The more people talk about meditation, the less they know about it. It got to the point where it is seen as a way to relax and relieve stress. We decided to find out what the Buddha really meant and how his statements are consistent with scientific evidence. Richard Davidson, a neuroscientist, psychiatrist, and psychologist who has written the most comprehensive book to date on neuroscience in meditation practices, has agreed to comment for The Knife on some of the foundations of Buddhism from a brain science perspective.
The neurophysiological nature of Buddhist suffering
In Buddhism, turmoil begins with the realization that all life is suffering. This fact is called the First Noble Truth, and it is the first of four insights from Gautama to hack reality.
If we translate this truth into a language that is more understandable to us today, then we will see that the loud word “suffering” refers to the property of our brain to constantly respond to stimuli from the surrounding world.
And although the word “suffering” is traditionally used here, the meaning is more appropriate for dissatisfaction or discomfort: such a mixture of vague anxiety, lack of something, the desire to get hold of something, the fear of losing what you have - or not achieving what you are striving for … Buddha seems to have been right.
Richard Davidson: “Even if we satisfied all of our desires, we still would not show any lasting increase in the level of happiness or well-being. Scientific research confirms this - as do the contemplative traditions of the East."
Not only does the brain change its activity under the influence of external stimuli: the work of the whole organism depends on its work. For example, depending on the ratio of activity in the cerebral hemispheres, you will be more likely to experience positive (with more activity in the left prefrontal cortex) or negative (with more activation in the right prefrontal cortex).
People who tend to become obsessed with negative emotions often have not only a more active right side of the cortex, but also an insufficient number of connections between the left prefrontal cortex and the amygdala, which is responsible for bad experiences.
Promotional video:
That is, the "fun" prefrontal cortex simply cannot control the activation of the amygdala. But it is the amygdala that is responsible for experiencing stress, the release of cortisol, adrenaline - in general, for the fact that we are nervous, angry, sweaty and want to kick the interlocutor in the face or run away and cry in the corner. And the worse the “fun” cortex is connected to the amygdala, the longer after a stressful event it will remain active, making you a beech.
Why Buddhists Say Everything Is Illusory
Emotional processes in our body exist for a reason, not for us to just feel them. This is not a divine gift or a devil's curse, but a complex of biochemical and neurological processes that govern our behavior. The brain system responsible for emotions is older, deeper, and evolved at a time when human survival was much more questionable than it is today. Therefore, this system reacts faster than the cortex (more "rational"), and more "loves" the basic stimuli associated with survival.
The main task of emotional reactions is to orient us in the external world, showing us quickly and without long reflection on what is good and what is bad for the organism, survival and procreation.
At a basic level, everything is very simple: food, the right partners, safety is joy; enemies, rivalry for blessings is anger, etc. Therefore, we are always curious to turn our heads, we want to eat something, try something new, drag someone into bed, and so on that we have already discussed in the article about "dophanomics" and in the analysis of the effects of pornography on the brain.
The cerebral cortex, which forms more complex mental processes, also actively reacts to external stimuli. The selective attention that we deliberately give to something is controlled by the prefrontal cortex. In response to events that attract attention, a so-called phase synchronization arises in it - a burst of activity synchronized with the moment attention is drawn to the object. The image of the external world is created in our consciousness through a variety of waves of activity in different areas of the brain.
Everything - from images and sounds to the subjective sensations of the atmosphere of a place and the perception of oneself in it - does not exist for us by itself, but only in the process of perceiving the senses, processing information by the brain and the work of neurotransmitters and hormones.
We can assume that this is what Buddha means when he describes the world as an illusion. This statement seems to be nonsense until we lost our mind or at least fell asleep: after all, both the madman and the sleeper experience absolutely real sensations - and we understand that their worlds are illusory only because they differ from what he sees Most people. But the principle by which the image of the world is assembled in the minds of a sleeping person, a madman and any other person is the same: it is the result of the complex work of the body, including the brain. Speaking about the illusory nature of the world from the point of view of neurophysiology, one must understand that this is not so much about the fact that the whole world is a deception, but rather from the fact that the nature of our perception is determined by the way of perception. That is, it is not only what we perceive that matters, but also what we perceive and how.
The Dhammapada, a collection of sayings from the Buddha of the early Buddhist period, begins with this line: "Everything that we are is the fruit of our thoughts." We are more and more convinced that this is not an allegory, but an apt remark about the peculiarities of our brain.
Richard Davidson: “I think this deep intuitive insight into Buddhism has at least indirect relevance to modern neuroscience. In our experience, it is not the environment that matters, but rather the perception of that environment. A wide range of studies show that “subjective” stress levels predict a variety of bodily stress responses more reliably than “objective” stress measurements. From this point of view, thoughts and mental activity define our reality. We can say that the data of modern neuroscience are consistent with the Buddhist concept of emptiness and with the fact that objects are deprived of their actual existence."
“Those who have bridled their minds are free from the captivity of illusion,” the Buddha says simply and without any tweaks. It’s so simple that it’s hard to believe.
Why the cause of suffering is desire
In the life of each of us, one can observe a dramatic conflict between the peculiarities of our brain and conscious attitudes. Usually in such situations, we say to ourselves: "I really want to, but I can't" or "I don't know why I did it again." Do you want to make informed decisions, but when the time comes, do you impulsively commit rash acts? Want to focus on writing a book but can't bring yourself to write a line? Do you know you are safe but cannot suppress your anxiety? There may be a hundred examples - and they all say that our brain works optimally for the survival of our distant ancestor, but not ideal for modern conditions with its complex social requirements, often contrary to our natural desires. Not to mention ethical tasks that are incomprehensible to our body.
The main problem of this conflict is that it is extremely difficult for us to resist the aspirations that are formed by the work of our body.
All basic drives can be divided into two large types: striving for something (bringing pleasant experiences) and striving for something (bringing unpleasant experiences). Many of our actions are conditioned by one of these two basic drives for all living beings, and the lion's share of them we are not even aware of. It is not surprising that sometimes we suddenly find ourselves in the middle of a situation in which, on common thought, we would not want to be, or even living a completely different life that we saw for ourselves. But usually this awareness quickly passes in a whirlwind of new sensations and reactions of our body.
Richard Davidson: “At the neurophysiological level, our brain activity is constantly modulated by feelings of attachment and disgust. We want what we cannot have and we avoid what can hurt us. These are the basic principles of how the brain works. It takes training to develop the ability to change our relationship with attachment and rejection. She can change the brain."
If we gave this realization a little time, then we would, following Prince Gautama, comprehend the second fundamental truth of Buddhism: that the cause of suffering from the First Noble Truth is an irresistible aspiration. It is these drives that underlie most of our actions. Our life consists of seeking pleasure and avoiding pain at all levels, from the most basic needs like food, shelter, and the desire to stop any physical pain, to complex desires such as social acceptance, a committed partner, and avoidance of the grief of separation or the pain of loneliness.
What does it mean to "get rid of attachments"
The third noble truth, which the Buddha thought of two and a half thousand years ago, is that it is possible to stop this constant discomfort, which is forcing us all the time to act, just to stop feeling it. And today we can agree with this, pointing to the scientific evidence.
The task of "liberation from attachments" is often understood as a complete cessation of all desires and aspirations, or, moreover, as a rejection of the family and, in general, everything that can be determined by the relationship of attachment - love, friendship, care. Not only does this seem impossible: the task itself clearly contradicts our values and all meaning in life. What is the use of turning into a piece of log that wants nothing and does not strive for anything?
This understanding of the task of liberation is incorrect: we do not want to get rid of desires, but at the same time we want to be free in our decision-making from them (all the more, they are often caused simply by not optimal functioning of our brain or its inability to modern conditions around us).
Liberation is possible under two conditions. If we succeed, firstly, to be aware of the reasons for our feelings and aspirations. Then we will be able to separate the stimuli from the subjective reaction caused by them and from the act that can naturally follow it. For example, we can separate the stress caused by the delivery of a project at work, from irritation with the things of our partner's day off that day scattered around the apartment - and from the seemingly natural scandal with accusations of all mortal sins.
In a situation where we are not aware of the causes of our states, this triad "stress - irritation - scandal" seems natural and inseparable. When we know how to separate flies from cutlets, we can work with each of the triad units separately: take a bath and relax to relieve stress; leave the partner's things on his conscience, remembering that he is resting today; establish communication by sharing with each other the experiences of the day, including talking about stress and irritation (and laughing at how well a warm bathroom relieves the desire to destroy someone).
Secondly, we need to optimize our brains. Mute excessive activity, increase insufficient activity, establish connections between different parts of the brain. Surprisingly, we can do this by analyzing our underlying problems and using the principle of neuroplasticity.
Richard Davidson: “'Freedom from attachment' does not mean deprivation of all emotions, as if we are zombies. Just the opposite. The greatest living Buddhist masters, such as His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Mingyur Rinpoche, both live very rich emotional lives. They experience emotions all the time, and it shows. However, they do not last inappropriately because they have little or no attachment. It is attachment that makes emotions last even when they are no longer useful - and it is this property of them that turns out to be a trap, not the experience itself. In the neuropsychological literature, there are many vague hints that decreased attachment is associated with changes in the nature of connections in certain parts of the brain - such that emotions can no longer “hack” key brain structures. But this has nothing to do with dulling the emotional centers."
What is the practice
Today it is known for certain that the brain is plastic. He responds to new experiences by changing his structure and the way he works. Every new impression, new effort, learning a new skill or changing habitual patterns of behavior - all this physically affects what our brain is.
Suppose that now it is clear to us that all this time we were experiencing constant discomfort of our uncontrollable mind, and did not live a rich spiritual life - and we want to figure it out and make the brain work for us. The first thing that can come to mind is pharmacology: we finally know how to treat "mental ailments" with the help of psychiatrists, perhaps it is possible to optimize brain function with the help of drugs?
Perhaps the future belongs to pharmacology, but today everything does not look so rosy. Just think that most psychiatrists, when prescribing drugs, do not even examine the brain, as doctors of other specialties examine organs within their competence.
Rare psychiatrists in developed countries send people for brain scans. We still find pills by trial and error, unable to tell exactly what is wrong with the brain we are treating. Sometimes medications can be misprescribed and not beneficial, and sometimes even harmful. And this is in those cases when a psychiatrist treats a person who is obviously unwell, and his symptoms can directly indicate the area of the brain in which the failure occurred. What can we say about trying to optimize a healthy brain with this method! But the most important problem of medicines is temporary: their effect is there while the active substance of the drug is working. And then - fuck - and there is no effect. It's the same with drug experiments. The only effect that, after amateur use, may not evaporate just like that,- these are disorders in the brain.
One of the important methods of enlightenment, Buddha called the “middle path” - a moderate life in which joy and pleasure are in balance with austerity and restraint. This basic condition is reflected in psychiatry.
For any medication to correct the disorder, you will be assigned a special regimen: get enough sleep, go to bed at the same time, do not use psychoactive substances and be extremely careful with legal stimulants such as alcohol, coffee and cigarettes, eat well in moderation and not starve, walk fresh air, to communicate with significant people - this is the path of moderation. When you control the intensity of external stimuli, you indirectly control the activity of your brain. Compare your emotional state on the weekend to two parties in a row, drugs and lack of sleep - to the weekend where you got enough sleep, did moderate exercise, ate baked broccoli, and met with your creative colleagues to plan together your projects for the next year.
The obligatory practice for achieving freedom is meditation. There is a wealth of literature on the methods of meditation, and this topic will not be covered in this review article.
The techniques and schools of meditation may differ, but the ultimate goal of the practice is to help us realize that all the phenomena of our mind (emotions, thoughts, images, sensations) arise in the subjective space of the psyche under the influence of processes external to it (be it the surrounding world or processes body).
Observing this, we learn to understand what external stimulus caused this or that event of the "inner world", and then not to react to this change automatically, but to observe how it disappears by itself and without our help: the body always strives for homeostasis … It is this skill that gives us the freedom to choose what to strive for and how to act.
