Index
Abraham, A, 158
Absorptions, 82, 195, 225n1, 230n40
in concentrative meditation, 25
preludes to, 181
and promethean hyperpraxia, 195
of Siddhartha under rose-apple tree, 34
Achronia, 59–61, 190
Adaptation
coping in, 92, 223n6
to light and dark, 136, 137, 233n19
Adyashanti (Steve Gray), 53–54, 211–212n6
Affirmation strategy of James, 70
Aging, deactivation of prefrontal cortex in, 138
Aitken-Roshi, Robert, 40, 54, 55, 56, 64
Alexander, Eben, 216n8
Allocentric processing, 26–28, 27f, 184, 206n2
anonymous perspective in, 146
brain regions in, 26, 27f, 30, 32, 93, 100f–101f, 206–207n8
and color imagery during meditation, 124–125, 131, 141
compared to egocentric processing, 100f–101f, 145, 150
in deep awakening, 93, 95, 117
hippocampus in, 116
and intuition, 125, 144–148, 169
in kensho-satori, 199
in object-centered neglect, 28
in response to latent power of words, 150
and sense of reality, 85–86, 94
thalamus in, 207–208n11
“the thing in itself” in, 145
in upward gaze, 112, 117
and ventral attention system, 26, 28, 32, 100f–101f, 102, 125
Alternate Uses Task, 157–158
American Philosophical Association, 69
γ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA), 24, 119, 244–245n14
Amygdala, 14f, 27f, 93
deactivation of, 118
in fear, 117, 179–180
in inkblot responses, 163, 238n17
in pain response, 81
and reticular nucleus, 119
Angular gyrus, 18, 116, 200, 205n6
Anisotropy, fractional, 160–161
Anxiety problems, 87
Aphasia, chronic receptive, 73–74
Approach behavior, 180
Araka, 44
Arcaro, M., 115
Armstrong, Louis, 87, 97, 151
Asari, T., 162
Ashoka tree (simsapa tree), 42–43, 210n21
induced vision of, 46–47
leaves of, 42, 44
As if principle, 66, 213nn1–2
Attention, xix, 13–17, 184, 191
abrupt involuntary shift in, 28–29
to breathing, 25, 78–79, 194, 212n10
in concentrative meditation, 25
dominant role of right cerebral hemisphere in, 138
dorsal system (see Dorsal attention system)
focal, 25
functional MRI in, 78–79, 219n5
in hearing, 54, 55, 56
involuntary, xiv, xix, 201n3 (see also Ventral attention system)
in outdoor settings, 188
and prosocial attitude, 230n39
in receptive meditation, 26
reciprocal interactions in, 29, 32, 199
in remindfulness, 77
and Self-centeredness, 29
sharpening skills in, 16
subconscious process in, xix
upward and outward, 56–57
ventral system (see Ventral attention system)
visual, 16, 56
voluntary, xix, 201n3 (see also Dorsal attention system)
Attentive processing, 191
Auditory cortex
association, 55, 56
primary, 55, 56
Aurora
borealis, 128, 129
meditatorum, 128, 129–130, 137, 192
Autobiographical functions, 17, 27f, 32, 133, 193, 200, 227n18
Automatic involuntary processes, xix—xx, 29
in hearing, 55
in unexpected stimulus, 28–29
Avalokiteshvara, 41
Aversive stimuli
brain response to, 180
retreat behavior in, 180–181
Avian Zen, xiv, 52–64
Awakening
auditory triggers of, 29, 41, 52, 53–54, 56, 59, 184, 209n17
awareness in, 82
deep, 93–94
impression of reality in, 29, 93, 94
initial state of (see Kensho)
loss of word-thoughts and concepts in, 30
non-duality in, 94
sense of Self in, 85, 221–222n11
silence in, 30, 207n9
in upward gaze, xix, 36, 181
Awareness, 191
already there but not conscious of itself, 22, 206n2
awakening, 82
bare, 26, 76, 191
bilateral, 28
cognition, 82
ever-present, 84
global, 25, 26, 28
hierarchical depth in, 91
in “just this” experience, 194
long-term transformations of, 83–89
maturation of, 21, 91–92, 185
of mind-wandering during meditation, 79, 80
other-referential, 184, 206n2
present-moment, mindfulness in, 75–89
ripening of, 20, 21
in sleep, 84, 85
subconscious background qualities in, 89–96
tacit, 82
thought-free, functional MRI in, 81–83
verbal, 82
Axmacher, N., 117
Backward steps for leap forward, xv, 202n7
Bahiya, 18–19, 206n4
requesting advice from Buddha, 6–9, 156, 178, 203–204nn6–8
Banyan tree (Ficus benghalensis), 45–46
Barbas, H., 119
Barsalou, L., 112
Basal ganglia, 215–216n7
Bassui, Japanese Zen master, 54, 59
Bayle, D., 113
Bays, Jan Chozen, 123
Beauchamp, M., 130
Beck, Joko, 62
Behave-as-if principle, 66, 213nn1–2
Belief systems, functional neuroimaging of, 183, 248n5
Benoit, Hubert, 155, 156
Bergen, B., 149
Berman, M., 188
Bernard, Claude, 153
Bhikkhu, Thanissaro, 212n18
Bilalic, M., 161
Bird calls, 52–64, 184
and achronia, 60–61
literary references to, 60–62
triggering awakening, 29, 41, 52, 53–54, 184
as unexpected event, 53, 56
Birds
building nest in folds of clothing, 61
as metaphor, 201n5
songs and calls of (see Bird calls)
Blade of grass, dew drop on, 44–45
Blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) signals in fMRI, 193, 241n25
Bodh Gaya, 21, 36, 38
Bodhi tree, 37–40, 39f
Body language, 57, 59
BOLD signals in fMRI, 193, 241n25
Botanical references in Buddhist teachings, xiv, 33–48
Bottom-up processes
in bare awareness, 191
compared to top-down processes, 100–102
in hearing, 55, 56
illumination bias in, 140
in long-term meditation practice, 80
PET scan in, 133
in ventral attention, xix, 15f, 138, 201n3 (see also Ventral attention system)
Brahmaraja, Mahapitaka, 209n18
Brain
and allocentric processing, 26, 27f, 30, 32, 93, 100f–101f, 206–207n8
anatomical landmarks on, 14f, 27f
color-selective sites in, 130–131, 231n6
common acronyms used in research on, 197–198
connectivity of regions, 167–168, 220–221n7, 241–242n27
deactivation of regions (see Deactivation of brain regions)
differences in right and left sides of, 32–33
diffusion tensor imaging of, 160–161, 167, 241–242n27
and dorsal attention system, 13, 15f, 31, 100f–101f, 102
in egocentric processing, 100f–101f, 116
emotion processing pathways in, 118–119
functional anatomy of, 13–18, 14f–15f, 27f, 205n6
functional MRI of (see Magnetic resonance imaging, functional)
in hearing, 55–56
in kensho, 93–94
language areas in (see Language areas in brain)
morning and evening variations in, 78, 219n4
in near-death experience, 216–218n8
in near space and far space tasks, 116
neuroplasticity of, 91 (see also Neuroplasticity)
in pain anticipation and experience, 80–81, 219n6
paradoxical facilitation of function, 73
and psychic aspects of Self, 17–18, 23, 27f, 32
in real and make-believe events, 95
reciprocal interactions in (see Reciprocal interactions of brain areas)
and retinal origins of color sequences during meditation, 136–137
salience networks in, 79
and somatic aspects of self, 13–17, 23
stroke damage of, 74, 214–215nn5–6
transcranial direct current stimulation of, 164–166, 238–241nn19–25
and ventral attention system, 15f, 26, 31, 100f–101f, 138, 215–216n7, 225–226n1
Brain stem, 14f
Braun, A., 88
Breathing, attention to, 25, 78–79
word labeling of in-breaths and out-breaths in, 194, 212n10
Broca, Pierre Paul, 31
Brodmann areas, 27f–28f, 55
Brooks, David, 66
Brown, D., 87
Buddha
Bahiya requesting advice from, 6–9, 156, 178, 203–204nn6–8
death of, 41, 47
inspired utterances of, 6
on letting go, 10, 206n4
Malunkya requesting advice from, 3–6, 178, 203n6, 204n9
meditating under trees, 45, 186
on places to meditate, 46
on sleeping at ease, 44
teaching with simsapa leaves, 42
touching earth as symbolic gesture, 37
wordless gesture with single flower, 41–42, 209n18
Buhle, J., 180
Calmness, 19, 20
Cancer, immune function against, 188, 247n10
Caudate nucleus, 207n9, 216n7
Central fissure, 14f
Cerebellum, 14f, 83
Cerebral cortex
bidirectional connections with thalamus, 24, 119
connectivity of regions during meditation, 220–221n7
in hearing, 55–56
Cerebral hemispheres
in attention, 15f, 138
differences in right and left sides of, 32–33
PET scan during meditation, 132
in visual task processing, 115
Ch’an practice, xiii, 51, 52, 187
root-oriented, 58
Chess expertise, 161, 237n13
Chi, R., 164
A Child’s Garden of Verses (Stevenson), 61
Choice, in concentrative meditation, 25
Cingulate cortex
in divergent thinking, 158
in insightful problem solving, 158
in memory, 224n12
in pain response, 81
in real and make-believe events, 95
in visual and auditory task performance, 116
Cingulate gyrus, dorsal anterior, 79
Cingulo-opercular network, 80, 215n7
Clarity, 19, 20, 83, 174–175
in kensho, 11, 229n36
in maturation, 21
Cognition, grounded, 112
Coherence of visual events, detection of
functional MRI in, 162
visual event-related potentials in, 163–164
Cohn, N., 163
Color contrast phenomena, 137, 233n19
Color imagery during meditation, 124–143, 192
disinhibitory mechanisms in, 137–138
dynamic retinal/cerebral origins of, 136–137
EEG studies of, 132, 231n7
functional MRI studies of, 130–131, 231n6
left visual fields in, 124, 125, 127, 129, 138–139
luminous background of, 139–140
phases of, 126–128
Color spectrum, 128, 135–136, 137, 166–167, 231n3
Colzato, L., 157
Compassion, 20, 41, 48, 144
Concentration, 25
Concentrative meditation, 25, 56, 215n7
and complementary attributes of receptive style, 147
convergent thinking in, 157–158, 236n3
dorsal attention network in, 215n7
remindfulness in, 77–78
Conceptual expansion process, 158–159, 237n9
Cones and rods, 136
Conflict processing, event-related potential studies of, 115
Connectivity of brain areas, 220–221n7
in long-term meditators, 167–168, 241–242n27
Conscience, 78
Convergent thinking, 156, 157, 185, 236n3, 236n6
in concentrative meditation, 157–158, 236n3
Coping, adaptive, 92, 223n6
Corpus callosum, 234–235n2
Cortical regions. See Cerebral cortex
Courage, James on, 68
Creativity, 150–151, 185
and conceptual expansion process, 158–159
in divergent thinking, 156–161
in jazz improvisations, 88
and meditation, 156–158
in problem solving, 166–167
and Remote Associates Test results, 91
in tasks associated with distant locations, 112–113, 226n7
Cryptomeria trees, 187, 246n6
Curiosity, and novelty, 95–96
Dalai Lama, 68, 75, 218–219n1
Dalbergia tree (simsapa tree), 42–43, 210n21
induced vision of, 46–47
leaves of, 42, 44
Damei Fachang, 57–58
Daowu Yuanzhi, 211n1(chap5)
Dark adaptation, 136, 137, 233n19
Davids, Caroline Rhys, 75
Davidson, Richard, 171
Dawn
awakening of Siddhartha at, 40
scent of lotus blossoms at, 40
Deactivation of brain regions, 216n7
in aging, 138
frontoparietal, 32
language areas in, 83, 132, 216n7
of medial prefrontal cortex, 132, 138, 158
in psilocybin experiment, 244–245n14
in reciprocal interactions, 29, 83, 118, 133, 199, 232n9
in relaxed meditative awareness, 132
Death, and near-death experience, 216–218n8
Deep awakenings, 93–94
Default network, 199, 227n18
angular gyrus in, 205n6, 244n14
components of, 244n14
deactivation of, 216n7, 244n14
meditation training affecting, 220n7
in memory retrieval, 116
in novel ideas, 159
in psilocybin studies, 244n14
resting state functional connectivity, 237n8, 239n21
Denton, D., 179
Depression, outdoor activities in, 188–189, 247n12
Dew drop on blade of grass, 44–45
Dharma
Bahiya questioning Buddha about, 7
declining requests from beginners on instruction on, 8
Malunkya questioning Buddha about, 3, 6
Dhyana, xiii
Diamond Sutra, 210n30
Diekhof, E., 118
Diffusion tensor imaging, 160–161, 167, 241–242n27
Ding an sich, 145
Direct current stimulation, transcranial, 164–166, 170, 238–241nn19–25, 242–243n33
reciprocal modulations in, 165, 238–239n20
Discernment, 19, 21
Disinhibition, 83, 94, 137–138
Dispassion, 5
Divergent thinking, 156–161, 185
in problem solving, 165
in receptive meditation, 157–158, 236n3, 236n6
Dogen, Zen Master, 18, 45
Doing-time, 192
Domestic violence event revisualized with upward gaze, 104–105
Dongshan Liangjie, 51
Dorsal attention system, 17, 23, 25, 32
brain regions in, 13, 15f, 31, 100f–101f, 102
compared to ventral system, 100–102, 201n3, 215n7
in concentrative meditation, 215n7
deactivation of, 216n7
detachment from, 16
in egocentric processing, 26, 31, 100f–101f, 102, 125
event-related potential studies of, 114
in hearing, 54
pure consciousness events affecting, 86
as Self-centered, 111, 125
slow spontaneous fluctuations in, 133
and somatosensory association cortex, 102
Dotan Ben-Soussan, T., 157
Downward gaze, and egocentric processing, 117
Drug experiments with psilocybin, 175–177, 244–245nn13–14
Education, James on, 67, 213–214n6
Ego, 11, 26, 145
Egocentric processing, 26, 30
brain regions in, 100f–101f, 116
compared to allocentric processing, 100f–101f, 145, 150
deep awakening affecting, 94
and dorsal attention system, 26, 31, 100f–101f, 102, 125
in downward gaze, 117
hippocampus in, 116
optical delusion in, 143–151
in response to latent power of words, 150
and sense of reality, 85–86, 94
slow response of, 150
Einstein, Albert, 143, 144, 185, 203n5, 234–235nn1–2
Electroencephalography
during color generation phenomena, 132, 231n7
in outdoor settings, 189
Elevation of gaze. See Upward gaze
Ellamil, M., 159
Emerson, Ralph Waldo, xviii, 20, 188
Emotions, 172–174
cortical processing pathways in, 118
fear, 173–174 (see also Fear)
happiness, 170–182 (see also Happiness)
limbic system in, 24, 27f, 118–119
negative, 118–119, 173, 178
primordial, 179, 245n18
revisualizing and reprocessing with elevated gaze, 99–123
subcortical gates in thalamus affecting, 118–119
terms for, 173
Emptiness (Sunyata) meditation, 81–82
Empty-full qualities in selflessness, 11
“Energies of Men” (James), 69
Engaku-ji, 187, 246n7
Engler, J., 87
Enlightenment, 85, 87
Erb, M., 81–82, 138
Etcoff, N., 73
Eternity, 190
Evening hours
brain metabolism in, compared to morning hours, 78, 219n4
meditation in, 90, 91
Event-related potential studies, 114–115, 163–164
Excitatory role of limbic nuclei, 24
Experts, problem-solving by, 159, 160–161
in chess, 161, 237n13
Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), 120
Facial expressions
brain damage affecting interpretation of, 74
detection in peripheral visual fields, 113, 226–227n10
Fear, 173–174, 179–181, 245–246nn19–20
amygdala in, 117, 179–180
lability of memories of, 114
loss of, in kensho, 179, 245n19
primal, 179–181
retreat behavior in, 180–181
revisualization of memory of, with upward gaze, 104–106, 123
visual mental imagery in, 113
Fetters, 5, 203n5
Fight or flight response, 180
Five fetters, 5, 203n5
Flexibility, ideational, 157
Flowers
lotus, 40–41, 45, 48, 146
wordless gesture of Buddha with single flower, 41–42, 209n18
Fluency, ideational, 157
Ford, James, 174
Forest bathing, 187–188
Forest setting as sanctuary, xx, 186–189
Forest Therapy, 187–188
Forman, Robert, 84–87
Foxton, Suzanne, 121–122, 229n35
Foyan Quingyuan, 73, 74, 89, 185
Fractional anisotropy, 160–161
Freud, Sigmund, 12, 17
Freund, A., 92
Frontal cortex, 101f, 226n1
Frontal eye field, 13, 15f, 100f–101f, 116
Frontal gyrus
in conceptual expansion process, 159
in fear and retreat behavior, 181
inferior, 15f, 28, 83, 138, 159, 181, 207n10, 215n7
middle, 15f, 226n1
Frontal lobe, 14f
in intuition, 169
in language, 30, 207n9
Frontoparietal control network, 216n7
Functional magnetic resonance imaging. See Magnetic resonance imaging, functional
Fusiform gyrus
color sensitive region of, 27f, 101f, 124, 131, 141, 231n6
in expert problem solving, 160
Gallagher, W., 96
Galvani, Luigi, 170
Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), 24, 119, 244–245n14
Ganzfeld hallucinations, 132, 231n7
Gaze
in concentrative meditation, 25
downward, 117
in receptive meditation, 26
toward horizon, 184
upward (see Upward gaze)
Goethe, Johann von, 124
Gongo dodan, 148
“The Gospel of Relaxation” (James), 66, 67
Grass blade, dew drop on, 44–45
Gray, Steve (Adyashanti), 53–54, 211–212n6
Gray matter
in long-term meditators, 169
periaqueductal, 180, 219n4
Grounded cognition, 112
“Habit” (James), 66
Hakuin Ekaku, 63–64
Hallucinations
and color phenomena during meditation, 128–129
during prolonged blindfolding, 134
Han, S., 162
Happiness, 170–182, 185
measures of, 172t
of pursuit, 172, 243n6
in selflessness, 171, 185
short-term and long-term approaches in, 171, 172t
Harada-Roshi, Shodo, 11
Harré, M., 159, 160
Hasenkamp, W., 78
Hearing, 17, 18
and auditory triggers of awakening, 29, 41, 52, 53–54, 56, 59, 184, 209n17
of bird calls, 52–64 (see also Bird calls)
compared to listening, 54
functional anatomy of, 55–57
in receptive meditation, 26
voluntary and involuntary networks in, 55
The Heart of William James, 65, 70
Heaven, near-death experience of, 218n8
Heilman, K., 139
Henri, Robert, 88–89
“The Hidden Self” (James), 66
Hippocampus, 14f, 93, 116
in creativity, 159
in memory retrieval, 116
Hippocrates, viii
Hölzel, B., 66
Horizon
gaze above, 36, 99, 108, 183 (see also Upward gaze)
gaze below, 25
gaze toward, 184
history of term, xv, 201–202n6
Huang-po, Ch’an Master, 22, 186
on interior silence, 30, 31, 207n9
Huayan school of Buddhism, 51
Hue-dependent proximity relationships in visual cortex, 135
Huijbers, W., 116, 121
Hui-k’o, 210n29
Hydrophobic property of lotus leaves, 43, 210n23
Hyperpraxia, promethean, 195–196
Imagination, 216n8
I-Me-Mine, 23, 192–193, 200
emotional attachment to, 6, 18
medial prefrontal regions in, 23, 133
in “no you,” 10
somatic boundary of, 143
transition to You-Us-Ours, 92, 185
Immune function against cancer, 188, 247n10
Impermanence, 44–45, 47
Implicit learning, 20, 159–160
Improvisations, musical, 88, 222n17
Individuation, 92
Inhibitory role of reticular nucleus, 24, 119
Inkblot tests, 87–88, 162–163, 238n17
Insight, 10
and intuition, 148
lesser moments of, 10, 215–216n
selfless, 10, 169
wordless, 33
word-thoughts affecting, 148, 150
Insight-wisdom, 178
clarity of, 229n36
just this moment of, 21
non-dual reality in, 94
Insula, 215n7
in creativity, 159
in fear and retreat behavior, 181
functional connections with limbic and paralimbic regions, 95
in meditation, 83
in pain response, 81
in salience, 79
Integrative body-mind training (IBMT), 171
Intention, 191
Intraparietal sulcus, 13, 14f, 15f, 100f–101f
Intuition, 85, 185
and allocentric processing, 125, 144–148, 169
and insight, 148
in long-term meditative training, 89
and remindfulness, 77, 78
right hemisphere functions in, 147–148
and silence, 148
temporal and frontal lobe networks in, 169
Involuntary attention, xiv, xix, 201n3. See also Ventral attention system
Ireland, John, 212n18
Jackson, John Hughlings, 137
James, William, 63, 65–70, 117, 183, 185
affirmation strategy of, 70
on attention, xix, 65
behave-as-if principle, 66, 213n1
heart disease of, 212n14
on nightingale metaphor, 60, 61, 65
pragmatism of, 68, 69
on religious experiences, 69, 148
on space, 111
The Varieties of Religious Experience, 60, 66, 213n3
on war, 70
“What Makes a Life Significant?” essay, 61, 68
Jazz music, 87–88
Jealousy revisualized with upward gaze, 107–109
Jhana, 34
Jingqing Daofu, 58–59, 212n10
Jung, Carl, 92, 179
Just this, 11, 21, 82, 179, 184, 194–195, 248n7
in bird calls, 62
Buddha on, 4, 7, 8, 9
end of suffering in, 7, 9
in meditation, 194
no you in, 184
opening to, 182
origins of, 175
in reflection of moon image, 18
in squirrel chattering, 58
in Tang Dynasty, 51–52, 58, 62
Kabat-Zinn, Jon, 75
Kant, Immanuel, 145
Kapur, N., 73
Karuna, 20, 41
Keen, Sam, 63
Keil, A., 92
Kensho
author experiencing, xviii—xix, 181–182
authenticity in, 30
brain changes in, 93–94
clarity in, 11, 229n36
fearlessness in, 179, 245n19
letting go in, 178
and promethean hyperpraxia, 195
reality in, 93
selflessness in, 10, 11
triggers of, 29, 41, 119
Kensho-satori
allocentric processing in, 199
clarity of insight-wisdom in, 229n36
selflessness in, 10, 200
Kindness, 20
James on, 68
loving, 65
maturation of, 92
Kinnison, J., 180
Knives and weapons as cause of fear, 104–105, 117, 121, 123
Kobori-Roshi, Nanrei, 64, 148
Kusinara, 47, 210n31
Language
brain areas in (see Language areas in brain)
nonliteral forms of, 218n9
nonverbal body language, 57, 59
semantic understanding of, 32
and word problems, 149–150
and word-thoughts, 148, 155–156 (see also Word-thoughts and concepts)
Language areas in brain
deactivation of, 83, 132, 216n7
in frontotemporal cortex, 30
in interior silence, 207n9
in left side, 31, 73–74, 132, 147–148, 161–162, 207n10, 218n9, 237n14
in long-term meditative training, 207n10
for nonliteral language, 218n9
subcortical extensions of, 57
in superior temporal gyrus, 83, 207n10, 218n9
in temporal lobe, 30, 32–33, 161–162, 207n9, 237–238n14, 237n14
Lankavatara Sutra, 46, 210n29, 216n8
Learning, 16
implicit, 20, 159–160
Leaves
bodhi tree, 38–40, 39f
lotus, 43, 145, 210n23
simsapa, 42, 44
Leaves from the Bodhi Tree (Huntington and Huntington), 38
LeDoux, J., 179
Lee, B., 160
Lee, M., 215n7
Letting go, 10, 181
in kensho, 178
of maladaptive aspects of Self, 24–25, 206n4
no thoughts in, 155
of Self-centered preoccupations, 144, 156
of word-thoughts, 156
Light
adaptation to, 136
color spectrum in, 128, 135–136, 137, 166–167, 231n3
hidden external source of, from left side, 140, 141–142
and moodlight, 195
and shadows, 140
Limb, C., 88
Limbic system
in emotions, 24, 27f, 118–119
in fight or flight response, 180
in near-death experience, 217n8
thalamic nuclei in, 24, 28f, 118–119, 217n8
Lin-chi (J. Rinzai), 186
Lingual gyrus, 134
Listening
compared to hearing, 54
in remindfulness, 185
Living jazz, 87
Living Zen, 83
Locus coeruleus, 219n4
Longitudinal fasciculus
inferior, 160, 167
superior, 168
Long-term meditative training, 24, 79–80, 89, 207n10
concentrative and receptive styles in, 147
connectivity of brain regions in, 167–168, 241–242n27
intuition in, 89
neuroplasticity in, 168, 222n13
promethean hyperpraxia in, 195–196
remindfulness in, 169–170
selflessness in, 171, 200
Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera), 40–41
flower of, 40–41, 45, 48, 146
leaves of, 43, 145, 210n23
Lotus Sutra, 40–41
Loving-kindness, 65
Luders, E., 167, 169
Luminosity phenomena during meditation, 124, 126, 129–130, 139–140
Lutz, A., 80, 171
Magnetic resonance imaging, functional, 115–117
in approach and retreat behaviors, 180–181
in belief system study, 183, 248n5
BOLD signals in, 193, 241n25
in chess expertise, 161
of color-selective brain sites, 130–131
in conceptual expansion process, 158
in divergent thinking, 158
in inkblot responses, 162–163, 238n17
in meditation, 78–83, 124, 130–131, 133, 140, 219nn4–5, 220–221n7
in morning and evening hours, 78
in pain anticipation and experience, 80–81, 219n6
in perceiving coherence of visual events, 162
in psilocybin experiment, 177, 244–245n14
in real and make-believe events, 95
resting baseline patterns in, 16
in thought-free awareness, 81–83
Magnetic stimulation, transcranial, 115–116, 134
parietal lobe in, 238n15
temporal lobe in, 162
Mahayana Buddhist tradition, 40
Mahayana Surangama Sutra, 59
Maitri, 92
Makyo, 125
Malinowski, P., 66
Malunkya, requesting advice from Buddha, 3–6, 178, 203n6, 204n9
Martin, A., 16
Masefield, John, xiii, 170
Maturation, 20–21, 91–92, 185, 223–224n6
Meditation
attention in, 26, 184
aurora in, 128, 129–130, 137, 192
Buddha on places for, 46
color imagery during, 124–143 (see also Color imagery during meditation)
concentrative (see Concentrative meditation)
connectivity between cortical regions in, 167–168, 220–221n7, 241–242n27
and creativity, 156–158
deactivation of brain regions during, 132, 232n9
disinhibition in, 83, 94
elevated gaze in, 123
focus on breathing in, 25, 78–79
functional MRI in, 78–83, 124, 130–131, 133, 140, 219nn4–5, 220–221n7
James on, 66–67
“just this” technique in, 194
long-term training in (see Long-term meditative training)
mind-wandering in, 78–79, 80, 219n5, 220n7
and mood, 158
open-eyed, 82, 125, 126
openness in, 25–26, 80, 81
and pain response, 80–81, 219n6
PET scans during, 132, 140, 231–232n8
pure consciousness events in, 86
receptive (see Receptive meditation)
and Remote Associates Test results, 90–91
selfless, neural correlations of, 22–33
silent aware interval in, 220n7
Sunyata or emptiness, 81–82
transcendental, 84
under trees, 34–35, 36, 37, 45, 46, 48, 183
visual phenomena in, 83
Medulla, 14f
Memory, 76, 200
brain regions in, 169, 224n12
emotional links to, 219n3
of fear, 104–106, 114, 117, 123
lability of, 114
in long-term meditators, 169–170
positive resources in, 35–36
and post-traumatic stress disorder, 35
and remindfulness, 35–36, 76, 77–81, 169–170
remote, 76
reprocessing while elevating gaze, 99–123
retrieval of (see Retrieval process)
Self-othering, 224–225n12
withdrawals from, 76, 219n3
working, 76
Mental space, 85, 87
clarity of, 20, 83
clutter in, 9
maturation of, 21
scope of, 83
in silence, 84, 85
in upward gaze, 112, 123
Merton, Thomas, 22, 26, 206n2
Metta, 65
Middle Way, 35, 155
Military training, mindfulness-based, 67, 214n8
Min, B., 118
Mindfulness
Dalai Lama on, 218–219n1
in present-moment awareness, 75–89
and recollection, 218–219n1
and remindfulness, 77–81
in stress reduction, 157
Mind-wandering in meditation, 78–79, 80, 219n5, 220n7
Miyazaki, Yoshifumi, 188
Mood, 158, 195
Moodlight, 195
Moon
as source of illumination, 195
water reflecting image of, 18, 205n8
Morinaga-Roshi, Soko, 199, 248–249n1
Morning hours
awakening of Siddhartha at dawn, 40
brain metabolism in, compared to evening hours, 78, 219n4
scent of lotus blossoms at dawn, 40
Motivation, rewards in, 180
Mudra, 37
Mushin, 10–11, 64
Music, 87–88
improvisations in, 88, 222n17
Myers-Levy, J., 112
Myokyoni, 172
Natural killer cells, 188, 247n10
Nature. See Outdoor settings
“Nature” (Emerson), 188
Near-death experience, 216–218n8
Neglect
hemispatial, 215n6
object-centered, 28
Nenge-misho, 42
Neophiles and neophobes, 96
Network Review, 84, 221n10
Neural Buddhism, 66
Neuroplasticity, 20
allocentric processing in, 124
in lifelong development and learning, 91, 223n6
in long-term meditators, 168, 222n13
Neuropsychological aspects of attentive self, 12–21
Newton, Isaac, 166
New York Times, 66
Nhat Hanh, Thich, 40, 173–174, 178, 244nn10–11
Nightingale metaphor, 60–61, 65
Nirvana, 204n10
Nitric oxide, 196
Nobel Peace Prize, 68
Non-duality, 94, 146, 224n10
Nong chan, 187
“Northern” pathways, 55, 101f, 102, 215n6
event-related potential studies of, 114
No thoughts, 10–11, 64, 155
and silent awareness, 82, 84–85, 220n7
subconscious incubation process in, 84
wordlessness in, 19
“Not Naming the Object,” 82
Novelty, 95–96
of ideas and insights, 69, 78
search for, 172
No you, 22
Buddha on, 4, 7, 8
end of suffering in, 7, 9
insight in, 10
in “just this,” 184
meaning of, 9–10, 11
Object-centered neglect, 28
Object vision, 226n2
Obvious, use of word, 122, 229n36
Occipital lobe, 14f, 17, 83
Ohia-ai (rose-apple tree), 35
Open-eyed meditation, 82, 125, 126
Openness, 19, 175–177
clarity in, 174
to “just this,” 182
persistence of, 176
personality attributes in, 175–176, 177
in psilocybin experiment, 175–177, 244–245nn13–14
in receptive meditation, 25–26
self-report measures on, 176
trait and behavior of, 177
Opercular region
and cingulo-opercular network, 80, 215n7
in salience, 79
Optical delusion in egocentric mode, 143–151, 185
Orbitomedial cortex activation, 118
Other frame of reference, 26, 32, 85. See also Allocentric processing
Outdoor settings, xiv, 184
appreciation of beauty in, 144
attention in, 188
auditory triggers of awakening in, 29, 41, 52, 53–54, 56, 59, 184
benefits of practice in, 62–64, 147
birds and bird calls in, 52–64, 184 (see also Bird calls)
and botanical references in Buddhist teachings, xiv, 33–48
color vision in, 136–137
in depression, 188–189, 247n12
EEG recordings in, 189
forest as sanctuary in, xx, 186–189
James enjoying experiences in, 67–68
just this experience in, 58
meditation under trees in, 34–35, 36, 37, 45, 46, 48, 183
moodlight in, 195
planting ceremonies in, 186–187
random unexpected events in, 62, 63
sky- or cloud-watching in, 56
total immersion in, 187–188
touching earth as symbolic gesture in, 37
upward gaze in, xiv, 36, 184
Pain, 178, 245n18
functional MRI in anticipation and experience of, 80–81, 219n6
Paintings, source of illumination in, 141–142
Pali language, 75
Panksepp, J., 173
Paradoxical facilitation in brain-behavior research, 73
Parahippocampal gyrus
in creativity, 159
in hallucinations, 134
visual pathways in, 115
Parahippocampal place area (PPA), 227n15
Parietal cortex, medial posterior, 17, 23, 27f
Parietal lobe, 13, 14f, 16, 17
sensory functions of, 101f
TMS-induced impairment of, 238n15
Parietal lobule
inferior, 14f, 18, 31
superior, 13, 14f, 31
Parietofrontal region in hearing, 54
Path
Buddha on, 5
clarity in, 174
Middle Way in, 35, 155
Patience, James on, 68
Pattern recognition, 93, 101f, 161
Periaqueductal gray matter, 180, 219n4
Persimmons, ripening, 11, 19, 204n13
Personality, and openness, 175–176, 177
PET scans during meditation, 132, 140, 231–232n8
Pine trees, planting of, 186–187
Pipal tree (Ficus religiosa), 36–37, 38
Plants, and botanical references in Buddhist teachings, xiv, 33–48
Poetry, 61, 64
Pons, 14f
Post-traumatic stress disorder, 35
Pragmatism of James, 68, 69
Prajna, 59, 148, 248n7
Preattention, 159
Precuneus
in memory, 224n12
in real and make-believe events, 95
Prefrontal cortex, 137–138
autobiographical functions of, 27f, 133, 200
deactivation of, 138
in fear and retreat behavior, 181
in meditation, 80, 83, 219n5
in negative emotions, 118
in psyche, 17, 23, 27f, 116, 133
transcranial direct current stimulation of, 241n25
Preprocessing in expert problem solving, 159, 160
Present-moment awareness, mindfulness in, 75–89
Pretectal nucleus, 119
The Principles of Psychology (James), 69
Problem solving
cingulate cortex in, 158
creativity in, 166–167
divergent thinking in, 165
by experts, 159, 160–161
subconscious incubation process in, 84–85
temporal lobe in, 160–161, 165–166
transcranial direct current stimulation during, 165–166
Promethean hyperpraxia, 195–196
Proprioception, 13, 16, 18, 101f
Prosocial attitude, 230n39
Psilocybin, 175–177, 244–245nn13–14
Psyche, 17–19, 23, 32
behaviors associated with, 216n7
compared to soma, 12
prefrontal cortex in, 17, 23, 27f, 116, 133
Psychotherapy, 87, 94, 222n12
Pulvinar nucleus
in near-death experience, 217n8
in salience, 79
Purkinje, Jan, 136
Quadrato motor training, 157
Reality, 94–96
commingled, 85–86, 94
egocentric and allocentric versions of, 85–86
impression of, in awakenings, 29, 93, 94
non-dual view of, 94
Realness, in laboratory experiments, 94–95
Receptive meditation, 25–26, 56, 215–216n7
allocentric processing in, 26
color imagery during, 129
and complementary attributes of concentrative style, 147
divergent thinking in, 157–158, 236n3, 236n6
PET scan in, 133
remindfulness in, 77–78
ventral attention system in, 215–216n7
Receptivity, 19, 25–26
Reciprocal interactions of brain areas, 29, 32, 83, 133
deactivation in, 29, 83, 118, 133, 199, 232n9
Self-centeredness regions in, 199
in transcranial direct current stimulation, 165, 238–239n20
Recollection, and mindfulness, 218–219n1
Relaxed lifestyle, James on, 66, 67
Release phenomena, 137–138
Remindfulness, 34, 35–36, 47, 76, 77–81, 185, 196
in long-term meditators, 169–170
Remote Associates Tests, 90–91, 157–158
Reprocessing of emotional trauma while elevating gaze, 99–123
cooling interval required for, 109
Research
common acronyms in, 197–198
future areas of, 155–170, 230n40
Resilience, 228n22
Restraint, James on, 69
Reticular nucleus, 24, 215–216n7, 241n25
attention and emotion pathways to, 119
gating influence of, 118–119, 209n17
release of GABA, 119
Retina
and color imagery during meditation, 136–137
light and dark responses of, 136
Retreat behavior, 178, 180–181
Retreats, meditative, 3, 155, 179, 222n13, 224n6
Buddha on, 46
color imagery in, 130
in outdoor settings, 46, 61
Retrieval process
hippocampus in, 116
lability of memories in, 114
in revisualization of traumatic event, 106, 107, 108, 109
Revisualization of emotional trauma while elevating gaze, 99–123
Ricard, Matthieu, 170, 171
Rilke, Rainer Maria, 62, 63, 212n16
Rinzai Zen, 148, 155, 186, 187
Ripening of wisdom, 11, 19–20
Rodin, Ernest, 218n8
Rods and cones, 136
Root-orientation, 58–59
compared to branch focus, 58
Rorschach tests, 87–88, 162–163, 238n17
Rose-apple tree (Syzygium jambos), 35–36, 76, 77, 208n5
Siddhartha meditating under, 34, 37, 183
Roth, Harold, 213n6
Sacred fig (pipal tree), 36–37, 38
Sahn, Seung, 12, 16, 19, 21, 49
Sahn, So, 53, 155
Saisho, 187
Salience, 79, 80, 215n7, 219n6
Sal tree (Shorea robusta), 47
Sangha, 171
Sati, 75–76
Satori. See Kensho-satori
Savatthi, Bahiya meeting Buddha in, 7, 204n8
Self
autobiographical functions of, 17, 27f, 32, 133, 193, 200, 227n18
awakening affecting sense of, 85, 221–222n11
I-Me-Mine concepts of, 18, 23, 192–193 (see also I-Me-Mine)
with initial capital letter, 12
letting go of maladaptive aspects of, 24–25, 206n4
neural levels of, 23–24
neuropsychological aspects of, 12–21
and no you, 9–10
personal sense of, 22–23
psyche of, 12, 17–19 (see also Psyche)
soma of, 12, 13–17 (see also Soma)
Self-centeredness, 142, 200
and attention, 29, 111
brain pathways in, 102
letting go of, 144, 156
optical delusion in, 143–151, 185
and other-centered perspective, 86
word-thoughts in, 155, 156
Self frame of reference, 85. See also Egocentric processing
Selflessness
empty-full qualities in, 11
happiness in, 171, 185
insight in, 10, 11, 169
in long-term meditators, 171, 200
neural correlations of, 22–33
Self-othering memory, 224–225n12
Semantic knowledge and skills, 32, 102–103
Seneca, 172
Sensory system, 13, 18, 31
somatosensory cortex in, 13, 14f, 102
touch sensations, 13, 16, 18, 101f
Sentence comprehension, visual imagery affecting, 149
Sexual abuse attempt revisualized with upward gaze, 105–106
Shadows, 140
Shapiro, F., 120
Shila, 69
Shinrin-yoku, 187, 247n8
Shizen ichimi, 61
Siddhartha
Bodh Gaya awakening, 21, 36
dawn awakening, 40
maturation of, 21
meditating under trees, 34, 36–37, 183
remindfulness of, 34, 36
Sightings (Keen), 63
Silence
in awakening state, 30, 207n9
in brain damage from stroke, 74
as effortless and vast, 84, 87
Huang-po on, 30, 31, 207n9
and intuition, 148
in meditation, 220n7
Simsapa tree (Dalbergia sisu), 42–43, 210n21
induced vision of, 46–47
leaves of, 42, 44
Sitaram, R., 81–82, 138
Sleep
awareness in, 84, 85
ease in, Buddha on, 44
Snyder, A., 164
Sojun, Ikkyu, 53
Soma (somatic self), 12, 13–17, 23
compared to psyche, 12
in concentrative meditation, 25
and I-Me-Mine, 143
parietal sensory-motor functions in, 31
Somatosensory cortex
association, 13, 14f, 102
primary, 13, 14f
Songs and calls of birds. See Bird calls
Soto Zen, 174
“Southern”pathways, 55, 101f, 102, 215n6
in creativity, 150
event-related potential studies of, 114
in long-term meditation practice, 80
in vision, 141
Space, 111–113
brain regions in near space and far space tasks, 116
close to own body, 111–112
and creativity in tasks associated with distant locations, 112–113, 226n7
James on, 111
mental (see Mental space)
and subliminal awareness of ceiling height, 112
Spaciousness, 19, 84, 87
Spatial vision, 226n2
Spectrum of colors, 128, 135–136, 137, 166–167, 231n3
Springtime, 37
planting festival in, 34
Sri Lanka, 38, 46, 209n14
Stevenson, Robert Louis, 60–61, 63, 212nn12–13
Stress reduction, mindfulness-based, 157
Strick, M., 90
Stroke, brain damage in, 74, 139, 214–215nn5–6
Stunkard, Albert, 187
Subconscious processes, xix
as background qualities in awareness, 89–96
in implicit learning, 160
in intentions, 191
in remindfulness, 77
in salience, 79
in silence, 84
in subliminal priming, 91
Subcortical regions, 23–24
in deep awakening, 95
excitatory role of limbic nuclei in, 24
in language, 57
in near-death experience, 217n8
in ventral attention system, 215n7
Subiculum, 169
Subliminal awareness
of ceiling height, 112
of hidden external sources of light, 140
in Remote Associates Test, 91
Suchness, 21, 59, 179, 248n7
Suffering, 7, 9
compassion in, 41
fourth truths of, 42, 43, 48
Sui Dynasty, 51
Sunyata (emptiness) meditation, 81–82
Supramarginal gyrus, 161, 205n6, 225–226n1
Suzuki, Daisetz T., xiii, 174, 183, 187
on living Zen, xiv
on ripening of wisdom, 11
on single flower gesture of Buddha, 41
on suchness, 21
Zen and Sino-Japanese Culture, 11, 204n13
Suzuki, Shunryu, 3, 33, 52, 89, 147, 148
Synesthesias, 128
Szymborska, Wistawa, 33
Takeuchi, H., 158
Talks to Teachers (James), 69
Tang Dynasty, 57, 146
“just this” in, 51–52, 62
Tao-sheng, Master, 71, 74, 214n
Tao Te Ching, 148
Taylor, J., 74, 214n5
Tectonics
plate, 93
trait, 93, 196
Temporal gyrus
inferior, 14f
superior, 14f, 31, 56, 83, 167, 168, 207n10, 226n1
Temporal lobe, 14f, 17
in allocentric processing, 26, 27f
in creativity, 159
in intuition, 169
language functions of, 30, 32–33, 161–162, 207n9, 237–238n14
in pattern recognition, 93, 161
in problem solving, 160–161, 165–166
processing functions of, 90
transcranial direct current stimulation of, 164–165, 166
transcranial magnetic stimulation of, 162
Temporal sulcus, superior, 205n6
Temporoparietal junction, 15f, 205n6
in allocentric processing, 28
in ventral attention system, 56, 101f, 138, 215n7, 225–226n1
Thalamus, 30
and allocentric processing, 207–208n11
bidirectional connections with cerebral cortex, 24, 119, 241n25
in fear and retreat behavior, 181
in hearing pathway, 55
limbic nuclei in, 24, 28f, 118–119, 217n8
in meditation, 86
in near-death experience, 217n8
subcortical gates blocking negative emotions, 118–119
in ventral attention network, 215–216n7
Theravada Buddhism, 87, 209n14
Thirst, 245n18
Thong Triet, Thich, 81, 82
Thoreau, Henry, xviii, 1, 52, 62, 78, 123, 211n1
Thought free. See No thoughts
Thurber, James, 190
Thusness, 21, 51, 59
Time magazine, 172, 243n6
Time sense
in achronia, 59–61, 190
and doing-time operations, 192
Top-down processes
compared to bottom-up processes, 100–102
detachment from, 16
in dorsal attention system, 13, 15f, 201n3 (see also Dorsal attention system)
in hearing, 54
as Self-centered, 111, 125
Torrance Test, 157, 158
Touch sensations, 13, 16, 18, 101f
Trait tectonics, 93, 196
Transcendental meditation, 84
Transcranial direct current stimulation, 164–166, 170, 238–241nn19–25, 242–243n33
reciprocal modulations in, 165, 238–239n20
Transcranial magnetic stimulation, 115–116, 134
parietal lobe in, 238n15
temporal lobe in, 162
Traumatic memory
eye movement desensitization and reprocessing in, 120
and post-traumatic stress disorder, 35
revisualizing and reprocessing while elevating gaze, 99–123
Treasure Island (Stevenson), 61
Trees
cryptomeria, 187, 246n6
and forest as sanctuary, xx, 186–189
meditation under, 34–35, 36, 37, 45, 46, 48, 183
planting ceremonies, 186–187
simsapa, 42–43, 44, 46–47, 210n21
Udanas, 6, 172, 178, 199, 203nn6–7
Uncinate tract, 167
Upward gaze, 185
allocentric processing in, 112, 117
Armstrong on, 97
brain regions in, 100f–101f
and color imagery during meditation, 130
future research on, 230n40
in mindful meditative practice, 123
in outdoor settings, xiv, 36, 184
revisualizing and reprocessing emotional trauma during, 99–123
as triggering event, xix, 36, 181
Urbach-Wiethe disease, 245n20
Vago, D., 89
Vaillant, G., 92
Vajrachchedika Sutra, 210n30
Valéry, Paul, 52, 62, 211n3
The Varieties of Religious Experience (James), 60, 66, 213n3
Ventral attention system
in allocentric processing, 26, 28, 32, 100f–101f, 102, 125
in bare awareness, 191
brain regions in, 15f, 26, 31, 100f–101f, 138, 215–216n7, 225–226n1
and color imagery during meditation, 138, 141
compared to dorsal system, 100–102, 201n3, 215–216n7
event-related potential studies of, 114
functional anatomy of, 205n6, 215–216n7, 215n7
in hearing, 55, 56
illumination bias in, 140
in long-term meditation practice, 80
in novelty, xix
PET scan in, 133
pure consciousness events affecting, 86
in receptive meditation, 215–216n7
slow spontaneous fluctuations in, 133
temporoparietal junction in, 56, 101f, 138, 215n7, 225–226n1
Venus
as goddess, 208–209n9
upward gaze toward, xiv, 36
Vietnam War, 244n10
Visible spectrum, 128, 135–136, 137, 166–167, 231n3
Vision, 115–116
and bare awareness in receptive meditation, 26
object, 226n2
spatial, 226n2
and spontaneous color imagery during meditation, 124–143
visual fields in (see Visual fields)
Visual attention, 16, 56
Visual cortex
association, 83, 131, 141
color receptor sites in, 124, 134–136, 232–233n16
in hallucinations during prolonged blindfolding, 134
hue-dependent proximity relationships in, 135
V-2 area, 134, 140
V-4 area, 134
Visual fields, 113
broadening of, 118, 228n24
and color imagery during meditation, 124, 125, 127, 129, 138–139
detection of emotional facial expressions in, 113, 226–227n10
preferential coding in, 115
Visual phenomena during meditation, 83
color imagery in, 124–143
Vivekananda, Swami, 66
Voluntary attention, xix, 201n3. See also Dorsal attention system
War, James on, 70
Weapons, as cause of fear, 104–105, 117, 121
Wernicke, Carl, 31
“What Is an Emotion?” (James), 65
“What Makes a Life Significant?” (James), 61, 68
“What” questions, 102, 103, 114, 146, 235n3
“Where” questions, 102
Williamson, J., 157, 158
“The Will” (James), 69–70
Willpower, James on, 69
Wisdom
and insight (see Insight-wisdom)
ripening of, 11, 19–20
Woodin, Mary, 63
Words
interfering with other brain functions, 149–150
latent power of, 150
Wordsworth, William, 186
Word-thoughts and concepts, 155–156
interference with insight, 148, 150
letting go of, 156
loss of, in awakening, 30
negative influence of, 148
Self-centered, 155, 156
The Works of William James, 65
Wu, C., 114
Xuefeng, 235n3
Yaoshan Weiyan, 211n3(chap5)
Yen-t’ou, Master, 235n3
Yogachara Buddhism, 210n29
Yongming Yanshou, Ch’an Master, 61, 212n15
Yoso Soi, 229n36
Your True Home (Thich Nhat Hanh), 40
You-Us-Ours, 92, 185
Yun-men, Ch’an master, 36
Yunyan Tansheng, 51, 211n1(chap5)
Zazen, 232n8
Zen, origin of term, xiii
Zen and Sino-Japanese Culture (Suzuki), 11, 204n13
Zhu, R., 112
Zikopoulos, B., 119
Zona incerta, 119