| | Mark:
-- "Hopefully others will explain more about noting. You are probably right that initially it is like phenomenalist data gathering but it should lead to insights and some of those may be much closer to phenomenology."
As it strikes me, a rough cut, "(a) vision and (b) knowledge" (a phrase heavily used in the Visudhimagga) may correspond to a) the unfiltered observation and b) a solid comprehension of how it (process, not content) works.
-- "Noting as I understand it is more than just naming, there is the idea of being with the object rather than only observing it. But there are probably many approaches and I'm as far from an expert as you can get while still knowing the label."
Somewhere – maybe in MCTB, or maybe a dhamma-talk by the Mahasi-lineage monks at the Tathagate Meditation Center (San Jose) – I came across the notion that noting can reach a stage where a kind of mental feeling or impulse is recognized that precedes nailing it with words, and this may be sufficient -- one can drop the extra effort of shaping a verbalization around it. That might have the advantage of avoiding the danger of words as substitute for, having a life of their own, the experience itself. But, similar to your stance, I've not thoroughly explored it. Perhaps someone at the level of Daniel could ellucidate (or debunk) this.
-- Abdhidhamma...:
Nyanaponika helpfully points out that Abhidhamma know-how ("Mastery of the Matrices", as Pa Auk Sayadow puts it) is of great value for teachers, giving them a depth and precision of understanding to be able to explain Dhamma (not Abhidhamma itself) to others, especially lay students / practitioners, and by being able to perceive and shape to the listeners' level of understanding (like G. Buddha was famous for). He states that 20-years or so of Abhidhamma study is prerequisite to authorization as a teacher (Sayadaw) in (some) Burmese tradition(s).
A teacher I've contact with (Ven. U. Jagara, Canadian born, inspired by Kornfield, ordained by Mahasi, long study with Goenke and then Pa Auk) confides that the degree of rigor Nyanaponika indicates is not really applied most of the time. Maybe that's what differentiates a 'Thera' ('elder'), or 'Mahathera' ('great elder') from just a 'Sayadow'.
The lineage – Nyanatiloka --> Nyanaponika (--> Bhikku Bodhi ) – has been called 'Abhidhamma reciters,' i.e. a sort of speciality. The continuation (Bhikku Bodhi --> Ven. Analalyo) appears to slacken-off that emphasis.
-- "Antonio Damasio - really amazing bio. I wonder if he has anything to say about the biology of enlightenment ?"
Not directly, as I recall. But he does carefully point out that, in his neurological model, the potential capabilities of mental cultivation – into more and more refined levels of reflective analysis and realization – do not appear to have any inherent limitations.
-- "Would be great to hear your thoughts on qualia…."
Damasio's usage was my first contact with this idea. I looked it up (Wikipedia), but not to any depth. Daniel's cryptic comment (above) suggests that it might be worthwhile to try and tease more out of him on this topic.
Here are my notes on the passages dealing with qualia in Damasio's book. The sections are my gloss, usually in reference to Dhamma/Abhidhamma parallels, though the language my notes use to summarize Damasio's statements might also be tinged in that direction:
"p.253 {he distinguishes two areas of meaning for qualia} Qualia I: feelings in anysubjective experience – pleasure, pain, or none ; Qualia II: why shouldconstruction of perceptual maps feel like something? p.254 all conscious images have emotions and consequent feelings; arise, persist with object in sight, or as long as “my reflections keep them in some sort of reverberation”. As if music accompanying mental process, which are also within the process; also with music, itself and the music-like feeling track; = qualia I for musical performance; [= the inspiration for polyphonic music?]. p.255 reduced by drugs, or depression; how? Brain has structures that respond to signals from maps, as emotions [for Damasio primitive reactions, 'moving-out' as in the Latin root word parts], out of which come feelings; image-making regions can trigger emotion-triggering regions (amygdala, prefontal ventromedialsector, nuclei in basal forebrain and stem); if fits a pattern ("emotionally competent stimulus") triggers events elsewhere in brain and body = emotion; perceptual readout = feeling; brain responds to same content at different sites in parallel; p.256 conscious states usually have multiple objects, treated integratedly, but not democratically; different values of objects--> uneven object enhancement --> ordering of images, spontaneous editing; this process relies on the emotions provoked, feelings in background; i.e. qualia are of mind, not consciousness; not a mystery (to Damasio). Qualia II: feelings describe state of organisms interior; accompany all perceptual maps [= sense + stim + activation , i.e. the 18 'ayatana', not perception/naming'sanna'] Feeling states from brain-stem nuclei, highly interconnected, receive signals from organism’s interior; in life-regulation, nuclei transform signals, looping-back; functional fusion of body states and perceptual states; neurons are about and extensions of flesh, become one with it, i.e. “feel” of body states; neurons are special forms of other living cells; cells have “feeling” function, as in 1-cell organisms “sensitive” to intrusions; called “attitudes”, as no consciousness there; p.258 response to changed internal state; so in neurons response/change in larger circuits yield “protofeeling”, like proto-cognition at some level. Neuron “sensitivity”,“irritability”; summing up of cellular contributions, like muscle cells, also excitable; permeability, opening of membrane violation of protection of interior life of cell, maybe creation of moment of protofeeling; worth pursuing. p.259 evolution – states ought to feel, to lead towards or away from stimuli; adding nervous system with means of portraying such states in neural-body bond; smooth life-managing states vs problematic states – each releases different chemical molecules --> body and brain – should feel differently; chemical molecules from body (blood) touch brain parts outside the blood-brain barrier: stem area postrema, and “circumventicular organs”; tranmitters/modulators, hormones,…; neural projections --> NTS, other stem nuclei, hypothalamus, thalamus and cortex. Sensory portal changes build perspective and perceptual quality; hearing is not just cochlea, also skin, ear bones, even head & neck movements; simile eyeball & muscles in sight; p.261 and feedback from brain influencessensory portals; p.262 3 kinds of maps brought together: (1) of particular sense device (2) of sensory portal around the device; (3) of emotional-feeling reaction to (1) + (2) i.e. qualia [aka the 18 ayatana?] brought together in stem or cortex. Qualia are also part of contents in the self-process; provides brain with felt perceptions, pure experience; adding a protagonist, experience claimed by newly minted owner – self. [Damasio distinguishes, decodes neurologically 3 levels of self-process: proto-self, core self, and autobiographical self, the latter being the one used in common parlance] p.263 underestimations: (1) wealth of detail, organization of body, processes, some yet unknown, may influence conscious experience at many levels; (2) yet so little known about the brain. Mysterious, hard problems likely amenable to biological account, eventually.
<end of quoted notes>
-- "I have another question for you too…"
That area is a big one, relatively new to me – the latent tendencies ('anuseti') and where that fits into practice. Work in progress, both study and practice…
Actually, one of the most impressive clues I've found to date is Daniel's characterization (in the BATGAP interview: Reader's Digest summary of the 4 paths, at 1hr:55min to about 2:12) of the various 'axes' of experiential development – the one that gets finalized at Stream-Entry, and the rest that go on as long as there is breath to observe. Working with latent tendencies seems to have something to do with the latter group.
Another perspective that holds promise is the traditional notion (albeit perhaps one of those idealized ones) that arahantship brings an end to the forming of new kamma (karma), at least in terms of 'intention', but the on-going lifetime of an arahant is still subject to the workings-out of previous threads of kamma that bear on it.
Another recent clue is an elluciation of the mysterious 'bhavanga' notion -- the rebirthed kammic background of a lifetime that the mind rests in between moments of active engagement with sensations --, as in Rupert Gethin's analysis ("Bhavanga and Rebirth According to the Abhidhamma", 1994).-- "
-- "The idea of developing the virtues through acting/speaking in the world does not seem to be a major theme in buddhism."
Than-Geof (Thanissaro Bhikku) thinks it is, spends a lot of time teaching it. Often uses the instructions to Rahula (G. Buddha's son): evalute kusala (skillfulness) before acting, during, and in the results; and it plays a role in the classic definition of 'right effort': uproot and prevent reoccurence of the akusala (unskillful), hold to and practice (condition) towards recurrence of the kusala.
Notes:
1) Lots of good stuff can be found free on the internet, e.g. the Gethin article just cited, and the Nyanponika book mentioned above. One can 'buy' the books on-line, but often find sites where they can be freely downloaded. Not hard to find, but I can supply these links if needed.
2) Obviously my mind likes to swim in an ocean of traditional maps and a scholarly engagement with them. But is does happen that, having investigated and internalized models from tradition, e.g. elaborate matrices of Abhidhamma analysis, there are moments when direct experience suddenly lines-up with one of those structures and it 'comes to life,' like turning on the Christmass-tree lights after all the set-up work. Then one can see an orientation, a confirmation, that helps transform the experience into useful and reusable 'knowledge,' and can suggest additional relationships to explore in the immediate experience. Could be a trap, delusion substituting abstraction for observation, but those traditional structures were developmentally abstracted out of experiential investigation. May involve faith, too.
3) Other than a pretty good grasp of the 'rupa' jhanas, I haven't noted much else in terms of substantial attainments, other than a sense of growing momentum, and the occasional subtle sense of proximity… |