihilism, then what exactly is it? It can be challenging to try to understand such a vast (and yet not vast) topic such as Emptiness, especially from teacher snippets. Such extracts necessarily sound enigmatic and almost riddle-like. Teachers often deliberately challenge our mind with difficult propositions. Ultimately, it is for us to develop our own realizations. Here are some famous quotes on “Emptiness” from the great teachers of Buddhism:

“The four categories of existence, non-existence, both existence and non-existence, and neither existence nor non-existence, are spider webs among spider webs which can never take hold of the enormous bird of reality” — The Buddha (563 – 483 BC)

“After 48 years, I have said nothing.” — The Buddha

“Whatever depends on conditions is explained to be empty…” — Sutra Requested by Madropa, translated by Ari Goldfield

“We live in illusion and the appearance of things. There is a reality. We are that reality. When we understand this, we see that we are nothing. And being nothing, we are everything. That is all.” — Kalu Rinpoche [4]

“Once you know the nature of anger and joy is empty and you let them go, you free yourself from karma.” — Bodhidharma (c 440-528 AD) [5]

“The past is only an unreliable memory held in the present. The future is only a projection of our present conceptions. The present itself vanishes as soon as we try to grasp it. So why bother with attempting to establish an illusion of solid ground?” — Dilgo Kyentse

“What is Reality? An icicle forming in fire.” — Dogen Zenji (c 1200-1253 AD)

“Men are afraid to forget their minds, fearing to fall through the Void with nothing to stay their fall. They do not know that the Void is not really void, but the realm of the real Dharma.” — Huang-po (Tang Dynasty Zen Teacher)

Answering the Nihilist Challenge: Is Emptiness Nothingness or Voidness?

Even if the words of great teachers challenge us to our own understandings of Emptiness, there is always the risk of “lazy nihilism.” If we can’t understand such a profound concept, we often “lazily” associate Emptiness with Nihilism. [2]

The problem begins with the English translation of the original Sanskrit term Shunyata. This profound and complex concept is often translated into English as “voidness.” Voidness sounds a lot like “nothingness” and, in my many years of attending teachings, I’ve often heard teachers interchange the word Emptiness, Voidness and Nothingness, so this can be confusing from the get-go. In the same discussion, some teachers will warn against nihilism, but never-the-less use the word “nothingness.”

“There is really no adequate word in English for Shunyata, as both ‘voidness’ and ’emptiness’ have negative connotations, whereas, shunyata is a positive sort of emptiness transcending the duality of positive-negative,” writes Terry Clifford in Tibetan Buddhist Medicine and Psychiatry. [6] He adds: “The doctrine of void was propounded in the Madhyamika dialectic philosophy of Nagarjuna, the second-century Buddhist philosopher-saint. Nagarjuna said of shunyata, ‘It cannot be called void or not void, or both or neither, but in order to indicate it, it is called the Void.”

In Sanskrit, the word Shunyata has a very layered meaning, not easily translated into other languages. Translations of the Sanskrit noun Shunyata might be part of the issue. The Sanskrit noun Shunyata literally translates as “zero” or “nothing” — but like most Sanskrit words, a single-word translation is misleading. The Sanskrit adjective is actually Sunya, which means “empty” — according to translators who insist on single-word equivalents. In Buddhist concept, Shunyata is decidedly not nihilistic in tone — sometimes, it is translated as openess, oneness and spaciousness. No single-word translation is really helpful in describing the true essence of Shunyata.

How Different Traditions Describe Emptiness

Are there differences in how Shunyata is interpreted in the major schools of Buddhist thought? Most teachers will say Shunyata is Shunyata, and schools or philosophies just offer different ways of illustrating the concept. Here I’ll be overly simplistic (almost to the point of disservice).

The elder schools, Theravadan Buddhism, often translate sunnata or shunyata is as “non self” or “not self” in the context of the five aggregates of experience.

In Mahayana Buddhism, notably Prajna-Paramita Sutra, which means “Perfection of Wisdom”, the notion of Shunyata is equated to Wisdom. Mahayana teachers often stress that Enlightenment is only possible with realizations in Wisdom of Emptiness and Compassion—both are essential. In this Mahayana view, emptiness is beautifully expressed in the famous Heart sutra in these profound — if enigmatic — words:

Form is emptiness, emptiness is form.

Emptiness is not separate from form,

Form is not separate from emptiness.

Whatever is form is emptiness,

Whatever is emptiness is form.

We Are An Imputed Label

Mahayana teachers often focus more on the notion of “imputed labels” as an introduction to the very difficult subject of Emptiness. Imputing is a frequently repeated word in the teachings on Emptiness.

In teachings on Mahamudra in Ontario last spring, Venerable Zasep Tulku Rinpoche gave this example of labeling: “A good example is your car. If you take that car apart, and everything is just parts, there is no car. Just car parts. You put it back together, and then label it Hyundai, you have a Hyundai. But if you switch the labels [to Honda] is it now a Honda? It’s all labels. There is no independent existence. That’s only one way to look at emptiness.”

During a “scanning meditation” guided practice in the same teaching session at Gaden Choling, Zasep Rinpoche asked students to find their body: “what is my body? … do a scanning meditation and try to find your body. “When you scan your skin, you ask, is that my body? No, it’s skin, not body. Then you look at your bones, and likewise every part of your body… To be body, it has to be the ‘whole’ body, all the parts. If you really look, you can’t find one thing that is your body. What we call body is just a ‘label’. A name. Imputing a label.”

Labeling implies that we are more than our label, rather than less. It conveys a sense of expansiveness, oneness and fullness.

Four Different Views on Emptiness: Geshe Tashi Tsering

“Each of the four Buddhist philosophical schools presents emptiness differently,” writes Geshe Tsering in his powerful book, Tantra: The Foundation of Buddhist Thought. [4] Presenting differently, however, does not mean they disagree on the essence of Emptiness.

“There is the emptiness or selflessness asserted by the schools below Svatantrika -Madhyamaka, where the Hinayana schools — Vaibhashika and Sautrantika — assert emptiness is being empty of substantial existence, and the Chittamatra school explains emptiness as the absence of duality of appearance of subject and object. Svatantrika-Madhyamaka school explains it as being empty of existing from its own side without depending on the mind. Finally, there is the emptiness asserted in Prasangika-Madhyamaka, which is being empty of existing inherently.”

Big Moons: Where This Story Began

I was inspired to write this story from a feature on Space.com. It was a light-hearted story titled, “The ‘Big Moon’ Illusion May All Be in Your Head.” For decades, scientists and thinkers have pondered over the phenomenon of the giant moon, when viewed at the horizon. Aristotle theorized it was the magnifying effect of the image of the moon enlarged through the atmosphere (pretty smart, that Aristotle guy.) I actually thought that was the case.

“Carl Friedrich Gauss (1777-1865), an astronomer who was considered to be a master mathematician, proposed that the answer lay in the difference between the image perceived when the rising moon was viewed over a horizon, in which case nearby objects provided a sense of scale for the eye, and the image perceived when the eyes were raised to view the same object overhead.” The author of the piece, Joe Rao, went on to describe a “simple experiment…. Get hold of a cardboard tube… Now close one eye and with the other look at the seemingly enlarged moon near the horizon through the tube and immediately the moon will appear to contract to its normal proportions.”

So, how did this inspire my little feature on Emptiness and dependent arising? The first thing I thought of when I read Joe Rao’s story was, “dependent arising…” and how we perceive things through their relationship to each other. I know, it’s a stretch, but that was my inspiration.

NOTES

[1] Drinking the Mountain Stream: Songs of Tibet’s Beloved Saint Milarepa, translated by Lama Kunga Rinpoche and Brian Cutillo.

[2] “The Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies, Volumes 11-12, page 108. IABS website: https://iabsinfo.net

[3] Buddhism Teacher: Emptiness https://buddhismteacher.com/emptiness.php

• [4] Tantra: The Foundation of Buddhist Thought, Volume 6 by Geshe Tashi Tsering
• Paperback: 240 pages; Publisher: Wisdom Publications (July 3 2012), ISBN-10: 1614290113; ISBN-13: 978-1614290117
• [5] Joseph Goldstein Interview https://www.dharma.org/ims/joseph_goldstein_interview1.html
• [5] “The Zen Teaching of Bodhidharma: A Bilingual Edition.”
• [6] The Responsive Universe, John C. Bader, Wisdom Moon Publishing, ISBN-10: 1938459288, ISBN-13: 978-1938459283
• [7] “Vajrayogini”, PDF transcript, 490 pages, Jewel Heart (requires initiation from a qualified teacher to download). https://www.jewelheart.org/digital-dharma/vajrayogini/
• [8] Machik’s Complete Explanation: Clarifying the Meaning of Chod (Expanded Edition), Snow Lion, ASIN: B00DMC5HAQ
• [9] “Solitary Yamantaka Teachings”, PDF, 460 pages, Jewel Heart (requires initiation from a qualified teacher to download).
• [10] Preparing for Tantra: Creating the Psychological Ground for Practice, Rob Preece, Snow Lion, ASIN: B00FWX9AX8
• [11] Source of term substantialism: ” Some philosophers of physics take the argument to raise a problem for manifold substantialism, a doctrine that the manifold of events in spacetime is a “substance” which exists independently of the matter within it.”
• [12] The Heart of Understanding: Comentaries on the Prajnaparamita Heart Sutra, Thich Nhat Hanh, Parallax Press, ASIN: B005EFWU0E

Are Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Yidams, and Deities real in the same relative way that we exist? Are they other? Are they neither? What do the Buddhist teachers tell us? What can we learn about this from Sutra? In this feature we explore the reality of Buddhist meditation deities, taking into account both a devotional Buddhist point of view and a more “mundane” meditational perspective.

In Vajrayana and Mahayana, we accept multiple Buddhas and deities — not only the historical Buddha. To some Westerners, the only way to accept this view is with rationalizations such as, “Deities are mind-constructs”, they are “archetypes and symbols given form”, or “Deities are our own Buddha Nature,” and so on. Or, the ultimate rationalist might just label them “fairy tales” or imagination. While there’s truth in all of these labels, these definitions miss out on the true nature of deities — and the true nature of those “labels.”

How do Buddhist Deities Exist?

“… Buddhas exist in the same way that all phenomenon exist,” explains H.E. Zasep Rinpoche in his popular book Tara in the palm of your hand. “Not inherently, but as dependent-related phenomena, arising from causes and conditions, name, parts, and imputation by mind.”

“They protect you and bless you”

His Holiness Sakya Trizin explains why deities should also be seen as relatively real, able to bless and help us:

“In Buddhist tradition, we have two truths: the relative truth and absolute truth. In absolute truth, there’s no deity. There’s nothing. It’s inexpressible. In other words, it is something that is completely beyond our present way of thinking and being. But relatively, we have everything existing. We have “I,” and “you,” and all this. Empty it is, also. All these deities are different, with different categories. Some deities are called yidams, some deities are called dharmapalas. It is not just an idea that we have created. They are all truly like this. They protect you and they bless you, they help you…” [4]

Dog’s tooth or Buddha’s tooth: faith makes the difference

H.E. Zasep Rinpoche, in the book Tara in the palm of your hand, recounts a famous story: “about an old woman and her son, also speaks to the importance of faith. A man was about to make a pilgrimage to see some relics of Buddha; his old mother, who was very devout, asked him to bring back one of Buddha’s teeth. The man promised, and then promptly forgot. As he was returning home from his pilgrimage, he remembered his promise about the Buddha’s tooth. What to do? He quickly found an old dog’s tooth, and wrapped it in silk. When he arrived home, he gave the dog’s tooth to his mother, telling her it was the Buddha’s tooth. His delighted mother put the tooth on her shrine, and began doing prostrations to it. To the man’s amazement, the tooth began emanating light, just as a genuine relic might. The woman’s deep faith had brought about this miraculous event.”

Tibetan Buddhists understand the true nature of deities, just as they understand the true mind-nature of “pure lands.”

His Eminence Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche (the 3rd) explains it this way: “What is the correct view? Knowing that relative appearances and their ultimate reality are inseparable and not contradictory.”[3]

H.E. Zasep Rinpoche, elaborates:

“Indeed, even in the West, it is commonly acknowledged that if we believe something to be true, it is true for us. The mind is such a powerful instrument that faith can bring worlds into being. Faith expands reality… When you have faith… you will receive profound blessings, blessings that come ultimately not from somewhere or something outside yourself, but from your own compassion and wisdom, from your own Buddha Nature being actualized.” [From Tara in the palm of your hand.]

Where are deities?

Famously, when John Blofeld — whose many books helped introduced Buddhism to the west — asked a poor Tibetan woman where were the purelands, the woman pointed at her heart. If you asked her where were the deities, she might make the same gesture. Of course, in Tibetan Buddhism, the heart is the location of mind (not the brain). She was referring, specifically, to the old Buddhist concept: “deities are mind.”

The great teacher Lama Thubten Yeshe described deities very precisely: “Tantric meditational deities should not be confused with what different mythologies and religions might mean when they speak of gods and goddesses. Here, the deity we choose to identify with represents the essential qualities of the fully awakened experience latent within

us. To use the language of psychology, such a deity is an archetype of our own deepest nature, our most profound level of consciousness. In tantra we focus our attention on such an archetypal image and identify with it in order to arouse the deepest, most profound aspects of our being and bring them into our present reality.” (Introduction to Tantra: A Vision of Totality [1987])

Also important to understanding deities is the nature of deities. Do we “conjur” these gods to then bow down and worship them? No, in Vajrayana, we take them into ourselves (it’s called absorbing the deity) — and in advanced yogic practice we self-generate as the deity. We visualize ourselves as the deity, then we see ourselves dissolve to Emptiness. Why work so hard making deity seems real, if we are only going to dissolve back into emptiness? After all, these visualizations are beyond challenging. Why, then, give them up after all that hard work?

More than Archetypes

What are archetypes, but visual labels (symbols)?  Since the language of the mind — particularly sub conscious mind — is visual (symbol), archetypes are just another form of label, like “I” is a label for ourselves. If I label a deity Avalokiteshvara, I am labeling the compassion of the Enlightened Mind.

Tibetan Buddhists, in fact, are highly advanced thinkers in the area of mind. “For Tibetan Buddhists, and those who truly understand Shunyata and dependent arising, reality has room for Buddhas and other manifestations of spiritual energy,” Venerable Zasep Rinpoche explained. “For them, Buddhas are always present; no place exists where there is no Buddha.”

For this reason, we often see highly respected Lamas — including the Dalai Lama — worshipping in a Cathedral, or a Hindu temple. This is not just out of respect for another view; it is acceptance that, once labeled, those deities have dependently arisen — much as our own egos arose, conditioned on surrounding causes — at least in our minds. And — in Tibetan Buddhism — mind is the essence.

All Buddhas are One Essence

Ultimately, all Buddhas are of One Essence. (Or, one taste, as the Dharma texts put it.) Just as we, ourselves are one with all — our very existence depends on others. Without others, we don’t exist, or as the cognitive scientist Professor Hoffman puts it:

“I call it conscious realism: Objective reality is just conscious agents, just points of view. Interestingly, I can take two conscious agents and have them interact, and the mathematical structure of that interaction also satisfies the definition of a conscious agent. This mathematics is telling me something. I can take two minds, and they can generate a new, unified single mind.” [2]

Once mind labels a spiritual energy, it is as real as our own egos — the nature of “I”. The same Lamrim logic debate used to deconstruct “I” — the famous “where is I, anyway” debate — can be applied to deities.

Emptiness of Deities is the same as Emptiness of self

In an extensive weekend teaching on Mahamudra, H.E. Zasep Rinpoche described it breifly this way:

 

“I look at my body, and ask myself the question, what is my body? … You do a scanning meditation and try to find your body. When you scan your skin, you ask, is that my body? No, it’s skin, not body. Then you look at your bones, and likewise every part of your body.” If you scrutinize the body this way you’ll find body parts, but not body. Even those body parts have components if you scan those body parts. “To be body, it has to be the ‘whole’ body, all the parts. If you really look, you can’t find one thing that is your body. What we call body is just a ‘label’. A name. Imputing a label.” Therefore, “yes it’s a body” in relative truth, “but when you search for the absolute body, you can’t find it. We can call this the emptiness of our body.” It only exists by virtue of it’s label.

You can, Rinpoche added, apply this logic to a car: “A good example is your car. If you take that car apart, and everything is just parts, there is no car. Just car parts. You put it back together, and then label it Hyundai, you have a Hyundai. But if you switch the labels [to Honda] is it now a Honda? It’s all labels. There is no independent existence. That’s only one way to look at emptiness.”

• Full feature on Mahamudra teachings with Venerable Zasep Rinpoche here>>

The same debate can be made with deities. Where is Avalokiteshvara (Guanyin)? Is he the nature of light? Is he the nature of mind? Is he this statue? Is he in my heart? Is he in my brain? Is he in this Dharma text? Is he everywhere? Is he anywhere there is a compassionate act? Avalokiteshvara is just as real as “I” — which ultimately means, empty. Yet, does that mean Avaolokiteshvara is not real? No more than we are not real. At the relative level you can point to “components” of (Avalokiteshvara) (or of I) but you can never really find one thing that is him (or I).

In this debate, there is no valid reason to dismiss “Tara” or “Chenrezig” as non-existent. Both “I” and Tara are empty, ultimately, of inherent existence. They only exist dependent on others. Deity, from this point of view, can be argued to be as real as “I”.

Is faith important? The story of “Eating stones”

In Tara in the palm of your hand, Rinpoche explains: “There is a story in the Lamrim, the Graduated Path to Enlightenment, about the power of faith. It was a time of famine in India, and many people were dying. An old woman went to her Guru and asked how she could stay alive. He told her to eat stones, and gave her a mantra to make the stones edible. The woman recited the mantra with great faith, and ate the stones. Her son, who was a monk, began to worry about his mother, and went home from his monastery to see her. He was amazed to find her well. When he asked her the secret, she told him the mantra she had been reciting. The son realized that his mother had not been reciting the mantra accurately, and gave her the correct mantra. However, the old woman lost faith in the power of her mantra, and neither it nor the correct mantra would work anymore. It is not the words themselves that give mantras their power; it is the faith with which the words are recited.”

The old woman’s dog tooth in the earlier story emanated light because of her faith in what it represented — the Enlightened Buddha. Also, ultimately, the dog’s tooth is also one with Buddha’s tooth. Why bow down to a statue of bronze, which clearly is not Tara? To a Vajrayana Buddhist it is indeed Tara. Tara is everywhere. In her statue, quietly sitting on our shrine, we have a focus (or in our mind-visualization) — and that focus represents the truth of Tara  (or Chenrezig, Yamantaka or any other deity).

Cultural obstacles to “faith”

Western Buddhists who approach Vajrayana or Tibetan Buddhism might be at a disadvantage when it comes to accepting, with faith, Buddhist deities. It’s one thing to rationalize ultimate truth and relative truth and dependent arising — but if we grew up in a culture devoid of Buddhas, faith will not be culturally reinforced. The deities visualized in Tantra are somewhat “alien” to the Western practitioner — at least until the symbolism of the deities is explained. Implements in the hands mean something. ” A “sword” is knowledge. A skullcup full of nectar is “bliss.” Using the language of the mind, we are taught to visualize deities.

The late Gelek Rimpoche, once said, “There’s no reason Tara can’t appear as Yamantaka.” In other words, on one level, we don’t have faith in Tara as a tangible green goddess who only saves people from the great fears. We have faith that she is Buddha, that all Buddhas have the same realizations, that we are one with Buddhas, that She is one with us — and also with Yamantaka. Also, as taught in the Heart Sutra, “Form is emptiness, emptiness is form.”

H.E. Jamgon Kongtrul Rinapoche the Third wrote: “Why are there so many? Yidams are visualized pure forms that manifest from dharmadhatu’s empty essence as the lucid self-display of our Lama’s compassion.” The goal of Yidam practice is critical to understanding these forms: ” What is the purpose of Vajrayana practice? Purifying one’s impure perception of all appearances and experiences.” [3]

How to relate to deities?

Deities in Buddhism are no to be thought of as self-aware ego-centric magical beings. They are aspects of Enlightenment. They are derived — as are we all — of a reality where only egos and attachments separate us. Remove the ego, and we become one with the universe. The last thing a Buddha should be associated with is ego.

Then, how do we associate them. To us, because we do have egos and cultural imprints and attachments and obstacles, they appear in various forms. Famously, in Tibet, Manjushri, the gentle Buddha of Wisdom appeared as monstrous bull-headed Yamantaka. Why this form? Because Tibetans could believe that such a fierce form could subdue the death itself — Yama.

The Enlightened forms are given to us by long lines of great accomplished masters — lineage, as it’s called. Because we know these great teachers accomplished realizations, we follow their examples — which includes visualizations of deities in forms that are symbolically profound. These “images” resonate with our subconscious, but also with cultural memory, or — as Psychiatrist Carl Jung put it — the collective consciousness.

Red means something to the collective consciousness. A “red” deity magnetizes. This isn’t a “taught” symbol. They are discovered, common, collective symbols we all share.

How can we all share the same response to “red”? Because, ultimately, we are one — if we remove the ego that traps us in samsara.

NOTES

[1] [1] Max Planck, 1944; Das Wesen der Materie [The Nature of Matter], speech at Florence, Italy (1944) (from Archiv zur Geschichte der Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, Abt. Va, Rep. 11 Planck, Nr. 1797)

[2]  “The Case Against Reality”, The Atlantic

[3] “The Three Roots: The Lama, Yidams and Protectors” His Eminence Jamgon Kongtrul Rinpoche the Third, Karma Lodrö Chökyi Sen 

[5] Interview with HH. Sakya Trizin on Tricycle.

“You should know all phenomena are like dreams.” — Shakyamuni Buddha.

Unless we are Yogis or Yoginis, the closest we are likely to come to an inciteful appreciation of Emptiness and the true nature of phenomenon might actually be our dreams. The first Karmapa attained Enlightenment with Dream Yoga.

The conflicted “daytime” mind — so wound up in our worries, stresses, and fears — is as difficult to tame as a wild horse that has lived for years in the mountains. The nighttime mind, on the other hand, deeply entranced in Theta state (REM), can be almost as pliable and free as a Yogi’s mind.

“It is easier to develop your practices in a dream than in the daytime. In the daytime, we are limited to our material body, but in a dream our function of mind and our consciousness of the senses are unhindered. We can have more clarity… If a person applies a practice within a dream, it is nine times more effective than when it is applied in waking life.” — Namkai Norbu Rinpoche

During REM brain activity increases

During REM sleep, in EEGs (Electroencephalograms) of brain activity, the brain is actually substantially more active than during daytime waking time. In part, this is because the mind is literally freed of mundane, repetitive habitual activities, and focused entirely on mind — much as we aspire to achieve in some forms of sitting (awake) meditation. All activities take place in mind.  Tibetan Buddhists, for centuries, recognized this important mental activity as a time to really empower practice and developed Milam Sleep Yoga to facilitate lucid dreaming. [See the mini How-To at end of this feature and suggestions throughout.]

Many sutras give different examples of Buddha’s statement, using metaphors like clouds and rainbows to illustrate the illusion of phenomena. The concept is so important it is a major part of Lojong Seven Point Mind Training. Slogan Two in the Lojong text says: “Regard all dharmas as dreams; although experiences may seem solid, they are passing memories.” [For a story on Lojong Seven-Point Mind Training, visit>>]

“The first step to dream practice is quite simple: one must recognize the great potential that dream holds for the spiritual journey. Normally, the dream is thought to be ‘unreal,’ as opposed to ‘real’ waking life. But there is nothing more real than dream. This statement only makes sense once it is understood that normal waking life is as unreal as dream, and in exactly the same. way.” — Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, The Tibetan Yogas of Dream and Sleep

The waking mind is a busy mind, and even with Lojong Mind Training, analysis only takes our understanding of phenomenon so far. Even a full hour of mindfully watching our busy thoughts — and attaining near perfect calm mind in seated meditation — can’t come close to the open and “Empty” state of mind of the dreamer. A few minutes of lucid dream yoga in the altered state of sleep brings us as close as most of us “ordinary mortals” are going to get to the what the great Yogis and Yoginis experienced after years in their lonely mountain caves. [Note: See some interesting teaching videos on Tibetan Dream Yoga below in this feature.]

Buddhist Dream Yoga or Lucid Dreaming for the purpose of Dharma practice is particularly effective in helping us understand the true nature of reality. It can really liberate your meditation, particularly since we spend more time sleeping than in any other “activity.”

“Form is Emptiness; Emptiness is Form”

Dream Yoga is a “pure state of mind”, where anything becomes possible. Thoughtforms appear real. As we master lucid dreaming, we begin to understand the Heart Sutra:

The other four aspects of human existence —
feeling, thought, will, and consciousness —
are likewise nothing more than emptiness,
and emptiness nothing more than they.

Classically, in Tibetan Buddhist practice, Dream Yoga is also important as preparation for Death. If we understand that even Death is illusory, we can feel less fear. If we can understand that life is impermanent, and dependent arising, we feel strongly motivated to practice now, while we have this precious awareness.

“If we cannot carry our practice into sleep,” wrote Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, in The Tibetan Yogas of Dream and Sleep, “if we lose ourselves every night, what chance do we have to be aware when death comes? Look to your experience in dreams to know how you will fare in death. Look to your experience of sleep to discover whether or not you are truly awake.”

Sleep Yoga: using “Theta” mind to advance

A key indicator of meditation success is to attain “Theta mind” — the brain waves (4.7-5Hz) typically associated with either deep meditative state, or sleep in the dream state. Most of us ordinary mortals, in seated waking-meditation — even after an hour of deep calm-abiding practice — can move out of “Alpha” brain wave (7.5-12Hz). Most of us will come close to the 7.5Hz end of the spectrum with years of practice — the brain wave frequency associated with “intuition” — but any lower than that escapes the waking mind (unless you are an advanced Yogi or Yogini.)

Today, we don’t have the luxury of leaving our families and jobs behind for years for a retreat in the mountains. Many teachers say we should engage in a full retreat at least once in our lives; most of us, if we can do it at all, will wait for our retirement.

But, when we sleep, our minds create entire worlds within seconds, a century can pass in a relative minute, we can fly through the sky and meet Buddhas and stunningly beautiful Dakinis, we see monsters from the deepest fictional hells of our mind — and none of it is real. Yet, all of it is as real as we experience in our daily lives.

Lucid participation in your dreams can quickly help us develop insight into duality, into the true nature of phenomena, into the illusion of appearances in our dualistic “waking” world.

Sleep Yoga: ideal meditation for modern life

Lucid dreaming, as an actual practice in Buddhism, is called “Sleep Yoga” or svapnadarshana (Tib. milam), “The Yoga of the Dream State.” In Vajrayana, although we practice sitting meditation, mindfulness and calm-abiding meditations — we also strongly focus on visualized meditations. Vajrayana is considered the “lightning path” to realizations, largely because it adds this dimension of visualized practice — often called Deity Yoga — which helps us understand the true nature of reality and the illusion of dualistic phenomenon. It is also the easiest way to develop some insights into the important concept of Shunyata (Emptiness) — especially in the modern world.

Yet, in apparent contradiction, the extraordinary stresses of contemporary life make it difficult to settle our busy minds enough to have truly intense visualizations. Our progress can slow or stall because of it, although years of practice will eventually bring some realizations.

Sleep Yoga (milam, rmi-lam, nyilam) or lucid dreaming practice, could be the “lightning path” within the “lightning path.” By moving some of our practice to the “Theta Mind” dreaming, insights into the nature of reality are easier to grasp. Experiencing the “illusion” is more impactful than analyzing it logically with the waking mind.

A short and informative video from Andrew Holecek, author of Dream Yoga: Illuminating Your Life Through Lucid Dreaming and the Tibetan Yogas of Sleep:

Dream Yoga: What Can We Achieve?

In a word — Anything. We can achieve anything in lucid dreaming — once we have mastered the method — because we control what we feel, see, do, and all phenomenon in the dream. If we have mastery, we can snap our fingers and create a wall of fire. It’s a fantasy dream.

But why do it? Firstly, as Andrew Holecek explains in his book Dream Yoga: Illuminating Your Life Through Lucid Dream, “We spend more time in bed than any other single place, dead to the outer world, but potentially alive to an exciting inner world.”

Just for the sake of lucidly dreaming, it is nothing more than another form of attachment, another Samsaric activity for enjoyment — Dream TV channel. To make it Dharma practice, after we’ve started mastering the lucid control of the dream, our Dharma activities can include:

• Realizations on Shunyata (at least improve our understanding): Seeing for ourselves the illusory nature of phenomena and developing a deep understanding of the teachings in the Heart Sutra [For a feature story and commentary on Heart Sutra, please see>>]
• Practising sadhanas (meditation practices): Who doesn’t run out time for daily meditation? And, even if we have time, can we really get into the receptive, open, empty state of mind needed to make progress? Once we have control of lucid dreaming we can actually practice sadhanas in the state of “Theta” — suddenly, our visualizations not only appear alive, they move and talk. (Obviously, it’s important to first have a qualified teacher who coaches you on deity visualization and dream yoga.)
• Preparing for Death: as with many Buddhist practices, we meditate on death to understand impermanence and motivate practice. In Dream Yoga, we go one step further. We use the method to actually prepare for death. Dreaming state is as close to “Bardo”  or immediate death state as its possible to achieve while still alive — with the exception of actually Near Death Experiences (NDE).
• Receiving teachings For the masters of the method, it is said you can receive initiations, empowerments and transmissions from teachers (not only your own teacher, but remote teachers you’ve never met, and even deceased teachers — since time is just another phenomenon.)
• Pilgrimages: Imagine finally having time to take Pilgrimage to Holy Places. This meritorious activity not only is possible, it’s possible with the speed of thought. You can visit any place, or even time, instantly. Travel between worlds, centuries or cities. It doesn’t matter that this is illusory. You develop merit from Pilgrimage and help to increase your understanding of Shunyata at the same time.
• Developing Metta and Compassion: In your dreams, you can visit many sentient beings. In your dreams, non-human sentient beings can communicate. Imagine the boundless compassion you can develop by meeting so many beings, even if they are dream beings.

Lest we get lost in all the fantasy — or worry that it’s ruining our practice — it’s probably important to emphasise again: understanding that phenomena are ultimately illusory is the one of the main points.

Marpa and Milarepa: Six Stages of Dream Yoga

There are different lineages and methods taught over the centuries by Vajrayana Buddhist teachers, but you could say the practice breaks down into six stages or phases, based on teachings from the great Marpa and Milarepa:

1. Instructions in lucid dreaming: in formal practice normally initiations, instructions, and meditations precede practice.
2. The teacher explains how the dreamer should not fear anything in a dream, that all is an illusion, that even things that appear harmful can be tamed by us, and how to do it.
3. Coming to understand that dream phenomena and “waking” phenomena are both dependent on mind and nothing but illusions. “Without the perceiver, there is no perceived.” Both waking and dream phenomenon is dependent arising — therefore they are Empty of independent existence.
4. Realise we are in control of our dreams — practice changing objects from one thing into another.
5. Understand that our own dream body (as we see/feel it in our dream) is no more real than our waking life body. We should realise we are not that illusory body, but something beyond that.
6. We then, understanding Emptiness, visualise perfect Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and Dakinis while in the lucid dreaming state — which is much more vivid and living and detailed than they appear typically in our waking visualisations during Deity Yoga. We then rest in the clear light of Emptiness.

It is said that the great practitioners of Dream Yoga can visit each other, not just living Masters, but their teachers in the past or future — and that both the dreamer and the recipient remember the meeting and teaching.

How to Learn Dream Yoga

Formally, in Tibetan method, you should receive teachings and possibly empowerment from a qualified lineage teacher — and that will normally only follow Ngondro (or Foundation) practices. These are important to prepare the mind for this important and profound practice.

But, until that time, you can practice lucid dreaming, getting yourself ready for the time when you begin formal practice. The basic steps to developing Lucid Dreaming are:

• First practice dream recollection: Don’t worry about control or lucidity in the dream, focus on always remembering your dreams. Go to bed with the intention of remembering, keep a dream journal, and if you wake up from a dream, close your eyes immediately to help you remember. (Several studies indicate that the “light” stimulation when we open our eyes is the main reason we forget dreams.)
• “Stress and tension taken to bed will follow the sleeper, into sleep. Therefore, bring the mind into rigpa if possible,” before sleep — Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche
• Chant mantras from your personal practice as you start to fall asleep. This will relax you, set your intension, and put you in a spiritual state-of-mind.
• Consciously affirm to yourself as you go to bed that you will remember and lucidly participate in your dreams. Ultimately, you should also affirm you will “control” your dreams (rather than passively participate.)
• Learn to recognize the signs you are lucidly dreaming. One sign, for example, would be seeing a dead relative, friend or teacher. Look around you and find details that are indicators you in dream state.
• If you wake up from a dream, remain in the relaxed state — keep your eyes closed — affirm you were dreaming, then try to re-enter the dream, this time lucidly, while still close to the Theta state (at this time you would be in a relaxed form of Alpha state, but could easily slip back into Theta.)
• The great Tibetan Yogis and teachers always recommend sleeping on the right side, the same posture Shakyamuni Buddha manifested when he passed away into Paranirvana.
• You can try some of the “guided” audio meditations designed to induce lucid dreaming, or you can record your own, where you repeat over and over “I will have a lucid dream, I will have a lucid dream…”
• After you develop some dream recall, try guiding your dreaming by falling asleep with an image in mind. As with any meditation, focus intensely on the visualization as you drift off to sleep.
• If you have a deity practice, with initiation to self-generate, it can be helpful to visualize the self as deity just before sleep, and your bedroom as a Pure Land. Having this positive image can lead to a positive dream experience.
• If you have initiation, try practising the Sleep and Waking Yogas of Vajrayogini or other meditations with this practice — as instructed by your teacher, of course.

There are a number of techniques classically used for this: dream journals by your bedside for when you first wake up — write down your dream recollections before the waking mind wipes out the gain.

Tips for Difficult Dreamers

Incorporating all the elements above, there are some key points that are musts for good lucid dreaming. First is motivation. As with any Buddhist practice, you should set your motivation, and also affirm your goal: “I intend to participate in lucid dreaming for the purpose of expanding my practice and with the intention of benefiting all sentient beings.” Or, whatever you intention is.

Important Tip: Remember the goal is not just to know you are lucid, but ultimately to be able to control or transform your dream. You should have complete power in your dreams.

Secondly, if you have trouble lucidly dreaming, try setting your mental clock to two hours before you normally wake up. “I will become aware I am lucidly dreaming at 4 am this morning.” In the same way this works for people who want to remind themselves to wake up by 6 am for a meeting, this sort of intention/reminder actually does seem to work.

If you wake up, recalling a dream, immediately press your eyes closed, reaffirm your intention, and drift back into sleep. Typically, people who wake up from a dream, then go back to sleep, are more likely to either lucid dream, or clearly remember their dream. There is also a “Theta” zone, when you are still thick with dream/sleep right after you wake, that you can exploit. Try guiding your own visualization of your practice while in this state, being careful not to “wake up” — keep your mind peaceful and sleepy. You may find your visualizations, even though you are somewhat awake, are more vivid than you can achieve in traditional “waking” practice.

If you have significant difficulties, you can try various other tactics such REM dream goggles (which flash while you sleep so subtly they register in your dreams, helping remind you you are awake in the dreams), guided sleep meditations on audio recordings, even recordings of shaman drumming before you sleep (which creates a frequency which helps induce Theta.)

The most effective method is to combine Sleep Yoga with Dream Yoga. Sleep Yoga basically involves visualising yourself as Yidam, then falling asleep with that image. Alternately, in non-Vajrayana practice, you can do mindfulness meditation in bed as you go to sleep. Allow yourself to naturally fall asleep, and watch the process of mind going to sleep as it happens.

Technical Tip: Avoid sleep aids, other than natural ones. Sleeping pills prevent dreaming.

Formal Dream Yoga

As taught in commentaries by Gyatrul Rinpoche and others, the formal steps of practice — which require teacher guidance — are:

• Apprehension: understanding and seeing dreams
• Transformation: controlling the dreams and all forms, images, experiences
• Absorption of unifications: (but we will leave this to a teacher to describe.)

For formal dream yoga, it is best to seek out a qualified teacher of lineage. There are a number of books on the practice, but ultimately, the higher teachings of Dream Yoga are best transmitted through your teacher.

More Information

Meanwhile, Lucid dreaming itself is a fulfilling and useful skill. There are helpful resources for self-learning Lucid dreaming. Some useful books include:

• Dream Yoga: Illuminating Your Life Through Lucid Dreaming and the Tibetan Yogas of Sleep, by Andrew Holecek
• Meditation, Transformation, And Dream Yoga, by Gyatrul Rinpoche, B. Alan Wallace, Sangye Khandro
• The Tibetan Yogas of Dream and Sleep, Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, Mark Dahlby

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“One surprising source of insight into the question of why our minds work the way they do comes from the attempt to replicate them – the study of artificial intelligence.” — Jochen Szangolies, PhD

Editor: Jochen Szangolies, PhD — who works on quantum contextuality and mechanics — wrestles brilliantly with the concept of Buddha Nature as it relates not only to mind — but also to Artificial Intelligence. As we try to emulate the human mind, and effectively push AI towards consciousness, does this mean the “machine” develops Buddha Nature? As a “test” of AI, here’s an image on the theme of AI Buddha Nature — created by AI:

By Jochen Szangolies, PhD

Biography at bottom of feature. Profile on Academia.edu>>

Buddhist philosophy sees us as systematically mistaken about both ourselves and the world, and views suffering (Sanskrit: duḥkha, Pāli: dukkha) as a direct consequence of this misperception or ignorance (Sanskrit: avidyā, Pāli: avijjā). It would be futile to try and give an account of Buddhist doctrine here that has any pretensions towards completeness, but the general gist is not too far from the following: We are mistaken about the sort of creatures we are, and likewise, about the world we inhabit. Concretely, we believe that the world around us has certain immutable and absolute characteristics, and that we, ourselves, possess a certain fixed core or true nature called the ‘self’ – but in fact, these are categorically mistaken, even inconsistent, notions, which beget desires we can only pursue in vain.

The idea that some of our most deeply and intuitively held beliefs about ourselves and the world we inhabit should simply be mistaken is challenging, and upon first encounter, may appear downright offensive. What could be the reason for this deception? Should we not expect that evolution, if nothing else, has tuned our faculties towards faithfully representing ourselves within our environment, maximizing our chances of successfully interacting with it?

In this essay, I want to suggest that one surprising source of insight into the question of why our minds work the way they do comes from the attempt to replicate them – the study of artificial intelligence.

Another image generated by AI:

1 What AI’s Errors Teach Us

Artificial intelligence based on neural networks has been, by most accounts, a massive success story. AI superlatives have dominated headlines in the past few years. In 2016, world Go champion Lee Sedol was defeated by Deep Mind’s (now Google) Alpha Go. [Ed: Video inset below.] More recently, Elon Musk-backed nonprofit OpenAI pronounced its text generator GPT2 “too dangerous to release”. Philipp Wang, a software engineer at Uber, used research by Nvidia to create one of 2019’s greatest viral hits so far, a site that does nothing but display a new, AI-generated human face each time it is loaded.

It is not hard to see, in this age of fake news and alternative facts, that such feats may be cause for concern. However, the greater challenge posed by neural network based AI may not lie with its successes, but rather, with its failures – and concretely, with its inability to justify itself. When a neural network fails at its task, it often does so in a bizarre fashion.

This can have intriguing effects: Research performed at the University of Wyoming shows how to deliberately create images designed to fool successful image classifiers, for instance goading them to confidently identify what looks like random noise to human eyes as various animals (see Figure).

In another study, researchers confronted AI systems with the proverbial elephant in the room: Into a living room scene containing many objects easily recognized by a computer vision system, an elephant is introduced. This has surprising effects: Sometimes, the elephant isn’t recognized at all; other times, it is, but its presence causes objects previously labeled correctly to now be misidentified, such as labeling a couch a chair; yet other times, it is itself identified as a chair.

Failures like these raise serious concerns for the accountability of artificially intelligent agents: Just imagine what a misclassification of this sort could mean for an autonomous car. Compounding this problem is that we can’t just ask the AI why it came up with a particular classification – where humans can appeal to domain-specific knowledge, such as that a cheetah is a four-legged predatory spotted feline and not a collection of random pixels, a neural network only has its classification result to appeal to. To it, the random noise looked, inscrutably, ‘cheetah-like’.

This problem has spurred DARPA to usher in a ‘third wave’ of AI. In this classification, the first wave of AI were so-called ‘expert systems’, that essentially relied on hard-coded expert knowledge to perform their tasks, while the second wave comprises agents relying on neural network-based computation, trained using massive sets of data to accomplish feats of classification.

Third wave AI, on the other hand, will add a crucial capacity that enables an autonomous agent to both justify itself, as well as increase its performance, limiting the incidence of ‘bizarre’ failures. Roughly speaking, a third wave system will possess a model of the objects within its domain; that is, it will be able to refer back to the fact that a cheetah is a four-legged spotted animal in order to prevent misclassifications. In addition, if asked for a reason why it classified a particular picture as that of a cheetah, it can then appeal to that model, answering “because the animal it shows has spots”.

Video reference (added by editor): Lee Sedol’s legendary match up with AI Alpha Go:

This capacity of explaining or justifying itself is crucial to human-style cognition. Psychologists, going back to William James, speak of the ‘dual-process model’ of human thinking: Thought, the model claims, consists of two modes – a fast, implicit, unconscious and automatic facility of recognition, as when you immediately judge the mood of a person by their facial expression, and a slow, deliberate, effortful conscious process of reasoning, as in solving a math puzzle. In his bestselling book ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’, Daniel Kahnemann calls these different faculties simply ‘System 1’ and ‘System 2’.

Neural networks then excel at System 1-style recognition tasks, but, just as we occasionally have trouble justifying our intuitions, lack the capacity to provide a step-by-step account of how they come to their judgments. DARPA’s third wave initiative thus calls for adding a System 2 to artificial intelligence. As AI researcher Ben Goertzel already put it in 2012:

Bridging the gap between symbolic and subsymbolic representations is a – perhaps the – key obstacle along the path from the present state of AI achievement to human-level artificial general intelligence.

Here, ‘subsymbolic representation’ refers, essentially, to neural network-style computation, as opposed to the symbolic representation of explicit models.

Whereas System 1 produces automatic, fast judgments, System 2 is the deliberate, step-by-step chain of reasoning we are probably most accustomed to simply identify with ‘thought’ – the process by which we derive conclusions from premises, or follow a recipe, or find reasons, often for our own behavior.

Indeed, we think of System 2 as taking primacy in our mental landscape, but much psychological research seems to indicate the opposite: System 2 often acts as an ancilla to System 1, producing retrospective justifications, coming up with reasons why we acted or felt a certain way only after the fact

System 2 allows us to justify ourselves, to produce narratives explaining our behavior. But in doing so, it may go wrong: We often confabulate reasons for our actions in cases where we don’t have introspective access to their true causes. An extreme demonstration of this sort of flawed self-assessment comes from split-brain patients. In such cases, the corpus callosum, the ‘bridge’ between the two brain hemispheres, has been severed – a procedure used, for instance, in the treatment of severe cases of epilepsy. This leads to the possibility of certain pieces of information not being globally available, yet influencing behavior. Thus, the regions of the brain responsible for governing behavior and those generating justifications may become dissociated, one acting on information the other has no access to.

As an example, a split-brain patient may be shown the instruction to ‘walk’ only in the left half of their field of vision. Due to the ‘crossing’ of the optical nerves in the brain, this information will exclusively be available to the right hemisphere. If the patient then gets up and wanders off, they are asked to provide a reason why; however, the speech centers of the brain are housed in the left hemisphere. Consequently, the part of their brain that provides verbal reports has no access to the information that caused them to wander around. Yet, rather than truthfully reporting the fact that they have no idea why, most offer up a confabulated reason – such as, “I wanted to get a coke.”

System 2 is thus not merely an error-correcting device to keep System 1’s free-wheeling associativeness on the straight and narrow, but may over-correct, inventing reasons and justifications where none are available. The models of the world it offers may mislead us, even as they guide our action.

Indeed, to a certain extent, every model must mislead: An orrery is not the solar system, and a picture of a pipe is not a pipe. If there were no difference between the model and the thing modeled, then they would be one and the same; but then, modeling would not accomplish anything. Consequently, however, it follows that our model of the world necessarily differs from the world. The map is not the territory, and we confuse the two at our own peril.

2 Dual-Process Psychology and the Four Noble Truths

In Buddhist thought, the step-by-step reasoning of System 2 is known as ‘discursive thinking’ (Sanskrit: vitarka-vicara, Pāli: vitakka-vicara), which characterizes the first stage of meditation, and is said to be absent in later stages. One often encounters discursive thought as linked to a misapprehension of or illusion about the composition of the world; a thinking about the world that occludes its true nature.

This misperception causes us to experience craving (Sanskrit: tṛ́ṣṇā, Pāli: taṇhā) – what we believe about ourselves and the world causes us to want certain things: Satisfaction of desire, possessions, wealth, status, and so on. These cravings are often frustrated (in part by necessity, because they are caused by a mistaken perception of the world), and it is this frustration that causes us to experience suffering. Even the satisfaction of desire can only lead to more desire, and thus, furthers suffering, rather than overcoming it.

Suffering, in Buddhism, is thus different from things like pain: While pain is a simple reality, whether we suffer is a question of our attitude toward the world. The hopeful message originating from these ideas is then that by changing, by correcting our perception of the world, we can eliminate the causes of suffering.

In a nutshell, these are the first three of the Four Noble Truths, the core teaching of Buddhism. The First Truth acknowledges the reality of suffering, and its unavoidable presence due to the essential unsatisfactoriness of the world as it presents itself in our ordinary perception. The Second Truth locates the origin of suffering with our craving, which in turn is a result of our ignorance about the true nature of the world. The Third Truth draws the conclusion that the end of suffering lies in realizing our ignorance, which goes along with the cessation of craving, essentially exposing it as based on false premises.

Finally, the Fourth Noble Truth concerns the way out of the whole quagmire. In Buddhist tradition, this is called the Noble Eightfold Path. Intriguingly, it’s not so much a collection of teachings, rather than a set of practices: You can’t reason yourself out of your misperception of the world, you can only train yourself out of it.

The dual-process, model-vs-neural-net picture of cognition can be employed to shed some light on these Buddhist ideas. In order to unpack them, we first have to take a closer look at the notion of modeling.

As we have seen, human-style thought differs from neural net-style recognition at least in part due to the presence of semantic, context-appropriate knowledge about the objects of our thoughts. We employ models both to justify and explain ourselves, to ourselves and others. But what is a model?

In his book Life Itself, theoretical biologist Robert Rosen conceived of the notion of modeling as a certain kind of structural correspondence between a model and its object. Take the relation between an orrery and the solar system: The orrery’s little metal beads are arranged in a certain way, and subject to certain constraints that dictate possible configurations. This arrangement mirrors that of the planets around the sun, and the constraints ensure that for every state of the model, there is a corresponding state of the solar system, and vice versa. It does not matter that on the one side, the constraints are implemented via wires and gears, while on the other, they are due to Newton’s law of gravitation: For one system to model another is merely to mirror relationships between parts, not to replicate its inner composition.

Indeed, as noted earlier, if we required that a model equals the system it models in every respect, we would end up with a copy, not with a model. Thus, in order for a model to be a model, it must not merely replicate certain properties of the original, but it must also differ in certain ways. Maps model the territory in that the placement of certain map markers mirrors that of cities, mountains, and lakes; they don’t model it in being composed of earth, water and vegetation. The map’s legend explains what each marker stands for, and is what ultimately allows us to use them for navigation.

Confusion then comes about once we mistake features of the model for features of the system it models. Since we can model the motion of the planets by clockwork, one might conclude that the heavens themselves are animated by a giant celestial clockwork, stars and planets dotted on crystalline spheres revolving around one another. But this is just, as Korzybski memorably put it, mistaking the map for the territory: Just because we can model a system a certain way, doesn’t mean that it actually is that way.
The confusions that Buddhism claims lie at the origin of our suffering can be seen to be of just this kind. However, they are not merely accidental properties of the modeling system that get projected onto the original, but rather, are inherent to the notion of modeling itself.

Buddhism proposes three truths in particular we are systematically mistaken about:

• Impermanence (Sanskrit: anitya, Pāli: anicca): Everything that arises, does so in only a temporary fashion, and dissolves again, locked into a chain of cause and effect (what’s sometimes called conditioned existence)
• Emptiness (Sanskrit: śūnyatā, Pāli: suññatā): Everything is ultimately free of any particular inner character or intrinsic nature (Sanskrit: svabhāva; Pali: sabhāva)
• No-Self (Sanskrit: anātman, Pāli: anattā): There is no fixed, unchanging ‘core-self’; we are ourselves free of inner nature

These are not independent of one another: In order for things to be impermanent, they can’t have a fundamental inner nature – for otherwise, where would that nature go when it changes? If it changes itself, it can’t be immutable, but then, in what sense was it really an inner nature?

Western philosophy, by contrast, starts out with the notion of substance: The fixed, unchanging fundamental stuff, out of which ultimately everything else arises. Thales of Miletus, widely considered to be the ‘first philosopher’ (more likely, simply the first of whose thought a record exists), proclaimed that ‘everything is water’. As first stabs go, this isn’t an altogether bad one: The mutability of water is readily accessible to observation – you cool it, and it solidifies as ice; you heat it, and it becomes a gas. Yet, it manifestly remains, in some sense, the same kind of thing (today, we would say it remains H2O). Why could it not have other forms, that arise under other conditions?

So here we have an example of all phenomena ultimately boiling down to a single kind of thing, which in itself just forms the true, immutable inner character of the world. Of course, while a great number of questions get answered in this way, new ones immediately arise: Why water? And, perhaps more pressingly, whence water? If everything is grounded in water, what grounds water itself?

This has spawned a productive tradition in philosophy. Not long after Thales, Heraclitus came along to proclaim that no, everything is actually fire. Again, not a bad guess, as such: Fire may be brought forth from many things, and almost everything can be ‘dissolved’ into fire, after all. Parmenides took the game of substances to its extreme, and proposed that all change is, in fact, illusory – indeed, as aided by his disciple Zenon of Elea, logically impossible. To Democritus, there were just ‘atoms and the void’, and he is thus often perceived as the progenitor of present day views, where everything is quantum fields, bubbling away in the modern-day void of the quantum vacuum.

Buddhist Goddess of Mercy Robot? (Inserted by Editors — for fun):

3 Fundamental Natures and the Library of Babel

From a Buddhist point of view, all of this is more or less barking up the wrong tree. More accurately, such views are elements of conventional (as opposed to ultimate) truth. That is, they’re not false, and certainly far from worthless – as a physicist by training, I’m far from suggesting that anybody who studies quantum fields is wasting their lives, or caught up in some intricate illusion.
But conventional truth is the truth of models, of discursive thought, and we must take care not to confuse our models with the world. And it is, in fact, a characteristic of models that they boil down to a certain fundamental nature, a set of facts from which everything else can be derived, but which themselves admit no further justification. As an analogy, take axiomatic systems in mathematics: Everything that can be proved within such a system flows logically from the axioms. But why those axioms?

The reason for this ‘fundamentalism’ found within every model is, perhaps counter-intuitively, their incomplete, partial nature. It’s an intriguing fact from information theory that a part can contain more information than the whole it is a part of: While certain wholes admit of a very short, and nevertheless perfectly accurate description – ‘a glass sphere of 10 cm diameter’ perfectly and exhaustively describes said object – parts of it may take much more information to completely characterize. Just think of dropping the sphere, and attempting to describe a single shard in complete detail: Volumes of text would not suffice.

The same goes, for instance, for mathematical entities: The natural numbers are completely characterized by a brief list of statements (the so-called Peano axioms), but specifying any subset of them may amount to listing all of its members – which might be an infinite list.

This employs a measure of information content that’s called description-length (or Kolmogorov, after the Russian mathematician who came up with it) complexity. My claim is now that every model has a non-zero description-length complexity – but crucially, the world itself may not. If the description-length complexity then measures the ‘fundamental facts’ that specify the model, such as the statement ‘everything is water’, then having a fundamental character is a property of models, but not necessarily of the world they seek to model. The world would then be empty of such a fundamental nature.

Another curious fact about Kolmogorov complexity will help us demonstrate this. The Kolmogorov complexity of a part is always the same as the Kolmogorov complexity of what’s left over after having taken away that part. It’s again like the shard and the glass sphere: If you just break out one shard, then specifying the specific form of the shard also serves to specify the hole it left – and thus, the complete shape of the sphere minus the shard. Or, take a set of numbers, and remove some of them: Once you can describe which ones you’ve taken away, you can also describe which ones are left over.

Now, take everything. If you take nothing away, you’ve still got everything left; and nothing has zero information content. Consequently, everything, itself, must also have zero information content.

Like the shard fitting into the hole it left in the glass sphere to create an object of much less information content than either of its parts, if you keep putting all the ‘parts’ of everything together, what you end up with ultimately has no information content – no fundamental nature – at all. It’s empty.

If that seems a bit suspiciously easy, consider how information content shrinks with each specification, or distinction, we remove. Take Borges’ Library of Babel, which contains every possible book written with an alphabet of 25 characters. In order to fully specify the library’s contents, we’d also have to specify the letters, and, to keep matters finite, we can add an upper limit to the length of the books.

These few words specify an enormous amount of texts. Each single volume within the library is likely to take much more information to specify (excluding oddities, such as a book that only contains the letter ‘a’ repeated a hundred thousand times). Now, consider how we can reduce the number of books by including further specifications: Say, every possible book of the given length written in the given alphabet that starts with the letter ‘q’.

We have increased the total information content of the library – since it now takes a longer description to fully specify it – but simultaneously, we have decreased the total number of books within it. This is due to us adding a single, further distinction: That the books should start with a certain letter.

Conversely, removing distinctions further decreases the total information content, while increasing the library itself – say, we drop our requirement that all books are written using the same 25 characters, allowing arbitrary character sets instead, or we remove the requirement that they be books, allowing all manner of written texts, or any objects at all.

This introduces a limiting procedure: With each removed distinction, the content of the library gets less stringently specified, and thus, the number of elements it contains grows. Taken to its logical conclusion, we are left with a ‘library’ containing every object, while having no information content whatsoever – since if there were any information content left, we could erase that final distinction, adding the objects previously excluded by it to our ‘library’.

This ties into Buddhist teachings in two further ways. The world, taken as a whole, contains no distinctions – as for each distinction, it would acquire information content, and consequently, a fundamental nature. This harkens back to the non-dichotomic nature of reality in Buddhist thought: There are no fundamental distinctions between self and other, or between the things within the world (after all, there are also no fundamental natures upon which these distinctions could supervene).

Furthermore, individual objects arise from the world by drawing a distinction – the distinction between the shard and the rest of the glass sphere, say. Just as, in art, with the figure, there arises the ground, phenomena arise in mutual interdependence. This leads to the doctrine of dependent origination (Sanskrit: pratītyasamutpāda, Pāli: paṭiccasamuppāda), which states that nothing exists independently, of its own power, so to speak – in contrast to the Western notion of substance, which exists purely out of its own accord.

The above should be read in the spirit of explanatory metaphor, as is often offered in Buddhist texts. Compare the following passage from the famous “Sheaves of Reeds”-discourse:

It is as if two sheaves of reeds were to stand leaning against one another. (…) If one were to pull away one of those sheaves of reeds, the other would fall; if one were to pull away the other, the first one would fall.

That is, the characteristics (whether it falls, or is held up) of each sheaf dependently arise with those of the other. Only by taking some part away is the character of what is left over made manifest – as it is with the information content of a partial system.

On this view, the fundamental nature we see in the world is thus a consequence of the limited grasp of our models, and hence, their non-zero information content. We can think of the shortest description of a given model as its axioms, that suffice to derive every further true fact within the model; these axioms (like ‘everything is water’) then characterize the world according to the model.

4 The Homuncular Self

On first blush, it is pure expedience that limits the scope of our models. It is much more useful to model my immediate surroundings, than to model the entire universe as a whole. However, there are in fact intrinsic limitations to modeling, which ensure that every model can only ever be partial. Thus, all model-based reasoning by necessity implicitly views the world as having a certain sort of fundamental nature.

One such limitation of modeling applies to modeling itself. How do we use, say, an orrery to model the solar system? Or a map to model the terrain we plan on exploring? By taking configurations of the orrery, and converting them, somehow, into planetary arrangements. This makes use of an assignment of parts of the orrery to parts of the solar system. For a map, this assignment is given by its legend: A triangle denotes a mountain top, green colored areas are forests, blue patches lakes.

But, the legend on the map is, first and foremost, just a set of marks, physical objects, on paper. How do we know the meaning of these marks? Well, again: We need some sort of association of these marks with what they mean. This defines, then, a sort of higher-order legend, used to explain the former. But do we then need another, third-order legend to explain this one? And a fourth, and so forth?

We’ve run into what’s known as the homunculus problem in the philosophy of mind: Directing a capacity at itself to form an explanation of itself collapses into infinite regress. This is most often encountered in the theory of vision: The idea here is that in order to see, we generate an internal representation of our external world. But who beholds this internal representation? And does this mysterious agency – the homunculus or ‘little man’ – need to form its own internal representation for its homunculus to see, and so on?

The capacity of modeling thus collapses at this point, and must either spiral into infinity, or ‘paper over’ the lacuna in its picture of the world with some unanalyzable placeholder proclaiming ‘here there be dragons’. Modeling must always at least miss that one point where the world maps onto itself. We can think of this point as follows. Consider an island. Put a map of that island somewhere onto the island itself. If the map is sufficiently detailed, then it must contain a representation of itself within itself, and within that representation another, and so on.

No matter to what level we model the regress, it will always seem to us as if the symbolic representation is just understood. If we think of the map, we understand it to refer to mountains, forests, cities and roads, rather than lines on paper. If we become conscious of the fact that we need to use some form of translation to interpret the map – if we have to consult the legend – then that legend, in turn, seems immediately comprehended. Asking ourselves how we understand the legend, the language it’s written in just seems intelligible. And so forth: At each level of the hierarchy, the representation seems already understood by a detached observer lurking just beyond the model, at the next higher rung.

This fixed point, rather than being represented in all its dizzying infinitude, gets simply labeled ‘the self’. The self is then just the homunculus using the map to navigate the world, filling the gap left by what would otherwise be an infinite tower of representations. It forms our own, mysterious core; something ineffable (i. e. inaccessible to model-based reasoning) that nevertheless sits at our very center, that, as the central authority, seems to be the thing which all the other stuff is for. It’s the little arrow on the map, labeled ‘you are here’.

Models, by necessity, thus contain a fundamental, unchanging core (the ‘axioms’), as well as a ‘little man’ sitting at the center, beholding the model, using it to apprehend the world (the ‘self’). These arise, as Buddhist thought proclaims, in mutual dependence: Exactly because there is an unanalyzable core self within each model, the model itself is incomplete, and hence, contains a non-zero amount of fundamental information. The dichotomy between subject and object, between self and other is thus likewise a necessary consequence of model-based reasoning, and our belief that this dualism is fundamental to the world again a case of confusing map and territory.

As long as we take model-based thinking for a faithful representation of the world, we will thus consider the world to have an immutable fundamental character, and ourselves as likewise having a definite inner self. Thus confused about the true nature of the world, we become bound up in our cravings, which, due to the unsatisfactory nature of the world, leads to suffering.

It wouldn’t do, however, to merely consider the self an illusion. After all, that point where the map maps onto itself really exists – it’s just that its existence depends on the map, not on the territory it represents. It is an element of conventional truth, but truth all the same, as long as we don’t take it to be an element of the world as such. With all reasoning however based on models, this seems impossible: The self is baked into all such reasoning, so we can’t reason our way out of it. The ignorance that’s at the root of suffering in Buddhist thought thus can’t simply be cured by getting told how things actually are – as ignorance about the name of the third highest mountain in the world can be (Kangchenjunga, if you were wondering).

So, what’s the way out? The solution, at first glance, seems simple: Throw the models overboard, and instead, trust System 1. Go with your gut! Follow your instincts! Let your inner neural net do all the work!

However, this seems unlikely to work. If I go with my gut, I’ll eat all of the chocolate now, and feel bad later when I look at the scales. System 1 is often concerned with immediate satisfaction, as opposed to long-term planning.

5 Meditation as a Different Kind of ‘Deep Learning’

But Buddhist thought is more subtle than that. We have, through past actions informed by a misperception of the world, trained our System 1 to give in to cravings. We have accumulated bad karma: Selfish past actions have trained us to seek instant gratification. This training, I suggest, can be understood in exactly the same way as that of a neural network: Fed a large enough amount of data, it tunes itself to the regularities in that data, and emulates it – this is how neural networks accomplish the impressive feats they are capable of. However, depending on the training data, this can lead to results that range from the hilarious to the offensive, as with Microsoft’s Twitter bot Tay, which had to be shut down after starting to spout hateful, racist rhetoric. Bad training data thus leads to bad behavioral outcomes. Training System 1 with data skewed by System 2’s misapprehension of the world leads to maladjusted behavior – ignorance leads to suffering.

Following these ingrained habits further is unlikely to lead to liberation from suffering – in fact, it will accomplish just the opposite. The solution, in Buddhist tradition, is thus to re-train our inner neural networks: To feed them better data, in order to enable them to make better decisions not governed by the false perception of the world.

This training is at the core of the Noble Eightfold Path. Let’s take a brief look at two methods of training in particular: Meditation practice, and the study of kōans that’s integral to Zen Buddhism.

Emphasizing practice over theory is not, in itself, a particularly shocking approach. You can’t learn to play the guitar by reading a book on guitar-playing; you actually have to practice playing the guitar, repeatedly, until you hopefully improve. The transmission of abilities thus isn’t accomplished by the mere transmission of knowledge – there are some things books can’t teach, but can only tell you how to learn.

But let’s take a look at how learning works, in this case. You’re given a set of instructions to follow – a model, in other words. Through diligent practice, the instructions become ‘ingrained’, until you reach a point where you don’t have to actively contemplate what you’re doing anymore, but simply act. The seasoned guitar player does not have to think about where to put her fingers to strike a certain chord, nor does she need to pay much mind to her strumming.

By practicing instructions given to you in the form of a model, going through it System 2-style step-by-step, you can eventually transfer an ability into the domain of System 1, until it becomes wholly automatic and effortless.

Such model-based training is one of the features of future third wave AI systems. Where a second wave (neural net) AI might need data sets with thousands of examples to perform even comparatively simple tasks, such as handwriting recognition, reliably, if augmented by a model of how different characters are produced, comparable performance may be achieved with much smaller sets of data.

The intention of meditative practice is then to re-train the mind – to undo the training System 1 has received by years of model-based reasoning, accepting the world as having a permanent fundamental nature and the reality of the self. Meditation thus includes an effort to silence discursive thinking. One road towards this is by learning how to focus attention, rather than letting it wander around aimlessly, and so, gradually, build up an awareness of our mental content.

This sort of training can perhaps be compared to becoming a seasoned oenophile, a wine connoisseur: By repeatedly studying an experience under controlled circumstances, such as the tasting of wine, one develops an appreciation for its more subtle aspects, as System 1 accumulates training data allowing it to draw ever finer distinctions. Thus, a skilled meditator has become a connoisseur of their own mind, capable of more fully appreciating the processes of modeling going on at any time, and thus, recognizing them as separate from merely appreciating the world as it is.

The shocking part then is this. We can break out of our misperception of the world not merely by acquiring the right sort of knowledge – reading the right sort of books, listening to the right teachers. No matter what is transported in this way, it will contribute to model-based thinking, and keep us mired in conventional truth.

Rather, meeting the world in the right way involves the right sort of practice – doing things the right way, not merely knowing the right sorts of things. To a physicist, this is both familiar and deeply disorienting: The mathematics necessary to grasp modern physical theories can’t be mastered merely by reading math books, but must be practiced diligently, until the abstract concepts have become innate. This is, I believe, what the great polymath John von Neumann meant when he said, “In mathematics, you don’t understand things. You just get used to them.”

But mathematics is merely a tool for model-building. It enables the student to learn the models that describe the physical world, in all its gory details. If the above is right, however, there is no such model. Rather, to meet the world free from illusion means to bypass models, and embrace training and diligent practice. The goal is thus not to produce an explicit understanding of the world as a whole – that is futile – but, more modestly, to shake oneself free from the errors introduced in misrepresenting the world.
This goal is also pursued in kōan practice. Take what’s perhaps the most (in-)famous example, due to the great Zen master Hakuin Ekaku:

“Two hands clap and there is a sound. What is the sound of one hand?”

One can read this as first introducing a model, and then unmaking it. A sound originates in the meeting of both hands, as the impact sends acoustic shock waves through the air. But with only one hand, no impact can occur, and hence, no sound is produced. This takes model-based reasoning to its limits.

However, a neural network would not necessarily have the same problem. It does not care about the underlying model. Indeed, stories produced by neural networks often have a certain kōan-like quality to them, since they lack internal coherence. No model fits the story, just as no model fits the kōan. Thus, a kōan can introduce training data to System 1, without presenting System 2 with anything it can make sense of, helping it shake itself free from the influence of model-based misperceptions. The kōan points beyond itself, providing food not for the model-based, conventional truth engine of System 2, but directly interacting with System 1, training it to overcome the years of mistaken impressions of the world.

This speaks to the interlocking nature of conventional and ultimate truth in Buddhist analysis. We can’t break free of our misperception by merely using conventional reasoning alone; yet, conceptual thought is needed to realize its own inadequacy. Consequently, this essay can’t do any more than provide you with a model – which, if it is to have any meaning at all, must, like the kōan, or the finger directed towards the moon, point beyond itself, indicating that which can’t be said directly. Like Wittgenstein’s ladder, it can only instruct in so far as indicating that it must be overcome. As the great Buddhist philosopher Nāgārjuna put it, “whoever makes a philosophical view out of emptiness is indeed lost” – in the memorable image of Nāgārjuna’s commentator Candrakīrti, it would be as if, upon being told by a shopkeeper that they have nothing to sell, one then asked to be sold that nothing.

Conventional and ultimate truth are themselves dependently originated: It’s only because models are always incomplete that their distinction arises. Ultimately, (the doctrine of) emptiness is itself empty.

In the vast tapestry of Buddhist philosophy, one thread stands out – the belief that we all have lived countless past lives in the ceaseless cycle of births. This leads to the compelling Buddhist teaching that at various points in time, all beings have been our mothers, as taught by Buddha in the Matta Sutta.

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In the vast tapestry of Buddhist philosophy, one thread stands out – the belief that we all have lived countless past lives in the ceaseless cycle of births. This leads to the compelling Buddhist teaching that at various points in time, all beings have been our mothers, as taught by Buddha in the Matta Sutta.

This notion that might seem outlandish at first glance, but stay with me. Buddhism, with its intricate web of reincarnation and karma, suggests that our souls are on a never-ending journey, constantly reincarnating into different forms. This cycle, known as Samsara, is influenced by our actions, our karma, and it carries on until we reach Nirvana, a state of liberation and ultimate bliss, free from the cycle of birth and death.

Now, let’s take a detour from Buddhism and venture into other faiths. Many spiritual paths entertain the concept of rebirth, albeit in different forms and interpretations. From the ancient Egyptians and their belief in the afterlife, to Cathar and esoteric Christians, Jainists, and many Hindus, the concept of rebirth is a common thread that weaves through the tapestry of human spirituality.

But what about science, the realm of the empirical and the quantifiable? Does it entertain such metaphysical concepts? The answer, surprisingly, is yes. Enter Thomas Campbell, a NASA physicist, who challenges our understanding of reality. According to Campbell, our conventional notions of time and space are illusions.

He posits, “There is no time. There is no space. Everything is one.” In essence, we’re all experiencing everything, all at once.”

Sounds mind-boggling, doesn’t it? But consider this: you are not only you, but also the neighbor, the dog, the child on the skateboard, the grumpy man in the corner store. You are me, the Dalai Lama, Leonardo DaVinci, Isaac Newton, Joan of Arc. You are everyone, all at once, in all points of time, and all points of space. The catch? You’re focused on seeing and experiencing reality through your perspective only, at this moment.

To summarize, the concept of rebirth and interconnectedness is as vast as it is profound. From the Buddhist belief in the endless cycle of births, to other spiritual paths that hold rebirth in high regard, and finally to the scientific explanation that challenges our perception of reality, we’re led to a startling conclusion: we are all one. We are all interconnected, and in a mind-blowing twist, we are all experiencing everything, all at once. So, next time you meet someone new, remember: they might just have been your mother in a past life. And who knows, they could be you in another reality. Quite the concept, isn’t it? Now, take a moment to let that sink in. True Rebirth would love to hear your  comments and opinions on this provocative “probability” below. Until next time, keep questioning, keep exploring!

Nothing inspires more debate amongst Buddhists, than the notion of rebirth. There’s no doubt the Buddha spoke often about rebirth, Samsara, suffering, karma and escaping the cycle. Many modern Buddhists tend to avoid or ignore the topic on the basis of modern sensibilities, rationalization and logic. After all, Buddha didn’t teach us how to stay in the cycle of rebirth — but to escape it.

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Yet, escaping rebirth and Samsara, and breaking the cycle of Karma is not the same thing as denying it. In other words, Rebirth, Samsara and Karma are all obstacles and problems to be solved — and Buddha prescirbed the cure for our malady. But, that’s not the same as saying “rebirth isn’t important” or denying its possibility.

Modern day cause and effect

Yes, today, modern Buddhists think of Karma as “cause and effect” in our present lives. We use mindfulness to stay aware of cause and effect and prevent negative karma. But, many of the teachings of the Buddha dealt with overcoming karma imprints from previous lives. One of the early recording teachings were on the topic of Buddha’s previous lives. Obviously, it was an accepted concept. In the time of Buddha — and for most Buddhist’s today — rebirth and karma and samsara are very real.

Of course, many modern, rational and secular Buddhist just ignore it, even though there is certainly a body of anecdotal evidence for rebirth and previous lives. No, we’re not saying science has firmly come done on the side of — objectively proven! However, there is a solid body of very credible evidence — enough so that notable scientists, phsycisists, quantum physicists, psychiatrists and others remain receptively open to the possibility. Some are swayed by the body of anecdotal evidence. It’s certainly not going to stand up to peer-reviewed publication, but it’s convincing, never the less.

To hundreds of millions of people, rebirth, or reincarnation, is a powerful, widely accepted belief. (They’re not the same thing, but more on this later.)  In many parts of the “East” it’s just accepted as fact; meanwhile, in the “west” Buddhist teachings on rebirth are often described as a “metaphor”, a skillful means designed to simplify teachings. (Many westerners do not have a belief or notion of rebirth.)

Is there evidence or rebirth or reincarnation — one, or both? It was, and remains today, a belief widely accepted by hundreds of millions of people worldwide. Why does it persist as a belief, in this age of science and logic?

Video with Oprah Winfrey “Reincarnation Proved”:

In part, it persists because there is some scientific anecdotal evidence of Rebirth—and no absolute proof that it doesn’t exist. Why does it even matter, especially when the Buddha taught a way to “escape” the cycle of suffering and rebirth? Because, as long as there is suffering, rebirth as a belief will persist, in part as an “explanation” of our suffering.

Why is There Suffering?

“Have you ever wondered why some people in the world are born so poor? And, on the other hand, some people are born so rich? Have you ever wondered why some babies are born with illness and others are fine? Do you ever wonder why life seems so unfair?”

To many people, there is a logical reason behind it—and some science to support it. It’s called Rebirth or Reincarnation. Hundreds of millions of people in the world—Hindus, Buddhists, Taoists, Gnostic faiths (including early Christians) and many others—believe in reincarnation or rebirth. But is there proof that of reincarnation/rebirth? Some noted psychiatrists and scientists claim that there is, some of which were widely published in Journals.

Ian Stevenson Collected “Irrefutable Evidence”

The best known evidence is the work of Ian Stevenson, who spent fifteen years collecting data from over 4500 people who spontaneously recalled past lives. According to Dr. Robert Almeder of Georgia State University, “This was important research, empirical research and I could not think of any alternative explanation as plausible for the data as that some people reincarnate.”

Video featuring Dr. Ian Stevenson’s theories and evidence:

It is Irrational to Disbelieve Reincarnation?

Dr. Almeder continues: “As a matter of a fact, some people, after reading the data… said “look, it’s not unreasonable to believe in reincarnation”…. My reaction was stronger. My reaction to the data was that it’s irrational to disbelieve it. A lot of people thought that went over the top, that it was too strong a claim. I meant it in a very simple way, that if you have a very commanding argument that you can’t refute, not to accept the argument is to act irrationally. ” He goes on to say that there’s a very strong argument in Stevenson’s data that has not been refuted.

Dr. Stevenson himself said, “It’s not unreasonable to believe, because this is the best fit on the data.” One of the reasons why the data is not refutable is the presentation of supporting historical facts: the spontaneous memories of children 2-4 years old. These children had no exposure to past live history information, yet unfailingly gave details of past lives that were verifiable.

Some Children Had Birthmarks Supporting Claims

In Dr. Stevenson’s studies “some people had birthmarks or birth defects that corresponded to the injury in their past lives, said Dr. Phang Cheng Kar, a noted psychiatrist. These injuries or birthmarks were supported with medical or autopsy reports. “It’s very convincing.”

Almeder goes on to say “[This means] by implication that human beings are more than their bodies, that a personality, in the end, is not reducible to a statement about biochemical states, brain states, biological properties produced by brain states.”

Reincarnation is the concept where the mind or spirit is reborn after the physical body has died. The mind can be reborn as a new human being or into various other states, depending on the causes created by the previous life. Hence the disparity in our various states of being. Reincarnation is not the same as rebirth. Reincarnation tends to involve a belief in the soul (atman) reincarnating (typically a Hindu belief), while rebirth considers the aggregates of consciousness, energy or mind stream (as it’s expressed in Buddhism).

Absence of Proof is not Proof of Non-Existence

Most science is built around the notions of proof. However, where there is an absence of proof (for example, “does God exist” or “are we reborn?”), it is not correct for scientists to say it doesn’t exist. They can, properly, say, they don’t believe it, or do believe it based on their own beliefs or experience, but they cannot say absolutely, by evidence, that God or rebirth don’t exist. Even the “theory of Evolution” is a theory (despite a preponderance of evidence.) That leaves probabilities. A scientist might believe it’s probable or improbable there is rebirth, but not that there is or there isn’t (as a fact, not a belief.)

In absence of absolute evidence of rebirth we must then consider the preponderance of evidence — which anecdotally points to the existence of rebirth. It is more likely, than not, if one looks at the evidence, rather than one’s own feelings on the matter.

Quantum Physics and Rebirth

Interestingly, rebirth is somewhat supportable by modern day Quantum Physics — again, theoretically. Roger Ebert, in his article “The Quantum Theory of Reincarnation” stated it well from a “layman” point of view:

“Everything, consists of quantum particles. These particles can as well be in one place as another, even at the same time. We, ourselves, consist entirely in and of this material. Our identities, our names, our personalities, our beliefs, opinions, senses of humor–indeed, what we think of as our minds. We consist of one-dimensional bits of the cosmic total. And we might just as well be different bits–elsewhere–because the “self” is essentially an organizing principle which we have imposed upon this chaos…”

Mr Ebert’s succinct and clarifying statement fits both the scientific view of the universe, and, shockingly, a very Buddhist perspective. The references to “self” as an organizing principle, is very nearly the plunge into the heart of the Heart Sutra. 

“Therefore, our identities were assembled from this quantum material…”Mr. Ebert continues, “by the organizing principle of our conception of ourselves. We bring ourselves into being. Our consciousness is the gravitation. We came from whirling nothing, we return to whirling nothing. The dust we came from and the dust to which we return are not really there, but thinking makes it so… But the puzzle is, what reality does Everything have, apart from my thinking of it?” 

Mr. Ebert’s musings are not only unsettlingly sharp and thought-provoking, they strike at the “soul” of the rebirth argument. We’re all made of quantum particles (or stardust as we romantically referred to it a few years back), so what is there that dies? Is it simply a re-“organizing principle imposed on chaos”? Is it just our conception of ourselves changing?

If those arguments all sound too theoretical and mind-bending, we can return, at least, to the concrete world of Doctor Stevenson, or perhaps to more “everyday” physics, such as Einstein’s law of relativity E=MC2.

Basically, matter in the universe simply cannot be destroyed. You could think of it as recycling. Converting. Changing. But it never extinguishes. Scientists now theorize that the Great Bang at the beginning of the Universe was not a beginning but rather a “restart” or the rebirth of the Universe, a cycle that repeats over and over throughout eternity.

Rebirth Fits the Model of Physics

Matter becomes energy. Energy becomes matter. Mindstream, in Buddhist thought, (referred to with different terms/descriptions) is basically energy. Science does tend to support, at least partially, the notion that mind is perhaps a field of energy rather than brain matter. (See Buddha Weekly’s feature How is the Mind Different from the Brain? Science May Support the Duality of Separate Mind and Brain) If the mind is energy—a concept gaining scientific acceptance—it is more reasonable to assume rebirth is possible, than the reverse, especially when you consider the work of Doctor Stevenson. In absence of contrary evidence, rebirth fits the model of physics. Extinction does not. While there may not be clear scientific proof of rebirth—yet—conceptually, rebirth is a better fit with science than extinction. As Dr. Stevenson said, “It’s not unreasonable to believe, because this is the best fit on the data.”

Scientific Proof

Is there scientific proof of reincarnation? Proof, no. Theoretical support, certainly in part. The models we accept today for how the universe works are a better fit with rebirth than oblivion of life. And the extensive evidence collected by people like Doctor Stevenson makes it easier to believe than not.

Dr. Phang Cheung Kar (M.D.): “In studies on reincarnation by a the psychiatrist, the late Dr. Ian Stevenson from University of Virginia, Dr. Stevenson has collected more than 4,500 cases of spontaneous previous life recall. When I say spontaneous, I mean people who spontaneously, not through dreams, not through hypnosis, not through other methods, simply recall a past life. A typical case would be children around 2-4 who just make statements about their past life. They say things like “you’re not my mom, you’re not my dad” and they make statements referring to their past lives.”

Our Series on Rebirth and Reincarnation continues in part 2>>

One way of viewing Karma is as an aggregate of all of our actions, thoughts, words, dreams, desires into a user-controlled version of fate — that is you control your fate instead of some invisible higher being.

Another concept of karma, aligned to both mystical sciences and scientific mysticism (Quantum Physics), is that karma are the empowering energy connections that bind us to the universe through all of time and space. Then, there is the simplified notion of karma: every deed has a consequence. Even the most basic karmic concepts still align well with basic physics: for every action there will be an equal and opposite reaction.

Buddhist belief in karma is rooted deeply in teachings on Samsara, the Buddhist Wheel of Life and the important concept of attachment as a root cause of suffering. You don’t have to literally believe in rebirth, the principal of cause and effect influencing future suffering, to appreciate the elegance of karma as a concept. This is beautiful illustrated in various stunning and frightening depictions of the wheel of suffering (top image.)

Why Karma is actually empowering

Karma is an empowering concept, unlike the belief in fate that grew out of ancient Greece, or the Biblical belief story of Job that illustrates how helpless man is against the will of God. With Karma, we are in the “driver’s seat” not a god or some whimsical “fates” playing around with our destiny. The formula is an easy one. Good deeds and merits bring auspicious consequences; negative deeds result in negative outcomes — in the end.  The “result” is rarely immediate, but it is certain. The good news — we can control our own outcomes.

Buddhism teaches Karmic consequences. Buddhism also has remedies. For example, mindfulness can be a remedy for negative karmic actions — if we are mindful, we will not trigger negative actions. Mindfulness, or staying in the present, is a remedy for clinging. If we don’t dwell on happy or sad memories, what is there to adhere to? If we don’t hope and dream about a better future, what is there to be worried about? Understanding karma, likewise helps us move past attachment to ourselves, and generates a genuine compassion for everyone else.

Karma is not fate

If you believe in fate, you believe we are helpless. This is not a Buddhist concept. Buddhism, ultimately is a very practical, and also individual-centric practice in the sense that we all have the potentiality to be Buddhas or Bodhisattvas. And, we achieve that through adhering to various precepts which also help us overcome both clinging and karmic consequences. If we follow the precepts, karmic consequences are positive.

Buddha, ultimately, taught a self-help path to Enlightenment. Understanding karma, we can develop many important insights. Living mindfully with Karma, we can rapidly move along the self-path to Enlightenment.  Siddartha Gautama Buddha showed us that understanding karma is empowering. Buddha gives us hope that no matter what negative karma we have accumulated in this, and previous, lives, it can be overcome.

The EightFold Path and Four Noble Truths

The Eightfold Path is Buddha’s prescription for an end to suffering. Shakyamuni Buddha taught the “middle way”, avoiding extremes, based on the Four Noble Truths:

1. Life is suffering.
2. The origin of suffering is wrong knowledge, which results in misunderstanding (ignorance), attachment (craving), and aversion.
3. The cessation of suffering is attainable.
4. The Eightfold Path leads to the cessation of suffering.

The Eightfold Path, bound up in the important concept of karma, teaches two wisdom, three ethical and three mental development methods for generating positive karma and escaping the Wheel of Suffering:

• Right View
• Right Intention
• Right Speech
• Right Action
• Right Livelihood
• Right Effort
• Right Mindfulness
• Right Concentration

Types of Karma

Although there are slightly different interpretations of karmic types, varying somewhat from Vedic belief to Buddhist, the overall concept is similar across most people who practice with karma. Depending on your teacher or belief system there are basically four types of karma:

• Sanchita Karma, which is the aggregate total of all of our action karma in previous lifetimes, which set the stage for our condition in the current life.
• Praradha Karma, our past karmic consequences in the past actions of our current lifetime. Some practices, such as mantra practice, Vajrayana practice, and other advanced practices can actually help mitigate this karma, even though traditionally it is said that we can’t do much to alter events as a consequence of Praradha karma. Good deeds or positive karma can also help offset negative past karma.
• Agami Karma are the actions in our present lifetime that will affect our future lives or incarnations — the Christian concept of “as you sow, so shall you reap” but advanced across future lives. Positive actions, following the precepts, charity, compassion, and practice all accumulate for optimum karma in future incarnations.
• Kriyamana Karma is the most intense form of karma, the one we see in our daily lives, where our current actions (good and bad) result in immediate consequences. Negative actions may result in retribution. Positive actions may, in this lifetime, be returned in kind. It is also know as immediate karma.

Working with Karma

The very concept of karma is encouraging, positive and uplifting, even if you come to realize you’ve accumulated negative karma. The very nature of karma shows us the remedy, both in this life and future lives. Truly repentant people who accumulate merit and good deeds without clinging to pride of accomplishment, can very well take charge of their positive future karmic outcome.

A mantra practice, which also helps create focused mindfulness, can be a positive practice in remedying negative karma. Vajrasattva purification mantras, or any Yidam mantra, can be most effective if mindfully practiced. Compassionate acts, charity, avoiding killing (including the practice of eating meat, and mindfully avoiding killing insects) all help move karma from the deficit column, gradually but genuinely, into the asset column.

Unlike fate, karma gives us hope, in this lifetime, and almost immediately, of a better life and lives for everyone.

Ultimately, karma is empowering and inspiring.

Time is a fundamental dimension of our existence, yet its perception is often an intriguingly subjective experience. One minute can feel like an eternity in a tedious meeting, while an hour can fly by during an engaging conversation. This fluid nature of time perception has been a topic of fascination among psychologists and neuroscientists^[1], who aim to unravel the complexities of our internal clocks.

Enter mindful meditation, a practice rooted in ancient traditions but finding relevance in contemporary research. Mindfulness encourages individuals to anchor their attention to the present moment, to experience the ‘here and now’ fully. But how does this focused attention influence our sense of time?

In this article, we will delve into a recent groundbreaking study^[2] exploring mindful meditation’s impact on time perception. More intriguingly, we will journey back 2500 years, connecting the insights from this study with the profound teachings of Buddha on the nature of time^[3]. As we bridge modern science with ancient wisdom, we might just discover that our experience of time is far more malleable than we ever imagined.

The Timeless Wisdom of Buddhism on Time Perception

In the grand tapestry of Buddhist philosophy, time does not follow the arrow we’re accustomed to. Instead, it is depicted as non-linear and infinite, transcending our everyday understanding.

Buddha’s profound teachings found in key sutras provide significant insight into this unique conceptualization of time. In the Agganna Sutta, for instance, Buddha outlines an eternal cycle of universes’ birth and death, proposing a timeline far more cyclical than linear. The Avatamsaka Sutra takes us further, unfolding the concept of interpenetration and the co-existence of all phenomena in any given moment, rendering a moment as a microcosm of eternity.

The Mahavairocana Sutra offers an intricate exploration of the relationship between the self and the universe. It suggests that a deep understanding of the universe, which encompasses understanding time, can only be gained through personal realization. The Lotus Sutra brings this idea to life with the principle of a single moment containing eternity, highlighting the potential for enlightenment within any given moment.

Mindfulness — Essential Buddhist Practice

At the heart of these teachings is the practice of mindfulness, an essential tenet of Buddhism. Mindfulness, or ‘Sati’ in Pali, implies ‘remembering’ or ‘recalling.’ But it is not a mere memory exercise. Instead, it’s a conscious and continual effort to keep one’s mind in the present, fully experiencing each moment as it comes and goes.

Buddhist practitioners, through mindfulness, learn to see time as a succession of present moments rather than a relentless continuum. By training the mind to stay ‘here and now,’ they create a shift in the perception of time, making it feel expansive and unhurried. This cultivation of present-moment awareness could hold the key to why meditators often report a slowed-down perception of time.

The Science of Time Perception

The perception of time is a complex psychological process that varies greatly among individuals. We are not simply passive observers to the ticking of an objective cosmic clock. Instead, our brains construct our sense of time, molding it through various cognitive processes and environmental influences.

Scientifically, time perception is thought to rely on the so-called “internal clock” model. This model suggests that our brain has an internal counting mechanism, similar to a metronome, which ticks at a certain rate. Changes in our physical and emotional state can alter this ticking rate, which in turn influences our perception of time. For instance, under conditions of fear or high adrenaline, our internal clock might speed up, causing external events to appear to slow down.

Individuals also display vast differences in their time perception abilities. Some people are able to accurately estimate time intervals without the aid of a clock, while others have a skewed perception of time, often overestimating or underestimating elapsed time.

In the realm of cognitive neuroscience, numerous studies have been conducted to unravel the intricacies of time perception. The research study that forms the foundation of this article is one such endeavor. This study, highlighted in Psychology Today, delves into the intriguing influence of meditation on time perception.

The study posits that mindfulness meditation can alter our perception of time, making it seem to pass more slowly than it does for those not engaged in such practices. What is fascinating about this research is not only its implications for understanding human cognition but also its potential to bridge ancient Buddhist wisdom and contemporary science.

Mindful Meditation and Time Perception: The Study

The study in question, published in the journal “Timing & Time Perception,” ventured into the uncharted territory of meditation’s impact on time perception. The team of researchers, led by Dr. Marc Wittmann, based their investigation on two main participant groups: regular meditators and non-meditators.

The methodology of the study was quite straightforward yet effective. Participants were asked to judge the duration of time intervals that were neither too short (in the range of milliseconds) nor too long (more than a few minutes). The rationale was to study the perception of the “psychological present,” a time frame which is said to span between 2-3 seconds, extending up to a minute.

Participants in the study were exposed to a range of time intervals and were asked to estimate the duration of each. The researchers found that, compared to non-meditators, regular meditators were more accurate in their duration judgments, particularly for longer intervals.

These findings underscore the influence of mindful meditation on time perception. But what explains this effect? The researchers posit that it may have to do with the heightened attention and awareness that regular meditation cultivates.

Meditation, particularly mindfulness-based practices, fosters an increased focus on the present moment. This enhanced attention to the ‘now’ might be influencing the perception of time, making meditators more attuned to its passage. Furthermore, by reducing mental clutter, meditation might be freeing up cognitive resources that then improve the accuracy of duration judgments.

These findings provide a remarkable insight into the subjective nature of time and how practices like meditation can modify our experience of it. Next, we will delve into the implications of this study and the connection it forges between the fields of cognitive science and Buddhist philosophy.

Buddhism and Science: Intersections and Insights

The intersection between the tenets of Buddhism and the scientific study’s findings creates a fascinating bridge between ancient wisdom and modern understanding. Buddhism, with its non-linear and infinite perception of time, not only shares the fluidity of time perception demonstrated in the study but also underscores the role mindfulness plays in this process.

Just as the study’s findings suggest, Buddhist teachings advocate for a heightened attention and awareness to the present moment — a fundamental principle of mindfulness. By maintaining an acute awareness of the present, we become more in tune with the passage of time, mirroring the accuracy in duration judgments observed in regular meditators during the study.

Mind’s influence over subjective experiences

This fusion of scientific research and Buddhist philosophy provides a profound insight into our perception of time. By understanding time’s malleability through our consciousness, we uncover the immense influence our mind has over our subjective experiences. This confluence emphasizes how much control we possess over our perceptions, painting a picture of potential personal freedom and psychological well-being that we can all aspire to achieve.

In light of these findings, the Buddhist concept of time attains a new level of relevance. The idea that we can actively shape our perception of time through mindful practices presents an empowering perspective. It suggests that the often overwhelming experience of time’s swift passage can be mitigated through dedicated mindfulness practice, enabling a more measured, less stressful experience of life’s temporal rhythm.

In essence, the marriage of scientific research on time perception and Buddhist wisdom on the nature of time provides us with a deeper understanding of our temporal reality. It elucidates the significant role our mind plays in shaping this reality and offers a path — mindfulness meditation — to better navigate our journey through time.

Key Takeaways

In this exploration, we’ve woven together the threads of a modern scientific study on time perception with the timeless teachings of Buddhism. The study’s findings indicate that regular meditators exhibit a more accurate duration judgment, pointing to the power of mindfulness in modulating our temporal experiences. Intriguingly, these conclusions harmonize with Buddhist wisdom on the infinite, non-linear nature of time, and the role mindfulness plays in shaping our perception of it.

However, the exploration does not end here. Further research can delve into other facets of mindfulness meditation and their potential impact on various aspects of cognition and perception. The possible interplay between mindfulness and memory, decision-making, or emotional regulation opens up interesting avenues for investigation.

Examining modern scientific discoveries through the lens of ancient wisdom, such as Buddhism, brings a unique perspective to our understanding. It allows us to see these findings not merely as isolated phenomena but as part of a broader human quest for knowledge and self-understanding, bridging the past with the present, and perhaps, providing a path for the future. It reinforces the idea that wisdom, be it ancient or contemporary, transcends time and remains relevant across millennia.

References

1 – https://www.psychologytoday.com/au/blog/urban-survival/201910/meditation-may-change-the-way-we-perceive-time

2 – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31626645/

3 – https://buddhaweekly.com/buddha-multiverse-time/

Logic has always held a prominent place in the realm of Buddhist studies, creating an intellectual bridge between spiritual pursuit and scientific curiosity. One figure who looms large in this intricate interplay is Vasubandhu, an eminent Buddhist scholar-monk of the 4th or 5th century CE.

Born in Gandhara, now in modern-day Pakistan, Vasubandhu’s intellectual prowess and vast contributions spanned a range of disciplines. His commentaries, treatises, and texts reveal a meticulous analytical mind that sought to understand and elucidate the profound teachings of Buddhism. His interpretations and explanations of Buddhist philosophy, particularly his contributions to the development of Buddhist logic, make him a pivotal figure within the pantheon of Buddhist thought leaders.

Moving deeper into the sphere of Buddhist intellectual tradition, it is important to grasp the concept of Buddhist logic and the Five Sciences, as these frameworks shaped much of Vasubandhu’s work. Buddhist logic, also referred to as Buddhist epistemology, is a discipline that studies the nature and origin of knowledge, probing into what constitutes truth and how we come to know it. It is a methodical system that clarifies the rules of thought, enabling one to distinguish between valid and invalid reasoning.

The Five Sciences, originally sourced from Indian intellectual traditions and later incorporated into Buddhist monastic curriculum, include the studies of arts and craftsmanship, medicine, linguistics, logic, and inner knowledge. These sciences offer a comprehensive worldview, nurturing both worldly and spiritual proficiency. Logic or ‘hetu-vidya’, known as the ‘science of causes’, is of particular significance as it forms the philosophical backbone of Buddhist reasoning.

• Don’t miss other features in our Scientific Buddhist feature category>>

Vasubandhu’s work provides a vast canvas where Buddhist logic and the Five Sciences are explored and interwoven. This exploration not only illuminates these disciplines but also gives us a unique insight into the mind of one of Buddhism’s greatest logicians. As we delve into Vasubandhu’s life and works, we uncover the profound depth of his contribution to Buddhist philosophy and the wider intellectual landscape.

The Life and Times of Vasubandhu

Before delving into Vasubandhu’s profound contributions to Buddhist logic, it’s essential to understand the journey that shaped his intellectual and spiritual evolution. Vasubandhu’s life journey is a testament to his relentless pursuit of knowledge, wisdom, and enlightenment. Here, we explore his early life, journey to Buddhism, and the major influences that culminated in his remarkable contributions to Buddhist philosophy.

Early Life

Born in the Gandhara region of ancient India, an area known today as modern Pakistan, Vasubandhu’s journey began amidst a rich cultural and intellectual landscape. The exact dates of his birth and death remain uncertain, but it is generally accepted that he lived during the 4th or 5th century CE.

His early life was marked by a deep intellectual curiosity, nurtured by the vibrant intellectual climate of his time. Raised in a Brahmin family, Vasubandhu, along with his half-brother Asanga, was introduced to various philosophical and religious doctrines at an early age. This early exposure to diverse systems of thought was instrumental in shaping his intellectual development, laying the groundwork for his future endeavors.

Journey to Buddhism

Vasubandhu’s journey to Buddhism was a complex and transformative one. Despite his Brahmin roots, he was attracted to the teachings of Buddhism, finding in them an unparalleled depth and richness. His initial adherence to the Theravada tradition evolved into a profound interest in the Mahayana teachings under the influence of his half-brother, Asanga, who was already a well-known Mahayana scholar. This shift is considered a significant turning point in his spiritual journey, as it led to his rigorous exploration of Mahayana principles and the writing of numerous treatises that elucidated these teachings.

Major Influences and Contributions

Vasubandhu’s scholarly work was highly influenced by the major Buddhist doctrines of his time, especially Abhidharma and Yogacara, the latter being a significant school of Mahayana Buddhism. The doctrines of these schools provided a fertile ground for his intellectual exploration, inspiring many of his philosophical treatises.

Among his most noteworthy contributions is the ‘Abhidharmakosha’, an encyclopedic work on Abhidharma, that gained wide acceptance in Buddhist communities both within and beyond India. This text is a testament to his comprehensive understanding of Theravada teachings, which he had initially studied.

His exploration into the Yogacara philosophy resulted in several significant treatises that have had a lasting impact on Buddhist thought. Of these, the ‘Trimshika’ and the ‘Vijnaptimatrata-siddhi’ stand out, with the latter discussing the concept of “consciousness-only” and asserting that external objects do not exist apart from consciousness.

Vasubandhu’s writings serve as a testament to his intellectual prowess and his profound understanding of the intricate tapestry of Buddhist philosophy. His works have left a lasting impact on Buddhist thought, showcasing the depth of his inquiry into the nature of existence and knowledge.

Vasubandhu and the Five Sciences

Vasubandhu’s life work is an extensive canvas, but his interpretations of the Buddhist Five Sciences stand out as being most notable indeed. His unique interpretations enriched these traditional disciplines, forging a link between worldly knowledge and spiritual understanding. Let’s delve into Vasubandhu’s perspective on the Five Sciences and their implications for Buddhist philosophy.

Overview of the Five Sciences

The Five Sciences, known as the ‘Pancha Vidya’, form an integral part of Buddhist education. Rooted in ancient Indian intellectual traditions, they were adopted into Buddhist curriculum to provide a well-rounded education. These sciences encompass the arts and craftsmanship (silpakarmasthan), medicine (cikitsavidya), linguistics (sabdavidya), inner knowledge (adhyatmavidya), and logic or ‘hetu-vidya’. Together, they foster a balanced understanding of the world, combining practical skills with profound spiritual insight.

Vasubandhu’s Interpretation of the Five Sciences

Vasubandhu’s interpretation of the Five Sciences was instrumental in bridging the gap between secular knowledge and spiritual wisdom. In his understanding, these sciences were not disjointed realms of knowledge but interconnected aspects of a comprehensive understanding of reality.

In his exposition of the arts and craftsmanship, Vasubandhu emphasized the need for mindfulness in all forms of human activity, recognizing the spiritual potential inherent in creativity. Medicine, for him, was not merely a science of bodily health, but a holistic approach that encompassed the wellness of mind and spirit.

Linguistics, in Vasubandhu’s perspective, was not just a tool for communication but a means to understand the nature of reality, as words shape our perception of the world. Inner knowledge, according to Vasubandhu, referred to the introspective understanding of the self, crucial to the process of spiritual liberation.

Logic or ‘hetu-vidya’ held a special place in Vasubandhu’s heart. He saw it as the key to discerning the truth and dispelling ignorance, making it an invaluable tool in the path to enlightenment.

Implications for Buddhist Philosophy

Vasubandhu’s unique interpretation of the Five Sciences has had far-reaching implications for Buddhist philosophy. His comprehensive and holistic approach created a synthesis between the secular and the sacred, thereby grounding Buddhist philosophy in the realities of everyday life.

His exposition of arts and craftsmanship emphasized the spiritual potential inherent in human creativity, while his understanding of medicine as a holistic science underlined the interconnectedness of mind, body, and spirit.

Vasubandhu’s view of linguistics affirmed the power of language in shaping our perception of reality, and his emphasis on inner knowledge placed self-understanding at the core of spiritual liberation.

Most significantly, his focus on ‘hetu-vidya’ highlighted the crucial role of logical reasoning in Buddhist philosophy, establishing it as an invaluable tool in the pursuit of truth. Vasubandhu’s approach to the Five Sciences served to enrich the fabric of Buddhist philosophy, weaving together the threads of worldly knowledge and spiritual wisdom.

Hetu-vidya: Vasubandhu’s Doctrine of Proof

One of Vasubandhu’s most significant contributions to Buddhist philosophy was his exploration of hetu-vidya, or the science of causes. His insights into this field of study have shaped the way Buddhist logic is understood and applied, both in philosophical discourse and practical life. Here, we will unpack the concept of hetu-vidya, explore Vasubandhu’s interpretation, and reflect on its relevance in contemporary Buddhism.

The Concept of Hetu-vidya

Hetu-vidya, also known as the science of causes, represents one of the Five Sciences and holds a special place within Buddhist logic. It explores the principles of reasoning and logical inference, forming the basis of sound argumentation and philosophical discourse. The purpose of hetu-vidya is not to engage in contentious debates but to enable a deeper understanding of the truths propounded by Buddhism.

This branch of knowledge delineates the rules of valid reasoning, examining the relationships between cause and effect, conditions, and consequences, and it provides the means to distinguish between valid and fallacious arguments. As such, hetu-vidya acts as a compass, guiding the Buddhist practitioner through the complexities of philosophical understanding and towards the discernment of truth.

Vasubandhu’s Interpretation and Contributions

Vasubandhu’s exploration of hetu-vidya yielded significant contributions to the development of Buddhist logic. He provided a comprehensive commentary on this science, deepening its understanding and expanding its application within Buddhist discourse. His systematic approach to logical reasoning laid the groundwork for his doctrine of proof.

His most remarkable work in this context is the ‘Vada-nyaya’, a treatise where he expounded on the principles of debate and logical argumentation. Vasubandhu outlined the components of a valid argument, the criteria for logical proof, and the pitfalls of erroneous reasoning. He also addressed the role of logical reasoning in understanding and interpreting Buddhist doctrine, asserting that intellectual understanding and spiritual realization were not separate but intimately connected aspects of the path to enlightenment.

In his examination of cause-and-effect relationships, Vasubandhu offered a nuanced understanding of dependent origination, a core principle of Buddhism, weaving together the strands of logic and metaphysics. His interpretations not only enriched the philosophical discourse but also provided practical tools for Buddhist practitioners, making his contributions invaluable to the tradition.

The Relevance of Hetu-vidya in Contemporary Buddhism

The relevance of hetu-vidya in contemporary Buddhism cannot be overstated. In a world marked by a myriad of beliefs and ideologies, the science of causes serves as a guiding light, enabling practitioners to navigate through complex philosophical terrain and arrive at a clearer understanding of Buddhist teachings.

Vasubandhu’s exposition of hetu-vidya continues to influence Buddhist scholars and practitioners, providing a robust framework for interpreting and understanding the profound truths of Buddhism. His meticulous examination of logical reasoning and proof offers a scientific approach to spiritual inquiry, thus appealing to the modern mind.

Moreover, his emphasis on the union of intellectual understanding and spiritual realization aligns with the contemporary perspective that sees spirituality and science as complementary, rather than conflicting, paths to truth. This harmony echoes in the growing interest in mindfulness and meditation practices, as these practices are increasingly recognized for their capacity to bring about a transformative understanding of oneself and the world.

In essence, Vasubandhu’s approach to hetu-vidya, his doctrine of proof, provides a timeless roadmap that continues to guide contemporary Buddhism in its quest for truth and enlightenment.

Vasubandhu’s Legacy in Modern Buddhist Practice

The influence of Vasubandhu extends beyond his time, leaving an indelible mark on modern Buddhist practice. His teachings and philosophical insights continue to inspire and guide Buddhist thought, logic, and education. Let’s examine how Vasubandhu’s interpretations of Buddhist logic and the Five Sciences continue to impact Buddhist philosophy and education today.

Influence on Buddhist Logic and Philosophy

The intellectual legacy of Vasubandhu reverberates through the corridors of modern Buddhist logic and philosophy. His nuanced understanding of Buddhist doctrines, coupled with his profound contributions to the development of Buddhist logic, particularly hetu-vidya, has shaped much of the contemporary understanding of these disciplines.

His works remain an integral part of Buddhist studies, offering scholars and practitioners a rich repository of wisdom to delve into. In many ways, Vasubandhu’s work has helped bridge the gap between traditional Buddhist thought and contemporary intellectual perspectives, fostering a dialogue between ancient wisdom and modern inquiry.

Vasubandhu’s Impact on Buddhist Education

Vasubandhu’s impact extends beyond philosophical discourse to the sphere of Buddhist education. His interpretation of the Five Sciences and his emphasis on hetu-vidya continue to inform the curriculum of Buddhist monastic education and lay teachings. Vasubandhu’s approach, integrating secular knowledge with spiritual insight, represents an educational paradigm that fosters holistic development.

This has encouraged many Buddhist institutions to follow a similar approach, thereby perpetuating Vasubandhu’s legacy. Furthermore, his methodical exploration of logical reasoning and proof, detailed in works like ‘Vada-nyaya’, are key texts for those studying Buddhist philosophy, contributing greatly to the depth and breadth of Buddhist educational material.

Reflecting on the Harmony of Logic and Spirituality

As we conclude this exploration into Vasubandhu’s life and teachings, we are compelled to reflect on the profound harmony he instilled between logic and spirituality, a synchrony that echoes the essence of the Scientific Buddhist’s pursuit. His journey, laden with philosophical inquiries and spiritual realizations, tells a timeless tale of seamless integration between rigorous intellectual pursuits and empathetic understanding of the human experience.

Vasubandhu’s teachings, particularly his intricate explorations of hetu-vidya and the Five Sciences, serve as a beacon for the Scientific Buddhist. They illuminate the path to a deeper understanding of existence, offering a detailed map that expertly blends scientific inquiry with spiritual introspection. The balance he struck between these two seemingly disparate domains is a testament to his genius and the enduring value of his contributions to Buddhist philosophy.

In his dedication to truth, logic, and enlightenment, Vasubandhu has shown that intellectual rigor and spiritual pursuit are not just compatible but are indeed integral to each other. He exemplified how, in the quest for truth and enlightenment, spirituality and logic can walk hand in hand, enriching and illuminating each other.

Vasubandhu’s life, teachings, and enduring legacy remind us that in the complex dance of existence, the steps of logic and spirituality are beautifully synchronized. His example serves as an enduring inspiration, providing a timeless resource for those seeking to navigate the intricate landscape of Buddhist philosophy through the lens of the Scientific Buddhist. His teachings, reverberating through the centuries, invite us to see the unity in diversity, the harmony in dichotomy, and the profound interconnectedness in the tapestry of existence.

SOURCES

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasubandhu
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhist_logico-epistemology
• https://buddhaweekly.com/scientific-buddhist/

According to studies, spiritual life can enhance positive aging and health. A spiritual connection enhances the well-being of senior citizens — according to research — whether in the form of spirituality or formal religion [1]. This is aside from numerous studies citing the benefits of Buddhist meditation on health and cognition. [2] [See this feature with ten cited research studies indicating the meditational benefits to health.]

This fact is not a secret; it is well-known in the senior care community, especially senior living communities that promote practices of spirituality or faith. Although there’s no need to find a retirement community focused on your personal spirituality — especially if you have a strong belief system — it can certainly be reinforcing and engaging to live in a supportive environment. Today, there are retirement homes emphasizing Buddhist living and other spiritual paths,  such as Catholic or other formal religious affiliations. [3]

28% of older adults live alone

Twenty-eight percent of older adults (in the United States) live alone according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. This is linked to higher risks of high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, weakened immune system, anxiety, depression, and cognitive decline according to this study. [7]

Considering the benefits of social activity to health and well-being, it can be beneficial for seniors to find a supportive retirement community [4] to help them enjoy a fulfilling life. For many, it can be even more beneficial to find a community with a spiritually fulfilling life, which generally includes spiritual programs, in addition to health and wellness experiences.

Social interaction opportunities are particularly important for seniors. The move to a retirement home can be a major change, and it often changes the social dynamic and frequency of interaction with family. Staying social not only decreases anxiety and stress, it reduces the incidence of health disorders, Alzheimer’s disease, and certain cancers. According to a feature in Harvard Health Publishing (Harvard Medical School):

“A strong social life has been linked with many health benefits, like less risk of depression and longer life span.” [5]

During stressful times, these relational connections may be especially soothing. Many senior citizens have to deal with a partner or loved one’s death. Others can struggle with their own disease or mortality. Belief will include a help structure to tackle these tough issues.

Here are the other benefits of how spirituality, or even formalized religion, can help seniors during difficult times.

1.   Improve your social well-being

Religious or spiritual engagement in older adults is a perfect opportunity to learn and broaden social networks. Sangha, group or congregation spiritual activities, for example, helps attendees to interact, socialize, and support each other. These activities strengthen the supportive connections between the group — especially powerful if the activities include community service or giving. Engagement establishes intimate ties and provides a support network for individuals.

The social landscapes start changing as we age, as spouses, acquaintances, and other loved ones move on. Research indicates that sangha, spiritual and religious group social systems will battle depression from social isolation.

2.   Excellent for your mental and emotional health

By buffering the impact of mental health problems[6], such as depression and anxiety, participation with faith groups may enhance mental and emotional stability. Research shows that spiritual engagement in life can build a sense of purpose that can help us deal with the pressures of aging. Individuals will look to faith as a method of encouragement to cope with physical sickness and depression by reducing their pressure through stress reduction. Sangha or congregation groups can also directly support their members in need or counseling or care.

3.   Benefits to your physical well-being

Participating in group services[6] has been shown to reduce the incidence of illness triggered by stress. Of course, the group services, in the time of Covid-19 must be socially-distanced to protect vulnerable attendees. Alternately, supportive homes can provide opportunities for “live-streamed” spiritual events.

Evidence has shown that religious practices, such as daily meditation, contribute to lower obesity incidence, lower cholesterol, lower inflammation indicators, and lower medical risk outcomes, such as heart disease or failure.

Research has also shown that people who participate in group spiritual and religious events have risk for diabetes, heart attack, and stroke.

The reduced incidence of health conditions may be attributed to the focus on healthier behaviors and is also promoted by faith, optimism, and social interaction.

4.   Helps Maintain And Improve Your Cognitive Function

By maintaining your mind active, religion can motivate behaviors that protect cognitive abilities. [6] For example, researchers in one study demonstrated that many of those who regularly attended religious events saw less reduced brain shrinkage as compared to those in the study who seldom attended.

There are also numerous studies on various practices such as mindfulness and reflection/meditation, mantra chanting, sutra recitation, homilies, scripture reading, service reciting/singing praises, and making friends with others. These activities engage cognitive activity and analytical reasoning and help retain mental abilities, which in turn will help to postpone cognitive deterioration. [See these studies cited in our feature on meditation benefits>>]

5.   Improves Mood And Outlook

Several studies also correlate improved behavior of people who follow a formal spiritual or religious path their religious knowledge[8], along with more optimism, and confident outlook towards life and health. All of these are critical especially to seniors.

Even as seniors move into a residential home, they can feel lonely, which may have a detrimental effect on their moods. Many spiritually-oriented homes (or supportive communities) have organized transportation to various faith group services — which is proven in these studies to enhance self-esteem and optimism.

6.   Sense Of Community

More formal spiritual or religious groups also cultivate fulfilling social networks amongst senior citizens, as demonstrated by surveys of religious support programs[8].

A research study released in the American Sociological Review found that 28 percent of citizens who attended an organized religious event every week were “highly happy” with their lives, as compared to the less than 20 percent amongst those who did not attend.

7.   Longevity

Most studies reveal that spiritually-oriented adults live longer:

“People who attended religious services at least once a week were 46 percent less likely to die during the six-year study, says lead author Harold G. Koenig, M.D., of Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina. “When we controlled for such things as age, race, how sick they were and other health and social factors, there was still a 28 percent reduction in mortality,” he says.” [9]

Increased survival can be attributed to a variety of established causes that alleviate tension and thereby lead to healthy health: connecting to a group or society, and feeling the value is in your existence.

One hypothesis presumes that decreased cardiovascular mortality, likely due to religious behavior ‘s lifestyle or other cardioprotective impacts, improves longevity in good, religious individuals.

A spiritual or religious purpose — and participation — certainly demonstrates benefits in senior living on physical and mental wellbeing. Spirituality appears to be linked to slowing cognitive decline and helping people use strategies for coping with their illness and have a better standard of living.

 NOTES

[1] Research cited from Drs Kaplan and Berkman, writing for Merck and Co.

[2] “Meditation could slow aging in your brain”, study says, CNN

[3] Buddhist Senior Care Organizations

[4] Faithbasedassistedliving.org is helpful for people looking for Catholic, Christian or Jewish assisting living environments.

[5] “Broader social interactions keeps older adults more active” Harvard Health Publishing

[6] “Psychology Benefits Society” Taking Faith in the Future!

[7] “Social isolation, loneliness in older people post health risks” National Institute on Aging

[8] “Benefits of Religion and Spirituality on Seniors” Chelsea Jewish Lifecare

[9] “Spirituality May Help People Live Longer” WebMD

Meditation and mindfulness have been practiced worldwide for centuries. Today, nearly 14.2% of American adults meditate [Note 1] or incorporate another spiritual or mantra-focused practice — about 5.4% of children do the same.

Science-backed evidence has shown that meditation provides emotional, mental and physical support, positively affecting one’s overall health. While some people practice meditation to relieve stress and center their focus, others find that it helps relax the muscles, particularly the somatic nervous system.

By Beth Rush

of BodyMind.com

[Disclaimer: Always seek the advice of your health care practitioners when experiencing pain or other medical issues.]

What Is the Somatic Nervous System?

The somatic nervous system is a component of the peripheral nervous system, branching far and wide throughout the body. It’s the part of the nervous system that controls muscle movement and sensory input [2] — taste, touch, sound and smell — that sends messages to the brain.

Many conditions negatively impact the somatic nervous system — for instance, autoimmune disorders, diabetes, infections, medicines or procedures. Trauma also can cause adverse effects.

When the body undergoes chronic or sudden, severe pain, the somatic nervous system indicates “referred pain” — what causes you to feel pain or a physical problem in a specific area that actually comes from elsewhere. A heart attack patient might feel pain in the arm or back, while someone with pelvic floor dysfunction could feel pain in the lower back or upper thighs.

Sometimes, when trauma occurs, it can imprint muscle memory in the somatic nervous system. This is why individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) often feel physical symptoms like muscle tension [3] and joint pain.

Meditation and the Body

Trauma imprints and continuous discomfort within the somatic nervous system can make daily tasks and functions more difficult. However, mindfulness meditation has a long history of helping people through their pain [4] from chronic illness or cancer.

You begin to build awareness of your physical, emotional and mental duress when you meditate. Since the brain tends to hone in on the pain, mindfulness can shift your focus enough to make it less consuming [5] and more manageable. For these reasons, Mindfulness can be a reinforcing or complimentary method to Somatic Experiencing.

The deep breathing that occurs during meditation also helps to relax the body, relieving muscle and joint tension.

A Meditative Approach to Somatic Experiencing

Somatic experiencing is one approach people take toward relieving the somatic nervous system — and meditation plays a crucial role.

Many people struggle to overcome traumatic events and the body’s stress response. However, somatic experiencing helps you build an awareness of physical feelings in the body. You might begin to notice your heart beating or whether the muscles tense up or relax. Essentially, becoming aware of the physical sensations allows you to release the trauma imprint [6] and move past the event.

Meditation can improve your self-awareness and gain insight [7] into who you are, enabling you to undergo effective somatic experiencing.

For those with PTSD, studies have shown that somatic experiencing is a practical component of trauma healing [8] — but it’s best to consult with a specialist for further discussion and treatment of your mental and physical pain.

Meditation Enhances Somatic Experiencing

Meditation and somatic experiencing aren’t the same, but meditation does matter. When you meditate, you enhance somatic experiencing by creating a higher level of self-awareness. Therefore, those who intend to try somatic experiencing to heal trauma might consider building a meditation practice.

Sources

[1] NIH>>

[2] Cleveland Clinic>>

[3]  Psychiatry.org>>

[4] UPMC>>

[5] Mindfulness paradox: Buddha Weekly>>

[6]  Verywell Health>>

[7]  10 benefits of meditation: Buddha Weekly>>

[8]  PubMed>>

What ten ways do current science and modern Buddhism actually appear in agreement? What ten teachings of Buddha align well with well-accepted modern science? We look at these questions, and much more, in this special feature of “The Scientific Buddhist”

The Buddhist Method of Analysis could be said to be “experiential” while the Scientific Method of Analysis is usually controlleed “experiment.” Yet, surprisingly, on ten key points, both agree on certain findings.

In this feature we’ll explore ten ways that science supports the teachings of Buddhism. From the similarities between the two systems of belief to their shared focus on truth and understanding, it’s clear that these two paths have a great deal in common.

Whether you’re a practicing Buddhist or simply interested in the correlation between these two disciplines, read on to learn more!

Science and spirituality do not always see “reality” in the same way — perception being relative. There have been many times when the two have been at odds with each other to the point of antagonism.

Buddhism has always been the “open path” — Buddha specifically taught us with discerning wisdom and admonished us to not accept anything on faith.

• For a sutra teaching on this concept “Buddha teaching by analysis”, see the Vibhanga Sutta translated here>>
• For a feature discussing how Buddha taught a concept of the multiverse and time 2500 years ahead of modern science, see>>
• For a feature on the limitless multiverse, and Buddhist is-ness or thus-ness, see>>>>

1 – Meditation — Science and Buddhism concur

First on the list is meditation. Perhaps the clearest way in which Buddhism and science align is in their shared focus on the mind-body connection. Meditation is a practice revolving around the control and focus of the mind, and it has been shown to have a plethora of benefits for both our mental and physical health.

It is unclear when exactly meditation began, but it is thought to date back at least 5,000 years. The earliest known references to the practice come from the Hindu Vedas, also mentioned in ancient Buddhist texts. In both cases, meditation was used as a way to achieve higher states of consciousness and connection with the divine.

There are many types of meditation, including but not limited to:

Mindfulness meditation

This form of meditation is all about being present in the moment and observing your thoughts without judgment. You can learn to control your thoughts and emotions more effectively by training your mind to focus on the present.

Mantra meditation

This type of meditation involves repeating a certain word or phrase (known as a mantra) repeatedly. The aim is to clear your mind of all other thoughts so that you can focus solely on the mantra.

Visualization meditation

This practice involves focusing on a specific image and holding it in your mind for the duration of the meditation. Visualization can be used to achieve specific goals, such as improving your health or manifesting something.

Focused breathing meditation

As the name suggests, this type of meditation involves focusing on your breath. The goal is to slow down your breathing and achieve a state of deep relaxation.

Loving-kindness meditation

This practice involves sending positive thoughts and energy to yourself and others. The aim is to cultivate feelings of compassion, love, and understanding.

There are countless other types of meditation, but these are some of the most popular. And while they may all seem different at first glance, they all share one common goal: to improve your mental and physical health.

Buddhism: core practices

From Chan Buddhism to Zen, meditation is integral to the Buddhist path. In fact, Buddha himself is said to have achieved enlightenment through meditation. He famously said: “He who is mentally concentrated sees things according to reality.” [1]

Meditation is seen as a way to quiet the monkey mind and achieve a state of inner peace. Meditation frees us from the prison of our own thoughts and allows us to see the world more clearly. It is believed that by calming the mind, we can better understand our true nature and find freedom from suffering.

Delusions disappear, and we are able to see things as they really are. We become more mindful and present, and our compassion for others grows. In short, meditation helps us to become the best version of ourselves.

Science: benefits of meditation

In recent years, there has been a growing body of scientific research on the benefits of meditation. Meditation has been shown to improve our mental and physical health in a variety of ways. Although these studies were performed on small samples and more research is needed, the findings are promising. [2]

Some of the benefits of meditation include:

Reduced stress and anxiety

Meditation can help to reduce stress and anxiety by calming the mind and body. In one study, it was found that mindfulness meditation can change the structure of the brain to make us less anxious. The amygdala, which is the part of the brain that controls fear and anxiety, shrinks when we meditate regularly.

Improved concentration and focus

Meditation can also help to improve our attention and focus. Habituation is a process by which we become less sensitive to stimuli that are constantly present. This is why we don’t hear the background noise in a room after a while. Meditation works in a similar way; the more we meditate, the better our concentration becomes.

Furthermore, these benefits appear to be present up to five years after consistent meditation training. This suggests that the changes meditation produces in the brain are long-lasting.

Increased compassion

Loving-kindness meditation is especially effective at increasing empathy. In this practice, we send positive thoughts and energy to ourselves and others. Research has shown that people who regularly meditate in this way can rearrange their default mode network – the part of the brain responsible for our sense of self in the world – to become more compassionate.

There are many other benefits of meditation, such as increased self-awareness, decreased rumination, and improved sleep quality. Meditation is a simple practice that can profoundly affect our mental and physical health.

• For a feature on Theta meditation benefits, see>>

2 — On inquiry and methodology — Buddhism and science agree

Another area where Buddhism and science intersect is in the area of logic. The scientific method is based on logical reasoning, and Buddhist philosophy relies heavily on logic as well. In fact, one of the main goals of Buddhist practice is to develop our own capacity for logical reasoning so that we can better understand the world around us.

Many religions revolve around the concept of faith. Believers need not question their faith, as it is seen as a source of comfort and understanding. Gods, heavens, and other supernatural beings are taken on faith. In Buddhism, however, faith is not seen as a source of truth. Buddha taught the doctrines of logical analysis and exploration.

• Buddha taught with logic and analysis Magga-vibhanga Sutta>>
• The science of your center — the Vagus nerve>>

Buddhist method: experiential

Buddhism relies on our own personal experience and observation to determine what is true. That’s why the Buddha always encouraged his followers to question everything, even his highly-praised teachings. He did not want people to accept his words blindly but rather to test them for themselves and see if they were true.

The following quote from Sutra sums up this idea nicely:

“Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations.

But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it.” [3]

Scientific method — experimental

The scientific method is based on the same principle of seeking truth through our own observation and experience. Scientists do not take anything on faith; rather, they constantly test their hypotheses to see if they hold up to scrutiny.

The scientific method is a way of learning that emphasizes empiricism, or the observation of events in the natural world. The first step in the scientific method is to make an observation. Scientists then form a hypothesis, or a guess, about what they think is happening. They test their hypothesis through experimentation, and if their results support it, they form a theory. Theories are constantly being tested and revised as new information comes to light.[4]

The scientific method is an ongoing process of learning about the world around us. It is a way of constantly testing our hypotheses and expanding our understanding of the natural world.

3. Cosmos — according to Buddhism, and science

The most baffling similarity between Buddhism and science is the concept of cosmic Buddhism. Considering the Buddha lived over 2,500 years ago, it is remarkable how closely his teachings align with modern cosmology. From the Big Bang to the multiverse, the Buddha’s teachings echo the discoveries of contemporary science.

Whether modern science-based their theories on his teachings or simply arrived at the same conclusions independently is up for debate. What is certain, however, is that the Buddha’s understanding of the cosmos was far ahead of his time.

• We covered this topic extensively here, in our feature on the Multiverse>>

Here are some examples of how the Buddha’s teachings on cosmology align with modern science:

Cosmos In Buddhism

The Buddha taught that everything is connected. He said that everything arises from causes and conditions and that nothing exists independently. This is a fundamental principle of physics known as causation.

The Buddha also taught that everything is in a state of flux. He said that everything is impermanent and constantly changing. It is known as the law of impermanence and is one of the most fundamental laws of physics.

As for the multiverse, many Buddhist scriptures mention multiple universes. In the Pali Canon, for example, the Buddha says there are an infinite number of worlds. The Mahayana tradition also teaches that there are an endless number of universes, each with its own Buddha. [5]

Cosmos in science

In modern cosmology, the Big Bang is the theory that explains the origin of the universe. It states that the universe began as a singularity or a point of infinite density and temperature. The universe expanded and cooled from this singularity, creating the stars, galaxies, and planets we see today.

The law of causation states that everything has a cause. In other words, nothing can happen without reason. It is a fundamental principle of physics, allowing scientists to make predictions about the future.

One theory for the end of our universe is the Big Crunch. Big Crunch is theoretically the opposite of the Big Bang, and states that the universe will eventually stop expanding and begin to contract. As it contracts, it will become increasingly dense and hot until it finally collapses in on itself, creating a new singularity. [6]

This theory aligns with the cyclical concept of rebirth in Buddhism. According to Buddhist teachings, everything is in a state of flux. Nothing lasts forever, and everything is constantly changing. This includes the universe itself, which is reborn again and again in an endless cycle.

4. The causes of suffering

Next, we’ll look at how the Buddha’s teachings on the causes of suffering align with modern science. It’s no secret that, as human beings, we suffer. We experience pain, loss, and heartache. We get sick, and we age. Suffering is an inescapable part of life. Many of us go through life searching for a way to end our suffering.

Some try to numb the pain in their own way, while others look for something to blame. But the Buddha taught that external factors do not cause suffering.

“Suffering” cause: Buddhism

Instead, suffering is caused by our own thoughts and actions. The Buddha said that we suffer because of our attachment to impermanent things. We suffer because we want things to be a certain way, and when they’re not, we get upset. We want material goods, but they eventually break or wear out. We want our bodies to be healthy, but nobody is immortal.

The Buddha also taught that suffering is caused by our ignorance. We suffer because we don’t understand the true nature of reality. We think things are permanent when they’re not, and we believe things are separate when they’re not. This misunderstanding leads to a lot of unnecessary suffering.

Our vices, such as greed, hatred, and delusion, all stem from ignorance. [7]

“Suffering” cause: Cognitive Sciences

Cognitive science, the study of the mind, has shown that our thoughts and actions indeed cause our suffering. According to cognitive science, we create our reality with our thoughts.

A human brain is a prediction machine. It takes in information from the world around us and uses it to make predictions about what will happen next. These predictions help us to make sense of the world and navigate our way through it.

However, our brain is not always accurate. Sometimes it makes false assumptions, which can lead to suffering. Anxiety, for example, is caused by our brain making wrong predictions about future events.

We also know that depression can be caused by a disconnect between our current reality and our expectations. We might want to be happy, but if our reality doesn’t match up with our expectations, we can end up feeling disappointed and down. [8]

5. Physics

Physics is the study of the fundamental principles governing the natural world. These principles include the laws of motion, energy, and thermodynamics. Physics is a branch of science that has been around for thousands of years, and it continues to be one of the most popular fields of study today.

Physics in Buddhism

Buddhism also teaches about some of the fundamental principles governing the natural world. These principles include the law of karma and the law of dependent origination. The law of karma is the law of cause and effect. It states that our thoughts and actions have consequences and that we will experience the results of our own actions.

Impressively, early Buddhists also had a rudimentary understanding of the atom. Indian Buddhist philosophers taught that everything in the universe is made up of atoms, described as point-sized particles that are durationless. That means they have no extension in space, and they last for zero time. [9]

These atoms are made of energy, and they’re in constant motion. They come together to form larger objects but can also be dissolved into their constituent parts.

Science

The modern understanding of the atom is very similar to the Buddhist version of the atom. They are the smallest particle of an element that has the chemical properties of that element. Atoms are made of protons, neutrons, and electrons. These protons and neutrons make up the atom’s nucleus, and the electrons orbit around the nucleus.

Atoms are in constant motion. They vibrate, rotate, and move around. They also interact with other particles to form molecules.

Like Buddhists, physicists also believe that atoms are made of energy. In fact, the word “atom” comes from the Greek word for indivisible because it was once thought that atoms were the smallest and most indivisible particles in the universe. Of course, we now know that atoms are somewhat divisible and that the resulting reaction would release a tremendous amount of energy. [10]

Buddhism and physics both teach that everything in the universe is made of energy. This is a fundamental principle governing the natural world.

6. Cognition and Mindfulness

Not to be confused with meditation, mindfulness is the practice of being present in the moment. It’s about paying attention to your thoughts, feelings, and sensations without judgment. We can be mindful of the sensations in our body, or we can be aware of the sounds around us. We can be cognizant of our thoughts, or we can be mindful of our breathing.

Although mindful meditation is a type of mindfulness, mindfulness doesn’t have to be meditation. It can be any activity that helps you to focus your attention on the present moment. For example, you can be mindful of your thoughts while you’re walking, or you can be mindful of your breathing while you’re eating.

Simply put, meditation has specific goals and techniques — while mindfulness is being aware of something as an observational “process.”

Mindfulness In Buddhism

The state of bare awareness is a core element of mindfulness and central to Buddhist meditation. In fact, some people say that the two are synonymous. The aim of Buddhist meditation is to achieve a state of bare awareness, where we are simply observing our thoughts without judgment.

When we are in a state of bare awareness, we are not trying to control our thoughts. We are not trying to get rid of our thoughts. We are simply observing them without judgment. In the Metta Sutta, the Buddha himself said:

“Just as a mother would protect with her life her own son, her only son, so one should cultivate an unbounded mind towards all beings and loving-kindness towards all the world. One should cultivate an unbounded mind, above and below and across, without obstruction, without enmity, and without rivalry. Standing, or going, or seated, or lying down, as long as one is free from drowsiness, one should practice this mindfulness. This, they say, is the holy state here.” [11]

Benefits of mindfulness in science

Mindfulness has been shown to have a number of benefits for our mental and physical health. For example, it can help to reduce stress, anxiety, and depression. It can also help to improve our sleep quality, and it can boost our immune system.

In fact, there is a growing body of scientific evidence to support the health benefits of mindfulness. A recent study found that mindfulness meditation can change the structure of our brains. The study found that mindfulness meditation can increase the gray matter in our hippocampus, which is the part of the brain responsible for learning and memory. [12]

Gray matter usually decreases as we age, so the findings of this study suggest that mindfulness meditation can actually slow down the aging process of our brain.

Like meditation, mindfulness has also been shown to help us to control our emotions. A study found that mindfulness can help to reduce our reactivity to negative emotions, and it can also help us to recover from them more quickly.

7. Visualization — seeing our thoughts?

Part of mindfulness is being aware of our thoughts. But what if we could see our thoughts? That’s where visualization comes in. Visualization is a type of meditation where we focus on creating mental images. We can visualize anything we want, from a calm ocean to a beautiful garden. The aim of visualization is to use our imagination to create positive mental images that can help us to relax and find peace.

It is a practice used by religious people and non-religious people alike. Note that visualization is different from daydreaming. Daydreaming is when our mind wanders, and we are not in control of our thoughts. Visualization is when we intentionally focus on creating positive mental images — either recalled (memories) or constructed (imagined proactively.)

There are many different ways to visualize. You can use guided visualization, where someone else leads you through the process, or you can do it on your own. You can also use visualization to imagine yourself in different situations, or you can use it to create a mental image of something you want to manifest in your life.

In Buddhism: as method

A visualization is a powerful tool that can be used for many different purposes. In Buddhism, visualization is often used to create positive mental images of the Buddha or of enlightened beings. These images can help us to feel closer to the Buddha and to receive his teachings. They can also inspire us to live our lives in a more compassionate and virtuous way.

In some cases, practitioners are encouraged to visualize themselves as the Buddha. This can help us see ourselves in a more positive light and realize our potential for enlightenment. It can also remind us of the importance of compassion and kindness. It is also a method for helping us understand the illusory nature of reality — and the role our sensory inputs play in creating these perceptions [13]

As a part of Tantric Buddhism, visualization can also be used to transform our negative emotions into positive ones. For example, we can visualize anger as a ball of fire that burns up our negativity. Or we can visualize love as a warm light that fills us with compassion and understanding.

Visualization can help us relax, find peace, and connect with our Buddha nature.

In science: imagery rehearsal therapy

The science behind visualization is called “mental imagery” or “imagery rehearsal therapy.” It is a type of cognitive-behavioral therapy that has been shown to be effective in treating conditions like anxiety, depression, and PTSD.

Mental imagery works by helping us to change the way we think about our experiences. For example, if we are anxious about an upcoming test, we can use mental imagery to visualize ourselves passing the test with flying colors. This can help to reduce our anxiety and to increase our confidence.

Mental imagery is often used by professional athletes to improve their performance. They will visualize themselves winning the game or hitting the perfect shot. That can help to increase their motivation and confidence, and it can also help them to perform better when they are actually playing. [14]

Likewise, singers or performers can use mental imagery to visualize themselves giving a great performance. It can help to reduce stage fright and to increase their confidence. But you don’t have to be a professional athlete or performer to benefit from visualization. Anyone can use mental imagery to improve their health, their mood, and their overall well-being.

8. Nirvana and “pure consciousness”

Nirvana is the goal of the Buddhist path. It is a state of perfect peace and freedom from suffering. Nirvana is not a place but rather a state of being. It can be attained in this lifetime through the practice of meditation and other spiritual disciplines. It is not really like the concept of “heaven” or heavenly realms. It transcends those concepts.

Nirvana is often described as a state of perfect blissful wisdom. In this state, there is no more suffering or rebirth. This does not mean that Nirvana is a state of nothingness. Rather, it is a state of complete and perfect peace.

• Nothingness is a poor translation of the Buddhist term Shunyata, or Emptiness. This is a difficult topic, we’ve previously covered in this feature and many others>>

Nirvana is also sometimes compared to the experience of death. Just as death is the end of our physical life, Nirvana is the end of our spiritual life.

In Buddhism

It’s important to understand that Nirvana is possible to attain in this lifetime. In Mahayana Buddhism, the goal is to train towards Enlightenment but as the “driver of the big bus” — bringing all sentient beings with us. It’s not enough to simply find release for ourselves.

Nirvana is not some far-off destination that we can only hope to reach in the next life — even though the metaphor is often “the other shore.” Nirvana is a state of being that we can achieve through our own efforts.

Although most people who try to attain it are monks or nuns who have dedicated their lives to the practice, it is possible for laypeople to reach Nirvana as well. In fact, anyone can achieve Nirvana if they are willing to put in the effort. By accumulating good karma and following the Noble Eightfold Path, we can all eventually reach Nirvana.

Nirvana is the culmination of the Buddhist path — for ourselves and, in the case of Mahayana, all sentient beings. It is the goal that we are striving for. But it is also important to remember the path itself is meaningful. The journey is just as important as the destination. There are realizations along the way which sustain us and help us grow. [15]

In science — “pure consciousness”?

There is no scientific equivalent to Nirvana, but some scientists believe that it might be possible to achieve a state of “pure consciousness” or even “consciousness without content.” Pure consciousness is a hypothetical state of being detached from what we would currently class as a physical body — the stuff of science fiction, perhaps, but it’s still a notion in science.

The alternate concept is “consciousness without content.” This is a state in which the mind is aware, but no thoughts or emotions are present.

Some people believe this state is similar to what happens when we die. When our physical body dies, our consciousness is no longer bound to it. This could potentially allow us to experience a state of pure consciousness.

There is also some scientific evidence that certain psychedelic drugs can help us to achieve a state of pure consciousness. Also called “Ego Death,” this state is characterized by a loss of self-awareness and a sense of oneness with the cosmos. Countless people have reported having mystical experiences while under the influence of psychedelics like magic mushrooms (psilocybin,) LSD, and DMT. [16]

9. Cause and effect

Karma is the law of cause and effect. It is the belief that our actions have consequences and will come back to us in this life or the next life. The law of karma is often expressed as “what goes around, comes around.” This means that if we do good deeds, we will receive good karma. If we do bad deeds, we will receive bad karma.

It is often misunderstood to mean that if we suffer in this life, it is because we deserve it. This is not the case. Karma is not a form of punishment or reward. It is simply a law of cause and effect. Our actions have consequences, and those consequences will come back to us. As such, the law of karma is often compared to the law of gravity.

Karmic law in Buddhism is slightly different from science’s take, but the idea is very similar. In science, the cause explains the effect. The law of karma is the same.

10. The theory of evolution and Buddhist dependent arising

Last but not least is the theory of evolution. This is the belief that all life on Earth developed over time, through the process of natural selection, these ancestors have evolved into the myriad of different species that we see today. Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution is one of the most well-known and widely accepted scientific theories.

The theory of evolution is also found in Buddhism. In the Agganna Sutta, a Buddhist scripture, the Buddha describes how human beings have evolved over time, going through the never-ending cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. There is also no fundamental difference between humans and animals in Buddhism. All beings are equal and have the same right to live. [17]

Of course, Darwin’s microbiology takes the idea of evolution to a whole different level. Thanks to modern technology, he understood the concept of cells and DNA, which allowed him to develop the idea of natural selection.

Concluding thoughts: the Dalai Lama

“If scientific analysis were conclusively to demonstrate certain claims in Buddhism to be false, then we must accept the findings of science and abandon those claims.” – Dalai Lama XIV.

This quote sums up the relationship between Buddhism and science perfectly. One should never blindly accept anything, regardless of whether it is religious or scientific. We must always question and examine everything for ourselves. This way of thinking allowed Dharmic traditions like Buddhism to grow and develop over time. It is also what allows science to make novel discoveries.

Buddhism and science are not at odds with each other. In fact, they are complementary. Science can help us to understand the nature of reality, while Buddhism can help us to understand the nature of our minds. By combining both approaches, we can gain a more holistic understanding of ourselves and the world around us.

Sources

[1] https://www.huffpost.com/entry/why-do-buddhists-meditate_1_b_13735868#:~:text=As%20the%20Buddha%20once%20said,cloud%20our%20mind%20and%20judgment.
[2] https://www.mindful.org/10-things-we-know-about-the-science-of-meditation/#:~:text=According%20to%20neuroscience%20research%2C%20mindfulness,stress%20when%20we%20experience%20it.
[3] https://www.faena.com/aleph/buddha-socrates-and-the-importance-of-thinking-for-ourselves
[4] https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/scientific-method#:~:text=The%20scientific%20method%20is%20the,and%20finally%20analyzing%20the%20results.
[5] https://www.forbes.com/sites/fernandezelizabeth/2020/01/12/the-multiverse-and-eastern-philosophy/?sh=1efa30827209
[6] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Crunch
[7] https://www.pbs.org/edens/thailand/buddhism.htm#:~:text=In%20Buddhism%2C%20desire%20and%20ignorance,them%20can%20only%20bring%20suffering.
[8] https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/your-neurochemical-self/201608/stop-anxiety-adjusting-expectations
[9] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhist_atomism#:~:text=Indian%20Buddhist%20philosophers%2C%20including%20Dharmakirti,existence%20of%20substantial%20matter%20altogether.
[10] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atom
[11]https://www.azquotes.com/quote/667706
[12]https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3004979/
[13] https://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780195393521/obo-9780195393521-0175.xml#:~:text=Tantric%20Buddhism%20contains%20often%20elaborate,of%20the%20body%20and%20mind.
[14] https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Artistic-Swimming/Resources/Coaches/Coaching-Materials/-/media/6F11CF2B1E18473E86795C5D46E16BA6.ashx
[15] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nirvana_(Buddhism)
[16] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ego_death
[17] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agga%C3%B1%C3%B1a_Sutta

Have you ever wondered about what happens after we die?

Some believe that our souls reincarnate — or are reborn — into other beings or come back to Earth in another form. Others think that we simply disappear and cease to exist. Is this just wishful thinking? Buddha taught Karma and Dependent Arising and rebirth, but is this just a matter of faith?

What does science have to say about this phenomenon? 

Are we really reincarnated into other lives? Are there any verified cases of past lives? And if so, what can we learn from them?

• Don’t miss the excellent documentary on the work of Dr. Stevenson embedded below.
• See our full section of features on Rebirth and Reincarnation>>

What are reincarnation and rebirth?

Reincarnation is the belief that after we die, our souls are reborn into other bodies.

In this sense, the soul could be considered an immortal entity that carries the memories and experiences of our past lives and brings them into our current lives.

The concept of rebirth is similar to reincarnation, but with one key difference. In rebirth, it is not the soul that is reborn into a new body but rather the consciousness.

So, while in reincarnation, the soul carries the memories of its past lives, in rebirth, those memories are not carried over into the new life.

Another difference is that through rebirth, a person can be born into any life form, not just human.

These beliefs are rooted in ancient philosophies and spiritual paths such as Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, and many other faiths. Hinduism and Jainism believe in reincarnation — that is, the soul is reborn into another body after death, while Buddhism believes in the rebirth of the consciousness. (A subtle distinction.)

In Buddhist teachings, rebirth occurs endlessly as part of a cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. Our rebirth is conditioned by the karma or actions of our previous life — for instance “unresolved attachments” conditioned into our consciousness. Our goal, according to Buddhism, is to break this cycle of conditioning and achieve nirvana, or liberation from suffering.

But are there any scientific theories that could explain these phenomena, or is it all just a matter of faith?

The science of reincarnation and rebirth

There are some difficulties in researching reincarnation and rebirth scientifically.

The scientific method is ideal for phenomena that are observable and testable. But reincarnation and rebirth happen after death, so it’s not possible to observe them directly. Instead, the evidence for these hypotheses must be indirect.

This means that scientists have to rely on people’s memories of their past lives and try to verify them.

A documentary on Dr. Stevenson’s work:

This can be challenging, as our current beliefs and expectations can influence memories and may not be accurate. That’s one of the reasons why past life regressions, where people are hypnotized and believe they remember their past lives, are so controversial and not generally considered solid scientific evidence of reincarnation or rebirth.

However, cases of past life memories often come from very young children who have not yet developed their own beliefs or had extensive external influences and life experiences to distort their memories.

There have been many cases of young children remembering details from a past life that they couldn’t possibly know about otherwise. These cases are often verified through independent corroboration of the details that the child remembers.

And strikingly, in some cases, the children with memories of past lives also have birthmarks or birth defects that correspond to wounds or injuries from which the person they remember died in their previous life.

According to the scientific method, as long as there is one verified case of reincarnation or rebirth, then it cannot be said that there is no such thing as reincarnation or rebirth.

While scientists cannot say with 100% certainty what happens after we die, by now, there is a significant body of evidence that suggests that reincarnation and rebirth are real phenomena.

And, as with any scientific theory, the more evidence that supports it, the more probable it becomes.

Pioneering the research into past lives: Dr. Ian Stevenson

Despite the difficulties in researching reincarnation and rebirth scientifically, scientists have been fascinated with the idea for centuries.

One of the more recent pioneers in this field was Dr. Ian Stevenson, a Canadian psychiatrist who spent his career investigating cases of past life memories.

Dr. Stevenson developed an interest in reincarnation early in his career after observing that different people would develop different diseases when faced with stress. He felt that this was an indication that illnesses were not just caused by physical, genetic, or environmental factors but that there might be some form of memory transfer that happened from one life to the next. [1]

Stevenson developed his interest in reincarnation further during his studies and career and devoted his life to investigating cases of past life memories.

In 1957 he was appointed Chair of Psychiatry at the University of Virginia, which allowed him to dig deeper into his interest in past lives and the paranormal. His research areas were not always popular, and finding funding was challenging.

Fortunately for Stevenson, he found a benefactor in Chester Carlson. The inventor of the xerography, the process we now know as photocopying, was introduced to Stevenson’s work by his spiritualist wife. Upon his death, he left a generous donation to the University of Virginia, earmarked explicitly for Stevenson’s research.
Carlson’s donation of one million dollars allowed Stevenson to devote his life to the full-time study of past life memories.

Over the next four decades, Stevenson and his team would investigate over 3,000 cases of past life memories from all over the world.

Some cases were much more substantial than others, but Stevenson could often identify a figure from a child’s statement based solely on the information given. The level of evidence included in many cases was difficult to explain by rational means, partly thanks to Stevenson’s efforts to disconfirm the paranormal account.

By ensuring that he had eliminated all other possible explanations for the memories, Stevenson could build a strong case that past lives are a reality that would be difficult to refute by skeptics. [2]

The Division of Perceptual Studies

The Division of Perceptual Studies (DOPS) is a research unit within the Department of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences at the University of Virginia.
It was founded in 1967 to continue Dr. Stevenson’s studies and investigate various paranormal phenomena, including past life memories, out-of-body experiences, and near-death experiences. [3]

Despite the growing widespread interest in these topics, research into the paranormal faces challenges due to a lack of funding and interest from the scientific community. This is why units like DOPS are so important, as they provide a space for this type of research to take place.

Other notable research units investigating paranormal phenomena include the University of Amsterdam, Lund University in Sweden, the University of Arizona, the University of Nevada in Las Vegas, and the University of Edinburgh.

The main area of study for the DOPS still remains reincarnation, and it is now one of the world’s leading centers for research into past lives.

They’ve published many books on its findings and research papers published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at academic conferences.

Since 2014, Professor Jim B. Tucker has been the Director of the DOPS and has continued the work started by Stevenson all those years ago.

Jim B. Tucker’s research into past lives

In the late 1990s, Tucker read an article in the Charlottesville Daily Progress about Stevenson’s office receiving a grant to study near-death experiences. Inspired by what he had been reading, Tucker decided to pursue his own research on reincarnation, curious to see if it was possible to study life after death through the scientific method.

After a few years of volunteering in Stevenson’s department, he became a permanent researcher in the office. His duties included overseeing the electronic coding of Stevenson’s reincarnation cases.

Tucker published two books based on his research; “Life Before Life” in 2005, which presents the research that takes place at the DOPS, and “Return to Life,” which looks at American cases of children’s memories of past lives.

Tucker explains that the strength of each potential case he encounters varies. For instance, after studying certain cases, it becomes clear that a child’s statements can be traced to a family who desperately misses a deceased loved one and not from a past life, so the case is dismissed.
In many cases, however, the only logical explanation that remains is that the child simply recalls moments from a past life.

Study cases of reincarnation

One of these cases was four-year-old Ryan Hammons. This Oklahoma native dreamed of directing movies as many children do. But what was special about Ryan was seemed to have memories from someone else’s life as an actor in Hollywood. He remembered his friends, his children, his home, and even about past jobs he held.
Ryan’s story is just one example of a case of young children who remember details from a past life. [4]

In another well-known case, Stevenson encountered a toddler from Sri Lanka who had unexplained memories of Kataragama, a town unknown to her family. She told her mother that she had drowned there in a previous life and details about her family, their house, and surrounding neighbors. Stevenson’s research team later verified all this information, and it was surprisingly accurate.

The girl made 30 specific, verifiable statements that the research team could check. Of those 30 statements, 27 were correct, and the three incorrect ones were not far from the truth. For example, she named the dead girl’s father “Herath” when, in reality, that was her cousin’s name.

The evidence, in this case, was overwhelming, and it could not be dismissed as a coincidence. The level of details given and the fact that the two families had never met and did not have any friends or relatives in common left little room for doubt that this was a confirmed case of past life memories.

These are just a couple of Stevenson’s over 3,000 cases. Let’s look at the common trends and statistics from these studies to understand better what the DOPS has uncovered about life after death. [2]

The numbers behind past live research

When looking at the general data from Tucker’s research, here are some facts and figures that stand out: [4]

• Most children with stories of reincarnation are between 2 and 6 years old.The median age of the previous person at the time of death is 28
• The median time between the previous person’s death and the child’s birth is about 16 months.
• 90% of the children studied are of the same sex as the person they claim to be in their past life.
• 20% of the children have memories of the time between the death of their past life self and their current birth, although there are no consistent details about what happens during this time. Some children alleged to be in “God’s house,” and others claimed they were simply waiting near the place where they died.
• 60% of the children who remember a past life are male.
• In approximately 70% of the cases, the child has memories of a previous life that ended in unnatural or violent causes.
• Roughly 70% of the cases that reported violent deaths were of males (a similar proportion to that of violent deaths in the general population).

In terms of the children, the research shows that they don’t appear to be dissociating from painful family situations or have any reason to be looking for attention when they talk about their memories. They generally have an above-average IQ and don’t show signs of mental or emotional distress.

Regarding age, Tucker’s observation is that the memories tend to fade as the child gets older, generally around six years old. This could be because, at this age, their brains enter a new phase of development.

One common trend they observed is that more cases of children who remember past lives are reported in cultures where belief in reincarnation is prevalent.

This could be due to several factors, including the fact that people in these cultures are more likely to believe the child’s stories, as they form a part of their belief system and are more likely to investigate them.

By contrast, in western cultures, where belief in reincarnation is not as common, these stories are often dismissed as the child’s overactive imagination or vivid dreams and are not taken seriously.

Another significant observation that adds further physical evidence to the study of reincarnation is that nearly 20% of the children studied show birthmarks that look like scars or even birth deformities that closely match injuries the previous person had sustained before their death.

The physical marks of a past life

In 1997, Dr. Stevenson published a two-volume work on his studies called “Reincarnation and Biology,” documenting 225 cases of children with memories of past lives that were accompanied by physical evidence. [2]

In this work, he looks at the children’s birthmarks and deformities and compares them to documentation about the dead person’s life, such as autopsy records or photographs.

The unusual birthmarks took the shape of scar-like markings, such as port-wine stains, or strange-looking moles in areas where moles don’t tend to grow, such as the soles of the feet. And among the congenital disabilities, he found missing digits, limbs that were shorter than average, or other sorts of malformations.

In all of these cases, the physical marks corresponded to injuries that the dead person sustained during their lifetime, usually close to or at the time of death.

One of the most famous cases documented by Dr. Stevenson was a young boy in India who had past life memories of another boy who’d lost the fingers of his right hand in an accident with a chopping machine. The boy’s birth defect, known as “unilateral brachydactyly, consisted of having boneless stubs instead of fingers on his right hand only and was so rare that Stevenson couldn’t find any other documented case of it.

The book also documents the case of a Thai boy who had birthmarks on the back of the head and at the front, similar to the entry and exit wounds that a gunshot would make. Sure enough, the boy’s memories corresponded to a man who was killed when he was shot in the head with a rifle.

These are just some examples of the physical evidence that Stevenson has found in his years of study, which adds further credibility to the scientific research that points to reincarnation being a real phenomenon.

Scientific explanations for past life memories

When reviewing Jim Tucker’s first book, Michael Levin, Director of the Center for Regenerative and Developmental Biology at Tufts University, called the book a “first-rate piece of research” and talked about the difficulties in proving or debunking Tucker’s research. [4]

Levin pointed out that our current methods and concepts in science are not adequate to handle this data, and so they cannot deal with the possibility of reincarnation.

That’s why current scientific research models are not able to provide a definitive answer as to whether reincarnation actually takes place or not.

However, Tucker himself, in his book “Return to Life,” points to the theories of quantum mechanics. This science explains the behavior of particles at the atomic and subatomic levels, which could shed some light on how past life memories could be transmitted from one person to another.

Quantum physics and reincarnation

Quantum physics is not an idea that is simple to grasp. Even some of the world’s most brilliant scientists have trouble wrapping their heads around it.

But the basic idea is that at its smallest level, the universe is not made up of things but instead of energy that is constantly in motion. This energy always interacts and affects other energy, even if those things are not close to each other.

Tucker explains that according to quantum physics, our physical world could even grow out of our consciousness.

Take the experiment of the two slits. In this experiment, particles of light (photons) are fired at a screen with two slits in it. On the other side of the screen is a detector. You would expect the photons to go straight through both slits and hit the sensor. But what actually happens when there is an observer is that the photons go through just one slit.

The photons somehow know that there is an observer, and they change their behavior.

Now, imagine if human beings are made up of this same kind of energy. If we are, it stands to reason that our consciousness could also affect things, even when we’re not physically present.

And if our consciousness can affect things, then it’s possible that our memories and experiences from past lives could be passed on to other people, even if we’re not physically close to them.

Max Planck, the Nobel Prize-winning quantum physicist who first proposed the theory of quantum mechanics, also believed that consciousness was a fundamental part of the universe and affects or even creates the physical world.

If this is true, then there’s no reason to think that consciousness requires a brain and a physical body to exist.
And as Tucker points out, this means there’s no reason to think that consciousness dies when the physical body does. And that opens the door to the possibility that consciousness could reincarnate into another life after the physical body dies.

Of course, all of this is just theory at this point.

The exact mechanisms by which past life memories could be transmitted from one person to another are still very much a mystery. And even though we have some positive evidence for reincarnation, we do not have the research models that would be able to prove or disprove it definitively.

But it seems clear that future advances in quantum physics could hold the key to understanding how reincarnation might work.

Why doesn’t everyone have past life memories?

One of the questions that come to mind when reading about Stevenson and Tucker’s studies on reincarnation is that if human consciousness can survive death and be reborn into another life, as quantum physics seems to show, then why isn’t there more evidence of it?

Stevenson believed that reincarnation might be common, even though most children have no recollection of their previous existence or any memories from that time.

Even in a country like India, where most of the population believes in reincarnation and parents would likely encourage their children to talk about any memories they may have of a previous life, Stevenson found that only one in 500 children showed evidence of past life memories. [2]

So why do so few people seem to remember their past lives?

Stevenson offers some insight from his lens as an expert on psychosomatic medicine. He had always been fascinated with the link between mind and body and how our emotions and experiences can affect our physical health.

With this perspective, he suspected that the strength of emotions around the time of death might play a role in whether or not someone remembers their past life.

If death is traumatic, it likely leaves an emotional imprint, and it may be more difficult for the consciousness to move on.

This would explain why most of the children in his case studies who remembered their past lives had died violent deaths.

He also observed that the children often had fears related to their past life experiences, which would make sense if they were reliving trauma from another existence. For example, if a child had drowned in a past life, they would be intensely afraid of water in this life. If they were killed with a knife, they might have a phobia of sharp objects.

He even recorded three cases where young children reacted violently when they saw their supposed murderer from a previous life.

All this would suggest that the memories of our past lives are more likely to be retained if the death is sudden and violent.

Another interesting observation from Stevenson’s studies is that reincarnation does not seem to be immediate, as some religious traditions suggest. In almost all the cases he studied, there was a few years gap between the death of the previous life and the birth of the new one.

And it’s also worth noting that while some religious traditions suggest that we are reborn into the same family or social class, Stevenson found this was not always the case. In some of his studies, the children were born into a completely different social class than their previous life.

The skeptics

Many challenge the idea of reincarnation, even in the face of Stevenson and Tucker’s compelling evidence. Some argue that this methodology is flawed and that past lives cannot be studied scientifically. Others say that these cases could be easily explained by false memories or the power of suggestion. After all, if a child is told repeatedly that they are the reincarnation of a particular person, they may eventually come to believe it, even if it’s not true. And many challenge the idea of reincarnation simply because it goes against their own religious beliefs don’t allow for it.

Tucker himself was raised a Southern Baptist, so to be skeptical of reincarnation. That is why his research takes great care to rule out other possible explanations for the memories that his subjects recount.

The motive of financial gain doesn’t seem to be a factor in these cases, as these claims don’t bring the children or their families any fame and glory. Indeed, many of the families he has studied worry that they will be ridiculed if they speak publicly about their child’s memories.

This leaves the explanation that it all boils down to children’s overactive imaginations. But as Tucker points out, the fact that these memories are so specific, with details that can often be traced back to a particular person and verified by different sources, makes it hard to dismiss them as mere fantasy.
As he states, “it defies logic that it would just be a coincidence.”

The way we think of life after death

Just because some experiences are beyond our current scientific capacity to explain, that doesn’t mean they’re not real. And in the case of reincarnation and past lives, thanks to the research by Stevenson, Tucker, and others, we now have an overwhelming body of evidence to suggest that it is very much a real phenomenon.
Of course, despite the science, the way we think about life after death will always have some element of personal belief.

The job of researchers is not to give our lives meaning or to help us understand our exact place in the world. Their job, instead, is to gather all the data available, investigate it as best they can, rule out all other possible explanations, and present their findings to the world. It’s then up to us to decide what we make of it all.

And for now, the evidence suggests that reincarnation is either very likely to be real, or, at least difficult to dismiss.

Sources

[1] : https://web.archive.org/web/20110720110857/http://www.medicine.virginia.edu/clinical/departments/psychiatry/sections/cspp/dops/publicationslinks/some-of-my-journeys-in-medicine.pdf
[2]: https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/bering-in-mind/ian-stevensone28099s-case-for-the-afterlife-are-we-e28098skepticse28099-really-just-cynics/
[3] https://med.virginia.edu/perceptual-studies/who-we-are/history-of-dops/
[4]: https://uvamagazine.org/articles/the_science_of_reincarnation

How is it possible that Buddha predicted the sun would consume the earth in roughly 7.5 billion years – a theory scientists only recently confirmed? That places Buddha at least 2500 years ahead of modern science — in linear time.

Perhaps the answer lies in another temporal teaching of the Buddha when he spoke of time as non-linear. He also spoke of an unlimited multiverse with countless universes. Today, quantum physics proposes the same concept. (along with Mavel Comics and Hollywood.)

Buddha taught cause and effect, and temporal and cosmological mechanics long before it was a notion in modern times. In this in-depth feature, we dive into the correlations between Buddha’s temporal and cosmological teachings — and today’s modern scientific theories and understandings, citing several key Sutras:

• Agganna Sutta and Digha Nikaya
• Avatamsaka Sutra
• Mahavairocana Sutra
• Lotus Sutra

Related Features:

• Did you miss our introduction to this series on Buddha and the Multiverse: Isness Thusness and the Cosmos? Read it here>>
• Mahavairocana Sutta the Buddha of the Multiverse>>
• All Dharmas are forms of emptiness??

How is it possible — 3 possibilities

How is it possible? There are three clear possibilities:
• The Sutra explanation: Buddha became Enlightened, at which point he saw all his lives, all times and all universes simultaneously and omnisciently (this is the Sutra explanation)
• Since time is non-linear, he could see all of times, as stated in sutras: past, present, future as one.
• The non-Buddhist explanation: he was the most advanced philosopher of all time — far transcending any philosopher or scientist since.

Introduction — Buddha, Spiderman, and the multiverse

‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,’ ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,’ and ‘Rick and Morty’ – are all recent stories that feature the multiverse. The concept of parallel universes has captured the public’s imagination for years, with more and more people becoming interested in the idea that there could be an infinite number of versions of themselves out there somewhere.

A recent film featuring the multiverse: Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness:

The recent Asian-American blockbuster ‘Everything, Everywhere, All At Once’ is perhaps the closest-related work to Buddhism. After the main character figures out how to tap into her own alternate personalities, the film culminates in a beautiful scene where the protagonist understands that only kindness in her reality will save her from a life of fear and pain.

Hollywood blockbusters and best-selling novels often depict scientific discoveries as eureka moments, whereby a lone individual has a sudden, groundbreaking realization that changes everything. In reality, however, most scientific advances are the result of the gradual accumulation of knowledge over time. And in some cases, concepts that are considered cutting-edge today were actually first proposed centuries ago.

This is certainly the case with the multiverse theory in quantum physics, which posits the existence of an infinite number of parallel universes. This article will explore the similarities between the multiverse theory and Buddhist teachings, as well as how the two can be used to explain some of the most baffling aspects of our reality.

The multiverse from a scientific standpoint

Before we can compare the multiverse theory to Buddhist teachings, it is first necessary to understand what scientists mean when they talk about the multiverse.

In the most basic sense, the multiverse is the hypothetical set of finite and infinite possible universes, including the universe we live in. Within the framework of quantum mechanics, our universe is just one among an infinite number of universes that exist in parallel.

The multiverse theory was first proposed (other than by Buddha) by mathematician and physicist Hugh Everett in the 1950s as a way to explain the apparent wave-like behavior of subatomic particles. Everett’s Many-Worlds Interpretation (MWI) of quantum mechanics suggests that every time a quantum event takes place, the universe splits into multiple universes, with each universe following a different path determined by the outcome of the event. [1]

For example, if you were to observe a quantum event, such as an atom decaying, you would see it decay in a certain way. But in another universe, that atom might have decayed in a different way. In other words, every time a quantum event takes place, there are an infinite number of universes in which that event plays out in different ways.

The famous theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking also believed in the existence of the multiverse. He was a firm advocate of string theory, which is a framework that attempts to unify all of the known forces in the universe. String theory predicted the existence of parallel universes and was Hawking’s final attempt to find a compelling reason for the Big Bang. [2]

There are a number of other scientific theories that also suggest the existence of parallel universes, but the vague and unprovable nature of these theories has led many scientists to be skeptical of the multiverse hypothesis. That being said, it is important to note that the multiverse is not just a scientific theory — it is also a philosophical concept with a long history.

What is Buddhist temporal cosmology?

Buddhist temporal cosmology is the Buddhist belief concerning the absolute past, present, and future of the universe. It’s essential to understand that in Buddhist beliefs, no god nor Buddha created the stars, planets, or galaxies. All things in the cosmos come into being and pass away due to conditions.

According to this doctrine, there is no beginning or end to time; rather, it is infinite and cyclical. This view is also adopted in Hindu cosmology and is known as the “Wheel of Time.” Like the seasons and life on Earth, The universe goes through an endless cycle of creation, destruction, and rebirth.

Time is measured in units known as “mahākalpa,” which translates to “Great Eon.” It is unclear how long a mahākalpa actually is, but it is said to be incredibly long — so long, in fact, that it is effectively infinite. We’re talking billions and billions and billions of years. A moment during the mahākalpa is simply called Kalpa and is said to be the time it takes for a universe to form, grow, mature, and decay. [3]

In Buddhist Cosmology, the end of one mahākalpa is followed by the complete destruction of the universe. All beings in the universe — humans, animals, plants, gods, demons, and so on — are annihilated. Once the universe has been destroyed, a new mahākalpa begins, and the cycle starts anew.

In parallel, scientific research has found that the universe is expanding and will continue to expand until it reaches a point where it becomes so large that gravity causes it to collapse in on itself — effectively resetting the universe in a “Big Crunch.” The Big Crunch would eventually lead to a new Big Bang, and the cycle would start anew. [4]

So, in a way, the Buddhist concept of the mahākalpa is similar to the scientific concept of the Big Bang and Big Crunch.

Buddhist Sutras and the Multiverse

Now that we have a basic understanding of Buddhist temporal cosmology let’s take a look at how the concept of the multiverse is described in Buddhist Sutras.

In the movie “Little Buddha” the moment of Shakyamuni Buddha’s Enlightenment is portrayed beautifully by Keanu Reeves:

Flower Garland Sutra: Avatamsaka Sutra

As one of the most important Mahayana Sutras, the Flower Garland Sutra (Avatamsaka Sutra) is a massive text that consists of dozens of chapters. It’s a complex and dense read, to say the least, but it contains some of the most comprehensive descriptions of the multiverse in all of Buddhist literature. [5]

Written at least 500 years after the Buddha’s death, the Avatamsaka Sutra is often described as the Buddha’s highest teaching. In this sutra, the Buddha describes a vast and infinitely- interconnected cosmos that consists of an infinite number of buddha realms.

These buddha realms are not just parallel universes — they are also interconnected, with each realm containing an infinite number of other realms. Furthermore, each plane contains an infinite number of beings, and each being includes an endless number of buddha realms. In other words, everything is connected to everything else, and reality — as we think we perceive it — is ultimately beyond our current understanding.

Emptiness is also a recurring theme in The Flower Garland Sutra. The sutra states that everything is empty and void of inherent existence. The perception “that the fields full of assemblies, the beings and eons which are as many as all the dust particles, are all present in every particle of dust.”

• For a feature on Shunyata, or Emptiness, see>>
• For a feature on Dharma and Emptiness, see>>

This idea of emptiness, or that everything is interconnected and interdependent is a central tenet of Buddhism, and it’s also a key concept in quantum physics.

In quantum mechanics, particles are not truly particles — they are actually waves of probability that only become particles when observed. Furthermore, these particles are not isolated from each other — they are all interconnected and interdependent. This interconnectedness gives rise to the strange phenomenon of quantum entanglement.

Finally, the concept of “self” is also called into question in The Flower Garland Sutra. Supported is the theory that the Buddha himself was a universe, with each one of his pores representing countless vast oceans. From the macroscopic to the microscopic, everything is a reflection of everything else.

Now that we have microscopes, we know that there actually is an entire ecosystem living within and on our skin and that we are made up of an infinite number of cells. So, the Buddha was right — we are all universes within universes.

Mahavairocana Sutra

Next, let’s take a look at the Mahavairocana Sutra, another important Mahayana Sutra that was written around the same time as the Avatamsaka Sutra. To understand this sutra, we must eliminate any preconceived Western notion of linear time. We are taught that the universe began and will end, but this is not the case in Buddhist cosmology.

In the Mahavairocana Sutra, time is cyclical — it goes on forever and is never-ending. Furthermore, everything exists simultaneously — past, present, and future all exist at the same time. This idea may be hard to wrap our linear minds around, but it’s actually not that far-fetched. [6]

In quantum mechanics, particles do not have a definite past or future — they exist in a state of superposition, which means that they exist in all possible states simultaneously. That being said, the Mahavairocana Sutra supports the theory that the Buddha was born thousands of times in different universes and that he will be born again in the future.

Thus, he is not here to save the Earth or to be our personal savior — he is simply one of many to show us the way to enlightenment. And he does so in a thousand different ways, in a thousand different universes, all at the same time.

Vairochana, who is the Buddha of this particular sutra, is also known as the “Illuminator” or the “Great Sun Buddha.” He represents the enlightened mind, and his name literally means “clear light. He is even thought to be made up of all the photons in the universe.

If you’ve ever seen a statue or painting of the Vairochana, you might notice a thousand petals on his throne. These petals represent the thousand buddha realms, which might be used to represent the multiverse.

Dhamma or Dharma

Another important concept in Buddhism is Dhamma. It represents the truth of the way things are and is often described as “the teaching of the Buddha.” In one of those teachings, the Buddha says:

“As a net is made up of a series of ties, so everything in this world is connected by a series of ties. If anyone thinks that the mesh of a net is an independent, isolated thing, he is mistaken. It is called a net because it is made up of a series of interconnected meshes, and each mesh has its place and responsibility in relation to the other meshes.” [7]

There is no independence, and everything is interconnected. This is a major theme in Buddhism, and quantum mechanics also supports it. According to Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity, space and time are not absolute but are relative to the observer. As such, space does not exist independently of objects, and time does not exist independently of events.

Zen master D. T. Suzuki made this point perfectly when he said:

“By emptiness of self-aspect or self-character, therefore, is meant that each particular object has no permanent and irreducible characteristics to be known as its own.”

In other words, everything is in a state of flux, and nothing has a permanent, unchanging nature.

Furthermore, Dhamma’s 31 planes of existence are also worth noting. In the Mahayana tradition, these planes are known as the Buddha realms, and they represent different levels of reality. After someone dies, they are reborn into one of these realms based on their karma. They are divided into these main categories:

• The sensuous realm: This is where humans and animals reside. It is a world of suffering because we are subject to the pain of birth, old age, sickness, and death.
• The fine-material realm: In this realm, beings are free from the pain of birth, old age, sickness, and death. However, they are still subject to the pain of change. They have a subtle body, making them susceptible to the pleasures and pains of the physical world.
• The immaterial realm: This is a realm of pure consciousness, where devas, or celestial beings, reside. They are not subject to the pain of birth, old age, and sickness, since they don’t have physical bodies. However, this means they can no longer hear the Buddha’s teachings.

We can draw a parallel between these realms and the different quantum states that particles can exist in. Just like particles, we can exist in different quantum states depending on our karma. Upon our death, we will be reborn into one of these states based on our actions in this life.

Agganna Sutta

The Agganna Sutta, which can be found in the Digha Nikaya, is a Buddhist scripture that describes the evolution of the universe and the human race. In this sutta, the Buddha talks about world evolution and the beginning of life on Earth. It mainly revolves around a discussion with two brahmins, Bharadvaja and Vasettha.

After being insulted by their caste, the two brahmins go to the Buddha to ask about their origins. The Buddha then proceeds to tell them about the evolution of the universe and how humans came to be. He starts by describing the formation of the universe, which he says was destroyed millions of years ago and has evolved to its present state over many years. He then talks about the formation of life and social structures on Earth. [8]

While he doesn’t explicitly mention the multiverse in this sutta, we can see that the Buddha is talking about a world that is constantly changing and evolving. This is in line with the idea of the multiverse, which states that there are an infinite number of universes, each with its own set of changes.

He goes on to highlight the nature of “becoming,” and how the universe and everything in it are constantly changing. He talks about how beings are born, age, and die; how they rise and fall in social status; and how they experience pleasure and pain. He ultimately asserts that all of this is due to karma, or the law of cause and effect.

Lotus Sutra

Perhaps one of the most well-known Buddhist scriptures, the Lotus Sutra, is a Mahayana text that describes the Buddha’s teachings on emptiness and selflessness. In this sutta, the Buddha talks about how he achieved enlightenment through his practice of selflessness. He gives credit to the thousands of Buddhas who have come before him and asserts that all beings have Buddha nature. [9]

“Those Buddhas of the ages past,
Those of the times to come,
Those Buddhas of the present time,
Forever do I reverence.”

The Lotus Sutra is significant because it’s one of the first texts to talk about the idea of the Buddha realms, or different levels of reality. In this sutta, the Buddha uses plural forms when referring to himself and other Buddhas, which suggests that there are multiple Buddhas in different realms. This is in line with the idea of the multiverse, which states that there are an infinite number of universes, each with its own set of changes.

The Buddha goes on to talk about the Bodhisattva path, which is the path of selflessness and compassion. He describes how Bodhisattvas can help all beings, regardless of whether they are human or non-human. This is significant because it shows that the Buddha is concerned with the welfare of all beings, not just humans.

It is not the first time he has hinted at alien lifeforms, although they are never explicitly mentioned in the Lotus Sutra. Everything is open to interpretation. Maybe the other Buddhas were simply other humans who had not yet been born. Maybe they were non-human beings from other realms who had come to help the Buddha in his mission. Or maybe, as some scholars believe, the Buddha was hinting at the existence of intelligent life in other universes.

Pratitya-Samutpada

Speaking of karma, it’s worth mentioning the law of cause and effect, which is known as Pratitya-Samutpada in Buddhism. The doctrine states that all dharmas, or things, arise in dependence on other dharmas. In other words, everything is interconnected, and nothing can exist independently. As such, our universe could not exist without the existence of other universes. [10]

Another highlight here brings us back to the Big Bang and Big Crunch theory. As we know, the universe is expanding and will eventually reach a point where it starts to contract again. The law of cause and effect tells us that one causes the other; in this case, the Big Bang is the cause, and the Big Crunch is the effect.

This theory also ties in with the idea of rebirth. Just as the universe goes through a cycle of expansion and contraction, so do we go through a cycle of birth and death. Our actions in this life will determine our rebirth.

This law is often described as a “chain of causation,” because it shows how one thing leads to another. For example, if we plant a seed, it will grow into a tree. The tree will then produce fruit, which we can eat. This act of eating the fruit will then cause us to experience pleasure. At the same time, someone else may see us eating the fruit and feel jealous. The feeling of jealousy will then cause them to act in a negative way towards us.

Three universal truths

Finally, we come to the three universal truths, which are the cornerstone of Buddhist teachings. These aren’t to be confused with the four noble truths, which pertain to suffering, desire, and the path to liberation. The three universal truths are:

• All things are impermanent.
• Impermanence leads to suffering, making life imperfect
• The self is not personal and unchanging.

As we can see, these truths all tie in with everything we’ve talked about so far. The first truth tells us that everything is impermanent or in a state of flux. As big and mighty as our universe might seem, it is constantly changing and will one day come to an end. As for the third truth, it speaks to the idea of the multiverse—that we are not alone in this vast expanse and that there are an infinite number of other universes out there.

It’s also worth noting that the three universal truths are often described as “the three characteristics of existence.” This is because they highlight the nature of life. In science, a famous quote by physicist Antoine Lavoisier says,

“Nothing is lost, nothing is created, everything is transformed.”

We can apply this same logic to the three universal truths. All things are impermanent, but this doesn’t mean they cease to exist. Rather, they are simply transformed (or reborn) into something else.

Possible explanations for these links

So, how can we explain the similarities between Buddhism and science? Well, there are a few possible explanations. [11]

The first is that the Buddha was a very insightful man who deeply understood the world around him. In fact, many of his teachings were based on his own observations and experiences. Given that he lived over 2,500 years ago, it might be surprising to learn that his teachings are still relevant today. But this shows how far ahead of his time he was.

It’s worth noting that while these teachings are valid after some analysis, they weren’t as specific as modern theories. In some ways, the Buddha was more like a philosopher than a scientist. He would often use stories and metaphors to illustrate his points rather than getting bogged down in the details.

If you believe in reincarnation or in the notion of non-linear time — which most Buddhists do — then it becomes clear that the Buddha accumulated all this knowledge over the course of his many lifetimes — which are non-linear. It the sutras it is stated that when Buddha attained Enlightenment, he saw all his past and future lives simultaneously.

His having seen it previously would explain how he predicted the inevitable destruction of the Earth by the Sun. Today scientists agree with the Buddha’s assessment — In roughly 7.5 billion years, the Sun will expand and consume the Earth.

Another explanation is that Buddhism has been influenced by science over the years. As our understanding of the universe has grown, so has our understanding of Buddhism. In fact, many modern Buddhists are quick to point out the connections between their religion and science.

Unlike some theologies and spiritual paths, Buddhism does not clash with science. In fact, many Buddhists believe that their religion is compatible with science. This is likely because Buddhism is more of a way of life than a dogmatic religion. As such, it’s open to new interpretations and understandings.

Finally, it’s also possible that there are no concrete explanations for the similarities between Buddhism and science. It might be a pure coincidence that they share so many commonalities.

Why does Buddha speak of the cosmos?

Now that we’ve looked at some of the possible explanations for the similarities between Buddhism and science, let’s take a closer look at why the Buddha would have even brought up the topic of the cosmos in the first place.

First and foremost, it’s important to remember that the Buddha did not believe that understanding the ins and outs of the universe was necessary for enlightenment. In fact, he discouraged his followers from wasting their time on such things.

So, why would he take the time to talk about the cosmos? Well, there are a few possible reasons. First, it’s important to remember that the Buddha was not just a religious leader but also a teacher. And as a teacher, he wanted his students to think for themselves and to question everything, including his own teachings.

The Buddha says: “Just as a goldsmith would test his gold by burning, cutting, and rubbing it, so must you examine my words and accept them, not merely out of reverence for me.”

In essence, the Buddha was trying to get his followers to think critically and not just take his word for it. He insisted that if someone were to pursue the truth about the origins or future of our universe, they should investigate astronomy, cosmology, and other scientific disciplines for themselves.

The Buddha also saw clear opportunities for metaphors and similes when talking about the cosmos. He used these to explain complex concepts in a way that his students could understand.

Should Buddhist spend time trying contemplating the multiverse?

That is a personal question that every Buddhist has to answer for themselves. The Dalai Lama writes: [12]

“I don’t know whether the universe, with its countless galaxies, stars, and planets, has a deeper meaning or not, but at the very least, it is clear that we humans who live on this Earth face the task of making a happy life for ourselves… I have found that the greatest degree of inner tranquility comes from the development of love and compassion. The more we care for the happiness of others, the greater our own sense of well-being becomes.”

His Holiness goes on to say:

“It doesn’t matter how many universes are out there, and it doesn’t matter how many people are out there. We have no control over that. What we can control are our own minds. Everything that Buddha teaches is basically: return to your mind. We don’t have to do anything. We already know everything is changing—one thing leads to the next, it’s endless. We don’t have to run after that. What we have to do is return to ourselves.”

This quote shows that, while the Dalai Lama believes that understanding the cosmos is interesting, he also doesn’t think it’s necessary for enlightenment. Instead, he believes that Buddhists should focus on their own minds and on making a happy life for themselves. Ultimately, whether or not a Buddhist spends time trying to figure out the multiverse is up to them.

Connections and Buddhism

There are clear similarities between Buddhism and science when it comes to the multiverse.

From the Flower Garland Sutra to the Three Universal Truths, we understand that everything is connected and that everything is constantly changing. The multiverse is just one more example of this. Cause and effect, birth and death, these things are all a part of the natural order of things. And that applies to small beings like us as well as to gigantic things like universes.

While we may never get the truth about the multiverse – although never say never in the face of non-linear time – we can take comfort in knowing the Buddha himself encouraged us to question everything.

So, go out and explore the cosmos. Investigate astronomy and cosmology. And most importantly, don’t forget to return to your mind.

At the end of the day, that’s all that really matters.

Sources

[1] Plato on Standford edu>>
[2] Stephen Hawking Theory of Everything >>
[3] Buddhist Cosmology>>
[4] Astronomy How Stuff Works>>
[5] Avatamsaka Sutra>>
[6] Maha Vairocana Sutra on Buddha Weekly >>
[7] Parallel Universes Dhamma Wiki>>
[8] Buddhism Universal Theory on Tricycle>>
[9]Lotus Sutra on Wiki>>
[10] Pratityasamutpada>>
[11] Buddhist cosmology>>
[12] Countless Galaxies>>

In fact, I will argue — in what I hope will be an application of logic (you tell me, please, in the comments below) —  that the practice of Buddhism is in itself empirical and objective, and flexible. At the very least, if a Dharma topic is not scientific, it is supported logically, methodically, and through trial and error.

We can replicate the “experiments of the great sages” with uncanny precision. We can employ the scientific methods, and replicate our methods. We can pass on the proven methods.

By Josephine Nolan

(Biography below.)

But Wait, what about faith?

But wait! you likely are thinking as you read these words. What about faith? What about deities? What about the unseen? What about superstition? What if we don’t believe what we read in sutra or hear from a teacher?

I hope to deal with each of these and more in future features. I’m not going to make, I hope, superficial arguments, such as “I have faith because the Buddha said so.” Infallibility is not a Buddhist concept (see the Dalai Lama’s very profound argument below.)

Science is objective — so is Buddhism?

Science is objective, and — I’ll argue in this series — so is Buddhism.

A humble and loving man named Tenzin Gyatso — whom most will know better as His Holiness the Dalai Lama — strongly supports this notion:

“Suppose that something is definitely proven through scientific investigation, that a certain hypothesis is verified or a certain fact emerges as a result of scientific investigation. And suppose, furthermore, that that fact is incompatible with Buddhist theory. There is no doubt that we must accept the result of the scientific research.”

His Holiness the Dalai Lama, when he was Tenzin Gyatso a young child in Tibet, experienced the wonder that comes with a wondrous device called a telescope. As the story goes, when he and his tutor looked at the moon, they noted that according to Buddhist texts, the moon produced its own light. The young Tenzin Gyatso wasn’t so sure about this, however.

As the fourteenth Dalai Lama, he has been known to converse with many scientists and has expressed on more than one occasion that science trumps any dogma.

Is this belief anomalous to the religion or indicative of a more widely spread idea? It is certainly more acceptable in Dharmic religions — Buddhism, Hinduism and others — that embrace logic, despite “surface appearances” of deities, rituals, and so on. Buddhism, in particular, was — in its day — quite radical. And, still is.

Divergent traditions show the flexibility of logical minds

The very fact that there are widely divergent traditions and schools within Buddhism is a sign of its flexibility. Buddha, in his parable of the Burning House, in The Lotus Sutra — arguably the most miraculous of the Sutras — he still applied logic to the situation. He demonstrated, through the metaphor of a burning house, that one might have to “make up a story” to help convince panicking family members to leave the burning house. In other parables, such as the Parable of the Lost Son, and the Parable of the Medicinal Plants (Chapter 4 and 5 of The Lotus Sutra) he similarly applied the supreme logic of skillful means.

See our ongoing series on The Lotus Sutra, and what some of the parables mean:

• Parable of the Burning House (Chapter 3 Lotus Sutra) here>>
• Parable of the Lost Vagabond Son (Chapter 4 Lotus Sutra)>>
• Parable of the Medicinal Plants (Chapter 5 Lotus Sutra)>>

Bringing Mindfulness into the research lab?

There is, in fact, a “Buddhism for everyone” — including a rational scientific mind. Imagine bringing mindfulness into the research lab! There is also Buddhism for someone who wants simplicity. Or faith. Or devotion. Or elaborate rituals where every activity means something significant. Buddha did not teach or guide us to accept one idea, one concept, one tradition, or any dogma. Dogma is not found, as a rule (pun intended) in Dharmic faiths and certainly not in Buddhism. (More on that later!)

Buddha always cautioned us to make our own inquiries — to replicate his own experiments with our own. If we have deities it is because we visualize them and meditate on their qualities — not because we expect them to swoop down like angels or saints. If we have faith, it is because we have faith in the logic of the teachings. If we find magic in mantras, it’s because we create that magic with our mind. (Or, we like to chant!) What works, works. If it doesn’t work, certainly in Buddhism we normally toss it out!

The sages and gurus did the research on our behalf

We often rely, to an extent, in Buddhism on “lineage” or “because this sage” said so. But, in Buddhism this isn’t taken at face value — at least not by most rational Buddhists. Even where we practice so-called Guru Yoga, it’s not blind faith. The person who has a Guru they hold up to that level of high respect has done their due diligence. We hold them our gurus up — sages of the past and the lineage of teachers down to our own teachers — in the same way, the science community might regard Einstein. Even Einstein has detractors. Some of his theories are being questioned. But that doesn’t diminish his star.

We have faith because that sage proved the result with his own Enlightened activities. He or she made arguments in their own writings and teachings that we find reliable. We, as Budhists can — and often do — reject teachings that we find have no foundation. (At least I do! No teacher will ever reject a student on the basis of rejecting specific teaching. (For example, rebirth doctrine — most teachers shrug if you say you “don’t believe”; but they don’t ask you to leave.)

In the same way science is based on foundations, so is Buddhism. We can’t start our experiments all over again. There’s no need to rediscover antibiotics. We build on what. We develop more and more advanced antibiotics. We don’t re-invent, we invent from the foundation. Likewise, in Buddhism — we accept the pioneering investigations of Buddha and reliable sages as a foundation — then we explore for ourselves.

Bringing science and Dharma together?

Why should we even care? Spirituality is one thing. Science is another. Right? Yet, isn’t it true that our lives are guided by these two important paths — scientific and logical inquiry and spiritual inquiry?

You may disagree, but I personally believe, that today — with viruses out of control, climate change and conflict on the rise — finding the link between science and spirituality may be one of the most important connections that could be made. Even science is facing more and ever more adversaries with varying motives. Many people seem to be “choosing sides” between science and faith. Instead, can’t we at least imagine a world where they are just two sides of one coin? The gist of my argument is — yes, it’s possible with Dharma. It may not be possible with some faith-based paths — where the teachings directly contradict what is known by science. But, in Buddhism, nothing contradicts science.

Buddha himself was a revolutionary

Buddha himself was a revolutionary and logical thinker.

As this is an “introductory concept” I won’t shy away from quoting a frequently cited passage from the Buddhist Sutta supporting Buddhism as rational and logical. Buddha spoke to the Kalamas:

“Come, Kālāmas, do not go by oral tradition, by lineage of teaching, by hearsay, by a collection of scriptures, by logical reasoning, by inferential reasoning, by reasoned cogitation, by the acceptance of a view after pondering it, by the seeming competence of a speaker, or because you think: ‘The ascetic is our guru.’ But when, Kālāmas, you know for yourselves: ‘These things are unwholesome; these things are blameworthy; these things are censured by the wise; these things, if accepted and undertaken, lead to harm and suffering,’ then you should abandon them.”

In this passage, Buddha is speaking to a group of people who are not sure what to believe. This can be easily interpreted as meaning that one should follow logic and reason, as well as what they can tell, at the intuitive level. These ideas, quotes, and the Sutras all support the idea that observation and reason have merit. To read those words seems like, well — “common sense”. Even when we read the parables in the Lotus Sutra, or the miraculous accounts of Buddha, we put this in context. A scientist sees metaphor, but can still embrace the gist. A hard-working farmer may not need the extra context, he or she just knows. (The farmer doesn’t need to know how an elaborate combine was built to make use of it in cropping — they know it works because they use it every season.)

Irrefutable logic and Buddha

Buddha taught with irrefutable logic. It’s one reason he captivated people through his followers. For example, one core teaching, Dependent Co-Arising.

In almost any “Buddhist” philosophical argument — for instance, “why should I meditate?” or “Is there a soul?” or “what happens after death?” or even, “what is the true nature of self?” — the impeccable logic of Dependent Co-Arising is the “go-to” Dharma teaching.

Buddha said:

“Whoever sees Dependent Co-Arising, he sees Dhamma;
Whoever sees Dhamma, he sees Dependent Co-Arising.”

What is it, and why is it “scientific? In a nutshell:

“The general or universal definition of pratityasamutpada (or “dependent origination” or “dependent arising” or “interdependent co-arising”) is that everything arises in dependence upon multiple causes and conditions; nothing exists as a singular, independent entity.”

Simple, pure, pristine, perfect logic. Buddha.

• To read more about Dependent Arising, see>>

Analysis and the Eightfold Path

The heart of Buddha’s teachings is the Eightfold Path — a prescription for our own personal path to realizations based on positive karmic conduct.

That did not stop the Buddha from analytical logic and debate. After the first teachings, Buddha spent decades teaching the path — a key method of teaching, as demonstrated in the Magga-vibhanga Sutta — and other sutras (suttas) — was analysis.

• To read the impeccable logic of Buddhist analysis, specifically of the Eightfold Path, see>>

Why then, does this feel so refreshing?

So what makes Buddhism different? Why does it feel refreshing? I think of Buddhism as the “religion” with no “religion.” Ha, that makes sense, right?

Where Buddhism differs greatly from the other major religions is that it is non-theistic. Buddha often stressed that he was not and is not a God and will never be one. In fact, he had 10 things, according to Pali Sutta, that he would never discuss. Why wouldn’t he discuss them? They remained “undeclared” because discussing them was unimportant. In the Buddha’s path, the path to Enlightenment, some things are just distractions. A scientist may seek some of these answers, but to Buddha they were not worth considering on the path to the goal of Enlightenment. (That’s not a contradiction; its a separation of science and spiritual path into their own core competencies.)

These questions are unanswered

Majjhima Nikaya 63 and 72 in the Pali Canon contain a list of ten unanswered questions about certain views (ditthi):

1. The world is eternal.
2. The world is not eternal.
3. The world is (spatially) infinite.
4. The world is not (spatially) infinite.
5. The being imbued with a life force is identical with the body.
6. The being imbued with a life force is not identical with the body.
7. The Tathagata (a perfectly enlightened being) exists after death.
8. The Tathagata does not exist after death.
9. The Tathagata both exists and does not exist after death.
10. The Tathagata neither exists nor does not exist after death.

Buddha didn’t say we couldn’t ask. If we’re scientists, maybe we want to inquire. But he wouldn’t answer, because they had nothing to do with Enlightenment.

On the other hand, as Buddha made clear in my earlier quote from him, he invited rational inquiry.

Science and Buddhism are not parallel paths, by any means, but they don’t contradict each other. Each has its own “core competencies.”

• For a full feature on “These questions remained unanswered” by Buddha, see>>

Dhamma-Vicaya — and scientific method

There are those that argue that Buddhism is not a religion but indeed a logical philosophy more akin to science. Some Buddhists even assert that Buddhist texts go a step further and embrace scientific methods.

The example referred to in Pali Canon which is dhamma-vicaya promotes an impartial investigation of nature.This is clear from the translations, which slightly vary: “analysis of qualities”, “discrimination of dhammas“, “discrimination of states,”, “investigation of doctrine,” and “searching the Truth.” Whichever translation we apply, clearly impartial investigation is at the core.

In fact, Buddhist observations have been widely compared to many different practices of science. One of these is physics.

Buddhism and Physics: more parallels than contradictions

There are many who would draw comparisons between Buddhist thought and the principles of time, space, matter and reality. Again, parallels between the Buddhist approach and the scientific method can be drawn. Buddhists have used rational analysis and thought experiments used by physicists as well, to decipher the mysteries of the universe.

Of course, while some of the processes bear similarities, the goals are often quite different. Science is often spearheaded by a need or problem that must be solved. Buddhism is often contemplative and with Enlightened goals in mind.

In The Universe in a Single Atom, the Dalai Lama wrote of an unmistakable resonance between the notion of emptiness and physics. He wrote that if the matter was revealed as less solid or definable than it appeared, then science is coming closer to contemplative insights made through the practice of Buddhism. These are known as emptiness and interdependence or also as pratityasamputpada by the Buddhist insights.

• For a feature on Shunyata and how it has a “scientific” basis, see>>

Astrophysicist notion of “subtle impermanence”

The Dalai Lama isn’t the only one to draw similarities between contemplative Buddhist insights and physics. An astrophysicist by the name of Trin Xuan Thuan also argued that the idea of “subtle impermanence”, or the idea that everything is in a constant state of movement and flux, is totally consistent with “our modern scientific conception of the universe”.

Without delving too deeply into quantum physics, we can also touch upon its theories that discovered that sub-atomic particles cannot be defined as actual solid entities; Those with fixed properties like momentum or position. This has been said to be one understanding of the Heisenberg uncertainty principle, which while rooted in quantum mechanics, is still important. (Okay, I’m not an expert on Quantum Mechanics, so feel free to comment below if I’m making mistaken assumptions. The key point is there are more parallels than contradictions.)

Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle?

This principle, in one sense, defines that the focus on one metric makes the study of another more difficult. More specifically, this means that the momentum and position of a particle cannot be measured simultaneously. This might sound arbitrary, however at a deeper level, however, the Heisenburg uncertainty principle states that something cannot be observed without a minute level of disruption.

Here’s my question, or my thought on this. Do the ramifications of this principle provide some groundwork for the methods of mindfulness and meditation? As before, more parallels than contradictions.

• For more on Quantum Physics and Buddhism, see>>

Labels, no labels

One area Buddhism and Science might disagree in on the importance of labels. Science tends to label and catalog. Buddhism tends to “de-catalog.” By that, I mean, the goal is to break down false perceptions, break down egos that cling and attaches to labeled things. In other words, labels are important, but for different reasons: science treasures labels; Buddhism diminishes them.

Heisenberg another label?

For those who might be unaware of the ramifications of the Heisenberg principle of uncertainty, it’s important to understand how things are most often measured in physics. Usually, light is bounced off of an object and reflected back to specialized equipment which measures the wavelength of the light used. This presents no problem when attempting to measure something relatively large like a tennis ball. The particles of such an object have enough mass that the photons bounce back. This isn’t true when microscopic particles like electrons are attempted to be measured. As it is so small, the photons will disturb the electron slightly as they bounce off, making it difficult to take an objective or accurate measurement without interfering.

This is very similar to the ideas of observance and may provide an insight into the science behind manifestation, the abilities of intention, and mindfulness. If molecules act differently when observed — what does the science say?

The Science of Visualization

A practical example of visualization is commonly taught to and used by athletes. Athletes, performers and elite soldiers alike, all practice the technique of visualization. This practice, while long disregarded as pseudoscientific hyperbole, has actually been found to have a strong base of anecdotal evidence (and some empirical) supporting its legitimacy. Some of it has even come from western medicine.

Buddhist logic has long observed the powers of manifestation, mindfulness, and visualization. All schools of Buddhism employ visualization in one way or another. Visualization activates the mind. [For a feature on Visualization activates the mind, see>>] Vajrayana, in particular, use visualization to reinforce nearly every meditation.

It has been found that visualizing stimulates the same brain regions in practice, as are required in real life. It is a rehearsal for your neuropathways, and it is effective. This idea doesn’t only prove useful to athletes and performers, but to those with severe impairments as well, particularly, victims of strokes.

Buddhism and science: more parallels than contradictions

The bottom line, is that Buddhism and Science are certainly compatible, and there are certainly parallel methods and minimal contradictions. Where Buddhism’s past teachings are contradicted by firm science, Buddhists generally accept it, as the Dalai Lama indicated. Buddhism also stands alone in world religions — at least so I believe — in having a sizable Secular Buddhist community.

And, here’s the real bottom line: in science and in Buddhism: nothing is totally irrefutable.

Have your say!

What do you think? Do Buddhism and Science seem compatible? Do you disagree? Disagree? Did I totally bungle my Quantum Physics? Let us know in the comments below!

Sources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhism_and_science#:~:text=A%20commonly%20held%20modern%20view,a%20%22scientific%20religion%22).
https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/is-buddhism-the-most-science-friendly-religion/
https://theconversation.com/what-buddhism-and-science-can-teach-each-other-and-us-about-the-universe-134322
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-science-of-visualizat_b_171340

The good news here — aside from reinforcing Buddha’s teachings — is the benefits are broad spectrum. All sorts of people — who live incredibly diverse lives and have very different problems — can find the same benefits and wonders in meditation.

By Josephine Nolan,

Contributing Editor

There is plenty of science to support the objective, positive effects that meditation has on people, enough to help even the most doubtful see that there is value in the simplicity of meditation. This evidence, in the form of studies, reports, meta-analyses, and research projects, find that (and in some cases explains how) meditation simply, truly works.

[Note: normal disclaimers: this feature reports only. Always seek the advice of your health practitioners.]

Although there are many, many confirmed benefits to meditation and mindfulness, in thisfeature we will focus on the top ten.

1. Reduced stress

One of the most common reasons for people to try meditating is to try and reduce stress. Mental and physical stress cause the body to produce higher levels of the stress hormone called cortisol. Cortisol can cause a lot of the negative effects that stress is associated with because it triggers the release of cytokines, which are inflammatory chemicals.

These effects include increased tendency toward depression and anxiety, affected sleep, increased blood pressure, and fatigue and cloudy thoughts.

An 8-week study by researchers found that mindfulness-based meditation decreased stress-caused inflammation responses in subjects. The mindfulness training was “a better buffer of the effects of psychological stress on neurogenic inflammation” than a well-matched control condition. [Note 1]

2. Reduced pain

Meditation can also decrease pain, in any of its forms. This is especially true when that pain is caused by disorders that are often (but not always) stress-related. Some examples are irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and fibromyalgia.

IBS is a gastrointestinal disorder that is found in many people. Its symptoms include diarrhea, constipation, abdominal pain, and bloating, but these symptoms are easily attributable to many other diseases and can therefore often be difficult to diagnose and manage. A literature review found that meditation provided sufferers relief from their IBS symptoms. [2]

The same goes for fibromyalgia, which (after osteoarthritis) is the second most common rheumatologic pain disorder. A review found that mindfulness meditation was helpful in improving sufferers’ pain symptoms and pain perception. [3]

3. Reduced depression and anxiety

Meditation also positively impacts anxiety and depression. This is because these disorders feature stress as a factor affecting their severity, but also because mindfulness helps to break the harmful cycles of negative thought that these disorders feature.

A meta-analysis of a studies done on 1,295 subjects found that a type of meditation called Transcendental Meditation was “more effective than treatment as usual and most alternative treatments, with greatest effect observed in individuals with high anxiety”. [4]

A trial involving 93 subjects found that mindfulness-based stress reduction helped individuals with generalized anxiety disorder experience significant reductions in anxiety and an increase in positive self-statements. [5]

A review of available literature on the subject concluded that mindfulness-based interventions “demonstrated efficacy in reducing anxiety and depression symptom severity in a broad range of treatment-seeking individuals”. [6]

4. Improved social interactions

Emotional wellbeing extends beyond just feeling happy. It also involves managing negative thoughts, low self-esteem, and insecurity. Emotional wellbeing isn’t just important for personal satisfaction, but also for social interaction. Loneliness and social isolation are some of the most impactful factors on poor health and even a shorter life span.

A study of 153 adults found that when using a mindfulness meditation app for 2 weeks, there were reduced feelings of loneliness as well as more social interactions than a control group [7].

This finding corroborates the line of thinking that in order to be a better friend/partner/child/parent etc., you need to work on yourself first. When someone works on their emotional well-being, it is easier for them to find meaningful connections in the world.

5. Improved self-awareness

Self-awareness helps people to be more aware of and understand who they truly are, leading to better self-growth, acceptance, and love. They can grow into the best version of themselves. Meditation is an excellent tool in the journey of self-awareness, especially certain forms like self-inquiry meditation.

There is evidence that meditation can give a person the tools they need to be more self-aware [8], as well as positively affecting “the involvement of the attentional networks, and, likely, the cingulatecortex, particularly in the process of bare attention (ie, awareness without thought). This highest level of nonjudgmental awareness may help in obtaining a better-adjusted resilient self.” [9]

6. Longer attention span

Meditating is one of the best things to help lengthen a short attention span for people of any age, similar to how physical exercise helps muscles increase their strength and endurance.

There was a study found that just a couple of weeks of meditating increased people’s focus and memory [10]. Another study stated that people who meditated regularly had longer attention span and performed better on a visual task than those that didn’t [11].

A review published that meditation even has the power to reverse brain patterns that lead to mind-wandering, poor attention, and worrying [12].

The best part is, it doesn’t even take that much time for the benefits of meditating to show. A study showed that just 13 minutes of meditation daily can show enhanced attention and memory retention after only 8 weeks [13].

7. Improved sleep

Having trouble falling asleep is one of the most common nighttime issues that people face, and it can be caused by any number of reasons. Stress is most often the culprit, though. The cytokines mentioned earlier in this feature disrupt sleep and sleep patterns, and so meditation can help to relieve stress-sufferers from insomnia.

A study showed that people who used mindfulness-based meditation programs stayed asleep longer and had less severe insomnia than those who didn’t [14].

8. Volume changes in the brain

Meditation can physically alter the brain to make positive changes to it. A team at Harvard found that just eight weeks of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) increased cortical thickness in the hippocampus. This area of the brain is responsible for learning and memory.

MBSR was also found to increase other areas of the brain that contribute to emotional regulation as well as self-referential processing. There were also volume decreases in the amygdala which is where fear, stress, and anxiety are regulated [15].

Interestingly, the subjects self-reported exactly what the findings were before being told them, indicating that meditation doesn’t just change how the brain looks, but accompanying feelings and perception too.

9. Improved control over addiction

Since meditation has positive effects on the parts of the brain that govern self-control, it can be a powerful tool for those struggling with addiction. Meditation also helps a person to be more aware of the negative cycles that they partake in, and might therefore find it easier to break these cycles.

There was a study that had two groups of smokers try to quit smoking, either by learning mindfulness or by using the American Lung Association’s Freedom From Smoking (FFS) program. Those that learned mindfulness were more likely to have quit by the end of their training. In the 17-week post-study follow-up, they were more likely to have quit than those that used the FFS program [16].

10. Improved age-related memory loss

The improvements in clarity and attention can help keep a mind young. Many people who are more advanced in age have a tendency to rush through or over things, but meditation helps to teach them to remember to go through things with care and live in the moment.

A UCLA study published that people who meditated long-term had brains that were in a better condition than participants who didn’t meditate long-term. 
On average, participants who had meditated for 20 years (on average) had a higher volume of grey matter in their brains than those who didn’t [17].

Conclusion

These are just some of the ways that science has echoed what Buddhism has known for many years.
Meditation might be the single most impactful thing that a person can do for themselves if they wish to change their life for the better. The benefits of meditation are well-known and in modern times, well-proven scientifically.

Sources

[1] Science Direct feature>>

[2] Science Direct feature>>

[3] Pubmed feature>>

[4] Pubmed feature>>

[5] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3772979/ – PubMed Central

[6] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5679245/ – PubMed Central

[7] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6397548/ – PubMed Central

[8] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26231761/ – PubMed

[9] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25141355/ – PubMed

[10] https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0956797612459659 – SAGE Journals

[11] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5962705/ – PubMed.gov

[12] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23643368/ – PubMed.gov

[13] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30153464/ – PubMed.gov

[14] https://academic.oup.com/sleep/article/37/9/1553/2416992 – Oxford Academic

[15] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3004979/ – PubMed Central

[16] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21723049/ – PubMed.gov

[17] https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.01551/full – Frontiers in Psychology

In almost any “Buddhist” philosophical argument — for instance, “why should I meditate?” or “Is there a soul?” or “what happens after death?” or even, “what is the true nature of self?” — the impeccable logic of Dependent Co-Arising is the “go-to” Dharma teaching.

Buddha said:

“Whoever sees Dependent Co-Arising, he sees Dhamma;
Whoever sees Dhamma, he sees Dependent Co-Arising.”

Virtually all Buddhist understanding and teachings arise (pun intended) from the comprehension of Pratītyasamutpāda — Dependent Co-Arising (or more specifically, Interdependent Co-Arising), which is defined by the great Zen teacher Thich Nhat Hanh as:

“The general or universal definition of pratityasamutpada (or “dependent origination” or “dependent arising” or “interdependent co-arising”) is that everything arises in dependence upon multiple causes and conditions; nothing exists as a singular, independent entity.”

It’s not as simple as that. When Ananada, believing he understood the teaching intellectually, said, “It’s amazing, lord, it’s astounding, how deep this Dependent Co-Arising… and yet to me it seems as clear as can be.”

Buddha immediately challenged him:

“Don’t say that, Ananda. Don’t say that. Deep is this Dependent Co-Arising, and deep its appearance. It’s because of not understanding and not penetrating this Dhamma that this generation is like a tangled skein[4], a knotted ball of string, like matted rushes and reeds, and does not go beyond transmigration, beyond the planes of deprivation, woe, and bad destinations.” [1]

In saying this, Buddha was, at least in part, pointing to the importance of practice, rather than simply understanding intellectually. It is through practising Dharma (the Eightfold Path, notably “right mindfulness, right concentration”) we comprehend Dependent Co-Arising. It is through comprehension of Dependent Co-Arising we ourselves Awake to Dharma. (Dhamma in Pali, Dharma in Sanskrit.) 

The cyclical links of Dependent Co-Arising

In Sutra, the most commonly cited “definition” of Dependent Co-Arising is:

“If this exists, that exists; if this ceases to exist, that also ceases to exist.”

Yet, Buddha went far beyond the scope of this simple statement, teaching us the great Twelve Links of Dependent Co-Arising (see section below) that clearly illustrate the interwoven complexity of interdependence. None of these twelve links has its own “independence” or nature and they are all interdependent and cyclical. The twelfth link circles back to the first.

They are, briefly: ignorance, mental formation, consciousness, form, six senses, contact, feeling, grasping, clinging, becoming, ageing and death (which links back to ignorance at the beginning).

Ignorance leads to mental formation which leads to consciousness, which leads to name and form, which leads to the six senses, which leads to contact, which leads to feeling, which leads to grasping (desire), which leads to clinging, which leads to becoming, which leads to  birth, which leads to aging and death, which circles back to the first link — ignorance.

When Gotama, the Shakyamuni Buddha, attained Enlightenment (Anuttara-Samyak-Sambodhi: Supreme Perfect Enlightenment), he freed Himself from these links. Without ignorance, there was no more name, grasping, clinging, birth, aging, and death. Buddha, the Enlightened One, in his teachings pointed us to the same path to freedom — a path that requires daily practice.

Buddha and Modern Science Align

Many of Buddha’s ancient teachings align well with modern science (align, rather than agree, since Scientists have various opinions and theories). [See this recent feature The bridge between science and Buddhism>>]

One reason Scientists and intellectuals tend to be drawn to Buddhism is the flawlessly logical teachings of the Buddha. He taught cause and effect centuries before Newton’s Law was developed (albeit conditioned causality rather than phenomenal causality) and Dependent Co-Arising long before Max Planck and Quantum Physicists developed the concept of “matter originates and exists by virtue of consciousness.” [2]

It’s interesting to compare modern science’s view (not necessarily a universal one, but a currently top of mind one) with the Buddha’s:

Physicist John Wheeler: “Useful as it is under ordinary circumstances to say that the world exists ‘out there’ independent of us, that view can no longer be upheld.” [See BW for source>>]

Albert Einstein said: “Our separation of each other is an optical illusion of consciousness.”

Cognitive Scientists Professor Hoffman: “I call it conscious realism: Objective reality is just conscious agents, just points of view.” [See BW for source>>]

The Buddha’s teaching in its simplest form (which is vastly more elaborate in the full Maha-nidana Sutta below this feature — full English translation): “if this exists, that exists”

Thich Nhat Hanh, the great Zen master explains that it is easy to assume that Depedent Co-Arising is a teaching on cause-and-effect: “that can be misleading, because we usually think of cause and effect as separate entities, with cause always preceding effect, and one cause leading to one effect. According to the teaching of Interdependent Co-Arising, cause and effect co-arise (samutpada) and everything is a result of multiple causes and conditions…”

As an example of the intricacy of Buddha’s teaching (in which he explores all the links of Dependent Co-Arising), Buddha taught:

“Thus, Ananda, from name-and-form as a requisite condition comes consciousness. From consciousness as a requisite condition comes name-and-form. From name-and-form as a requisite condition comes contact. From contact as a requisite condition comes feeling. From feeling as a requisite condition comes craving. From craving as a requisite condition comes clinging. From clinging as a requisite condition comes becoming. From becoming as a requisite condition comes birth. From birth as a requisite condition, aging, death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, and despair come into play. Such is the origination of this entire mass of stress.”

Dependent Co-Arising the foundation of most teachings

Thanissaro Bhikkhu, who translated the Maha-nidana Sutta to English (from Pali) described it as

“One of the most profound discourses in the Pali canon. It gives an extended treatment of the teachings of Dependent Co-Arising (paticca samuppada) and not-self (anatta) in an outlined context of how these teachings function in practice.” [3]

Although one can basically benefit from and live the teachings of the Buddha, such as the Eightfold Path, without an understanding of Depedent Co-Arising, to really benefit from practice (especially “right mindfulness, right concentration”), it is vital to be familiar with the principle of the twelve links.

Note: From here-on, we’ll standardize on Dependent Co-Arising, even though Interdependent Co-Arising is closer to the true meaning, and Dependent Arising is most often used in translation. We capitalize to underscore it’s importance as a core teaching.

The Twelve Links of Dependent Co-Arising

With flawless logic, arising from Enlightened insight, which in turn can be used to elaborate on other teachings — such as the Four Noble Truths (and profound teachings such as Shunyata or “Emptiness”) — Buddha taught the twelve links of Dependent Co-Arising:

1. Ignorance (avijja) — the condition for the arising of mental formation.
2. Mental Formation (Volitional Formations) (sankhara) — the condition for arising of consciousness.
3. Consciousness (vinnana) — the condition for the arising of name (labels) and form.
4. Name and Form (nama-rupa) — (sometimes translated as mind/body) the condition for the arising of the six senses (perception).
5. The Six Senses (salayatana) — the condition for arising of contact or interactions (the psychological process whereby we interact)
6. Contact (or interaction) (phassa) — the condition for the arising of feeling.
7. Feeling (vedana) — the condition for arising of grasping (wanting)
8. Grasping (wanting or craving) (tanha) — the condition for the arising of “clinging”
9. Clinging (upadana): the condition for the arising of “becoming”.
10. Becoming (bhava) — the condition for the arising of birth.
11. Birth (jati) — the condition for the arising of aging and death.
12. Aging and death (jara-marana) — the condition for arising of ignorance (back to 1)

Why it’s important: The Dalai Lama explains

The Dalai Lama explained (Oct 15, 2014) why Dependent Co-Arising is important to our success in practice:

“Following on from this, Buddha stated that the presence of fundamental ignorance leads to karma, or action. Our undesirable experiences of suffering, such as pain, fear, and death, are all basically effects produced by corresponding causes. So in order to put an end to these sufferings, we have to put an end to the relevant sequence of causes and effects. Buddha explained how, within the framework of the twelve links of dependent origination, the earlier elements in the causal sequence give rise to the later elements. He also explained the process of reversing the twelve links of dependent origination. In other words, by putting an end to the earlier elements, we can eliminate the later elements. So, by completely cutting the causal root—eliminating our fundamental ignorance—we will finally come to experience total freedom from all suffering and its origin.”

The Cycle of links

Often, the links are described in terms of three groupings:

• Defilements (klesha): in this group ignorance, grasping and clinging
• Actions (karma): in this group mental formation and becoming
• Suffering (dhukka): in this group all the rest, consciousness, name form, the senses, contact, feeling, birth, aging and death.

The cycling theme is famously depicted in the Tibetan “Wheel of Life” or “Wheel of Suffering tangkas. These ferocious-looking images feature a great Samsaric beast biting into a wheel. The wheel, on the outside perimeter, has symbolic, pictorial representations of the 12 links:

1. Blind woman: first link of ignorance (top of tangka just under the beast’s mouth): blindness represents “ignorance.”
2. Potter: second link of mental formations, because the potter forms a shape out of clay (karma) setting into motion.
3. Monkey: the third link of consciousness: the monkey is often associated with the mind in Buddhism (monkey mind = unsettled mind), and here represents primitive consciousness forming
4. People sailing in a boat: fourth link of the form: the boat represents form and the people represent mental aggregates
5. House with six windows: the six windows represent the six senses: eye, ear, nose, tongue, touch, and mind.
6. Embracing couple: an amorous pair stands in as a very intimate symbol for “contact” (or interaction). This pleasurable contact leads to “feeling”
7. Eye pierced by an arrow: “Feeling” is most graphically represented by a person sitting in pain, holding her eye which has been penetrated by a single arrow. Although all feelings are encompassed in the 7th link, they ultimately all lead to clinging, craving, and pain.
8. Drinking alcohol: a person drinks beer, clinging to the pleasures and addictions of “Craving” which arose as a result of “feeling.”
9. Monkey reaching for fruit: the monkey again, this time grasping for yummy fruit, representing “Grasping” or “wanting.”
10. A pregnant woman: represents “becoming” as she is just about to give birth.
11. A mother with child: a naked woman nursing a child, graphically stands in for “Birth”, which ultimately, in a short time, leads to aging and dying and death.
12. A dying person slumped on a rock: the loneliness of dying and death. Ultimately, in death, ignorance is reborn, and the cycle beings again.

Video animation of Dependent arising that maps out the interdependencies of the links:

Maha-nidana Sutta: The Great Causes Discourse

Dependent Co-arising

I have heard that on one occasion the Blessed One was living among the Kurus. Now, the Kurus have a town named Kammasadhamma. There Ven. Ananda approached the Blessed One and, on arrival, having bowed down to the Blessed One, sat to one side. As he was sitting there he said to the Blessed One: “It’s amazing, lord, it’s astounding, how deep this dependent co-arising is, and how deep its appearance, and yet to me it seems as clear as clear can be.”

[The Buddha:] “Don’t say that, Ananda. Don’t say that. Deep is this dependent co-arising, and deep its appearance. It’s because of not understanding and not penetrating this Dhamma that this generation is like a tangled skein, a knotted ball of string, like matted rushes and reeds, and does not go beyond transmigration, beyond the planes of deprivation, woe, and bad destinations.

“If one is asked, ‘Is there a demonstrable requisite condition for aging and death?’ one should answer, ‘There is.’

“If one is asked, ‘From what requisite condition do aging and death come?’ one should say, ‘Aging and death come from birth as their requisite condition.’

“If one is asked, ‘Is there a demonstrable requisite condition for birth?’ one should answer, ‘There is.’

“If one is asked, ‘From what requisite condition does birth come?’ one should say, ‘Birth comes from becoming as its requisite condition.’

“If one is asked, ‘Is there a demonstrable requisite condition for becoming?’ one should answer, ‘There is.’

“If one is asked, ‘From what requisite condition does becoming come?’ one should say, ‘Becoming comes from clinging as its requisite condition.’

“If one is asked, ‘Is there a demonstrable requisite condition for clinging?’ one should answer, ‘There is.’

“If one is asked, ‘From what requisite condition does clinging come?’ one should say, ‘Clinging comes from craving as its requisite condition.’

“If one is asked, ‘Is there a demonstrable requisite condition for craving?’ one should answer, ‘There is.’

“If one is asked, ‘From what requisite condition does craving come?’ one should say, ‘Craving comes from feeling as its requisite condition.’

“If one is asked, ‘Is there a demonstrable requisite condition for feeling?’ one should answer, ‘There is.’

“If one is asked, ‘From what requisite condition does feeling come?’ one should say, ‘Feeling comes from contact as its requisite condition.’

“If one is asked, ‘Is there a demonstrable requisite condition for contact?’ one should answer, ‘There is.’

“If one is asked, ‘From what requisite condition does contact come?’ one should say, ‘Contact comes from name-and-form as its requisite condition.’

“If one is asked, ‘Is there a demonstrable requisite condition for name-and-form?’ one should answer, ‘There is.’

“If one is asked, ‘From what requisite condition does name-and-form come?’ one should say, ‘Name-and-form comes from consciousness as its requisite condition.’

“If one is asked, ‘Is there a demonstrable requisite condition for consciousness?’ one should answer, ‘There is.’

“If one is asked, ‘From what requisite condition does consciousness come?’ one should say, ‘Consciousness comes from name-and-form as its requisite condition.’

“Thus, Ananda, from name-and-form as a requisite condition comes consciousness. From consciousness as a requisite condition comes name-and-form. From name-and-form as a requisite condition comes contact. From contact as a requisite condition comes feeling. From feeling as a requisite condition comes craving. From craving as a requisite condition comes clinging. From clinging as a requisite condition comes becoming. From becoming as a requisite condition comes birth. From birth as a requisite condition, aging, death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, and despair come into play. Such is the origination of this entire mass of stress.

Aging and Death

“‘From birth as a requisite condition come aging and death.’ Thus it has been said. And this is the way to understand how from birth as a requisite condition come aging and death. If there were no birth at all, in any way, of anything anywhere — i.e., of devas in the state of devas, of celestials in the state of celestials, of spirits in the state of spirits, of demons in the state of demons, of human beings in the human state, of quadrupeds in the state of quadrupeds, of birds in the state of birds, of snakes in the state of snakes, or of any being in its own state — in the utter absence of birth, from the cessation of birth, would aging and death be discerned?”

“No, lord.”

“Thus this is a cause, this is a reason, this is an origination, this is a requisite condition for aging and death, i.e., birth.

Birth

“‘From becoming as a requisite condition comes birth.’ Thus it has been said. And this is the way to understand how from becoming as a requisite condition comes birth. If there were no becoming at all, in any way, of anything anywhere — i.e., sensual becoming, form becoming, or formless becoming — in the utter absence of becoming, from the cessation of becoming, would birth be discerned?”

“No, lord.”

“Thus this is a cause, this is a reason, this is an origination, this is a requisite condition for birth, i.e., becoming.

Becoming

“‘From clinging as a requisite condition comes becoming.’ Thus it has been said. And this is the way to understand how from clinging as a requisite condition comes becoming. If there were no clinging at all, in any way, of anything anywhere — i.e., clinging to sensuality, clinging to precepts and practices, clinging to views, or clinging to doctrines of the self — in the utter absence of clinging, from the cessation of clinging, would becoming be discerned?”

“No, lord.”

“Thus this is a cause, this is a reason, this is an origination, this is a requisite condition for becoming, i.e., clinging.

Clinging

“‘From craving as a requisite condition comes clinging.’ Thus it has been said. And this is the way to understand how from craving as a requisite condition comes clinging. If there were no craving at all, in any way, of anything anywhere — i.e., craving for sensuality, craving for becoming, craving for no becoming — in the utter absence of craving, from the cessation of craving, would clinging be discerned?”

“No, lord.”

“Thus this is a cause, this is a reason, this is an origination, this is a requisite condition for clinging, i.e., craving.

Craving

“‘From feeling as a requisite condition comes craving.’ Thus it has been said. And this is the way to understand how from feeling as a requisite condition comes craving. If there were no feeling at all, in any way, of anything anywhere — i.e., feeling born of contact at the eye, feeling born of contact at the ear, feeling born of contact at the nose, feeling born of contact at the tongue, feeling born of contact at the body, or feeling born of contact at the intellect — in the utter absence of feeling, from the cessation of feeling, would craving be discerned?”

“No, lord.”

“Thus this is a cause, this is a reason, this is an origination, this is a requisite condition for craving, i.e., feeling.

Dependent on Craving

“Now, craving is dependent on feeling, seeking is dependent on craving, acquisition is dependent on seeking, ascertainment is dependent on acquisition, desire and passion is dependent on ascertainment, attachment is dependent on desire and passion, possessiveness is dependent on attachment, stinginess is dependent on possessiveness, defensiveness is dependent on stinginess, and because of defensiveness, dependent on defensiveness, various evil, unskillful phenomena come into play: the taking up of sticks and knives; conflicts, quarrels, and disputes; accusations, divisive speech, and lies.

“And this is the way to understand how it is that because of defensiveness various evil, unskillful phenomena come into play: the taking up of sticks and knives; conflicts, quarrels, and disputes; accusations, divisive speech, and lies. If there were no defensiveness at all, in any way, of anything anywhere, in the utter absence of defensiveness, from the cessation of defensiveness, would various evil, unskillful phenomena — the taking up of sticks and knives; conflicts, quarrels, and disputes; accusations, divisive speech, and lies — come into play?”

“No, lord.”

“Thus this is a cause, this is a reason, this is an origination, this is a requisite condition for the coming-into-play of various evil, unskillful phenomena — the taking up of sticks and knives; conflicts, quarrels, and disputes; accusations, divisive speech, and lies — i.e., defensiveness.

“‘Defensiveness is dependent on stinginess.’ Thus it has been said. And this is the way to understand how defensiveness is dependent on stinginess. If there were no stinginess at all, in any way, of anything anywhere, in the utter absence of stinginess, from the cessation of stinginess, would defensiveness be discerned?”

“No, lord.”

“Thus this is a cause, this is a reason, this is an origination, this is a requisite condition for defensiveness, i.e., stinginess.

(Similarly back through the chain of conditions: stinginess, attachment, possessiveness, desire and passion, ascertainment, acquisition, and seeking.)

“‘Seeking is dependent on craving.’ Thus it has been said. And this is the way to understand how seeking is dependent on craving. If there were no craving at all, in any way, of anything anywhere — i.e., craving for sensuality, craving for becoming, craving for no becoming — in the utter absence of craving, from the cessation of craving, would seeking be discerned?”

“No, lord.”

“Thus this is a cause, this is a reason, this is an origination, this is a requisite condition for seeking, i.e., craving. Thus, Ananda, these two phenomena [the chain of conditions leading from craving to birth, aging, and death, and the chain of conditions leading from craving to quarrels, etc.], as a duality, flow back into one place at feeling.

Feeling

“‘From contact as a requisite condition comes feeling.’ Thus it has been said. And this is the way to understand how from contact as a requisite condition comes feeling. If there were no contact at all, in any way, of anything anywhere — i.e., contact at the eye, contact at the ear, contact at the nose, contact at the tongue, contact at the body, or contact at the intellect — in the utter absence of contact, from the cessation of contact, would feeling be discerned?”

“No, lord.”

“Thus this is a cause, this is a reason, this is an origination, this is a requisite condition for feeling, i.e., contact.

Contact

“‘From name-&-form as a requisite condition comes contact. Thus it has been said. And this is the way to understand how, from name-&-form as a requisite condition comes contact. If the qualities, traits, themes, & indicators by which there is a description of name-group (mental activity) were all absent, would designation-contact with regard to the form-group (the physical properties) be discerned?”

“No, lord.”

“If the permutations, signs, themes, and indicators by which there is a description of form-group were all absent, would resistance-contact with regard to the name-group be discerned?”

“No, lord.”

“If the permutations, signs, themes, and indicators by which there is a description of name-group and form-group were all absent, would designation-contact or resistance-contact be discerned?”

“No, lord.”

“Thus this is a cause, this is a reason, this is an origination, this is a requisite condition for contact, i.e., name-and-form.

Name-and-form

“‘From consciousness as a requisite condition comes name-and-form.’ Thus it has been said. And this is the way to understand how from consciousness as a requisite condition comes name-and-form. If consciousness were not to descend into the mother’s womb, would name-and-form take shape in the womb?”

“No, lord.”

“If, after descending into the womb, consciousness were to depart, would name-and-form be produced for this world?”

“No, lord.”

“If the consciousness of the young boy or girl were to be cut off, would name-and-form ripen, grow, and reach maturity?”

“No, lord.”

“Thus this is a cause, this is a reason, this is an origination, this is a requisite condition for name-and-form, i.e., consciousness.”

Consciousness

“‘From name-and-form as a requisite condition comes consciousness.’ Thus it has been said. And this is the way to understand how from name-and-form as a requisite condition comes consciousness. If consciousness were not to gain a foothold in name-and-form, would a coming-into-play of the origination of birth, aging, death, and stress in the future be discerned?

“No, lord.”

“Thus this is a cause, this is a reason, this is an origination, this is a requisite condition for consciousness, i.e., name-and-form.

“This is the extent to which there is birth, aging, death, passing away, and re-arising. This is the extent to which there are means of designation, expression, and delineation. This is the extent to which the sphere of discernment extends, the extent to which the cycle revolves for the manifesting (discernibility) of this world — i.e., name-and-form together with consciousness.

Delineations of a Self

“To what extent, Ananda, does one delineate when delineating a self? Either delineating a self possessed of form and finite, one delineates that ‘My self is possessed of form and finite.’ Or, delineating a self possessed of form and infinite, one delineates that ‘My self is possessed of form and infinite.’ Or, delineating a self formless and finite, one delineates that ‘My self is formless and finite.’ Or, delineating a self formless and infinite, one delineates that ‘My self is formless and infinite.’

“Now, the one who, when delineating a self, delineates it as possessed of form and finite, either delineates it as possessed of form and finite in the present, or of such a nature that it will [naturally] become possessed of form and finite [in the future/after death], or he believes that ‘Although it is not yet that way, I will convert it into being that way.’ This being the case, it is proper to say that a fixed view of a self possessed of form and finite obsesses him.

“The one who, when delineating a self, delineates it as possessed of form and infinite, either delineates it as possessed of form and infinite in the present, or of such a nature that it will [naturally] become possessed of form and infinite [in the future/after death], or he believes that ‘Although it is not yet that way, I will convert it into being that way.’ This being the case, it is proper to say that a fixed view of a self possessed of form and infinite obsesses him.

“The one who, when delineating a self, delineates it as formless and finite, either delineates it as formless and finite in the present, or of such a nature that it will [naturally] become formless and finite [in the future/after death], or he believes that ‘Although it is not yet that way, I will convert it into being that way.’ This being the case, it is proper to say that a fixed view of a self formless and finite obsesses him.

“The one who, when delineating a self, delineates it as formless and infinite, either delineates it as formless and infinite in the present, or of such a nature that it will [naturally] become formless and infinite [in the future/after death], or he believes that ‘Although it is not yet that way, I will convert it into being that way.’ This being the case, it is proper to say that a fixed view of a self formless and infinite obsesses him.

Non-Delineations of a Self

“To what extent, Ananda, does one not delineate when not delineating a self? Either not delineating a self possessed of form and finite, one does not delineate that ‘My self is possessed of form and finite.’ Or, not delineating a self possessed of form and infinite, one does not delineate that ‘My self is possessed of form and infinite.’ Or, not delineating a self formless and finite, one does not delineate that ‘My self is formless and finite.’ Or, not delineating a self formless and infinite, one does not delineate that ‘My self is formless and infinite.’

“Now, the one who, when not delineating a self, does not delineate it as possessed of form and finite, does not delineate it as possessed of form and finite in the present, nor does he delineate it as of such a nature that it will [naturally] become possessed of form and finite [in the future/after death], nor does he believe that ‘Although it is not yet that way, I will convert it into being that way.’ This being the case, it is proper to say that a fixed view of a self possessed of form and finite does not obsess him.

“The one who, when not delineating a self, does not delineate it as possessed of form and infinite, does not delineate it as possessed of form and infinite in the present, nor does he delineate it as of such a nature that it will [naturally] become possessed of form and infinite [in the future/after death], nor does he believe that ‘Although it is not yet that way, I will convert it into being that way.’ This being the case, it is proper to say that a fixed view of a self possessed of form and infinite does not obsess him.

“The one who, when not delineating a self, does not delineate it as formless and finite, does not delineate it as formless and finite in the present, nor does he delineate it as of such a nature that it will [naturally] become formless and finite [in the future/after death], nor does he believe that ‘Although it is not yet that way, I will convert it into being that way.’ This being the case, it is proper to say that a fixed view of a self formless and finite does not obsess him.

“The one who, when not delineating a self, does not delineate it as formless and infinite, does not delineate it as formless and infinite in the present, nor does he delineate it as of such a nature that it will [naturally] become formless and infinite [in the future/after death], nor does he believe that ‘Although it is not yet that way, I will convert it into being that way.’ This being the case, it is proper to say that a fixed view of a self formless and infinite does not obsess him.

Assumptions of a Self

“To what extent, Ananda, does one assume when assuming a self? Assuming feeling to be the self, one assumes that ‘Feeling is my self’ [or] ‘Feeling is not my self: My self is oblivious [to feeling]’ [or] ‘Neither is feeling my self, nor is my self oblivious to feeling, but rather my self feels, in that my self is subject to feeling.’

“Now, one who says, ‘Feeling is my self,’ should be addressed as follows: ‘There are thesethree feelings, my friend — feelings of pleasure, feelings of pain, and feelings of neither pleasure nor pain. Which of these three feelings do you assume to be the self?’ At a moment when a feeling of pleasure is sensed, no feeling of pain or of neither pleasure nor pain is sensed. Only a feeling of pleasure is sensed at that moment. At a moment when a feeling of pain is sensed, no feeling of pleasure or of neither pleasure nor pain is sensed. Only a feeling of pain is sensed at that moment. At a moment when a feeling of neither pleasure nor pain is sensed, no feeling of pleasure or of pain is sensed. Only a feeling of neither pleasure nor pain is sensed at that moment.

“Now, a feeling of pleasure is inconstant, fabricated, dependent on conditions, subject to passing away, dissolution, fading, and cessation. A feeling of pain is inconstant, fabricated, dependent on conditions, subject to passing away, dissolution, fading, and cessation. A feeling of neither pleasure nor pain is inconstant, fabricated, dependent on conditions, subject to passing away, dissolution, fading, and cessation. Having sensed a feeling of pleasure as ‘my self,’ then with the cessation of one’s very own feeling of pleasure, ‘my self’ has perished. Having sensed a feeling of pain as ‘my self,’ then with the cessation of one’s very own feeling of pain, ‘my self’ has perished. Having sensed a feeling of neither pleasure nor pain as ‘my self,’ then with the cessation of one’s very own feeling of neither pleasure nor pain, ‘my self’ has perished.

“Thus he assumes, assuming in the immediate present a self inconstant, entangled in pleasure and pain, subject to arising and passing away, he who says, ‘Feeling is my self.’ Thus in this manner, Ananda, one does not see fit to assume feeling to be the self.

“As for the person who says, ‘Feeling is not the self: My self is oblivious [to feeling],’ he should be addressed as follows: ‘My friend, where nothing whatsoever is sensed (experienced) at all, would there be the thought, “I am”?'”

“No, lord.”

“Thus in this manner, Ananda, one does not see fit to assume that ‘Feeling is not my self: My self is oblivious [to feeling].’

“As for the person who says, ‘Neither is feeling my self, nor is my self oblivious [to feeling], but rather my self feels, in that my self is subject to feeling,’ he should be addressed as follows: ‘My friend, should feelings altogether and every way stop without remainder, then with feeling completely not existing, owing to the cessation of feeling, would there be the thought, “I am”?'”

“No, lord.”

“Thus in this manner, Ananda, one does not see fit to assume that ‘Neither is feeling my self, nor is my self oblivious [to feeling], but rather my self feels, in that my self is subject to feeling.’

“Now, Ananda, in as far as a monk does not assume feeling to be the self, nor the self as oblivious, nor that ‘My self feels, in that my self is subject to feeling,’ then, not assuming in this way, he is not sustained by anything (does not cling to anything) in the world. Unsustained, he is not agitated. Unagitated, he is totally unbound right within. He discerns that ‘Birth is ended, the holy life fulfilled, the task done. There is nothing further for this world.’

“If anyone were to say with regard to a monk whose mind is thus released that ‘The Tathagata exists after death,’ is his view, that would be mistaken; that ‘The Tathagata does not exist after death’… that ‘The Tathagata both exists and does not exist after death’… that ‘The Tathagata neither exists nor does not exist after death’ is his view, that would be mistaken. Why? Having directly known the extent of designation and the extent of the objects of designation, the extent of expression and the extent of the objects of expression, the extent of description and the extent of the objects of description, the extent of discernment and the extent of the objects of discernment, the extent to which the cycle revolves: Having directly known that, the monk is released. [To say that,] ‘The monk released, having directly known that, does not see, does not know is his opinion,’ that would be mistaken. [1]

Seven Stations of Consciousness

“Ananda, there are these seven stations of consciousness and two spheres. Which seven?

“There are beings with diversity of body and diversity of perception, such as human beings, some devas, and some beings in the lower realms. This is the first station of consciousness.

“There are beings with diversity of body and singularity of perception, such as the devas of the Brahma hosts generated by the first [jhana] and some beings in the four realms of deprivation. This is the second station of consciousness. [2]

“There are beings with singularity of body and diversity of perception, such as the Radiant Devas. This is the third station of consciousness.

“There are beings with singularity of body and singularity of perception, such as the Beautifully Lustrous Devas. This is the fourth station of consciousness.

“There are beings who,with the complete transcending of perceptions of [physical] form, with the disappearance of perceptions of resistance, and not heeding perceptions of diversity, [perceiving,] ‘Infinite space,’ arrive at the dimension of the infinitude of space. This is the fifth station of consciousness.

“There are beings who, with the complete transcending of the dimension of the infinitude of space, [perceiving,] ‘Infinite consciousness,’ arrive at the dimension of the infinitude of consciousness. This is the sixth station of consciousness.

“There are beings who, with the complete transcending of the dimension of the infinitude of consciousness, [perceiving,] ‘There is nothing,’ arrive at the dimension of nothingness. This is the seventh station of consciousness.

“The dimension of non-percipient beings and, second, the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception. [These are the two spheres.]

“Now, as for the first station of consciousness — beings with diversity of body and diversity of perception, such as human beings, some devas, and some beings in the lower realms: If one discerns that [station of consciousness], discerns its origination, discerns its passing away, discerns its allure, discerns its drawbacks, discerns the escape from it, would it be proper, by means of that [discernment] to take delight there?”

“No, lord.”

(Similarly with each of the remaining stations of consciousness and two spheres.)

“Ananda, when knowing — as they actually are — the origination, passing away, allure, drawbacks of — and escape from — these seven stations of consciousness and two spheres, a monk is released through lack of clinging, he is said to be a monk released through discernment.

Eight Emancipations

“Ananda, there are these eight emancipations. Which eight?

“Possessed of form, one sees forms. This is the first emancipation.

“Not percipient of form internally, one sees forms externally. This is the second emancipation.

“One is intent only on the beautiful. This is the third emancipation.

“With the complete transcending of perceptions of [physical] form, with the disappearance of perceptions of resistance, and not heeding perceptions of diversity, [perceiving,] ‘Infinite space,’ one enters and remains in the dimension of the infinitude of space. This is the fourth emancipation.

“With the complete transcending of the dimension of the infinitude of space, [perceiving,] ‘Infinite consciousness,’ one enters and remains in the dimension of the infinitude of consciousness. This is the fifth emancipation.

“With the complete transcending of the dimension of the infinitude of consciousness, [perceiving,] ‘There is nothing,’ one enters and remains in the dimension of nothingness. This is the sixth emancipation.

“With the complete transcending of the dimension of nothingness, one enters and remains in the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception. This is the seventh emancipation.

“With the complete transcending of the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception, one enters and remains in the cessation of perception and feeling. This is the eighth emancipation.

“Now, when a monk attains these eight emancipations in forward order, in reverse order, in forward and reverse order, when he attains them and emerges from them wherever he wants, however he wants, and for as long as he wants, when through the ending of the mental fermentations he enters and remains in the fermentation-free awareness-release and discernment-release, having directly known it and realized it in the here and now, he is said to be a monk released in both ways. And as for another release in both ways, higher or more sublime than this, there is none.”

That is what the Blessed One said. Gratified, Ven. Ananda delighted in the Blessed One’s words.

NOTES

[1] Maha-nidana Sutta: The Great Causes Discourse (in its entirety above.)Max Planck, 1944; Das Wesen der Materie [The Nature of Matter], speech at Florence, Italy (1944) (from Archiv

[2] Max Planck, 1944; Das Wesen der Materie [The Nature of Matter], speech at Florence, Italy (1944) (from Archiv zur Geschichte der Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, Abt. Va, Rep. 11 Planck, Nr. 1797)

[3] “Maha-nidana Sutta: The Great Causes Discourse” (DN 15), translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu. Access to Insight (Legacy Edition), 30 November 2013

[4] A “skein” is a length of thread or yarn, loosely coiled and knotted, commonly meant to mean a tangled or complicated arrangement, state, or situation.

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“Emptiness is form. Form is Emptiness” — Buddhism

“Reality doesn’t exist unless we are looking at it” — Quantum Physics

“The bridge flows, the water is motionless. Why?” — Zen Koan

“If you are not completely confused by quantum mechanics, you do not understand it” — Quantum Physics, John Wheeler

Doesn’t it seem, at times, that Buddhist teachers and Quantum Physicists sound similar? Having fun with eminent scientist Niels Bohr, let’s misquote him:

Nowhere is the persona of “puzzzle” — cheat, confuse or mislead — more evident than in Zen Buddhism, where practices are designed, purposely, to confuse and overload our ego consciousness. This ranges from mindfulness practice — a very Quantum Physics “observer method” if there ever was one — to Koan riddles that literally overload the mind with impossible notions.

Even though mentioned “the great Bamboozle,” we don’t mean either Quantum Physics or Buddhism are designed to “mislead us.” Only that they both challenge our understanding of reality as deceiving and flawed. Even Einstein called Quantum Mechanics “spooky.”

“The Dalai Lama believes that the connection between quantum physics and spirituality is obvious,” according to Exploring Your Mind, a neuroscience magazine. “According to the world-renowned spiritual guide and teacher, all of the atoms in your body include part of the ancient canvas that used to make up the universe. You’re stardust, connected biologically to all living creatures. You’re made of invisible, humming energy connected all at once to everything that exists.” [7] Literally, the doctrine of Emptiness.

Where Science and Buddhism Meet from Gerald Penilla on Vimeo.

Soul implies permanence — Buddhist believe in impermanence.

Basically, the entire practice of Buddhism — the very core of the teaching of the Buddha — is the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path, which teach methods to escape Samsara — the endless cycle of suffering. Endless cycle, whether you take it as meaning one lifetime of suffering, or multiple, has the same connotation. Buddhism is not generally rigid. You’ll find atheist Buddhists — who practice the methods and obviously have a view to “this” lifetime. You’ll find faithful Buddhists who strongly believe in multiple rebirths.

Either way, EGO is the enemy. It is said ego is what creates attachment. Ego craves enjoyments. Ego fears negative experiences. Ego is afraid. Ego is proud. The methods of Buddhism tend to be about understanding that Ego is NOT the true nature of our being and mind.

Why is there no soul in Buddhism?

This is, perhaps, the most frequent question we receive at Buddha Weekly. Many people struggle with “soul” in Buddhism. We speak of Buddha Nature (in Mahayana) and in terms of mind-consciousness — but soul is a four-letter-word. (Literally.) Buddha Nature, in many ways, is a more inspiring concept than “soul” in any case, since it brings with it the promise of a “release from suffering” and also a luminous Oneness with all other beings. Soul implies ego, clinging, me-me-me, I will survive forever, I-I-I… Buddha Nature suggests Wonderous Wholeness, blissful wisdom, and all-encompassing compassion. A soul can be corrupt, while Buddha Nature is incorruptible. Today, it might be more useful to describe Buddha Nature as “consciousness.” In Quantum Science, “consciousness” is a central concept. According to some theories, matter relies on consciousness — not the other way around. [More on that later.]

Why is soul a no-starter in Buddhism? There are four key reasons:

1. Impermanence: a key teaching of Buddha is impermanence: nothing is permanent. The soul is supposed to be permanent.
2. Emptiness, ONE-ness, or “As it Is-ness”: A deep topic, but overall, the concept that when you strip away the ego — which is the cause of our suffering — we are, in fact, part of ALL — One-ness. (Really, that way to simplistic — I’m just hitting the concept, lightly.) If you have no ego, where is soul?
3. Anatta or Anatman: the Buddhist doctrine of non-self (versus Soul, which is very self-centred). Anatta does not mean you do not exist — only that your ego is artificial, manifested through clinging and attachments, and other factors. (It’s a deep topic, I’m being simplistic here to avoid distraction.)
4. Buddha Nature: in Mahayana, Buddha taught that all beings have Buddha Nature, a luminous concept, but not the Soul. A Buddha is free of ego, therefore free of soul and suffering.

How are soul and Buddha Nature similar?

They’re not very similar, but they are used interchangeably. At inter-faith meetings, you’ll often hear the Buddhist teacher simply say “soul” for simplicity or expediency. It’s easier just to say “soul” than to try to launch into a full explanation of Buddha Nature or mind-consciousness. This is also why Buddhist teachers will often not correct people when they say “reincarnation” (which implies a soul) versus “rebirth” (which does not.)

Despite the science, Theta is notoriously difficult to achieve. According to one study it occurs “more frequently in highly experienced meditation practitioners.”[3]

[Five mini how-tos on the five meditation methods at the end of this feature.]

NTNU joint study on Theta waves benefits

“During meditation, theta waves were most abundant in the frontal and middle parts of the brain” reports NTNU in Science Daily. [3]  Jim Lagopoulos, of Sydney University (Australia) comments: “Given the popularity and effectiveness of meditation as a means of alleviating stress and maintaining good health, there is a pressing need for a rigorous investigation of how it affects brain function.” He is one of the principles of a joint study between his university and researchers from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) on changes in electrical brain activity during nondirective meditation.

Unfortunately, the health and cognitive benefits of Theta escape many meditators. As Lagopoulous explains:

“Previous studies have shown that theta waves indicate deep relaxation and occur more frequently in highly experienced meditation practitioners. The source is probably frontal parts of the brain, which are associated with monitoring of other mental processes.” Less experienced meditators usually attain an Alpha wave state — relaxed and reflective, but not necessarily as deeply beneficial as Theta.”

Theta is not beyond reach, but why do it?

There are many proven ways to achieve Theta — and ultimately altered states of consciousness (ASC or Altered States) — but the question is why do it? Isn’t it just some nostalgic hippie trip, or a detached-from-reality buzz, or a new-age trend? On the contrary, ASC — also called non-ordinary state — is vital to human health, and is the body-mind mechanism for relieving stress, and — according to Psychologists — highly therapeutic. Christa Smith (Psy.D.) explains in Psychology Today [1]:

“Altered states of consciousness, sometimes called non-ordinary states, include various mental states in which the mind can be aware but is not in its usual wakeful condition, such as during hypnosis, meditation, hallucination, trance, and the dream stage.* Altered states can occur anywhere from yoga class to the birth of a child. They allow us to see our lives and ourselves with a broader lens and from different angles of perception than the ordinary mind.”

Meditation, which inspires Theta brainwaves, also inspires insight and ideas. According to Ned Herrman in Scientific American [2]:

People experiencing Theta “are prone to the flow of ideas… The ideation that can take place during the theta state is often free flow and occurs without censorship or guilt. It is typically a very positive mental state.”

Five Main Styles of Meditation to Achieve Theta or the Altered States

The study from NTNU (cited above), used “Acem Meditation, a “nondirective method developed in Norway. They were asked to rest, eyes closed, for 20 minutes, and to meditate for another 20 minutes, in random order. The abundance and location of slow to fast electrical brain waves (delta, theta, alpha, beta) provide a good indication of brain activity.” [3]

Main methods and practices

The main methods fall into various “practice styles,” which could loosely be tagged as:

1. Mindfulness.
2. Guided meditations and visualization.
3. Mantra.
4. Sound: binaural sounds, drumming, rattling, singing.
5. Repetitive tasks (for example, the Zen practices of sweeping, archery, martial arts).

Each of these breaks down into more detailed methods, for example, mindfulness of perception, mindfulness of breath, and mindfulness of body. Under guided meditation, there are innumerable methods. Shamanistic-style drumming and rattling are just two of many approaches to sonic methods.

But NOT Analytical meditation

Analytical meditation, logic, debate, and other forms of spiritual meditation are not necessarily ideal for generating Theta. They tend to push the mind into either Beta or Alpha. They have their place — as a method of developing wisdom — but they are not the focus of these studies.

A “non-ordinary state” of mind — Theta — is the goal of people pursuing creative insight, health benefits or cognitive development. One healthy mechanism for “non-ordinary state” is built into our daily lives: dreaming and day-dreaming are altered states, and vital to our health. Advanced practitioners often engage in lucid dreaming.

Aside from natural and lucid dreaming, the main “learned” methods are various forms of “non-directed” meditation, which has the added benefits of insight, reflection and blissful mind.

In this feature, we explore these five mains styles of meditation — mindfulness, guided, mantra, sound, and repetitive tasks — all proven methods to achieve altered states of consciousness, without drugs, fasting or other unhealthy tricks. They are so diverse; one is bound to appeal to you.

Emptiness: the common element of the five styles

Clearly, there is some common element in these five styles. The research from NTNU identified it very precisely:

“Several studies indicate better relaxation and stress management by meditation techniques where you refrain from trying to control the content of the mind. These methods are often described as nondirective, because practitioners do not actively pursue a particular experience or state of mind. They cultivate the ability to tolerate the spontaneous wandering of the mind without getting too much involved. Instead of concentrating on getting away from stressful thought and emotions, you simple let them pass in an effortless way.”

All of the five styles generate a form of “non directed mind.” In Buddhism, this is somewhat akin to the concept of Emptiness. Emptiness does not mean nothingness or non-existence. It means empty of ego, empty of direction, empty of stress — it is also a sense of “fullness” and unity with everything else. When you are mindful, your mind expands. Distant sounds become clear. Your mind expands beyond logical Beta thought.

Expansive Theta mind becomes One with everything, no longer censored or constrained by logical mind and ego.

Five methods of self-hypnosis

How can these five methods — including guided visualizations — all be non-directed meditations? All of them have an element of “hypnosis.”

1. Mindfulness: clearly non-directed mind applies. You become the observer. You do not try to think, but if you do have thoughts, you observe them. [For more on the science of mindfulness, see the BW feature: “The Science Behind Stilling Your Mind with Mindfulness.”>>]
2. Guided meditation and visualization: you allow your mind to be guided — you do not direct, you follow direction. [For the science behind visualization, see: Science: Research proves visualization improves cognitive performance…>>]
3. Mantra: sacred sounds repeated over and over until they become “emptiness” of mind. Yet, because a “meaning” is subtly attached to each mantra, it has the hypnotic effect of implanting desired “goals” in the subconscious. (Or, if you don’t accept this definition, it’s still repetitive sound.) [For a story explaining the benefits of mantra, please see “No time for daily practice? Chant a mantra…>>]
4. Sound: notably binaural rhythms, but one of the most effective proven methods in various studies are drums (as in shaman drums pounded at a high repetitive beat) and rattles. [See this story on studies reinforcing the “drumming for mindfulness” and its benefits for health, support for cancer, Parkinsons and depression.]

5. 

   Repetitive Tasks: ever wonder why Zen masters assign novices to sweep repetitively? Are they clean obsessed? Assigning the dirty work to someone else? No, they are engaging in skilful means. Repetitive chores such as sweeping, memorized martial arts routines such as Tai Chi, and even waxing the car can be meditative: “Wax on, wax off” (Mr Miyagi in the Karate Kid movie.) Even skate-boarding can be considered repetitive meditation. [See this unique story on the Zen of skateboarding>>]

All of these are non-directed meditations can induce Theta.

Ordinary mind (Beta) deliberately induces stress

“Ordinary mind” — in brainwaves classified as BETA, the stress-inducing frequency of our survival “awake” mind — evolved to help keep us alive. It motivates us to act, to work, to gather food, to cope with danger. The ordinary, awake mind induces wakeful stress to help us survive — an evolved stimulation that has its evolutionary roots in our hunter-gatherer beginnings. Ordinary mind also evolved ALPHA brainwaves — the relaxed and reflective mind — once we evolved enough to seek refuge in caves, to build castle walls, or houses with locks.

Only at night, in the safety of our caves — our homes — did the mind release the high-alert ordinary mind, and allow a little stress-reducing downtime, in the form of THETA and DELTA brainwaves: THETA during relaxing escapes such as napping, story-telling and song (today, movie watching and stereo) and DELTA during dreaming and sleep — both achieved, mostly, in the relative serenity that comes from a rampart (today, an alarm system.) This is why it is often difficult, for instance, to achieve relaxing THETA or DELTA as a stressed-out patient in the hospital.

Mindless thrillers as meditation?

Ever wonder why silly action-movies and mindless thrillers and comic-book adaption movies are so popular? It’s not that they are “relaxing” in tone and manner; it’s simply because they are a form of escapism. It’s so far removed from our stressful BETA lives, that it genuinely induces an ALPHA state in many of us — relaxed mind— probably similar to the feeling the ancient Greeks must have experienced when they listened to the exciting tales of the gods and heroes. On the other hand, a gritty, artsy, true-to-life biography or war history movie might inspire the opposite — triggering BETA — simply because it resonates with our day-to-day stress-mode.

In fact, going one step further, an over-the-top adventure or comedy movie or novel, while it usually induces an ALPHA state, can trigger THETA. (Yes, that’s you, the movie-goer who drowses slightly during the action movie.) In meditation, the goal is usually either a deep ALPHA (highly relaxed and reflective mind, for instance in Samatha meditation) or light THETA (visualization meditation.) So, although an escapist myth, movie or novel will not replace meditation, it’s certainly “good for you.” Just avoid the too-real, too-historical, too frightening stress-inducing stories unless you’re ready to jump back up to stressful BETA.

Feeling safe and secure helps change our wave pattern

A sense of safety and security helps coax the BETA brain to release its “red alert” state. Laughter, song, silly movies, good food, friends — all these help us feel safe and secure and encourages a wholesome ALPHA relaxed mind. Ultimately, for real health benefits, we hope to achieve a deep ALPHA or a light THETA. Meditation, in a safe environment, is certainly one of the surest ways to induce stress-relieving brainwaves. With mindfulness, you might also accidentally slip into DELTA (sleep mode) but if you’re doing formal Zazen retreat watch out! — whack on the shoulder from the teacher might wake you back up.

Meditational Altered States: THETA mind

From a meditational point of view — and certainly from a Buddhist perspective — ASC is the mechanism that makes meditation valid as both a stress-reliever and a doorway to insight. Altered States — specifically THETA brainwaves — is not the goal, it is only the mechanism. The goal of meditation can vary: health, stress-relief, insight (in Buddhism, “wisdom”), relief from depression, and, specific to Vajrayana and Buddhism: achieving “bliss and wisdom in union.” But the mechanism for achieving most of these is a state of THETA.

In Vajrayana, it is sometimes said that altered state is the horse, and insight is the destination. In other traditions, such as shamanism, the drum might replace the horse — the drum being the audible mechanism helping achieve ASC — and “meeting” a spirit guide might be the goal. In real yoga — not the one-hour gym class — the mechanism and goals are similar.

Office Mindfulness: Theta helps cognition

Although we’re tuned to BETA brainwaves in work and survival mode when out of our safe-places, many problems are best solved when the mind is at least in “reflective” mode — ALPHA brainwaves. This is why office workers often engage in short mindfulness sessions throughout the day. Not only for work problems but for “healing” and therapy, Altered States of Consciousness is often superior. Christa Smith, in Psychology Today, explains [1]:

“I often witness clients relying too heavily on the ordinary mind. They painstakingly analyze themselves and their problems with little payoff, as if the ordinary mind is the only and best tool for healing. Adele was one such client. She was a 45 year-old mother of two who suffered from depression related to aging. She was highly intelligent and could articulate perfectly why being in her forties bothered her so much. But as much as she tried to convince herself it wasn’t true, she could not shake the idea that her life was essentially over, that all of the good times were in the past. She struggled to overcome this belief, which was at the heart of her depression, but made little progress.”

Explaining brainwaves: electrical power?

One way to explain brainwaves is with electricity. In Scientific American, Nedd Herrman explains brainwaves this way[2]:

“Even though this electrical power is very limited, it does occur in very specific ways that are characteristic of the human brain. Electrical activity emanating from the brain is displayed in the form of brainwaves. There are four categories of these brainwaves, ranging from the most activity to the least activity. When the brain is aroused and actively engaged in mental activities, it generates beta waves. These beta waves are of relatively low amplitude and are the fastest of the four different brainwaves. The frequency of beta waves ranges from 15 to 40 cycles a second. Beta waves are characteristics of a strongly engaged mind. A person in active conversation would be in beta. A debater would be in high beta. A person making a speech, or a teacher, or a talk show host would all be in beta when they are engaged in their work.”

He goes on to describe ALPHA as the opposite of BETA:

“Where beta represented arousal, alpha represents non-arousal. Alpha brainwaves are slower, and higher in amplitude. Their frequency ranges from 9 to 14 cycles per second. A person who has completed a task and sits down to rest is often in an alpha state. A person who takes time out to reflect or meditate is usually in an alpha state. A person who takes a break from a conference and walks in the garden is often in an alpha state.”

THETA: “ideation mode”: ideas flow without censorship

When those frequency cycles per second drop to between five and eight, we move into THETA, at first a light day-dream-like state, what Nedd Herrmann calls “ideation” mode. Repetitive tasks — drumming, mantras, watching or counting breath, jogging and running, or even driving long miles of monotonous straight highway — can induce THETA. (Obviously, not desired when driving those highways!)

This is why some of your best ideas occur when bathing, showering, jogging, or meditating. The relaxed mind, slower than ALPHA is “prone to flow of ideas,” according to Herrmann. Even brushing your hair, or sweeping the floor, or any automatic, repetitive task can inspire your most creative moments. Hermann describes THETA:

“It is a state where tasks become so automatic that you can mentally disengage from them. The ideation that can take place during the theta state is often free flow and occurs without censorship or guilt. It is typically a very positive mental state.”

Importantly, formal meditative practice is specifically designed to quickly induce THETA — or in some cases light DELTA.

DELTA: dream mode

Lighter DELTA could be thought of as daydream mode, but in meditation is associated with visualization practice and LUCID dreaming. While THETA is ideal for stress-reducing and idea/insight, DELTA has a more specialized meditative mission: deeply altered states of consciousness that allow us to see beyond conventional reality biased by conditioning.

What Buddha Taught

Buddha taught many methods for loosening the grip of conditioning on our fragile psyches. We grew up conditioned by pain and suffering — from our wailing emergence from the safety of our mother’s womb to the often-traumatic experiences that follow. We also develop attachments to those things we enjoy. The Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path provide the initial teachings on overcoming this conditioning that keeps us in a “suffering” state of mind.

Other methods include meditative methods, including visualization, that helps us see the world without the lens of our “conditioning.”

In the dream world, we can fly; when awake gravity takes hold. When we visualize the merit field of Enlightened Beings, we see a Pure Land as it could be if we removed attachments, conditioning and clinging; when awake, we see endless pain and suffering.

Even pragmatically, when our therapist coaches us with a guided meditation, to help us overcome some specific trauma, we are experiencing Theta.

Quick How-Tos

Although we have more extensive “how-tos” on these various practices, here is a quick “cheat sheet” to inducing Theta through the Five Styles of Altered States Meditation.

1. Mindfulness

It might seem that mindfulness is the “easiest” of these practices. In fact it is a practice that eludes many, including some experienced meditators. While guided meditation and drumming can be quickly approached, mindfulness is — by definition — not easy to instruct. Basically, you sit, stand, walk and try to “disengage” the Beta and Alpha mind by “observing.” As indicated in the above NTNU study, the “observing” mind engages the “frontal parts of the brain, which are associated with monitoring of other mental processes.”

So, by way of instruction, sit, stand or walk (in all three cases in a situation where your mind doesn’t have to intervene) and then try to simply observe. Not only do you “observe” what is happening around you — the ticking of the clock, the chirping of the bird — but without engaging with it.

The great teachers would say, “simply be.” Be mindful. Be observant. Be there but not participating. Attempt this for at least 1o minutes. Don’t try to “empty” the mind of thoughts — some meditators try to force this — but simply, instead, observe them. Even if they are stressful, nasty, hateful thoughts. No judgment. Simply observe.

The basic steps could include:

1. Sit or stand in a way that is non-involving (comfortable).
2. Adopt an upright but comfortable posture.
3. Simply observe.

Some people add in additional steps — also a bit counter-intuitive for a process designed to disengage mind. For example:

1. Sit comfortably.
2. Initially, count your breaths and relax.
3. Correct your posture, but remain comfortable.
4. Half close or fully close your eyes.
5. Watch your breath. Feel it. Observe it. Do not participate.
6. Begin to notice, without participating, what is going on around you: sounds, feelings, heat, cold, dampness, itchy skin.
7. Observe your mind and its thoughts, but do not participate. Simply let it be. Watch.
8. Expand your observation. Try to listen beyond your immediate space.
9. Continue observing, without participating as long as you can. If you start participating or correcting random thoughts that bother you. Simply cease and observe. Do not correct.

2. Guided Meditation and Mindfulness

By releasing control (Beta mind) to a guide, we can experience a most intense Theta session. The objective of Vajrayana visualization is to help induce this “open and empty” mind to introduce our minds to the concept that the true nature of reality is not what we think. This idea was first expressed by the Buddha in the great Maha nidana Sutta:

“If this exists, that exists; if this ceases to exist, that also ceases to exist.”

By removing the “eyes” from the observer role, the mind becomes the observer — which changes everything. The guru of Quantum Physics, Niels Bohr explained why science and Shakayamuni see “eye to eye” (so to speak):

“Observations not only disturb what has to be measured, they produce it… We compel a quantum particle to assume a definite position.” In other words, as explained by physicist Pascual Jordan: “we ourselves produce the results of measurements.”

[For a full exploration of this concept, supported by both science and Buddhist thought, see “What does quantum physics have to do with the five Buddhas>>]

You don’t have to involve spiritual visualization to achieve some benefits from this method, but for a Buddhist, Vajrayana visualized meditation is the pinnacle of technique.

The easiest way to experience the power of Vajrayana deity visualization — where we visualize ourselves as perfectly Enlightened beings (a form of positive-reinforcement role play) — is to follow along with a meditation master. Here’s one of our most popular guided visualization videos for visualizing Green Tara, as guided and taught by H.E. Zasep Tulku Rinpoche:

Or for those seeking “healing” reinforcement, here is another popular video with guided visualation of Medicine Buddha:

3. Mantra

Any collection of sounds can become a mantra, but in Buddhist meditation, many are profound and meaningful — expressing in sound and rhythm deep truths. Some are open to everyone; others are restricted practices because they require instruction.

The goal of mantra is a little more specific. Although the “mind” is still observer and detached from calculated thought, the repetitive or hypnotic element is a repeated mantra. The sound is repeated hundreds of times. Often, this is combined with visualization — even something simple, such as healing blue light filling your body. Other times, it’s just the sound and a mindful, watching mind.

Mantras in serious practice are usually intoned at a very low, rhythmic pitch, like the beat of a drum. They go beyond the role of rhythm and sound, however. Mantra contains within it a “stated intention.” If you chant the Medicine Buddha mantra, you are likely planting the seed of healing in the mind.

When mind is in Theta, it is highly suggestable. This is why, in psychotherapy, for example, hypnosis is used. Hypnosis, like all of these techniques, opens the mind — not only the “observing mind” and the “learning mind” but also the “receptive mind.”

It is said you can’t implant a hypnotic suggestion that the recipient doesn’t agree with. It’s still your mind and will. But mantra reinforces the positive intention to heal, or live a long life, or receive protective energies.

To experience a mantra anyone can practice, try singing along with the amazing Yoko Dharma, chanting the Amitabha Buddha mantra Om Ami Dewa Hri:

4. Sound: drumming, rattling, chanting

Aside from mantras, which include the added purpose of implanting an intention, other repetitive sounds also induce Theta, notably drums, rattles and chants.

The benefits of sound go beyond some other Theta techniques. Although Theta mind is one of the reasons drumming works in meditation and healing, several studies have revealing benefits:

1. Reduces blood pressure, anxiety and stress: a 2014 study published in the Journal of Cardiovascular Medicine.
2. Improves cognitive function: 2014 study in the Journal of Huntington’s Disease.
3. Pain Reduction: 2012 study published in Evolutionary Psychology
4. Improve Immunity: 2011 study published in Alternative Therapies and Health Medicine
5. Induces Theta; enhanced meditation: 2004 study published in the Journal Multiple Sclerosis
6. Depression and Emotional Disorders: 2001 study published in the Journal of Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

How to drum

Drumming, or any form of percussion provides a strong focus on mindfulness. It’s as simple as taking your favourite meditation technique and adding the drum as the focal point, rather than the breath. You can either drum for yourself (which has extra benefits: the live sound of a drum is very moving), or use a drumming MP3 or recording.

The steps are literally 1,2,3:

1. Sit and get comfortable. Alternately, some people prefer to stand or even dance while drumming.

2. Using any drum, beat a regular, monotonous beat. You can beat quickly, which tends to induce a Theta response (helpful for visualization practices in Vajrayana, for example), or slowly. A heart beat, ba-bump, ba-bump, ba-bump has also been identified as therapeutic.

3. Drum for at least 15 minutes. I find 30 better. Simply focus on the beat (rather than your breath). Become the sound. As always, with mindfulness, if the mind drifts, just refocus gently back on the beat. If images appear, just observe. Be the listener (observer).

[For a more detailed exploration of drumming, see “Mindfulness of Drumming”>>

5. Repetitive tasks: wax on, wax off

There is serenity in the broom, the mop or the clothesline. Many people, when they are furious — say, a fight with a significant other — will take refuge in cleaning the house. The repetitive tasks, such as brooming, mopping, vacuuming can be highly therapeutic.

More formally, in Zen traditions, repetitive tasks are often assigned, such as “sweeping the temple” or weeding the garden. However, instead of simply saying “Go clean the floor” the teacher will actually show a specific hand motion to be used, a direction to sweep and a speed to employ. The mindless repetition is the meditation. It unleashes the Theta mind, in the same way, a monotonous curve-free highway does for a drowsy driver.

To make this work, either receive instruction, or create your own “ritualized” repetitive task. Clean the floor, yes, but do it with a precise, memorized pattern and speed.

Any repetitive task can be therapeutic, but to rise to the standard of meditation and Theta requires an element of ritualization.

NOTES
[1] “Altered States of Consciousness” Psychology Today, Christa Smith Psy.D.
[2] “What is the function of the various brainwaves” Scientific American, Nedd Herrmann
[3] “Brainwaves and meditation” Science Dailey, NTNU research source.

— Lotus Sutra, Chapter 12

More than 2500 years ago, the drum was an important component of various Buddhist traditions. “In Buddha’s time, the gong and drum were used to gather everyone to announce the precepts, meal times, Dharma talks.” [1] Today, most Buddhist temples and monasteries of most traditions use drums in practice, and increasingly — and, significantly, in meditation practice.

“The first sound everyone on Earth heard was the sound of our mother’s heartbeat,” writes Jennifer Tarnacki in her feature Your Brain on Drumming. “Our relationship with rhythm began in the womb.” [16]

Psychology and science have identified both drumming and mindfulness meditation as helpful therapy for everything from stress to memory loss to supportive cancer care. The first person to explicitly identify drumming and music as a healing practice was likely Pythagoreas, around the time of the Buddha. This is not new science. Since the time of Shakyamuni Buddha, we have known about the stress-reducing benefits of both mindfulness and drumming.

Bringing the two together — mindfulness and drumming — can be life-changing. Even one session of meditation, focused on a drum’s beat demonstrates how powerful this ancient meditation method can be in our stressful modern lives. The powerful and compelling rhythm of drums can still and focus the mind — the quick path to mindfulness.

Drumming for Mindfulness: Near-Instantaneous Results?

Lately, I’ve been personally using the drum as an assist for “mindfulness” — to help still my overworked monkey mind. The driving beat of a drum provides a sharp focus that brings instant mindful clarity. For me, personally, the practice of traditional mindfulness, while simply focusing on breath hasn’t been very successful, due to my over-active mind and stress levels. Alternate meditations, such as active body scanning, or logic meditation invariably doesn’t work well for my busy mind either. Vajrayana visualization practices, under the guidance of my teacher, helped considerably, giving me a sacred focal point — but my mind still constantly wanders off on its own.

Last year, I attended a teaching meditation weekend, focused on Mahamudra, taught by the most Venerable Zasep Tulku Rinpoche. The weekend was spiritually inspiration in more ways than one. I reported in Buddha Weekly, at that time:

“In a nice surprise for the many attendees of a much-anticipated Mahamudra retreat, Venerable Zasep Tulku Rinpoche—an internationally respected Buddhist teacher—was joyously “drummed in” by people from the local native community. Kathy Hopson, who helped organize, explained: “it is customary to Drum in an Elder or Healer out of Respect.”

I found the drumming-in tradition, and the magnificent chanting mesmerizing — which put me in a great frame of mind for a full weekend of meditation with Rinpoche. Since then, the drum has found its way into my daily meditations. I found “drumming for mindfulness” transformed my practice overnight.

With the powerful, monotonous, punctuated sound of a regularly beating fish drum, chod drum, damaru drum — or even an upside-down pot — I can achieve a mindful state almost instantly. With other methods, for me, it can take half an hour just to get “in the mindful zone.” I was first introduced to the drum through chod practice, but I later found that if I used the drum also in my mindfulness sessions — or even as a precursor to visualization and sadhana — my sessions become much more intense and fulfilling.

Of course, it’s widely accepted that mindfulness meditation in any form is beneficial to mind and body. Before I suggest a couple ways to easily use the drum for mindfulness, it’s worth summarizing what science says about drums. Many independent studies demonstrate drums may be a viable therapy for everything from stress and depression, to assistance with memory loss in Parkinsons, to actually encouraging the growth of cancer-fighting killer t-cells. And, as an aside, I find drumming beneficial in my personal situation: for pain reduction of arthritis.

[For tips on using drums in mindfulness meditation, please refer to last section of this feature article.]

Science and Psychology: Drumming as Therapy for Both Mind and Body

In Psychology Today, therapist Gary Diggins is quoted as saying: “We moderns are the last people on the planet to uncover what older cultures have known for thousands of years: The act of drumming contains a therapeutic potential to relax the tense, energize the tired, and soothe the emotionally wounded.” [10]

Michael Drake, an advocate of daily drumming, also highlighted the health benefits of drumming: “Furthermore, recent studies demonstrate that the innate modules of rhythm, like percussion or dance, provide a secular approach to … applying spiritual perspectives. The American Journal of Public Health reviewed drum therapy in its April 2003 edition concluding … drumming directly supports the introduction of spiritual factors found significant in the healing process.” [9]

Evidence-Based Benefits of Drumming for Health

An interesting article on the 16 benefits of playing an instrument, which include: reducing stress, strengthing the immune system, using every part of the brain, and increasing memory capability. Worth a read>>According to a well-cited article on Green Med, there are six evidence-based benefits to drumming (beyond the enhanced mindfulness aspect):

1. Reduces blood pressure, anxiety and stress: 2014 study published in Journal of Cardiovascular Medicine.
2. Improves cognitive function: 2014 study in Journal of Huntington’s Disease.
3. Pain Reduction: 2012 study published in Evolutionary Psychology
4. Improve Immunity: 2011 study published in Alternative Therapies and Health Medicine
5. Induces Theta; enhanced meditation: 2004 study published in the Journal Multiple Sclerosis
6. Depression and Emotional Disorders: 2001 study published in the Journal Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine [15]

Psychology: Drumming for Depression

Since depression is one of the fastest growing problem areas in psychological treatment, drumming may be a particularly easy and helpful treatment option for mild cases of depression, possibly even reducing reliance on drugs.

In a story in the Telegraph, drumming was described as viable therapy for depression: “Researchers found that adults who were given music therapy sessions, in which they played drums or instruments such as xylophones, showed fewer symptoms of depression or anxiety than those who just had standard counselling.

They suggest that it helped patients express their emotions as well as well as being a pleasurable activity in its own right.” [12]

Drum Body Response: Production of Cancer Killing T-Cells

Rober Muller, Ph.D, writes: “Neurologist Barry Bittman, who co-developed a program for REMO called Health Rhythms with music therapist Christine Stevens, found that group drumming and recreational music making increases the body’s production of cancer-killing t-cells, decreases stress, and can change the genomic stress marker. Bittman says drumming “tunes our biology, orchestrates our immunity and enables healing to begin.”

Even a bucket or garbage can works fine, as demonstrated by stickStoff:

Professor Muller also emphasizes the benefits in treating depression and trauma: “For individuals coping with depression, anxiety, or trauma, there is something more intuitive and liberating about communicating through music. Some find the combination of group therapy and drumming effective as it brings more contemporary approaches to mental health together with creative and non-judgmental expression of emotions.”

The long list of health benefits also includes: “… eating disorders, children with autism, cancer patients, war veterans living with PTSD, individuals with anger management issues, people with addictions, and even Alzheimer’s patients, drumming offers physical and emotional benefits.” [10] Drumming therapy is now available in major hospitals and clinics.

The Professor ended with some good advice: “For many seeking the benefits of therapy, an hour spent creating music and an hour spent in therapeutic drumming is an hour well spent.”

Drumming for Memory: American Psychological Association

In addition to concrete health, stress reduction, and pain-relief benefits, the American Psychological Association has identified drumming and sound as promising therapy for memory loss, especially Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s: “Since the rhythmic pulses of music can drive and stabilize this disorientation, we believe that low-frequency sound might help with these conditions,” Bartel says. He is leading a study using vibroacoustic therapy with patients with mild Alzheimer’s disease. The hope is that using the therapy to restore normal communication among brain regions may allow for greater memory retrieval…”

The article identified a specific case: “We’ve already seen glimmers of hope in a case study with a patient who had just been diagnosed with the disorder,” Bartel says. “After stimulating her with 40-hertz sound for 30 minutes three times a week for four weeks, she could recall the names of her grandchildren more easily, and her husband reported good improvement in her condition.” [11]

Drumming for Theta: The Relaxed Mind Through Rhythm

Drumming repetitively at about four beats per second, has been proven to relax the mind, inducing either Alpha or Theta in nearly all participants in studies on the effect of drumming. [13]

An abstract from the US Library of Medicine by Professor Winkelman, concluded, from a study: “Research reviews indicate that drumming enhances recovery through inducing relaxation and enhancing theta-wave production and brain-wave synchronization. Drumming produces pleasurable experiences, enhanced awareness of preconscious dynamics, release of emotional trauma, and reintegration of self. Drumming alleviates self-centeredness, isolation, and alienation, creating a sense of connectedness with self and others. Drumming provides a secular approach to accessing a higher power and applying spiritual perspectives.” [14]

Our normal awake mind is in Beta. Alpha is a more relaxed state, 9-13 Hz, characterized by “relaxed, calm, lucid, not thinking.” Not thinking sounds distinctly useful in mindfulness practice. Theta is one level of relaxation lower, at 4-8 Hz, which is characteristic of very deep meditation and mental imagery. The Theta state, is normally only achieved by very experienced meditators. However, with a drum, even novice meditators can obtain the state of total relaxation and lucid not-thinking.[13]

Buddha’s Drum: Sutra of the Great Dharma Drum

To put drums in context, I thought it might be important to emphasize how important drums were in the time of Shakyamuni Buddha. Of course, the “Dharma Drum” is the name of a sutra, “Sutra of the Great Dharma Drum.”[5] A Zen organization that adopted the name Dharma Drum for their meditation centres, described why they chose the name: “The term “dharma drum” comes from the Lotus Sutra.” From the Lotus Sutra, chapter 12: “I beat upon the Dharma drum, announcing my search for Dharma in the four directions” [6]

In another example, Buddha described a time when his cycle of teachings would fade. Not surprisingly — and indicative of the cultural prevalence of drums in Buddha’s time — he used a drum metaphor in the teaching:

“Imagine a gigantic drum where if someone drums it, it can be heard for miles around, it is so awesome. But suppose this drum, over time develops little cracks in the drum skin (the drum head) from being hit all the time. So the cracks get repaired but the head of the drum is never the same – it’s like it’s got a scar where the skin has been cracked. And over time from all the relentless drumming, more and more cracks appear. As the skin gets repaired, more and more scars appear in it. It finally reaches the point where when you bang on the skin of the gigantic drum, rather than a huge reverberation that can be heard miles around, only a dull thud that can barely be heard a few meters away. This is an analogy of how the Buddha said that his teaching will start disappearing. We are starting to see this happening right now.” [4]

For a metaphor to be powerful and resonant, it must be a universally accepted image. Clearly, drums were very important in Buddha’s time.

The Many Roles of Drums in Buddhism

The drum has a long history in Buddhist traditions: from the mindfulness support of the big drum in Mahayana Buddhism to the “wakefulness” support of the fish drum in Zen, to the hauntingly beautiful use of various drums in Tibetan ritual. Drums play an important role in Buddhist Chod, Tantra and other esoteric practices. Sound is also considered one of the eight sensory offerings to the Enlightened Beings and playing the drum or the bell are considered to be very profound offerings.

Through the centuries, the drum was also central to many other spiritualities and religions, from ancient shamanism — documented use of more than 25,0000 years ago — to Medieval Catholic ritual, to ceremonies in numerous religions. The earliest known spirituality — broadly defined as shamanism — relied on the drum to journey into the mind and spiritual insights. Cave drawings dating to 25,000 years ago show the central role of drumming.

Recently, I added drumming to my meditation practice, greatly enhancing my ability to still my “monkey mind.” The trance-like effect of drumming also improved my visualizations in more formal sadhana practices. It doesn’t matter whether I use the fish drum, a chod drum, damaru, or the single-sided shaman drum, drumming prior to the formal practice, stills my mind and makes visualization meditation almost “easy.” The trance-like effect of the drum, intensifies the mind’s focus, allowing truly vivid and profound visualizations. Mindfulness of “beat” and “sound” rather than breath. I decided to research the role the drum plays in different Buddhist traditions, and what the teachers say about drums and drumming.

Mahayana Buddhism: The Great Offering

In Mahayana traditions, we daily take refuge in the three jewels: Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. We also speak of the Body of the Buddha, Speech of the Buddha and Mind of the Buddha. As symbols, we often represent the Buddha with a statue, image or symbol, the Speech with a Sutra or sometimes a bell/drum (for the sound of speech), and the Mind often a Stupa.

Sound is as one of the eight sensory offerings traditionally offered in Mahayana Buddhist tradition. When we burn incense, we symbolically present the scent or smell offering. Flowers please the sight sense. Food the taste sense. The drum or the chanting of a mantra represents the hearing sensory offering. Many serious practitioners make daily or weekly or monthly sensory offerings.

In regular practice, such as during sutra or sadhana recitation, the drums are often used with bells, gongs and other sounds for a number of purposes: to draw attention, to give thanks (offering) and sometimes to purify. Drums and bells are used by most Mahayana practitioners use drums regularly, in liturgy, to call the daily meditation or to make offerings.

Zen/Chan Buddhists and Drumming

Zen Buddhism and the discipline of martial arts are often thought of as complimentary. The practice of drumming, as a means to focus the mind — and to inspire discipline — is well established in both Kung Fu and Zen/ChanBuddhism. The International sensation, Tao, from Japan, takes this to the ultimate art in terms of discipline (see video below), but even the most humble Zen temple has a fish drum for both the call to meditation, and as a mindfulness aid.

“The mokugyo, or fish drum, is used in Zen monasteries to keep the beat during the chanting of the liturgy,” according to the Zen Mountain Monastery. “Its deep, rich tone makes it clear why the image of the fish—symbolic of wakefulness—is used.”[3]

In Zen, there are many methods to still the mind, from creating gardens to sweeping the floor, to the recitation of Sutra, to martial arts training, to meditations on the breath and shunyata. It may seem counter-intuitive, that the energizing sound of the drum can still the mind, but a half-hour of chanting with a fish drum will quickly change any meditator’s mind. And watching the performance of super-disciplined and coordinated martial arts drummers has a similar impact:

International drumming sensation, Tao:

Korean Buddhism: Drum for the Fish, Cloud Gong for the Birds

In Korea, Buddhist monks play the drums, gongs and bells daily. Public drumming performances in Korea by Buddhist monks have become an art form, as it has in Japan.

Public Performance with Buddhist Drums:

At one level, the drum, cloud gong and bell are intended as blessings: the fish drum blesses all creatures of the water, the cloud gong, the birds and flying creatures and the bell, everything in and under heaven. At another, it is an intense form of meditation. Watching a monk play the giant drum, shows near trance-like intensity, a form of mindfulness focus that is vivid and deep.

Chan Buddhism: Dharma Drum Talks

“The wooden fish is used by monks to alert themselves to have a spiritual sense of shame, practice diligently, and not to be lazy,” said Master Sheng Yen, a Chinese Buddhist monk, a religious scholar, and one of the mainstream teachers of Chan Buddhism, who passed away in 2009. Master Sheng Yen was the founder of the Dharma Drum Centre. “The wooden-fish clapper serves to remind Buddhist practitioners to have the path of the bodhisattva in … ” [2]

In a teaching, Master Sheng Yen said, “There’s a story behind that fish.” He explained the legendary story of the eight dragons and of the Fish Makala — the significance of the fish Makala in the context of “always open eyes.” Fish do not close their eyes, symbolic of constant alertness and mindfulness desired in Chan Buddhist practice.

“The Buddha told his disciples, to be diligent and work hard at the cultivation, to emulate the spirit of the fish.” See video below:

Master Sheng Yen on the significance of the fish drum:

Vajrayana Buddhism: the Blissful Drum

It is often said that the bell, vajra (dorje) and drum are the penultimate symbols of Vajrayana practice. The profundity of these symbols has been previously discussed in our feature: “Bell and Dorje, Wisdom and Compassion.”  At its simplest, or most profound distillation, the bell can be said to represent “the wisdom of emptiness,” the vajra embodies “compassion,” while the drum — such as damaru or chod drums — express “bliss.” Ultimately, together they express “the compassionate wisdom of blissful emptiness.”

The drum and other instruments are extensively used in public pujas — both to summon people and to propel liturgy or ritual — but also in deep meditation practices such as recitation, mantra practice, sadhana, mindfulness, and offerings. They are also used to “celebrate” festivals, to make special offerings.

Sound also symbolically reaches beyond the mundane, calling out to (or blessing) all sentient beings of all realms. The Chod drum’s sound, often with small bells attached to the drum, are said to be the “voice of the Dakinis” and carry blessings, but also help propel the intense meditation visualization of Chod practice.

How to Play the Chod Drum with Lama Jinpa:

Chod Drum: The Voice of Emptiness

The iconic symbol of Chod is the Chod Drum. In a description of a teaching to be given by the Venerable Zasep Rinpoche at Gaden Choling Toronto, Chod was described this way: ” “Chod practice was developed by Mahig Labdron, a highly realized Dakini from the 12th century,” explains the Gaden Choling poster for the event. “The purpose of the practice is to develop wisdom and compassion; to heal the sick, remove obstacles, and to purify an environment of negative forces using peaceful means.”[7]

In a feature covering the event, we wrote: “Chod means “to cut”, as in to “cut the ego”. Chod practice is, arguably, the most misunderstood practice among non-practitioners, due to the intense visualizations some people describe as haunting and almost overwhelming moving. Chod is among the most profound of the purification practices in Vajrayana. There is no faster way to “cut the ego.”” [7]

Perhaps the most beautiful performer of meditative Buddhist Drumming is from the internationally popular Buddhist Nun and singer Ani Choying Drolma. Listening to her steady, drumming and gorgeous chanting is itself an uplifting meditation:

In a similar event posting, this one from Tara Mandala, Chod was described as semi-shamanic, and the importance of the drum was emphasized: “Chöd is a unique blend of the Tibetan Shamanic traditions and the Buddhist tradition of compassion and emptiness. This centuries-old practice is sung and is accompanied by the use of a traditional Chöd drum and bell. Healing comes when fear, fixation, and self-clinging are cut through, based on nurturing not fighting what assails us, giving rise to the awareness of the empty nature of afflictive emotions… The chöd practice requires a chöd drum and bell.” [8]

Due to it’s profundity, Chod practice generally requires a teacher and instruction to perform. Playing the drum, in any of its forms, does not, and is of immense help to meditators around the world.

Monk on the drum:

Mindfulness with Drumming: A How-To

Using the drum for mindfulness practice does not require a teacher or extensive learning, and in fact could be considered easier to practice (by some, such as myself) than meditation on the breath.

This mini-how-to is strictly based on my own practice, and clearly there are no rules. The goal of drumming for mindfulness is identical to any other mindfulness meditation. It has the same benefits, but in some cases a faster result. Outside of any spiritual context, drumming for mindfulness is also recommended as a stress-reduction therapy by various therapists.

Drumming, or any form of percussion, provides a very hard to ignore focus for mindfulness. It’s as simple as taking your favorite meditation technique, and adding the drum as the focal point, rather than the breath. You can either drum for yourself (which has extra benefits: the live sound of a drum is very moving), or use a drumming MP3 or recording.

The steps are literally 1,2,3:

1. Sit and get comfortable. Alternately, some people prefer to stand or even dance while drumming.

2. Using any drum, drum a regular, monotonous beat. You can beat quickly, which tends to induce a Theta response (helpful for visualization practices in Vajrayana, for example), or slowly. A heart beat, ba-bump, ba-bump, ba-bump has also been identified as therapeutic.

3. Drum for at least 15 minutes. I find 30 better. Simply focus on the beat (rather than your breath). Become the sound. As always, with mindfulness, if the mind drifts, just refocus gently back on the beat. If images appear, just observe. Be the listener (observer).

    

Useful Variants: Don’t be Afraid to Try…

There are so many ways to appreciate the benefits of drumming for mindfulness. Drum circles, and drumming dance are two provocative and powerful methods. They enhance mindfulness and stress-reduction benefits at a group level. Here are some other useful variants:

1. Drum while visualizing, if this is part of your practice. Visualization meditation has extra health benefits. (See our story on Visualization vs. Mindfulness>>)
2. Drum while chanting mantras, if this is part of your practice. Even if you don’t have a teacher, non-permission based mantras such as Om Mani Padme Hum can be beneficial. See our story on mantras: Part 1: Mantras: Setting the Mind Free>> or Part 2 Mantras: Good Vibrations>> or Part 3: Mantras: There’s a Mantra for That>>)
3. Drum while walking: similar benefits to walking meditation.
4. Drumming outside in nature: very relaxing, if you don’t disturb the neighbors.
5. Play a drumming tape and meditate to the sound.
6. Use drumming before formal practices such as sadhanas, as it can put your mind in a better state (more relaxed, easier to visualize) for practice.
7. Try different drums. For instance, due to my arthritis, I now prefer an open hoop drum. Chod drums have a very powerful sound. Damarus are very striking. Garbage cans turned over can be magnificent, as demonstrated in many drumming street performances.
8. If there are drumming circles in your neighborhood, try them out, they’re a blast.
9. If your neighbors complain, try a pillow. (Not kidding, see the drumming the pillow video below:

Drumming on a pillow is handy if your neighbors complain:

Types of Drums: They All Work, Even a Bucket

All types of drums work for mindfulness and therapeutic use. Find one that is comfortable for you and is all about sound. Drums with beaters or sticks are probably better for mindfulness practice than hand drums because the striking sensation on the hand can be distracting.

Find what works for you. Even though I practice formally in Chod and with the Dhamaru, I had a very light weight hoop drum made up with a well padded beater (stick.) To make it part of my formal practice, however, I decorated a non-traditional hoop drum. I use it in place of more traditional Tibetan drums, except when I’m with a group in a formal session. My reason is practical. I have arthritis, and the turning wrist action of Chod drum is difficult for me, and distracting. It’s easy for anyone to play a hoop drum mindlessly (without too much thoughtful control), which is beneficial for mindfulness practice.

There are subtle differences, highlighted below, but all can help in mindfulness focus:

1. Hoop drum and beater. The open drum has a beautiful, intense sound that genuinely makes a difference. This is sometimes casually called the shamanic drum.
2. Chod Drum: very sacred and rapid sound, although they are expensive.
3. Dhamarus: In Tibetan pratice indespensible for some offerings/sadhanas, but the sound is great for meditation too, albeit it’s much more intense.
4. Hand drums: various popular hand drums make great meditation tools, although I personally find the impact on the hand detracts from the mindfulness practice somewhat. With a stick, the impact is negligible. With a Chod or Dharmaru, there are no sticks. Hand drums are great, however, if they are recorded and played back.
5. Rattles (Gourd rattles and shamanic rattles, not the children’s kind) can make an interesting mindfulness session, a different sort of percussive sound.
6. Pots, pans, buckets: whatever you have handy. If you strike it and it makes a sound, use it.
7. Tupperware, Lockn’Lock and other plastic household containers make great-sounding drums in a pinch. Just turn upside down, without lid, and beat with a spoon.
8. Nature drumming: try just taking your stick out for your nature walk and hike, and try drumming respectfully on fallen trees, rocks, anything that makes a percussive sound.

Drum circles and dancing enhance the power and versatility of drumming:

No Disclaimer Needed: Drumming for Mindfulness is Simple and Effective.

That’s it. Try a little mindfulness practice with the drum or your household Tupper Wear. Within minutes, even a few seconds, you start to unkink and relax. Before the first five minutes have passed, without getting sleepy, you find every muscle in the body unclenches, even the hands holding drum and stick. With practice, the health benefits are profound. Visualization skills seem to improve steadily, since the drum puts the mind in Theta mode — or at least Alpha — receptive and relaxed.

There’s no down side. No need for disclaimers. There are no risks in drumming unless you have a physical condition that makes beating difficult — in which case try recordings of drumming. The benefits to your mindfulness, if you have a busy mind, should be near instant and — in many cases — quite profound.

NOTES

[1] “Entry into the Profound”

[2] ” Why do monasteries suspend a wooden fish outside the dining hall?” GDD 474 Master Sheng Yen

[3] Mokugyo Fish Drum, Zen Mountain Monastery

[4] “How Buddha’s Teaching Will Disappear” The Essence of Buddhism.

[5] Sutra of the Great Dharma Drum

[6] Lotus Sutra, Chapter 12 https://www.buddhistdoor.com/OldWeb/resources/sutras/lotus/sources/lotus12.htm

[7] ” Venerable Zasep Tulku Rinpoche, Spiritual Director of Gaden for the West, Returns to Toronto for a Month of Precious Teachings in September and October” Buddha Weekly

[8] “Chöd With Karla Jackson-Brewer and Dorje Lopön Chandra Easton” Tara Mandala website.

[9] Shamanic Drumming, Michael Drake Talking Drum Publications (April 12, 2012) Language: English, ISBN-10: 0962900230, ISBN-13: 978-0962900235

[10] Psycology Today: “The Heart is a Drum Machine: Drumming as Therapy”, Robert T. Muller, Ph.D https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/talking-about-trauma/201501/the-heart-is-drum-machine-drumming-therapy

[11] “Music as Medicine” article American Psychological Association.

[12] “Making Music Can Overcome Depression” The Telegraph

[13] Theta Healing

[14] “Abstract: Complementary Therapy for Addiction: “Drumming Out Drugs””; Michael Winkelman, PhD, MPH

[15] “Six Ways Drumming Heals the Body, Mind and Soul” Green Med Info.

[16] This is Your Brain on Drumming, the Neuroscience Behind the Beat>>

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A study from the National University of Singapore, attempts to differentiate the relative benefits of different types of meditation. In particular, the research team found that Vajrayana meditation, with Tantric and Deity visualizations, significantly improves cognitive performance.

Vajrayana Meditation Good Medicine for Cognitive Disorders?

This may not surprise Vajrayana practitioners, who know just how much of the brain must be activated to stabilize a complex visualization, but it may also be good news for people at risk for Alzheimer’s and other cognitive degenerative disorders.

The study was conducted by Professor Maria Kozhevnikov and Doctor Ido Amihai from the Department of Psychology, and just recently published in the journal PLOS ONE for July 2014. [1]

Vajrayana and Theravada Produce Different Benefits

Putting aside the obvious spiritual attainments associated with each path, there are significant differences in health benefits. Although most of the study focused on Theravada meditative practices—which are frequently practiced also by Mahayana and Vajrayana practitioners as foundation practices—the study found that Vajrayana meditation added extra layers of cognitive benefits.

Specifically, Samatha and Vipassana meditation (which are also part of Vajrayana foundation practice) were compared to Vajrayana meditations which included visualization and self-generation-as-Deity and Rigpa. All participants in the study were monitored for both electrocardiographic and electroencephalographic responses. The breakthrough study found that Vajrayana meditation showed activation of the sympathetic system.

The results were not marginal. The tasking tests given to participants revealed sharply enhanced cognitive performance immediately after Vajrayana meditation. The margin of increase was steep and consistent. After meditation, any tasks involving the brain by Vajrayana meditators, showed marked enhancement.

By contrast, Theravada style meditation produced improved parasympathetic activity, and a decrease in activation of the sympathetic system. Vajrayana meditation tracked almost the complete opposite. This makes Samatha and Vipassana meditation ideal for spiritual contemplation, and stress relief.

The Middle Way: Both?

Vajrayana students have long been taught to anchor their practices in Samatha and Vipassana meditation, then, as they advance in their practice to undertake Deity visualizations. Due to the complexity of the practice, a teacher is necessary. However, a student of Vajrayana, practicing both styles of meditation, should see benefits spiritually, mentally and physically. Foundation meditation will anchor practice—and relieve stress—bringing important health benefits. Deity practices will advance spiritual attainments—and protect the mind.

Interestingly, another term for one branch of Vajrayana is Mantrayana, due to its emphasis on Mantra with visualization. Mantra, literally translated, means “protection of the mind.” Although Buddhists have understood this for 2500 years, science now verifies the mind benefits of Deity practice.

Long Term Benefits?

The study conclusively concludes that even one session of Vajrayana deity visualization meditation brings immediate cognitive improvements. Professors Kozheznikov and Doctor Amihai are now examining the longer-term effects.

The test subjects were all practitioners from Nepal, with years of experience in Tibetan Vajrayana meditation. Since Deity visualization practice literally takes years of dedicated practice, it’s easy to assume the long term benefits, considering how well the subjects did in the tests. The researchers will, however, be looking at the effects of short-term exposure to the techniques, probably using naive test subjects who do not have the benefit of years of study.

Quick Fix Vajrayana Meditation?

Even though Vajrayana is called the Lightning Path, the quick path to Enlightenment where you can potentially achieve Buddhahood in one lifetime, it’s doubtful the research will find a “quick fix” Vajrayana meditation for novices that immediately benefits people cognitively. In Vajrayana, the integrity of lineage (the passing of the practice, method and teachings through unbroken lineage back to the source) ensures that any authorized teacher has the attainments needed to guide the meditator. The meditations require dedication and years of practice from the student under a teacher’s guidance. Although effects can be immediate, from as soon as the first meditation session, it requires long term commitment. Lifetime commitment, in fact. Or multiple lifetimes.

The purpose of Vajrayana meditation is not to enhance cognitive abilities—but it’s a very nice side effect. We practice these proven methods to make progress on our spiritual path and to gain Dharma realizations. As my teacher, Zasep Tulku Rinpoche wrote, “We all have Buddha nature naturally, and we are all destined to become a Buddha sometime in the future, but there is no Enlightenment without Dharma practice.” We practice for realizations, not to sharpen our minds. It’s just nice that we’ll have nice, sharp minds.

Although there’s no data on adapting methods from Vajrayana to psychology, and considering how long it takes to become a serious Vajrayana meditation practitioner, it’s doubtful this will ever provide a “quick” fix to, for example, degenerative brain disorders. On the other hand, cognitive benefits should be nearly immediate, even for beginners, who diligently engage the mind with Vajrayana deity visualizations.

Compassion and Vajrayana Meditation

An additional area of benefit, from separate studies, is treatment of anxiety or depression. “Buddhist traditions see wisdom and Compassion as interrelated—two wings of a bird,” writes Christer Germer and Ronald Siegel in an unlikely source—a psychotherapy-medical text. [3] In the book, various scholars, scientists and clinicians describe how Buddhist compassionate practices can “enhance the treatment of anxiety, depression, trauma, substance abuse, suicidal behavior, couple conflict and parenting stress.” (see our full story here>>)

In Wisdom and Compassion in Psychotherapy, an entire section on clinical applications is dedicated to visualizing compassionate Buddha images (normally Avalokitesvara). It is noted that the visualization should be of a compassionat figure “who embodies the qualities of unconditional acceptance, quiet strength and wisdom… beyond human fallibility.” The example they used was Avalokitesvara or Guanyin (the female Chinese form). [3, page 262]

Adding this clinical experience, to this new research on cognitive benefits show added benefits specifically from visualization practice of compassionate Buddha’s.

Teacher and Initiation Required?

To really benefit from Vajrayana, a qualified teacher is a must. To practice most—but not all—Deity visualization meditations Tantric empowerments are required. To practice Samatha and Vipassana meditation, no such initiations are required.

“Traditionally in Tibet, students completed the five foundation practices before taking higher Tantric initiation,” wrote Zasep Tulku Rinpoche, the spiritual head of Gaden for the West and Gaden Choling. One of the five foundation practices is Guru Yoga, which may have the same benefits as other Deity visualizations since this involves visualizations. Vajrasattva and Avalokiteshvara visualizations normally do not require empowerment. But for most advanced practices, initiations are required, for the education and protection of the meditator. As many Deity meditations are complex —and should be understood correctly—a teaching, empowerment, and guidance are important.

(NOTE: A full 3 part interview with Venerable Zasep Rinpoche can be found here>>)

“When you decide to take an initiation, you should find out what are the daily commitments and vows,” Zasep Tulku Rinpoche advises. These are long-term practices, and the commitments are important.

Benefits of Long Term Practice

The benefits of practicing properly under a qualified Vajrayana teacher are well established—and the long-lasting benefits are clear and sure. And, if an additional benefit is a sharp mind, and defense against cognitive disorders, this is fortunate. You could say, good karma.

[1] Medical Xpress

In the last few years there have been many peer-reviewed research projects, studies and reports supporting specific benefits to the simple practice of meditation and — in most cases — explaining “why it works.” In this short feature, we’ve listed the top ten benefits — there are many more — with links to peer-reviewed research or credible papers supporting those benefits. (For how-tos on meditation, see related features at end of this feature.)

One breakthrough report in a medical journal, for example, concluded, “These findings demonstrate that a short program in mindfulness meditation produces demonstrable effects on brain and immune function.” [1] Conclusions such as these have led to treatment regimens for diseases such as Cancer and HIV, along with treatments for clinical depression and cognitive disorders such as Alzheimer’s.

The most commonly cited benefits of meditation (now all backed by peer-reviewed research) are:

• Improvements in immune function
• Reduction of pain
• Reduction of inflammation, especially for arthritis, with some benefits also for cancer and other conditions
• Increases in brain matter, cortical thickness, and cognitive benefits
• Improvements in memory, and help with cognitive disorders such as Alzheimer’s
• Improvements in ability to regulate emotions
• Reduction of stress and the negative health issues associated with stress
• Enhances focus and attention and job performance
• Improves Emotional Intelligence
• Reduces depression and loneliness.

Ten Minutes a Day for Better Health? We’re Conditioned to Resist “Good for You”

Ten minutes a day in soothing, calming meditation can bring ten health and cognitive/psychological benefits to your life and health. Yet the mantra of, “Give up ten minutes of TV a night, meditate instead” seems largely an unfulfilled aspiration with most people — like New Year’s resolutions. Good intentions die easily.

No one has ever argued that meditation is “bad for you” and intuitively we’ve always known it’s a good thing to do — if only to relieve stress. You could even say that we are “conditioned” to put off anything remotely “good for you.” We grab the fast food fries instead of a healthy salad. We try to bury our unhappiness and stress in an unending stream of diversions: television, fast food, booze, drugs. Then, when something bad happens — for example our doctor diagnoses us with a terrible condition — we bury that stress in more diverting entertainment, more alcohol and more fast food.

Arguably, a large part of Buddhist practice, is designed to sever our attachments to cravings — with the goal of escaping suffering — and also, to alter the conditioning of our minds and bodies for “healthier” routines. Meditation is a practice at the centre of this goal.

Did the great meditators of ancient times — Buddha himself, Buddhist yogis, yoginis, monks and nuns — have these benefits in mind as they taught mindfulness and visualization meditation? Perhaps not. Their goals weren’t health oriented, they were about achieving the ultimate goal of Enlightenment. And, remarkably, many of these yogis and yoginis lived very long lives. Today, however, Buddhist teachers do emphasize health and cognitive benefits — alongside the spiritual benefits.

Immune Boost — Studies Support Tangible Biological Process Changes That Boost the Immune System

In one study, peer-published in The Journal of Biobehavioral Medicine, the study specifically found: “that a short program in mindfulness meditation produces demonstrable effects on brain and immune function. These findings suggest that meditation may change brain and immune function in positive ways and underscore the need for additional research.”

In an important paper published in Psychosomtic Medicine, a report concluded “We report for the first time significant increases in left-sided anterior activation, a pattern previously associated with positive affect, in the meditators compared with non meditators.”

Even more significant, as flu season arrives: “We also found significant increases in antibody titers to influenza vaccine among subjects in the meditation compared with those in the wait-list control group. Finally, the magnitude of increase in left-sided activation predicted the magnitude of antibody title rise to the vaccine.”

The report concluded, “These findings demonstrate that a short program in mindfulness meditation produces demonstrable effects on brain and immune function.

The methods and results are profound and hard to ignore:

Research Paper Citations

• “Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness Meditation” 
• “Effect of compassion meditation on neuroendocrine, innate immune and behavioral responses to psychosocial stress.” 

Decreasing Pain Through Meditation

Doctors and Psychiatrists have both recommended mindfulness meditation for pain modulation for many years. Supporting these professional recommendations are numerous peer-reviewed studies, including a comprehensive US National Library of Medicine filed paper, “Brain Mechanisms Supporting Modulation of Pain by Mindfulness Meditation.” [2]

Interestingly, the paper abstract begins with “For centuries, meditation has been thought to influence such processes by enabling non-evaluative presentation of sensory events” but then goes quantitatively further in its conclusions:

” To better understand how meditation influences the sensory experience, we employed arterial spin labeling (ASL) functional magnetic resonance imaging to assess the neural mechanisms by which mindfulness meditation influences pain in healthy human participants.”

“After four-days of mindfulness meditation training, meditating in the presence of noxious stimulation significantly reduced pain-unpleasantness by 57% and pain-intensity ratings by 40% when compared to rest. A two factor repeated measures analysis of variance was used to identify interactions between meditation and pain-related brain activation. Meditation reduced pain-related activation of the contra lateral primary somatosensory cortex.”

Several other factors were also identified, including increased “activity in the anterior cingulate cortex and anterior insula” and “reductions in pain intensity associated with orbitofrontal cortex activation…”

All to say, it works.

Research Paper Citation

• “Brain Mechanisms Supporting Modulation of Pain by Mindfulness Meditation“

Reduction of Inflammation, Especially for Arthritis and Cancer

One of the most common non-medicinal recommendations for Arthritis inflammation is mindfulness meditation. Following a similar principal to “decreasing pain”, the reduction of inflammation is actually actualized in the body at a cellular level. Oh, and with one very nice side effect: “reduction of loneliness.”

In a paper in ScienceDirect, the six report authors wrote: ” Results show those randomized to MBSR and HEP training had comparable post-training stress-evoked cortisol responses, as well as equivalent reductions in self-reported psychological distress and physical symptoms” [3]

In a paper studying “pro-inflammatory gene expression in older adults” the report authors found: “Mindfulness meditation training reduces loneliness and pro-inflammatory gene expression in older adults…. Moreover, at baseline, there was an association between reported loneliness and upregulated pro-inflammatory NF-κB-related gene expression in circulating leukocytes, and MBSR downregulated this NF-κB-associated gene expression profile at post-treatment. Finally, there was a trend for MBSR to reduce C Reactive Protein (treatment condition × time interaction: (F(1,33) = 3.39, p = .075). This work provides an initial indication that MBSR may be a novel treatment approach for reducing loneliness and related pro-inflammatory gene expression in older adults.” [4]

Even more interesting, a separate workplace based mindfulness study showed dramatic reduction in inflammation: “A randomized mindfulness-based intervention performed in the workplace decreased CRP levels in overweight/obese participants.” [5]

Research Paper Citations

• “A comparison of mindfulness-based stress reduction and active control in modulation of neurogenic inflammation” Science Direct 
• “Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction training reduces loneliness and pro-inflammatory gene expression in older adults: A small randomized controlled trial” – ScienceDirect
• “Workplace based mindfulness practice and inflammation: A randomized trial” – ScienceDirect 

Increases in Brain Matter and Cognitive Benefits Valuable in Alzheimer’s and Aging

People suffering from (or worried about) cognitive disorders such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinsons and old age in general should benefit from mindfulness meditation according to several studies.

In one the report authors studied “The underlying anatomical correlates of long-term meditation: Larger hippocampal and frontal volumes of gray matter.”

The report authors state that meditation is a widely known treatment option, but that little was known about its mechanism. They explain: “meditation practice has been shown not only to benefit higher-order cognitive functions but also to alter brain activity. Nevertheless, little is known about possible links to brain structure. Using high-resolution MRI data of 44 subjects, we set out to examine the underlying anatomical correlates of long-term meditation with different regional specificity (i.e., global, regional, and local).”

Basically, they found that mindfulness increased gray matter, with significant benefits for people with cognitive issues. ” We detected significantly larger gray matter volumes in meditators in the right orbito-frontal cortex (as well as in the right thalamus and left inferior temporal gyrus when co-varying for age and/or lowering applied statistical thresholds). In addition, meditators showed significantly larger volumes of the right hippocampus. Both orbito-frontal and hippocampal regions have been implicated in emotional regulation and response control. Thus, larger volumes in these regions might account for meditators’ singular abilities and habits to cultivate positive emotions, retain emotional stability, and engage in mindful behavior.” [7] Although they authors state “further analyses is necessary to establish the presence and direction of causal link between meditation and brain anatomy” the data never-the-less asserts the correlation.

Meditation Increases Cortical Thickness — Associated with “Attention”

In addition, meditation has been shown in studies to increase cortical thickness, associated to the areas of the brain focused on “paying attention.” One report stated: ” Brain regions associated with attention, interoception and sensory processing were thicker in meditation participants than matched controls, including the prefrontal cortex and right anterior insula. Between-group differences in prefrontal cortical thickness were most pronounced in older participants, suggesting that meditation might offset age-related cortical thinning. Finally, the thickness of two regions correlated with meditation experience.” [8]

Reduction of Stress and Increase in Happiness

Reduction of stress has always been a key benefit of meditation, intuitively understood. Never-the-less, there are numerous studies proving these benefits, which range from:

• making you feel less lonely
• making you feel more compassionate
• boosting your self-control
• increasing productivity, memory and ability to multitask.

These studies are numerous and easily found in Google searches.

10 More Reasons to Meditate

Emma Seppala, Ph.D wrote a short article that inspired this article, with her “20 Scientific Reasons to Start Meditating Today: New research shows meditation boosts your health, happiness and success! She lists an additional 10 reasons with links to research in support. [6]

She writes: ” Having witnessed the benefits, I devoted my PhD research at Stanford to studying the impact of meditation. I saw people from diverse backgrounds from college students to combat veterans benefit. In the last 10 years, hundreds of studies have been released.”

No doubt, over time, more and more benefits will be found. After all, it was through meditation that the Buddha achieved Enlightenment.

How-to Meditate Features

Please see some of our earlier in-depth features on “how to meditate”:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9

NOTES

[1] Psychosomatic Medicine, “Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness Meditation”

[2] “Brain Mechanisms Supporting Modulation of Pain by Mindfulness Meditation”

[3] “A comparison of mindfulness-based stress reduction and active control in modulation of neurogenic inflammation” Science Direct

[4] “Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction training reduces loneliness and pro-inflammatory gene expression in older adults: A small randomized controlled trial” – ScienceDirect

[5] “Workplace based mindfulness practice and inflammation: A randomized trial” – ScienceDirect

[6] “Twenty Scientific Reasons to Start Meditating Today: New research shows meditation boosts your health, happiness and success!”

[7] “The underlying anatomical correlates of long-term meditation: Larger hippocampal and frontal volumes of gray matter.” Science Direct

[8] “Meditation experience is associated with cortical thickness.” PMC US National Library of Medicine

” The eightfold path is often represented as a wheel with eight spokes. Pick a wheel with just one or two and it won’t take you very far.” — Mark Vernon [13]

“Some traditional Buddhist teachers tend to serve “Dharma-Lite” like “Coca-Cola Lite,” rather than “the Real Thing” Dharma,” said Alexander Berzin in June 2000 talk. [1] He was referring to “lite” motivations in modern, westernized Buddhism, where teachers avoid the topic of rebirth or other core beliefs— to make teachings more suitable to the western psyche.

For the purposes of this feature, I’m going to call it “Designer Dharma” — picking and choosing which core beliefs to subscribe to—based on personal belief, culture, “laziness” or preference. A separate issue is more systemized cultural “modern revisionism”.

Often cited in support of this notion of “pick and choose” and “revisionism” is the Kalama Sutta, sometimes referred to as “the Buddha’s charter of free inquiry”—an regularly mistranslated and poorly interpreted sutta. [11] (See more on Kalama Sutta below). Since I, myself, often pick and choose, and have difficulty with some doctrines such as rebirth, I thought I’d research “What the teachers say.”

Zasep Tulku Rinpoche: “You can be a Buddhist without believing in reincarnation.”

In a recent interview with Venerable Zasep Tulku Rinpoche, I mentioned the difficulty some westerners have with some Buddhist doctrines such as reincarnation. Rinpoche replied,

“You can be a Buddhist without believing in reincarnation. Don’t worry about the past. The future is a dream. Stay in the now. The most important thing is to watch your body, speech and mind, and if you cultivate merit, and practice loving kindness, then you are a good Buddhist.”

[10 Interview at Gaden Choling, Fall 2015]

However, it’s important to note that Rinpoche was not advocating “Designer Dharma” but rather, reassuring those who might have difficulty with a specific belief not to be discouraged but to continue practicing.

The most common advice from teachers of western students is best summarized in this quote from Thanissaro Bhikko: “You don’t have to believe in rebirth, you just have to take it as a working hypothesis.” [9]

Designer Dharma: pick-and-choose Buddhism

Many westernized Buddhists, myself included, tend to pick and choose Buddhist teachings, particularly with relation to difficult topics such as rebirth or reincarnation that might not to resonate with western culture and rational scientific minds. Many of my Buddhist friends merrily avoid these topics, rather than confront them. If pushed, some will say, “I’m a Buddhist, but I don’t believe in X.” The biggest “X” tends to be “rebirth” I’ve found.

Core beliefs in Buddhism—which might, or might not become part of a Buddhist’s “Designer Dharma”—almost invariably include:

• the Four Noble Truths
• Dependent Origination
• the Eightfold Path
• the Three Characteristics of Existence
• the Three Jewels
• Five Precepts
• Karma
• Rebirth
• Nirvana

Some of my Buddhist friends definitely “subscribe” to the Four Noble Truths and Eightfold Path, but can’t bring themselves to accept rebirth. Others, like myself, accept the core beliefs, but need constant reinforcement on rebirth and karma.

Agnostic Buddhism: “Teachers… use the idea of rebirth metaphorically”

“Many contemporary forms of Buddhism in the West—especially Zen and vipassana—seem to pay little attention to the doctrine of rebirth,” writes teacher Stephen Batchelor. [8] “Teachers in these traditions often use the idea of rebirth metaphorically to describe the moment-to-moment process of “dying” and being “reborn.” However appealing, psychologically astute, and didactically skillful such interpretations may be, they can give rise to the misleading impression that in traditional Zen or Theravadan cultures the doctrine of rebirth is likewise not taken literally.”

“Rebirth has always been a central teaching in the Buddhist tradition,” writes Thanissaro Bhikkhu of Metta Forest Monastery. “The earliest records in the Pali Canon indicate that the Buddha, prior to his awakening, searched for a happiness not subject to the vagaries of repeated birth… On the night of his awakening, two of the three knowledges leading to his release from suffering focused on the topic of rebirth.” [7]

Even some westernized Tibetan Buddhists tend to practice “Dharma-Lite” when it comes to rebirth—this despite the fact that His Holiness the Dalai Lama is accepted by them to be the 14th incarnation. Certainly, in Mahayana Buddhism, the belief in bodhisattvas who continue “taking birth as long as there are living beings in the world that need to be saved from suffering,” makes rebirth an unavoidable core belief. [8]

Mark Vernon: “Half-baked” western cultural Buddhism?

In a very interesting feature on “Buddhism and the dangers of pick’n’mix religion”, Mark Vernon makes several key swipes at what he calls pick’n’mix religion. Understandably, he writes at length about the notable efforts of Stephen Batchelor, known for his somewhat controversial Buddhism Without Beliefs [14]—himself an ex-monk “heavily engaged in bringing Buddhism into the west.” He points out that Batchelor is “courting trouble along the way” because “he knows that if Buddhism is truly to address the human condition as manifest with modernity, it must resist the temptations of the quick sell.”

“When Buddhism appeared in Japan, it took three centuries for its Zen manifestation to emerge. Buddhism has been a part of western culture for about half that time, since philosophers like Schopenhauer first encountered it; which perhaps explains why it can appear a little half-baked.” [13]

Dalai Lama Teaches on Reincarnation: “…accept the existence of past and future lives”

“In order to accept reincarnation or the reality of the Tulkus, we need to accept the existence of past and future lives,” wrote the Dalai Lama from Dharamsala in September, 2011. [6] “Sentient beings come to this present life from their previous lives and take rebirth again after death. This kind of continuous rebirth is accepted by all the ancient Indian spiritual traditions and schools of philosophy, except the Charvakas, who were a materialist movement. Some modern thinkers deny past and future lives on the premise that we cannot see them. Others do not draw such clear cut conclusions on this basis.”

The Dalai Lama explains the arguments for rebirth: “There are many different logical arguments given in the words of the Buddha and subsequent commentaries to prove the existence of past and future lives. In brief, they come down to four points: the logic that things are preceded by things of a similar type, the logic that things are preceded by a substantial cause, the logic that the mind has gained familiarity with things in the past, and the logic of having gained experience of things in the past.” He adds that there are many people “who can remember their immediate past life.”

Science: Anecdotal evidence, but no verifiable corroboration

Never-the-less, logic aside, such teachings require faith, as there’s no verifiable corroboration from science — even if many scientists are willing to remain open to the concept due to some anecdotal evidence. [3] Most commonly cited is extensive anecdotal evidence from Dr. Ian Stevenson, who collected data from 4500 people who spontaneously recalled past lives. There are dozens of other anecdotal studies supporting “past lives” with credibility, but not carrying the weight of proven science.

Often tossed about are pseudo-scientific theories that attempt to “prove” rebirth is possible, drawing heavily on quantum physics and Einstein. Or, using the often cited example of the “five-year body”—based on the biological fact that all cells in the body are replaced fully every five years (See Thich Nhat Hanh below). These are reinforcing inferences rather than evidence.

Nevertheless, the majority of western Buddhists—myself included—tend to bypass our discomfort with the notion of rebirth, by practicing as if we believed in it. Western teachers often coach their students just to practice, and that wisdom will come eventually. In other words, we don’t “pick and choose” but rather give the “benefit of the doubt” because we trust the wisdom of our teachers, and the ultimate wisdom of the Buddha.

Thich Nhat Hanh: “Nothing Remains the same in two consecutive moments.”

Many Zen Buddhists avoid the topic, and when they discuss it, rebirth is often presented in terms which would be palatable to westerners.

The illustrious teacher Thich Nhat Hanh, whose books are inevitable bestsellers, describes rebirth in very western terms: “When you grow very old, you are no longer the same as when you were five. When you are five, or you are ten, you are neither the same, nor a different person.” He cautions against the views of Eternalism (where a soul survives forever, returning life after life) and Nihilism (where there is nothing). “Everything is impermanence. Nothing can remain exactly the same in two consecutive moments… Birth and death are like waves, and you are riding on the waves…” (from video “Rebirth in Zen Buddhism” (see video below).

Alexander Berzin: “Rebirth… central to Buddhism.”

Alexander Berzin cautioned: “rebirth [is] a topic that is central to Buddhism. I think it’s very important to acknowledge that.” Certainly, in Mahayana Buddhism it’s central. In the lam-rim “the graduated path to enlightenment… it speaks about the pathway minds of three levels of motivation. The first level motivation is to aim for fortunate rebirth.” To be motivated by rebirth, of course, we have to believe in it. “The second level is to aim for liberation. Liberation from what? Liberation from uncontrollably recurring rebirth, which is what samsara is referring to.”

He continues by describing how important belief in rebirth is to other key Buddhist teachings on karma, compassion, the nature of our minds. Rebirth contextualizes the teachings on karma and compassion.

Four Noble Truths and Eightfold path.

The four noble truths, taught by the Buddha, were designed to free us from the cycle of samsara. He taught the path as the “eight fold path” as the remedy for “Dukkha” or suffering. Buddha clearly taught in the context of belief in multiple lives. Rebirth was commonly accepted in Buddha’s lifetime. Buddha spoke of having many previously lives.

In the west, we tend to accept concepts such as karma more as a “moral imperative” rather than a metaphysical concept, since often westerners have trouble with the concept of karmic seeds. Thus, stories such as the Jataka Tales: The Previous Lives of the Buddha—believed to be “pearls of wisdom” from the mouth of the Buddha himself [5]—tend to be soft-pedaled as “children’s fables” to illustrate morality, rather than literal stories of Buddha’s previous lives. Whether the stories were meant to be fables or literal stories is irrelevant; what’s clear is that the Buddha Himself clearly believed in rebirth.

For the modern Buddhist, we often side-step rebirth and rationalize Dhukka as “suffering in this life.” Yet, however much we wish to avoid or rationalize, rebirth is not an avoidable issue that can be side-stepped, given sutra and traditional lineage teachings.

Can We Pick and Choose What to Believe?

Teachings on reincarnation, hell realms and karma are recurrent and prominent in both sutra and tantric teachings—in Pali cannon as much as Mahayana sutra. Yet, they tend to be actively avoided in western teachings. I’ll admit I’m amongst those who has difficultly with seriously contemplating such notions, especially such things as hell realms. There might be some rational foundation for rebirth, but hell realms? (Of course, hell realms, in the west, are often described as psychological hells, rather than “actual” hells.)

The question, then, is can we “pick and choose?” Of course, in the modern world, we are free to believe anything we wish, and we’re certainly free to pick and choose. But, does picking and choosing create obstacles to our progress on the path to ultimate Enlightenment? And, did Buddha encourage or discourage the practice of “Designer Dharma”?

Kalama Sutta: “carte blanche for following one’s own sense of right and wrong”

In The Kalama Sutta, most often cited in relation to the concept of “picking an choosing”, translator Thanissari Bhikkhu is quick to point out: “Although this discourse is often cited as the Buddha’s carte blanche ford following one’s own sense of right and wrong, it actually says something much more rigorous than that. Traditions are not to be followed simply because they are traditions. Reports (such as historical accounts or news) are not to be followed simply because the source seems reliable. One’s own preferences are not to be followed simply because they seem logical or resonate with one’s feelings.”

From the Kalama Sutta, Buddha says: “When there are reasons for doubt, uncertainty is born. So in this case, Kalamas, don’t go by reports, by legends, by traditions, by scripture, by logical conjecture, by inference, by analogies, by agreement through pondering views, by probability, or by the thought, ‘This contemplative is our teacher.’ When you know for yourselves that, ‘These qualities are unskillful; these qualities are blameworthy; these qualities are criticized by the wise; these qualities, when adopted & carried out, lead to harm & to suffering’ — then you should abandon them.” [12]

Rebirth, No Rebirth? Was it a Critical Doctrine?

On the surface, the answer is “probably” since “the theme of rebirth is woven inextricably throughout the Buddha’s teachings. And freedom from rebirth has been a central feature of the Buddhist goal from the very beginning of the tradition.” [7]

Venerable Thich Nguyen Tang, a Vietnamese Buddhist monk, teaches: “To Buddhists, however, death is not the end of life, it is merely the end of the body we inhabit in this life, but our spirit will still remain and seek out through the need of attachment, attachment to a new body and new life. Where they will be born is a result of the past and the accumulation of positive and negative action, and the resultant karma (cause and effect) is a result of ones past actions.” [2]

In most paths of Buddhism, our teachers advise us to meditate on impermanence and death. In part, this is to give a sense of urgency to our practice, or to encourage compassion, or simply to help us focus on the very nature of impermanence. But underpinning these meditations, particularly in lineage-inspired guided meditations, is the cycle of rebirth across endless lives. Vajrayana meditations often focus on the bardo experience — which is the experience between lives. There can be no bardo, without rebirth.

Thanissaro Bhikku: “Annihalationism… those who denied rebirth”

In an interesting article in Tricycle, Thai forest monk Thanissaro Bhikku made the point that “scholars—who should know better—keep repeating the idea that the Buddha lived in a time when everyone took for granted two principles: (1) that rebirth happened and (2) that karma had an effect on how rebirth happened.” He explained that the Pali Canon gives “clear evidence to the contrary.” His key point was that Buddha didn’t believe in rebirth because of cultural/religious norms—the Buddha argued for it. If the Buddha argued for rebirth, it follows that it’s important.

“The Buddha frequently referred to the two extremes of wrong view that blocked progress on the path: externalism and annihilationism. ‘Annihalationism’ is the term he used to describe those who denied rebirth.” He gave a compelling argument for the issue of whether karma and rebirth were mainstream in Buddha’s time. Buddha taught, however, that “if you assume that karma has results, you will act skillfully. And when you act skillfully you gain four assurances in the here and now.” [9]

Modern Revisionism: “Wow… I’m concerned others will actually think that’s Buddha’s view”

In response to an idea making the rounds on the internet, that “reincarnation is a non-Buddhist idea grafted on to Buddhism later,” a Dogen scholar associated with the San Francisco Zen Centre argued: ” I appreciate what you say about how we can’t know what happens after death, and therefore Zen doesn’t emphasize that teaching. However you also say that Dogen was very adamant that there is no reincarnation, that the idea of reincarnation is a non-Buddhist idea that was grafted onto Buddhism later on and isn’t originally part of Buddhism.’ Wow. I am concerned that others will actually think that is Dogen’s and Buddha’s view. As you probably know, there are many, many early Pali Suttas in which the Buddha talks about rebirth.” [10]

To which, a clever commenter posted, “I haven’t believed in rebirth for several lifetimes now.”

Lama Surya Das: “All traditional Buddhist teachers believe in rebirth.”

In his book, Awakening the Buddha Within, Lama Surya Das makes the strong claim, “The more classical Tibetan texts and teachers stress that to be considered a Buddhist you must: take refuge in the Three Jewels (Buddha, Dharma, Sangha); seek liberation from suffering (samsara); and believe in karma and rebirth. They say it is meaningless to seek liberation if you don’t accept karma and its implication of continuity.”

However, he continues, in the very next sentence with: “Many current Western teachers including myself agree that traditional belief in rebirth is not necessary to be a genuine Buddhist, and that an agnostic position on rebirth teachings is fine until one discovers certainty within oneself. I personally feel the most important criteria or characteristic of Buddhist spirituality is a sincere commitment to the possibility of spiritual awakening and enlightenment, combined with an open heart, an inquiring mind, and daily awareness practice based on ethics, meditation and wisdom.”

Designer Dharma: “Four Kinds of Rebirth”

In his book “Awakening the Buddha Within”, Lama Surya Das, describes four ways you can interpret rebirth, leaving it broad enough for even the most agnostic Buddhist to accept one of them:

1. “Life to life … I die, I am reborn
2. Intentional rebirth in linear time (…reincarnate lamas like the Dalai Lama vow intentionally to keep coming back… to liberate all beings til the end of samsara…)
3. Spiritual rebirth (Total renewal and personal transformation in this very life.)
4. Moment-to-moment rebirth in the timeless present… Every moment there is a new you… science tells us that almost every cell in your body changes every seven years… You are not the same person you were yesterday…”

Final Word: “The Truth of Rebirth and Why it Matters for Buddhist Practice”

There is no question that Buddha taught the cycle or rebirth. His teachings were based in his own Enlightened experience as described in various sutras such as   Majjhima Nikaya (Pali Buddhist text). We can take rebirth as a “working hypothesis” rather than a doctrinal fact, as western teachers often advise to “doubtful” western students. To this, perhaps it’s best to let Thanissaro Bhikku have the last word:

“So we’re faced with a choice. If we’re sincere about wanting to end suffering and to give the Buddha’s teachings a fair test, then — instead of assuming that he was a prisoner of his own time and place, unable to question his cultural assumptions — we have to examine the extent to which, in adhering to our own cultural assumptions, we’re imprisoning ourselves. If we don’t want to drop our self-imposed restrictions, we can still benefit from any of the Buddha’s teachings that fit within those limitations, but we’ll have to accept the consequences: that the results we’ll get will be limited as well. Only if we’re willing to submit to the test of appropriate attention, abandoning the presuppositions that distort our thinking about issues like karma and rebirth, will we be able to make full use of the Canon’s tools for gaining total release.” [7]

NOTES

[1] “The Buddhist Explanation of Rebirth“, Alexander Berzin in Morelia Mexico, June 2000. 

[2] “Buddhist View on Death and Rebirth“, Venerable Thich Nguyen Tang 

[3] For a broader discussion of the evidence supporting rebirth, see our previous two features in Buddha Weekly: “Rebirth, Part 1: Is There Evidence of Rebirth or Reincarnation?”   

[4] Coward, Harold (ed.), 1997, Life after Death in World Religions, Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books.

[5] “The Jatakas: Stories of Buddha’s Previous Births.” 

[6] “Reincarnation” Dalai Lama 

[7] “The Truth of Rebirth: And Why it Matters for Buddhist Practice”, by Thanissaro Bhikkhu. Access to Insight (Legacy Edition), 30 November 2013, 

[8] “Rebirth: A Case for Buddhist Agnosticism” Stephen Batchelor 

[9] “The Buddha didn’t just believe in rebirth, he argued for it.” Thanissaro Bhikku guest feature in Tricycle, Sept 2011 

[10] “What Should We Think About Death“, Brad, Hardcore Zen 

[11] “A Look at the Kalama Sutta“, Bhikkhu Bodhi 

[12] “Kalama Sutta: To the Kalamas“, translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikku

[13] “Buddhism and the dangers of pick’n’mix relgion.” the guardian, Mark Vernon 

[14] Buddhism Without Beliefs, Stephen Batchelor, Riverhead Books, ISBN-10: 1573226564, ISBN-13: 978-1573226561   

[15] “Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it” Fake Buddhist Quotes website.

Perhaps not surprisingly, peer-reviewed medical studies may corroborate this claim made by Buddhists for centuries. Here, we’ve pulled together ten key benefits and ten reviewed studies of those benefits of Loving Kindness Meditation (LKM).

Mindfulness meditation’s place as a genuine therapy with tangible health benefits is well documented and accepted by medical and psychiatric practitioners. (For our previous article on the peer-reviewed ten benefits of mindfulness, refer here>>)

Metta practice (maitrī in Sanskrit, metta in Pali) is common to all three major schools of Buddhism and has always been a pivotal practice in Buddhism. The daily Buddhist custom of the “Four Immeasurables” is part of this practice. (See end of this feature for this practice). These four states are qualities cultivated in Buddhist practice. In Mahayana Buddhism, Metta rises in significance even further, labeled more often as “Compassion” — which together with Wisdom are the path to Enlightenment. (Technically, Compassion is “karuna” rather than “metta”, although the distinction is small — see below for details.)

(LKV mediation steps and Metta Sutta chanting practice at end of this feature.)

10 Proven Benefits of Kindness and Compassion Meditation

Some of the benefits identified by medical or scientific research are (cited below):

• Reduction of stress, including increases in Respiratory Sinus Arrythmia (RSA)
• Slows aging (increases telormere length) (see inset)
• Increases brain matter
• Decreased illness
• Reduces chronic pain
• Decreases Post Traumatic Stress Disorder: PTSD
• Reduces incidence of migraines
• Decreases schizophrenia spectrum disorders (pilot study)
• Increases empathy, compassion, reduces bias and discrimination (no surprise there) and increases social connection
• Increases self worth and self love, reduces self-criticism — all of which can have positive impact on psychological and physical well-being.

A professor with a special focus on the science of happiness, Emma Seppala, summarizes the benefits this way: ” Research shows that Loving Kindness Meditation has a tremendous amount of benefits ranging from benefitting well-being, to giving relief from illness and improving emotional intelligence.” [4]

Regardless of your take — and future research findings — there can be no doubt that Loving Kindness Meditation (LKM) is every bit as beneficial as Buddha taught.

INSET: A t test showed that the expert meditators group (mean = 10.82 kb; SEM = 0.23; SD = 1.03) had a significantly longer MTL (t = 2.97; df = 38; p = 0.005; Cohen’s d = 0.94) compared with the comparison group (mean = 9.94 kb; SEM = 0.19; SD = 0.84). [Reference link>>]

The data concerning the 20th percentile were similar, showing that the prevalence of short telomeres in the cells of the expert meditators group (mean = 5.22 kb; SEM = 0.11; SD = 0.48) was significantly lower (t = 2.84; df = 38; p = 0.007; Cohen’s d = 0.91) than the comparison group (mean = 4.80 kb; SEM = 0.10; SD = 0.44).

A Mother’s Love and a Sense of Self Love

Interestingly, meditating on the love of others always increases a sense of “self love” and “self worth.” However, the focus of “Metta” meditation is a lofty one, as established by the Buddha, here explained in a Discourse by U Nandiya: “In the “Metta Sutta” the Buddha has chosen the love of a mother for her child as an example. Imagine a mother’s love when her child is hungry; she watches carefully to feed her child even before it asks her for food. When the child is in danger, she will risk her own life. So the Buddha taught us to love all beings as a mother loves her only child.” [2] In Metta meditation we have to expand this high level of love to include all sentient beings, not just people we like, but also our “enemies” and not just humans, but even the most scary creepy crawlies — all sentient beings.

Here are the top ten benefits (there are more), with some recent research to back them:

#1: Reduction of Stress: 2011 Study on Loving Kindness as a Buffer to Social Stress

From Abstract: “Loving-kindness meditation (LKM) has the potential to improve intrapersonal and interpersonal functioning. This unique quality of LKM makes it a desirable candidate for buffering the stress of being social evaluated or socially excluded. Using the Trier Social Stress Test and the Cyberball social exclusion paradigm, the present study investigated the effectiveness of a brief LKM session in buffering against social evaluative and social exclusion stress.” Details of study here>>

#2 Slow Aging: Longer Telomeres from Loving Kindness

From Abstract findings: ” The LKM [Loving Kindness Meditation] practitioners had longer RTL than controls at the trend level (p=.083); among women, the LKM practitioners had significantly longer RTL than controls, (p=.007), which remained significant even after controlling for BMI and past depression. Although limited by small sample size, these results offer the intriguing possibility that LKM practice, especially in women, might alter RTL, a biomarker associated with longevity.” Details of research here>>

Traditional style Pali chanting of the Metta Sutta (Sutta in full is at end of this feature):

#3 Increases Brain Matter: Promising for Cognitive Issues?

From study 1: “Previous voxel-based morphometry (VBM) studies have revealed that meditation is associated with structural brain changes in regions underlying cognitive processes that are required for attention or mindfulness during meditation. This VBM study examined brain changes related to the practice of an emotion-oriented meditation: loving-kindness meditation (LKM). A 3 T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner captured images of the brain structures of 25 men, 10 of whom had practiced LKM in the Theravada tradition for at least 5 years. Compared with novices, more gray matter volume was detected in the right angular and posterior parahippocampal gyri in LKM experts. The right angular gyrus has not been previously reported to have structural differences associated with meditation, and its specific role in mind and cognitive empathy theory suggests the uniqueness of this finding for LKM practice. These regions are important for affective regulation associated with empathic response, anxiety and mood. At the same time, gray matter volume in the left temporal lobe in the LKM experts appeared to be greater, an observation that has also been reported in previous MRI meditation studies on meditation styles other than LKM. Overall, the findings of our study suggest that experience in LKM may influence brain structures associated with affective regulation.” Read more here>> 

From study 2: “The comparison between meditation vs. rest states between experts and novices also showed increased activation in amygdala, right temporo-parietal junction (TPJ), and right posterior superior temporal sulcus (pSTS) in response to all sounds, suggesting, greater detection of the emotional sounds, and enhanced mentation in response to emotional human vocalizations for experts than novices during meditation. Together these data indicate that the mental expertise to cultivate positive emotion alters the activation of circuitries previously linked to empathy and theory of mind in response to emotional stimuli.” Read more>> 

From study 3: “This study examined the dissociable neural effects of ānāpānasati (focused-attention meditation, FAM) and mettā (loving-kindness meditation, LKM) on BOLD signals during cognitive (continuous performance test, CPT) and affective (emotion-processing task, EPT, in which participants viewed affective pictures) processing. Twenty-two male Chinese expert meditators (11 FAM experts, 11 LKM experts) and 22 male Chinese novice meditators (11 FAM novices, 11 LKM novices) had their brain activity monitored by a 3T MRI scanner while performing the cognitive and affective tasks in both meditation and baseline states.” Read more>>

#4 Decreases Illnesses: Open Hearts Build Your Health and Wellness Resources

From study abstract: “The authors tested this build hypothesis in a field experiment with working adults (n = 139), half of whom were randomly-assigned to begin a practice of loving-kindness meditation. Results showed that this meditation practice produced increases over time in daily experiences of positive emotions, which, in turn, produced increases in a wide range of personal resources (e.g., increased mindfulness, purpose in life, social support, decreased illness symptoms). In turn, these increments in personal resources predicted increased life satisfaction and reduced depressive symptoms.” Read more>> 

#5 Reduces Chronic Pain, Especially Low Back Pain

From study abstract: “Loving-kindness meditation has been used for centuries in the Buddhist tradition to develop love and transform anger into compassion. This pilot study tested an 8-week loving-kindness program for chronic low back pain patients…. Preliminary results suggest that the loving-kindness program can be beneficial in reducing pain, anger, and psychological distress in patients with persistent low back pain… Clinicians may find loving-kindness meditation helpful in the treatment of patients with persistent pain.” Read more>> 

#6 Decreases Post Traumatic Stress Disorder: PTSD

From study abstract: “A large effect size was found for PTSD symptoms at 3-month follow-up (d = -0.89), and a medium effect size was found for depression at 3-month follow-up (d = -0.49). There was evidence of mediation of reductions in PTSD symptoms and depression by enhanced self-compassion. Overall, loving-kindness meditation appeared safe and acceptable and was associated with reduced symptoms of PTSD and depression.” Read more>> 

#7 Reduced Incidence of Migraines

From study abstract: ” Meditation is gaining popularity as an effective means of managing and attenuating pain and has been particularly effective for migraines. Meditation additionally addresses the negative emotional states known to exist with migraines. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of meditation as an immediate intervention for reducing migraine pain as well as alleviating emotional tension, examined herein as a negative affect hypothesized to be correlated with pain. Twenty-seven migraineurs, with two to ten migraines per month, reported migraine-related pain and emotional tension ratings on a Likert scale (ranging from 0 to 10) before and after exposure to a brief meditation-based treatment. All participants were meditation- naïve, and attended one 20-minute guided meditation session based on the Buddhist “loving kindness” approach. After the session, participants reported a 33% decrease in pain and a 43% decrease in emotional tension. The data suggest that a single exposure to a brief meditative technique can significantly reduce pain and tension, as well as offer several clinical implications. It can be concluded that single exposure to a meditative technique can significantly reduce pain and tension. The effectiveness and immediacy of this intervention offers several implications for nurses.” Read more>> 

#8 Decreases schizophrenia spectrum disorders

Pilot Study abstract: “This pilot study examined loving-kindness meditation (LKM) with 18 participants with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders and significant negative symptoms. Findings indicate that the intervention was feasible and associated with decreased negative symptoms and increased positive emotions and psychological recovery.” Read more>>

And Many More: Increases Compassion, Kindness, Social Connection and Reduces Bias

For benefits 9 and 10, most people would accept these results without reference to research or studies. Meditating on Loving Kindness intuitively would — logically — have benefits in these areas. There are, however, numerous controlled studies that verify this, too many to list here. Here are three helpful links:

Increasing Empathy>>

Decreasing Bias>>

Increases Social Connection>>

How to Meditate on Loving Kindness

There are many suggestions from many teachers, but no greater teacher than Shakyamuni Buddha himself. Chanting the Metta Sutta (below) is certainly very effective, especially when combining with visualizing.

There are four kinds of loving kindness:

• Metta, or friendliness
• Karuna, or compassion
• Mudita, or appreciative joy
• Upekkha, or equanimity.

 The principles of LKM:

• kindness
• patience
• trust
• non-striving
• a beginners mind
• no judging
• letting go
• acceptance
• staying in the moment (mindfulness).

One simple practice embraced by Buddhists around the world is a daily chanting or reciting of the Metta Sutta. The entire Metta Sutta in English and Pali are at the end of this feature. We’ve embedded two videos of Metta Sutta chanting, one traditional and one more “modern.” While chanting focus on loving all beings.

The Four Immeasurables

Most Buddhist practitioners include, in their daily practice, the “Four Immeasurables”, often phrased as:

May all sentient beings have happiness and the causes of happiness;

May all sentient beings be free from suffering and the causes of suffering;

May all sentient beings never be separated from the happiness that knows no suffering;

May all sentient beings live in equanimity, free from attachment and aversion.

In original Tibetan:

SEM CHEN TAM CHAY DE WA DANG DE WAY GYU DANG DEN PAR GYUR CHIG

SEM CHEN TAM CHAY DUG NGEL DANG DUG NGEL KYI GYU DANG DEL WAR GYUR CHIG

SEM CHEN TAM CHAY DUG NGEL ME PAY DE WA DANG MI DREL WAR GYUR CHIG

SEM CHEN TAM CHAY NYE RING CHAG DANG NYI DANG DREL WAY DANG NYOM LA NAY PAR GYUR CHIG

Self Love Important

Most teachers of Metta begin with a meditation on self love. Loving acceptance of the self is key to loving others. A person who loathes self cannot easily generate love for others.

The next step is to generate loving kindness to others. Here, a meditation (guided or otherwise) would be structured somewhat on the self and the “four types of persons” toward whom you should develop loving kindness. In this order, they are easier to accept, since the last one (a hostile person) is often the most difficult to visualize):

• self: start with the self
• beloved and highly respected person (such as your Guru)
• dear ones: family members and close friends
• neutral feelings: people you know but have no special positive of negative feelings about
• a hostile person: someone you dislike or are having troubles with.

Mechanics of LKV

There are three types of Metta meditations most commonly recommended: visualization, listing (reflection) and auditory.

Auditory is the simplest — and used by most Buddhist worldwide. This could include chanting the Four Immeasurables (above) or the Metta Sutta in either English or Pali (below). Aspirations, such as “May you be happy” are important. This particular practice could evolve into a social ritual outside of practice, where you might surprise your hostile associates with “be happy” wishes coming in to every day communication.

Perhaps more involved is “reflection” where you mentally list or affirm the positive aspects of one person from each of the groups. You imagine a respected, beloved, neutral, and hostile person and mentally acknowledge at least one positive thing about them.

Visualization is more formal, usually a part of advanced Buddhist practices, where they might be guided. Truly advanced visualizations include Vajrayana Buddhist meditations where you place all of your enemies in front of you and your friends/family behind you. This is to place emphasis on generating loving kindness towards the “enemies.” In Vajrayana practice you might visualize them as becoming Enlightened beings.

Below is a simple and effective meditation that includes all three.

A Simple 7-Step Meditation

Here’s a simple meditation for Buddhists and Non-Buddhists (for Non Buddhists omit step 3):

1.Sit yourself comfortably, in the same way as you would for mindfulness. You can also stand, recline or walk while meditating as long as you are able to focus (please don’t drive and meditate!)

2. Close your eyes and breathe. If you’re an experience meditator, practice a few moments of “mindfulness of breath.” Otherwise, simply be aware of the breath until totally relaxed.

3. For Buddhists, particularly Mahayanists, a focal point for loving kindness and compassion is Chenrezig or Avalokiteshvara (Guanin or Kwanyin/Kannon), the Buddha of Compassion. Any Buddha represents compassion, although Chenrezig is defined by it. It can be helpful to chant any Buddhist mantra for a few minutes, while visualizing the compassionate Buddha —  especially the compassion mantra:

Om Mani Padme Hum

4. Traditional Tibetan Buddhist meditation focuses on visualizing all beings (as clearly as you can) sitting around us. Usually, we place our enemies in front, to remind us to treasure them, then strangers, then friends and family behind us. This is symbolic of reinforcing that even people hostile towards you need your love.

If this is too difficult, just visualize one person at a time. Again, try to start with a hostile person (It is helpful to pacify your own hostilities in this way). Then, simply “know” all sentient beings are around you and meditate on loving kindness for all of them. All sentient beings includes animals, insects and even those creatures you fear.

If it helps you focus, rather than visualizing in silence you could find it helpful here to either chant the Four Immeasurables over and over (This affirmation does not require you to be a Buddhist, and can be easily memorized):

May all sentient beings have happiness and the causes of happiness;

May all sentient beings be free from suffering and the causes of suffering;

May all sentient beings never be separated from the happiness that knows no suffering;

May all sentient beings live in equanimity, free from attachment and aversion.

5. If there is a person or being you are specifically having trouble with, a hostile person, or someone (or creature) who makes you afraid (such as spiders or snakes) focus specifically on that one being (or class of beings) and try to transform the image you see from a negative one (angry scowling face, for example) to a positive one (smiling or happy). Or see them dissolve into white pure loving light. In particular Buddhist practices we might see them transform into Buddhas (since all beings have Buddha Nature). Here, if you’d like to chant you could modify the four immeasurables to focus on that one being:

May you be happy, may you be free of suffering, may you be happy, may you be free of suffering… over and over.

6. When you come to a point where you feel only loving kindness for all beings, sit in the moment and feel the bliss of happiness.

7. Dedicate the merit. Although it’s a Buddhist practice, dedicating your merits can be seen as pure Loving Kindness affirmation. Finish your session with something like: “I dedicate my merits to happiness of all beings.” A Mahayana Buddhist would affirm something like: “I dedicate my merits to the cause for Enlightenment for the benefit of all Beings.”

Mindfulness and Loving Kindness Have No Downsides

Aside from a few minutes in time each day, both mindfulness and loving kindness meditation have at least ten solid benefits to health and mind well-being — each. For our list of peer reviewed research on the benefits of mindfulness, see here>>

For Buddhists, try a daily chant of the Metta Sutta (below.)

Beautiful sung Metta Sutta, chanted in Pali:

The Kindness Sutra

The Karaniya Metta Sutta translated by English Sangha Trust [1] (Pali transliteration for “chanting” is below):

This is what should be done

By one who is skilled in goodness,

And who knows the path of peace:

Let them be able and upright,

Straightforward and gentle in speech,

Humble and not conceited,

Contented and easily satisfied,

Unburdened with duties and frugal in their ways.

Peaceful and calm and wise and skillful,

Not proud or demanding in nature.

Let them not do the slightest thing

That the wise would later reprove.

Wishing: In gladness and in safety,

May all beings be at ease.

Whatever living beings there may be;

Whether they are weak or strong, omitting none,

The great or the mighty, medium, short or small,

The seen and the unseen,

Those living near and far away,

Those born and to-be-born —

May all beings be at ease!

Let none deceive another,

Or despise any being in any state.

Let none through anger or ill-will

Wish harm upon another.

Even as a mother protects with her life

Her child, her only child,

So with a boundless heart

Should one cherish all living beings;

Radiating kindness over the entire world:

Spreading upwards to the skies,

And downwards to the depths;

Outwards and unbounded,

Freed from hatred and ill-will.

Whether standing or walking, seated or lying down

Free from drowsiness,

One should sustain this recollection.

This is said to be the sublime abiding.

By not holding to fixed views,

The pure-hearted one, having clarity of vision,

Being freed from all sense desires,

Is not born again into this world.

In Pali (often used for daily chanting):

Karanīyam atthakusalena
yan taṃ santaṃ padaṃ abhisamecca:
Sakko ujū ca sūjū ca
suvaco c’assa mudu anatimānī,

Santussako ca subharo ca
appakicco ca sallahukavutti
Santindriyo ca nipako ca
appagabbho kulesu ananugiddho,

Na ca khuddaṃ samācare kiñci
yena viññū pare upavadeyyuṃ
Sukhino vā khemino hontu
sabbe sattā bhavantu sukhitattā:

Ye keci pāṇabhūt’ atthi
tasā vā thāvarā vā anavasesā
Dīgha vā ye mahantā vā
majjhimā rassakā aṇukathūlā

Diṭṭhā vā ye vā addiṭṭhā
ye ca dūre vasanti avidūre
Bhūtā vā sambhavesī vā
sabbe sattā bhavantu sukhitattā

Na paro paraṃ nikubbetha
nâtimaññetha katthacinaṃ kañci
Vyārosanā paṭighasaññā
nāññamaññassa dukkham iccheyya

Mātā yathā niyaṃ puttaṃ
āyusā ekaputtam anurakkhe
Evam pi sabbabhūtesu
mānasam bhāvaye aparimāṇaṃ

Mettañ ca sabbalokasmiṃ
mānasam bhāvaye aparimāṇaṃ
Uddhaṃ adho ca tiriyañ ca
asambādhaṃ averaṃ asapattaṃ

Tiṭṭhaṃ caraṃ nisinno vā
sayāno vā yāvat’ assa vigatamiddho
Etaṃ satiṃ adhiṭṭheyya
brahmam etaṃ vihāraṃ idha-m-ahu

Diṭṭiñ ca anupagamma
sīlavā dassanena sampanno
Kāmesu vineyya gedhaṃ
na hi jātu gabbhaseyyaṃ punar etī ti [3]

NOTES

[1]  Karaniya Metta Sutta: The Buddha’s Words on Loving-Kindness” (Sn 1.8), translated from the Pali by The Amaravati Sangha. Access to Insight (Legacy Edition), 2 November 2013

[2] U Nandiya. Source: The Buddhists’ Three Jewels

[3] Visible Mantra “Metta Sutta” 

[4] Professor Emma Seppala, Ph.D. “18 Science-Based Reasons to Try Loving Kindness Meditation today!” 

To chant or not to chant? — that is the question. To Pray or not to pray? To meditate or not to meditate? Why bother? Does it work? With new viruses arising, and the current pandemic — and with the increasing growth in cancer and other deadly diseases — how much benefit can we realistically expect from a mantra, or a breath-meditation, or “Deity” visualized healing meditation? Does it even work?

Short answer, yes.

[See cited medical studies below. Normal health disclaimers apply, including the caution to always seek the advice of your health practitioners. This is an information feature — no advice is given in this feature.]

For example, in a recent study testing immune function, flu shots were given to two control groups — one group made up of volunteers who meditated daily, and the other who didn’t. By giving a flu shot, it was certain all participants would have an antibody response — but the question was how much? “Blood tests taken later showed the meditation group had higher levels of antibodies produced against the flu virus, according to the study in Psychosomatic Medicine.” [1]

Hundreds of medical and scientific studies support the idea that meditation, mantras, and even prayer can heal — especially in any area of body medicine influence by brain, metabolism or nervous system. [For numerous cited studies with links, see this detailed feature>>]

In fact, these studies go so far as to claim that meditation can “slow aging, increase brain matter, and decrease PTSD and Schizophrenia.”

[Normal disclaimer: “but, meditation is not a replacement for good medical care.” Always consult your health care provider.]

Meditation and illness

According to the Mayo Clinic: “Meditation might also be useful if you have a medical condition, especially one that may be worsened by stress… some research suggests that meditation may help people manage symptoms of conditions such as:

• Anxiety
• Asthma
• Cancer
• Chronic pain
• Depression
• Heart disease
• High blood pressure
• Irritable bowel syndrome
• Sleep problems
• Tension headaches
• Be sure to talk to your health care provider about the pros and cons of using meditation if you have any of these conditions or other health problems.” [2]

The immune system responds to stress-reduction

Cardiologist Herbert Benson, M.D. — who engaged in more than thirty years of research on the benefits of meditation on health — is unequivocal:

“The relaxation response [from meditation] helps decrease metabolism, lowers blood pressure, and improves heart rate, breathing, and brain waves,” Doctor Benson, the founder of the Mind/Body Institute at Harvard Medical School’s Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

In the same way stress, bereavement, and lack of sleep can make us sick, meditation, mantra, and prayer can reverse this damage. And, going beyond this, even virulent viruses respond to meditation, stillness, repeated mantra recitation or Metta meditation.

Regardless of meditation style, your body can benefit in different ways. [For more on this, see various studies cited below.]

But what about Deity Yoga — such as visualizing healing light from Medicine Buddha or Black Manjushri. In the Vajrayana Buddhist tradition, the healing benefits are enhanced by visualization. By visualizing the healing light ‘obliterating cancer cells’ we focus our minds in specific helpful ways.

Black Manjushri for serious disease — that’s silly right?

Sounds funny, doesn’t it? (At least to a non-practitioner.) How does meditating on any visualized deity, with or without mantras, have any effect? There are countless ways such practices help, that go beyond “faith healing” as a notion. Faith is irrelevant (although helpful). Rather, visualized deity meditation works through the Buddhist concept of Buddha Nature.

You can view the “deity” as Black Manjushri (or Medicine Buddha, or White Tara) — or as your own Buddha Nature. In Mahayana Buddhist thought, they are not separate. In other words, faith in yourself is all that you need.

In addition to the benefits of mantra or repeated words (see study below) with Deity visualization, you include the focus of visualization — of targeting the disease with light or energy. Additionally, we layer in the loving mind of Buddha Nature (our own, and that of the deity we visualize.)

Turn the mind on the body, the body heals

One other meditation and healing advantage of Vajrayana deity practices is the formulaic visualization itself. Repetition is virtually the definition of meditation — repeated focus on breath, a mantra, and so on.

In Vajrayana deity practice, we repeat formulated visualizations that have been used for centuries by masters who have histories of accomplishments. If you don’t concur, there’s still the benefit of laser-focused visualizations. A traditional meditation sadhana always includes Refuge, Metta, and then a detailed visualization. In the case of Medicine Buddha, or Black Manjushri, that visualization will be precisely focused on disease and healing. By turning the mind on the body, the body heals.

For example, try out the Medicine Buddha meditation video below. You don’t need to “believe” in Medicine Buddha to engage the healing mind. Faith isn’t the main engine of healing. When Rinpoche guides you to visualize healing light — “the healing blue light, it fills your body. It is healing light, purifying you and healing light” — the mind disengages and begins the healing. You can think of the blue healing light as your own Buddha Nature, or Medicine Buddha — it doesn’t matter, and ultimately, they are the same thing.

Guided Medicine Buddha meditation:

Science supports the healing benefits

Regardless of your choice of meditation, here’s a short list of ways mantra and meditation can help with some cited studies.

1 – Effect on the brain — brain changes body

There have been countless studies involving MRI’s that show how meditation and mantra “shown an increase in activity in areas that control metabolism and heart rate. Other studies on Buddhist monks have shown that meditation produces long-lasting changes in the brain activity in areas involved in attention, working memory, learning, and conscious perception.” [1]

2. Relaxation heals: really, it does

Many of the diseases we suffer from — including chronic illnesses such as Rheumatoid Arthritis — respond to the healing environment created by “relaxation.”

In a feature on WebMD, Dr. Stan Chapman, PhD, pointed out that mantra — or repeating a word over and over, especially if “meaningful” or aspirational — or just “ignoring thoughts” creates a healing “biological response of relaxation.” Dr. Chapman is a psychologist in the Centre for Pain Medicine at Emory Healthcare in Atlanta. He added: “Meditation is not difficult to learn. ou don’t need to see a therapist 40 times to learn it. But like tennis, it’s a skill. You need to practice. In time, people develop the ability to produce these meditative, very relaxed states very quickly. When they meditate several times during the day, they become more relaxed during the entire day.”

3. Mantra, Metta and Meditation shown to decrease illnesses

In many studies, both mantra and meditation showed remarkable boosts to the immune system — our many weapons in fighting any disease.

In one study, peer-published in The Journal of Biobehavioral Medicine, the study specifically found: “that a short program in mindfulness meditation produces demonstrable effects on brain and immune function. These findings suggest that meditation may change brain and immune function in positive ways and underscore the need for additional research.”

In an important paper published in Psychosomtic Medicine, a report concluded “We report for the first time significant increases in left-sided anterior activation, a pattern previously associated with positive affect, in the meditators compared with non meditators.

In studies, Metta (loving-kindness) meditation was shown to decrease illnesses. [More, including citation at this link>>]

All Vajrayana deity practices — especially Medicine Buddha or Black Manjushri — are Metta practices. They start and end with Metta.

4. Metta Meditation is shown to “slow aging” and reduce illness

From research: The LKM [Loving Kindness Meditation] practitioners had longer RTL than controls at the trend level (p=.083); among women, the LKM practitioners had significantly longer RTL than controls, (p=.007), which remained significant even after controlling for BMI and past depression. Although limited by small sample size, these results offer the intriguing possibility that LKM practice, especially in women, might alter RTL, a biomarker associated with longevity.” Details of research here>>

NOTES
[1] “Meditation Balances the Body’s Systems (WebMD)”
[2] Mayo Clinic: Meditation: A simple, fast way to reduce stress

Buddhism is known for its emphasis on meditation and meditative techniques. People from all walks of life have used Buddhist techniques to ‘relax’ and ‘de-stress’, despite neither being practising Buddhists nor indeed understanding much (if anything) about Buddhism itself. Without a doubt, meditation and the meditative techniques developed by Buddhists have helped a great many to cope with anxiety and mental health issues [1] — without necessarily understanding their deeper significance.

Scientists and doctors now take meditation seriously, no longer dismissing it as incompatible with medical science. Advances in the field of psychiatry, and a greater willingness to properly investigate mental health issues has brought scientific respect for the healing potential of meditation. As is typical of the scientific mindset, many have been determined to ‘get to the bottom’ of what causes the undeniably positive effects of meditation. They’ve discovered a lot — but one of the most interesting (and lesser known) findings concerns the action of meditative techniques upon the vagus nerve.

The Vagus Nerve — the Meditation Highway?

What’s the vagus nerve? Put simply, it’s one of the longest nerves in your body (sciatic nerve is the longest). The name roughly translates as ‘wandering nerve’, and it is apt. The vagus nerve travels from your brainstem, winding down throughout your body, to finish in your abdomen. On the way, it connects with many major organs, including heart and lungs. We’ve been aware of it for a very long time, and been similarly aware of the fact that the vagus nerve is semi-responsible for your body’s regulation of heart rate, breathing rate, digestion, and so forth.

It was previously assumed that the vagus nerve acted more or less on its own initiative ‑- that is, without the conscious input of the individual. While it could certainly be influenced by external factors such as stress, diet, or motion, it acted internally, and could not be consciously influenced. However, research revealed the deeply interconnected way in which consciousness and physicality can influence one another — and the vagus nerve. Described by some as a ‘hack’ [2] to the nervous system, the vagus nerve appears to be science’s answer to the vexed question of just how, precisely, Buddhist practices do what they do. And this kind of scientific verification and understanding has come just in time; more and more of us, it seems, are in need of the benefits of ‘vagal nerve stimulation’.

Modern Mental Dysfunction — and ‘Disconnected’ People

It’s a sad fact that mental health problems associated with stress and anxiety are enormously on the rise. Some experts believe we are generally more aware of mental health problems than we used to be, and that we’re also more likely to seek help for medical issues in general. This may well have contributed to the statistical rise in mental health issues. However, the sheer scale of the problem appears to indicate that we’re not just experiencing an increase in awareness, but a tangible increase in problems as well [3].

Reasons given for this vary. Political and economic instability has been blamed, as has social media and increased work pressures. On a more spiritual level, modern (and Western in particular) society has been accused of creating ‘disconnected’ people, struggling to find a sense of identity, a sense of self, and basic spiritual fulfillment in a rapidly changing world. Whatever the reason, we’re undoubtedly suffering from a surfeit of anxiety — which can be very dangerous.

Stress and anxiety can cause any number of mental health issues, which can in turn lead to physical health issues (substance abuse springs immediately to mind). We’ve known for some time that meditation (or ‘mindfulness’ — the secular, scientific, and increasingly popular meditative practice) can help with many of these problems [4].

As meditation becomes more popular, more and more people want to dissect the mysteries of meditation, and get to the bottom of what makes it so effective. After all, no scientific doctor would prescribe a therapy — however effective it’s been proven to be — without understanding it in full, analytical detail. This is where the vagus nerve comes in.

The Sympathetic And Parasympathetic Nervous System

Our nervous systems are complex, wonderful things. They’re made up of many parts. One of these is the ‘sympathetic nervous system’  — responsible for the ‘Fight or Flight’ reaction. We’re all very familiar with the sympathetic nervous system and what it does. Your sympathetic nervous system is one branch of the ‘autonomic nervous system’ [5] — so called because it’s believed to act ‘autonomously’ (i.e. unconsciously). The other main branch of the autonomic nervous system is the ‘parasympathetic nervous system’  — about which we are in general considerably less informed.

The parasympathetic nervous system is responsible for the so-called ‘Rest and Digest’ functions, and we don’t pay as much attention to it as we should. To cut a long story short, when we meditate, we encourage our body to switch operational control from the ‘Fight or Flight’ system to the ‘Rest and Digest’ system. But how do we do this? And why is it important?

External Nervous Stimulation

We all know vaguely how the ‘Fight or Flight’ reaction works — we’re scared by something, and our sympathetic nervous system leaps into action to give us the ‘boost’ we need in order to either fight or flee our way out of danger. Specifically, this involves diverting resources from the deeper organs to your muscles, and from higher cognitive function to the ‘reptilian’ portion of your brain which deals with immediate survival. Adrenaline and cortisol are released to facilitate this, as well as to give us the ‘fizz’ and impetus we need to escape danger. The ‘Fight or Flight’ reaction can feel exhilarating in short bursts — it’s why we ride rollercoasters — but it’s not designed to last more than half an hour at the most. Beyond that, it becomes damaging.

Society is currently running tens of thousands of years ahead of evolution. Our ‘Fight or Flight’ reaction is designed to help us flee lions — but it’s being activated by the demands of overbearing bosses. A reaction which is supposed to last mere minutes before being drained out by physical exertion is lasting for hours, days, weeks, even months. And that’s simply appalling for our health [6].

What should happen is that our sympathetic nervous system should naturally cede control to our parasympathetic nervous system once the danger is past, and the ‘Rest and Digest’ system would smoothly get our bodies and minds back to the healthy activities of digesting food, healing injuries, and processing memories, experiences, and other psychological issues. We can — with a little ingenuity — trigger a ‘Fight or Flight’ reaction in ourselves (ruminating on something stressful will do it admirably). Can we do the same for a ‘Rest and Digest’ reaction? We didn’t used to think so — but new studies into the vagus nerve are bringing up evidence to the contrary.

Working ‘Backwards’

Our ‘Fight or Flight’ and ‘Rest and Digest’ systems are, in conventional wisdom, launched by the brain in response to external triggers (or lack thereof). Our muscles, digestion, cardiovascular system, endocrine system and so on are told what to do by messages carried from the brain by our nerves, and they respond accordingly. Many people believe that this is a one-way system – messages come from the brain, and the organs obey. However, evidence increasingly shows that it can work the other way as well.

For centuries, Buddhists and meditational practitioners have spoken of ‘finding your center’ — that area of calm inside yourself from which you can gather and control your sense of self. Scientists have found something similar to the ‘center’ in the vagus nerve. It’s not a perfect analogy, but it does seem that the ability to locate and work with your vagus nerve is just as effective at ‘centering’ you as taking a sedative. And you can achieve this with Buddhist meditative techniques.

Essentially, the Vagus Nerve reverses the flow of information — rather than orders flowing from your brain to your body, the nerve is instead taking some very strong suggestions from the body back to the brain. And, nine times out of ten, the brain listens. By lowering your breathing rate, your Vagus Nerve notes that things must be calm — you have no reason to be breathing hard and fast, and must therefore be able to relax. As it travels around your body and receives ‘relaxed’ messages from those organs over which you do have conscious control while meditating (your lungs, principally, but also your heart to a certain extent), it will infer that you are in no immediate danger, and have no need, therefore, to be stressed. It will convey this message to the brain, which (nine times out of ten) will then ease control over the to parasympathetic nervous system, allowing you to relax, rest, and digest.

When the parasympathetic nervous system has control, we are capable of deeper thought than we are when the sympathetic nervous system is in control (when our immediate survival is not at stake, the brain is more willing to afford time to deep thought). This perhaps explains why the deep breathing and physical relaxation aspects of meditation facilitate such excellent contemplation and self-exploration.

For helpful stories on “how to” meditate, here are some recent features on Buddha Weekly:

• The better way: standing meditation? For those with injuries, arthritis or a sleepy mind, standing can help us achieve mindfulness

• Drumming for mindfulness and healing: a simple way to calm the mind, remove stress and heal. Studies show drum meditation supports treatments of cancer, Parkinsons and depression

• Visualization activates the mind; Mindfulness stills the mind — Which is right for your practice?

• Science: research proves vajrayana meditation techniques involving deity visualization improve cognitive performance and may be promising for degenerative brain disorders

Mind/Body Connection

Western philosophy has long struggled with a marked dichotomy between the mind and the body. Since the time of the Ancient Greek’s, we’ve tended to believe that the mind and the body are separate entities, capable only of communicating with each other, but not really intrinsically linked. Furthermore, the mind has been held to be the body’s superior — something which not only controls the body, but can and should be used to suppress it in many cases.

This ‘Mind-Body Distinction’ [7] can hold itself responsible for a host of modern ills, not least among them being the idea that it doesn’t matter what we do with our bodies, and that giving into bodily desires is shameful. To this, we can trace (in some manner) obesity, sexual shame, and a whole host of other issues.

Buddhists in general, by contrast, know that the mind and body are parts of a coherent whole, which influence one another and are vital to one another’s wellbeing. Our growing scientific knowledge about the role that the vagus nerve and how interdependent body/mind really area, may allow for a more holistic view of the entire human, perhaps leading to a healthier, more respectful attitude towards our bodies.

Of course, it is likely to take a very long time to change a concept as ingrained as the mind-body distinction, but we can perhaps use our knowledge of the vagus nerve’s operation in relation to meditation to help those who are dubious about the benefits of ancient Buddhist meditation.

It should be remembered that any reaction to meditation is a highly individual thing, and the kind of deep self-knowledge promoted by intensive meditational programs may not be suitable for everyone [8]. However, as we learn more, we can hopefully work on ways in which to utilize Buddhist techniques in individualized ways which can help more of those in need.

For an interesting story profiling research on mind mapping using “Brain Stress Test”, see this Buddha Weekly Story:

Putting Compassion on the Scientific Map

For practical mindfulness methods, please see these recent features from Buddha Weekly:

• Much more than six words of advice — Zasep Tulku Rinpoche teaches on Mindfulness of body; anger; and healing through meditation

• The mindfulness of feelings: overcoming negative feelings and using discriminating alertness of feelings in your practice

• “Mind is the creator of our own happiness or suffering” — Venerable Zasep Tulku Rinpoche teaches Lojong Seven-Point Mind Training

• Meditation techniques for people with unsettled monkey minds

• Zen skateboarding: riding into Enlightenment

NOTES

[1] Julie Corliss, “Mindfulness meditation may ease anxiety, mental stress”, Harvard Health Publications, Jan 2014

[2] Michael Behar, “Can the Nervous System Be Hacked?”, The New York Times Magazine, May 2014

[3] Mercola, “Mental Health Disorders Now Leading Cause Of Non-Fatal Illness Worldwide”, Mercola, Sept 2013

[4] Judson Brewer, “Is Mindfulness an Emerging Treatment for Addiction?”, Rehabs.com, Aug 2014

[5] Philip Low, “Overview of the Autonomic Nervous System”, Merck Manuals

[6] American Psychological Association, “How stress affects your health”

[7] Internet Encyclopaedia of Philosophy, “Rene Descartes: The Mind-Body Distinction”

[8] Miguel Farias, “Meditation is touted as a cure for mental instability but can it actually be bad for you?”, The Independent, May 2015

We are each individually at a crossroads. No longer able to shuffle along the perimeter of either direction — the spiritual life or the material one — cherry-picking aspects that serve our hedonic and philosophical pleasures and remaining committed to a confusion, energizing the later of the two.

We are now prompted to choose our grounding and proceed from a completely different vantage point. The middle path is on new terrain.

By Josh Reichmann

— Bio below.

Impossibly binary — an unavoidable choice

The option of material vs. the spiritual may seem impossibly binary. Still, a sequence of events exemplified through this global pandemic of 2020 opens us to choice and opportunity rarely afforded and unavoidably present. It will inform how we activate our relationships and worldly engagements for many years to come. It does not start with smart ideas, sobering realizations, or re-worked external systems. It begins with something much more subtle, profound, and hard to gain — a spiritual framework for truth, alive without dogma and living in a nexus of oral tradition, ritualized activity, and embodied self-awareness and practice. If we embrace this surrendered inner invitation, we will proceed in a very different direction than if we do not. There is an expiatory aspect and an expiry date on that invitation.

The two paths of material and spiritual value weave and offer a display of tension and fabricated mazes and challenges, forever doing so. As long as we are manifesting in time and space as sentient creatures that suffer and experience joy, we will navigate this tension. But the essential conscious lens must be re-sculpted to determine our “truth-set” and the natural values that follow. A shift flowing from a spiritually emanating core that sets up the type of material display we engage in physically and systemically as scale-invariant and full of integrity is happening.

Spirituality — a vitality of awareness

Perhaps we should better describe “spiritual.” The spirit is neither ontologically defined as a relief object de-laced from the mind, body, or environment. It is the complete vitality of awareness both singular and in harmony with all phenomena and the emptiness that characterizes the absence of Karmic imprints of delusion, producing the misapprehension of discretely self-arising objects, including what we call the Self, manifesting the world of Samsara. If we take on board that the interdependence of phenomena is total, then we make room for the spirit of all.

The dualistic description of spirit and the material realm is penetrated by the enlightened or self- realized mind. A mind evolved to see both Samsaric display and spontaneous arising of all phenomena as the same. Form is emptiness, and emptiness is form, as the refrain goes. The central tenants of what is called the prasangika madhyamaka, or middle path — tell us that we are each the conscious cosmos and yet remain a unique awareness and singular angle onto it, always in flux. The spirit is the ever illuminating conscious energy binding this dance of together and apart — light and dark. Form and emptiness, or totality without beginning and end, as one.

Dualism and the illusion of Self

The dualistic view is one where an ever illuminated state pervades and another, which generates through delusion and confusion, giving rise to impermanent objects of perception, which are like holographic projections or mist.

This dualism, which includes the illusion of Self, is a product of Karmic formation and property of this realm of perceptual being — the construct of defiled imprints of mind, the incorrect belief in permanent mental objects including the Ego Self.

These are not ideas or machinations of separate or dislocated properties from our beingness and lives. They are alive in the exact way we read or write this essay, feel our bodies and emotions at this moment, and experience time. They are not abstractions but experienced realizations for those who practice seeing within. The spirit pervades and remains entwined with both its ever illuminated state and that of the impermanent holographic one. When we make contact with this through the practices which allow direct realization (meditation)- we see and come to know that there are directives for how we navigate the desires of the constructed Self and its visions for life in this secondary holographic reality we call Samsara. That Self takes a back seat to the living energy of the spirit being realized by the mind in real-time as ever illuminated. We find an ultimate reality in this ever illuminating state, and from here, we organize our ontology, motivating our reason, which flows into our behavior and, ultimately, our system building!

Previously, the ability to envision porting an ecological utopia that had bested the worst of money, and spun a holistic view of labor, body-health, and meaning into its construction was still pinned to a set of presuppositions inherently antithesis to a spiritual path for humanity. Anterior to that was a focus on “self-actualization,” and empowerment through the portal of an acquired “self” built by accomplishments and conceits gained by conquest all premised on a Sameric delusion. The delusion is a “Self” ever reified by mediated reflection. The grasping and aversion dance set to the tune of public pornographic self-promotion. The post-modern Self, always building, crumbling, and being erected again by external projections and voices internalized and corrosively unstable. The material world as “first value” is premised on these selves and consequently builds more of these selves. The modern era was exemplary for encouraging this position and is currently offering us a choice — exponentially speed up our delusion, or get off the train and flip the perspective.

The accelerated materialist position builds a self that is stewed to life in a world templated on scarcity, power struggle, and competition for physical, emotional, and energetic resources. This templating makes conjuring an ecologically integrated utopia impossible and dangerous.

There is much groundwork to be done before an ecological utopia — stable across all strata, has more than a few new roof gardens positioned over ground level slums fomenting a brutal orgy of sensual violence and addiction to gain, fame and addictive pleasure-seeking. The tension in hierarchical notions of prestige and other features educated in the “system-overlaps” we inhabit today- make that premature conjuring a waste of time. How can a coping method of hedonic stimulus and illusory happiness produce objects, goods, services, or relationships that are anything but broken, vampiric, or unstable? The total disregard for the Earth and an orientation towards resource mining of human slave labor and the planet as a commodity produce a bounce-back discharge of constant disease and danger.

The upside-down view of “stuff first”

Resource sharing and currency revisioning, renewable energy harvesting, and distribution will not repair until the spiritually centered position is realized and adopted. The human beings cooperating and lacing ideas and action together will be humans carrying around ego-constructs that are self-immolating psychic bodies of flickering blue flame fuelled by infinite kerosene, hungry for other things to burn. These selves are not in accord with a spiritual dimension premising the material one. They will always invert this and build from that upside-down point of view of “stuff first”, which degrades our relationship with the spiritual dimension of reality. Awareness and the energetic signature quality of the human and the Earth herself will flail into more profound despair.

Let’s clarify further what constitutes the spiritual dimension. In its most refined physical display we see the geometry of forms co-generating through light and wave. The movement and spark of energy giving rise to form in it’s most rudimentary expression are fractal symmetry and multi- dimensional — the dimensionality of perception and the positioning of awareness nest within these. The mind generates by a self recursive loop or reflective Escher like mirroring that gives rise to the ability for perception to evolve in scope or regress and implode into lower dimensionally. Within the lattice of dimensions, resides a totality of the whole along every node of light as it curves and embedded in response to every wave as it penetrates the next, forming further reflection and waves ad-infinitum across all spectrum of phenomenon. Consciousness permeates the entirety of this.

The sense gates: sight, hearing, touch, taste, smell, thought

As we move down or into the lower dimension of time-form, we see where consciousness has necessarily “recorded” imprints through the sense gates (sight, hearing, touch, taste, smell, thought-form, etc.) of conscious creatures. In whichever way beings have received imprints through their bodies, those imprints remain as subtle signatures shared across the dimension of mind-rendered-emanations glued to that fractal geometric lattice. That is the etheric realm. It has as many “levels” as there are qualities of awareness for sentience in the cosmos. These levels are given cohesion by their constancy of being imprinted in a realm by sentient beings.

So, as spiritual beings, when we move into working with the material realm, we are prompted to consistently maneuver with an awareness of how formations and systems originate and echo back and forth into an etheric plane. It is a Platonic view mixed with a knowledge of something like a “morphogenic field” and the world systems of Buddhism that best describe the domains of form-time. This platform of understanding, coupled with direct realizations gained through meditations which I’ll mention in a moment, and a faith producing ceremonial practice, helps guarantee a spiritual foundation for action in the material world.

Love — the transformational binding quality

Love is the embodied, co-enabled, and transformational constant binding quality of all activity. We experience it as the ultimate relief and joy state, no matter its direction or location, as long as we are in form-time, it is the pinnacle of recognized states. Love in our realm is a coming into simplified accordance and harmony by furthering the connection between minds and bodies. Love by this definition is the fuel and the ether behaving as motivational essence that we endeavor to amplify and include in our organizing principles for civilization across all ecological planes.

If we work to observe the quality of thought, the sensations of the body, the transient nature of phenomena, and incorporate the baseline truth of love as the constant, we can begin to move accurately into construction and cooperation in building a world premised on spiritual principles. From here, we see what in Tibetan Buddhism is referred to as the LoJong practices, or mind training, which will lead to inevitable ethical platforms without relativism or obscurantism.

LoJong Mind Training

Here is the first set of LoJong slogans as updated most recently and initiated by Atisha, a profound spiritual teacher who passed into Paranirvana in 1054:

“1. Maintain an awareness of the preciousness of human life.
2. Be aware of the reality that life ends; death comes for everyone; Impermanence.
3. Recall that whatever you do, whether virtuous or not, has a result; Karma.
4. Contemplate that as long as you are too focused on self-importance and too caught up in thinking about how you are good or bad, you will experience suffering. Obsessing about getting what you want and avoiding what you don’t want does not result in happiness; Ego.

The slogans continue and become ever more concerned with our mind-observational practice. The slogans next focus on the antidotes to our delusions and obsessions with a permanent and materially centered self by practicing the inversion of our self-centered orientation. If we are selfish, we practice selflessness; if we are jealous, we practice praise, and so on. These can be easier said than done, but even the most cursory act or attempt at them offers instantaneous relief and enlightenment from suffering.

Spirituality is a practice, a surrender, an energized focus, and a letting go of mental habituation at once, initiated with ever-present compassion.

Typically the practitioner interested in “purifying the view” launches into what is known as Lo- Rig, the study of the mind and its functions, divisions, objects, and causes. We recognize the underpinning of all activity is led, created, and premised in consciousness and understood through our particular mind-stream. This investigation can and should take a lifetime or more. But merely setting sail into the ever Self-reflective nature of mind continues our ability to liberate the Self and consequently ennoble, envision, and generate a collective effort at realizing and ultimately at enlightened civilization-building. Even a conceptual and heartfelt desire to lead from this perspective opens the spiritual dimension we wish to work from to alleviate suffering for ourselves and others.

Self-liberating from delusion

Building an advanced civilization begins with the Self, the “true self,” a Self that is the core quality of consciousness self-liberating from delusion and maneuvering beyond form and time while acting in this world with generous intent and an ever compassionate point of view.

Our compassionate point of view engineers around these all-important guiding principles — all sentient beings suffer, and all sentient beings deserve joy. Joy is achieved by liberating from delusion. Therefore we work to enable liberation for all.

If we metabolize all of this and then adopt the Earth as a sentient being, an ancient, essential being, we have our first launchpad for engaging with the material realm. We acknowledge the elements, the organic concert of life, the perfection of our planet as a megalithic mind and heart, cradling us as the cilia like outcrops and beacons on her exterior. We are the conscious cells autonomously emboldened with extra mobility, toiling upon her back, ingesting and sharing the cosmic waves of light and information from our galactic neighborhood and beyond into her, and from her back out into eternity. We are the psycho-organic antennae, and we must remember our role and our gift as such.

The materially centered perspective completely perverts this even as it flourishes in these always pure dynamic states. The material view places the immortality of the ego-self and the body as an antecedent goal.

Within the geometric and energetic cosmos of light and waves, the hyper-structure of consciously underpinned ultimate reality presides the minds which co-energize the totality. Minds of unique and discrete sentience flowing through a multiverse of overlapping realms and
re-births activated by an equation of karma — cause and effect — far more complicated than can be comprehended with linear thought. The imprints of those minds make co-generated spaces of reality, which help inform our own as our own does them.

This, of course, suggests that there are different qualities to these mind produced projections that solidify as etheric structures. If a resonance of fear and recoil is rehashed and practiced by a mind or minds, that energy becomes a signature hooked onto by mental accounts that parallel the signatures’ quality- the frequency of wave and spectrum of light connected to it. These bandwidths and activation of like-mental formations and solidified etheric structures generate feedback loops. Essentially, the more we energize a template of any plane of the etheric realm, the more we are fed by it and so on.

The fear gate of oblivion

The materialist point of view has a particular designation of energy, which is one of entropy. By essentially worshiping the material and immortality through a fear gate of oblivion, we center the mind-stream into a narrow dimension, thus shrinking the capacity of consciousness for that midstream, ultimately resulting in a minimal experiential state and the continuation of suffering from which it is harder to navigate. Fear is the mind-killer.

A society made of individuals suffering from the delusion of permanence and a narrow focus on the acquisition of prestige and sensual pleasure, while complying with power structures that enhance this, is not a free one.

The individual responds to the messaging, energetic signature permeating all institutions, and the universal resonance of a society in which they are molded. The heuristics of such an atmosphere will be so profoundly limiting that the mind will degrade and become pliable to full external control.

We now navigate a world with two divergent paths. To attempt to have them run happily parallel is not to understand the complete perspective which births either and charges them with values, rules, and outcomes.

We must choose to investigate complete freedom by looking inward and gazing with clear lenses at all phenomenal displays including our deepest impulses. As we connect to our fundamental and perfect nature through unmasking and courageous self healing, we will never allow degraded energy of thought and form to interplay with our minds and close off our hearts. We will liberate, and while we inhabit bodies, each time we will toil to bring freedom to other bodies and hearts by living in accord with the Earth and each other through an inventive systems-generation that knows its bedrock. The spiritual dimension is that very bedrock.

A decision must be made and re-made continually for us to de-program from a world. A world that asks us to yield away from a clear choice. The appropriate choice is to care for the Earth, our lineages and all sentience. The appropriate choice is to approach civilization building upon the spiritual organ of the inner view, where the eternal heart emerges beyond belief.

— Josh Reichmann April 2020

 Yet, some of us do capture fragments of past lives in dreams, or under hypnosis. Or, as shown in the research of Dr. Ian Stevenson [referenced below], children often remember past lives. As we grow into adults, we not only forget past lives, but even much of what happened to us as children.

A trauma as a child — a forgotten memory — might cause psychological problems for us as adults; whereas, a happy childhood with wonderful parents might result in a bountiful, unburdened life. In Buddhist philosophy, it is thought that a past life trauma — and past life good deeds — effects us negatively or positively in our current lives. In both cases, we don’t necessarily remember the cause — but we live the result. There is a saying in Korea, “I must have saved the country in a past life” — referring to good luck being a result of ripening past-life karma.

In the West, we tend to struggle with the concept of rebirth — especially given the important doctrine of Anatman (no self, no soul). Even practicing Buddhists — despite countless references to rebirth in the Suttas (Sutras) — reject the rebirth doctrine. Yet, it is a central aspiration of Buddhism to escape the cycle of rebirths, of Samsaric suffering. Our Bodhisattva vow, to cherish all beings as it they were our mothers — comes from the Sutta references to the cycle of rebirth where it states “all beings at one time have been our mother.”

Even in the oldest Pali Suttas, we refer to the “stages” or “fruits” of our practice: to aspire to be a “once-returner”, a “non-returner” or a “arahant” (no rebirth). What are we returning to, if we do not achieve these goals? Samsaric rebirth.

Time changes things

Rebirth is conceptual, since current theoretical physics hypothesizes that time does NOT exist. Time, is relative to the observer — in the same way that Quantum Physics suggests there is no existence without the observer. “The flow of time is just a convenient illusion,” wrote theoretical phycisist Lee Smolin of the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics. [1] Likewise, our apparent “reality”, in Buddhist terms “is just a convenient illusion.” In Buddhism we refer to “relative reality” and “ultimate reality.” We try to glimpse ultimate reality in our meditations — Emptiness and the clear light of bliss.

From this point of view of time, rebirth, as seen by Buddha, is entirely possible in theory. Thomas Campbell, a NASA scientist and physicist, described it this way [source here>>]:

There is no time. There is no space. Everything is one. Hence, we are all experiencing everything all at once. That means you are you, you are the neighbor, the dog (yes animals may reincarnate as well), the kid on the skateboard, the grouchy guy in the corner store, you are me, the Dalai Lama, Jesus, Hitler, Joan of Arc. You are everyone, all at once, in all points of time, and all points of space. However … you are focused on seeing and experiencing reality through your perspective only at this time.”

Is there any logic in the concept of rebirth?

To many, rebirth is a more feasible possibility than suggested in concepts of heavens and hells.  Even if we put aside the “time argument” of Thomas Campbell, the first law of thermodynamics in physics indicates that matter can neither be destroyed nor created (that’s not exactly what the law states, but it’s close enough for this feature).  In fact, our own bodies, right this very minute are undergoing constant rebirth; cells in the body are constantly being “reborn.” Even though we appear unchanged from yesterday, or a week ago, every atom and molecule of our body is changing constantly.

It may seem difficult to reconcile the notions of “No Self” (Anatman) and rebirth — where some kind of “self” continues as a mindstream from birth-to-birth. In Buddhism, there is no concept of a soul. Instead of a “soul” reincarnating from life to life, the term “mind stream” is more commonly used. Buddha, himself, actually, only spoke of aggregates. In Buddhism, we aspire to remove attachments, and free ourselves from the endless cycle of suffering — but not in a nihilistic way. The goal is not extinction, but rather union or oneness with the universe — Emptiness, or Clear Light.

Science and rebirth?

There may not be any way to prove rebirth, but modern science at least has no contradictory evidence. In fact, Quantum Physics suggests ways in which science and “rebirth” can be reconciled:

• Entangled particles, in quantum physics, where particles remain connected even when separated by great distance — what Albert Einstein called, “spooky action at a distance” — in Buddhist philosophy, at the ultimate level of understanding, all is oneness.
• Quantum Physics posits there is no existence without the observer. Fritjof Capra, The Tao of Phsyics, writes: “The human observer constitute the final link in the chain of observational processes, and the properties of any atomic object can be understood only in terms of the object’s interaction with the observer.” In sutras on Emptiness a similar concept is taught.
• Interestingly, Albert Einstein used similar language to the Buddha when describing Big Bang and Big Crunch theory. Buddha, in Maha-Saccaka Sutta said: “When the mind was thus concentrated, purified, bright, unblemished, rid of defilement, pliant, malleable, steady, & attained to imperturbability, I directed it to the knowledge of recollecting my past lives. I recollected my manifold past lives, i.e., one birth, two… five, ten… fifty, a hundred, a thousand, a hundred thousand, many eons of cosmic contraction, many eons of cosmic expansion, many eons of cosmic contraction & expansion.”

The endless “nots”

In science we often challenge existence with “not” logic. If we can’t describe what something actually is, in real, concrete terms, we start by describing what it is not. This becomes particularly apparent when scientists study “time.” We have conveniently created “units” of time, yet that isn’t the same thing as explaining what time is. Time is a continuum, right?

“Understanding the nature of time is the single most important problem facing science,” said theoretical phycisist Lee Smolin of the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics. [1] This is, he explains, because without understanding time, we can’t understand reality itself.

Proving mindstream from life-to-life

Proving continuity of consciousness or “mind stream” — the mindstream continuum that continues rebirth to rebirth in Buddhist belief — is impossible with current science.  It is also impossible to disprove it. Rationalists can say “rubbish” all they like, but they can’t come up with concrete evidence proving we exist only in this one lifetime. Neither can the “believers” conclusively prove rebirth — although there is compelling research from Dr. Ian Stevenson. The concept that our minds are all “entangled” or  “connected” and that “mind is not brain” is supported by science. Complicating the notion of linear past lives is the theory in science that time actually doesn’t exist.

“We don’t know what consciousness is, or what it does,” said Rupert Sheldrake, Ph.D. in his lecture The Mind is Not the Brain “There’s no known, obvious reason, why we should be conscious at all, or exactly how the mind works.” His conclusion, based on significant research, was:  “…The mind is field-like. That it’s not constrained to the inside of the head.” [For more on Mind is not Brain, see our feature>>]

Nobel prize winning neuroscience Professor Eccles echoed the sentiment that mind cannot be “reduced down to brain cell processes. If, in fact, mind is “field-like” and not limited to brain cell processes, it suggests “mind continium”, as described in Buddhism, is, at least, possible.

In a well-researched article, Steps Towards Solving the Mystery of Consciousness, the concept of consciousness surviving apparent brain death is highlighted.  “Consciousness appears to be present in 10-20 percent of those who are in cardiac arrest.” The author explained, “brain cells need to communicate using electrical pulses… How is it then that we have a clinical scenario in which there is severe brain dysfunction, the worst possible type, with an absence of electrical activity in the brain, but somehow thought processes, with reasoning, memory formation and consciousness continue and are even heightened?” [Also refer to our in-depth feature, citing more research on mind/brain/consciousness>>] 

It’s clear, from the suttas, that Buddha understood rebirth to be a fact. Our goal, in part, as Buddhists is to escape the Samsaric cycle of rebirth and suffering through various lives.

Western Buddhists will often put aside this notion, contextually re-aligning those references with “suffering in this lifetime” — although that clearly wasn’t the only suffering Buddha referenced. Not only that, it was commonly accepted that our current conditions in life are a result of karma from previous lives.

Evidence of Rebirth?

The best known evidence is the work of Ian Stevenson, who spent fifteen years collecting data from over 4500 people who spontaneously recalled past lives. According to Dr. Robert Almeder of Georgia State University, “This was important research, empirical research and I could not think of any alternative explanation as plausible for the data as that some people reincarnate.” We explored that more fully in these two features:

• Rebirth, Part 1: Is There Evidence for Reincarnation>>
• Rebirth, Part 2>>

NOTES

[1] Science Focus “The incredible truth about time”

Shakyamuni Buddha is arguably the most quotable person in history, with millions of words contained in thousands of sutras. Regardless of the topic, we take it for granted there’s a “Buddha quote” to fit. Or — perhaps not.

It may surprise some Buddhists that there were four big cosmic questions the Buddha refused to answer.

The four questions could be translated into modern English as:

• Is the cosmos finite in space?

• Is the universe finite in time?

• Is the self the same or different from the body?

• Does the Buddha exist after death? (Since He has achieved Nirvana.)

The Impossible Questions: Cula Malunkyovada Sutta

In fact, there’s a sutra (sutta in Pali) dedicated specifically to these four questions he refused to answer:  Cula-Malunkyovada Sutta, so called because Venerable Malunkyaputta asked the questions of Buddha. In fact, he went so far as to say that if Buddha would not answer these questions, he would renounce his training. [The full Cula-Malunkyovada Sutta appears at the end of this feature.][1] (The four questions are often stated as fourteen or ten, but this is only because Malunkyovada gave true/false, both true, neither true logic variants.)

Did Venerable Malunkyaputta renounce when Buddha refused to answer? The sutra makes it clear that Buddha declined to answer — not that he could not answer. He considered the questions unimportant.

Today, we still wrestle with these cosmic questions, vast topics that still keep scientists and theologians struggling for answers. So, why did Buddha dismiss them as insignificant? Why did he refuse to even utter one word, not even a “yes” or “no.”?

Not answering — that is an answer in itself.  They weren’t “impossible” because there were no answers, but because to answer would have itself been the wrong answer.

Thich Nhat Hanh, in a commentary on the Sutra, explained:

“The Buddha always told his disciples not to waste their time and energy in metaphysical speculation. Whenever he was asked a metaphysical question, he remained silent. Instead, he directed his disciples toward practical efforts.”

Thich Nhat Hanh continued, “Questioned one day about the problem of the infinity of the world, the Buddha said, “Whether the world is finite or infinite, limited or unlimited, the problem of your liberation remains the same.” Another time he said, “Suppose a man is struck by a poisoned arrow and the doctor wishes to take out the arrow immediately. Suppose the man does not want the arrow removed until he knows who shot it, his age, his parents, and why he shot it. What would happen? If he were to wait until all these questions have been answered, the man might die first.” Life is so short. It must not be spent in endless metaphysical speculation that does not bring us any closer to the truth.” [2]

How Buddha Answered Malunkyaputta

The Buddha’s reason for not answering these provocative questions is straight forward enough:

“So, Malunkyaputta, remember what is undeclared by me as undeclared, and what is declared by me as declared… And why are they undeclared by me? Because they are not connected with the goal, are not fundamental to the holy life. They do not lead to disenchantment, dispassion, cessation, calming, direct knowledge, self-awakening, Unbinding. That’s why they are undeclared by me.”

In other words, they simply had nothing to do with Buddha’s teachings on the cessation of suffering. Buddha makes that even clearer when he tells Malunkyaputta, emphatically: “And what is declared by me? ‘This is stress,’ is declared by me. ‘This is the origination of stress,’ is declared by me. ‘This is the cessation of stress,’ is declared by me. ‘This is the path of practice leading to the cessation of stress,’ is declared by me. And why are they declared by me? Because they are connected with the goal, are fundamental to the holy life. They lead to disenchantment, dispassion, cessation, calming, direct knowledge, self-awakening, Unbinding. That’s why they are declared by me.”

The Trap of Dualism

One likely reason often cited as to why the Buddha would not answer is that any answer — regardless of what those answers were — would reinforce dualism: me-you, space-time, object and subject. So, Buddha not only left his answers “undeclared” because they have no benefit to practice, but also because they might actually set-back practice with notions of duality.

Buddha Nature, as expressed in Mahayana Sutras, is inherent to all of us, and is non-dualistic. In Zen this is often expressed as Oneness. In Sutra there is the doctrine of Anatta (non-self).

Malunkyaputta’s questions are all dualistic. He even expressed them this way. For example, he asked “Is the world eternal, or not?” — almost binary in its dualism. The very choices were dualistic in nature. They speak to relative reality. Clinging to relative reality and duality is one of the causes of our suffering.

Grasping for Infinity — Another Form of Clinging

In fact, the four big questions provoke thoughts of clinging and attachment. Why is it important that space or time are infinite? Do we want to feel like a part of us will exist forever? The question of self also stems from attachment — to a permanent, independent self. If so, we are feeling the very sense of attachment that Buddha taught us to overcome. Buddha taught Anatta (not-self). These questions would provoke attachments rather than help us relinquish them.

Perhaps the biggest attachment of all, for Buddhists, is to the notion that the Buddha, once liberated and Enlightened, exists after death. Clearly, the Dharma survived Tathaghata’s passing. So, if Buddha doesn’t exist dualistically after death, then, what are we bowing to when we approach an altar with an image of Buddha? If we pray to Buddha, who are we praying to? Out of respect we are bowing to what Buddha represented. Ultimately, we are bowing to the Buddha within ourselves, our own Buddha Nature. If we are Mahayana Buddhists we may be bowing to a Bodhisattva — an Enlightened Buddha who does not pass beyond — but not in the supernatural self-aware sense, since Mahayana Buddhism strongly emphasizes Oneness, or Emptiness. At a non-dualistic level we are also bowing to Oneness, the Oneness that is all things (the very complicated concept of Emptiness) — and all things does include the Buddha, ourselves, every atom in the “infinite” or the “non-infinite” universe (whichever it is.)

Infinite Space Example: Attached to Infinite “Me”

It was once thought the universe is finite and expanding from the big bang. New theories have it that there was something before the big bang. Most people think in terms of “infinite space.”

But what would infinite space really mean? It would mean, as pointed out on a Fraser Cain piece in Universe Today, that there are infinite numbers of “you’s” in the Universe. That you are infinite, too. And, if that’s the case, then the worry of attachment is very real. It can be reassuring to the point of attachment to think there are infinite me’s in the Universe, that those me’s will never end. Clearly, knowing this, is not helpful in the context of the cessation of suffering. Excited by the possibility of infinite me’s, we would cling to the hope of immortality.

Here’s the qutoe from the episode, “Is the Universe Finite or Infinite”:

“There are only 10 ^ 80 particles in the observable Universe, so that’s much less than the possible configurations of matter in a cubic meter. If the Universe is truly infinite, if you travel outwards from Earth, eventually you will reach a place where there’s a duplicate cubic meter of space. The further you go, the more duplicates you’ll find.

“Ooh, big deal, you think. One hydrogen pile looks the same as the next to me. Except, you hydromattecist, you’ll pass through places where the configuration of particles will begin to appear familiar, and if you proceed long enough you’ll find larger and larger identical regions of space, and eventually you’ll find an identical you. And finding a copy of yourself is just the start of the bananas crazy things you can do in an infinite Universe.” [3]

Infinite Time: New Theories of “Infinite Sequence of Time”

Oxford mathematician Marcus du Sautoy, echoing the “rumblings in the cosmological corridors”, explains that there may have been time before the Big Bang — contrary to the commonly accepted theory that the Big Bang started the cosmological clock.

New theories are putting forward notions of countless eons of time — a phrase you hear often in Mahayana Sutras, interestingly. Marcus du Sautoy, author of The Great Unknown, puts it this way: ” “it looks like time is going to run out and stop and each of these beginnings and ends might be able to be glued together to make an infinite sequence of time.” [4]

If, like space, time is infinite, the possibility of eternity is again provocative, enticing, and we begin to cling to happy notions of an everlasting life in Samsara.

Buddha Didn’t Answer For Good Reason

In other words, Buddha didn’t answer these questions for good reasons.

Fortunately, Venerable Malunkyaputta was “delighted in the Blessed One’s words” and did not disrobe as he had threatened.

Cula-Malunkyovada Sutta: The Shorter Instructions to Malunkya

translated from the Pali by

Thanissaro Bhikkhu

© 1998, licensed under Creative Commons [1]

I have heard that on one occasion the Blessed One was staying near Savatthi at Jeta’s Grove, Anathapindika’s monastery. Then, as Ven. Malunkyaputta was alone in seclusion, this train of thought arose in his awareness: “These positions that are undeclared, set aside, discarded by the Blessed One — ‘The cosmos is eternal,’ ‘The cosmos is not eternal,’ ‘The cosmos is finite,’ ‘The cosmos is infinite,’ ‘The soul & the body are the same,’ ‘The soul is one thing and the body another,’ ‘After death a Tathagata exists,’ ‘After death a Tathagata does not exist,’ ‘After death a Tathagata both exists & does not exist,’ ‘After death a Tathagata neither exists nor does not exist’ — I don’t approve, I don’t accept that the Blessed One has not declared them to me. I’ll go ask the Blessed One about this matter. If he declares to me that ‘The cosmos is eternal,’ that ‘The cosmos is not eternal,’ that ‘The cosmos is finite,’ that ‘The cosmos is infinite,’ that ‘The soul & the body are the same,’ that ‘The soul is one thing and the body another,’ that ‘After death a Tathagata exists,’ that ‘After death a Tathagata does not exist,’ that ‘After death a Tathagata both exists & does not exist,’ or that ‘After death a Tathagata neither exists nor does not exist,’ then I will live the holy life under him. If he does not declare to me that ‘The cosmos is eternal,’… or that ‘After death a Tathagata neither exists nor does not exist,’ then I will renounce the training and return to the lower life.”

Then, when it was evening, Ven. Malunkyaputta arose from seclusion and went to the Blessed One. On arrival, having bowed down, he sat to one side. As he was sitting there he said to the Blessed One, “Lord, just now, as I was alone in seclusion, this train of thought arose in my awareness: ‘These positions that are undeclared, set aside, discarded by the Blessed One… I don’t approve, I don’t accept that the Blessed One has not declared them to me. I’ll go ask the Blessed One about this matter. If he declares to me that “The cosmos is eternal,”… or that “After death a Tathagata neither exists nor does not exist,” then I will live the holy life under him. If he does not declare to me that “The cosmos is eternal,”… or that “After death a Tathagata neither exists nor does not exist,” then I will renounce the training and return to the lower life.’

“Lord, if the Blessed One knows that ‘The cosmos is eternal,’ then may he declare to me that ‘The cosmos is eternal.’ If he knows that ‘The cosmos is not eternal,’ then may he declare to me that ‘The cosmos is not eternal.’ But if he doesn’t know or see whether the cosmos is eternal or not eternal, then, in one who is unknowing & unseeing, the straightforward thing is to admit, ‘I don’t know. I don’t see.’… If he doesn’t know or see whether after death a Tathagata exists… does not exist… both exists & does not exist… neither exists nor does not exist,’ then, in one who is unknowing & unseeing, the straightforward thing is to admit, ‘I don’t know. I don’t see.'”

“Malunkyaputta, did I ever say to you, ‘Come, Malunkyaputta, live the holy life under me, and I will declare to you that ‘The cosmos is eternal,’ or ‘The cosmos is not eternal,’ or ‘The cosmos is finite,’ or ‘The cosmos is infinite,’ or ‘The soul & the body are the same,’ or ‘The soul is one thing and the body another,’ or ‘After death a Tathagata exists,’ or ‘After death a Tathagata does not exist,’ or ‘After death a Tathagata both exists & does not exist,’ or ‘After death a Tathagata neither exists nor does not exist’?”

“No, lord.”

“And did you ever say to me, ‘Lord, I will live the holy life under the Blessed One and [in return] he will declare to me that ‘The cosmos is eternal,’ or ‘The cosmos is not eternal,’ or ‘The cosmos is finite,’ or ‘The cosmos is infinite,’ or ‘The soul & the body are the same,’ or ‘The soul is one thing and the body another,’ or ‘After death a Tathagata exists,’ or ‘After death a Tathagata does not exist,’ or ‘After death a Tathagata both exists & does not exist,’ or ‘After death a Tathagata neither exists nor does not exist’?”

“No, lord.”

“Then that being the case, foolish man, who are you to be claiming grievances/making demands of anyone?

“Malunkyaputta, if anyone were to say, ‘I won’t live the holy life under the Blessed One as long as he does not declare to me that “The cosmos is eternal,”… or that “After death a Tathagata neither exists nor does not exist,”‘ the man would die and those things would still remain undeclared by the Tathagata.

“It’s just as if a man were wounded with an arrow thickly smeared with poison. His friends & companions, kinsmen & relatives would provide him with a surgeon, and the man would say, ‘I won’t have this arrow removed until I know whether the man who wounded me was a noble warrior, a brahman, a merchant, or a worker.’ He would say, ‘I won’t have this arrow removed until I know the given name & clan name of the man who wounded me… until I know whether he was tall, medium, or short… until I know whether he was dark, ruddy-brown, or golden-colored… until I know his home village, town, or city… until I know whether the bow with which I was wounded was a long bow or a crossbow… until I know whether the bowstring with which I was wounded was fiber, bamboo threads, sinew, hemp, or bark… until I know whether the shaft with which I was wounded was wild or cultivated… until I know whether the feathers of the shaft with which I was wounded were those of a vulture, a stork, a hawk, a peacock, or another bird… until I know whether the shaft with which I was wounded was bound with the sinew of an ox, a water buffalo, a langur, or a monkey.’ He would say, ‘I won’t have this arrow removed until I know whether the shaft with which I was wounded was that of a common arrow, a curved arrow, a barbed, a calf-toothed, or an oleander arrow.’ The man would die and those things would still remain unknown to him.

“In the same way, if anyone were to say, ‘I won’t live the holy life under the Blessed One as long as he does not declare to me that ‘The cosmos is eternal,’… or that ‘After death a Tathagata neither exists nor does not exist,’ the man would die and those things would still remain undeclared by the Tathagata.

“Malunkyaputta, it’s not the case that when there is the view, ‘The cosmos is eternal,’ there is the living of the holy life. And it’s not the case that when there is the view, ‘The cosmos is not eternal,’ there is the living of the holy life. When there is the view, ‘The cosmos is eternal,’ and when there is the view, ‘The cosmos is not eternal,’ there is still the birth, there is the aging, there is the death, there is the sorrow, lamentation, pain, despair, & distress whose destruction I make known right in the here & now.

“It’s not the case that when there is the view, ‘The cosmos is finite,’ there is the living of the holy life. And it’s not the case that when there is the view, ‘The cosmos is infinite,’ there is the living of the holy life. When there is the view, ‘The cosmos is finite,’ and when there is the view, ‘The cosmos is infinite,’ there is still the birth, there is the aging, there is the death, there is the sorrow, lamentation, pain, despair, & distress whose destruction I make known right in the here & now.

“It’s not the case that when there is the view, ‘The soul & the body are the same,’ there is the living of the holy life. And it’s not the case that when there is the view, ‘The soul is one thing and the body another,’ there is the living of the holy life. When there is the view, ‘The soul & the body are the same,’ and when there is the view, ‘The soul is one thing and the body another,’ there is still the birth, there is the aging, there is the death, there is the sorrow, lamentation, pain, despair, & distress whose destruction I make known right in the here & now.

“It’s not the case that when there is the view, ‘After death a Tathagata exists,’ there is the living of the holy life. And it’s not the case that when there is the view, ‘After death a Tathagata does not exist,’ there is the living of the holy life. And it’s not the case that when there is the view, ‘After death a Tathagata both exists & does not exist,’ there is the living of the holy life. And it’s not the case that when there is the view, ‘After death a Tathagata neither exists nor does not exist’ there is the living of the holy life. When there is the view, ‘After death a Tathagata exists’… ‘After death a Tathagata does not exist’… ‘After death a Tathagata both exists & does not exist’… ‘After death a Tathagata neither exists nor does not exist,’ there is still the birth, there is the aging, there is the death, there is the sorrow, lamentation, pain, despair, & distress whose destruction I make known right in the here & now.

“So, Malunkyaputta, remember what is undeclared by me as undeclared, and what is declared by me as declared. And what is undeclared by me? ‘The cosmos is eternal,’ is undeclared by me. ‘The cosmos is not eternal,’ is undeclared by me. ‘The cosmos is finite’… ‘The cosmos is infinite’… ‘The soul & the body are the same’… ‘The soul is one thing and the body another’… ‘After death a Tathagata exists’… ‘After death a Tathagata does not exist’… ‘After death a Tathagata both exists & does not exist’… ‘After death a Tathagata neither exists nor does not exist,’ is undeclared by me.

“And why are they undeclared by me? Because they are not connected with the goal, are not fundamental to the holy life. They do not lead to disenchantment, dispassion, cessation, calming, direct knowledge, self-awakening, Unbinding. That’s why they are undeclared by me.

“And what is declared by me? ‘This is stress,’ is declared by me. ‘This is the origination of stress,’ is declared by me. ‘This is the cessation of stress,’ is declared by me. ‘This is the path of practice leading to the cessation of stress,’ is declared by me. And why are they declared by me? Because they are connected with the goal, are fundamental to the holy life. They lead to disenchantment, dispassion, cessation, calming, direct knowledge, self-awakening, Unbinding. That’s why they are declared by me.

“So, Malunkyaputta, remember what is undeclared by me as undeclared, and what is declared by me as declared.”

That is what the Blessed One said. Gratified, Ven. Malunkyaputta delighted in the Blessed One’s words.

NOTES:

[1] “Cula-Malunkyovada Sutta: The Shorter Instructions to Malunkya” (MN 63), translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu. Access to Insight (Legacy Edition), 30 November 2013

[2] Zen Keys (Three Leaves Press), p. 42, Thich Naht Hanh and Philip Kapleau. ISBN 9780385475617

[3] Universe Today

[4] Business Insider: “An Oxford Mathematician explains who time existed before the Big Bang”

“As a man who has devoted his whole life to the most clear-headed science, to the study of matter, I can tell you as a result of my research about atoms this much: There is no matter as such. All matter originates and exists only by virtue of the existence of consciousness.” — Max Planck, Nobel Laureate, the originator of Quantum Theory. [1]

It bears repeating, even though the parallel has been drawn countless times, that the Buddhist view of reality is not significantly different from that of the Quantum Physicist — and very similar to modern Cognitive Scientists. The entire concept of Pratītyasamutpāda (Dependent Arising) is like a page right out of Max Planck’s writings. He wrote: “The mind is the matrix of all matter. I regard consciousness as fundamental. I regard matter as derivative from consciousness. Everything that we talk about, everything we regard as existing, postulates consciousness.” Buddhism teaches similar concepts.

In Buddhism, Dependent Arising (Pratītyasamutpāda) is a core concept, described as:

“if this exists, that exists; if this ceases to exist, that also ceases to exist.”

It is interesting that Planck echoes Buddhist belief in Dependent Arising — also known as dependent origination, interdependent co-arising, conditioned arising or conditioned genesis. It is equally interesting that he specifically used the concept of a “mind matrix” in 1944, almost as if he was predicting the hit movie The Matrix, which contains within it similar concepts of observed-observer, mind matrix and the illusory nature of reality.

NOTE: Dependent Arising does not assert that there is nothing without consciousness, rather that consciousness and all phenomenon (all dharmas) are inter-dependent on each other. This is a bigger topic than can be covered in this feature.

Buddhism teaches nearly-identical concepts

Planck may have postulated this early on in the history of science, but Shakyamuni Buddha taught Pratītyasamutpāda 25 centuries ago. Buddhism has “dependent-arising” and “Emptiness”. Science has “observer-observed” and “conscious realism.” Buddhism has Karma; science has cause-effect. Modern Physics, Quantum Physics and Neuroscience have also circled around (both enthusiastic and wary at the same time) to the concept of observer-observed. Physicist John Wheeler put it:

“Useful as it is under ordinary circumstances to say that the world exists ‘out there’ independent of us, that view can no longer be upheld.” [3]

Seeing reality as it truly is — as derivative of consciousness, perception and interdependent arising — is one of the main goals of Vajrayana deity meditation, where one visualises oneself as a deity of choice. It’s one thing to know something; it is much more

emphatically understood if we experience it — as Buddha achieved under the Bodhi tree, and as we aspire to in our Buddhist practice. We visualize ourselves as a deity until we can almost believe we are (with divine pride!), then we dissolve it all into the Emptiness (or Oneness with all phenomenon) that it really represents. Max Planck would be delighted.

Donald Hoffman, professor of cognitive science at the University of California, puts both our normal perceptions and our imaginary (visualized) perspectives into perspective (although here he is speaking of ordinary perspective):

“We’ve been shaped to have perceptions that keep us alive, so we have to take them seriously. If I see something that I think of as a snake, I don’t pick it up. If I see a train, I don’t step in front of it. I’ve evolved these symbols to keep me alive, so I have to take them seriously. But it’s a logical flaw to think that if we have to take it seriously, we also have to take it literally.”

Likewise, Buddha taught that we don’t have to take it literally. Buddha taught us that Samsara (the illusory world we think is real) is nothing more than incorrect perception created by “conditioning” and attachment to that conditioning. Or put in more definitive terms, that all phenomenon are dependent-arising (Pratītyasamutpāda in Sanskrit)  Cognitive scientists would speak in similar ways, using such language as “Evolution conditioned us to have perceptions that help us survive.”

Unified mind versus innate enlightened potential

Buddhism speaks in terms of “Innate Enlightened Potential” or “Buddha Nature”. Cognitive Science speaks in terms of “Unified Single Mind.” Emptiness, or Shunyata, is also a Oneness perception of reality. Removing “ego” from our perception results in Oneness (Emptiness) which Buddhists would say is the ultimate, true nature of reality.

Professor Hoffman puts the Cognitive Science take on this in different — yet similar — terms:

“I call it conscious realism: Objective reality is just conscious agents, just points of view. Interestingly, I can take two conscious agents and have them interact, and the mathematical structure of that interaction also satisfies the definition of a conscious agent. This mathematics is telling me something. I can take two minds, and they can generate a new, unified single mind.” [3]

It’s not just Quantum Physics, Cognitive Scientists and Neurology that tend to align smoothly with Buddhist teachings on mind and reality; psychology has long aligned neatly with Buddhism. It’s well known that psychology and psychiatry have long borrowed meditation methods from Buddhist practice, notably Mindfulness, but the alignment goes far beyond practice into visual symbolic language, dream-activity, and the concepts of archetypes.

Psychology meets Buddhism: innate enlightened potential

“Perhaps the most significant experience of the tantric path, therefore, is the introduction to a deity that will embody our innate enlightened potential, the seed of our eventual wholeness.” — Robert Preece [2]

Not understanding the true nature of deity, some people view the virtual pantheon of deities in Vajrayana Buddhism with a suspicious eye. Buddhism, we are taught, is not theistic. Without exploring further, some people might view Vajrayana as “superstitious” or “pagan.” For this reason, Western practitioners are quick to add the label: “Meditational Yidam” to the deity, implying a construct of the mind. Of course, mind-perception is the whole point. Lifelong practitioners, on the other hand would find this too apologetic; there is room enough in a world of illusory perceptions (our world) for both atheism and theism.

I attended one deity teaching with a well-known Tibetan teacher where he actually laughed and said, “Yes, I am a pagan.” He was speaking to a room of advanced students, and we all laughed along, understanding his deeper meaning. Later, this same teacher said, “Buddhists are atheists.” How confusing is that?

Deity Yoga (union) is a very profound practice. Robert Preece explains:

“The deity in Tantra can be understood as a gateway or bridge between two aspects of reality. Buddhism has no concept of a creator God… the deity is a symbolic aspect of forces that arise on the threshold between two dimensions or reality, or two dimensions of awareness. In Buddhism we speak of “relative truth,” the world of appearances and forms, and “ultimate truth,” the empty, spacious nondual nature of reality.”

Theism and atheism — do they even matter?

So, the two extremes — theism and atheism — do they really matter? Thich Nhat Hanh, the great Zen teacher, explained what Buddha really taught:

“The Buddha always told his disciples not to waste their time and energy in metaphysical speculation. Whenever he was asked a metaphysical question, he remained silent. Instead, he directed his disciples toward practical efforts.”

So, what then, does the newcomer to Buddhism make of countless Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Protectors and Yidams? They aren’t creator gods. They aren’t eternal, self-aware beings. It’s fine to view them as such if that’s your faith, but at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter. Shakyamuni Buddha, speaking in the Cula-Malunkyovada Sutta, was very clear on how he viewed these cosmic questions:

“So, Malunkyaputta, remember what is undeclared by me as undeclared, and what is declared by me as declared… And why are they undeclared by me? Because they are not connected with the goal, are not fundamental to the holy life. They do not lead to disenchantment, dispassion, cessation, calming, direct knowledge, self-awakening, Unbinding. That’s why they are undeclared by me.”

In other words, the idea of creation, gods, heaven, eternity — and even the question “Does Buddha exist after death” — on these subjects, Buddha would not speak. Clinging to these notions become another form of attachment. [For a story on the “Four Questions the Buddha Would NOT Answer and Why, see here>>]

The psychology of deities

Why, then, is Vajrayana — a path that embraces Yidams or heart deities as a method — considered an advanced practice, rather than a superstitious one? The answer lies in psychology.

Rob Preece, in The Psychology of Buddhist Tantra, explains:

“The intention of Tantra is to gradually awaken the seeds of our innate wisdom as a source of health, power, love, and peace that can then live through every aspect of our lives. We can engage in life more fully and confidently because we are in a relationship to our true nature personified in the deity.”

When teaching deity practice, teachers often use language like “use your imagination” or “visualise the deity.” In other words, don’t expect a tangible deity to suddenly appear before you. That isn’t the point or the goal.

One of the reasons Tantra uses teacher-transmission or “initiation” as a control it to ensure students have the right understanding of their practices — to prevent superstition.

Visualizing Deities is not about worship

Why, then, does Vajrayana focus so extensively on the details and appearances of these deities, if they aren’t trying to develop a worshipful wonder? Most visualizations in Vajrayana are challenging to say the least. The “gods” are magnificent and exotic and wonderful: some beautiful beyond conception glowing with divine light; some complex, with a hundred arms and implements; some wrathful and monstrous and awe-inspiring, surrounded by an aura of flames.

Do we “conjur” these gods to then bow down and worship them? No, in Vajrayana, we take them into ourselves. We see the deity dissolving and entering into us. Or, we visualize ourselves as the deity, then we see ourselves dissolve to Emptiness. Why work so hard if we are only going to dissolve the whole thing into emptiness? After all, these visualizations are beyond challenging. Why, then, give them up after all that hard work.

The answer lies, in part, in the concept of Buddha Nature. [For a feature on Buddha Nature, see this story>>] Psychologist Rob Preece explains:

“Our innate Buddha potential is said to be like a priceless jewel buried beneath our home, while we live our lives in ignorance of it. As a result, we flouder, lost in endless confusion.”

Deity practice helps us awaken to our buried treasure, the jewel of our own Buddha Nature — and much more.

The point of practice: union with deity; union with higher self

The language of the mind is symbols and imagery. Developing concentration, clarity and stability — and correct understanding of relative phenomenon — are some of the key reasons to practice what is known as “Deity Yoga.” Deity  Yoga literally means “union with Deity.”)

Venerable Zasep Rinpoche explains: “Everybody has the same problems. Everyone has the same type of difficulties, struggling. But, this is practice. This is the path. This is how it is. Don’t blame yourself, don’t blame anybody, just keep practicing. This is how everybody has to learn.

“So, when you have that, it’s like a child, a little child, fantasizing about toys. You go to the toy shop, and all you think about are toys. Like a little boy with his toy truck.

Automatically, boom, your mind is gone. Drawn in. Because you want this, you like this, you are so excited. Yogis, or Yoginis, should have this kind of excitement or passion.

Short video teacher on “Visualizing Your Meditation Yidam”

Yidam visualization is “not easy”

In a teaching session on deity, Zasep Rinpoche said, “visualisation is not an easy one to do unless you have a good imagination.” [See embedded video below, “Visualizing Your Meditational Yidam.”]

“Some people feel, how can I do this visualization? My visualization is no good at all. I can’t see anything. My meditation is not good, concentration is not good, I don’t have clarity, I have no stable mind, my mind is all over the place and so on and so forth.”

What is important in Yidam practice is to practice daily, and not to lose sight of the goal — to catch a glimpse of Oneness, or Emptiness, of reality as it truly is without the observer-observed.

NOTES

[1] Max Planck, 1944; Das Wesen der Materie [The Nature of Matter], speech at Florence, Italy (1944) (from Archiv zur Geschichte der Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, Abt. Va, Rep. 11 Planck, Nr. 1797)

[2] The Psychology of Buddhist Tantra, Robert Preece

[3] “The Case Against Reality”, The Atlantic

One of Buddha’s most profound teachings about the mind was that “Ignorance is the one thing with whose abandonment clear knowing arises.” Fundamentally, this teaching is that by clearing your mind of the clutter of delusion and misconception it carries, you can gain valuable insight about what is important both to you and to the world around you. One of the tools the Buddha promoted  for gaining this insight is the use of mindfulness. Almost all Buddhists practice mindfulness in some form and on some level.

Mindfulness is the act of truly engaging with the world around us, and the people living in it. Many people walk through life in a fog and don’t take the time out of their busy lives to engage with the beauty and wonder that they see every day. In one of his most famous teachings, the wise Thich Nhat Hanh said that:

“People usually consider walking on water or in thin air a miracle. But I think the real miracle is not to walk either on water or in thin air, but to walk on earth. Every day we are engaged in a miracle which we don’t even recognize: a blue sky, white clouds, green leaves, the black, curious eyes of a child—our own two eyes. All is a miracle.” This miracle is what sits at the very heart of practicing mindfulness.

The concept of mindfulness is one that has been around for centuries, but it is only recently that practicing mindfulness has been perceived as a popular and valuable thing to do in mainstream non-religious circles. Both inside and outside the practice of Buddhism, much has been made in recent years about the importance of mindfulness for spiritual, mental and even physical health.

The Impact of Mindfulness on Your Brain

All Buddhists respect and understand the impact that mindfulness, and mindful meditation can have on their spiritual health and wellbeing. For more than a decade, mindfulness has been accepted as a useful therapy for anxiety and depression, and success has also been found in adapting the teachings for addiction treatment and for the treatment of PTSD in returning military veterans. However, as more ordinary people are choosing to incorporate mindfulness into their everyday lives, extensive scientific research has been conducted on the impact that it can also have on your mental and physical wellbeing, particularly on the changes that it can cause in your brain. Brain imaging techniques have revealed that long term mindful practice can profoundly and significantly change the way different regions of the brain communicate with each other, therefore indefinitely changing the way our brain functions and the way that we think.

In one study, MRI scans were undertaken on individuals before and after they had completed an eight week mindfulness course. The study found that the amygdala (the part of the brain responsible for our ‘fight or flight’ reflex) shrank whilst at the same time the pre-frontal cortex (the part of the brain responsible for higher level thinking, such as decision making and awareness) became thicker and more developed.  As a result, the researcher leading the study, Adrienne Taren,  concluded that: “The picture we have is that mindfulness practice increases one’s ability to recruit higher order, pre-frontal cortex regions in order to down-regulate lower-order brain activity.” Effectively this means that when we practice mindfulness, our more primal responses to stress (such as our fight or flight reflex) seem to be superseded by more thoughtful responses and higher level desires and understanding.  It is clear then why those individuals suffering from anxiety, depression and PTSD (disorders where the prevalence of the fight or flight reflex is high) would find the practice of mindfulness such a beneficial treatment for their condition.

The Physical Changes Mindfulness Can Lead To

Practicing mindfulness has been shown to have an impact on physical health too, as well as on spiritual and mental health. Fascinating studies have been undertaken to show that, whilst obviously not able to cure the conditions, mindful practice can significantly reduce the symptoms of conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome, cancer, HIV and tinnitus. Several studies have been conducted exclusively with breast cancer survivors, and found that self-reported stress, medical symptoms, and depression were all significantly lower in the control group that had incorporated mindfulness practices  into their treatment plan. In a separate study of patients with the same condition, Lengacher and colleagues found that in a  randomized controlled trial comparing a 6-week mindfulness treatment programme to a more conventional medical-focused  care programme, there were statistically significant differences in the two groups. The group that had had the mindfulness based treatment presented with lower depression, anxiety, and fear of recurrence (from a mental health point of view) as well as higher energy and physical functioning in physical terms. It is clear then that mindfulness can have significant benefits to those suffering from long term health problems, and is certainly something that all patients could consider adopting as part of their self-care. Mindfulness can be done independently with very little training or expense required, meaning it is something everyone can become proactively involved in for their own benefit, as well as to benefit the world around them.

The effects of mindfulness are truly exciting, and it is fascinating to see the practice move away from being considered to have simply spiritual value (though the value of the spirit should not be under appreciated) and into something whose value (whilst long understood and acknowledged by Buddhists) is now being supported by science and clinical evidence.

Previous story from Anne Green on Buddha Weekly>>

NOTES

“Mindfulness meditation as a Buddhist practice”,  Insight Meditation Center, https://www.insightmeditationcenter.org/books-articles/articles/mindfulness-meditation-as-a-buddhist-practice/

“The science of mindfulness”, Mindful.org, https://www.mindful.org/the-science-of-mindfulness/

Meditation 101: Practices, Postures, and Pretty Much Everything In Between, https://fitnessgoat.com/meditation-101/

“How mindfulness is working its way into my life…and into addiction treatment”,  Rehabs.com, https://www.rehabs.com/pro-talk-articles/how-mindfulness-is-working-its-way-into-my-life-and-into-addiction-treatment/

“What does Mindful Meditation do to your brain?”, Scientific American, https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/what-does-mindfulness-meditation-do-to-your-brain/

“The mindfulness of breathing”, The Buddhist Centre, https://thebuddhistcentre.com/text/mindfulness-breathing

“Mindfulness can literally change your brain”, Harvard Business Review, https://hbr.org/2015/01/mindfulness-can-literally-change-your-brain

“Mindfulness meditation for oncology patients: A discussion and critical review”, Integrative Cancer Therapies, https://ict.sagepub.com/content/5/2/98.abstract

“Mindfulness-based stress reduction for the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome symptoms: a randomized wait-list controlled trial”, International Journal of Behavioural Medicine, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22618308

Mindfulness: an Everyday Guide https://www.nestmaven.com/sleep/aids/mindfulness/

Over 56 billion farmed animals are killed each year by humans — 10 billion land animals in the U.S. alone. 3,000 die each second. This does not include countless fish. Billions of animals suffer and die painfully — animals who, according to scientists, are sentient and feel emotions. [4]. Put another way, each person who eats meat, is directly responsible for the lives of an average of 95 slaughtered animals each year. [5]

The Scientific Buddhist, 5 Ways Vegetarianism Could Save the Planet

The data and science do suggest vegetarianism could indeed save the world. There’s a big “ism” in this statement. The only way vegetarianism could help save the world is if at least 25 percent of us stopped eating our earthly companions — non-human sentient beings. How is it possible that simply reducing demand for meat could save the planet? The most compelling reasons include:

• emissions — the meat industry is one of our largest polluters, more than all cars and planes put together [1]
• scarcity of land — 30% of the available ice-free surface area of the planet is now used by livestock, estimated to soon increase to 45%
• inability to feed our population: perhaps more urgent than the environment is our inability to currently feed the world’s population, in part due to the unbalanced allocation of land: meat production uses 23 times as much land as crop production.
• overuse of important resources such as water — and pollution of water.

Reduction in demand for meat by any sizeable percentage, would ease many of the issues and pressures identified by experts.

If we’re serious about global warming and the environment, even modest reductions in dependence on meat will have a higher impact on the environment than things such as emissions controls on automobiles.

That restaurant steak on the plate could represent 9,000 liters of water, 40 kilograms of poop (waste), 4 kilograms of feed and more emissions pollution than a car might create on an hour-long drive to the restaurant.

Animals are Sentient and Feel Emotions say Prominent Scientists

Science also supports the view that animals are sentient, which makes the ethical arguments all the more compelling. “A prominent international group of cognitive neuroscientists and other experts made a strong declaration, endorsed by Stephen Hawking, affirming that all “nonhuman animals… including octopuses” are sentient and feel emotions such as fear and happiness. We wrote about this in a popular Buddha Weekly feature: “Prominent scientists declare “All non human animals … are conscious beings.” (View here>>)

Prominent Scientists Declare “All Non Human Animals… Are Conscious Beings.” The Dalai Lama Protests Chicken Slaughter. An Orangutan Won Non-Human Rights Over Zoo Keeper. What Do the Teachers Say About Non-Human Compassion?

We challenged readers: “The advance in non-human rights begs the question, from a Mahayana Buddhist perspective, when we promise to liberate all sentient beings — or not to kill — just who do we include? If our definition includes all beings down to insects and octopuses, how do we reconcile our dependence on “lower” beings for survival?”

The 17th Gyalwang Karmapa gives a very direct answer:

“We say I am going to do everything I can to free sentient beings from suffering. We say I am going to do this. We make the commitment. We take the vow. Once we have taken this vow, if then, without thinking anything about it, we just go ahead and eat meat, then that is not okay. It is something that we need to think about very carefully.”[3] The Dalai Lama also strongly recommends vegetarianism.

We asked Buddhist teacher Theodore Tsaousidis, of the Grey Bruce Mindfulness Centre, to put this in perspective. He didn’t sugar coat his view:

“If you claim to be a compassionate person or Buddhist in the 21st century and still eat meat, there are possible elements of pathology, hypocrisy and ignorance that beg reflection.”

But, before examining the ethics and Buddhist perspective, let’s start with five ways meat is damaging the environment and our world.

Just the Facts: Why the Meat Industry is Damaging our Environment

The meat industry is one of the largest emissions contributors, producing more emissions than all the automobiles and planes put together. This issue will only be exacerbated by the expected growth of our population 4 billion. As a practical consideration, putting aside environment, ethics and all, there is not enough land to produce that much meat. It’s worth remembering that developing nations are quickly becoming advanced nations, increasing demand for meat.

There are some simple, largely indisputable, well-cited facts, that lead to the concept: “5 Ways Vegetarianism Can Save the Planet” story, only some of which we quote here (we recommend a read of the article of the same name in The Guardian>>)

Fact One — 18% of Global Climate Emissions are a result of meat production, more if you include supporting factors [1]

Factory farming is responsible for 37% of all methane emissions “which has 20 times the global warming potential of CO2.”[6]

“We humans eat about 230m tonnes of animals a year, twice as much as we did 30 years ago,” according to The Guardian newspaper. “We mostly breed four species – chickens, cows, sheep and pigs – all of which need vast amounts of food and water, emit methane and other greenhouse gases and produce mountains of physical waste… UN calculated that the climate change emissions of animals bred for their meat was… more than cars, planes and all other forms of transport put together.”

World Bank Scientists pegged the number at much higher, because they include extra considerations like clear-cutting oxygen producing forests to favor animal agriculture, fertilizers and many other factors, such as transport, bringing the total up to 51%.

In other words, if only 25% of the world’s population converted to vegetarianism, the impact on the environment would be staggering. That’s a fact, not even arguable (although certainly some will try. Which brings us to fact Two — the population is increasing.

Fact Two — It takes 23X as much land to grow our vegetables as to raise meat livestock — not enough land to feed the expected increase in world populations.

Currently, according to facts cited in the Guardian feature: “Nearly 30% of the available ice-free surface area of the planet is now used by livestock, or for growing food for those animals. One billion people go hungry every day, but livestock now consumes the majority of the world’s crops.”

In other words, when the population grows by only 3 billion, we’ll need to consume another 15% — assuming demand per person doesn’t increase as nations grow richer—and we’ll have another 500 million starving humans. For livestock, 45% of land in the world — and unlikely possibility, even if we clear cut the few remaining forests (which leads us to the third fact — deforestation). Not all land is suitable for livestock. Of course, speaking facetiously, if the polar icecaps keep melting we may have more land for meat.

Put another way, in the US. alone, 13m hectares of land are used to grow vegetables, while it takes nearly 23 times that much, 302m hectares for livestock. “The problem is that farm animals are inefficient converters of food to flesh,” writes the Guardian. For example, pigs need 8.4kg of feed to produce one kilogram of meat.

Fact Three — Millions of hectares of trees cut to produce burgers

Agriculture in general is causing deforestation, mostly for meat and a few crops such as palm oil and soya. Write the Guardian: “Millions of hectares of trees have been felled to provide burgers for the US and more recently animal feed for farms for Europe, China and Japan.” 6m hectares of forest land a year are lost (roughly twice the size of Belgium) with most converted to farmland. Putting aside the destruction of animal habitat there’s an enormous climate cost. The second largest crop to go on that clear-cut land is soybeans, mostly grown to feed the cattle.

Fact Four — A single cow farm can generate as much waste as a small city

The Guardian: ” Industrial-scale agriculture now dominates the western livestock and poultry industries, and a single farm can now generate as much waste as a city. A cow excretes around 40kg of manure for every kilogram of edible beef it puts on and when you have many thousands crowded into a small area the effect can be dramatic. Their manure and urine is funneled into massive waste lagoons sometimes holding as many as 40m gallons.”

The article goes on to present shocking pollution statistics, such as “most summers between 13,000 and 20,000 sq km of the sea at the mouth of the Mississippi becomes a “dead zone”, caused when vast quantities of excess nutrients from animal waste, factory farms, sewage, nitrogen compounds and fertilizer are swept down the might river.” There are nearly 400 dead zones that have been identified, largely due to animal farming.

Fact Five: Current meat animals drink too much: producing a pound of beef requires 9,0000 litres of water

It may not be a top of mind issue in North America, where water is somewhat plentiful, if polluted. But in most other parts of the world, water shortage and clean water is a serious, even life-threatening issue.

It requires approximately 9,000 litres of water (20,000 pounds) to produce one pound of beef, 1,000 litres to produce one litre of milk. A broiler chicken “only” consumes 1,500 litres. Pigs are the worst, with the largest pig farms consuming as much water as a normal-sized human city.

There is no doubt that farming consumes the majority of our water, 70% according to expert estimations, but this number could be dramatically reduced if we transitioned more food output to crops versus meat.

For instance, potatoes take between 60 and 229 pounds of water per pound of produce — as compared to 20,000 pounds of water for a pound of beef. [1]

Bottom Line — Meat a higher negative impact on the environment as compared to other major industries.

If we put aside ethical and Buddhist arguments, the meat industry is harmful to our collective help. Even a modest decrease in demand for meat can result in positive environmental returns. Significant decreases in demand could, literally, save our planet.

5 Buddhist Teachings and Teachers Recommending Vegetarian Lifestyle

Science not only proves horrendous impact of the meat industry on climate change and our environment, it asserts rather forcefully that even fairly simple non-human animals and birds — including fish — are sentient and have emotions. Both positions might be debatable, but these facts are credibly established. Which returns us to ethics and Buddhist teachings, since helping sentient beings is one of the most important compassion foundations of Mahayana Buddhism.

Earlier, we stated the strong position of Buddhist teacher Theodore Tsaousidis: “If you claim to be a compassionate person or Buddhist in the 21st century and still eat meat, there are possible elements of pathology, hypocrisy and ignorance that beg reflection.”

Is this harsh? Not if you consider the First Precept of the Buddha, “Abstain from Taking Life.” And not, as Mahayana Buddhists, when we vow to “benefit all sentient beings.” Practicing Mahayana Buddhists reinforce that vow and belief each day when we take refuge.

Theodore elaborated on his very strong position:

“If one keeps looking to the Buddha for direction as to whether it is permissible to kill and eat animals, then one doesn’t understand the aim of his teachings. If you, on a basic level, understand the fundamental technology and methodology of Buddhist’s teachings, then whether the question is simple or complex, it can be answered strictly by applying the method the Buddha expounded —which is to ask the question and experience the answer for oneself. 

“To do this, one must attend to one’s raw feeling. Without getting entangled in the interpretation of various sources, we can just feel and attend to one question: “Is my action inclusively wholesome, good, compassionate and freeing?” 

Science asserts that sentient beings include fish, birds and animals. Buddhism might be the middle way, but there is really not much middle ground for a Mahayana Buddhist with regards to eating meat. In Theravadan Buddhism, perhaps, there’s a little leeway, but the Mahayana Buddhist is above all compassionate and working for the benefit of sentient beings.

“If I didn’t ask the butcher to kill the animal, meat is okay, right?”

Generally, early Buddhist monks were instructed by Buddha to eat whatever is given to them. This could include meat, provided they were certain that the animal was not butchered for their benefit. Which, of course, is a wide loop hole, if you consider this to mean “it’s okay as long as I didn’t instruct them to butcher the meat.” However, most reasonable people understand that meat is only butchered due to our demand, so we are all involved in the decision.

Specifically, Buddha said, in early Theravadan sutras: “Monks, I allow you fish and meat that are quite pure in three respects: if they are not seen, heard or suspected to have been killed on purpose for a monk. But, you should not knowingly make use of meat killed on purpose for you.” In this case, Buddha is teaching that monks should not reject alms, and also it’s important not to waste meat that is already butchered. Generally, this is not interpreted to mean approval of the practice of eating meat itself.

Technically correct? No intention is a thin argument.

It came down to intention. If monks were given meat, they could eat it because they had no intention to do harm (it was given to them, not requested by them) — therefore there was no negative karma. That’s not saying there was no harm done, only that there is no specific ethical problem if there was no intention to harm. It’s a thin argument, perhaps, considering there is knowledge that harm was done, but it’s technically correct in terms of karma.

However, since most of us are lay practitioners, we more or less order or buy meat knowing it must be killed for our benefit. Therefore, our middle ground becomes one of — “I’m not ready to be a monk today, but sometime in the future…” If we really want to look the other way, we can also hide behind “no intention to cause harm” but it’s not an easy argument to make when we knowingly buy the meat.

Mahayana sutras, on the other hand, for the most part reject meat and emphasize compassion to all sentient beings — which we now know include non-human animals, birds and fish.

The Dalai Lama: “The best thing is to give up meat.”

In answer to the direct question, “Is it permissible for Buddhists to eat meat?” the Dalai Lama replied in November 2009:

“The best thing is to give up meat entirely. Sometimes one’s lifestyle and circumstances provide no alternative but to eat meat, and in these cases one should eat as little meat as possible. Tibetan monasteries and nunneries in south India became entirely vegetarian 15 years ago. Festivals and ceremonies in all Tibetan monasteries and nunneries should be completely vegetarian.” [3]

His Holiness 17th Gyalwang Karmapa: Doesn’t eat meat because “of the intense suffering that the animals”

The Gyalwang Karmapa, who is a vegetarian, gave two reasons why he suggests not eating meat (on the official website of the Karmapa): The first reason is the intense suffering that the animals who are killed go through. Every single day millions of animals are killed to feed us, and many are subjected to terrible conditions to provide us with food.”

The second reason is even more directly hard-hitting from a Mahayana Buddhist point of view:

“We say I am going to do everything I can to free sentient beings from suffering. We say I am going to do this. We make the commitment. We take the vow. Once we have taken this vow, if then, without thinking anything about it, we just go ahead and eat meat, then that is not okay. It is something that we need to think about very carefully.”

What five other notable Buddhist teachers say about eating meat

Here are a few snippets (there are thousands to choose from) from the great teachers:

• Bikkhu Bodhi: The first precept, to abstain from killing, includes the “taking of life of any being with breath.”
• Zasep Tulku Rinpoche: “We must not hurt other people and animals.”
• Thich Nhat Hanh: “No killing can be justified…. We must also learn way to prevent others from killing.”
• Kyabje Chatral Sangye Dorje Rinpoche: “Meat, the sinful food.”
• Lama Zopa Rinpoche: ” As there are more and more people becoming vegetarian, that means less and less animals will be killed. So it is very important. In the world people eat meat mainly because of habit; so many people have not thought that the animals experience unbelievable suffering.” [4]

5 reasons becoming a vegetarian is the ethical thing to do

Some might say we should have started here — with the ethics of meat. In general, most non-sadistic people understand animals suffer. Culturally, we are brought up to accept the practice as “survival” even after it has been demonstrated that vegetarianism is healthier and less expensive.

The root of “immorality” of meat eating lies in two premises, backed by science:

• that animals are sentient, suffer and feel emotions
• that the meat industry is unhealthy for our planet.

If those are accepted, practicing Mahayana Buddhists should, according to many Buddhist teachers, include meat animals in vow “to free all sentient beings from suffering.” The greater threat — that of the world slowly eaten away by an environmentally dangerous meat industry —also can’t be ignored as explicit in that vow. Suffering is suffering. Sentience is sentience. And each person who becomes a vegetarian saves an average of 95 animals each year. [5]

The 5 reasons to abstain or cut back on meat eating are simple:

1. Danger to he environment: the meat industry is one of the world’s greatest threats to the environment in terms of pollution, land and resource consumption, and global warming.
2. Suffering: Eating animals increases demand for slaughter (approximately 95 animals per year per person), which creates the suffering of billions of sentient beings, all of whom feel emotions.
3. Scarcity of food: Since meat animals require approximately 23 times more land than equivalent plant crops, dedicating so much land, water and resources to meat animals, makes it difficult to raise enough food for our current world population
4. Buddhist teachings: Abstain from taking life, defined as any breathing animal, and having compassion for any sentient being.
5. Economy: As land and resources dwindle, and population grows, meat will become unaffordable, creating inequities around the world.

NOTES

[1] The Guardian: “Five Reasons Vegetarians Can Save the World.”

[2] Interview with Theodore Tsaousidis, Buddha Weekly

[3] “Dear Dalai Lama: Is it Permissible for Buddhists to eat meat?” Elephant Journal 

[4] Sources of these quotes found in the Buddha Weekly feature, ” Prominent Scientists Declare “All Non Human Animals… Are Conscious Beings.” The Dalai Lama Protests Chicken Slaughter. An Orangutan Won Non-Human Rights Over Zoo Keeper. What Do the Teachers Say About Non-Human Compassion?”

[5] Animal Equality.

Physicist John Wheeler put it:

“Useful as it is under ordinary circumstances to say that the world exists ‘out there’ independent of us, that view can no longer be upheld.”

Likewise, with consciousness, we see the marvel of Buddha’s teachings, so clear and illuminating. In the Surangama Sutra, Buddha’s brilliant teaching, framed as a conversation with Ananda, stands as verifiable in modern scientific terms. [For the full, brilliant conversation, see the bottom of this feature with the conversation in full from the Sutra.]

Science and the Buddha

So, here is an eminent scientist: Dr. Rupert Sheldrake, a noted expert in consciousness studies:

“We don’t know what consciousness is, or what it does. There’s no known, obvious reason, why we should be conscious at all, or exactly how the mind works.” His conclusion, based on significant research, was:  “…The mind is field-like. That it’s not constrained to the inside of the head.”

Now, here is the Buddha, in the Surangama Sutra:

“If the mind is then within the body, it would be acquainted with the inner parts of the body itself. So that all men should be first sensible of … all that is within them, and afterwards … those things which are without. But how is it then, that we never meet a man who is able to see his own internal organs? That the mind is located within the body cannot be maintained.”

What separates these two notions. Just 2500 plus years.

(See embedded video for this full lecture of Dr. Sheldrake)

There is growing scientific acceptance for Mr. Sheldrake’s thesis — which was originally Buddha’s thesis — some of which he outlines in his lecture (video below). In fact, consciousness studies is one of the most exciting frontier areas of science today.

Mind is a separate entity not “reduced to brain cell processes”

Nobel Prize winning neuroscience Professor Eccles supports the theory that the mind is a separate entity and cannot be “reduced down to the brain cell processes,” according to the Horizon Research Foundation.

An article on the Foundation’s site, asserts “we will never be able to account for the formation of consciousness through the electrical and chemical processes of the brain.” For skeptics, it’s important to realize that all articles on the Research Foundation’s website are reviewed or prepared by scientists directly involved in research.

Professors Karl Popper and John Eccles demonstrated that research indicates a conscious event happens before the relevant brain event, in The Self and Its Brain.

These eminent scientists theorized not just mental and conscious events as separate from the brain, but a self-conscious mind distinct from both.

After Death, Consciousness Continues?

In a well-researched article, Steps Towards Solving the Mystery of Consciousness, the concept of consciousness surviving apparent brain death is highlighted.

“Consciousness appears to be present in 10-20 percent of those who are in cardiac arrest.” The author explained, “brain cells need to communicate using electrical pulses… How is it then that we have a clinical scenario in which there is severe brain dysfunction, the worst possible type, with an absence of electrical activity in the brain, but somehow thought processes, with reasoning, memory formation and consciousness continue and are even heightened?”

Buddhist perspective: duality of mind and brain

From a Buddhist perspective, the duality of mind separate from brain has been accepted since the beginning, and, in some ways, seems a critical support for fundamental Buddhist beliefs in rebirth and karma.

“There are many explanations of what the mind is and of the different categories of mind,” said His Holiness the Dalai Lama in a speech in England in 2008. “For example, there’s a difference made in Buddhism between primary minds and mental factors.” His Holiness explains the two types: “One is brought forth by sensory perception as its immediately preceding condition and the other lacks sensory perception as its immediately preceding condition.”

Until recently, these beliefs have been treated as “faith” fundamentals, supported by authority of the Buddha, and eloquently championed in Dharma debate. Increasingly, there is more and more support amongst scientists specializing in consciousness studies. Promising research may allow us to also anchor our concept of mind, in convincing proofs.

Dr. Alexander Berzin, in his lecture The Conventional Nature of Mind, described it this way: “You can describe experiencing from the point of view of physically what’s happening – there’s the brain and the chemicals and electric stuff – or you can just describe it in terms of subjective experience of it. So we’re talking about the subjective experience of it when we talk about mind.” He went on to explain that the Four Noble Truths are experienced by the mind.

Where is Mind?

Dr. Sheldrake, in his lecture The Mind is Not the Brain, first touches on the important discussion of “just where is the mind?” He describes mind as field-like, similar to the gravitational field of the world, “which stretches out far beyond the earth.”

Mind as fields around the systems they organize

In ancient Buddhist belief, the heart is the seat of the mind. Today, we think of the brain. Either way, science is shedding light on the real nature of mind — that these fields are within and around the systems they organize, according to Dr. Sheldrake. He uses examples such as magnets and gravity which expand beyond the source — for example, by metaphor, the Earth as the brain, and the gravitational field of the earth as the mind. “And I think the same is true of our minds.”

“If the mind is just the brain, which is the normal assumption within academic and medical worlds,” he continued, “then mental activity is nothing but brain activity,” a notion he then elaborately deconstructs as erroneous.

He uses an elaborate example of the mechanism of vision, or seeing, describing first the physiological and neurological mechanism, then the two clear options that explain how we actually “see”. Either the images are projected inside our skull or brain in a form of “virtual reality” or they are exactly where appear, because the mind is able to project or see beyond the brain exactly where it is.

Can you influence something just by looking at it?

He illustrates this by asking the question, “Can you influence something just by looking at it?” He cites studies that indicate that over 90% of people can “feel” when people are looking at them, even when they have their back turned to that person. In scientific studies, there’s overwhelming evidence this is a genuine phenomenon. He illustrates with training examples from the security industry, where it is standard training to security personnel to never look directly a suspect’s back. 

The Dalai Lama expounded on the nature of mind in a 2014 speech in Cambridge: “In general, the mind can be defined as an entity that has the nature of mere experience, that is, “clarity and knowing.” It is the knowing nature, or agency, that is called mind, and this is non-material.”

“Buddhist literature, both sutra and tantra, contains extensive discussions on mind and its nature. Tantra, in particular, discusses the various levels of subtlety of mind and consciousness… with references to the various subtleties of the levels of consciousness and their relationship to such physiological states as the vital energy centers within the body, the energy channels, the energies that flow within these and so on.”

Mind Field Theory

The concept of energy channels (often called chakras) and energy body—as described by his Holiness—has been well accepted for centuries in most parts of Asia. In Buddhist visualization, mind and energy are naturally visualized as separate from body in some practices. This aligns with newly emerging science in the field of consciousness studies.

Aligning with this ancient thought, Dr. Sheldrake—a pioneer in consciousness field theory—explains the mind as a field, similar to a gravity field. He supports this with extensive blind research studies, and illustrates with examples such as bird flocks and fish schools, who seem to almost telepathically communicate. He also delves into Quantum particle theories in support of his theory.

Why is this important?

The brain, in relative dualistic terms, is a physical, impermanent implement. Consciousness also arises from the over-arching doctrine of Dependent Arising. [For a feature on Dependent Arising, see>>]. Although not permanent, mind is also something else in Buddhism, and there are different kinds of mind, mostly described in “field-like” terms. Notably, especially the “subtle consciousness” may transcend individual life-times. This is plausibly theorized by research from Professors Popper and Eccles who describe “a Self-Conscious Mind” independent of the brain, that functions even after cardiac arrest.

Self conscious mind, surviving cardiac arrest, is reassuring to those of us who believe that mind survives death. Although rebirth is supported by various other research and near-death studies, the notion of conscious mind surviving physical death adds a new dimension to death meditation and daily practice.

Surangama Sutra

Excerpt of a discussion between Buddha and Ananada on the nature of mind:

Buddha: “Using what means of sight … and who was it that beheld me?”

Ananda: “I used my eyes and my mind”.

Buddha: “Then the true ground of ‘BEHOLDING’ is to be sought in the mind and the eye.
But what is the precise location of this mind and this sight?”

Ananda: “Everyone agrees that the mind is within the body and the eye is within the head”.

Buddha: “You are seated in the preaching hall of Tahagata; look out now and see the trees, and tell me where they are situated.”

Ananda: “They are outside the hall”.

Buddha: “And as you sit here in the hall, what is it that you first behold”?

Ananda: “First the Tathagata, next the great assembly, then the trees outside”.

Buddha: “As you behold the trees outside, what is the medium through which you gaze at them?”

Ananda: “The windows of this great hall are open”.

Buddha: “Is it possible for any person within this hall NOT to see the Tathagata, and YET behold objects outside?”

Ananda: “No!”

Buddha: “If the mind is then within the body, it would be acquainted with the inner parts of the body itself. So that all men should be first sensible of … all that is within them, and afterwards … those things which are without. But how is it then, that we never meet a man who is able to see his own internal organs? That the mind is located within the body cannot be maintained.”

Ananda: “I must then understand that that the mind is without the body. It seems that the intelligent mind (or perceptive faculty) must be like a lamp placed OUTSIDE a house, not illuminating that which is within.”

Buddha: Take your assertion that the mind is dwelling outside the body. Therefore there must be an external connection between your body and this mind, and when this personal connection is not in action, then what the external mind perceives you yourself cannot know. And since (as far as you are concerned) the knowledge of a thing is the personal knowledge you posses of it, the intelligent mind (apart from this) knows nothing.
For instance, I show you my hand: At the moment your eyes perceive it, does not the mind also perceive it?”

Ananda: “Yes”.

Buddha: “Therefore it would appear that the mind is not resident outside the body, in as much as it is disconnected from it”.

Ananda: “I must therefore concede that the power of seeing and knowing is fixed in the one place.”

Buddha: “But what is that place?”

Ananda: “It appears that the mind, if not within, and yet perceiving that without, lies hidden with the sense itself.”

Buddha: “Then why do you not see the eye itself when you gaze upon the mountains? This assertion also cannot be.”

Ananda: “In your discourses with the disciples concerning the true condition of being you have said that the intelligent mind is neither within the body nor beyond it, but is between the two.”

Buddha: “You speak of between the two. Take care that this phrase does not deceive you, so that it means nowhere.
Where is the place of this middle point? Does it reside in the sense or in the thing perceived? 
If the mind is in the middle of the sense and the object of sense, then the substance of mind is either UNITED with the two, or separated and DISTINCT from the two.
If UNITED with the two, then there is a confusion of substance, so mind would not be a substantial unit.
But if there be no such union, then this intelligent mind must partake of the character of the sense which you say has the power of knowing, and partly of the object of the sense which you say has no such power.
The mind therefore has no distinct character; and if so, by what mark may you recognise it, as it exists in the middle of these two opposing powers? You may conclude that this hypothesis is not capable of proof.”

Ananda: “I have heard the assertion that the nature of the mind is such, that it could not be said to be within the body, nor without it, nor in the middle point, but that the mind in its very nature is without a local habitation, and without preference.
I would be glad to know whether I may define the mind as that which is “indefinite” and “without partiality”.

Buddha stretched out his hand and drew his fingers into a fist and asked Ananda “What do you see?”

Ananda: “I see the Tathagata raising his arm and bending his fingers into a fist.”

Buddha: “Now, what is the instrument by which you see all this?”

Ananda: “I and all present see this by the use of our eyes.”

Buddha: “If it is your eyes which see the fist, of what account is the mind?”
Ananda: “I take it that the mind is the power by which I investigate.”

Buddha: “No, no, Ananda, this is not your mind”
Ananda: “If this is not my mind, tell me what it may be called.”

Buddha: “This is but the perception of vain and false qualities which, under the guise of your true nature, has from the first deceived you.”
At this time Buddha began his explanation to Ananda and the rest of the congregation intending to excite in them a consciousness of that mind which springs not from any earthly source…

Buddha: “Tathagatha ever says, every phenomenon that presents itself to our knowledge is but a manifestation of the mind … which is the true substratem of all.
If all the varieties of being in the collection of worlds, down to the single shrub, and the leaf, or the fiber of the plant, tracing all these to their ultimate elements-if all these have a distinct and substantial nature of their own-how much more or the pure, excellent, and human mind, which is the basis of all knowledge, to have attributed to it its own essential and substantial existence?
If, you examine this question and still prefer to call the discriminating and enquiring faculty by the name of mind, you must at any rate distinguish it from the power that apprehends the various phenomenon connected with the mere senses and allow the latter a distinct nature.

Thus, while you now hear me declaring the law, it is because of the sounds you hear that there is a discriminating process within you.; yet, after all sounds have disappeared, there still continues a process of thought within, in which memory acts a principal element, so that there is a mind acting as it were on the mere shadows of things.

I do not forbid you to hold your own opinion on the question of the mind, but I only ask you to search out the … question itself.

If, after you have removed the immediate cause of sensation, there is still a discriminative power in the faculty of which we speak, then that is the true mind which you justly designate as yours; but if the discriminative power ceases to exist after the immediate cause which called it in to exercise is removed, then this power is only a shadowy idea, dependent entirely on the external phenomenon.

Suppose you were going along a road, and you were to meet a blind man, and ask him ‘Do you see anything?’
That blind man would reply to you: ‘I see only darkness before my eyes’.
What is wanting why this observation should not be called “seeing?”

Ananda: “How can you speak of an act of “seeing” when the same darkness is before the eyes of all blind people”.

Buddha: “All blind people without can only observe darkness; but now take a man who has eyes, and place him in a dark room, is there any difference between the darkness which the blind man observes and the darkness which the man sees who has eyes”.

Ananda: “No. They are the same”.

Buddha: “Suppose the blind man who observes only darkness were suddenly to receive his sight – so that he could perfectly see the various objects before his eyes – this you would call ‘eye-seeing’.
Now, suppose that other man who is in a dark room, and who sees nothing before but darkness, were suddenly to have a lighted lamp brought into the room so that he got perfect knowledge of surrounding objects, would you call this ‘lamp-seeing’?
”If so, then the lamp is able to see; but, if the lamp is the same as the eye, why do you call it a lamp? 
And again, since the lamp would then have the power of observation, what value would your eye have in the matter?
You know that the lamp is only able to make things visible so that, as far as seeing is concerned, the eyes have distinct function, opposed to the function of the lamp.

But nevertheless when we speak of the ‘power of sight’, in truth this no more resides in the eye than in the lamp.

At this time, Buddha in the midst of the great assembly, opened and closed his hand and then addressed Ananda saying “What is it that you have seen me do?”

Ananda: ‘I saw your palm in the midst of the assembly opened and closed”

Buddha: “When you saw this, was it my hand you saw open and shut, or was it your sight that opened and closed itself?”

Ananda: “It was your hand that opened and closed, for the nature of my seeing faculty admits not opening or closing”

Buddha: “What is it that moves and what is it that rests in this case?”

Ananda: “It was your hand that moved and my seeing faculty is eminently fixed what is there that can unsettle it?”

Buddha: “Just so”… and from the midst of his hand let fly a glorious ray of light which located itself to the right of Ananda, who turned his head and looked over his right shoulder. . Again, Buddha let fly another ray, which fixed itself to the left of Ananda, who turned his head and looked over his left shoulder.

Buddha said to Ananda: “Why did you just now turn your head”

Ananda: “Because I saw light issuing from the precious hand of Buddha and fix itself to the left and right of me, I therefore turned my head to see those lights”

Buddha: “Was it your head which moved, or your sight which moved?”

Ananda: “It was my head which turned, my power of sight is fixed. What then can it move?”

Buddha: “Just so.”

At this time, Prasenadjit Rajah rose from his seat and addressed Buddha: “Tell me, how I may attain the knowledge of the imperishable principle which you call the mind?”

Buddha: “Maharajah! with respect to your present body, I would ask you, Is this body of yours like the diamond, unchangeable in its appearance and … imperishable, or is it, on the other hand, changeable and perishable”

TheRajah: “This body of mine without doubt, in the end, after various changes, will perish”

Buddha: “You have not yet experienced this destruction of the body. How then do you know anything about it?”

TheRajah: “With respect to this transient changeable and perishable body, although I have not yet experience the destruction of which I speak, I observe the case of things around me and ever reflect that all these things are changing – old things die and new things succeed, there is nothing that changes not, thus the wood that now burns will soon be converted into ashes; all things gradually exhaust themselves and die away; there is no cessation of this dying out and perishing.
I may certainly know that this body of mine will finally perish …”

Buddha: “You confess that from witnessing these ceasless changes you arrive at the conviction that your body must perish.
Let me ask when this time for your body to perish arrives, are you aware of anything connected to yourself that will not perish?”

TheRajah: “I know of no such imperishable thing”

Buddha: “I will now explain to you the character of that ‘nature’ which admits of neither birth or death.
Maharajah: When you were a little child, how old were you when you fist saw the river Ganges?”

TheRajah: “When I was three years old”

Buddha: “Let us take up your own illustration respecting your gradual alteration of appearance through every decade of your life.
You say that three years of age that you saw this river.
Tell me then when you were thirteen years old what sort of appearance had this river then?”

TheRajah: “Just the same as it had been when I was three years old;
And now I am sixty two there is no alteration in its appearance”

Buddha: “You are now become decrepit, white-haired and wrinkled in face, and so your face has grown during succesive years, tell me then, has the sight which enable you to see the Ganges in former years become also wrinkled and increasingly so with your years?”

TheRajah: “No”

Buddha: “Although your face has become wrinkled, yet your power of sight has in its nature altered not.
But that which becomes old and decrepit is in its nature changeable, and that which does not become so, is unchangeable.
That which changes is capable of destruction, but that which changes not, must be from its origin incapable of birth or death”

Ananda: “If this sight power is the same as my mysterious nature, then this nature of mine ought to be clear to me; and if this sight power is the same as my true nature, then what is my mind and what is my body?”

Buddha: “Suppose that in the exercise of this vision, you are observing things around you, tell me in what does the SELF of this power consist.
Is it due to the bright light of the sun? 
Is it attibutable to the presence of darkness?
Is it the existence of space which constitutes the ground work of its SELF?
Or is it the presence of obstacles that constitutes this self?”
If the bright presence of light is the ground work, then, as this presence is the substantial basis of vison, what can be the meaning of seeing ‘darkness’?
If space is the basis of this self caused power, then, how can there be such a thing as an interpretation of sight by any obstacle?
Or if any of the various accidents of darkness be considered as the substantial basis of the SELF, then, in the daylight the power of seeing light ought to disappear…
You should be satisfied therefore, that this subtle power of sight, essentially glorious, depends not for its existence, either on cause or connection.
It is not what is termed self caused, nor yet is it the opposite of this.
It is independent of all conditions and also of all phenomenon…

Therefore Ananda, you ought to know that when you see the light, the seeing does not depend on the light;
when you see the darkness, the seeing does not depend on the darkness;
when you see space, the seeing is not concerned with the idea of space; 
and so also with the limitations of space.

These four deductions being settled, then I proceed to say that when we exercise the power of sight through the medium of this very sight-power seeing does not depend on this sight-power.
Even while ‘seeing’ we may be still at a distance from ‘true sight’.
Nor by the exercise of sight do we necessarily exercise the power of ‘true sight’….

Ananda, consider a man whose afflicted with a cataract.
At night, when the light of the lamp shines before him, he thinks he sees a round shadow encircling the flame, composed of the five colours interlacing one another.
What think you with regard to the perception of this round effulgence encircling the flame of the night lamp.
Is the beautiful colour in the lamp, or is it in the eye?
If it is in the lamp, then why does not a man whose sight is healthy see it?
If it is in the sight of the person then, as it is the result of an act of vision, what name shall we give to the power that produces these colours?

We conclude therefore that the object looked at that, ie: the flame, is dependent on the lamp, but that the circle is the result of imperfect vision.
Now all such vision is connected with disease.
However to see the cause of the disease (the cataract) is curative of the disease…

So, just what you and other creatures see now, the mountains, rivers, countries and lands, all this, I say, is the result of an original fault of sight… of the cataract, as it were, on the true and ever-glorious power of sight which I possess.

If this ordinary power of sight be a cataract on the eye of my true sight, it follows that the pure and bright mind of my true knowledge in seeing all these unreal associations is not afflicted with this imperfection;
that which understands error is not itself in error; so that, having laid hold of this true idea of sight, there will be no further meaning in such expressions ‘hearing by the ears’ or ‘knowing by the sight’.

This faculty then, which we an all the twelve species of creatures possess, and which we call sight -
this is the same as the cataract on the eye – 
it is the imperfection of ‘true sight’: but that true and original power of vision which has become thus perverted, and is in its nature without imperfection -
that cannot properly be called by the same name…

At this time, attentive to the words of the Buddha Tathagata, Ananda and all the congregation obtained illumination. The great assembly perceived that each one’s mind was co-extensive with the universe, seeing clearly the empty character of the universe as plainly as a leaf, and that all things in the universe are all alike merely the excellently bright and primeval mind of Buddha, and that this mind is universally diffused, and comprehends all things within itself.

And still reflecting, they beheld their generated bodies, as so many grains of dust in the wide expanse of the universal void, now safe, now lost; or as a bubble of the sea, sprung from nothing and born to be destroyed.
But their perfect and independent soul (they beheld) as not to be destroyed, but remaining ever the same;
It is identical with the substance of Buddha.

Buddha: “This unity alone in the world is boundless in its reality, and being boundless is yet one.
Though in small things, yet it is in great.
Though in great things, yet it is in small.
Pervading all things, present in every minutest hair, and yet including the infinite worlds in its embrace;
enthroned in the minutest particle of dust, and yet turning the Great Wheel of the Law;
opposed to all sensible phenomena; it is one with Divine Knowledge.

Video Highlight: “Ask a Monk” Are the Mind and Brain Different

Something magical happened in Europe, Asia and the Middle East as humanity stepped out of the darkness into the ancient world.  Mankind crossed the frontier of the self and questioned who they were and where they stood in the world — lighting a path forward for the inquiring mind to explore the self, society and a life free from the suffering of our pre-history.

As man’s antecedent Australopithecus stood upright for the first time four million years ago, the mind also “stood upright” for the first time. With new perspective, mankind cast its gaze over the landscape of the inner world. [1]

Between 800-400 BCE three extraodinary investigations into the self and society abounded with similarities. The Ancient Greeks including Homer, Socrates and Plato wrestled with the question of how to live the good and just life. Similarly, the Silver Scrolls written around 700 BCE, detailed how believers in Yahweh could lead a blessed life [2]. Across the world in ancient south Asia the Buddha endeavoured to cut through the illusion of the self and weed out the roots of suffering. [3] Three contemporaneous and independent enterprises to understand the social and inner-world converged on similar ideas of the self and society, for reasons previously unexplored.

Convergent evolution and convergent beliefs

By contributing writer Jamie Baillie

The domestic sunflower blossoms across the rolling and varied landscapes of North America adorned with delicate and vibrant petals and concentric circles of budding ray florets, each specifically adapted to track, absorb and convert sunlight into ATP (Adenosine triphosphate) and ultimately glucose. [4] Similarly, across the Atlantic Ocean, the pericallis cruenta takes root in the Canary Islands off the west coast of Africa, subject to a different evolutionary lineage from the domestic sunflower, yet bearing many resemblances to its North American counterpart, namely its dainty petals and budding ray florets. [5]

Together the sunflower and the pericallis cruenta exemplify a concept known as convergent evolution: the process whereby unrelated organisms independently evolve similar characteristics due to similar evolutionary pressures. [6] Moreover, more complex organisms than the sunflower independently evolve similar traits, as observed in the African and European moles and the great apes such as gigantopithecus which independently evolved small canines like those found in modern humans. [7]

The salience of convergent evolution is this: can juxtaposing more than just flesh and bone, flora and fauna, but the genealogy of independent values and virtues deepen and broaden our understanding of the self and society?

Why have independently evolving belief systems flourished on opposite sides of the globe and subsumed converging ‘traits’ in an age of limited intercontinental communication? Converging beliefs among divergent value systems can be traced back to the origins of Hellenistic philosophy, the first manuscripts of the bible and the teachings of the Buddha between 800 – 400 BCE.

Understanding the self

These projects attempted to precisely understand the nature of the self and how the individual ought to live in relation to it, how to live with their neighbours, and how the individual should orient themselves towards their state. All during an epoch bereft of seamless intercontinental communication. These projects, separated by land and sea, culture and communication, abounded with converging ideas of the mind.

The book of Genesis, written around the Babylonian exile in 539 BCE [8] details the story of Adam and Eve’s fall from grace as they ate from the forbidden tree of knowledge and succumbed to overwhelming shame. Clutching at fig leaves, Adam and Eve hastily covered up and comported themselves with the diffidence and shame of individuals that suddenly bore the weight of the “self”. [9]

The philosopher Gorgio Agamben notes that for the first time, Adam and Eve were stripped of their “Clothes of Grace” and confronted with the self; becoming ‘naked’ through the denudation of their grace and fully aware of their own being crashing down on them. [10] The story of Adam and Eve exemplifies the individual coming to terms with their own being and learning the moral parameters of how to act in the world.

Most saliently, the book of Genesis does not simply position man as a mere serf, but places squarely the burden of our own choices on the individual: “And the Lord God Said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil…” [11] In essence, man is becoming God, endowed with moral scruples and growing self-autonomy.

The “self” explored in Ancient Greece

The book of Genesis is among the first texts to explore the themes of the mind and self and quite possibly the first to do so on the Arabian Peninsula. But these motifs were not exclusive to the Kingdom of Judah, across the Mediterranean Sea, in the city-states of ancient Greece, ideas of the mind and the self similarly flourished during the Golden Age of Athens. Ancient Athens was the birthplace of individual liberty and direct democracy, the cradle of philosophy and Aristotle’s De Anima marked the origin of the empirical study of the mind. [12]

Meditations on the mind trace back to the works of Homer and the philosophies of Socrates, Plato and Aristotle. Homer’s works Iliad and the Odyssey date back to 8^th century BCE [13] recapitulating the events of the Trojan War and hero Odysseus’ triumphal adventure against embattled Gods and his own suffering.

Individuals not chained to destiny: Homer

The salience of Homer’s epics –resembling the truths of Genesis — lay in its analysis that individual actors are not chained to their destiny; that heroes are made of individuals who have a reason to live and can bear almost any form of suffering; that through their own self-autonomy and ingenuity people can navigate the world no matter what it takes, or conversely they can succumb to squalor and suffering of their own doing. Zeus remarks in the Odyssey [14] :

“Mortals! They are always blaming the gods when their own witlessness causes them more than they were destined for.”

The idea of an inner-self permeated ancient Greek culture — manifested in Greek tragedies — expressed the beliefs of Socrates and Plato, who proposed an immaterial soul at the helm of the material body. [15] The 5^th and 4^th century BCE philosophies of Socrates and Plato laid great emphasis on knowing self, whether it be the rich qualitative desires and drives of the individual to pursue a life of the mind or the body, or a topographic model of the self as partitioned into three distinct capacities of rationale, spirit and desire. This was symbolized in the analogy of a chariot pulled by two winged horses: one representing spirit, the other desire, with a charioteer at the helm representing intellect and rationale as he attempts to guide the horses to enlightenment. [16]

Critias, one of Socrates’ students, expounds upon the Greek concept σωφροσύνη, sometimes translated as ‘Sophrosyne’ in English, denoting a soundness of mind and control of the self. Critias and Socrates, attempting to deepen their understanding, assert that self-control is not simply excellence or moderation in character, but to know thy self, to know themselves and the value of their actions. This enabled the individual – akin to the parable of Adam and Eve — to live their life virtuously according to a set of moral parameters in the hopes that they would not corrupt their soul and suffer in Hades for the rest of eternity.[17] For Plato and Socrates, self-knowledge was critical in preserving the self. This was either to gain entry to an afterlife in the heavens — visualised by Plato in The Myth of Er as a panel high up in the heavens that renders a final judgement on the purity of one’s soul — or by avoiding the corruption of the self in exchange for material gain, as outlined by Socrates’ and Glaucon’s discourse on the ring of Gyges; that the individual who succumbs to avarice and crime lives as a serf to their appetitive desires even if they can elude incrimination. [18]

The Buddha

Early 6^th century BCE, born the royal prince of Lumbini, Siddhartha Gautama lived a life of opulence and wealth, indulging in the warmth of luxury and leisure.

Siddhartha lived out his early years insulated from the depravity and suffering beyond the palace grounds. Until one day, Siddhartha left the sanctuary of the palace walls and rode on horseback to the deprived and debauched slums previously beyond the shelter of his youth, bearing witness to the abject suffering that would shake Siddhartha and shape his enterprise to understand the self — and led his realization of the impermanence and ultimate dissatisfaction of conditioned existence. [19]

When the princely Siddhartha left the palace, he witnessed the four sites: poverty, illness, old age and death. These horrors would cause him to embark on one of the most ambitious philosophical missions of our times; after seeking answers from different teachers, he finally settled himself under the bodhi tree determined to sit there until he unearthed the root of human suffering.

He spent 49 days and 49 nights meditating on the meaning of it all, gradually letting go of the world’s distractions. Siddhartha finally reached enlightenment and thereafter became known as Buddha ‘the enlightened one’. [20]

Like Adam and Eve — who partook of forbidden knowledge — the Buddha had his moral world turned right-side up and finally awoke to the full scope of individual suffering.

Transient desires of the self

Like Plato and Socrates, who laid great emphasis on living a life free of appetitive and bodily desires, the Buddha cut through the transient desires of the self.

He taught the ‘three roots of evil’ defined in the Pāli canon as desire, ignorance and hatred. [21]

They fed and intensified each other: hatred feeding into ignorance, ignorance feeding into our desire and greed then circling back and completing the vicious cycle by feeding into hatred. This cyclical chain of misery and torment referred to in the Pāli canon as Samsara, binds the self to the mundane and miserable from one life to the next, unless the individual can follow the middle path between opulence and extreme asceticism and reach Nirvana. Although Nirvana is not easily defined, it can be described as the greatest spiritual flourishing, marked by compassion for all life and the quietude of negative thoughts, desires, follies and hostility previously clouding the mind. This is not dissimilar to the Greek concept of Sophrosyne. [22]

The teachings of the Buddha, contemporaneous with the book of Genesis and some one hundred years before the teachings of Socrates recapitulate many similar motifs found in ancient Greek and Arabic literature.

Each tradition, separated by land and sea, unaware of the others existence, converged on the idea of the self careening towards a fork in the road: one path leading to nirvana, the heavens or grace; and the other to unimaginable suffering in Hades, the denudation of grace or an existence condemned to a concatenation of inescapable suffering known as samsara.

Moreover, each tradition lays great emphasis on a self-capable of orienting the individual to the good life, to a life of the mind and justice by skirting past the pitfalls presented by the world. In essence, one must understand the self before they can understand the world.

Bridging ancient world and modern psychology

The neuroscientist Mariano Sigman developed a diagnostic tool intended to parse the written and spoken word of a patient assessing the link between their ‘conversational stability’ and their mental stability. This diagnostic tool appraises the individual’s mental stability by identifying keywords or concepts in their diction serving as a marker for mental instability. In essence, what can the words of an individual tell us about their mind and their potential to develop mental disorders? [23] Sigman’s diagnostic algorithm sifts through digitised text assigning keywords and concepts into ‘semantic neighbourhoods’ by searching for related words and the frequency of diction jumps. Words like cat, dog, leash, bowl and bone are all closely related whereas unrelated words and concepts such as ‘dog’ and ‘atomisation’ occupy distinct semantic neighbourhoods. [23]

The spoken and written words of an individual echo the mental state. Moreover, Sigman ran myriad ancient texts through this algorithm, finding that related concepts of the mind date back to the writings of the Old testament and Homer’s epics and exponentially populate the 5^th and 4^th century texts of Plato and Socrates were philosophies of the mind reach lift off. One can also surmise that a similar trajectory of inquiry into the mind can be found in other cultures, such as the contemporaneous works of the Buddha, Lao Zi and Confucius in ancient Asia.

The salience of Sigman’s diagnostic algorithm lays in its capacity to provide an objective and quantitative relationship between the recorded word and the inner world of the mind and its continued development. Bridging the ancient world and modern psychology.

Just as the sunflower and pericallis cruenta convergently evolved similar traits to make most of the sun-soaked landscapes of the United States and the Canary Islands, one might extrapolate the truisms of convergent evolution to the ascent of self-awareness and philosophies of the mind between 800 – 400BCE.

Suffering — the common link

The beginnings of these great contemplative movements are marked by suffering, poverty, death, oppression in its various guises and occupation of one form or another.

The golden age — also a time of tyranny

The golden age of Athens, a microcosm of flourishing intellectualism and meditations on the mind beset by war, occupation and tyranny. The 5^th century BCE gave us Socrates and Plato and a city-state limping from one fight to another, embattled with the Persian empire between499-449BCE resulting in numerous battles, the occupation and burning of Athens in 480 BCE, a quarrelling alliance of city-states known as the Delian League in 478 BCE and eventually defeat too and occupation by the Thirty Tyrants of Sparta in 404 BCE. [24] Despite turmoil and occupation, Athens made significant strides leading into the 5^th century; the ‘seven sages’ were salient in tackling poverty, encouraging trade of olive oil and pottery, replacing Draco’s punitive laws and establishing the basis for direct democracy and a reliable minted Athenian currency. [25] Athens was on the up despite myriad setbacks during the lives of Plato and Socrates, portraying what Athens and society at large could be.

Biblical times — the great suffering

Similarly, the earliest books of the Bible, including Genesis, were believed to have been written in Jerusalem around the time of Babylonian exile. A time of persecution and oppression for the people of Judah living under the thumb of Babylon — an empire sprawling over much of modern-day Syria, Iraq, and Israel. An empire that had deported the people of Judah between 597-581 BCE from their home in Jerusalem and forcibly detained them in Babylon. Moreover, during the second Babylonian siege of Jerusalem in 587 BCE, the walls were breached, Jerusalem was razed to the ground, houses laid in ruin, Solomon’s temple was no more, and the Kingdom of Judah remained a vassal state with only enough people left to tend to the farms. Life was bleak. [26] Exile from Jerusalem lasted until the Persian king Cyrus the great liberated the Judahites from Babylonian serfdom and allowed them to return to Jerusalem between 539-538 BCE where they would ultimately build a second temple, ending Babylonian captivity. [27] Judah was wrought with instability and occupation, not unlike that experienced by Plato and Socrates, both Athens and Jerusalem were razed to the ground and occupied by brutal, tyrannical regimes. Indeed, suffering and devastation of one sort or another engendered a quest to find something more, to break free from a cycle of serfdom and misery and to ask what could be.

Buddha — and samsara

Like ancient Greece, India during the life of the Buddha was a patchwork of polities following the dissolution of the Paurava empire and wouldn’t resemble a unified kingdom until the reign of the Mauryan empire some one hundred or so years after his death. India underwent social change as the subcontinent stepped out of the Vedic period that brought with it the Aryan invasion and the seminal Veda texts; codifying the cast system, outlining Brahminism and identifying the self as one with the universe while imbuing a sense of social order and honour in the individual for performing their predetermined duties well. [28]

The authority of the Veda texts — which brought stability to much of the subcontinent — came under threat from multifarious spiritual movements flourishing across India; these movements endeavoured to reject the caste system, emphasising traditions with great emphasis on individual free will, asceticism and breaking free from the Vedic tradition. [29] Moreover, during the life of the Buddha the political paradigm across the Kosala and Magadha Kingdoms and the Vrij republic shifted as the growing merchant class became wealthier and more influential than the ruling Brahmans, engendering arbitrary restrictions on commerce and society in general. [30] Conflict ensued as the dominance hierarchies of the day played out in the polities dotted around India, resulting in a life of minimal freedom and maximal suffering for the many as spiritual figures such as the Buddha sought emancipation from their physical condition.

Buddha, and other great contemplatives of the ancient world, searched for a spiritual solution to their physical condition — to the suffering and instability that threatened to topple the promise of a better society and a more fulfilled self. These great minds took it upon themselves to precipitate the march to a more liberated world.

The rise of Dharma

What can the suffering of ancient contemplatives tell us about human nature and the forces of evolution? One thing to note across these traditions is the emergence of written texts, either just before, after or during the lives of these great contemplatives as they lived beset by restrictive and sometimes totalitarian regimes.

The developmental psychologist Jean Piaget took note of how children learned to live in the world and specifically how they organised themselves into roles during games. As he discovered, children follow their prescribed roles in the game but have a difficult time articulating the rules and roles of the game. Instead, the rules of the game emerge as a consequence of the group coming together. Moreover, Piaget noted that if children have the choice of playing one of two games, game A being voluntary and game B being mandatory, A will win out and be more efficient and effective over time at teaching children the rules of the game as game A will avoid the ‘enforcement cost’ of game B. [31]

Like the children in this experiment, ancient humanity before Homer and the Vedic period had little more than scattered oral rules about the game of life to guide them, perhaps no more complicated than ‘those that stay together thrive together’ and without complete knowledge of how society or the self ought to be.  A society that has quelled the immediate threats of mother nature, agriculture, and brutish tribal wars tends to become more efficient: cut costs, holster the whip and offer concessions to those that threaten instability.

When Australopithecus walked upright for the first time, it freed up its hands for tool creation. When homo erectus evolved to perspire through the skin instead of the mouth, it facilitated the development of complex oral communication. Likewise,  freeing up the enforcement costs of brutish regimes may have an untold impact on humankind. [33] Society can change the game of life from a mandatory game along the continuum — to a voluntary game, one of lesser enforcement costs.

Indeed, it is the subjects of these regimes that serve as evolution’s gatekeepers, ensuring that no regime exerts its force inefficaciously for too long.

Convergence

These great contemplatives — who developed similar philosophies despite the separation of time and distance, would ultimately be a liberating force in society, leading to more liberal — perhaps even more democratic societies. Instead of rule by fear, tyranny and terror, the philosophies and codified rules presented a more cost-effective system living in the world.

Mankind stepped out of the dark ages into the promise of enlightenment and the scientific revolution. The Buddha, Socrates, and the Bible lead to the prodigious value systems and an understanding of the self that changed the world — the point in our history when the self-stepped out the shadow of the tyrant,  and the individual broke free of collective suffering.

Notes/References

[1] Smithsonian.com. (2012) Becoming Human: The Evolution of Walking Upright. [Online] Accessed from: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/becoming-human-the-evolution-of-walking-upright-13837658/ [Accessed on: 07/08/2018].

[2] BigThink.com (2017) How Old Is the Bible? [Online] Accessed from: https://bigthink.com/paul-ratner/how-old-is-the-bible [Accessed on: 07/08/2018].

[3] Biography.com (2018) Buddha Biography. [Online] Accessed from: https://www.biography.com/people/buddha-9230587 [Accessed on: 23/08/18].

[4] Nature (2011) The Con of Convergence. [Online] Accessed from: https://www.nature.com/news/2011/110216/full/news.2011.98.html [Accessed on: 07/08/2018].

[5] Brittanica.com (N/A) Photosynthesis. [Online] Accessed from: https://www.britannica.com/science/photosynthesis [Accessed on: 18/08/18].

[6] Uniprot.org (2002) Pericallis cruenta (Cineraria) (Senecio cruentus). [Online] Accessed from: https://www.uniprot.org/taxonomy/98709 [Accessed on: 23/08/18].

[7] Biologydictionary.net Editors. “Organ” Biologydictionary.net. 2014. Web. 4 Nov. 2014. Accessed from: https://biologydictionary.net/convergent-evolution/ [Accessed on: 07/08/2018].

[8] Biologos.com (2013) When Was Genesis Written and Why Does it Matter? Pp. 8 [Online] Accessed from: https://biologos.org/uploads/resources/enns_scholarly_essay3.pdf [Accessed on: 23/08/18].

[9] Genesis 3:1-24 King James Version

[10] Genesis 3:22 King James Version

[11] Genesis: 3:22 King James Version

[12] Russel, B. (1946) History of Western Philosophy, Reprinted (1995) Milton Park: Routledge

[13] Scientific American.com (2013) Geneticists Estimate Publication Date of The Illiad. [Online] Accessed from: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/geneticists-estimate-publication-date-of-the-illiad/ [Accessed on: 07/08/2018].

[14] Homer (800 BCE) The Odyssey. Translated by E.V. Rieu, Revised by D.C.H. Rieu. London: Penguin Books Ltd (2003).

[15] Plato. The Last Days of Socrates. Revised Translation by Hugh Tredennick. (1993) London: Penguin Books Ltd

[16] Plato. Plato in Twelve Volumes, Vol. 9 translated by Harold N. Fowler. Cambridge, MA, London: Harvard University Press. William Heinemann Ltd. 1925.

[17] Plato. Charmides. 164d – 167a. London: Aeterna Press

[18] Plato (380 BCE) The Republic. Second Edition translated by Desmond Lee. 10:612b. London: Penguin Books Ltd. Reissued (2007).

[19] Biography.com (2018) Buddha Biography. [Online] Accessed from: https://www.biography.com/people/buddha-9230587 [Accessed on: 23/08/18].

[20] Biography.com (2018) Buddha Biography. [Online] Accessed from: https://www.biography.com/people/buddha-9230587 [Accessed on: 23/08/18].

[21] Ven. Thera, N (1999) The Roots of Good and Evil. [Online] Accessed from: https://www.buddhanet.net/pdf_file/roots_goodevil.pdf [Accessed on: 23/08/18].

[22] Ven. Thera, N (1999) The Roots of Good and Evil. [Online] Accessed from: https://www.buddhanet.net/pdf_file/roots_goodevil.pdf [Accessed on: 23/08/18].

[23] Sigman, M (2017) The Secret Life of the Brain. Great Britain: Clays Ltd

[24] History.com (2010) Classic Greece. [Online] Accessed from: https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/classical-greece [Accessed on: 24/08/18].

[25] Britannica.com (N/A). Solon: Greek Statesman and Poet. [Online] Accessed from: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Solon#ref161465 [Accessed on: 22/08/18].

[26] Britannica.com (N/A). Babylonian Exile.  [Online] Accessed from: https://www.britannica.com/event/Babylonian-Exile [Accessed on: 22/08/18].

[28] Mark, j. (2012) Ancient India. [Online] Accessed from: https://www.ancient.eu/india/ [Accessed on: 26/08/18].

[29] StudyBuddhism.co, (N/A) Indian Thought and Society at the Time of the Buddha. [Online] Accessed from: https://studybuddhism.com/en/advanced-studies/history-culture/buddhism-in-india/indian-society-and-thought-at-the-time-of-buddha [Accessed on: 23/08/18].

[30] StudyBuddhism.co, (N/A) Indian Thought and Society at the Time of the Buddha. (Online) Accessed from: https://studybuddhism.com/en/advanced-studies/history-culture/buddhism-in-india/indian-society-and-thought-at-the-time-of-buddha [Accessed on: 23/08/18].

[31] Piaget, J. (1932/1965) The moral judgment of the child.

——— (1962) first published 1951. Play, dreams, and imitation in childhood

[32] Loizides, A (2015) Draco’s Law Code. [Online] Accessed from: https://www.ancient.eu/Dracos_Law_Code/ [Accessed on: 26/18/08].

[33] Noah Harrari, Y. (2014) Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind. London: Vintage

Unlocking Your Spiritual Self with Nature

by Guest Contributor Sally Keys

One of the ways we can restore the balance is through the practice of Buddhism which teaches us to look at our spiritual development and uncover the path to true happiness.

Finding our spirituality

Spirituality is a broad concept that many scientists have tried to define through brain activity and its effects through meditation. It can mean different things for people but essentially we think about it as in terms of uncovering the meaning of life which can encompass a sense of connection to something bigger than ourselves.

Anxieties in the modern world, particularly distractions from technology, have allowed negative energies to enter our lives which we need to let go of in order to feel a reconnection with the world again. Our ancestors were not faced with the same conflicts but instead had a deep connection with the universe formed through a relationship with nature. It is these traditional life practices which we have lost and need to recoup.

One of the first steps we can take is to rekindle a bond with our environment and look to making a positive impact in the world.

The mindful Buddhist practice of direct experience through nature, we’ll gain greater positivity and peace between us and others around us. Ancient cultures have always honoured nature’s rivers, mountains, trees, flower, sun, moon and natural elements but the ongoing destruction of the environment has meant that this has been damaged. By re-awakening our spiritual side, we can start to repair the damage to the natural world.

How we can connect with nature

First, we need to really listen to nature before we can communicate with her. Meditation will help although it may be difficult at first. With the effort of real commitment, and with the Buddhist qualities of qualities of awareness, wisdom and kindness. you’ll be a step in the right direction. We can do this by spending time alone in nature. Whether it be up in a mountain or in your local park, part of the reconnection involves finding a quiet time and place in your mind so you can focus on the nature that surrounds you.

The modern, western world might not always teach us to relax and observe, but by allowing ourselves to see and hear our surroundings, we’ll begin the process of unlocking our spiritual self.

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“There is something about conscientious Buddhist practice that results in the kind of happiness we all seek.” Dr. Paul Ekman, University of California San Francisco Medical Centre.

Intriguing research indicates that generating the compassionate mind—particularly all-embracing compassion for all beings—can have tangible health benefits. The research used a protocol dubbed a “Brain Stress Test” to test Buddhist monks against a non-meditator control group.

“The University of Wisconsin-Madison study team scanned the brains of people who had been practicing Buddhists for several years, looking particularly at areas important for emotion, mood and temperament,” writes Mark Henderson, Science Correspondent, Times Online.[6] “They found that the left side the “happiness centre” was consistently highly active in Buddhists.”

The study, designed by Professor Richard Davidson, University of Wisconsin-Madison, uses functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to map changes to the brains of Buddhist monks versus non-meditators. The fMRI allows researchers to live-map responses to negative stimuli, such as screams and cries (and the loud jackhammer sound of the MRI machine itself), then compare results between experienced compassion meditators—the Buddhist monks—and the control group of those who are inexperienced. They found the Buddhist meditators were happier, as demonstrated in brain scans, and less disturbed by stressful stimuli. The key takeaway is difficult for the layman; the study determined experienced Buddhist meditators demonstrated positive “epigenetic alterations of the genome.” (For a vide of Professor Davidson, “Transform Your Mind, Change Your Brain” by GoogleTechTalks, see video below.)

Buddhist Healthier?

How is it possible—beyond the obvious benefits of stress reduction—for experienced Buddhist practitioners to have apparently improved health? One area of the brain, the insula, contains a “map of the visceral organs of the body,” said Professor Davidson in “Transform Your Mind, Change Your Brain”, a GoogleTechTalk.

In tests of “experienced” Buddhist monks, this area of the brain was highly activated, versus the inexperienced control group, who show little activity.

Since, according to Tibetan Medical tradition, the mind can make positive changes to the body, this may explain the connection that facilitates this healing. In Tibetan and Indian tradition, many of the great meditators of various Buddhist traditions were known to have extraordinarily long lives.

During tests, the experienced meditators showed “strongly modulated responses” to negative stimuli, “whereas in the inexperienced meditators there was no difference.” (see inset photo “Changes in the Brain Insula”) Professor Davidson said, “it suggests the Insula is an important piece of the story in terms of how the brain is changed in response to compassion training.”

Professor Davidson adds, “It’s not just the Insula that’s changed. There are other parts of the brain that are dramatically altered by compassion meditation, and two of the areas that play a role are the Enigula, which plays a critical role in emotions, and an area called the TPJ in the right hemisphere. It stands for the Temporoparietal junction. The TPJ has been strongly implicated in perspective taking, and particularly the adoption of another person’s perspective. It has been strongly implicated in empathy.” The tests indicate that activity in all three of these regions is strongly elevated in the experienced long-term compassion meditators — but not with novices.

Buddhists Happier?

“Mind precedes all things; mind is their chief, mind is their maker. If one speaks or does a deed with a mind that is pure within, happiness then follows along like a never departing shadow.”

Shakyamuni Buddha, Dhammapada Verse 1


“Buddhists who claim their religion holds the secret of happiness may have been proved right by science: brain scans of the devout have found exceptional activity in the lobes that promote serenity and joy,” writes Mark Henderson, Science Correspondent for the Times Online, referring to the landmark study by Professor Davidson. “American research has shown that the brain’s ‘happiness centre’ is constantly alive with electrical signals inexperienced Buddhists, offering an explanation for their calm and contented demeanour.” [6]

In an article in New Scientist, Professor Owen Flanagan of Duke University, North Carolina writes: “We can now hypothesize with some confidence that those apparently happy, calm Buddhist souls one regularly comes across in places such as Dharamsala (the Dalai Lama’s home) really are happy.” [7] Previous studies had found that practising Buddhists showed lower activity in the fear/anxiety centres of the brain.

Universal Compassion Key to Happiness?

One particular branch of the study focuses on participants who “will learn compassion meditation — which teaches them to wish for an end to the suffering of loved ones, strangers, themselves, and eventually, difficult people.”[1] This is a close mirror of the Buddhist Metta ideal of embracing compassion to all sentient beings.

Professor Davidson, during a speaking engagement on GoogleTechTalks, explained where the inspiration for the study came from. During dialogues with the Dalai Lama at the Mind and Life Institute, “one of the ideas that emerged from these dialogues many years ago, was the prospect of putting Compassion on the Scientific Map.” [5]

Mapping Compassion with fMRI

“This is a ‘brain stress test’ if you will,” Professor Davidson explains.[5] The mapping is largely done with “real-time” MRI. The model used a “block design” where meditation and “neutral state” were alternated, overlaid with mapped events such as “negative auditory stimuli” (such as cries or screams). The fMRI depicts with imaging, “how practitioners respond to stimuli that depict human suffering when they’re either in the neutral state or the state of generating compassion voluntarily.”

The use of Buddhist monks for the compassion subjects was simply because “pure compassion takes a lot of practice.” Generating compassion voluntarily, as required in the study, is best explained by one high profile monk participant in the research, Matthieu Ricard: “Here, what we have tried to do, for the sake of the experiment, is to generate a state in which love and compassion permeate the whole mind with no other consideration, reasoning or discursive thoughts. This is sometimes called ‘pure compassion’ or ‘non-referential compassion’ (in the sense that it does not focus on particular objects to arouse love or compassion), or ‘all pervading compassion.'” (Matthieu is not only a monk, but holds a PhD in molecular biology.)

Researchers have long understood meditation has general health benefits, but the new study focuses on compassion. Alison Rowe writes, “In a previous NCCAM-supported study, researchers found that the time it takes for the threat center of the brain to respond and recover from a negative image is an indicator of neuroticism. The study showed that long-term meditators had a better recovery than novice meditators or non-meditators. In the new work, differences between mindfulness and compassion meditation will be examined and the relations between changes in the brain and changes in the body [is also] studied.” [3]

Beneficial Health Effects Indicated by Gene Expression Changes

“With evidence growing that meditation can have beneficial health effects, scientists have sought to understand how these practices physically affect the body,” reports Jill Sakai in the University of Wisconsin-Madison News. [2] The study, published in the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology, revealed “gene expression changes with meditation.”

The study compared experienced meditators to an untrained control group who were engaged in quiet, but non-meditative activities. “After eight hours of mindfulness practice, the meditators showed a range of genetic and molecular differences, including altered levels of gene-regulating machinery and reduced levels of pro-inflammatory genes, which in turn correlated with faster physical recovery from a stressful situation.” This position, that meditation has “beneficial effects on inflammatory disorders” is endorsed by the American Heart Association as a “preventative intervention.”

Alterations of the Genome

This is “to the best of our knowledge” the first study to demonstrate alterations in gene expression from meditation practice, according to the study author Richard J. Davidson, found of the Centre for Investigating Healthy Minds.

Perla Kaliman, a researcher at the Institute of Biomedical Research in Barcelona, Spain, observed: “Most interestingly, the changes were observed in genes that are the current targets of anti-inflammatory and analgesic drugs.”

The key take-away from this study was: “the key result is that meditators experienced genetic changes following mindfulness practice that were not seen in the non-meditating group after other quiet activities — an outcome providing proof of principle that mindfulness practice can lead to epigenetic alterations of the genome.”

Other Studies Indicate Buddhists Happier and Healthier?

A previous study dating back to 2003, revealed that “Buddhists really are happier and calmer than other people,” according to BBC News. [8] Researchers at University of California San Francisco Medical Centre found that in Buddhists “areas of their brain associated with good mood and positive feelings are more active.” They also found that Buddhist practice can “tame the amygdala, an area of the brain which is the hub of fear memory.”

Previously, Buddha Weekly reported on a study by the National University of Singapore, which concluded, Vajrayana meditation, in particular, can improve cognitive performance and is promising therapy for degenerative brain disorders. (Story here>> ) Various other studies also show a direct relationship between mindfulness meditation and stress relief, with obvious benefits to health. Now, it appears, studies possibly support the health/happiness benefits of other Buddhist skillful means, such as metta kindness and compassion.

Anecdotally, the Buddhist correlation to happiness is supported by the famous “happiness index” of Burma, which inspired a modern political happiness movement around the world. The U.N. implemented Resolution 65/309 unanimously, placing “happiness” on the global agenda. According to the New York Times, In Burma, a largely Buddhist nation “With a population under 800,000, the average income is about $110 per month. Most Bhutanese do not earn enough money to pay taxes, which are only levied on annual incomes in excess of 100,000 ngultrum, or about $2,000. Despite these limitations, Business Week has ranked Bhutan the “happiest” nation in Asia and the eighth happiest in the world.” Critics, of course, point to the flip-side of Buddhist nationalism, the suppression of minorities, but overall the notion that Buddhism, even in a poverty situation, can bring happiness. [4]

Why Buddhists Might be Healthier and Happier?

“How does practicing meditation influence an individual’s emotions?” is one of the questions the Center for Investigating Healthy Minds hopes to discover. “Can a person reduce the number of asthma attacks by using meditation techniques? How is the content of our dreams affected by meditation, and how does this affect our health and well-being?”[3]

Is it the meditation that relaxes the body? Is it the visualizations that energize the mind? Is it a positive outlook created by an overall mission to be generous, compassionate and unattached? Whatever the root cause, some studies seem to indicate Buddhists are generally happier than non-Buddhists.

Four Essential Points

“One of the most geographically isolated cultures in the world may contain the secrets to happiness that the rest of us have been looking for,” writes Carolyn Gregoire in an article “What Tibetan Buddhism Can Teach Us About Happiness.” She suggests, “Perhaps in part because of the country’s remote location, the Tibetans have become the guardians of a deep, well-preserved wisdom tradition that modern science is only now catching up to.” [9]

Joe Loizzo, a Harvard-trained psychiatrist and founder of the Nalanda Institute for Contemplative Science, is more assertive: “Tibet has probably the greatest treasure trove of ancient contemplative knowledge, science and wisdom about how to influence the mind from the inside out. The Tibetans have an unbroken lineage of oral knowledge and technical expertise … both in medicine and in psychology.”

In the article, four essential lessons from Buddhism are identified as methods to help anyone pursue happiness:

• Be intimate with your mind, particularly focusing on mindful awareness and compassion
• Practice compassion, at every moment: “These practices allow us to turn our sense of life as a battle, a struggle for survival against everybody else, into a communal experience of connecting with the larger world.”
• Embrace death — don’t fear it: “A central aspect of Tibetan Buddhist philosophy is the belief that death should be embraced, and the concept that dying can be the crowning achievement of a life well lived.”
• Be with others who support and share your journey.

Mindfulness compassion meditation, especially, has been shown by numerous medical and research studies to:

• lower stress
• reduce anxiety and relieve depression
• boost positive emotions
• reduce loneliness.

NOTES

[1] “How Does the Compassionate Brain, Measured in the Lab, Predict What Occurs in Real Life.” University of Wisconsin-Madison News, 2/1/12 media release. https://news.wisc.edu/releases/17127

[2] “Study reveals gene expression changes with meditation.” University of Wisconsin-Madison News https://news.wisc.edu/22370

[3] “Grant Supports Investigations into Mechanisms of Meditation, Impacts on Health and Well-Being” https://www.investigatinghealthyminds.org/cihmPressRelease0925.html

[4] “The U.N. Happiness Project“, Timothy W. Ryback, March 28, 2012, The New York Times. 

[5] “Transform Your Mind, Change Your Brain” a GoogleTechTalk by Professor Richard J. Davidson

[6] “Buddhists really do know the secret of happiness” by Mark Henderson, Science Correspondent, Times Online

[7] Professor Owen Flanagan of Duke University, North Carolina for New Scientist

[8] “Buddhists really are happier” BBC News May 21, 2003 

[9] “What Tibetan Buddhism Can Teach Us About Happiness” Carolyn Gregoire, Huff Post The Third Metric

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“Many religious traditions have contended that burning incense is good for the soul. Now, biologists have learned that it is good for our brains too.” — Science Daily [1]

I’m addicted to incense. I use it in the morning. I use it in the evening. I find it triggers something in me, a sense of peace, a sense of coming inside, but also a feeling of connection. Nearly all spiritual paths include incense. Zen Buddhists face the wall, with only incense, and the bell (and occasional whack) for company. Using essential oils, without the incense stick (usually heated in a bowl of water over a candle) can have all the delightful sensations of incense, without the smoke — which can have risks associated with inhaling smoke.

NOTE: Some studies also show that incense smoke indoors can be bad for your lungs. Essential oils heated over a beeswax candle (using an essential oil heater) can have the “brain benefits” without the risk associated with smoke. There are also electric incense burners which have low smoke from natural incense. Incense is not inhaled like a cigarette, and a single stick of low smoke incense with known ingredients may be low risk for those of us in the habit, but dense temple smoke, a room without ventilation, or too much indoor smoke can have risks.  Please review this cautionary study>> It is also not wise to burn incense if you have asthma. Another idea is to burn the incense outside, weather permitting.

In temples all over the world incense is even right now wafting heavenward, some believe carrying prayers, and always presented as a heartfelt offering. In Catholic Cathedrals, censors waft. In every Hindu ceremony, temple and shrine, incense is a constant. These are offerings, but Science is now supporting what religious teachers have said for centuries — “Incense is good for the brain.” This evidence also appears to support actual clinical benefit, rather than just placebo-type benefits based on belief or faith. 

Science: Supports Benefits of Incense

I recently came across a release from John Hopkins University, that seems to suggest that incense is more than just symbolic in terms of meditation practice. While it is antithetical to Buddhist belief, the scientists, as they usually do, tested on mice, but I’ll leave that for another story — we, at Buddha Weekly are 100 percent against this type of research involving animals. However, we felt the results were important information, even if the ends did not justify the means. Science Daily, who reported on this study, described it this way:

“An international team of scientists, including researchers from Johns Hopkins University and the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, describe how burning frankincense (resin from the Boswellia plant) activates poorly understood ion channels in the brain to alleviate anxiety or depression. This suggests that an entirely new class of depression and anxiety drugs might be right under our noses.” [1]

There are many other studies, notably a study from the University of Florida that shows

“smells inhibit and excite cells in the olfactory area of the brain creating changes in the brain.” [3]

Another one, a study of 3,000 people at the Research Centre of Chicago “found that if people had the ability to smell fruit many times a day… they ate less and lost weight.” [3] It’s fairly clear that smells influence mood, emotions and to the brain itself.

The report from John Hopkins adds:

“In spite of information stemming from ancient texts, constituents of Bosweilla had not been investigated for psychoactivity,” said Raphael Mechoulam, one of the research study’s co-authors. “We found that incensole acetate, a Boswellia resin constituent, when tested in mice lowers anxiety and causes antidepressive-like behavior. Apparently, most present day worshipers assume that incense burning has only a symbolic meaning.”

NOTE: No advice is offered or given in this article or this publication. PLEASE ALWAYS REFER TO YOUR TEACHER, PROFESSIONALS, OR AN EXPERT before acting on any information contained in any of our stories. Please see full disclaimer in footer or our Terms of Use.

Pleasant Odors Have Antidepressive-like Behaviour

These studies support the notion that the benefits aren’t just psychological. By extension, once can logically deduce (but not prove) that all pleasant odours would have an antidpressive-like behaviour. It’s a reasonable hypothesis, and certainly supported by aroma therapy, and my own experiences. This suggests that centuries of Ayurvedic and natural medicine are likely not wrong when they make fairly safe lists of benefits (clinically unproven, unless stated otherwise) for various situations [cited from OM Times]:

• Lavender, know to relieve stress and relax
• Sandalwood, removes tension, creates awareness
• Cinnamon, known for increasing focus
• Cedar or pine, well known to help with depression and sadness
• Dragon’s blood, soothes GI tract, helps with pain
• Jasmine, balancing hormones, increasing libido
• Amber: boosting immune system (also if worn, rather than burned, the oil is absorbed through skin)
• Frankincense: was the subject of the above cited study, relieves depression; also known to increase creativity

It is fair to say that any pleasant incense will affect mood positively.

Why Incense is Important in Buddhist Practice

Incense is the top of mind offering substance. Nearly all spiritualities use incense as an offering. In Buddhism it is more than just an “offering.” Offerings are a critical daily practice and not because of superstitious reasoning — i.e. my gift will make my deity happy. By honouring the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, we create several positive conditions, supportive of good karma:

• Merit: by making an offering, we create good Karma of giving
• Overcoming selfishness: any giving is good karma because it overcomes our selfish and ego-centric tendencies and because we give away something with generosity.
• Overcoming pride: giving away what is valuable is also a way to overcome pride, especially if the incense is offered with a bow.

No Charcoal Please: Give Me the Stick or Plug it In

Most studies indicate that incense sticks or essential oils are preferred. Burning natural incense on charcoal is hazardous. One solid alternative are electric incense burners, which can burn natural incense and powders with lower smoke and a longer, more pleasant, sustained burn. [For example (see inset), a lotus-designed one here from Mermaid>>]

Putting aside any possible (or imagined) benefits, I do know one thing — incense really changes my mindspace. Altered consciousness? I don’t know. But a meditative state is very quickly realized when I burn a quality, not too smokey incense. (It’s difficult to be mindful when you’re coughing in a too smokey room!). For this reason, I tend to prefer Tibetan (no wood or resins) or Japanese incense sticks without wood cores — or essential oils heated in a bowl over a candle. Of course, there is something hypnotic and wonderful about the coil of smoke that rises from an incense burner.

My Daily Habit: a Stick a Day…

Personal or not, apparently my daily habit is good for me. Gerald Weissmann, M.D., Editor-in-Chief of The FASEB Journal, said, “Studies of how those psychoactive drugs work have helped us understand modern neurobiology. The discovery of how incensole acetate, purified from frankincense, works on specific targets in the brain should also help us understand diseases of the nervous system. This study also provides a biological explanation for millennia-old spiritual practices that have persisted across time, distance, culture, language, and religion–burning incense really does make you feel warm and tingly all over!”

I know, quoting scientific studies isn’t very profound or spiritual. Maybe it’s a cheat, quickly altering our consciousness and giving us a boost in meditation. Maybe it’s a mind game. But it doesn’t matter. I don’t intend to break my addiction any time soon.

NOTE: Some studies also show that incense smoke indoors can be bad for your lungs. Essential oils heated over a candle can have the “brain benefits” without the risk associated with smoke. Incense is not inhaled like a cigarette, and a single stick of low smoke incense with known ingredients may be low risk for those of us in the habit, but dense temple smoke, or too much indoor smoke can have risks.  Please review this cautionary study>> It is also not wise to burn incense if you have asthma. 

NOTES

[1] Science Daily, Burning Incense is Psychoactive

[2] FASAB: The Journal for the Federation for American Experimental Biology Abstract: “Incensole acetate, an incense component, elicits psychoactivity by activating TRPV3 channels in the brain”

[3] The Health Benefits of Incense, OMTimes

“These findings suggest that the effect of reading a news article can be sustained for several weeks, which is quite remarkable,” said Bobbie Macdonald, the lead researcher of the study and co-founder of the Animal Welfare Action Lab (AWAL). “And one serving per month might seem like a small effect, but that’s equal to a 6.5% reduction in total meat servings.” [3]

The study was released under the auspices of The Reducetarian Movement.

 Download the Reducetarian Study 2016>>

Social Factors: Personal Preference Versus Environmental Impact

The case for reducing or eliminating meat from our personal diets must come face-to-face with modern society’s long-term meat habit, and our subsequent attachment for “taste pleasures.” This is despite continuing and devastating data indicating the environmental impact of meat-factory farming, and the health issues associated with excessive meat consumption. (For more on the environmental impact, please refer to “Devastating Environmental Impact of Meat Industry”>>)

From a Buddhist point of view we also have to face three additional compelling arguments to reduce or eliminate our habit of meat: conclusive evidence that animals are sentient and feel emotions (see our previous story on Animal Sentience>>); the ideal of Buddhist compassion for all beings; and the vow to not kill sentient beings. Unlike some other spiritual paths, Buddha encouraged us to refrain from taking any sentient life, not just humans.

Context: Meat Industry Impact on Environment

Putting aside compassion, as many people tend to do, the issue is an urgent one due to the well-studied impact meat factory farming has on the environment. In a previous story, well supported by cited research, we reported:

“The meat industry is one of the largest emissions contributors, producing more emissions than all the automobiles and planes put together. This issue will only be exacerbated by the expected growth of our population 4 billion. As a practical consideration, putting aside environment, ethics and all, there is not enough land to produce that much meat. It’s worth remembering that developing nations are quickly becoming advanced nations, increasing demand for meat.”

Then, including the compassion issue, which is in some ways more pressing for Buddhists: “Over 56 billion farmed animals are killed each year by humans — 10 billion land animals in the U.S. alone. 3,000 die each second. This does not include countless fish. Billions of animals suffer and die painfully — animals who, according to scientists, are sentient and feel emotions. Put another way, each person who eats meat, is directly responsible for the lives of an average of 95 slaughtered animals each year.” More here>>

What to Do About It?

The bigger question has always been “what to do about it.” On a personal level, we can contemplate death and suffering, encourage compassion, and discipline ourselves to overcome our attachment for meat. But on a societal level, we can’t legislate this form of compassion. Which leaves us with education.

Compelling new research indicates that communication will make the difference, especially — as measured in a recent and unique study — if conveyed in news stories. The study of more than 2,237 participants, tracked their meat consumption after being exposed to two separate news stories covering the unsustainability of “today’s animal agriculture system”.

The first story leads with “You can’t help feeling that eating less meat is becoming unavoidably mainstream…” and the other with “You can’t help feeling the eliminating meat is becoming unavoidably mainstream…” Both news stories present facts on cardiac health, the devastating effects of meat factory farming on the environment, and also point out the “wretched conditions on factory farms.” The compassion element is illustrated with a picture of a female pig who must live out her life — prior to slaughter — in a tiny gestation crate that does not even allow her to turn around. (For the full news story content, please see later in this feature and inset screen grabs.)

News Media Does Influence Meat Consumption

The findings do clearly indicate that when these facts are presented to meat-eaters via a credible news source, the information influenced their eating habits for the following five weeks (as tracked in the study.)

6.5% Reduction Significant

If only half of the world’s population reduced meat consumption by 6.5%, this could theoretically slow down the consumption of meat — remembering that the population is growing — to a level that could be somewhat sustainable. Based on World Bank Scientists data, which calculates that meat farming (with all associated factors) contributes to 51% of Global Climate Emissions, a 6.5% reduction amongst 50% of the population represents a 3.25% improvement.

Of course, the beneficial impact of vegetarianism is higher. In a previous article we cited data that suggests that “if only 25% of the world’s population converted to vegetarianism, the impact on the environment would be staggering. That’s a fact, not even arguable.”

Why We Should Believe This Research

The data supporting the benefits of communication on reduction and elimination is compelling by virtue of the sample size, which is significant, and the level of detail and feedback collected. Interestingly, ” the reduce and eliminate news articles performed the same – one did not do better than the other,” according to the study.

Clearly, no one is advocating for artificial news stories. The stated goal was to measure the impact of communication (in particular via credible new source) on the meat eating habit. An unstated but worthy goal was likely to encourage more coverage of these important issues. Since the study was commissioned by The Reducetarian Foundation.

Summary of Findings

The top-level findings were:

1. Reading the “reduce and eliminate” articles caused participants to reduce their meat consumption by about one serving per month. Chicken, pork, and fish were reduced the most, however these product-specific effects were not statistically significant. (Note: the reduce and eliminate news articles performed the same – one did not do better than the other.)
2. The reduce and eliminate news articles caused changes in all of the measured attitudes. Readers were:

• More likely to agree that purchasing animal products contributes to animal suffering
• More likely to disagree that animals raised for food have a good standard of living
• More likely to agree that raising animals for food contributes to environmental degradation.
• More likely to agree that people would be healthier if they ate less meat.

Interestingly, the participants actions in the five weeks following their reads of the variant news stories, were

• More likely to perceive that Americans in general are reducing their meat consumption
• Had more discussions with friends and family about meat consumption and the treatment of animals raised for food

Demographically:

• There were no differences in how men and women responded to the articles
• There were no differences in how young and old participants reacted to the articles (participants ranged in age from 18 to 87)

NEWS STORY CONTENT USED IN STUDY

The following verbatim sample was the “reduce” version. The other half of the study were given a nearly identical story replacing “reduce” with “eliminate meat.”

Headline: Rise of people pledging to become “reducetarian”

Latest campaign encourages people to go “reducetarian” with respect to their own diets

You can’t help feeling that eating less meat is becoming unavoidably mainstream, with more and more people choosing to become “reducetarians” by reducing their consumption of red meat, poultry, and seafood without cutting these products out of their diets entirely. Recent research from data analysts at Mintel has shown that one in eight adults in the US are eating less meat, including up to one in five young adults. In the US, over six million people have reduced their meat intake, and that number is rising.

To learn more, I reached out to Jack Thompson, host of a Future of Food talk entitled “Why I’m a Reducetarian” and the founder of a new campaign to encourage Americans to reduce their meat intake. A 25-year-old New Yorker who grew up eating a standard American diet, Thompson shared his thoughts with me on why he’s urging people to join the movement and pledge to become reducetarian.

“Some people feel that eating meat is an ‘all-or-nothing’ choice: you either stop eating meat entirely or continue eating it as usual,” said Thompson. “Our campaign encourages people to take the middle road and go ‘reducetarian’ by reducing their meat consumption without entirely cutting it out of their diets.”

So take the pledge to live a reducetarian lifestyle and make yourself, your cardiologist, and a whole lot of farm animals very happy,” Thompson added. “Some people think that changing their diet is difficult, but the truth is that there are so many alternatives to meat available today that it’s never been easier to eat less of it.”

According to Thompson, the unsustainability of today’s animal agriculture system is what inspired him to create the reducetarianism campaign. “For one thing, our passion for meat has an enormous negative impact on the environment. Of the 40% of the earth’s surface used for agriculture, a whopping third is used just to grow animal (not people) food. In the United States, studies show, raising livestock accounts for 55 percent of land erosion, 37 percent of pesticide use, and 50 percent of antibiotic consumption.

Globally, livestock are responsible for about 18 percent of greenhouse gas emissions—farting cows are doing the atmosphere no good—and food animals, collectively, slurp up about a third of the world’s fresh water,” he said in his Future of Food Talk.

“On a purely personal level, there’s also the issue of our own health and wellbeing. A wealth of medical evidence shows that people whose diets are low in saturated fats—as found in meat and high-fat dairy products—and high in fruits and vegetables tend to lead healthier, longer lives,” he added. Finally, since many of the animals we eat are raised in wretched conditions on factory farms, eating meat forces us to contend with the moral issue of animal cruelty. Because of over-crowded and poor sanitary conditions, infections run rampant and the animals cannot engage in many of their natural social behaviors. Hens, for example, typically live out their entire lives in crowded cages, while female pigs are forced into crates which are so restrictive that they cannot even turn around. Every year, over 60 billion animals are killed in factory farms where they are subject to severe abuse and suffering for most of their short lives.

The good news, according to Thompson, is that people are beginning to do something about it. Thanks to a growing number of undercover investigations that expose the suffering of these animals, more and more consumers are thinking about reducing their meat consumption. “Increasingly, Americans now consider ‘factory farming’ to be a dirty word and are taking action by becoming a reducetarian,” said Thompson.

“Since we’ve started this campaign, we have only received positive feedback from people who have taken the pledge to become a reducetarian,” said Thompson. “They feel better physically, and feel great about the choices they’re making to help the environment and animals.”

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5 Ways Vegetarianism Could Save the World; 5 Buddhist Teachings and Teachers Recommending a Vegetarian Lifestyle; 5 Reasons it’s the Ethical Thing to Do

Prominent Scientists Declare “All Non Human Animals… Are Conscious Beings.” The Dalai Lama Protests Chicken Slaughter. An Orangutan Won Non-Human Rights Over Zoo Keeper. What Do the Teachers Say About Non-Human Compassion?

Vegetarianism Should be a Global Priority: New Research from World Resources Institute Demonstrates Devastating Environmental Impact of Meat Industry

NOTES

[1] Buddha Weekly: 5 Ways Vegetarianism Could Save the World; 5 Buddhist Teachings and Teachers Recommending a Vegetarian Lifestyle; 5 Reasons it’s the Ethical Thing to Do

[2] The Guardian: “Five Reasons Vegetarians Can Save the World.”

“Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy appears efficacious as a treatment for relapse prevention for those with recurrent depression, particularly those with more pronounced residual symptoms.” — JAMA Psychiatry Journal, Meta analysis report from randomized trials

By 2020 it is predicted that depression will be the biggest cause of disease in the developed world. With one in four people now expected to develop a mental health condition at some point in their lives, and the World Health Organization (WHO) acknowledging the huge increase in prevalence of mental health illness, it is a problem that needs to be tackled and addressed both by government planners and health care providers.

Provision for mental health care and support is a massively complicated issue, with many health insurance providers refusing to acknowledge or provide funding for certain conditions, and overstretched healthcare providers releasing those with mental health problems (and even those who have attempted to commit suicide) back into the public with little to no professional support. Putting aside the (frankly huge) issue of overstretched resources that is often held accountable here, and it seems clear that a new approach to the treatment of depression and other mental health problems is needed. Whilst prescriptions issued for antidepressants are increasing significantly year on year, the numbers of people suffering from depression are at an all-time high: clearly popping pills is not the answer. Medication serves to treat the symptoms of depression whilst masking the underlying cause, which differs from person to person, meaning that a meaningful cure is never found and that many people will find themselves in a situation where they are taking medication for the condition for the rest of their lives.

Meditation as Effective as Medication

Many Buddhists believe that meditation is just as effective as medication, and this is something that has recently been supported by comprehensive research. In what has been hailed as the largest-ever analysis of research on the subject, and recently reported in the JAMA Psychiatry journal, it was found that mindfulness-based cognitive therapy  was just as effective at helping to overcome depression as the sole use of anti-depressants.

Researchers found that those individuals who meditated for just 30 to 40 minutes every day for an eight week test period had a five to ten percent reduction in the anxiety symptoms they demonstrated, and a 10 to 20 percent reduction in their feelings of helplessness and depression. Unlike antidepressants, meditation carries no known negative side effects, doesn’t require a prescription from a physician, is free (making it the most cost effective form of health care treatment available) and can be practiced anywhere and at any time.

Facing Your Own Maras: Buddhist Practices Can Help 

“I see you, Mara. I know you. You have no power over me.” –– the Buddha

The fact is that mental health illnesses place a huge strain on an individual, affecting every aspect of their lives and relationships. Many mental health conditions can also have physical manifestations that are difficult to deal with. Meditation is good for both the body and the mind, regardless of your mental health status, but it is a particularly good technique for drawing depressives out of their funk. Regular exercise, spending time in nature and taking a healthy, balanced diet are all recommended for individuals suffering from depression, but perhaps the most significant change you can make is to consider practicing meditation and adopting a Buddhist worldview in order to learn to live, to laugh, to love, and the crawl back out of the long dark tunnel that is depression.

Depression is not something that can always be cured; even after his awakening, the Buddha still faced Mara, and it could well be that depression is the lifelong demon that has been sent for you to face. But as the Buddha faced his demons and stated:  “I see you, Mara. I know you. You have no power over me” so too can you face your demons, knowing that when you do so they may well lose their power over you and you may finally be free.

The Clear Need for Holistic Care

Of course, this is not a call for individuals to throw their antidepressants away and focus solely on meditation instead. The decision about whether or not antidepressants are needed as part of a treatment plan should be made in conjunction with the support and advice of a qualified medical professional. (Or at least with their knowledge, if your research leads you to believe a medicine-free approach may the right approach for you).  But what is clear is that antidepressants alone are certainly not the best approach to the treatment of depression either.

Perhaps the best way to treat depression effectively is with a holistic approach: taking care of the spiritual needs of both the body and mind, as well as using medication to cure any underlying neurological imbalances.  Meditation is a wonderful way to increase insight into your life, focus on being at one with yourself and the world around you, and truly relax and unwind into yourself. Adopting mindful practices, focusing on the present moment and learning to appreciate every aspect of the world in which we live (from the changing color of the leaves during the fall to the sound of the pavement under your feet as you walk to catch a bus) can help us to realize both our significance and our insignificance in the world around us and is a sensation that many people find comforting.

*Note: This article is the author’s opinion, supported by independent data and not meant to be prescriptive or a replacement for consultations with your medical professional.

References

“Can Buddhism cure mental illness?”, Applied Buddhism, https://appliedbuddhism.com/2014/04/23/can-buddhism-cure-mental-illness/

JAMA Psychiatry “Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy and the Prevention of Depressive Relapse.” https://archpsyc.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=2517513

“A Buddhist Approach to Mental Illness”, Foundation for the preservation of the Mahayana Tradition, https://fpmt.org/mandala/archives/older/mandala-issues-for-1999/may/a-buddhist-approach-to-mental-illness/

“Compare Health Care” https://www.quotezone.co.uk/health-insurance.htm

“Popping pills for depression: A Buddhist view”, Inquiring Mind, https://www.inquiringmind.com/Articles/PoppingPills.html

“Changing a nation’s perspective on mental health”, Thomson Reuters Foundation, https://news.trust.org/item/20160802143007-wdpkm

“Buddhism and mental illness”, Patheos, https://www.patheos.com/blogs/americanbuddhist/2013/05/buddhism-and-mental-illness.html

“Meditation as effective as anti-depressants”, Forever Conscious, https://foreverconscious.com/meditation-as-effective-as-anti-depressants

“Meditation is ‘as effective as drugs for treating depression’: Mindfulness could be offered as an alternative to antidepressants, study claims”, Daily Mail, https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-3047347/Meditation-effective-antidepressant-drugs-depression-treatment.html

“Mindfulness therapy works as well as anti-depressant drugs, major new study finds”, The Independent, https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/mindfulness-therapy-depression-anti-depressants-mental-health-research-meditation-a7003546.html

The advance in non-human rights begs the question — from a Buddhist perspective, where we promise to liberate all sentient beings, or not to kill — just who do we include? If our definition includes all beings down to insects and octopuses, how do we reconcile our dependence on “lower” beings for survival?

Increasingly, teachers are speaking out on non-human sentience and unnecessary suffering for these beings. When the Dalai Lama famously protested “cruelty to chickens” in 2012, it was inspired by an abundance of compassion (see “Dalai Lama and Chickens” below). How does the “Cambridge Declaration” from an international group of prominent scientists, stating that even octopuses feel emotions, change our view? More importantly, what do our teacher’s say? To help provide insight, we collected teachings from the Buddha, the Dalai Lama, Bikkhu Bodhi, Thich Nhat Hanh, Zasep Tulku Rinpoche, Karma Lekshe Tsomo, Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Kyabje Chatral Sangye Rinpoche, Geshe Thubten Soepa, and, of course, Stephen Hawking and the Cambridge Scientists.

Buddha: First Precept “Abstain from Taking Life”

Mahayana Buddhists, who promise to Liberate All Sentient Beings” are often vegetarian out of compassion for the suffering of non-human beings—to fulfill Bodhisattva vow and the first precept of Buddha not to kill. For others, it is often convenient to avoid the topic, since we are often brought up culturally to accept the necessary killing of animals for survival.

The Buddha’s first precept in Pali reads: “Panatipata verami sikkhapadam samadiyami” which translates more-or-less as: “I undertake the training rule to abstain from taking life.” For many, this meant human life. For others, particularly Zen Buddhists, it meant any breathing creature.

Cambridge Declaration: “Human’s not unique in possessing … consciousness.”

“Convergent evidence indicates that non-human animals have the neuroanatomical, neurochemical, and neurophysiological substrates of conscious states along with the capacity to exhibit intentional behaviors. Consequently, the weight of evidence indicates that humans are not unique in possessing the neurological substrates that generate consciousness. Nonhuman animals, including all mammals and birds, and many other creatures, including octopuses, also possess these neurological substrates.” — The Cambridge Declaration on Consciousness (See full text of official declaration at bottom of this feature.)

The scientists demonstrated that emotions and decision-making develop in all life forms down to cephalopod mollusks. Even Steven Hawking and other giants endorsed the declaration, titled “The Cambridge Declaration on Consciousness.” Issued by a prominent group of neurophysiologists, neuroanatomists, cognitive neuroscientists, neuropharmacologists and computational neuroscientists — this statement leaves little wiggle room for diminishing levels of compassion for “lower” life forms. [To read the full declaration, the PDF is available for download here>>] (View the video from Stephen Hawking on the sentience of lower animals, embedded below)

Stephen Hawking and Non-Human Consciousness

On the heels of this declaration, an orangutan in an Argentinian zoo won non-human personhood rights in a fight to determine if it had been unlawfully deprived of it’s freedom. Also, the credit for the “selfie” at the top of our feature is under legal review to determine whether the monkey or the owner of the camera deserved the credit. [7]