Seeking the Neural Correlates of Awakening

Summary

The article discusses the challenges in studying the neural correlates of 'awakening' as defined in Buddhist practice. It highlights that the concept of awakening is debated within Buddhist traditions and may not align with secular interpretations. The research identifies methodological issues related to introspection and neuroimaging, emphasizing that removing cultural context can lead to significant problems in understanding awakening. It calls for careful consideration of these issues in neuroscientific investigations of awakening states.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Contemplative scholarship has recently reoriented attention towards the neuroscientific study of the soteriological ambition of Buddhist practice, 'awakening'. This article evaluates the project of seeking neural correlates for awakening. Key definitional and operational issues are identified demonstrating that: the nature of awakening is highly contested both within and across Buddhist traditions; the meaning of awakening is both context- and concept-dependent; and awakening may be non-conceptual and ineffable. It is demonstrated that operationalized secular conceptions of awakening, divorced from soteriological and cultural factors, have little relationship to traditional Buddhist construct(s) of awakening. This article identifies methodological issues for secular conceptions of awakening concerning introspection and neuroimaging yet demonstrates also the value of recent advancements in empirical first-person phenomenology for attenuating introspective bias. Overall, it is contended that significant problems arise when decontextualizing awakening and placing it within a scientific naturalistic framework. Careful attention to the definitional, operational, and methodological neuroscientific obstacles identified herein is required in the responsible approach to the investigation of awakening states.

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