Neuroscience studies the practice of Buddhist meditation.

[Revenant]

This is a long read. The research began, when neuroscientists found that the brain was plastic. It was malleable, even past the age of physical growth. Neuro-connections could be strengthened, new connections made, and even new tissues grown. The scientists then wondered, if the Buddhist practice of meditation would have a real impact on the brain, and the early research indicates meditations have a very positive impact on the brain, and well-being.

Excerpts taken from Daniel Goleman's book, Destructive Emotions: And How We Can Overcome Them.

Lama Oser strikes anyone who meets him as resplendent--not because of his maroon and gold Tibetan monk's robes, but because of his radiant smile. Oser, a European-born convert to Buddhism, has trained as a Tibetan monk in the Himalayas for more than three decades, including many years at one of Tibet's greatest spiritual masters.

But today Oser (whose name has been changed here to protect his privacy) is about to take a revulationary step in history of the spiritual lineage he has become a part of: He will engage in meditation while having his brain scanned by state-of-the-art brain imaging devices. To be sure, there have been sporadic attempts to study brain activity in meditators, and decades of tests with monks and yogis in Western labs, some revealing remarkable abilities to control respiration, brain waves, or core body temperature. But this--the first experiments with someone at Osers level of training, using sophistacted measures--will take that research to an entirely new level, deeper than ever in charting the specific links between highly disciplined mental strategies and their impact on brain function. And this research agenda has a pragmatic focus: to access meditation as mind training, a practical answer to the perennial human conundrum of how we can better handle our emotions.

While modern science has focused on formulating ingenious chemical compounds to help us overcome toxic emotions, Buddhism offers a different, albeit far more labor-intensive, route: methods for training the mind, largely through meditation practice. Indeed, Buddhism explicitly explains the training Oser has undergone as an antidote to the mind's vulnerability to toxic emotions. If destructive emotions marks one extreme in human proclivities, this research seeks to map their antipode, the extent to which the brain can be trained to dwell in a constructive range, contentment instead of craving, calm rather than agitation, compassion instead of hatred.

Medicines are the leading modality in the west for addressing disturbing emotions, and for better or for worse, there is no doubt that mood-altering pills have brought solace to millions. But one compelling question the research with Oser raises is whether a person, through his or her own efforts, can bring about lasting positive changes in brain fuction that are even more far-reaching than meditation in their impact on emotions,. And that question, in turn, raises others: For instance, if in fact people can train their minds to overcome destructive emotions, could practical, nonreligious aspects of such training be part of every child's education? Or could such training in emotional self-manangement be offered to adults, whether or not they were spiritual seekers?

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Oser had spent several months at a stretch in intensive, solitary retreat. All told, those retreat add up to about two and a half years. But beyond that, during several years as the personal attendant to a Tibetan master, the reminders to practice even in the midst of his busy daily activities were almost constant. Now, here at the laboratory, the question was what difference any of that training had made.

The collaboration began before Oser went near the MRI, with a meeting to design the research protocol. As the eight-person research team briefed Oser, everyone in the room was acutely aware that they were in a bit of a race against time. The Dalai Lama himself would visit the lab the very next day, and they hoped by then to have harvested at least some preliminary results to share with him.

With Oser's consultation, the research team agreed on a protocol where he would rotate from a resting, everyday state of mind through a sequence of several specific meditative states. To overhear that conversation would have been eye-opening for anyone who thinks of meditation as a single, vaguely defined Zen-like mental exercise. Such an assumption is akin to thinking of all cooking as the same, ignoring the vast variation in cousine, recipes, and ingredients throughout the world of food. Likewise, there are dozens and dozens of distinct, highly detailed varieties of mental training--too loosely lumped together in English under the term "meditation"--each with it's own instructions and specific effects on experience and, the research team hoped to show, on brain activity.

To be sure, there is a great deal of overlap among the different kinds of meditation employed across differing spiritual traditions: A Trappist monk reciting the Prayer of the Heart, "Kyrie eleison," has much in common with a Tibetan nun chanting "Om mani padme hum"." But beyond these large commonalities, there is a very wide variety of specific meditation practices, each unique in the attentional, cognitive, and affective strategies they employ, and so in their results.

Tibetan Buddhism may well offer the widest menu of meditation methods, and it was from this rich offering that the team in Madison began to choose what to study. The initial suggestions from the research team were for three meditative states: a visualization, one-pointedness concentration, and generating compassion. The three methods involved distinct enough mental strategies that the team was fairly sure they would reveal different underlying configurations of brain activity. Indeed, Oser was able to give precise descriptions of each.

One of the methods chosen, one-pointedness--a fully focused concentration on a single object of attention--may be the most basic and universal of all practices, found in one form or another in every spiritual tradition that employs meditation. Focusing on one point requires letting go of the ten thousand other thoughts and desires that flit through the mind as distractions; as the Danish philosopher Kierkegaard put it, "Purity of heart is to want one thing only."

In the Tibetan system (as in many others) cultivating concentration is a beginner's method, a prerequisite for moving on to the more intricate approaches. In a sense, concentration is the most generic form of mind training, with many nonspiritual applications as well. Indeed, for the test, Oser simply picked a spot (a small bolt above him on the MRI, it turned out) to focus his gaze on and held it there, bringing his focus back whenever his mind wandered off.

Oser proposed three more approaches that he thought would usefully expand the data yield: meditations on devotion and fearlessness, and what he called the"open state." The last refers to a thought-free wakefulness where the mind, as Oser described it, "is open, vast, and aware, with no intentional mental activity. The mind is not focused on anything, yet totally present--not in a focused way, just very open and undistracted. Thoughts may start to arise weakly, but they don't chain into longer thoughts--they just fade away."

Perhaps the most intriguing was Oser's explanation of the meditation on fearlessness, which involves "bringing to mind a fearless certainty, a deep confidence that nothing can unsettle--decisive and firm, without hesitating, where you're not averse to anything. You enter into a state where you feel, no matter what happens, 'I have nothing to gain, nothing to lose.'" One aid to this meditation, he added, is bringing to mind these same qualities in his teachers. A similar focus on his teachers plays a key role in the meditation on devotion, he said, in which he holds in mind a deep appreciation of and gratitude toward his teachers and, most especially, the spiritual qualities they embody.

That strategy also operates in the meditation on compassion, with his teachers' kindness offering a model. Oser explained that in generating love and compassion, bringing to mind the suffering of living beings and the fact that they all apsire to achieve happiness and be free from suffering is a vital part of the training. So does the idea to "let there be only compassion and love in the mind for all beings--friends and loved ones, strangers and enemies alike. It's a compassion with no agenda, that excludes no one. You generate this quality of loving, and let it soak the mind."

Finally the visualization entailed constructing in the mind's eye a fully detailed image of the elaborately intricate details of a Tibetan Buddhist diety. As Oser described the process, you start with the details and build the whole picture from top to bottom. Ideally, you should be able to keep in mind a clear and complete picture." As those familiar with Tibetan thangkas (the wall hangings depicing such dieties) will know, such images are highly complex patterns.

Oser confidently assumed that each of these meditation practices should show distinct brain configurations. For the scientists, there are clear distinctions in cognitive activity between, say, visualization, and one-pointedness. But the meditations on compassion, devotion, and fearlessness, do not seem that different in the mental processes involved, though they differ clearly in content. From a scientific view, if Oser could demonstrate shaper, consistent brain signatures for any of these meditative states, it would be a first.

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Oser's testing started with the functional MRI, the current gold standard of research on the brain's role in behavior. Before the advent of the functional MRI (or fMRI), researchers had been handicapped in observing in a fine-grained way the sequence of activity in various parts of the brain during a given mental activity. The standard MRI, in wide use in hospitals, offers a graphically detailed snapshot of the structure of the brain. But fMRI offers all that in video--an ongoing record of how zones of the brain dynamically change their level of activity from moment to moment. The conventional MRI lays bare the brain structures, while the fMRI reveals how those structures interact as they function.

The fMRI could give Davidson a crystal-clear set of images of Oser's brain, cross-cutting slices at one millimeter--slimmer than a fingernail. These images could then be ananlyzed in any dimension to track precisely what happens during a mental act, tracing paths of activity through the brain.

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Even in the broad first swipe at the MRI data that Davidson could report the next day, there were strong signs that Oser had been able to voluntarily regulate his brain activity through purely mental processes. By contrast, most untrained subjects given a mental task are unable to focus exclusively on the task--and consequently have considerable noise added to the signals that reflect their voluntary mental strategies.

But for Oser, it seemed from the preliminary analysis that his mental strategies were accompanied by strong, demonstrable shifts in the MRI signals These signals suggested that large networks in the brain changed with each distinct mental state he generated. Ordinarily, such a clear shift in brain activity between states of mind is the exception, except for the grossest shifts in consciousness--from wakefulness to sleep, for instance. But Oser's brain showed clear distinctions among each of the six meditations.

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While the fMRI findings were quite preliminary, the EEG analysis had already borne rich fruit in the comparison between Oser at rest and while meditating on compassion. Most striking was a dramatic increase in key electrical acitivity known as gamma in the middle frontal gyrus, a zone of the brain Davidson's previous research had pinpointed as a locus for the positive emotions. In research with close to two hundred people. Davidson's lab had found that when people have high levels of such brain activity in that specific site of the left prefrontal cortex, they simultaneously report feelings such as happiness, enthusiasm, joy, high energy, and alertness.

On the other hand, Davidson's research had also found that high activity in a parallel site on the other side of the brain--in the prefrontal area--correlate with reports of distressing emotions. People with a higher level of activity in the right prefrontal site and a lower level in the left are more prone to feelings such as sadness, anxiety, and worry. Indeed, an extreme rightward tilt in the ratio of activity in these perfrontal areas predicts high likelihood that a person will succumb to clinical depression or an anxiety disorder at some point in their life. People in the grip of depression who also report intense anxiety have the highest levels of activation in those right prefrontal areas.

The implications of these findings for our emotional balance are profound. We each have a characteristic ratio right-to-left activation in the prefrontal areas that offers a barometer of the moods we are likely to feel day to day. That ratio represents what amounts to an emotional set point, the mean around which our daily moods swing.

Each of us has the capacity to shift out moods, at least a bit, and thus change this ratio. The further to the left that ratio tilts, the better our frame of mind tends to be, and experiences that lift our mood cause such a leftward tilt, at least temporarily. For instance, most people show small positive changes in the ratio when they are asked to recall pleasant memories of events from their past, or when they watch amusing or heartwarming film clips.

Though usually such changes from the baseline set point are modest, at the Madison meeting Davidson reported to the Dalai Lama some striking data from the tests the day before with Oser. While Oser was generating a state of compassion during meditation, he showed a remarkable leftward shift in this parameter of prefrontal function, one that was extraordinarily unlikely to occur by chance alone.

In short, Oser's brain shift during compassion seemed to reflect an extremely pleasant mood. The very act of concern for others' well-being, it seems, creates a greater sense of well-being within oneself. The findings lends scientific support to an observation often made by the Dalai Lama: that the person doing a meditation on compassion for all beings is the immediate beneficiary. (among other benefits of cultivating compassion, as described in classic Buddhist texts, are being loved by people and animals, having a serene mind, sleeping and waking peacefully, and having pleasant dreams).

[lexico]

Thank you Revenant. I enjoyed the reading very much. What a lifter ! I remember a song by a jazz singer;

"the greatest thing of all
is to love and be loved in return."

I think devotion to an inanimate object or activity is also very pacifying in the deep concentration. I was invited to a musician's place who gave all the quests one percussion instrument. Everybody started improvising, and the net effect was so very much healing; every beat of the gongs, the drum, and the bells together accompanied by his two-flutes was like deep therapy. I've known very few musicians, but they seem to have a certain childlike, uninhibited spontaneity that is quite healthy and healing. Perhaps that would be different from the Tibetan meditation, but I wonder that there might be a common chord because it was very peaceful and lively; it's hard to express in words becuase it was totally out of the ordinary day-to-day experience I am familiar with.

[Mars Man]

A very nice read Revenant, and one that actually one just can't read, but must meditate on itself. I am also fascinated by this subject--the operation on the brain--and all the little things that can make it what it is. I have done meditation and yoga in the past, and have felt things 'move', so to speak. Happiness is really important (another whole field of study) and one key seems to be doing good things for others.

As far as I have looked into the subject of the brain (and that's not so far) I think the Limbric system is more largely responsible for emotion, but the hormones and their ability to be recepted (recepters play a big role, it seems) also have some impact.

It's nice to see Lexico here.

[lexico]

Originally Posted by Mars Man

A very nice read Revenant, and one that actually one just can't read, but must meditate on itself.

Hi, Mars Man !
That is exactly how I felt ! I had only read this article; but it made me imagine the meditative states, the internal motions of the zen master (and those of the scientists curious to find out what made him tick); that itself was figuratively liberating and restful.

I agree with your idea about helping others; and sometimes helping oneself when there was some serious self-neglect. There seems to be more than one identity or more than one level or layer of the self that is not fully revealed to us. Knowing those layers with greater certainty and detail would be great -- to be in touch with one's self (selves) was the Socratic lesson, cryptic as it may seem.

[Void]

Interesting, indeed

Originally Posted by Mars Man

As far as I have looked into the subject of the brain (and that's not so far) I think the Limbric system is more largely responsible for emotion, but the hormones and their ability to be recepted (recepters play a big role, it seems) also have some impact.

Don`t remember where i`ve read? i think Jung: first you feel blood pomping into your face then you realize that you are angry... but all the chemical changes in your blood occured and you have to eal with both - raving mind and burning body

But aren`t some formations of Limbic system partly connected with cortex?
Feelings usually being put on a level above emotions. So, if there is connection with the cortex then emotions can be governed? And strong feeling of love and caring can prevail?
Sorry, i am not clear, not much into the subject

[Revenant]

The findings on meditation are very promising, and make a whole lot of sense. In another study, a group that had never meditated was to meditate once a day for one hour was set against a control group of people who had also never meditated, and weren't to meditate. As in the article, the ratio of left to right activity in the brain indicated the general level of happiness, and this is the ratio the brain will return to after say, a lottery winning, or the death of a family member.

Those who meditated once a day for one hour for two months, all showed a higher ratio of beneficial emotions, and a lower amount of the detrimental emotions. The control group generally showed no change in ratio.

I am not well versed in the neurosciences, but from personal observation, I would say that the ability to change and maintain focus would make it possible to have some determination in the emotions one feels. I have focused on the idea of gratitude, and maintained that focus long enough to really feel that emotion.

[Mars Man]

Hi there lexico, my man (I hope I'm not being too presumptious in using that; if so, please do forgive me.) I think I can really hear where you're coming from there. Thanks for the consideration !!

I have not read so much of Jung, void,only his book on Memories, Dreams, and somthing. . . I think he did have a fair amount to add to the Freudian base, but at that time, the both of them were missing a whole lot of brain stuff that came out in the 90's (called the decade of the brain). Parts of their explanations no longer hold up. (.Dreaming Reality-How Dreaming Can Keep Us Sane, or Can Drive Us Mad; by Joe Griffin and Ivan Tyrell is a good read which covers some of that) I appreciate your comments there; if you have any other points, please turn me on to them !


If I may share what I have found out (without running ovefr to the book room), the lymbric system is said to consist of the amygdala, basal ganglia, hypothalamus, and the hippocampus. Associations are in the cortex and there would have to be connections within the whole organ, I would think. I'll look into that. But I do have one article that I will dig out later ( my filing system is REAL behind) on the discovery and theory of the role some certain cell types play in emotion building which are located in the pre-frontal cortex. And of course you do have things like serotonin, phenylethylamine (PEA), progesterone, vasopressin, dopamine, oxytocin, and others. To whatever degree the higher cognitive functions can surely control snyaptic receptors and inhibitors, I would think--kind the same as the placebo effect. But I'd love to do more research here too.

I agree with what you seem to be hitting at Revenant with the idea of drawing up emotions; it seems to be very much the case. (for that reason, to keep the love alive, couples have to revisit those old restaurants, listen to those old songs of the dating years, etc.)

Now these science mags I get and all these books, have not gone too much into the paranormal (which could evidence a bias in the science world--I'm against 'scientism') or the measuring of the brain through fMRI, so I would appreciate any good tips on information sources in that area. Thanks for listening.

[Revenant]

Originally Posted by Mars Man

Now these science mags I get and all these books, have not gone too much into the paranormal (which could evidence a bias in the science world--I'm against 'scientism') or the measuring of the brain through fMRI, so I would appreciate any good tips on information sources in that area. Thanks for listening.

There is a bit here on brain imaging. It's even got a few videos of the fMRI in action. http://www.news.wisc.edu/packages/emotion/

[Mars Man]

Thank you very much Revenant for that link. I checked it out and liked what I saw. I know that I'm late getting back to this subject, and I hope that all who drop in will forgive me for my slackness; I have been a bit busy in other areas. I have that article I had mentioned earlier, and post that within the next day or two. Please bear with me.

[Revenant]

Found this posted at another forum, thought it was fascinating myself.

http://www.livescience.com/humanbiol..._medidate.html

Meditation alters brain patterns in ways that are likely permanent, scientists have known. But a new study shows key parts of the brain actually get thicker through the practice.

Brain imaging of regular working folks who meditate regularly revealed increased thickness in cortical regions related to sensory, auditory and visual perception, as well as internal perception -- the automatic monitoring of heart rate or breathing, for example.

The study also indicates that regular meditation may slow age-related thinning of the frontal cortex.

"What is most fascinating to me is the suggestion that meditation practice can change anyone's gray matter," said study team member Jeremy Gray, an assistant professor of psychology at Yale. "The study participants were people with jobs and families. They just meditated on average 40 minutes each day, you don't have to be a monk."

The research was led by Sara Lazar, assistant in psychology at Massachusetts General Hospital. It is detailed in the November issue of the journal NeuroReport.

The study involved a small number of people, just 20. All had extensive training in Buddhist Insight meditation. But the researchers say the results are significant.

Most of the brain regions identified to be changed through meditation were found in the right hemisphere, which is essential for sustaining attention. And attention is the focus of the meditation.

Other forms of yoga and meditation likely have a similar impact on brain structure, the researchers speculate, but each tradition probably has a slightly different pattern of cortical thickening based on the specific mental exercises involved.

[Xkavar]

Very interesting. I hope this pans out for the researchers and patients.

[EdZiomek]

I am late to this discussion, but find it very pertinent and interesting. On the large scale, how many "religions" in the history of the world focused on the "self", the study of one's own image, perception, and being?

I am suggesting names like... Bhuddism and Taoism and Jainism... possibly Hinduism.

An even larger discussion might be... did any culture, past or present, believe in "knowledge" as the focus of religion?

For example... Christianity... belief in Christ and living one's life in a loving, giving way... that is my opinion of the foundation of Christianity. Christianity was never focused on knowledge of one's "self". Knowledge of the Bible and the Life of Christ, and the Gospels is important, but knowledge of the sciences and even health sciences was not important to Christianity, of which I am a member.

On the same note, I don't believe "prayer"of the Western religions is the same as "meditation" of the Eastern religions, though I could be wrong. I hope more forum members contribute their ideas to this interesting topic.

Thank you.

[mapusyaw]

For example... Christianity... belief in Christ and living one's life in a loving, giving way... that is my opinion of the foundation of Christianity. Christianity was never focused on knowledge of one's "self".

uhuh, because xtianity wasn't based on existentialism as opposed to those you've previously mentioned. jainism and taoisim weren't originally intended to be religions (and so was xtianity) but a system of teachings and beliefs in response to the ethical crises during the first mid-milleneum.

knowledge on science may seem unimportant to xtianity 'cause the religion remains to be conservative despite the changes it has undergone through the years..


i don't know anything much about neuroscience and i practically forgot my anatomy-physiology but concentrating on positive thoughts and compassion does has something to do with preventing depression. according to beck, pessimistic view of the world and negative views of the self are some of its causes.

[Mars Man]

OH NO !!!! Here's one that I left hanging !! OK...so I didn't make in a day or two, or.....four months....I'm really, really sorry Revenant, my brother in deep discussion !! I'll do my best to make it up to you.

I'M SORRY !!!!

[Revenant]

Glad to have you in the thread again Mars Man. It would be great if you had any other neuroscience tidbits to give away.

Anyways, meditation has made it's way into a lot of magazines. It has been in Times magazine twice, both in the 'Happiness' issue and the 'How to sharpen the mind' issue. I have been listening to a lot of Buddhist podcasts, and am starting to get a much better idea of Buddhism and the reasons and how they incorporate Buddhism. If I ever get the chance, I am going to go on a meditation retreat somewhere, but have yet to decide which traditions meditations I want to get into. I do want to keep it simple, but become proficient at a few meditations. It seems if one got into a lot of traditions one's efforts would be fragmented.

[Mars Man]

Thank you ever so much Revenant chan !! You do have such a big heart, ready to forgive, and take a lot before showing the discomfort !!

Wow, so you've read both of those articles too, huh? I have been subscribed to TIME for two years now, along with SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN, NEWSCIENTIST, and SCIENCE. With SCIENCE, there is a membership as well, and I can get a lot of extra info on line from AAAS too--the only drawback, actually, is that a fair amount of it is actually over my head, 'cause I just don't have the background in much of it. I do put out the effort to look things up, ask questions when I don't understand. (and have the time to do so...TIME, another weak point for me) So, so far I happy with it.

Yes, I did have some info pulled out from my files, (I file everything useful) and ready to post, but somehow got sidetracked, and wow...then suddenly that long forgotten post popped up in front of me.

THANK YOU !! Yes, I have some friends here that do do some meditating, & it seems to me too, that simple is best. I did do the nyamyohorengekyo...(if that's right, stuff once, but didn'T stick with it) Good luck to you !!

[EdZiomek]

As I mentioned on another website, in addition to the Hitachi research that is being done in this area....I just saw on C-Span 2, another American company developing "brain wave" products for the paralyzed...

Cyberkinetics Neurotechnology Systems, Inc

http://www.cyberkineticsinc.com/content/index.jsp

"BRAINGATE SYSTEM NAMED ONE OF "BIGGEST DISCOVERIES OF 2005"
WIRED News' author, Leander Kahney, described the first BrainGate clinical trial volunteer, Matthew Nagle, as the "first neuro-cybernaut...the first paralyzed person to control an artificial hand by brain power alone."

I bet this product could work with meditation studies, and be a help for Alzheimer's patients too, I imagine.

[Mars Man]

Originally Posted by EdZiomek

I don't believe "prayer"of the Western religions is the same as "meditation" of the Eastern religions, though I could be wrong. I hope more forum members contribute their ideas to this interesting topic.
Thank you.

As far as I have seen it, yes, the concept of prayer in the Abrahamic 'faith-based' religions is different from that of the older great Eastern religions. They are directing, towards a 'person concept', requests for action, prases of admiration, and offerings of thanks. It does seem to be much more of communication than pure meditation.

I would like to point out a lot of tid-bits of information about the brain, neurology, and some interesting case histories, if that's o.k. with you Revenant. I'll wait for your reply. Catch you later !!

[jp22]

Buddha learned his meditation from Hindus in India...

[Revenant]

I wish I had a particular article to post, but this was simply mentioned in a Science magazine article. Meditation proved to be just as refreshing for a sleepy person as a cup of coffee. I would completely agree, based completely on my own experience. I go through times when I get very little sleep (just can't fall asleep for some reason), and the next day can have me feeling horribly tired. I often on these kinds of days meditate on my breath during the five minute break, and I actually do feel refreshed. Just a tidbit to add to this thread.

[Mars Man]

Great to see you back !

[Revenant]

Originally Posted by Mars Man

I would like to point out a lot of tid-bits of information about the brain, neurology, and some interesting case histories, if that's o.k. with you Revenant. I'll wait for your reply. Catch you later !!

Whenever you're ready! I'm all for it!