Toward a neuroscience of consciousness using advanced meditation.
Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews February 1, 2026 Jonathan M. Lieberman, Matthew D. Sacchet 2 citations
Advanced meditation, cultivated through long-term expertise, provides a unique experimental window into the core mechanisms of consciousness. Two classes of meditative phenomena are highlighted: advanced concentrative absorption (related to jhāna), where highly abstract awareness persists while typical features of consciousness fade, and meditative endpoints (related to nirodha), involving a temporary suspension of consciousness. These states serve as precise, replicable anchors for a minimal model framework that aims to identify the simplest possible form of conscious experience. Integrating advanced meditation into neuroscience offers a promising path toward isolating the neural mechanisms supporting consciousness in its most reduced and fundamental forms.