This is fascinating, and I'm glad to see you (Sasha and Kathryn) surfacing more research related to meditation and awakening. For those who aren't aware, Delson Armstrong (the virtuoso subject in this study) and Dr. Laukkonen also appeared on the Guru Viking podcast recently to talk about it. Shinzen Young and Chelsea Fasano are also part of the conversation. Here's a link to the podcast episode (hope it's okay to leave this here:) https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep201-revealing-nirodha-sampatti-delson-armstrong-shinzen-young-chelsey-fasano-dr-ruben-laukonnen
I love how we keep using science to find lessons we've known for thousands of years through religion, but couldn't explain. 99% of our intelligence is below the surface, and we will never be able to fully recognize, much less explain, the power of our brains. I've had far too many inexplicable instances of intuition. They can't be written off as coincidence.
Interesting. Gautama states one cannot grasp or hold a past or present thought, nor produce a future thought. I cannot "tell" the mind to "think" anything. Believe what you will.
The purpose of entering the state of nirodha-samāpatti is to help one know the relativity of all other forms of awareness, thereby giving one more freedom in states of more ordinary consciousness to choose wisely in a way that helps alleviate suffering. It's true that nirodha-samāpatti is a rarefied state; it's supposed to be used to assist in human living, not sought as some superlative attainment goal.
Thank you for sharing this!! It's enlivening to hear about science of such advanced meditation. I had heard about NS and believed in it; it's fun to see science can study it and I do believe it'll open up interesting avenues of research.
Interestingly, NS is the very last practice described in the Vishuddimagga (I love your funny description of it as a book about ''absurdly hardcore meditation practices'', it's pretty spot on). The order in which the information is presented in the book, with more accessible practices at the beginning (still advanced by the average meditator's standards though) suggests its author views NS as the most advanced or skillful practice it contains. More advanced even than many esoteric practices, outlined in middle-to-late chapters, that the modern western view would classify as straight-on, impossible magic.
Thanks for highlighting this important research that Kati and the others are doing. For those interested in one guy on the internet's opinion on Nirodha Samāpatti (NS), see here: https://vimeo.com/300556503?share=copy
Having been a practitioner of some yoga practices and meditation, I can relate. The idea of catching the conscious right at the point of entering conscious feeling is very important to understand the fundamental nature within conscious and our sense of perception and giving us a better idea of what is real. Very interesting article and very important idea to understand more about the fundamental aspect of conscious reality.
This is fascinating, and I'm glad to see you (Sasha and Kathryn) surfacing more research related to meditation and awakening. For those who aren't aware, Delson Armstrong (the virtuoso subject in this study) and Dr. Laukkonen also appeared on the Guru Viking podcast recently to talk about it. Shinzen Young and Chelsea Fasano are also part of the conversation. Here's a link to the podcast episode (hope it's okay to leave this here:) https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep201-revealing-nirodha-sampatti-delson-armstrong-shinzen-young-chelsey-fasano-dr-ruben-laukonnen
I love how we keep using science to find lessons we've known for thousands of years through religion, but couldn't explain. 99% of our intelligence is below the surface, and we will never be able to fully recognize, much less explain, the power of our brains. I've had far too many inexplicable instances of intuition. They can't be written off as coincidence.
Interesting. Gautama states one cannot grasp or hold a past or present thought, nor produce a future thought. I cannot "tell" the mind to "think" anything. Believe what you will.
The purpose of entering the state of nirodha-samāpatti is to help one know the relativity of all other forms of awareness, thereby giving one more freedom in states of more ordinary consciousness to choose wisely in a way that helps alleviate suffering. It's true that nirodha-samāpatti is a rarefied state; it's supposed to be used to assist in human living, not sought as some superlative attainment goal.
Thank you for sharing this!! It's enlivening to hear about science of such advanced meditation. I had heard about NS and believed in it; it's fun to see science can study it and I do believe it'll open up interesting avenues of research.
Interestingly, NS is the very last practice described in the Vishuddimagga (I love your funny description of it as a book about ''absurdly hardcore meditation practices'', it's pretty spot on). The order in which the information is presented in the book, with more accessible practices at the beginning (still advanced by the average meditator's standards though) suggests its author views NS as the most advanced or skillful practice it contains. More advanced even than many esoteric practices, outlined in middle-to-late chapters, that the modern western view would classify as straight-on, impossible magic.
I do love a good nap though.
Thanks for highlighting this important research that Kati and the others are doing. For those interested in one guy on the internet's opinion on Nirodha Samāpatti (NS), see here: https://vimeo.com/300556503?share=copy
Having been a practitioner of some yoga practices and meditation, I can relate. The idea of catching the conscious right at the point of entering conscious feeling is very important to understand the fundamental nature within conscious and our sense of perception and giving us a better idea of what is real. Very interesting article and very important idea to understand more about the fundamental aspect of conscious reality.