9 Comments
Aug 26Liked by Ruben Laukkonen

Do you think this is could be akin to a deliberate, extended attentional blink? Or something to do with being able voluntarily to press an attentional ‘master switch’ ? Maybe the meditator is able, with enough practice, to sufficiently flatten the phenomenological landscape such that no one thing has any greater importance/weight than any other thing and can then go one step further and voluntarily ‘de-attend’ to the landscape altogether? Or the consequence of achieving complete parity of all phenomenal experience is to trip the switch? Could the blue spot locus coeruleus-noradrenaline be involved?

Expand full comment
Aug 5Liked by Ruben Laukkonen

Thanks for the article Ruben and spreading nirodha. The five aggregates can also be formulated the other way round as refractory stages of awareness, posing a view that nirodha might be akin to experiencing the non-refracted advaita notion of the "Self", unclothed of illusory forms.

Expand full comment
Aug 4Liked by Ruben Laukkonen

Thanks

Expand full comment
Aug 4Liked by Ruben Laukkonen

Interesting read

Expand full comment

I am skeptical of a brain shutting off. Even hibernation doesn’t do that. Neurons rely on spiking for survival as well since they exchange many necessary resources when they do. I guess a primitive state that just refreshes the state of all neurons isn’t unlikely but I am left wondering when and how do they wake up from this state. Thanks for the essay , I will check the pdf as well.

Expand full comment