Ancient texts from Vedas, Vedangas and Buddhist texts
have elaborate descriptions of several levels of consciousness. They include
consciousness during waking period, during dream state, during deep sleep state
and the base on which these three levels of consciousness are experienced as one’s
own. This is called atman. This is then connected to Universal
Consciousness, the root of all kinds of consciousness, the base of all the atmans
of this universe, called Brahman or Mahat or Buddhi.
In the Buddhist texts, there two levels of consciousness –
Mind Consciousness (mano vignana) and Store Consciousness (alaya
vignana). There is a state beyond both these levels which can only be
experienced.
These are great visionary insights by the ancient rishis and
particularly Buddha. Now modern neurosciences have started exploring the mind
and its functions including consciousness. Many old observations have been
confirmed. Weaknesses of these old concepts have also been exposed. Let me try
and correlate some of the old ideas with current knowledge.
The idea taught in Indian texts about our awareness during
waking hours, dream state and deep sleep is easy to reconcile. It is also easy
to accept that there must be one common state of awareness which makes it
possible for any individual to be aware of all three states of awareness and
his/her ownership of these states. Further, all these four states of awareness
are objects of our thoughts and part of our awareness. That is probably the
meta-awareness of modern psychology.
Is there one Universal class – somewhat similar to the idea
of Plato – of a prototype of all kinds of consciousness on the basis of which
everything is known. Upanishads say that there is and asks: “How can you know
That by which you know?” “That Knower is
Brahman” say the Upanishads.
Adepts in meditation tell us that in the final stages of
meditation the observer and the observed are one. In this state the observed is
as it is. The awareness of the observer is still, with no chains of thought
generated by the object observed and does not include his/her own awareness. It
is the blissful state they reach.
In Buddhist school, the mind consciousness is like the
branches of a tree exposed to responding to all the elements such as sunlight,
water and air. It receives input from all the senses. It needs to focus on one
thing at a time and learn. It is slow to learn and cannot act in a reasonable
way on its own. For that it depends on the store consciousness.
Store consciousness has all the natural tendencies, mental
formations such as emotions and memory of experiences. It is the source of
desire, fear, anxiety, anger, and ignorance. Since it is the base for survival
it is active even when we are asleep. It can act on its own but may respond
quickly, based on habits and tendencies.
As I understand, the training in meditation is for the mind
consciousness to focus on our sensory inputs, feelings and emotions, reflect on
them and transform the tendencies at the base, namely store consciousness.
When we think of our current understanding of how the mind
works, the mind receives inputs from our sensory organs and also from our own
body. They go through thalamus and are processed first at the base or lower
part of the brain where survival reflexes are generated. This assumes that the
inputs can be registered in the first place. That depends on the reticular
formation where there are centers to maintain our awareness are located. (They
are turned off when we are asleep, under anesthesia and when they are damaged
by some disease leading to coma).
These basic input signals are then relayed to the inner
portion (medial side of the halves of the brain) where the registered messages
are recognized as one’s own (ownership area). This area communicates not only
with centers which register signals, and which generate basic emotions, and
survival responses but also with the so-called higher centers. These areas are
considered to perform our Executive Functions. There is direct two-way
communication between the ownership areas and the executive areas, but not
between executive areas and the survival areas.
Therefore, emotional triggers generated at the survival
areas have to be first recognized as one’s own, the ownership area has to send
the signals to the executive area to process and evaluate. Of course, this area
will be checking with the ownership area, areas for past memories, evaluate
odds of risks vs benefits and decide what to do. This is the reflective
decision-making process.
Now the executive part of the brain sends signals to the
motor areas of the brain to initiate appropriate action. This is what we
probably call “the will” to act. Most interestingly all these steps take place
in milli-seconds.
There are even more steps involved because the brain adjusts
its actions as they are taking place depending on immediate feedbacks. It also
stores the process and outcome of each experience for future reference. It
stores the information on the value of each action as helpful or not. If the
process or outcome generates happiness, it may reinforce the “addiction
circuit” so that it gets activated each time the stimulus appears. If the
process or outcome generate pain and suffering, the information goes into the
“aversion circuit.”
Both ancient knowledge of meditation and modern neuroscience
suggest that even if our brain cells degenerate or lost, parts of the brain
circuits can be retrained. That is neuroplasticity. Our reactions and behavior
can be retrained using some of the ancient meditation methods. That is
Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy.
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