What is this mind?

[imported_luckyme]

[ QUOTE ]
I am not sure Luckyme is really "getting" where you are going with this or I dont think he would be as dismissive.

[/ QUOTE ]

You're overreading my point. One of my best friends of decades teaches Zen Buddhism and we have discussed it many times for many hours. My own philosophy contains elements of zen holism. I'll restate -

If there is one general lesson we have learned it is that the way things "seem to me" are often very far off the mark when we can find objective measurements and tests. This applies to how a mind works as well and that area is one of the most fascinating of modern science.

There is plenty of value in some of the meditation techniques and the effect on your mind. It is the cause for that experience that I am disputing not the experience or it's benefits. Once we're aware that a zen master acheives what he does by controlling certain specific physical brain action ( like reducing blood flow to certain areas) and that effect can also be reached by other methods it gets us to firmer ground about what is going on. Similarly, once we're aware of the modular nature of mind, not of little minds but of tiny bits doing tiny roles it gives us a better picture that stands up to tests.

There is very little connection between what is occurring and how we experience it when it comes to the actions of the mind. It's not one of the last frontiers of science because it's obvious to us.

Blurring "what I experience" and "what is going on" and treating of them as the same thing is what I was trying to counter. I used the railway tracks and the meditative experience of 'oneness' as examples.

If it's not clear, no harm no foul,

luckyme