[Buddha-l] neuroscience: neural plasticity

[S.A. Feite]

On May 30, 2007, at 9:04 AM, Joy Vriens wrote:

> It strikes me that "meditation research" is already flawed *from a  
> spiritual point of view* in similar ways as yoga or tantra.

You feel the Buddhist tantras and yogas are flawed in some way?

> It makes the -in my most humble POV- mistake of defining (and  
> reifying) a result and then looking for possible other ways to  
> achieve it (utilitarianism). It's driven by control wheras genuin  
> spirituality, as I see it and which goes along the lines of William  
> James' "surrender of self", isn't. It's driven by a belief in  
> methods, technics and technicality (magic we would have called it  
> in a remote past).

Indeed it is. But some of the research is really basic and about  
things valuable to know like 'what happens to the person in samadhi?'  
Can anyone achieve this and if so, how long would it take? How does  
it change the mode of functioning in our neural hardware (the brain  
and nervous system)? What happens to the brain when negative emotions  
diminish?

Many of these things we still simply do not know. And it is possible  
with brain wave entrainment, meditative states could actually be  
fostered and assisted by technology. There could come a time when  
part of basic education would include the ability to be free from  
afflictive emotions.

Sincerely,

-Steve