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**BoBoMasterDesign** · 04-06-2012, 09:53 AM

Constantly firing in a multitude of directions, the brain's activity gives rise to a wide array of mental happenings. The inner workings of the brain are not still and unmoving. Hence, there is no reason to believe the brain is the absolute epitome of what makes us who we are. There is such a thing as a conventional self that is born and dies, just no lasting Self that is exempt from arising and passing away.

Very interesting Abhaya

This quotation from your post resembles the khandha doctrine, about mental fabrications or mental formations which arises and fades, during meditation, with out a trace.

By the way, knowing you are into the field of neuroscience, the next quotation -quite old- fits well with what Gotama Buddha taught, mostly about consciousness as non self:

The process [consciousness] is discrete, discontinuous; however we perceive the outside world in a unified way, like a continuum along the arrow of time. That is, imagines are created one after another so fast that they seem to be analogical and not digital, like a move or a film. This means that imagines proceeding from the senses are mixed, not in a place in the Brain -there is no inner observer- but in time, which is thus determined by the shooting frequency of neurons. So, consciousness, in accordance with this findings, tells Llinas, is the dialogue between thalamus and Brain cortex, modeled by the sensory inputs.

Llinás, R., Ribary, U., Joliot, M. and Wang, X.-J. (1994). "Content and context in temporal thalamocortical binding". In: G. Buzàki et al. (comp.) Temporal Coding in the Brain. Springer Verlag, Berlín, pp. 252-272.
and this other quotation can be interesting,

For John Searle, Brain produce consiousness. Paul Churchland has been critical to this understanding giving a simple analogy from Thermodynamics: "to say that the Brain causes consciousness is equivalent as saying that molecular vibration causes heat, being that heat is molecular vibration."

Churchland, P.M (1995). The engine of reason, the seat of soul. MIT Press. Cambridge. Massachusetts.
What makes me keep this quotations is the agreement of Gotama's teachings about consciousness and its object of consciousness explained in a way that makes me understand that it is not about a continuum but discrete event. When object of consciousness is removed, consciousness ceases. I don't have at hand the sutta, but I will look after it.

PS: The translations of the quotes into English are mine because the book I have is written in Spanish so I apologize if there is a lack of a fluid gramatical sense.

04-06-2012, 09:53 AM	#22
BoBoMasterDesign Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 501 Senior Member	Constantly firing in a multitude of directions, the brain's activity gives rise to a wide array of mental happenings. The inner workings of the brain are not still and unmoving. Hence, there is no reason to believe the brain is the absolute epitome of what makes us who we are. There is such a thing as a conventional self that is born and dies, just no lasting Self that is exempt from arising and passing away. Very interesting Abhaya This quotation from your post resembles the khandha doctrine, about mental fabrications or mental formations which arises and fades, during meditation, with out a trace. By the way, knowing you are into the field of neuroscience, the next quotation -quite old- fits well with what Gotama Buddha taught, mostly about consciousness as non self: The process [consciousness] is discrete, discontinuous; however we perceive the outside world in a unified way, like a continuum along the arrow of time. That is, imagines are created one after another so fast that they seem to be analogical and not digital, like a move or a film. This means that imagines proceeding from the senses are mixed, not in a place in the Brain -there is no inner observer- but in time, which is thus determined by the shooting frequency of neurons. So, consciousness, in accordance with this findings, tells Llinas, is the dialogue between thalamus and Brain cortex, modeled by the sensory inputs. Llinás, R., Ribary, U., Joliot, M. and Wang, X.-J. (1994). "Content and context in temporal thalamocortical binding". In: G. Buzàki et al. (comp.) Temporal Coding in the Brain. Springer Verlag, Berlín, pp. 252-272. and this other quotation can be interesting, For John Searle, Brain produce consiousness. Paul Churchland has been critical to this understanding giving a simple analogy from Thermodynamics: "to say that the Brain causes consciousness is equivalent as saying that molecular vibration causes heat, being that heat is molecular vibration." Churchland, P.M (1995). The engine of reason, the seat of soul. MIT Press. Cambridge. Massachusetts. What makes me keep this quotations is the agreement of Gotama's teachings about consciousness and its object of consciousness explained in a way that makes me understand that it is not about a continuum but discrete event. When object of consciousness is removed, consciousness ceases. I don't have at hand the sutta, but I will look after it. PS: The translations of the quotes into English are mine because the book I have is written in Spanish so I apologize if there is a lack of a fluid gramatical sense.
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