REALIZING AWAKENED CONSCIOUSNESS RICHARD P BOYLE REALIZING AWAKENED CONSCIOUSNESS INTERVIEWS WITH BUDDHIST TEACHERS AND A NEW PERSPECTIVE ON THE MIND COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY PRESS NEW YORK Columbia University Press Publishers Since 1893 New York Chichester, West Sussex cup.columbia.edu Copyright © 2015 Columbia University Press All rights reserved E-ISBN 978-0-231-53923-4 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Boyle, Richard P., interviewer, author Realizing awakened consciousness : interviews with Buddhist teachers and a new perspective on the mind / Richard P Boyle pages cm Includes bibliographical references and index ISBN 978-0-231-17074-1 (cloth : alk paper) — ISBN 978-0-231-17075-8 (pbk : alk paper) — ISBN 978-0-231-53923-4 (electronic) Enlightenment (Buddhism) Buddhists—Interviews I Title BQ4398.B68 2015 294.3ʹ442—dc23 2014029753 A Columbia University Press E-book CUP would be pleased to hear about your reading experience with this e-book at cup-ebook@columbia.edu COVER DESIGN: Archie Ferguson References to websites (URLs) were accurate at the time of writing Neither the author nor Columbia University Press is responsible for URLs that may have expired or changed since the manuscript was prepared Contents Preface Acknowledgments INTRODUCTION INTERVIEW WITH SHINZEN YOUNG INTERVIEW WITH JOHN TARRANT INTERVIEW WITH KEN MCLEOD INTERVIEW WITH AJAHN AMARO INTERVIEW WITH MARTINE BATCHELOR INTERVIEW WITH SHAILA CATHERINE INTERVIEW WITH GIL FRONSDAL INTERVIEW WITH STEPHEN BATCHELOR INTERVIEW WITH PAT ENKYO O’HARA 10 INTERVIEW WITH BERNIE GLASSMAN 11 INTERVIEW WITH JOSEPH GOLDSTEIN 12 DEVELOPING CAPACITIES NECESSARY FOR AWAKENING 13 PROPERTIES OF AWAKENING EXPERIENCES 14 EVOLUTION OF ORDINARY AND AWAKENED CONSCIOUSNESS 15 THE AWAKENED BABY? 16 THE HUMAN CONDITION AND HOW WE GOT INTO IT 17 MODELING CONSCIOUSNESS, AWAKENED AND ORDINARY APPENDIX: INTERVIEW WITH JAMES AUSTIN, NEUROSCIENTIST Notes Glossary of Buddhist Terms References Index Preface When I was a young sociology professor some forty years ago, a colleague mentioned one morning that a Japanese Zen master was teaching in downtown Los Angeles One thing led to another, and a few months later I found myself in a weeklong Zen retreat at a former Boy Scout camp high on Mount Baldy Four or five days into the silent retreat, as I walked out of the meditation hall into daylight, I suddenly felt the faintest kind of pop, like a soap buddle bursting, and all of my perceptual senses opened to a clarity and vividness I had never experienced before It was a bit like when your ears pop and you can hear everything more clearly, but this experience was more vivid It only lasted a short while, and nothing but the remarkable clarity of perception occurred But it seemed like something very important had happened to me, that I had come a step closer to experiencing reality face to face Not only was the experience delicious, it also seemed to prove what I had always suspected—there was something beyond the world where I had thus far spent my life That’s the way my path started Buddhism holds that, if properly followed, the path leads to awakening, to a qualitatively different and truer way of experiencing reality, so now I had no choice but to follow that path, as best I could, wherever it went It turned out to be a tricky path and didn’t always go as advertised Following it required not only dedication and effort but also discernment and a fair amount of luck I tried living in the monastery on Mount Baldy (that didn’t work well), living in the mountains of northern New Mexico (that worked pretty well), and then (as much from financial necessity as choice) settling in Albuquerque to work as a research sociologist and continue my Buddhist practice on my own Life was good, but years went by without much apparent progress By the time I retired I had pretty much accepted that awakening wasn’t going to happen to me The question then was, Is there anyone else out there who has experienced awakening and would be willing to talk about it in a relatively straightforward, conversational way?, not using Zen-speak or the other forms of Buddhist jargon that have always been opaque to me Then I would at least know that some people not too different from me had firsthand acquaintance with this thing called awakening As a social scientist, I had spent my life researching questions not very different from this one, so with the free time that retirement afforded I worked out a strategy for finding awakened Westerners (if any existed), rather like Diogenes with his lamp, searching for an honest person I put together a list of Buddhist teachers who seemed especially likely to have experienced awakening and asked if I could interview them for a book I said I wanted them to tell me about the path they had followed, and also about where it had led them To my pleased surprise, eleven of the nineteen teachers I contacted agreed to be interviewed, and the transcribed texts of those interviews make up the heart of this book, chapters through 11 All of the teachers described at least some level of experience with awakening, which certainly exceeded my expectations Now I had an answer to my question about whether awakening ever really happens in the modern world But these teachers not only told me about their experiences but also somehow managed to catalyze within me an awakening experience of my own I realize very keenly how suspicious that must sound, how counter to the conventional perspective of the objective scientist, but what happens happens, and in this case it can’t be deleted or ignored My experience of the world just became dramatically different A wonderful advantage was gained from this—what the teachers found difficult to tell me in words, they were able to communicate by bringing me in to share their experience If only that form of communication was available for all people to share! But the advantage of knowing more was countered by the daunting challenge of trying to find words of my own to think about and express what awakening consists of Everyone who experiences awakening must find their own way to talk about it My way is that of a person trained as a social scientist, lugging around a huge bag of what LéviStrauss would call “intellectual bricolage” that I’ve accumulated along the way The first, and formative, intellectual influence was the sociological version of social psychology called symbolic interactionism, which began with the philosopher George Herbert Mead and developed, most importantly for this book, into Peter Berger and Thomas Luckmann’s magnificent Social Construction of Reality As I worked to develop a framework for talking about awakening, the ideas I had collected from psychology, anthropology, and linguistics all began to fit into that symbolic interactionist framework Finding the right way to incorporate them took some time, but once the basic pieces were in place the rest seemed to fall together neatly and effortlessly For someone who has long labored at the arduous work of theory construction, the last few months were amazing, like fitting the last pieces into a Rubik’s cube It was like something that happened, not something I did, other than being in the right place at the right time, with the right teachers and the right accumulation of bricolage passed on to me by giants Physicists sometimes say about their theories that if it is beautiful, it is probably true More than anything, this book aims to take what has been known for a very long time and develop a new way of talking about it That language will doubtless jar the ears of some people My hope is that it provides a way to express that ancient knowledge that will be helpful for people living in the modern world Acknowledgments Conceiving a project like this and getting it launched is delicate and tricky; support is especially crucial and deeply appreciated My special thanks go to Paula England, who has through the years kept me in touch with her path of training and learning with Shinzen Young When I described to her, by e-mail, the plan I was hatching to ask Buddhist teachers to tell me their path stories, she went to work, telling Shinzen about it and also recommending the project to two other teachers with whom she had studied, Gil Fronsdal and Shaila Catherine Very few sociologists are also long-term, sincere Buddhist practitioners; her help and support was special My friend, the writer and Zen monk Zenshin Michael Haederle, was also critical at the beginning and in moving this project into the interview phase We talked over preliminary thoughts and began shaping the central ideas that informed the interview design He played an active role in selecting teachers to invite, and participated, sitting in my dining room, in the interview with Ken McLeod When chapters 12 and 13 were in rough draft, he went over them with editing and interpretive suggestions An important little nudge came when I met Shinzen Young at the 100th birthday celebration for Joshu Sasaki and told him about what was going on in my head at the time He liked the idea, and when he later officially launched the project by giving the first interview, I had a precedent in hand to give the project some legitimacy Two boosts came much earlier I wrote an article back in 1985 relating my experiences with Zen to the teachings of George Herbert Mead, and sent the paper to my old friend Norm Denzin, a leading figure in symbolic interactionism I only asked for comments, but he liked it enough to publish it in an annual series he edited The second boost was similar I had written a manuscript in 1982 in which I pulled quotes from the written records of selected Zen, Sufi, and Christian mystical teachers After finishing it I had a strong (and correct) feeling that I didn’t know what I was talking about But my old friend Leonard John Pinto (another Buddhist sociologist, but with a strain of Catholicism thrown in) read it and urged me to send it to an academic press I’m glad I didn’t take his advice, but I have remembered his encouragement these many years The third, and last, Buddhist sociologist I know of, David Preston, gave important comments and suggestions through several phases of the writing Thank you, David From here on, there are two main, more or less discrete roots to review The first is in science, especially sociology and most especially symbolic interactionism My introduction came in an undergraduate course with the late Aubrey Wendling, who also sent me on to graduate work at the University of Washington with Robert E L Faris, S Frank Miyamoto, and my dissertation advisor, Otto Larsen While teaching at UCLA I was privileged to enjoy stimulating interaction with Ralph Turner, Mef Seeman, and Harold Garfinkel And especially, although I have never met them in person, my deepest thanks to Peter Berger and Thomas Luckmann for writing what was one of the maybe six most important books of the twentieth century, The Social Construction of Reality Turning to sociologists not primarily known as symbolic interactionists, I owe so much to my year of postdoctoral study with Harrison White, for what I learned about both mathematical sociology and being a responsible but widely searching scientist From Warren TenHouten, my friend and colleague at UCLA, I learned about neurosociolinguistics and the implications of right-left hemisphere functions for social behavior And finally, Charlie Kaplan, a pure spirit of living inquiry, has supplied wonderful touches of positive energy through the years Outside of sociology, my cognitive psychologist friend, Peder Johnson, not only helped with my questions and provided a bit of education in that field but also let me use his lab to carry out some priming experiments during an earlier stage when I was looking for a way to research on semiawakened consciousness Also at the University of New Mexico during the 1980s, the linguist Vera John-Steiner helped me with her subject and gave me support during the early phases of my work on awakening, and Richard Coughlin of the Sociology Department collaborated on research on worldviews The only neuroscientist I know in person is Jim Austin, and his work is featured throughout the book But the published research on meditation has provided information that helped structure my more cognitive work Special thanks also go to Julie Brefczynski-Lewis for taking the time to reply to my inquiry about aspects of her work I want to thank my colleagues and students at the Institute for Social Research, University of New Mexico, for providing a supportive and stimulating environment during the years when my research centered on evaluating early childhood programs The same is true for the dedicated people involved in the programs I was evaluating, especially Andy Hsi and Bebeanne Bouchard, UNM Pediatrics From them and others throughout the nation who are working to help poor children and their families I learned about approaches in practical psychology that apply to all people Among the many in this group, I want to single out Victor Bernstein for the insights he opened up for me The second major root of this project was nurtured by people who in one way or another are Buddhists, or at least fellow travelers My thanks to Gary Snyder for his reply to something I sent him many years ago, in which he commented on the (unworkable) research ideas I was hatching at the time and gave some advice about Zen teachers And then there was my formal training I feel indebted to the late Joshu Sasaki for the ten years I spent with him He opened doors, showed me there was a world full of wonder there to learn about, and started me on the practice and path that has continued since Sandy Stewart was the head monk when I started, and I also learned from him Since then, so many wonderful friends have come into my life through 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illustrations Abhayagiri Buddhist Monastery (California), 6, 87 Adam’s Tongue (Bickerton), 233–34, 307n37 AIDS epidemic, 10, 151, 154, 201–2 Aitkin Roshi, Robert, 4, 37, 38, 40, 41 Al-Alawi, Ahmad, 272 alcohol, 63, 155, 256, 312n43 allocentric processing, 211, 279, 285, 288, 299, 301–2; defined/described, 242, 299 allocentric spatial orientation, 255 Amaravati Monastery (England), 6, 82–83 Amaro, Ajahn, 5–6, 69–88; and absence of boundaries, 81, 210; and awakening experiences/insight experiences, 76, 79–82, 87–88; biographical sketch, 5–6; in California, 87–88; and clarity and brightness of perception, 79, 194; comments on author’s interpretation of interview, 217; and competitive urge in spiritual development, 78–79, 81; and controlling attention and quieting the mind, 79, 80, 193; in England, 77–86; and equanimity, 88; and faith, 77; and freedom and desire, 74–76; and Gautama’s teachings on morality, 225; and habit of anxiety/worry, 84–86; meditation practices, 75–76, 78, 85–86; and mindfulness, 79; and monasticism, 6, 72–88; and nonattachment/letting go, 76, 80, 82, 195–97; origins of interest in Buddhism, 5–6, 69–72; publications, 69, 83; and seeking approval, 84, 85; and suffering, 2, 5, 75, 290; teachers, 72–73, 77–78; in Thailand, 72–77 ambiguity, tolerance for, 19, 265, 269 anger/irritation/resentment, 314n22; decrease in, 93, 98–99, 101, 186, 194 (see also equanimity); and gradual cultivation following moment of sudden awakening, 180; and insight meditation, 117; and Jill Bolte Taylor’s poststroke insights, 238; and Pirahã culture, 252; and space between impulse and action, 177; and stages of enlightenment in Theravada Buddhism, 108 animals: communication systems, 232–33; and emotions and feelings, 281; and evolution of consciousness, 15, 228–31; and insight, 306n20; and object permanence, 231; and perceptual representations, 15, 277; self-recognition experiments, 231–32 anxiety, 17, 84–87, 141, 198, 252, 269–70, 287 See also dukkha; worry An Arrow to the Heart (McLeod), 63 attention: capture of attention by sudden sensory stimuli, 42, 300, 301; and control of contents of awareness, 118, 281–82; and development of capacities for awakening, 13, 129, 192–95, 203 (see also specific teachers); diffuse, receptive attention of infants, 244, 246–48; and fast and slow thinking, 283; and focus on perceptual awareness, 281, 287; and jhāna practice as basis for insight, 106, 112; meditation and improvement on the Raven Progressive Matrices test, 315n38; and seesaw metaphor for forms of attentiveness, 300–301; and unconditional acceptance of the present moment, 123, 124, 129; and wandering thinking, 286 See also concentration; meditation Auschwitz, retreats at, 11, 169–70, 172, 173 Austin, James, 293–302; and awakening experiences/insight experiences, 13, 211, 294–98; and egocentric and allocentric processing, 211, 242, 277, 279, 285, 298–302; and neurological basis of awakened consciousness, 241–42, 295–96, 298–302; origins of interest in Buddhism, 293–94; and psychic and somatic sense of self, 298–99; publications, 299; research implications of theory, 288 Australia, collaborative culture in, 36 autism, 223 awakened consciousness, 16, 205–26, 273–92; and absence of boundaries, 14, 208–12, 277 (see also boundaries, absence of); and absence of emotional attachment to the self, 14, 110–11, 124, 212–14; and absence of fear, 297, 301; and absence of motivation or desire, 76–77, 79, 108, 297; awakening without compassion, 14–15, 203, 207, 218–26; and capture of attention by sudden sensory stimuli, 42, 300, 301; changes required for shifting to, 287; and classical Indian ascetic model, 141; comments by teachers on author’s interpretations of their interviews, 217–18; cultivation/stabilization of insight experiences following initial experience, 12, 115, 131, 138, 180–81, 190, 207–8; development of capacities for (see awakening, development of capacities for); and emotions and feelings, 280–81; evolution of (see evolution of ordinary and awakened consciousness); and fast thinking, 282–83, 286, 287; feeling of lightness and buoyancy, 65, 130, 213–14; feeling of release, happiness, joy, etc., 99, 116, 158, 217, 255, 284, 286, 291, 297; feeling that awakened consciousness is simple, obvious, and ordinary, 79, 216–17; future of, 269–72; generation of, 276–80; impact of experiences on daily life, 93, 98–99, 101, 106–7, 117, 160 (see also anger/irritation/resentment; anxiety; equanimity; happiness); and infants, 244–48, 278; and Jill Bolte Taylor’s poststroke insights, 278; and meaning, 284, 290; misconceptions about awakening experiences, 116–17; model of ordinary and awakened consciousness, 16, 273–92, 274; Native Americans and, 310n26; and need for elimination of conditions of material deprivation, 291; neurological basis o f , 211, 241–43, 295–96, 298–302 (see also allocentric processing); and nonattachment (see nonattachment/nonclinging); “not knowing” and feeling of fluidity and dynamism (awareness co-arising with action), 14, 31, 165, 214–16, 282; permanence of effects, 25–26, 31, 82, 95, 111, 115, 130; and Pirahã culture, 17, 249–58; and politics, 269–72; and possibility of slow thinking, 283, 289; and psychopathology, 224–25; and “pure” perceptual representations/focus on immediate experience, 16, 277–79, 284, 287; and reification/de-reification of social reality, 236– 37, 288; relation to compassion, 166, 201–3, 211–12; relatively high levels of wealth and education among seekers, 291; and remedies for dukkha, 17, 19, 268; sensation that the world stopped, 40, 124, 196, 212; and social reality/social self, 279 (see also social reality); suddenness of shift in perspective, 38, 41–42, 208, 211, 241; summary of differences between ordinary and awakened consciousness, 285–87; terminology issues and shared meaning, 206; and world religions, 261 See also specific teachers awakening, development of capacities for, 13, 191–204; and compassion and empathy, 13, 198–204; and controlling attention and quieting the mind, 13, 23–25, 42–43, 79, 80, 107, 109, 124, 127, 153–54, 192–95, 203; cultivation of insights following sudden awakening, 12, 115, 131, 138, 180–81, 190, 207–8; and letting go of conditionings, 13, 195–98, 203; mythic Buddhist model of sudden total enlightenment vs gradual accumulation of insight experiences, 87–88, 93–94, 141–42, 203–4, 207–9; and personal qualities, 191; success independent of teaching tradition, 95, 192 See also conversation; koan study; meditation; specific teachers and types of Buddhism awareness: awareness co-arising with action, 14, 214–16 (see also “not knowing”); and blindsight, 230, 276; and the body, 228–29, 243; and Damasio’s model of consciousness, 229; default mode network and shifts in awareness, 288; expansion and contraction as form of nondual awareness, 27, 28, 31, 205, 215; and freedom, 188–89; unconscious awareness, 230, 275–76, 281–83 See also attention; awakened consciousness; consciousness, model of; consciousness, ordinary; self Batchelor, Martine, 6–7, 91–102, 192; and awakening experiences/insight experiences, 93–96, 98–102; biographical sketch, 6–7; and buddha nature of all people, 99–100; community life in England, 97–99, 101; and compassion, 102; and death of father, 101–2; and de-grasping, 93–96, 98, 196, 197; and equanimity, 93, 94; and koan study, 95, 96; in Korea, 92–97; meditation practices, 92–96, 100–101; and monasticism, 6, 92–97; origins of interest in Buddhism, 6, 91–92; publications, 7, 91, 102; and realization of self-centeredness, 95–96; and Stephen Batchelor, 97, 98, 137; as teacher, 97– 98, 102; teachers, 6, 97, 102 Batchelor, Stephen, 9, 65, 137–47; and awakening experiences/insight experiences, 9, 138–39, 141–42; and belief, 9; biographical sketch, 9; on the Buddha, 141–46, 280; and clarity and brightness of perception, 194; and compassion and empathy, 146, 147, 198; and controlling attention and quieting the mind, 194; and equanimity, 141; and living authentically from the perspective of awakening, 138, 147, 204; and Martine Batchelor, 97, 98, 137; meditation practices, 140; and mistaken emphasis on happiness, 146–47; and monasticism, 138–39, 141; and nonattachment, 198; “not knowing” and feeling of fluidity and dynamism, 214–15; origins of interest in Buddhism, 9; and process of integration of path, 138–39; publications, 9, 137, 141–46; and the self, 143–44; and silence, 214; teachers, 9, 140 belief, 31; Batchelor (Stephen) and, 9; belief in the reality of social reality and the social self, 17–18, 241, 243; Buddhism as system of assumptions and beliefs like any other religion, 63, 64; impact of specific Buddhist framework (Theravada, Zen, etc.) on insight experiences, 100; and institutionalization of questioning the status quo, 18, 197, 264–65, 284, 291; McLeod on, 63, 64, 65; and social reality and responses to dukkha, 17–18; Tarrant on, 44, 197 Berger, Peter, 236 Berkeley Zen Center, 132 Berlin, Brett, 250 Bhagavad Gita, 178 Bickerton, Derek, 233–34, 307n37 blindsight, 230, 276 bodhichitta, 52, 185, 317 bodhisattva vows, 188 body, 65, 85, 228–29, 243, 298 See also breath; feelings; interoception; pain and physical discomfort body maps, 228 Botha, R., 233 boundaries, absence of, 208–12, 294–95; Amaro and, 81, 210; and compassion, 209–11; Glassman and, 165; O’Hara and, 154, 209; and Pirahã culture, 254; Tarrant and, 38–39, 210; Young and, 3, 25, 31, 205, 208, 209 See also self Boyle, R P., and awakening experiences, 13, 279 brahma viharas, 187–88, 317 brain: Austin’s theory of egocentric and allocentric processing, 242, 277, 279, 285, 298–99; and body maps, 228; cognitive load, 276–77, 279; communication problems between brain stem and cortex, 228–29, 243; default mode network, 279, 288; and evolution of consciousness, 228–29; and feelings, 280, 284, 285; “hot spots” for sense of self, 300; perceptual and conceptual processing, 274–79; and psychic and somatic sense of self, 298–99; research implications of consciousness model, 288; and seesaw metaphor for forms of attentiveness, 300–301; and thinking, 281–83, 289, 314n27 See also brain stem; evolution of ordinary and awakened consciousness; reticular nucleus; thalamus, thalamic nuclei brain stem, 228–29, 243, 284, 285 breath: and death and impermanence, 101–2; and meditation, 22, 59, 95, 112, 124, 125, 140, 153, 193; spontaneous slowing of, 23; and three-year retreats, 53 Bring Me the Rhinoceros (Tarrant), 43, 47 Brooks, David, 302 Buddha, the: awakening experience, 139, 141; and compassion, 146; and daily life, 117, 139; and death of companions, 145–46; emotions of, 280; influence of teachings on other cultures, 261; and moral dilemmas, 145; and nonclinging, 189– 90; as a real person, 141–46, 280; and the self, 143–44; and suffering/dukkha, 146, 147, 261–63; teachings on morality, 225; terminology for awakened consciousness, 206 Buddhism: and the body, 65; compared to Pirahã culture, 250–51; “divine abodes” (practices of loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity), 52, 55, 187–88; emphasis on enlightenment and insight experiences, 139, 141, 151, 165; Gate of Sweet Nectar liturgy, 168–69; and metaphysics as skillful means, not statement of ultimate truth, 189; and mindfulness, 251–52; and nonattachment/letting go, 190, 253 (see also nonattachment/nonclinging); as system of assumptions and beliefs like any other religion, 64; terminology for awakened consciousness, 206; and toleration for ambiguity, 19, 265, 269 See also meditation; Theravada Buddhism; Tibetan Buddhism ; Vajrayana Buddhism; vipassana tradition; Zen Buddhism; specific countries and teachers Burma: Burmese teachings on freedom, 189; Fronsdal’s experiences in, 129–30; Goldstein’s experiences at Burmese vihar in Bodh Gaya, 182–83 Canada, Buddhist communities in, 52–53 carapace: carapace of symbolic reality (Giddens’s term), 15, 18, 240, 263–64, 283; White’s use of term, 239 Catherine, Shaila, 7, 105–18; and absence of emotional attachment to the self, 110–11, 212–13; and awakening experiences/ insight experiences, 7, 106–10, 113–15, 118; biographical sketch, 7; and compassion, 109, 199; and controlling attention and quieting the mind, 109, 194; and cultivation/stabilization of insight experiences, 115; and daily life review, 117; and Insight Meditation South Bay, 7; meditation practices, 106, 109, 112–13, 117; and misconceptions about enlightenment, 116–17; and monasticism, 106; and nonattachment, 108, 113, 117, 196; origins of interest in Buddhism, 105–6; and peacefulness and equanimity, 108, 109, 113, 115, 194, 196; publications, 7, 105, 106; silent retreat experiences, 7, 106; and social reality, 238; teachers, 7, 105–6, 110–12 Chah, Ajahn, 72–73, 78, 86 change, dukkha of, 261, 262, 264, 272 charnel practices, 170, 317 children See infants and children Chinul, 12, 180, 190 Chithurst Monastery (England), 77–79 Chogyam Trungpa, Chomsky, Noam, 233, 275 Christianity, 224, 261, 266–68 climate science, 271 cognitive load, 276–77, 279 color, 112, 113 compassion: and absence of boundaries, 209–11; as activity of emptiness, 185, 188, 202; awakening without compassion, 14–15, 203, 207, 218–26; Batchelor (Martine) and, 102; Batchelor (Stephen) and, 146, 147, 198; as both contributor to and consequence of progress toward awakening, 151, 200–201, 211; Catherine and, 109, 199; and development of capacities for awakening, 13, 192, 198–204; Fronsdal and, 125–26, 200, 223; Glassman and, 166, 200, 225–26; Goldstein and, 184–85, 199, 202; as grounded on empathy, 198–99; and happiness, 184–85, 199, 201; and koan tradition, 200; meditation techniques for, 199 (see also metta meditation); O’Hara and, 10, 151, 154, 158, 201–2, 209; as one of the four immeasurables in Tibetan Buddhism, 52, 55, 187; and Pirahã culture, 253–54; relation to awakening, 166, 201–3, 211–12; and socially engaged Buddhism, 225–26; Tarrant and, 46, 200; and Tibetan Buddhism, 55 concentration, 109, 128; concentration subjects, 112; and the Eightfold Path, 139; and happiness, 116, 185; jhāna practice, 106, 112–13; meditation and improvement on the Raven Progressive Matrices test, 315n38; metta meditation, 184–85, 199; and misconceptions about enlightenment, 116; and perceptual changes, 116; samadhi, 22–25, 31, 320 See also attention conceptual processing: and cognitive load, 276–77, 279; and emotions, 280; impact of conceptual framework on insight experiences, 100; and infants, 277–78; and maintaining consistency among previous experience, sensory information, and conceptual systems, 236–37, 275, 276, 283–84; and model of consciousness, 274, 274–79, 285; and modification of perceptual representation, 277; and protection of perceptual reality in awakened consciousness, 279 See also social reality Confessions of a Buddhist Atheist (Batchelor), 9, 141–46, 194 consciousness, awakened See awakened consciousness consciousness, model of, 273–92, 274; Austin’s theory of egocentric and allocentric processing, 242, 277, 279, 285, 298– 302; basic model described, 273–76, 274; and cognitive load, 276–77, 279; conscious awareness as new input for processing, 281; default network, 279, 288; and emotions and feelings, 280–81, 285; generative nature of processing, 275–80; and maintaining consistency among previous experience, sensory information, and conceptual systems, 275, 276, 283–84; and meaning, 283–84, 286–87; perceptual and conceptual processing, 274–79, 285; “pure” perceptual representations and consciousness, model of (cont.) awakened consciousness, 16, 277–79, 284, 287; research implications, 287–90; summary of differences between ordinary and awakened consciousness, 285–87; and thinking, 281–83, 286; unconscious processing, 275–76, 281, 282 consciousness, ordinary, 16; alternate brain system for (Austin’s theory), 241–43; and boundaries, 210; and egocentric processing system, 211, 242 (see also egocentric processing); and emotions, 280–81; evolution of (see evolution of ordinary and awakened consciousness); and fast and slow thinking, 281–83, 286; generation of, 276–80; and invention of writing, 258–60; involvement of both brain and mind, 240–43; and language, 277–78; and learning, 242; limitations, side effects, and discomforts of, 243, 249, 260 (see also dukkha); and meaning, 283–84, 286–87, 290; model of ordinary and awakened consciousness, 16, 273–92, 274; and modern society, 263–67; Pirahã culture as exception to dominance of ordinary consciousness, 249–58; summary of differences between ordinary and awakened consciousness, 285–87 See also carapace of symbolic reality; self; social reality; social self conservatives, political, 269–72 conversation: awakening/insight experiences achieved through, 110; and growth of Dharma, 33–34, 46 cooperation, evolution of, 234, 235, 307n38 core consciousness (Damasio’s concept), 229 Coyle, Jackson and Gigi, 171 Craig, A D., 228 The Crooked Cucumber (Suzuki), 54 Csíkszentmihályi, Mihaly, 24 culture, 15; Australian culture, 36; classification of worldviews according to models of interpersonal relations, 311–12n43; and invention of writing, 258–60; Native Americans, 310n26; Pirahã culture as exception to dominance of ordinary consciousness, 17, 249–58; and teacher–student relationships, 38, 41, 47, 50, 58, 66, 187; and Tibetan Buddhism, 28, 38, 50, 58; and vipassana tradition, 28; and Zen Buddhism, 28, 36, 41 See also modernity; social reality; specific countries Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism (Chogyam Trungpa), Daido Loori, John, 150, 152, 154–56 Daishi, Kobo, 166, 167 Dalai Lama, 166, 178 Damasio, Antonio, 228–30, 243, 280, 284, 306n12 death, 45, 101–2, 151, 158; and the Buddha, 145–46; and Pirahã culture, 254 default mode network, 279, 288 de-grasping See letting go of conditionings; nonattachment/nonclinging depression, 57–58, 60–62, 64, 158 desire, 75–76, 129; absence of, 76–77, 79, 297; and dukkha, 75–76; and freedom, 74; letting go of, 192, 195, 197, 241, 252; and stages of enlightenment in Theravada Buddhism, 108 Dhammapada, 91, 318 Dharma, 318; and compassion, 146; and compassion as the activity of emptiness, 188; “The Dharma protects those who protect the Dharma,” 183; growing through conversations, 33–34, 46 Dharmakirti, Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, 185 displacement (linguistic concept), 232, 233, 234 Don’t Sleep, There Are Snakes (Everett), 250, 251 Douglas, Mary, 311n43 drug use, 29, 155, 160, 312n43 Dudjom Rinpoche, 72 dukkha, 5, 16–19, 69, 261–63, 318; and the Buddha, 139; dukkha of change, 261, 264, 272; existential, 19, 261, 262, 264, 265, 272; and meaning, 283, 286, 290; and modern society, 17–19, 263–66, 311n39; physical, 261, 262, 272; and politics, 19, 269–72; remedies for, 17–19, 263–68, 312n47 Dutton, Kevin, 223, 225 egalitarianism, 87, 253, 257, 310n27, 312n43 egocentric processing, 211, 277, 279, 285, 288, 298–99, 302; defined/described, 242, 299 egocentric spatial orientation, 255 Eightfold Path, 139 election of 2012, 269, 271–72, 313n49 emotions, 280–81, 285, 314n22; absence of emotional attachment to the self, 14, 110–11, 124, 212–14; body as reference point for, 85; distinguished from feelings, 280; and interoception, 228; loss of emotional attachment to social reality, 238; place of emotion in Buddhism, 39; and research implications of consciousness model, 288–89; and social reality, 280, 285 See also feelings; specific emotions empathy, 146, 198; and development of capacities for awakening, 192, 198–204; and infants, 244, 247; lack of empathetic caring by some awakened individuals, 223 (see also compassion: awakening without compassion); and Pirahã culture, 253–54 See also compassion emptiness, 7, 42, 110–11; compassion as the activity of emptiness, 185, 188 England, Buddhist communities in, 6, 77–86, 97–99, 101 enlightenment, 2, 305n13; and the Buddha, 139, 141; misconceptions about, 116–17; and service to others, 166; stages of, in Theravada Buddhism, 108 See also awakened consciousness; awakening, development of capacities for equanimity: Amaro and, 88; Batchelor (Martine) and, 93, 94; Batchelor (Stephen) and, 141; Catherine and, 108, 109, 113, 115, 194, 196; and mindfulness, 31; as one of the four immeasurables in Tibetan Buddhism, 52, 55, 188; and Pirahã culture, 252; and stages of enlightenment in Theravada Buddhism, 108; Tarrant and, 45 Everett, Daniel, 17, 249–58 evolution, and science denial, 271 evolution of ordinary and awakened consciousness, 15–16, 227–43; and animals, 15, 228–32; Austin’s theory of alternate brain systems, 241–43; and blindsight, 230; Damasio’s model, 228–30; and evolution of language, 15, 232–35; language and the construction of social reality, 15–16, 235–40; and learning, 230–31; and limitations and dysfunctions of ordinary consciousness, 243; and “not knowing,” 230; origins of consciousness, 227–32 expansion and contraction as form of nondual awareness, 27, 28, 31, 205, 215 exteroception, 229 faith, 54, 77 Faith Mind Sutra (Blyth), 149 fear, 314n22; fear of the unknown, 99; and letting go, 153–54, 197, 252; and procrastination, 30 feelings, 280–81, 285; and animals, 281; distinguished from emotions, 280; and interoception, 280, 284, 286; and research implications of consciousness model, 288–89 See also emotions Fitch, W Tecumseh, 232–33 “flow” state, 24 Focused and Fearless (Catherine), 106 Food for the Heart (Chah), 86 four immeasurables, 52, 55, 187–88 Four Noble Truths, 139 France, Buddhist communities in, 53–56 freedom, 44, 73–74, 131, 188–89, 210 See also boundaries, absence of Fronsdal, Gil, 7–8, 121–35; and absence of emotional attachment to the self, 124, 212; and awakening experiences/insight experiences, 124–25, 128–29, 130–31; biographical sketch, 7–8; in Burma, 129–30; and compassion, 125–26, 200, 223; and core sense of self, 128–30; and cultivation/stabilization of insight Fronsdal, Gil (continued) experiences, 131, 207–8; and dropping away of consciousness, 127, 130, 131; and family life, 133– 34; and feeling of lightness and buoyancy, 130; at Green Gulch Farm (Marin County, California), 8, 124–25; and Insight Meditation Center (Redwood City, CA), 8, 132–33; in Japan, 128–29; meditation practices, 122–24, 128–31; and monasticism, 8, 123–24, 126–30, 133; origins of interest in Buddhism, 8, 121–22; publications, 8, 121; at San Francisco Zen Center, 122–24; and seeking approval, 127; and sensation that the world stopped, 124, 212; at Tassajara monastery (California), 126–27; as teacher, 131–35; teachers, 127–28, 130, 132–33; in Thailand, 128; and vipassana tradition, 128– 33 Garfinkel, Harold, 197 Geshe Dhargyey, Geshe Rabten, Giddens, Anthony, 18, 263–66, 311n39; carapace of symbolic reality, 15, 18, 240, 263–64, 283 Glassman, Bernie, 10–11, 163–74; and absence of boundaries, 165; Auschwitz retreats, 169–70, 172, 173; and awakening experiences/insight experiences, 11, 165–68; biographical sketch, 10–11; and circle form of Zen group, 172–73; and compassion, 166, 200; emphasis on socially engaged Buddhism, 11, 165–68, 173–74, 225–26; and koan study, 165, 214; and Los Angeles Zendo/Zen Community of Los Angeles, 164, 165; “not knowing” and feeling of fluidity and dynamism, 165–66, 214; O’Hara and, 155–56; and oneness of life, 167–68; origins of interest in Buddhism, 10, 163–65; publications, 11, 163; street retreats, 11, 168–73, 197–98, 206; as teacher, 11, 156, 165; teachers, 11, 164–65, 169; and way of council, 171; and Zen Houses, 173–74; and Zen Peacemakers, 11, 165, 167, 171–72 Goenka, S N., 3, 140 Goffman, Erving, 238 Goldstein, Joseph, 11–12, 177–90, 192; and awakening experiences/insight experiences, 12, 179–80; biographical sketch, 11–12; and bodhisattva vows, 188; and compassion as the activity of emptiness, 185, 188; and cultivation of compassion, 184–85, 199; and cultivation/ stabilization of insight experiences, 12, 180–81, 190, 207; and feeling of impatience or rushing, 186; and guilt and remorse, 181; in India, 182–84; and Insight Meditation Center, 12, 187; and integration of insight experiences into daily life, 181; and laughter, 187; meditation practices, 183–85, 188, 189; and metaphysics as skillful means, not statements of ultimate truth, 189; and the mind as unborn, 179; and monasticism, 182–83; and the nature of freedom and awareness, 188–89; and nonattachment/ nonclinging, 178, 182, 186, 189–90, 195; origins of interest in Buddhism, 177–79; and pain and physical discomfort, 183; and past and future as thoughts in the mind, 179; Peace Corps experiences, 178–79; publications, 12, 177; and relation between awakening and compassion, 185, 202, 211–12; and selflessness, 181; as teacher, 187; teachers, 12, 182–89; and transitions back to U.S., 183–84 Gopnik, Alison, 244–48 Grandin, Temple, 223 Gray, John, 63, 64 Greece, ancient, 259–60, 262 Green Gulch Farm (Marin County, California), 8, 124–25 guilt, 181 Hakuin, 46, 47 Halifax, Joan, 171 happiness: and awakened consciousness, 99, 116, 158, 217, 255, 284, 286, 291, 297; coincidence between values and activities preparing one for awakening and values and activities encouraging happiness, 291; and compassion, 184–85, 199, 201; and concentration, 185; and interoception, 286; and metta meditation, 184–85, 199; mistaken emphasis on, 146–47; and Pirahã culture, 255, 257; study of, 309n22; and suffering, 146–47 See also joy Hazel, Peter, 75 Herrigel, Eugen, 293 Hinduism, 144 Homer, 259–60 Hsiang-yen, 42 human condition, 16–19, 249–72; and future of awakened consciousness, 269–72; and Gautama’s insights about suffering, 261–63; and invention of writing, 258–60; and Pirahã culture as exception to dominance of ordinary consciousness, 249– 58; and politics, 269–72 See also dukkha; suffering Humphrey, Nicholas, 230, 238 idealism, 66, 91 Iliad (Homer), 259–60 impatience, 186 impermanence, 101–2, 113, 117, 139 India, Tibetan Buddhist communities in, 50–52 individualism, 253, 312n43 infants and children: and attention, 244, 246–48; and awakened consciousness, 244–48, 278; and empathy, 244, 247; and lack of self-construct that can be projected into past or future, 244, 246; and language acquisition, 244–46, 248, 277–78; and memory, 245, 246, 247; and perceptual and conceptual processing, 277–78; and social reality, 236, 248 inner speech, 310n26; cognitive load and cessation of inner speech/enhancement of perception during meditation, 276–77; and infants and children, 246, 248; and model of consciousness, 274; quieting the mind, 192–95 (see also awakening, development of capacities for: and controlling attention and quieting the mind) insight meditation, 106, 107, 109, 112–13, 117, 184–85; and concentration and metta meditation, 184–85 See also vipassana tradition Insight Meditation Center (Redwood City, CA), 8, 132–33 Insight Meditation Society (Barre, MA), 8, 12, 131, 187 Insight Meditation South Bay, International Buddhist Meditation Center (Los Angeles), 27 interoception, 306n11; body maps, 228; and communication problems between brain stem and cortex, 228–29, 243; and emotions, 228; and feelings, 228, 280, 284, 286; and model of consciousness, 274, 280 Jamgön Kongtrül the Great, 53 Japan: Buddhist communities in, 21–25, 128–29; contrast of Japanese and Korean Zen traditions, 138–39; Obon holiday, 168–69; pedagogy and Japanese culture, 41, 47 See also Zen Buddhism Jaynes, Julian, 259–60 jhāna practice, 7, 106, 108, 112, 318 John of the Cross, 261, 308n60 Johnson, Paul, 262 Joshu Sasaki Roshi, 3, 26–27, 304n8; and flow of expansion/contraction and zero, 27; and samurai tradition, 224; and sex scandals, 219–24, 304–5nn9,10 joy, 99, 129, 158, 217, 284; as one of the four immeasurables in Tibetan Buddhism, 52, 55, 187 See also happiness Kagyu tradition, 53, 318 Kahneman, Daniel, 282–83, 286, 287 Kalu Rinpoche, 5, 49–60, 92 Katz, Michael, 36–37 kensho, 26, 31, 40, 319; neurological basis of, 301–2 koan study, 25, 36–47, 193, 319; and absence of boundaries, 25; and compassion, 46, 200; koan study (continued) introductory koans, 34, 152–53; and letting go, 95, 96, 153, 195–97; and “not knowing,” 165, 214; relation to daily life, 158, 159 See also Batchelor, Martine; Glassman, Bernie; O’Hara, Pat Enkyo; Tarrant, John ; Young, Shinzen Kobori-Roshi, Nanrei, 294, 295 Köhler, Wolfgang, 231 Korean Zen tradition, 92–97, 138–39 Kornfield, Jack, 8, 12, 132, 186, 278 Koryo Osaka Roshi, 165 !Kung, 258 Kusan Sunim, 6, 102 Lama Yeshe, 38 lamrim (graded path), 51–52, 319 language, 15–16; animal communication, 232–33; Bickerton’s protolanguage theory, 233–34; and characteristics of awakened consciousness in Pirahã culture, 249–52, 257; and construction of social reality, 15–16, 235–40, 243; evolution of, 232–35; and generation of coherent narrative, 276; and handling of displacement, 232, 233, 234; and infants and children, 244–46, 248, 277–78; and Jill Bolte Taylor’s poststroke insights, 238; and model of consciousness, 276; and perceptual representations, 277–78; and postliterate societies, 258–60; and social cooperation, 234–35 laughter, 40, 187, 196, 252–53 learning, 230–31, 242 Let Go: A Buddhist Guide to Breaking Habits (Batchelor), 102 letting go of conditionings, 44, 95, 192, 195–98; and development of capacities for awakening, 13, 153, 154, 166, 203; and feelings of impatience or rushing, 186; and habit of anxiety/worry, 85–86 See also nonattachment/nonclinging liberals, political, 269–72 Libet, Benjamin, 239, 275 Los Angeles Zendo, 164, 165 loving-kindness, 52, 55, 112, 187–88; metta meditation, 184–85, 199, 319–20 Luckmann, Thomas, 236 Maezumi Roshi, Taizan, 10, 11, 154–56, 159–60, 164–65, 169 Mahasi Center (Burma), 129–30 Mahayana Buddhism, 45 mantras, 51, 52, 56, 193 Marx, Karl, 312n43 Matthiessen, Peter, 168, 173, 303n2 McLeod, Ken, 5, 49–66, 216; and awakening experiences/insight experiences, 5, 63, 65; and belief, 63, 64, 65; biographical sketch, 5; in Canada, 52–53, 56–57; comments on author’s interpretation of interview, 217–18; and depression, 57–58, 60–62, 64; and faith, 54; and feeling of lightness and buoyancy, 65, 213; in France, 53–56; health issues, 53–57, 60, 62; in India, 50–52; and monasticism, 58; and “not knowing,” 5; origins of interest in Buddhism, 5, 49–50; and possible disconnect between awakening and compassion, 218; and practical Buddhism, 64; publications, 5, 49, 61, 63; as teacher, 55, 62, 63, 65–66; teachers, 5, 49–62; and three-year retreats, 52–57; and Tibetan Buddhist practices, 50–64; as translator for Kalu Rinpoche, 52–53, 59–60; and Unfettered Mind organization, 5, 60, 64; and uniqueness of each person’s experience, 218; in the U.S., 57–62 meaning, 283–84, 286–87, 290 meditation: and anxiety/worry, 85–86; breath and, 22, 59, 95, 112, 124, 125, 140, 153, 193; cognitive load and cessation of inner speech/enhancement of perception, 276–77; compassion as side effect of, 125–26, 199; concentration subjects, 112; and controlling attention and quieting the mind, 23–25, 42–43, 79, 80, 107, 109, 124, 127, 128, 153–54, 192–95, 276–77 (see also specific teachers); and cultivation of compassion, 192, 199 (see also metta meditation under this heading); and depression, 61–62; and developing/ cleaning up the mind, 107–9, 129; and the Eightfold Path, 139; and focus on perceptual awareness, 281; and goal orientation, 130; and impermanence of objects, 113; insight meditation, 106, 107, 109, 112–13, 117, 184–85; interconnectedness of practices, 188; and interoception, 229; jhāna practice, 106, 112–13; and koan study, 34–35 (see also koan study); mantras, 51, 52, 56, 193; metta meditation, 184–85, 188, 199, 319–20; and nibbāna, 108, 109, 115, 117; and nonattachment/letting go, 93, 107, 192; physical discomfort during, 22–23, 37, 53–57, 124, 152, 183; and seesaw metaphor for forms of attentiveness, 301; and Tibetan Buddhist practices, 51–56; and value of interactive coaching, 28; visualization in, 193, 199 See also attention; concentration; specific teachers Mehl-Madrona, Lewis, 310n26 memory, 229, 238, 242, 245, 246, 247 metta meditation, 184–85, 188, 199, 319–20 mindfulness, 79, 153; and controlling attention and quieting the mind, 194–95; dimensions of concentration, sensory clarity, and equanimity, 31; and the Eightfold Path, 139; fMRI studies of, 3–4; and Pirahã culture, 251–52, 257 See also attention Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, 194–95 mirror experiments and self-recognition, 231, 245–46 modernity: and blocking out doubt through addictions, compulsions, or demanding day-to-day activities, 265; and changes in religious affiliation, 266–68, 312n47; dynamism of the modern world, 18, 263, 264; and existential dukkha, 262, 264, 265; and increase in dukkha of change, 18, 262, 264; and learning to tolerate ambiguity, 19, 265, 269; and ontological insecurity, 18, 264, 265, 311n39; and ordinary consciousness, 263–67; politics, 19, 269–72, 313n49; questioning status quo as accepted social value, 18, 197, 264–65, 284; and reconstruction of tradition, 19, 265–66; and reduction in physical dukkha, 262; and social change, 18, 265, 266, 270, 284; and threat of personal meaninglessness, 265 Modernity and Self-Identity (Giddens), 18, 263 monasteries, Buddhist: compared to Pirahã culture, 250–51, 253 See also specific countries monkey mind, 283 See also inner speech; thinking morality, 205n19; and the Buddha, 145, 225; controversy over origins of, 202; and erasing the boundary between self and others, 247; sex scandals in Buddhist communities, 14, 219–24, 304–5nn9,10 See also compassion Munindra, Anagarika, 12, 182, 183, 185–86 Musashi, Miyamoto, 64 My Stroke of Insight (Taylor), 238 nada sound, 81 Native Americans, 310n26 Nemoto, Ittetsu, 224 neuroscience: and evolution of consciousness, 227–43; and meditation, 195; neural plasticity, 242; neurological basis of awakened consciousness, 295–96, 298–302 (see also consciousness, model of); neuronal maps, 228, 229; and psychic and somatic sense of self, 298–99; research implications of consciousness model, 279, 287–90 See also brain ngöndro, 51–52, 54, 320 nibbāna, 108, 109, 115, 117, 189, 320 nonattachment/nonclinging: absence of emotional attachment to the self, 14, 110–11, 124, 212–14; Amaro and, 80, 82, 196– 97; Batchelor (Martine) and, 93–96, 98, 196, 197; Batchelor (Stephen) and, 198; the Buddha and, 139, 189–90; Catherine and, 107, 108, 113, 117, 196; and development of capacities for awakening, 13, 166, 192, 195–98, 203; Glassman and, nonattachment (continued) 166, 197–98; Goldstein and, 178, 182, 186, 189–90, 195; and idealism, 66; and koan study, 95, 96, 153, 195–97; O’Hara and, 153, 195; and Pirahã culture, 252–53, 257; and stages of enlightenment in Theravada Buddhism, 108; Tarrant and, 39, 40, 43, 44, 196; terminology for, 195 “noting” technique, 28 “not knowing,” 5, 165–66, 214–16, 230, 282 Nowak, Martin, 307n38 Nyingma tradition, 53, 320 Nyoshul Khen Rinpoche, 185, 188 Obama, Barack, 269, 271, 313n49 object permanence, 231 Obon (Japanese holiday), 168–69 Odyssey (Homer), 259–60 O’Hara, Pat Enkyo, 9–10, 149–60; and absence of boundaries, 154, 209; and awakening experiences/insight experiences, 10, 150–51, 160; biographical sketch, 9–10; and compassion, 10, 151, 154, 158, 201–2, 209; and controlling attention and quieting the mind, 153–54; and death, 158; and depression, 158; and joy, 158, 217, 284; koan study, 152–53, 158– 60; and letting go, 153, 154, 195; meditation practices, 152, 153; and monasticism, 10, 149–50; origins of interest in Buddhism, 9–10, 149–51; and pain and physical discomfort, 152; publications, 149; and Sing Sing, 157; as teacher, 156– 57; teachers, 10, 150, 152, 154–56, 159–60; and Village Zendo, 10, 155, 156; work with AIDS victims, 10, 151, 154, 201– Ondaatje, Michael, 36 ontological insecurity (Giddens’s term), 18, 264, 265, 311n39 The Origins of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicarmeral Mind (Jaynes), 259 Osumi, Yoshi, 294 Pa-Auk Sayadaw, 7, 106, 112 Pacific Zen Institute (Santa Rosa, CA), pain and physical discomfort: during meditation, 22–23, 37, 53–57, 124, 152, 183; physical dukkha, 261 Pali Canon, 140, 141–42, 320 Pasanno, Ajahn, 87 peacefulness, 108, 109, 129, 194 See also equanimity Pennycook, Gordon, 310n26 perception: and animals, 15, 277; capture of attention by sudden sensory stimuli, 42, 300, 301; clarity and brightness of, 31, 79, 194; and cognitive load, 276–77, 279; feeling tone of momentary perceptions, 118; and impermanence of objects, 113; interoception, proprioception, and exteroception, 229; meaning in perceptual reality, 284, 286; perceptions shaped by conceptual framework and previous experience, 100, 236–37, 275, 276, 283–84; perceptual processing and model of consciousness, 274, 274–79, 285; procrastination driven by five sensory phenomena, 29–30; “pure” perceptual representations and awakened consciousness, 16, 277–79, 284, 287; and silence, 278, 295; and social reality, 243, 286; and unconscious awareness, 275–76 The Philosophical Baby (Gopnik), 244 Piaget, Jean, 231 Pinker, Stephen, 205n19 Pirahã culture, 17, 249–58; and alcohol consumption, 256; and attachment to social reality, 17, 256–57; and compassion, empathy, and kindness, 253–54; and death, 254; and equanimity, 252; and happiness, 255, 257; language and characteristics of awakened consciousness, 249–52; and laughter, 252–53; and mindfulness, 251–52, 257; and nonattachment, 252–53, 257; parenting styles and resilience/self-reliance, 253; positive and negative features of Pirahã consciousness, 254–57; and sexual conduct, 255–56; and spatial orientation, 254; spirit communication, 258, 310n27 politics, 19, 269–72, 313n49 Poonja, H W I., 7, 106, 110–11 Posner, Michael, 315n38 Povinelli, Daniel, 232 presidential election of 2012, 269, 271–72, 313n49 procrastination, 29–30 proprioception, 229 Proust, Marcel, 179 psychopathology, 224–25, 305n17 Raichle, Marcus, 300, 314n27 Rand, Ayn, 312n43 Raven Progressive Matrices test, 315n38 Ravenscroft, Trevor, 6, 71 reification/de-reification, 16, 153, 236–37, 288 religion: changes in religious affiliation, 266–68, 312n47; and strategies for responding to dukkha, 265; and worldviews, 312n43 Remembrance of Things Past (Proust), 179 remorse, 181 Resnikova, Zhanna, 231 reticular nucleus, 295–96 Rinzai Zen tradition, 3, 34, 93, 96 Romney, Mitt, 269, 272 Rubio, Marco, 271 rushing, feeling of, 186 Salzberg, Sharon, 12, 186 samadhi, 22–25, 31, 193–94, 320 samurai tradition, 224 San Francisco Zen Center, 8, 122, 127–28, 133 Sasaki Roshi See Joshu Sasaki Roshi satori, 151, 320 Sayadaw U Pandita, 187–88 Schloegl, Irmgard, 296 science denial, 19, 270–71 Searle, John, 236, 306n12 self: absence of emotional attachment to, 14, 110–11, 124, 212–14; the Buddha and, 143–44; and competitive urge in spiritual development, 78–79, 81; dissolution of sense of self, 81–82, 130, 205, 209, 210–11, 295–302 (see also boundaries, absence of); error in suppressing sense of self, 24–27; and flow of expansion/contraction and zero, 27; and Hinduism, 144; “hot spots” for sense of self in the brain, 300; and infants and children, 245–46, 248; and projection of thoughts into the past or future, 246; psychic and somatic sense of, 298–99; and samadhi, 31; and social reality, 237–38 (see also social self); and stages of enlightenment in Theravada Buddhism, 108; the thalamus and the sense of self, 295–96, 299 See also allocentric processing; consciousness, model of; consciousness, ordinary; egocentric processing separation, absence of See boundaries, absence of Seung Sahn Sunim, 4, 36–37, 39, 41 sex, 314n22; and emotions and feelings in awakened consciousness, 281; and Pirahã culture, 255–56; sex scandals in Buddhist communities, 14, 219–24, 304–5nn9,10 Shantideva, 146, 147 Shingon School, 3, 21, 166, 321 sila, 225 silence, 81, 214, 278, 295, 297 Sing Sing, 157 Small Boat, Great Mountain (Amaro), 83 Smith, Huston, 10, 163 social reality, 15–16, 265, 307nn41,44; belief in, 18, 241; and changes in religious affiliation, 266–68, 312n47; degree of fit between perception and social reality, 286; detachment from, as part of Buddhist path, 248; different social realities of different generations, 264; and dukkha in modern society, 18–19, 263–66; and egocentric processing system, 242; and emotions, 280, 285, 288; Giddens’s ideas, 18, 240, 263–66, 283; and infants and children, 236, 248; and institutionalization of questioning the status quo, 18, 197, 264–65, 284, 291; and language, 15, 235–40, 243; limitations and dysfunctions, 243; loss of emotional attachment to, 238; and maintaining social reality (continued) consistency among previous experience, sensory information, and conceptual systems, 275, 276, 283–84; and meaning, 284, 286; and the mind and brain, 240; and ontological insecurity, 264, 265; and ordinary consciousness in modern society, 263–67; and Pirahã culture, 17, 256–57; reification/de-reification of, 16, 236–37, 279; responses to threats to, 263–68, 284; and the social self, 237–38, 243; social support for shared belief, 18, 243, 286; view of, from perspective of awakened consciousness, 279 See also conceptual processing social self: belief in, 241; and existential dukkha, 262; identification of thoughts with the self, 237; and Jill Bolte Taylor’s poststroke insights, 238; and Pirahã culture, 253, 257; research implications of consciousness model, 288–89; and social reality, 237–38, 243; view of, from perspective of awakened consciousness, 279 Socrates, 262, 264 Sogyal Rinpoche, 72 spatial orientation, and Pirahã culture, 254 The Spear of Destiny (Ravenscroft), 71 spirit communication, 310n32; and Pirahã culture, 258, 310n27 sports, expertise in, 230 Straw Dogs (Gray), 63 street retreats, 11, 168–73, 197–98, 206 stress, 117; Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, 194–95; and modern lifestyles, 292 (see also modernity) See also anxiety; dukkha suddenness of shift in perspective, as property of awakening, 38, 41–42, 208, 211, 241; and capture of attention by sudden sensory stimuli, 42, 300, 301 suffering, 124; Amaro and, 2, 5, 75, 290; Batchelor (Stephen) and, 146, 147; the Buddha and, 146, 147; Catherine and, 109; and the first Noble Truth, 139; Fronsdal and, 122–26, 200; Glassman and, 166, 200; and happiness, 146–47; suffering caused by awakened individuals lacking compassion, 219–24 See also anxiety; compassion; depression; dukkha; empathy; pain and physical discomfort; worry Sufism, 224 Sumedho, Ajahn, 6, 77–78, 82, 84, 85, 86 Suzuki, Shunryu, 8, 54, 122, 132 Sze, Jocelyn, 306n11 tantra, 45, 166, 321 Tarrant, John, 4, 33–47, 65; and absence of boundaries, 38–39, 44, 210; and awakening as figure-ground reversal, 38, 208; and awakening experiences/ insight experiences, 4, 38–39, 40–41; and belief, 44, 197; biographical sketch, 4; and compassion, 46, 200; and controlling attention and quieting the mind, 42–43; and Dharma growing through conversations, 33–34, 46; and equanimity, 45; and identification with thoughts, 39, 237; and koan study, 34, 36–47, 200; and laughter, 40, 196; and letting go, 39, 40, 43, 196; meditation practices, 34–35, 39; origins of interest in Buddhism, 4, 34; and Pacific Zen Institute, 4; publications, 4, 33; and sensation that the world stopped, 40, 196, 212; and sense of freedom and absence of boundaries, 44, 210; as teacher, 46–47; teachers, 4, 36–41; in the U.S., 4, 37–38 Tasaka, Chizuko Karen, 221–22 Tassajara monastery (California), 8, 123, 126–27 Taylor, Jill Bolte, 238, 278 Thailand, Buddhist communities in, 6, 72–77, 128, 178–80 thalamus, thalamic nuclei, 279, 295–96, 299 Theravada Buddhism, 321; contrast to other practices, 45; few scandals involving Theravada tradition, 224; and jhāna practice, 106, 112–13; and letting go, 195; model of path to awakening, 138; monastic life, 75–76, 195; “noting” technique, 28; Path and Fruition Attainments, 115; and stages of enlightenment, 108 See also Amaro, Ajahn; Batchelor, Stephen; Catherine, Shaila; vipassana tradition Thich Thien-An, 27 thinking, 281–83; and error in suppressing sense of self, 24–27; fast and slow (Kahneman’s ideas), 282–83, 286, 287, 289; identification of thoughts with the self, 39, 237; projection of thoughts into the past or future, 246; and research implications of consciousness model, 289; wandering thinking, 283, 286, 287, 289, 314n27 See also inner speech Thinking Fast and Slow (Kahneman), 282–83 Thomas, W I., 275 Thomas theorem, 19 Tibetan Buddhism, 50–64; and belief and truth, 64; charnel practices, 170; and compassion and emptiness, 185, 188; contrast to other practices, 45; and faith, 54; lamrim (graded path), 51–52, 319; loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity as the four immeasurables, 52, 55, 187–88; and the nature of freedom and awareness, 189; ngöndro (prostration practice), 51–52, 54, 320; and teacher–student relationship, 50, 58; and three-year retreats, 53 See also Batchelor, Stephen; Goldstein, Joseph; McLeod, Ken; Vajrayana Buddhism time: and egocentric processing system, 277; feeling of rushing/impatience, 186; and lack of worry and planning in Pirahã culture, 251–52; past and future as just a thought in the mind, 179 Titmuss, Christopher, 7, 105 Torey, Zoltan, 239 truth, 64; and metaphysics as skillful means, not statement of ultimate truth, 189 unconscious awareness/processing, 230, 275–76, 281–83 Unfettered Mind (organization), 5, 60, 64 United States, Buddhist communities in: California, 4, 7, 8, 57–59, 87–88, 122–24, 126–27, 132–33, 164, 165; Massachusetts, 8, 12, 131, 187; New Mexico, 62; New York, 10, 11, 150, 155, 156 upaya, 166–68, 198, 321 Vajrayana Buddhism, 3, 21, 28, 45, 52, 321–22 See also Shingon School; Tibetan Buddhism Village Zendo (Greenwich Village), 10, 155, 156 vipassana tradition, 3, 27–28, 112, 140, 322; contrast to other practices, 28, 45, 65; emphasis on compassion, 199, 224; few scandals involving vipassana tradition, 224; and morality, 225; “noting” technique, 28 See also Batchelor, Stephen; Catherine, Shaila; Fronsdal, Gil; Goldstein, Joseph; Theravada Buddhism; Young, Shinzen visualization, in meditation, 56, 193; metta meditation, 199 Visuddhimaga, 108, 182–83 voices in the mind, 310n32 See also inner speech; spirit communication Wake up to Your Life (McLeod), 61 Waldman, Anne, 168 Wallace, B Alan, 313n2 Walsh, Roger, 61 wandering thinking, 283, 286, 287, 289, 314n27 Weitsman, Mel, 8, 132–33 White, Harrison, 239 “Who am I?” question, 25, 81, 197, 209, 210, 262 Wildavsky, Aaron, 311n43 wisdom, 117; and compassion as the activity of emptiness, 185, 188; and silence and perceptual reality, 278 The Wisdom of Psychopaths (Dutton), 223, 225 The World’s Religions (Smith), 10, 163 worry, 84–85, 87, 252, 265, 276 See also anxiety; dukkha writing, invention of, 258–60 Yamada, Koun, 38, 40 Yasutani Hakuun Roshi, 164 yidam practice, 56 Young, Shinzen, 3–4, 21–31; and absence of boundaries, 25, 31, 205, 208, 209; and alternating states of consciousness, 31, 215; and awakening experiences/insight experiences, 3, 25–26; and behavior change resulting from practices, 28–31; biographical sketch, 3–4; comments on author’s interpretation of interview, 217; and controlling attention and quieting the mind, 23–25, 193–94; and error in suppressing sense of self, 24–27; and flow of expansion/contraction and zero, 27, 28, 31, 215; in Japan, 21–25; koan study, 25; meditation practices, 22–23, 28; and monasticism, 22–24; origins of interest in Buddhism, 3; and permanent effects of awakening experiences, 3, 25–26, 31, 208; and procrastination driven by five sensory phenomena, 29–30; publications, 4, 21; reverse culture shock upon return to U.S., 24; and samadhi, 22–25, 31; on Sasaki, 220, 222, 223; as teacher, 4, 27–28; teachers, 3, 26–27; as translator for Sasaki Roshi, 3, 26–27; and vipassana tradition, 28 Zen and the Art of Archery (Herrigel), 293 Zen and the Brain (Austin), 299 Zen–Brain Reflections (Austin), 299 Zen Buddhism, 165–68; and cessation of manipulation of others, 43; and circle form of Zen group, 172–73; contrast between Korean and Japanese traditions, 138–39; contrast to other practices, 28, 45; and emphasis on enlightenment, 165; and Glassman’s focus on socially engaged Buddhism, 165–68, 225–26; and Japanese culture, 36, 41, 47, 224; Korean Zen tradition, 92–97; lack of emphasis on compassion, 224; and “not knowing,” 165, 214; points of emphasis in training, 165, 214, 300; and psychopathology, 224–25, 305n17; and samurai tradition, 224; and sex scandals, 14, 219–24, 304– 5nn9,10; and support for Japanese military effort during World War II, 219, 224; and teaching style, 37, 41, 46, 47, 66, 150 See also Austin, James; Batchelor, Martine; Batchelor, Stephen; Fronsdal, Gil; Glassman, Bernie; O’Hara, Pat Enkyo; Tarrant, John; Young, Shinzen Zen Center of New York, 11 Zen Community of Los Angeles, 165 Zen Houses, 173–74 Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind (Suzuki), 8, 122 Zen Mountain Monastery (New York), 150, 155 Zen Peacemakers, 11, 156, 165, 167, 171–72 Zopa Rinpoche, 38 ... been guided by the Burmese meditation master Venerable Pa-Auk Sayadaw He teaches a systematic approach that prepares the mind with strong concentration and carefully analyzes mind and matter before... after graduation he bought a oneway ticket to Asia, and wandered around for a few months until he found a monastery in northeast Thailand that followed the Thai Forest tradition and the teachings... of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Boyle, Richard P., interviewer, author Realizing awakened consciousness : interviews with Buddhist teachers and a new perspective on the mind / Richard