In meditation, we commit to explore the subjective reality of our mind.
As such it is a kind of "software" or functional model of the mind, as opposed to western psychology which seems mostly interested in observing the hardware.
But what do we mean by mind?
The western concept of mind now refers to thoughts and emotions, visual images and words. In meditation we call these mental constructs or contents. But they are not the mind itself.
As we move from concentration exercises to wisdom exercises, we are getting to know the boundaries of our mind. In the process we redefine what mind is.
At first we are still easily distracted by mental contents such as memories and imagination and so we think of mind as being the cognitive processes of the brain. This is how all mentally untrained people tend to think of mind. This is sometimes referred to as the "lesser" or little mind.
As a meditator progresses, their strength of mind increases, and the strength of distracting input decreases. This allows us to notice the more subtle sensations that also fall within the boundaries of mind.
Sometimes referred to as "greater" or big mind, we realize that whatever falls within the realm of observable sensation is contained in what we call "mind". We start to realize what we thought of as mental contents, such as memories, are actually a compound of sensory information, much in the way a software program is just a bundle of data. In the meditators mind, the sensate level, the level of pure sensation is the data level, and is subject to its own characteristics that will likely end up the subject of a later post.
Although the differentiation is not normally made, I am making a separation between what I am calling the "middle" mind and the "greater" mind for an alternate perspective.
The middle mind is composed of the sensory experience of our body. When we have explored our thoughts, memories and emotions enough, we start becoming bored of this range of experience and our mind turns towards the exploration of physical sensations. We observe their characteristics, their arising, their duration, and their passing away processes. It is at this level that some aspects of a meditators physiology may change.
Certain hormone levels and physiological reactions, such as food allergies, chemical addictions, and stress related gastrointestinal problems can resolve themselves at this time (although getting to this stage takes 1000's of hours and it is not guaranteed to fix these issues). It is also at this stage that people become less dependent on mood enhancers such as alcohol and drugs, and less dependent on material factors for their own wellbeing.
Science is beginning to look more closely at what is called the "enteric nervous system" estimated by some as containing more than 100 million neurons, our gut brain is more complex than the brain of many domestic cats. There is also evidence that this brain functions largely independent of our cognitive one. New research is being conducted in the use of psychoactive drugs and therapies to resolve digestive issues.
The "greater" mind also involves other people. As even physical sensations become less intense, the mind expands further and our empathy increases. Not only do we become more aware of our own moods, we also become more aware of others. We can start to feel the intentions of others more clearly. This is a double edged sword, as most people don't hide what they feel or think as they believe no one will notice. So we start to become more aware of the true nature of the people around us. This can be a time when meditators (like myself) prefer to be secluded most of the time, or become very selective about the people they surround themselves with. It is also a time however, that true compassion begins to blossom, and being able to share in the joy that others feel is one of the most rewarding aspects of connecting to the "greater" mind.
Psychologist back in the 90's have found what they call "mirror neurons" in primates and in humans. It offers a hardware explanation for what is experienced by well practiced meditators. The research has shown that parts of our brain (and likely our body) imitate the same sensations of the being we are viewing. So if we empathize with anothers pain, we are literally feeling the same pain. Even on the neural level, we are connected to everyone around us.
Vipassana could be described as "a way to explore and understand your subconscious self". It is also a process which synchronizes the conscious and subconscious parts of a person, so that eventually nothing needs to be repressed. There is a compromise between the subconscious mind and conscious that grants true freedom.
But connecting to greater mind goes beyond that. At one point it becomes hard to feel distinctly separate and isolated from other people. We realize that our emotional state, whether it be happy or sad, angry or calm, doesn't stay with us, but leaks out to those around us. And the states of others affect us in the same way.
At this stage, Vipassana practice becomes an imperative. Once we experience that mental wellbeing isn't just about us, but that the training we do affects those around us, we know that we are no longer meditating just for ourselves, but for everyone.
