[Buddha-l] Abhidharma vindicated once again

[Dan Lusthaus]

> But how do we know that someone in nirodha-s. has stopped or can
> stop their heart rate?
> There were no ways to measure that in ancient days.
> JK

You're right, we don't know. We just have what the texts tell us. That holds 
not just for nirodha-samapatti, but for Buddha's entire career.

As for the "swami," be honest and tell us which of the following scenarios 
seem more likely?

(1) A swami buried underground raised his heart rate to such a high extent 
that it "appeared" to not be beating at all, and at 12 different points on 
his body neither his heart rate nor galvanic skin responses (read up on eKg 
machines, called ECG in the article), etc., only to magically restart on 
schedule just before the spot is reopened. It restarts not slowly, building 
to a higher rate, but starts at a high rate and then lowers.

(2) Our friendly swami either disconnected all the attachments -- or, if 
they were transmitting by radio waves, he simply moved out of range --  
resulting in no signal being sent to the receivers. When it was time to put 
in an appearance, he got back into position, moving back into range so the 
signal again was picked up. Having to crawl through his hidden tunnel 
required exertion, and with less than normal air, his heart rate shot up (in 
both directions, but esp. during the exit, which would have been more labor 
intensive than returning to his place).

Mmm?

Dan