"A chihuahua has begun joining in daily prayers at a Buddhist temple in Japan."--Ananova.com
I got this from Skeptico (it was originally labelled: "So Easy A Dog Can Do It") who adds:
"He’s probably praying the monk stops the pointless ritual and feeds him already. There's probably more chance that’ll come true than whatever the monk’s praying for."
By continually returning the attention to the present moment, the brain is controlling which neuronal groups are active in the dynamic core. Essentially, it is excluding most areas except for the currently active sensorimotor maps. When the brain begins to automatically react to sensorimotor input with thinking or value-categorizations, the meditator gently returns attention to the sensorimotor maps. By doing this the self-referencing and self-validating process is interrupted, weakening it and allowing the mind to see a thought as just a thought (instead of a “reality”). Concepts of good, bad and neutral which the mind normally tacks onto any object are not allowed to rise into consciousness, being replaced instead with value-neutral sensorimotor input. This is very possibly the mechanism behind the use of attention to reduce attachment and aversion. If the above process is responsible for the path to enlightenment, then it also helps explain why concentratative and awareness practices are both effective, because both interrupt the self-referential process, though in different manners. It would also explain why cultivation of concentration is necessary even in a shikantaza type of sitting.
ReplyDeleteO.K. - you've explained the dog - now what about the monk?
ReplyDeleteHe's just being taken for a ride, right?