visions of jhanas, ballad of a thin model...
Uniting Contemplative Theory and Scientific Investigation: Toward a Comprehensive Model of the Mind
Malcolm J. Wright1 · Joseph L. Sanguinetti2 · Shinzen Young2 · Matthew D. Sacchet3
Accepted: 28 February 2023 / Published online: 10 April 2023 © The Author(s) 2023
Abstract
Objectives
Research into meditation-related emergent phenomenology is advancing, yet progress is hampered by significant incongruities between meditator self-reports and objective measurements (e.g., of brain states). We address these incongruities by developing and demonstrating the potential of contemplative theory to support scientific investigation.
Method
Our approach is to translate key theories from Buddhist contemplative traditions into scientific terms, and then systematize these translations as a functionalist model of the mind—the Thin Model—able to inform scientific inquiry.
Results
Buddhist doctrine is shown to be consistent with objective descriptions of mental function, and the Thin Model derived from these translations demonstrates immediate explanatory power. The nested nature of the model allows explanations to be restricted to the specific problem being studied. The model enables connection of complex higher-level phenomena, such as self-reports of mental states, to complex lower-level phenomena, such as empirically measured brain states. This connection does not require simplistic assumptions to be made. A detailed demonstration illustrates how the model can convert subjective accounts of the ecstatic meditative states known as jhānas into testable neuroscientific hypotheses.
Conclusions
We provide an account of contemplative theory that is amenable to scientific investigation. Our approach, exemplified in the Thin Model, offers immediate explanatory power, allows meaningful dialogue between different research traditions, and provides an organizing principle for explanations of mental phenomena. The Thin Model may also be relevant to other fields concerned with autonomous entities or the nature and operation of the mind.
Keywords Neuroscience · Contemplative science · Philosophy of mind · Emergent phenomenology · Mindfulness meditation · Jhāna
As mindfulness meditation and other contemplative traditions have become more widely practiced in western cultures, there are increasing reports of associated emergent phenomenology, that is, unusual subjective mental events with a spiritual, mystical, or energetic character that emerge from meditative practice. The nature of energetic phenomena is debated, so we offer a minimalist definition of these as somatic correlates of emotion. Emergent phenomenology is quite varied in nature and may be perceived either positively or negatively (Galante et al. 2023; Grof & Grof, 2017; Lindahl et al., 2020) yet is hardly understood in modern scientific terms. Empirical research remains at an early stage although it is growing. The scope and possible benefits of research into emergent phenomenology appear considerable due to likely interactions with outcomes in mental health, personal wellbeing, social adjustment, and even the development of social capital in the case of compassion-based practices. Concrete short-term benefits of research into emergent phenomenology may include improved diagnosis and treatment of spiritual crisis separately from mental illness and identification of risk factors for spiritual crisis within existing mindfulness meditation practice.
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https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12671-023-02101-y
